It’s Friday, so I thought I’d just post something fun.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in a wheelbarrow race, but if I were to be in one tomorrow, I would try to learn this trick.  Check this out.   

One of the reasons this small group material is so great, is how the host (a guy by the name of Ray Vander Laan), takes the viewer around different places in Israel and makes the Scriptures come alive in ways they’ve proabably never imagined before. 

Anyway, it’s from the Faith Lessons series by Ray Vander Laan.  Ray’s been putting out these Faith Lessons for a while now (I remember watching one of them almost ten years ago), but I figured some of you life group leaders had never heard of him and might want to give one of his studies a try.  I know that we have several of these DVD’s available in the Life Group Library, and I just thought I’d put in a good word for these resources. 

You can also check out Ray Vander Laan’s website here if you want to know more about him or the Faith Lessons series

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip” – Will Rogers 

“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking” – John Kenneth Galbraith 

“If you’re big enough for your dream, your dream isn’t big enough for you”  - Erwin McManus

“Life is tough.  But it’s even tougher if you’re stupid”  - John Wayne

“The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do” - Orson Swett Marden

“Even in a noisy world, the right voice compels you to listen” - Staci Frenes

I just finished a little book by E.M. Bounds entitled, “Power through Prayer”, and I thought I would just share with everyone a few of the statements that jumped out at me during my time reading it.

“Talking to men for god is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.”

“The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their character, and have most powerfully affected the world for Him, have been men who spent so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives.”

“No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer, and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying.”

“The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees”

“To be little with God is to be little for God”

“To pray is the greatest thing we can do: and to do it well there must be calmness, time, and deliberation; otherwise it is degraded into the littlest and meanest of things.” 

It was an easy read, but I don’t know that I would recommend this book for everyone, because a lot of the book’s content was specifically aimed at pastors.  Nonetheless, it was a great read and I hope you take some time to chew a few of the above quotations.

It’s that time again when I let you know what’s playing on my i-Pod these days. 

I don’t know how it is for you, but it’s always strange for me in transitioning back to normal music after listening almost non-stop to Christmas music for a month and a half.  And it doesn’t help when my three year old son, Brody, is still walking around the house singing Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs. 

Anyway, the following five songs have helped me get back on track, so, without further adieu, here is what I’m currently enjoying:

1. “Witch Doctor” by Alvin and the Chipmunks-  I’m sure that I shouldn’t be recommending music with the title “witch” in it, but after we went and saw the movie over Christmas break, I couldn’t get this song out of my head:  “Ooh eee, ooh ah ah, ting tang, walla walla, bing bang.  Ooh eee, ooh ah ah, ting tang walla walla, bing bang”

2. “Up to the Mountain” by Kelly Clarkson- A very moving song based on a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr., entitled “I’ve been to the Mountaintop.”  The speech was actually given the day before he was assassinated.   It is one powerful song. 

3. “Pray” by M.C. Hammer- I’m talking about prayer on Wednesday nights, and I’ve been enjoying listening to this fun song…“You’ve got to pray just to make it today!”

4. “We Shine” by Steve Fee-  I love this worship leader and I love this song!

5. “HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA’A” from High School Musical 2-  This is just a fun song to listen to if you have little ones riding in the car with you.  If you haven’t seen the movie, I won’t even begin to try and explain the song. 

Because I’ve been having major computer problems, I haven’t written anything in almost a week.  Sorry.  I had two separate issues last week, but I think I’m good to go again.  Anyway, just thought I’d give you a quick update and let you know I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth or anything like that.