Strategic, focused, full of faith and willing to make a mess if necessary. Roof Crashers are people like the four guys in the 2nd chapter of Mark who bring their friend to Jesus through the roof of a house.
As I promised in the message Sunday, here's a list of books that can help the conversation about your sex life, married couples (Singles, I love you, too, and I'll have a list for you later in the week, so check back). I will break them into two categories: Marriage books with good chapters on sex, and sexual relationship books. Here you go, enjoy!
Marriage Books:
His Needs, Her Needs - one of the best marriage books around. Great for explaining to both partners the importance of taking care of each other's needs in marriage, including but not limited to, sexual needs. His are different from hers, and Dr. Harley does a great job of explaining both.
For Men Only/For Women Only - Two great books, one great idea: ask men/women what and how they really think, then write it down and share it with everyone. Great insights into how the opposite sex thinks. And you can read both the one for you and the one for your mate.
Books on THE SUBJECT:
Sheet Music - A great begining book on sex for couples. Plenty to keep both parties interested, and answer some important questions you might be asking.
The Language of Sex - Relationship guru Gary Smalley gives couples much needed help to talk together about the subject of their sex life. Actually a very fun read!
A Celebration Of Sex - A thorough treatment of the topic, starting with a biblical base of understanding and then proceeding into many helpful topics. A great resource for all things sexual for Christ followers.
Intimate Issues - A question/answer format book for women. Everything from "what does God think about sex?" to "What's okay in bed?"
Here's why I can recommend these books: they all start with the three pillars I talked about on Sunday: God invented sex, God encourages sex, and God has a plan for great sex. Because all these books start with God, they are going to encourage you toward healthy, God-honoring sexual relationships. Enjoy the summer reading!!
Some random thoughts as I try to shift gears on a rainy Saturday afternoon:
This has been the weirdest month! I've been sick, Beth's parents were here, her dad wasn't feeling so well (he's better now, Maui will do that to a guy!), and the gloomy weather has made all of the rest of life seem darker and damper, somehow. Not only is this now officially the wettest month in recorded history in Pocatello, but we're only 2/3 through!!
I got to do the coolest wedding in a long time on Thursday night (again, outside the 'norm'). I'll post about it later, but it was so amazing to see two people so well prepared and ready to face the unknown of their future together. And a nice turn out from the FBC family to share their special day. Good all around!!
I've done more funerals this month than I've done in any three month period for a long time. There have been some moments of celebrating friends and family as they go home to Heaven, but funerals are still not easy, even after all these years of ministry.
People are apparently talking about tomorrow's message. Some are inviting friends who have said they've never heard a message on sex in church before. This is where ministry gets to be fun - watching people hear from God on their favorite subject (or least favorite, depending).
We have a baby dedication during 11:00 service. Yep, baby dedication on the sex message Sunday. Insert your own joke here... :)
The food pantry is undergoing an overhaul. Check out the details here.
Beth got a temp job in Blackfoot. Thanks for praying, and keep on, we'll see what else God has in mind for her/us/financial blessing.
Mac leaves for DC/LA on Monday. Having a teenager in the house is taking some getting used to, and now he's going to be gone for a week. Praying for him to hear from God in a big way.
Got to dance with my daughter at a wedding. Trying not to think about the day I dance at hers... They grow up so fast!!
July 4 parade is coming faster and faster!! Be sure to sign up to help, and make it to the training dates. See the bulletin for details.
Speaking of bulletin -- changes coming soon to the publications of a church near you. Keep your eyes open!
That's all for now. Gotta get after the message and get it finished. Keep praying, God is still doing some amazing things in our church despite the drizzle, the dampness and other less than fun issues. Turns out, He's still at work, even when we don't see it through the rain.
I will honestly tell you, the feedback on The Man Series had been far better than I expected. I was hoping that we could help the men in our community see how to follow Jesus in an honestly masculine way, and that we could help the women see how to help the men in their lives to do that. I knew it would ruffle some feathers (honestly, God's Word will always ruffle someone's feathers), and it has, but for the most part, folks have heard what God was saying. I'm hearing from folks, both men and women, that they are seeing their relationship with God in a whole different light. Guys don't have to be wimps to follow Jesus. Turns out, that's part of the Good News, too!!
Ladies, I want to remind you that the day is coming when you get your own series, too. Don't feel left out!! We're going to talk specifically about the female way of following Christ starting on Aug. 23 (right after school starts up again), and I'm just as fired up about that series as I am about this one.
Okay, that being said, I am glad to hear from folks that they are learning a different way of thinking about being a man, and connecting to the idea of gaining a relationship with God without losing your manliness. It is a part of what we are doing as a church family, helping each other to follow Jesus. We all need help, and when we can look at what the Bible says and see the truth of it, not just what we've heard from others but the real truth, we all benefit. God loves men for being men, and He doesn't expect them to become eunuchs or effeminate in order to follow Him.
Now, it gets REALLY exciting!! I did say it: Sunday will be rated PG-13, parental discretion is advised. We will be talking about sex according to God's Word. For some folks, it will be the first time they've heard about sex from a Biblical point of view, and it's going to blow their minds. Some of you have heard it before, but we're going to talk about it again (and again, and again...) because the world talks about it ALL THE TIME!!! and they don't get it right very often. God created sex, and God's people need to have the freedom to talk about what God has created without feeling dirty, awkward or sinful. We need to learn how to talk about it from a healthy, godly perspective. That's the goal of Sunday, to start the conversation.
So, invite your friends, put the kids in the Children's Ministry, and get ready to laugh and learn about God's gift of sex!
It's an 80's song, but it's how I feel today. I don't like Mondays.
The week of vacation ended up being a week of being sick, so I missed the paintball war for Mac's 13th birthday, I missed out on doing anything remotely fun, unless you call coughing all through the night some kind of adventure!!
I managed to pull myself together long enough on Saturday to go the the Cancer Survivor's Lunch. I was asked to do some stand-up comedy for the folks there, and it went well, despite how crappy I was feeling. Good news: the people who were there were surprised by how funny I was. The Bad News: weather and other issues kept it from being the normal sized crowd we usually get at this event. Should be better next year, since we made the front page of the paper (no misquotes this time, because they didn't talk to me!!), and the buzz generated from a good time will get more folks to show up (more on this later).
I went to the Doctor afterward, and he put me on an antibiotic for a sinus infection (uber-fun!!), and I was still sick on Sunday. Heard worship was great! I slept. Hard.
There was more 'stuff' waiting for me at the office when I got here today, plus my Mentoring Group (props to the LLC!!), and various pieces of drama. I'm not sure why Mondays are what they are, but this was definitely one of them. So I was glad to see in my inbox an email from a friend who likes song lyrics. This one came at a good time, and I feel like it's a help to remember that God is working in the midst of the chaos:
Whatever You’re Doing
It’s time for healing
Time to move on
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right
What has been wrong
It’s time to find my way to where I belong
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender
Whatever you’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos
But somehow there’s peace
And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
I’m giving in to something heavenly
Looking for the chaos to grow into peace. Looking for the mess I'm feeling around me to be something heavenly. Looking forward to tomorrow not being Monday.
Don't know if I should do this, but I'm blogging from my vacation. I'm taking the week off, more of a stay-cation, than a vacation, 'cause I'm not going anywhere. Waiting for word on Beth's dad, but last we heard, they are finding some treatable issues, and he's hoping to get out today or tomorrow.
I have so much coming up the rest of this year, that I'm having to try to schedule the rest of my vacation around all the trips, conferences, football practices (starts Aug. 10), and study leave. It gets tough.
I've seen Aaron's outline for Sunday, if you're here, prepare to be rocked!
Okay, no more this week. Gotta go. Back on Monday.
Here's what people call me: I'm the Lead Pastor of LifePoint Church of Carson Valley, NV, a group of people who are learning to be roof crashers. Here's what I do: I lead our church family as we serve God, serve our community and serve each other. I'm also a husband, dad, occasional football coach, and big fan of food, comedy and sports (in no particular order).
.JPG)
Posts
