Time With God
A devotional trip through the Bible with a caring community to support, love and care for each other... while spending Time With God. If you would like our daily email version of this podcast send me a note to info@pinegrovecommunitychurch.com
TWG - June 30, 2008
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TWG - June 30, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 33; Psalm 45; Acts 7:1-19
Today is June 30, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
Well, our church camp weekend is over. And what a great time we had relaxing in the sweltering heat, swimming, singing around the campfire, and of course our Sunday Morning Service at Whisters Bend. I spoke on “Bad Start – Great Finish” the story of Levi – how it is never too late to turn your life around by giving in to God. You too can have a great finish. I put up a picture of the winning golf team on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out. We all went to Sutherlin golfing Sunday night. It was perfect weather and we had a great time. On a sad note for us left on planet earth, Don Z went to be with the Lord. It is a great thing for him. He was a faithful servant of Christ’s. Keep Doris in prayer
This week’s theme verse is 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Proverbs 8:13 says that God hates pride. Pride is one of the primary sins of the flesh. It is an over inflated view of self. It is a dangerous vice we should shun. But… a worldly person sees it quite different. The world defines pride as a healthy self respect and feeling of self worth. In fact the world system says that pride is the solution to many of our emotional problems. “Feel good about yourself!” “Celebrate yourself!” God says that we should deny self and take up our cross and follow Him, Man says we should congratulate self. God wants us to humble ourselves; man applauds those who exalt themselves. So why is pride desirable to men but repugnant to God? Throughout scripture we are regularly told about the consequences of pride. Satan was cast out of heaven because of pride. God resists the proud. Why is pride so sinful? Because pride is giving yourself the credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is essentially “self worship.” Pride keeps us from admitting our failings and sins. In the context of 1 Corinthians 10, pride puts us in danger of succumbing to temptation. Here’s the basic problem. After the “fall of man” we all became flawed. We are now incapable of perfection and unable to please God. But part of the flaw is that we are able to blind ourselves to our flaws. We are like a man who has just emerged from the sewer and is not aware that he stinks! His flaw is obvious to us but he is immune to the smell. In fact he enjoys the smell that others loathe. Imagine the man from the smelly sewer trying to introduce himself to the queen of England! He may take pride in himself and imagine himself to be quite a handsome, talented cesspool maintenance engineer, but to queen he’s disgusting! We aren’t well aware that our sins stink to the Living God. Nor are we aware that the cesspool that we live in is filled with diseases that burrow deep into the flesh. One of those diseases is pride. Pride is the arrogance to think that we are able to live on our own without the need for God! Blinded by our own insolence, we swell up like a peacock and revel in how we “don’t have problems with _______ (lust, greed, hatred, anger…) like other people. “I quit smoking cold turkey!” we hear ourselves say, implying I’m better than you. “I worked hard to get where I am!” Implying you are a lazy bum! What we fail to realize is that we are simply made of flesh. Apply the right pressure to the flesh and every one of us caves like a house of cards. A little poverty, a little lusty temptation, a little bug called cancer, and we are as helpless as a baby. Beware of pride. Fight it with a good dose of humility or it will get you when you least expect it!
Oh Father! I need you! I humble myself before you. I am poor and needy. You are the almighty God. Deliver me from pride. Help me to have a sober assessment of self. And most of all, I place myself in your hands, for without you, I can do nothing.
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, To comfort all who mourn, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, and The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 12:11 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Jun 27, 2008TWG - June 27, 2008
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TWG - June 27, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 32; Psalm 44; Acts 6
Today is June 27, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
It was tough to wake up this morning… that PM decongestant I took really knocked me out! But here I am, and still a bit stuffy. Yesterday I spent the day working on the bulletin, getting ready for camp, doing Sunday’s message called “Bad start, Great finish.” Wayne and Cathy stopped in. I put up a picture of them on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out. Phil dropped by. We spent several hours talking about the ministry. What a great time we had. And we spent some time in prayer. After work I ran to Whistlers Bend. Kyle & Marcia were there, as were Connie and Karri. Carl & Sonja, Terri & Vicki also showed up to visit with us. Then I took off home because we forgot the decongestant. So here I am.
This week’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD”
God’s plans for you are directly related to your prayer life. If you want to find God’s plan for your life you must first find God. There is no such thing as discovering God’s plan without finding God. In life you can get most any map without ever knowing the map maker. In fact most of us will never meet a map maker. But in God’s world you must get the map directly from The map maker Himself or you don’t get it at all! No God, no plans. Know God, know His plans. It all begins with an honest cry of the heart. It is a cry of desperation. “God I need you! I want to know you!” When you call on God, He is always ready to answer. He eagerly waits to hear from you, ready in an instant to reveal Himself. If you were to hear God speak I believe He would say, “I’m listening! I’ve been waiting here for you! I have always loved you!” But don’t stop with one call. The reason we don’t connect is because we are not desperate or persistent enough. When you are serious about finding God, you will come to him in concerted and intense prayer... The kind of prayer that is willing to seek Him with all your effort, time, intensity and all your heart. In the Hebrew, there are two words used for “seek” in this verse. The first one means “to seek” in the sense of a needy request or inquiry. It might be understood like this: “Lord are you there? I’m crying out for you. I need you! Please show yourself.” The second word used for “seek” is one which means “to search.” And it is a term which implies frequent investigation. We don’t just search once, we come again and again seeking God. Knowing God and His plan demands that I lay my heart out before God every day. The picture I conjure in my mind is a black and white drawing of a man sprawled across a chair, kneeling in prayer. His clothes are disheveled, his hair is a mess. His face is contorted with emotion. He is intense. His eyes are tightly shut and he is mouthing passionate cries from the heart. Day after day he has been here. The clock ticks incessantly. But he has lost all sense of time, nor does he pay it mind, because this man is desperate for God. He will not leave until his heart touches the heart of God. How can we expect our prayers to move the heart of God if it does not first move our hearts? When you seek God with all your heart, he will be found by you.
Oh Father! I need you! Here I am seeking you with all my heart, soul and might. I do want to know you. I do want your will for my life. My heart cries out. You are my crying need. Please fill me with your presence. Forgive me for not putting enough intensity and concerted effort into my prayer life. I am willing to come as often and stay as long as need be to find you and your plan for my life.
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:32 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Jun 26, 2008TWG - June 26, 2008
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TWG - June 26, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 31; Psalm 43; Acts 5:12-42
Today is June 26, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
I definitely have something! It’s either an allergy or a cold! I’m trying to knock it out before it knocks me out. Yesterday I did a variety of things. Got the new Vacation Bible School Flyer made, ordered a few disabled parking signs. Ordered t-shirt transfers for VBS. Sent out an email to everyone in church about our upcoming camp out. I’m praying it will turn out well despite our mix up! Susan, Marcia, Connie & who knows who else are headed to Whistlers Bend today to grab some camping spots. I signed up to drive a race car in the Preacher Feature for the Faster Pastor at the Douglas County Speedway. Want to buy tickets? Let me know. Only $8 a ticket set for July 19th. Carey stopped by to pick up a Dryer. I put up a picture of him pulling bearskis lawn care trailer on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD”
What does the future hold and what kind of a future does God have planned for us? Yogi Berra said it well, “It’s hard to make predictions… especially about the future!” No one can say with certainty what will happen next week, much less one year from now but let me try! Every other fool in the world tries to predict the future, why not me! I’m going to break my predictions into three categories: 1) your life, 2) end of the world, 3) eternity. Let’s begin with your life. I don’t have any idea WHAT is going to happen to you, but I can tell you WHY it will happen to you. I predict… As a Christian you are destined to become conformed to the likeness of Christ! (Romans 8:28-29). Whatever happens to you, God’s future plan is that you would become more and more like Jesus. Everything that happens in life is working toward that goal. So if you are going through tough times, chalk it up to the life transforming process so that you will end up like Jesus. That is YOUR future! Not bad huh? Let’s move on to the prophetic future. I don’t have any idea WHEN it will happen, but I can tell you WHAT is going to happen to planet earth. I predict… a coming time of terrible tribulation followed by a golden age of peace and prosperity! (Daniel & Revelation). For those who don’t know Jesus, 2 Thessalonians 5 says a terrible day of darkness will descend “upon them!” This earth and all left behind on it are moving toward that day of wrath that will last seven long years. It is what we call “The Day of The Lord,” meaning that it is the time period when God steps in to judge the world with the most explosive and devastating judgments ever… it is going to be incomparably bad! I don’t know when that will happen, only that it will happen. Following those terrible days will be a golden age. Jesus Christ will set up an earthly kingdom and usher in the good times! For a thousand years there will be virtually no crime, no war nor famine or poverty. We will finally have a court and political system that we can trust! There will be justice! There will be prosperity! There will be laughter, joy and good times. That is the future of our world! Then it will all come to an end. Our third prediction has to do with eternity. I predict… an eternity of joy and bliss that will be so wonderful that all earthly sorrows and difficulties will fade into a faint and passing memory. I don’t know WHERE Heaven is, but I know WHAT it will be like! Revelation says that our future is so good that there will no longer be any death, sorrow, pain or sin. Every tear will be wiped away and God himself will live among us and be our God and we will be his people! We will have a new, sinless, perfect body, soul and spirit. I can’t wait! God has plans for you! They’re good plans! Are you ready for them?
Dear Lord! Thank you for the future you have planned for me. I know that there are good times as well as tough times coming. I pray that I will always look to the finished product and not the present difficulties. I want to remember that you are making me like your dear Son. Thank you for that promise. Thank you for the promise of the new heaven and the new earth. Until then, I’ll serve you!
You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:04 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008TWG - June 25, 2008
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TWG - June 25, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 30; Psalm 42; Acts 5:1-11
Today is June 25, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
I am still not feeling well this morning… nothing more than a sore throat and headache… something some people live with every day. Yesterday was the last day of the IFCA National conference. Susan and I slept in. Then we attended the last session where Dr Alex Montoya shared ways that existing churches could reach out and start other churches in Vision America. If we are serious about reaching America, we must plant new churches. After the conference half a dozen guys and gals jumped in there and packed up the sound system. It took us a fraction of the time I expected! Thanks to Nate, Earl and the rest! What a huge help. I returned the equipment to Hi-5 and got in a discussion of the craziness of this world with the owner. I shared that Jesus Christ was the answer. He was willing to concede that Jesus was “an” answer… but his answer is just love. I need to get back in there and continue the conversation! I put up a picture of Dave and I goofing around… we put on some tin hats and made stupid faces. It’s on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD”
Man can live 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but he can’t live 1 second without hope! God gives hope. If you try to live without God in this world, there is no hope. This life is completely hopeless without God. What’s the point? Man is a sinner. He is bent on his own destruction. That’s why most alcoholics would rather drink themselves to death than fix their problems. Oh, they want to, but they want another drink more! The same goes with cigarettes, drugs and promiscuous sex. Before we know it, we are rotting to death. We caused our own destruction. But it doesn’t stop there. Our country and our world is bent on its own destruction. We make laws that destroy the economy all in the name of our political agenda. One of the driving forces among greenies is population control. Some of them want to reduce the population of the world from 6 billion to 2 billion or less! How do they intend to do that? And then there is War and terrorism. Suspicion and hatred have caused untold millions of deaths. Why would a twenty something terrorist strap a bomb to his chest and blow himself up in the middle of a night club, hotel or busy market? Without the true, living God we are bent on our own destruction! We have no hope in this life without God! Because real lasting hope in this life is based on what happens after I die. If I have to navigate sickness, poverty, stress, terrorism, war and hatred, I must have reasons for living that are bigger than this messed up world! If this life is all there is, let me out! Why torture me? The best of this life is not worth the worst of it! But if there is an eternal God waiting for me at my last breath ready to usher me into my eternal home, then I have a purpose big enough to persevere. If all my aches, pains and sorrows have reasons that will resonate into eternity, I can do this! If the Resurrection of Jesus taught us anything at all, it taught us that there is a resurrection for all; some to life eternal and some to eternal punishment. It also taught us that in trusting this Jesus we have hope. One day we will enter a paradise where there is no death, no sickness and no sorrow. I close my eyes and dream of the dawning day when the sunshine of eternity drives away the foreboding clouds of this life! I have hope because God is the hope giver!
My Jesus. Thank you for the resurrection! Thank you for hope. Please remind me that eternity is waiting for those who have placed their faith and trust in You. I have renewed hope in this dark and dying world because there is an eternity of joy waiting for me. How can I say thanks for bringing meaning to an otherwise meaningless existence! I love you!
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:59 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008TWG - June 24, 2008
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TWG - June 24, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 29: 22-46; Psalm 41; Acts 4
Today is June 24, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
I woke up this morning with a sore throat… I don’t know why except perhaps that I’ve spent too much time talking to pastors and wives at the convention… or else picked up some kind of social bug. Yesterday morning was a business meeting… there was some talk about the “gay marriage” ruling in California. The main way for a church to protect its purity, membership and property is to add a proactive statement to its doctrinal section in its constitution. I had to move a sound system from the first floor to the twelfth in about 15 minutes for the ladies… didn’t do too bad except for the one loud squeal that blew out my ear drums! You would think I would have been smarter than the machinery. Later I took a tour of Harvest House books… an impressive facility. And they publish some pretty good books. Last night Alex Montoya spoke on the character qualities needed in Church Planters and Pastors. Excellent message, well worth getting. I will see if I can get it and make it available if you want a copy. Let me know. One thing that has impressed me over the conference… I need to spend more time discipling men and more time reaching our community. It must be a priority. I put a picture of Dave working on the IFCA sound system with Dennis Finnin on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD”
Why don’t we completely, all out, trust God? Why the lingering suspicion that if I give in to God I will have to give up a life of fun, my highest hopes, most sought after plans and deepest desires. Why do we think that we can do it our way and be happy or do it God’s way and be miserable? There seems to be an almost universal fear that God is going to mess things up for me if I surrender everything to Him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at this passage. God has plans for me and they are good plans. He wants to prosper me! He wants to give me hope. He wants me to have a future. And most of all he wants to be found by me! And here in black and white God makes the promise… honest Abe, boy scouts honor, fingers uncrossed… I do not have plans to harm you! God said that! “Do no harm!” Hey, let’s settle it once and for all; God has my best interests in mind. Let Him lead you and good things will happen. I’m not much for the “health, wealth and prosperity gospel,” which teaches that if you trust God you will be healed, get rich and have only good stuff happen to you… it just ain’t so! This verse must be balanced with the truth that “all things work together for the good of those who love God.” Bad things will happen, perhaps even poverty and sickness, but they will work out for my greater good! God is more concerned about my character than my comfort. He is more interested in my holiness than my momentary happiness. So the difficult things actually make me more prosperous in the long run! And the greatest prosperity of all is “soul prosperity.” And more important than wealth or health is hope! And the better inheritance is not earthly but heavenly. Having said all that, God does have plans to prosper you and to give you hope and a future here and now. And while you can depend on that applying directly to your character, you can also count on Him blessing your short stay on planet earth. Like getting a wonderful ice cream treat to enjoy on the drive to Disney world, God plans to throw in some frilly earthly “stuff” to enjoy during the ride to our heavenly paradise.
My Dear Father. I know you have the best in mind for me. But I have fears. I don’t want to let go of the reigns. I am afraid of loosing what I have. I have a hard time leaving the mud pies of my own making for the wonderful vacation at the coast that you have planned for me. I choose to believe today that you know what’s best for me. I’m going to rest in the hope and joy of a life well lived for you!
“Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:41 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008TWG - June 23, 2008
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TWG - June 23, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 29:1-21; Psalm 40; Acts 3
Today is June 23, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
It has been a wild last few days. I’ve been at the IFCA Pastors convention in Eugene. I am in charge of providing the audio/visual and it really has kept me hopping! There are two sound systems and numerous screens and projectors for seminars. Thanks to Dave who helped me put them together. I could not have done it without him! What a big job. Yesterday was the Lord’s day. We had a wonderful service in the amphitheater! Bob and Judi Allen came down to speak. Great message from Ecclesiastes on “a Check up on our Worship.” Good stuff. They also stopped by in the afternoon for lunch and we had a good time of fellowship. Bob showed me Amazon’s self publishing sites for books. Looks like something I am going to check out. Then last night we saw one of the Q & A films on creationism. It actually went into quite a few other topics like cults and world religions. I put a picture of my Sister Debbie on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. She stopped in at the convention to visit! check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD”
How do things look from your place on the planet? Good? Not so good? Most people I talk to today are increasingly pessimistic... And for good reason. Gas prices are out of this world! Grocery costs have taken off into the stratosphere along with every other price of every other thing in this world. We are facing serious inflation. Our budget just isn’t cutting it any more. I know of several Christian ministries that have been hit hard! All of us are wondering what changes we can make to make our outgo match our inflow. Life has become a little bit tougher. And that’s not all. There is that Presidential Election thing. I know so many people who are unenthusiastic about any of the candidates. Neither of the two front runners look like they will be godly leaders. The future looks bleak. How do you plan for the future in a world drowning in terrorism, bad news and pessimism? Do you let your dreams die? Do you give in to depression? Or do you turn to God? God has a declaration we should pay attention to… “I know the plans I have for you.” Maybe it’s time we saw things from a different perspective. When times were good, we made plans for ourselves, and we even thought we might be able to reach them. The worse things get the more we struggle with our own plans. How about this: It’s time to hitchhike on God’s plans for you! God is not surprised by today’s problems. They don’t bewilder Him! He’s known about this little bump in the road long before your great, great grandpa’s grandpa was a twinkle in the eye of time. And God’s plans for you don’t have to take a detour because of this “unforeseen problem.” God’s plans for you are as workable today as they were when life was good. God has plans for you. Believe it. Trust Him. We are at the place in time where the big trains are in the switching yard. If we follow our own track, our train will head down a long dark tunnel filled with self and pessimism. But if you come to the fork in the road and hit the “switch tracks” button, you can get on track… that is on God’s track. His way leads to hope in the future. It’s time we made the switch.
Dear Father. I know you are in complete control of all things. I have been making plans for myself that have not worked out. I need to switch tracks and follow your plan for my life. I want to know the plans you have for me, and I want to follow them. Give me the optimism that comes with knowing that it’s all going to work together for the good in the end.
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”-
If you Drop me an email I will send you a list of the 20 “I Can’s” published by Dr Niel Anderson. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 12:58 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Jun 20, 2008TWG - June 20, 2008
Download this episode (21 min)
TWG - June 20, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 28: 15-43; Psalm 39; Acts 2: 22-47
Today is June 20, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
Yesterday whizzed by so quickly I have no idea where the time went! In the morning I dropped off the college students from CBU and went to work. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. Carl, Sonja and Marcia showed up to work on David’s garage sale. I fertilized the amphitheater. Then I helped with the garage sale. Lamont called and we had a long conversation. Brad and Karen came in for a surprise music practice, surprise to me because I didn’t know about it. Dave called to nail down last minute details of the Pastors Conference starting tomorrow. I got some more details ironed out about the bulletin. Then I took off with Dave to Hi-Five Sound to pick up the Sound equipment for our pastors conference. After that we stopped at Wal-Mart where Dave bought an entire box of ice cream sandwiches… 12 of them! I started eating one and was half way done before I gave one to Dave… he ate it in 2 bites! He had two eaten before I could finish my first! We gave most of them away so they wouldn’t melt. Then we stayed up till 10 PM labeling all the equipment so we could keep track of it. And here I am back at it again. I put a picture of Dave’s labeling insanity of me on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Matthew 6:33-34 …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
All these things. What things? The things mentioned in the previous verses… earthly treasures (20) Food, drink and clothes (25). If you seek first the kingdom of God, all these things will be added unto you. I think back to Solomon mentioned in verse 29. When he became king, God told him to ask for one request and He would do it for him. Instead of asking for riches or a world-wide kingdom, Solomon asked for wisdom to be able to judiciously rule in a way that pleased God. Because of that God not only gave him great wisdom but also gave him great riches and peace as well! The point is that our highest priority in prayer is that we should ask God for His will to be done first of all in our lives. We should ask God to fulfill His purposes through us! And if we do, ALL THESE THINGS shall be added unto you. So what gets in the way of this being our number one request? Let’s start with the heart. The heart must be into it. All too often our heart is somewhere else. We are consumed with making a living and decorating our little part of the world. If we are not at work trying to get ahead, we are at home remodeling the house or the yard. We don’t have time to make God a priority because we have other things in the way. It’s time to set priorities and make decisions that are really important in life. Choose this day what is really important in life and seek that! Does God have first place in your heart? Another obstacle in seeking first God’s kingdom is worry. We stress about the economy. We fret about the stuff we need. We are anxious about gas prices and food prices and every other price. It’s all going up! Worry and stress will keep you from seeking God’s kingdom! Your mind will be too distracted with anxiety. Your emotions may lead to depression and you may be spiritually incapacitated. The answer to this problem is trust. God knows what you need! He understands what’s happening with your economy! He will take care of you if you let him! Money is not an issue with God, he owns it all! Trust is our issue with God, does he own all of your heart?
Dear Lord. I know you are in complete control of all things. I give you my heart. I want to serve you with all my heart, all my soul and all my might. You know that I am made of flesh. I do worry. There is much to be concerned about. But I want to rest in you. I know that you have my best interest in mind so I will trust in you.
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”-
If you Drop me an email I will send you a list of the 20 “I Can’s” published by Dr Niel Anderson. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:00 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Jun 19, 2008TWG - June 19, 2008
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TWG - June 19, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 28:1-14; Psalm 38; Acts 2:1-21
Today is June 19, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day
Apologies are in order. Yesterday for the first time in a year and a half I didn’t publish Time With God. That’s because I couldn’t get to sleep the night before until the wee hours and I needed to sleep in. I hate it when that happens. I am still tired from it. But… I did dig a stump out of the church’s back yard! That was fun. Then I used the backhoe to run topsoil on to the stage of the amphitheater and leveled it. Yay! It’s looking good. I got the bulletin done… a day early! What’s wrong with me? I spoke with Joyce about her daughter who was threatening suicide. She’s still struggling, but has calmed down some. Pray for her. Last night we had a singing group from California Baptist University sing in the Amphitheater. What a beautiful setting! What a blast. We had two of the girls stay the night with us, and one of them helped Susan and I put together her belated birthday present, a Mantis Tiller. I put a picture of the two girls, Alyssa and Kristin posing like tool models on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Matthew 6:33-34 …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Are you righteous? A righteous person is someone who is living right! It is the idea that his life is pleasing to God. A righteous man is one who lives a life of integrity, virtue and purity. How does one know if he is pure enough, virtuous enough or has enough integrity to be called righteous? What is the standard? In the Old Testament the standard was the Law! In theory, if you obey the divine laws of God and keep His commands you will be righteous! The question I have about that is, “does God grade on a curve?” I mean, I do pretty good at most of them, I don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t bow down before any other gods… etc. But I mean sometimes I slip up! Does one slip up mean that I am not righteous? How about two? How many times can I fail and still be considered a righteous man? Is there a way to measure it? The Jews decided that yes, you could measure it. The way to do so was to define every aspect of life. In their commentaries they attempted to cover every possible situation so that you would know when you were naughty or nice. Every detail down to the minutest minutia had to be covered, that way you could know for sure! Here’s my dilemma: I don’t need more detailed definitions to tell me I have lied… I can look back over my life and admit that at least once in life (maybe more) I have lied. It only takes one lie to make me a liar! I also remember stealing. I was much younger then but, a theft is a theft, and now I am a thief! (Me a lying thief! - how is that for a righteous man?) I can also tell you that I have not always put God first (no other gods before me), have not always “worshiped” God on His day (remember the Sabbath), have disobeyed my parents… and you can go through all of those simple statements in the Ten Commandments and I have broken most all of them! But at least I’ve never had the scarlet letter “A” hanging around my neck! (adultery)! Of course, you might want to question whether a “lying, thieving, Sabbath breaking, disobedient” guy can be trusted to be honest about that! It doesn’t sound good for me! And the Bible itself has a few sobering things to say about my righteousness: “If you break one law you’ve broken them all!” (Check out James) “All my righteousness is like a filthy rag!” (Isaiah). Maybe that’s why this verse tells me to “seek HIS righteousness.” I don’t really have any of my own, so I need His! The good news? Righteousness can be “imputed” or granted. It is like a pardon for a crime. Jesus died on that Cross to pardon our sins and crimes. He also died so that he could “impute” or give us His righteousness. It is a matter of credit (as in a bank deposit of a million dollars into my account). He credited His million dollar righteousness to my account! I am righteous not because of my own deposits, but because of His! What a relief for a sinner like me! Amen.
Dear righteous Father. I need your righteousness. I have none of my own. Please keep me seeking you and desiring to be just like your son Jesus. I need a relationship with you. I need to know you. That is all that matters in life. Thank you for your million dollar deposit of righteousness to my account!
I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:42 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008TWG - June 17, 2008
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TWG - June 17, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 27; Psalm 37: 21-40; Acts 1
Today is June 17, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
Wow… was that ever a day of physical exercise… In the morning I spent an hour mowing the lawn (can you hear me puffing as I go up and down our hill?) Later that afternoon I went to work out with Kyle and Marcia (I’m moving a bit slower now!) And then in the evening I played a few hours of tennis with Phil (I could barely crawl off the court!!!) But I did win 2 sets to 0! Both were 6 to 4. In between I flopped down on the couch and tried to recover while I did some paperwork. Never ending paperwork. Susan was out in her little round swimming pool so I threw the dog in with her. The dog didn’t mind much. I put a picture of daughter Evie doing what she does best, taking a picture of someone else… on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Matthew 6:33-34 …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
What do we mean by the term, “kingdom of God?” My Greek Lexicon says that a kingdom is a territory subject to the rule of a king. In the New Testament it is used to refer to the reign of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom which spans the mighty universe. It is invisible to the naked eye and unheard of by the vast majority of human beings. The Kingdom of God is more real and abiding than all earthly kingdoms. It is a spiritual kingdom into which only those born of the Spirit may enter. No other means of entry is possible. If we are to seek this kingdom, we must understand what we are seeking. The idea of “seek first” is the pursuit of or the erection of God’s Kingdom on earth. It is the goal of establishing the spiritual rule of Jesus Christ in our family, church and country. To establish the kingdom has noting to do with taking land or territory and placing it under the “Christian Flag.” When the early explorers of the “new world” landed here, they would plant their flag and claim the land for their “country and for God!” Then they would seek to Christianize the citizens by forcibly requiring that they worship the true God. It rarely worked. Most heathens were still heathen in heart and while they bowed the knee to avoid the sword, their heart was still in paganism. To establish the kingdom has everything to do with becoming good citizens who are obedient to the rule of the King. The heavenly King reigns in His people on earth. Jesus said it this way, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our supreme pursuit is to establish the Kingdom within! Our grandest objective is to submit our lives in obedience to our King, Jesus. You have greater and better things to think about; kingdom living is the one thing that is necessary. Set your mind on things that are above. Our earthly life is all about one important task… to live like citizens of heaven. Our thoughts should be consumed with one great passion; discovering how a child of the kingdom should live. There are profound laws and ethics that govern kingdom life. Jesus laid it out in Matthew 5-7. I’ll list some of them for you. Ye Olde Kingdome Laws: Seek to become “Poor in spirit, mourn over sin, be meek and humble, hunger and thirst for righteousness, show mercy, seek to be pure in heart, be a peacemaker, expect persecution and become the salt of the earth.” If you seek to have these inner qualities you will be blest! You will experience happiness like you have never know, because the center of Kingdom of God is the most joyous place in the universe. It is filled with indescribable light, life and the very presence of Jesus Christ.
My Lord and King: I bow the knee to you. I also submit my heart and every area of my life to your rule. Yours is the kingdom and power. I want to pursue the kingdom with all my heart, soul and might. Help me to think on heavenly things. I want your presence to characterize my life. I want to pass the kingdom on.
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:03 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Jun 16, 2008TWG - June 16, 2008
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TWG - June 16, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 26; Psalm 37:1-20; Philippians 4
Today is June 14, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
A wonderful Father’s day is past. I spent most of my day with my church family. It was a great time of celebration. In the morning John showed up early! He was so excited about having worship in the Amphitheater that he couldn’t wait to show up. I too was excited… but there were those pesky clouds. We debated for about 15 minutes and then Brad showed up and justified the whole thing by saying, “after all, it is Father’s day!” That did it. cold or not, we were going to celebrate Father’s day in a special way outside! We took a step of faith and almost exactly at 10 AM, just in time for worship, the Sun came out! What a wonderful setting! We are so very blessed. After a wonderful time of worship, we headed out to Whistlers bend for a BBQ. Now there was some fun. Then it was home and after that Vivian needed help putting a bed together in her new apt, so I went over to lend a hand. Kyle, Marcia, Susan and Barb helper her move stuff in. More ministry! I put a picture of the youth at their garage sale on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Matthew 6:33-34 …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
First things first. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is… Get coffee, read the paper, take a shower. The first thing I do when I get home is… watch the news, kick back, talk to my wife / husband / kids. The first thing I do when I get my paycheck is cash it, buy a lottery ticket, go out to eat, pay bills. The first thing I do on my day off is mow the lawn, go fishing, read a book, kick back. The first thing I do when asked to serve the Lord is run! think of reasons why I can’t do it. I wonder what would happen if we plugged in the simple formula “seek first the kingdom of God,” to our lives? Here goes: The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is read my Bible and pray! I consider Your Word more important than my own food! The first thing I do when I get home is to share with my family what God has done in my day and what He has been teaching me in His Word. The first thing I do when I get my paycheck is that I dedicate it to the Lord and write a check for my tithes and offering! The first thing I do on my day off is carry out a ministry I and my family can perform for God and His Kingdom. The first thing that I do when asked to serve the Lord is pray about it and if it is in God’s will for me I joyfully and energetically do it! Seek First the Kingdom. That’s a matter of priority. Do you want to know how God feels about this priority, look in the Old Testament to see how he asked His people to put Him first… I suggest God’s feelings have not changed much about him being the #1 priority. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your might!” That was His command to them. Put God first. Have no other “gods” before Him. Here are some examples of firsts from Bible times: Give God one entire day set aside for worship, rest and ministry. Not just 2 hours on Sunday! (It’s time for the whuppin to begin! Get ready to load up on guilt… there’s more coming!) Come on! The whole day! The First Day of the week should be a day of joy, celebration and service to God. But sadly, too many of us who call ourselves Christians can’t even give God 2 hours on His Day! If there’s nothing else going on, we will show up. But just let baseball, camping, the home show… or whatever fall on that day and we are gone. No questions asked, no objections… easy call. God is NOT first and He is NOT pleased. (The Whuppin will continue until morale has increased!) How about another example: The tithe. Do you think the Israelites gave 10% to God? Yes they did. Do Christians? But there’s more. They had other offerings they were required to give! First of the flock, firstfruits, harvest time, temple tithe… someone added it up and suggested that when you figure in everything they were asked to give it was closer to 25%! Many church goers I know are lucky to give 5%! If God is first He will rate first in your financial life. And there is so much more to talk about… but I’ve run out of time and space, so today’s whuppin must come to an end. Oh… one more thing. If it feels like a whipping, it’s because you have not yet experienced the joy and pleasure that comes with pleasing God when He is number one in your life. Try it, you’ll like it!
Dear Father, it’s easy to admit that I have failed you! I want to make you my #1 priority, but so often I let my flesh and my personal desires get in the way. My way is muddied. I have let the cares of the world squeeze you out of certain areas of my life. I want my heart and my attitude to be adjusted so that I serve you first of all with joy and all my might. You first.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:41 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Jun 14, 2008TWG - June 14, 2008
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TWG - June 14, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 25; Psalm 36; Philippians 3
Today is June 14, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
What a beautiful day it was yesterday. I got my sermon ready on “A Father’s Heart.” Susan got the bulletin ready. Marcia forgot all about music practice! Can you believe that? I laid several more rows of pavers, and hope to finish them this morning… join me if you can. It is looking beautiful. We are supposed to finish the fence today as well! Rich was out front painting the new handicapped spaces. He is an artist! After work I ran to work out and then I stopped by the Hamptons garage sale and bought a few bucks worth of stuff. New ski’s, backpack, bag… and of course Susan bought some stuff as well. I put a picture of Josiah checking out his new scooter on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Like is full of challenges. Life is full of excuses to meet those challenges. “I don’t have the time!” “I don’t have the money!” “I don’t have the ability!” “I can’t handle this right now (or ever)!” “I don’t want to do this!” “I’ll pray about it (translated… If I put if off, maybe you’ll forget you asked me!” “I’m afraid I’ll fail!” I hear and see so many excuses about why supposed Christians are not meeting the challenges of the day, I wonder if they have cut this saying out of their Bible… “I CAN DO EVERYTHING through Christ who strengthens me!” Christians are supposed to be “CAN DO” people. If there is a need, every one of us should express the willingness of Jesus when he said, “Not My Will, but Thy Will Be Done.” When God places a need for ministry before our eyes, our response should be the CAN DO response, “Of course I CAN DO that… if God wills.” Most of us make more excuses than Moses. We respond to needs by telling ourselves why we can not possibly do that and then by process of elimination say… I’m too ___________, or don’t have enough ___________ so I can not possibly do that. God wants us to say “Yes” to him first… and condition that on whether it is His will for our lives. Serving Christ and living for Christ has less to do with “I” and my ability and time and more to do with “Christ” and HIS will and HIS strength. If you are relying on your ability, your strength, your money, your time, your… no wonder you are not a CAN DO person. How can I tell if you are relying on the strength of the Lord? (i.e. a spiritual person). Simple. Give you a task that you can’t do because it is beyond your ability and if you are a CAN DO kind of person you will take the challenge and attack it, because you are doing it in HIS strength. The sad commentary on our churches is that 20% of the people do 80% of the work… why? Perhaps because the other 80% are not walking in fellowship with God. If you are not relying on HIS strength you are NOT walking in fellowship with Him. If you are not serving you are sinning! I hope this little spanking is a nice reality check. Don’t pass it by, apply it personally. I CAN DO everything through Christ who strengthens me. God is not asking you to go it alone… he’s going to give you HIS strength. You don’t need to say… I’m too ______ or I don’t have enough ________, because what we do in life for Jesus isn’t dependent on us. It depends on Him. We should be saying, GOD CAN DO IT! How big is your God? Is He big enough to give you strength to meet the challenge you face? Could he enable you to do a job you don’t have the ability to tackle? Could he help you meet a need you don’t have the cash to supply? Could He give you the emotional stability to work through an issue you can’t handle? Can he give you to time you don’t possess to accomplish His work? OF COURSE HE CAN! There is only one obstacle in the way… you. You have got to say, OK, Lord, if you give me the strength, I CAN DO IT!
Dear Almighty God! I Can Do It! If you give me the strength I will do whatever you want me to do. I am sorry that I have been telling you “no” when I should be telling you “yes.” I know you want me to serve you. I know you want me to do your will. Forgive me for selfishly wanting my own way. That will change today. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”-
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:49 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Friday, Jun 13, 2008TWG - June 13, 2008
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TWG - June 13, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 24; Psalm 35; Philippians 2
Today is June 13, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.
We have sunshine! Finally. Our outside services this Sunday in the Pine Grove Amphitheater are a “go!” Yesterday I stopped by Rosehaven and visited with Don for a while. He was sitting up in a wheelchair and in pretty good spirits. Once I got to church I worked on the bulletin for Sunday. Got that done. I went outside and laid a few rows of paver stones on the stage. It is coming along. Bill was there cleaning and burning garbage. It looks great Bill! Thanks. Ken filled my trailer with garbage and took a trip to the dump. Jayn came in to plant flowers! Blessings on you Jayn. I am trying really hard to kill one of the trees that we planted last year… pray for it! And by the way… I have been Flamingoed! I keep forgetting to mention it! Dr John from Redeemers paid for a flock of flamingoes to be planted on my front yard as a youth group fund raiser. What a kick! I put a picture of them on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I know what it is to have plenty! I have had good and plenty for most of my life. That is not to say that I am rich (I’m speaking in terms of dollars and cents). I have never been a millionaire yet, and doubt I’ll ever be one. But I have a nice house, two nice cars, a blow up swimming pool and a dog… the dog I can do without! I have a lawnmower, weed eater, power blower, shop vac, battery operated drill, nice saw, guitar, a couple of computers, TV… I could go on and on! And did I mention that the last vacation I took was a 7 day cruise to Mexico on the lavish Carnival Pride! I also eat out far too often and I’m paying the price for it… I can pinch more than an inch! Ouch! I am well fed and it shows. The problem is that there is a cost associated with stuff. You have to take care of it. I have rentals that constantly need my time and care. I can’t sit back like a po’ man and laze around on the beach every weekend, no, I have decks to build and plumbing to fix. I have stuff that requires my attention. Not to mention the fact that I have a place of my own that is crying for my care. I have a tree in back that needs to be cut up and hauled away. I have a fence that the tree broke down that needs to be put back up. Then there is the “honey do” list. That is a never ending black hole that I will never crawl out of! I don’t own this stuff… this stuff owns me! HELP! Gone are the days when I could call the landlord and he would fix my problems… I’ve got to do it myself! I know what it is to have plenty. The question is this: what kind of steward are you with your plenty? Are you content with all your stuff, or does the upkeep drive you to irritation? God expects us to be good stewards of what he has given us. The first part of that equation is that you are thankful for what you have. May the blessing of wealth never turn into a curse for you! The second part of the wealth equation is that you remember who owns it… It’s all HIS, and He expects you to use it for the Kingdom. It’s His car… so use it to do ministry and take folks to church. It’s His house, so invite folks over and befriend them for Christ. It’s His money, so make sure that you spend it carefully. The more He’s given you, the more God expects you to allocate for His kingdom and His ministry. And by the way, all of you who have plenty, when is enough, enough? I know you’ve worked yourself to the bone to get where you are, but at some point you need to let God be your security blanket, not your retirement fund. It’s time to place it all in God’s hands and “Learn” contentment in plenty.
Dear Heavenly Father: You have given me much. And much will be required from me. I am busy. I have much upkeep to do. Please don’t let my stuff get in the way of your kingdom. Help me to simplify my life so that I have more time for the things that matter… my family and my God. Thank you for all that I have. I have been truly blessed and it’s all because of you!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:53 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Thursday, Jun 12, 2008TWG - June 12, 2008
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TWG - June 12, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 23; Psalm 34; Philippians 1
Today is June 12, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day.
Yesterday was a day of accomplishment. I had a few things I just had to get done, so I set out to do it… and shazam! Sometimes it works out that way. I published our Radio podcast to the internet… http://pgteaching.mypodcast.com/ the first in sharing your faith without fear. I went down to the amphitheater and laid two rows of pavers. They are looking good! I printed, folded, labeled and mailed 200 reminders that Sunday service times are changing this Sunday! I also sent out some 50 email reminders. I also sent a few email press releases to the News review for our service changes and for the upcoming concert next Wednesday. Last night I meant to visit Don and spaced it! I’ll have to do that this morning. I put a picture of Bills car on the handicapped parking spot. If you look closely you can see the gag ticket I put on his windshield. It’s on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
What is it that you need? A new computer? A new phone? A new car? Or are those wants? We mistake a lot of our wants for needs. In our commercialized society we “need” a lot of stuff we can do without. Most of us have no idea what it really means to be “in need.” When Susan and I were first married, and we moved into our first apartment, we had virtually nothing. We had clothes. We had a box for a table and a few rickety chairs. We had a bed that had been given to us. We had a running car (usually). There were a few things in the cupboard. The fridge and stove came with the place (thank God!) I got a job at Safeway and we began to slowly accumulate. Those were lean times. We just barely scraped by. We struggled to pay our bills – still do, nothings changed there! By today’s standards we were in need! But we NEVER missed a meal for lack of food. We never had to sleep under a bridge for lack of shelter. The power never once got shut off. Sure we couldn’t afford McDonalds, but I have never been malnourished or had to deal with famine, plague or war! Our needs, even the needs of some of the neediest here in the good old USA don’t descend to the low level of the needs in other parts of the world! Some people can’t even get the most basic of health care. They just have to suffer with illnesses and diseases that disfigure and kill! Some people don’t have the simple things we take for granted like drinkable water! Their water sources are polluted. Some people don’t have much of anything to eat… imagine eating nothing but pumpkin seeds for six months! And that’s if you were one of the fortunate ones! Some people can’t live their faith publically or they are beaten, chased out of the village, bombed, shot, machetied or persecuted to death. Honestly, I’m not certain that we can say with Paul, “I have learned to be in need!” At least not on the lowest, most dangerous level of need. For us, need is a relative statement! And yet there may be more discontent here in the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth than anywhere else! If anyone ought to be grateful for the bounty of the earth, it ought to be us! If anyone ought to be happy because of the wealth and beauty that surrounds us, it is us! If anyone ought to be content, it ought to be us. Perhaps the reason we struggle so much is because we have never really experienced a dearth of much of anything! We have not learned because we have not had to learn! I’m not suggesting that we give it all up so that we can go to the school of poverty. I am suggesting that we do some deep introspection and wake up on the other side with some serious gratitude to God leading to contentment!
Dear Father… I do have so much! You have blessed me beyond compare! I have not only what I need, I have more stuff than I can even account for. I am blessed. I am grateful. I ask that you would make me more in tune to the needs of the kingdom. Instead of buying myself new toys, may I consider more ways to fund your kingdom work. In that give me joy and teach me contentment.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:48 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008TWG - June 11, 2008
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TWG - June 11, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 22; Psalm 33; Matthew 28
Today is June 11, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.
Yesterday I eased into things in the office and because of that I immediately fell behind. Marcia stopped in and dropped off a pallet of paving stones for the amphitheater stage. We are going to need some help putting that together if you can. But they do look beautiful. We laid out the first row. Bill and Helen and Todd stopped in to do some clean up around the back. Todd waded into the creek to fish out a few I-Beams we had left there last year. Susan was in the office working on a mailing for church. Ken stopped in for a moment. After work I ran to Roseburg High for a game of tennis with Phil. He just barely edged me out in our tie-breaker game. After dinner I ran to our men’s meeting with Dave, Carl & Ken. We always have a good time. Carl brought a round chocolate cake. Dave can’t live without chocolate! I put a picture of Ken staring at John down by the amphitheater on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I am a slow learner. Some things that I should have “learned” years ago, I haven’t. Sometimes I repeat the same mistakes over and over. Did you notice the wording in the verse above…? “I have LEARNED to be content.” Contentment is a learned character quality, it is not instinctive, nor is it natural. We are not born with the ability or know how to be content. Contentment is not unique to one personality style or another. It must be learned by all! But there is more to it than that. There is a pattern in the verse above that leads to contentment. #1 I have learned… #2 I know how… #3 I have learned the secret… The first step is to learn. This has to do with learning that comes from experience. Some of us can learn from the experiences of others, the rest of us have to learn from our own mistakes! How do you make good decisions? Experience. How do you gain experience? Bad decisions! Unless you go through difficult times yourself, you won’t really know if you have learned how to be content. Difficult times is the school of learning! It’s easy to give advice from the grandstands, but until you are in the arena yourself, you never know whether you can practice what you preach! The second step is the “know how.” The first time you face a problem you learn from it, the second time you have the “know how.” (or at least you should.) Know-how comes with prolonged experience. It is one thing to sit in the classroom and talk about theory, but you’ve got to get some hands on experience if you really want to master what you have learned. The more you go through the wringer, the more experience you have, the more you know how to react to difficult times. Step three is to learn the secrets. Have you ever tried to learn a new skill? Every discipline has “tricks of the trade” that are not apparent to the untrained. That’s what education, trade schools and on the job training are all about. They teach you the tricks. You can work harder or you can work smarter! The same is true for contentment. God’s word is full of insights and truths that will teach you the tricks of the trade. God has gifted individuals who know His Word and who have been through trials who can pass on these tips. But sometimes we are not ready for it until trouble strikes! This is learning that is fueled by some hot motivation. If I teach you survival skills in the classroom, you might yawn your way through the class. But if I drop you off in the middle of the uncharted wilderness with nothing more than the clothes on your back, a canteen and a knife, and give you one last class before you are on your own for a week, suddenly you have some real live motivation to learn! When you are ready, God is ready. Want to learn to be content? It is indispensible knowledge… it is “need to know!”
Dear Jesus. Thank you for setting the example for me to follow. I want to learn from you. You have shown me how to be content even in the most difficult of times. Sometimes I really struggle with contentment. I don’t like what’s going on in my life and I can’t pretend to be happy. But you break through with supernatural strength from your Holy Spirit. That’s what I need. Lord keep me ever in your hand. Teach me contentment.
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:48 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008TWG - June 10, 2008
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TWG - June 10, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 21; Psalm 32; Matthew 27:32-66
Today is June 10, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus
God plans all things well! Yesterday I had planned to work on the amphitheater stage. And that’s what I did! I had mentioned to John that it would be great if he could help, and help he did. All day long! And Ken also heard about it, and he was there all day long. You talk about great progress! Thanks guys. You are on my top list for highest awards! Blessings on you! We got the stage completely leveled out and we laid down a layer of sand so that we can place pavers on top. Perhaps today we will pick them up. At noon I went to a Christian Education Committee meeting. Marcia prepared lunch for us all! Thanks And by the way happy anniversary to Kyle & Marcia and Carl & Sonja. The lunch was great! And the meeting went well. Carl, Sonja, Vicki, Marcia and Helen attended. Bill also came out to do some clean up work. Later I put some bark around some of the trees in the amphitheater. That dresses it up nice. Then Kyle and I ran to Lowes to look at Pavers. They sure will look nice. I put a picture of John on the Backhoe on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out. And by the way. Our MyPodcast representative finally posted on their forum telling what the problems were. According to her they were having serious technical issues expanding space and it took much work. So the long silence is over and it appears that the site is working again.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I am a big fan of contentment. I want to learn to be content in every situation that comes up in my life! I want to avoid dissatisfaction, covetousness, anxiety and complaining. But I have a conflict! I am a goal driven person! I have big plans. There is a lot of stuff I want and a lot of things I want to do! So how do goals, plans and wants factor in to contentment? Doesn’t God want me to strive to do better in my life? Does he want me to be happy that I am in poverty and just stay there? I don’t think so. God wants us to be content, but he doesn’t want us to be complacent! He wants us to be satisfied, but doesn’t’ want us to be apathetic. God expects us to improve our selves and he blesses ambition. There is a divine tension here. It’s like a teeter totter. Seated on the one side of the teeter totter is contentment, and on the other is big plans. In the center is a wedge called “The Will of God.” Everything hinges on God’s will. When we start making big plans and weigh it down with the will of God, contentment goes up on the other side! And when we decide to rest in the will of God and be content, big plans begin to rise up on the other side of the teeter totter. They work together! One energizes the other! But we must factor in the Will of God in every circumstance. Without it we’d flat line! Paul understood this. In Phil 3:10-15 he states that he has a very high goal: he wants to become like Christ! “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.” These are some highly ambitious words! James tells us that when we make big plans we should always say, “The will of the Lord be done!” Contentment and ambition can both work together as long as the will of the Lord is in the center!
Dear Lord. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth in my life as it is in heaven. Yours be the glory and the kingdom. May my ambition always be tempered with contentment and may both be based on seeking Your will. I want to do great things for you! Give me a great vision of what you have planned for me!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:45 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Monday, Jun 09, 2008TWG - June 9, 2008
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TWG - June 9, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 20; Psalm 31; Matthew 27: 11-31
Today is June 9, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.
Today is Monday. Today I plan to work on the stage of the amphitheater with Ken and John. Saturday I laid carpet. Rich came over to help me. Thanks Rich. I went to David’s grad party. The food was good. And we had a good time. I got to see a couple of people on the TWG list: Melissa and Chris! I forgot to take pictures though! Was great to see you! Then we went to Josiah’s birthday party. That was a good time as well. Yesterday was the Lord’s Day. We sure missed a lot of folks. Some families were out for graduation, but there were a lot missing! In the afternoon I went to lunch with Kyle & Marcia’s entire extended family at Kowloons. We had a blast. Sunday night we watched one of the final videos in the creation series, it was good. After that Susan and I went to see Don. He was asleep. On the way back we tried to run over Mike – he was out in the street talking to Dave and Barb. I put a picture of Josiah’s BD fun on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Have you learned the secret of contentment? The secret is that you can be content no matter what your circumstances are. Contentment is the inner sense that you are ok with your lot in life no matter what it is. Let’s try to understand it by what it is not. Contentment is the opposite of dissatisfaction. There are a lot of people who are unhappy with life. They don’t like themselves. They are too fat, too short, too tall, too blond, too talkative, too quiet, too much nose, too big of a behind… you name it, we have a problem with it. They don’t like their circumstances. They are unhappy with their spouse if married. They are unhappy with their job if employed. Contentment is the opposite of covetousness. A discontent person always wants what someone else has. They don’t like the house they live in, the car they drive, the clothes they wear… nothing they have is good enough for them. They are envious of those who have more. Contentment is the opposite of anxiety. We worry a lot. We worry about the future, especially during these economic times and this presidential election cycle. We worry about our finances. There just isn’t enough to go around. Times are tough and we are afraid we won’t make it. We worry about our friends and family; what they think of us, will we get along… etc. And Contentment is the opposite of complaining. Complaining is the way we express dissatisfaction, covetousness and anxiety. It is the result. It results in the pessimist. (A pessimist sees himself as a realist! Go figure!) It results in the disgruntled... A person who is cranky and grumpy about everything. It results in greed… the desire to get what you want no matter who it hurts or what the cost to others. If you were to take an X-Ray, a discontent person looks like a shriveled up old raisin on the inside whereas a content individual is like a juicy, plump grape. I’m thinking that I want my X-Ray to show a, fresh, juicy, plump, contented and smiling face on the inside. But I have to be willing to make some spiritual changes. I have to decide that God is in control and that He knows exactly what he’s doing with my life. Once I accept that, it’s all sunshine, sandy beaches and contentment for me.
Dear Father. I know that you are the blessed controller of all things. I wish to learn contentment, so I want to learn to accept every circumstance of life as a gracious gift that comes from the hand of a loving father. I don’t understand it all. I don’t know why I’m going through all these things, but I do know that you have my best interest in mind, so I will be content. That’s a better feeling anyway! Thanks Lord!
Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 11:19 PM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008TWG - June 7, 2008
Download this episode (19 min)
TWG - June 7, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Exodus 19; Psalm 30; Matthew 27:1-31
Today is June 7, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. T TWG is a covenant to seek the LORD God with all our heart and with all our soul. If you seek Him, He will be found by you.
My day of deadlines has come and gone. And what a day it was. I spent some it under the gun. I had to order a new projector screen. It was tough to find one at the price I had before. I spent quite a bit of time searching and finally did it. Now pray it gets here on time. David came in to be interviewed by the scholarship committee. Al came by with a tough question from the Bible. I posted it to the forum. I talked to Earl Brubaker for a while on the phone about the upcoming IFCA convention in Eugene. Brent from Ashland Bible Church called about the Sound System. Susan was there doing the bulletin. She dropped an envelope on my desk that had no return address, only the words, “Donation for Awana.” Inside were 5 crisp $100 bills! What a great blessing and surprise. God is so Good! He always supplies what we need! I put a picture of a couple of deer outside my office on the blog at timewithgod.mypodcast.com. They were just looking for something to eat. check it out.
This week’s theme verse is Joshua 1:8-9 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
What makes us Christians different than other men? Is it that we are better? No. Is it that we have achieved perfection? Not a chance! Is it that we are nicer people? That is a nicer thought… it would be nicer if that were true, but no, there are a lot of nice people in the world. It isn’t that we are better, nicer, smarter, more loveable or any of the above. In fact, the reverse is often true. Some of us have been worse than people in the world. Some of us are not as nice. We are nowhere near perfect and s