Jen,

Thank you for doing this. I know it will be a useful tool to stay in touch with one another. I have not been much of a blogger so this will be a learning experience for me. So glad you and Deacon are in the class this year.

Blessings!

Rick

Jen and Deacon

I'm glad you guys made it back safely. It looks like it was an incredible trip. Would love to hear more about it sometime. Welcome back and thanks for uploading the pictures!

Home from the Holy Land

I have been awake since 4:30am- and passing out around 7pm. I'll tell you all about our trip soon, but here are some great pics to start. Amazzinggg trip.

BOOK: unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons

Angela & Scott,

This is the book that is based on the study by the Barna group I was telling you about yesterday. They have a good website with an excerpt if you want to check it out.

BOOK: The Shack by William P. Young

If anyone wants to borrow this book, let me know. I thought it was great. It's a pretty quick read.

REVIEWS:
"When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!"

-Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus Of Spiritual Theology,Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.

"If God is all powerful and full of love, why doesn’t He do something about the pain and evil in our world? This book answers that age old question with startling creativity and staggering clarity. By far one of the best books I have ever read."

-James Ryle, Author Hippo in the Garden

"Wrapped in creative brilliance, The Shack is spiritually profound, theologically enlightening and life impacting. It has my highest recommendation. We are joyfully giving copies away by the case."

-Steve Berger, Pastor , Grace Chapel

Amazing Grace: History and Performance by Wintley Phipps

The Call

Hey Scott, Below is a series of sermons entitled "The Call" given in 2008 by Rob Renfroe, assoc. pastor at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. They are based on Philippians 3:14 "I pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." and also on the book The Call written by Os Guinness. I think Rob Renfroe is incredible (and yeah he has a funny voice at first, but it turns out to fit his personality and sense of humor). I think he's a very gifted teacher and even my former pastor Stan Copeland at Lovers Lane Methodist, who's a friend of his, agreed with me about how gifted he is. I thought you might enjoy listening to these sermons. They are great for all of us but I especially found them to be a blessing when I was seeking what the call on my life was, or even if I would be given one more than continuing to do what I was doing and trying to learn about God and love and follow Christ. I also have the book if you wanted to read it, but I think Rob did a very good job taking the message and applying it to our lives. I didn't mean to single you out because it is a great message for everyone, but you specifically came to mind. I hope everyone gets an opportunity to listen to some or all of them.
Peace.

Give it a few minutes to play or download, the files are pretty large, usually 30-40 min sermons.
The Call: By God To God - PLAY - DOWNLOAD
The Call: For Gods Purposes - PLAY - DOWNLOAD
The Call: Out of the World - PLAY - DOWNLOAD
The Call: Called To Be Available - PLAY - DOWNLOAD
The Call: Called To Be Teachable - PLAY - DOWNLOAD
The Call: Called To Be Faithful - PLAY - DOWNLOAD

If there is a problem with the links go click HERE and scroll down to find the sermons listed.