Allow Love to Trump Your Schedule and Logic!

Who can you bless today?  Let that be the question that remains at the top of your list every minute of every day and watch how God will prompt you to impact someones life. I know you are too busy, too stressed, too tired, too broke, too …(?)  But remember that when the Holy Spirit prompts you to engage with someone, nothing is more important than you obeying that prompting.

Start living your life as a God adventure and watch Him come alive to you! Watch your life transform into something beautiful!

John 14:21-24

21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Obey Jesus' Teachings! Do what He showed us to do! Remember this, when you get the prompting from the Holy Spirit to help someone and they then say something like, "You don't have to do this or Why are you doing this for me?" The answer is is simple, Yes I have to do this for you because God told me to! I am a follower of Jesus and I must obey Him!  Think of the possibilities. Can you imagine that if all people who sit in the pews in Sunday would just start doing this how powerful a testimony this would be to the world! 

Recommended reading: The 10 Second Rule by Clare De Graaf

I want everyone to know and experience Jesus!  

Here is what it might look like!  Be Jesus!

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Tomorrow's Service "Being Jesus!"

I am convinced that people don't care what the name of our church is, what our Logo looks like, where we meet, when we meet, or what kind of music we play! I don't think they care if we have a book store or a coffee bar, or serve ham and cheese sandwiches. Oh,  some of those things may get someone to come once just to look things over, but none of those things are going to change anyone.

The world wants to Experience God!

If you want to get the worlds attention, give them a real but simple way to experience God. We experience God by knowing His son Jesus and the world desperately needs to experience Jesus' love. And that is where you and I come in!

Let's show the world who Jesus is!  Join us tomorrow for this simple way to change your life and the lives around you. I'll show you how to become an effective disciple for Jesus in a fun, life changing way that will simplify your Christian walk! Let God become a real adventure everyday of your life!

Come join us at 12:00 noon tomorrow at 800 North Main Street, Immanuel Methodist Church Edwardsville. Lunch will be provided right after the service!

Come and enjoy the fellowship of your Praise Community Fellowship family!
See you tomorrow! Love, pastor kent

What Did You Say?

Have you ever had someone give you an unexpected compliment? You know, someone sends you a note, an email, a letter, or maybe just comes up to you and compliments you on something that you have done?  Do you recall how wonderful that feels? Genuine compliments change your day, your blood pressure, your self worth, your attitude. 

There is tremendous power in words of encouragement and love! 

No sense in allowing this power to go to waste. Start changing someones life today! 

To walk with God is a choice! But I have found that it is not a one time choice. I choose to be a follower of Jesus. But I must choose that path minute by minute of every day because I am easily sidetracked by my own selfishness, agenda's, needs, wants, and desires. When we are lost in our own agenda's want's needs and desires we will miss the opportunities that God is putting in front of us each and every day to be Jesus to the world! We will miss the opportunities to participate with Him in changing someones day and possibly even their life!

Announcements:

This Sunday is our annual congregational meeting. We will meet after a shortened service and then…..enjoy the chili cook off!  Please plan on joining us this Sunday! It is a good time to get to know the people you worship with!  There will be words full of power spoken!  

See you Sunday at 12:00 noon! 800 North Main St. 

Love, pastor kent

Wrong Focus!

This past Sunday I began our new series of sermons on "The One Main Thing!"
The one main thing being love! Love is of God and Love is God! Therefore if we live our lives with love as our focus our life journey will become a love story.

Let me reinforce a very important lesson I have learned since becoming a pastor. For too long my focus has been on results. If "I" was not getting the results that "I"  thought "I" should be getting…notice all the "I's" then what I was doing is failing.  So I react with typical human emotions of "So why am I doing this?"  Frustration, depression, confusion all enter the picture and before you know it, life has become a stressful mess! Sound familiar to anyone else?

So I go to God and pray asking for help and clarification. Here is my answer:

Kent, your job is to "obey" me, my promptings and my teaching!  That is your one and only responsibility with me. Obey! Follow my lead, and let the results up to me!  Got it? Love, God.

That is your same message. OBEY me, listen to me, follow me!  That is what is required of you! Leave the results to me!

So how does that apply to you?  What are you getting stressed out about? What in your life needs repair? What ever that is, obey God! Trust God! Pray to God! Follow God! Do what He is prompting you to do, now! Don't let the other voice stop you from being obedient!

The one thing then becomes, following and obeying love! Because God is love. If your life isn't a daily love story, stop and tune into God!

Hope to see you this Sunday for the chili cook off! If you have a great chili make up a batch and enter it. We will also have our annual meeting.  By the way this meeting will be short and petite. It is something we must do to fulfill our tax free status. So here is the plan. Church service at 12:00 noon as usual. But it will be a shorter service. A quick annual meeting and then we have a chili lunch and all are invited.

See you soon! Love pastor kent

Keep it Simple, but Effective!

What a great service yesterday!  New people! God's spirit was tangible! Become aware of God's prompting and act!  Don't let the "other" voice talk you out of loving someone as the Holy Spirit is prompting you to do so.  Here is a follow up scripture to think about!

1 John 3:17 

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Let's cut the bull out of Religiousness and get real! 

Why? Because that is God's plan.  Are you in?

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

This Sunday! "The One Main Thing!

I hope you will put aside all things to join us tomorrow at 12:00 noon 800 North main Edwardsville.

The new sermon series begins tomorrow!

Who should come? YOU! for starters. Especially if you have been frustrated, angry, questioning, "Whats the use?" I don't really care anymore! I'm worn out! I'm upset! I've got my feelings hurt! and on and on.

What if I'm feeling happy and blessed?  Oh yes please come, we are going to need your smiling face and I promise you are going to enjoy this service too!  HOOLA HOOPS and ALL! You will walk away blessed with a game plan for turning your life into something magnificent! And, the game plan will continue over the next few weeks.

See you Tomorrow. Love, pastor Kent

Announcements:

Please lift up the Virgil Heepke family in prayer. Virgil is now healed and with God in paradise! He left this earth early this morning. Arrangements being made.

Please pray for Cynthia Bastholm she has been re-admitted back into the hospital at Alton Memorial.

From Brad Joiner: 

Immediately following our annual congregational meeting on April 19th, there will be a chili cook off in the lower level of the church. Anyone interested in entering their wares should bring the conviction in a crock pot or container that can keep it warm. There will be a hand selected committee of judges with very discerning palates that will decide whose entry takes home the ribbons.
All additional fixins to enjoy chili will be provided as well as soft drinks, iced tea and coffee. Anyone wishing to bring a dessert is encouraged to do so.

Also anyone wishing to help with the logistics of setting up and helping serve should send an email to Brad Joiner at bradleyjoiner1@gmail.com to be assigned to the different stations.
It will be a good time with great chili and everyone is encouraged to bring a guest to the cook off or church or both. 

One Thing!

If you want to participate in Christianity you need to focus on only ONE THING, being Jesus to others!

You will not be able to do that until you allow the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes, ears, and heart so that you will be able to recognize the who, when, and how He wants you to be Jesus.
Do this one thing and watch your whole life change into something amazing!

This Sunday! I pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out such a mighty change of heart and blessing on all of you that you will never have doubt again that Jesus is alive, well, and seeking the surrendered heart so that He may live through you every minute of every day! Do you know someone that thinks Christianity is a mess? A waist of time? Has doubts? Struggling with life?  Bring them this one time and let God do the rest!

See You Sunday. 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville at Immanuel Methodist Church.
Come and be changed!

Sermon Series begins on "How can I be part of God's plan?" The One Thing!

Love, pastor kent