Sundays are a challenge for me to do firsts. There are only so many ways for me to preach. I did a service last year backwards. We started with what we typically end with (for us that's an altar call) and then I preached and we sang congregational songs at the end. I felt there was some merit in doing that and it seemed that the Holy Spirit used it to help us tune in to Him.
Today I was preaching on going all in for Jesus. I love the term all in. As I was preparing the message, I thought about a video I had seen a few weeks back. It was about a company called West Jet. It seemed to me that this video would be a great lead in for the message that I was preaching about going all in. The Scripture I was preaching from was Matthew 7: 7-11. So, I've never started a sermon with a video. So, my first for today was starting a sermon with a video. If you are interested, this is the link to the video. It's 5 minutes long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk
If you watch that with the idea of going all in and Matthew 7: 7-11 about asking, seeking and knocking, I think you'll see why I thought this might connect.
My hope was that the video would grab people's attention and help us to get some ideas about what going "all in" for Jesus might mean for us practically. It's helpful to see someone else getting outside their comfort zones to help us visualize how we might need to get out of ours. When I see someone else going all in, it challenges me. I have friends that moved to China for a few years to teach in a school. I have friends who are trying to finance a well in a foreign country to provide clean drinking water to people that don't have any.They are raising much of this money by asking for money to be donated to the well instead of receiving birthday and Chirstmas gifts. I have a friend who left a $100 tip on a $7.61 meal. I have a friend who decided for a while that he would read the Bible longer each day than he watched TV. These living examples help me to see what going "all in" might really look like in my life.
Also, I saw an armadillo that growled at a few people at church today. We have a young man who is about 3-4 years old who wore a cap that was made to look like an armadillo. He enjoyed it so much he also growled at a few people. That was a first. I've never encountered a growling armadillo at church before.
Going all in for the abundant life
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. People who challenge my faith
2. The hymn "In Christ Alone"
3. A very cute growling armadillo
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