Teague Bible Church

Help! I Am In A Large Body of Water In A Small Boat! Psalms 143

Only since 1994 have I become a lake person. In that year I was
“immersed” into the boating and fishing world. In a storm on a large lake you want the longest boat you can get. I had barely survived a storm in a 14′ boat once; very frightening, and the most dreaded, helpless feeling I had ever experienced!
But I have also felt the comfort that comes from being in a similar storm in a 21′ boat. A world of difference! We do not have the option of not going out into the water on stormy days; we have the option of lengthening our boat.
“Soak up” if you will all of Psalms 143 today. David had a habit of loving the Lord by staying in His word, and meditating and applying His Word, before he found himself in troubled and violent waters. He did much more than get the facts of the Word and walk away falsely thinking, “O.K. I know what it says, now what is next?”
He took the best part of his day (143:8) and set the length of his boat. The longer the boat the smoother the ride, the safer the ride, the better the hope of arriving safely onto the shore.
Psalms 143: 5-6 shows how to lengthen the boat. Mediate and muse on God’s Word. Slow down and think it through. Do you approach life this way?
A great New Testament passage for this lengthening of your boat is John 17: 1-5. The main part of our entire life, temporal and eternal, is to get to know the God whom we will be knowing for all eternity. We have to learn that while navigating dark and deep waters. The length of the boat is the most important thing.
We are so worried about being in the right place at the right time, in a “navigatorial” sense. That is O.K., but not as important as being the right person in any situation in which we find ourselves. You could be in the right place; but if in a short boat, you simply will sink into the blue. Wherever you “land” today you will have landed successfully by arriving in a longer boat.
Psalms 143: 10-11 “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me onto level ground, for the sake of Your name. Oh Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.” JWP

Part 2 of Intro To Thessalonians. Read Acts 17 today to get the most out of tomorrow. “If you are right where God wants you to be then all things will go smoothly,,,,right?” Our question continues tomorrow, 8/14/16. These are the things we have to deal with everyday. The solution gives increased joy and purpose and long-sustaining hope. JWP

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at 9:45am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at 9:45am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

TBC Sermon Notes 073116

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at 9:45am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

HOW MUCH DOES GOD DO? HOW MUCH ARE WE TO DO?

That is the question that gets a little fuzzy sometimes.

” I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
I have seen extremes in thought and application on this verse that never quite seem to hit the mark. On the one hand, some lay about so passive and wimpy you wonder how they get up on their own in the morning. They say they are just waiting on the Lord, but really it just looks like fear to me. I do not think that is what Jesus had in mind here in this verse.
Nor did He mean for us to pretend we are tough enough to handle anything in life on our own. I asked a guy once if he wanted written on his tombstone, ” I was as tough as the next guy.” He said “no,” but that he was not sure what to do with his manliness in serving His Lord. I told him about a scene in the movie “Tombstone.”
Wyatt is as brave as they come, but is called out to have a gunfight with a man much faster on the draw than he was. He asked Doc Holliday if he (Wyatt) was fast enough to beat the man to the draw. Doc said no. Wyatt goes out anyway, but Doc got there beforehand, and killed the faster man for his friend Wyatt. Apart from Doc’s intervention he didn’t stand a chance. Wyatt was sure to be killed. Wyatt was mighty humble( western speak) to talk to the Doc about the situation in the first place. Simply admitting he had no chance to win on his own. I think that gets a better picture of our situation.
You have to lay that competitive pride down before Jesus and ask Him to make you the kind of person you are supposed to be. It is not, “Jesus, point me in the right direction, and I will take it from there!”
This life was meant to be a flowing relationship with our Father, not an attempt to be some Long Ranger looking for self- glory. Maybe you can live that life that was intended. Not a life where you neuter your manliness and call it a real life, but not a life of blather and useless, braggadocios arrogance.
Maybe live like David, who was as tough as they come, but totally depended on the Lord. Maybe you can live like Peter after his recovery; maybe live like Paul who endured so much and yet lived such a full and joyful life. Perhaps we could put on your tombstone, “A life well-live; Jesus meant everything to this man.” Yea, that about sums it up. JWP

GOOD MORNING,
Back when the kids were about 10, 12, and 14 years old, respectively, and we were fairly new to Teague, we owned a 12′ metal boat. It was barely sea-worthy. Many days the boys would fish the Teague City Lake with this questionable dinghy. Well, after a contracting job was done in Fairfield, the customer wanted to give us a motor for the boat. The motor had not ran in 7 years. He said it never ran right for him, and he “assumed” it was a fault in the way it was made. This is the kind of motor you attach to the back of the boat and guide along with a tiller.
Most of these types are 6 horsepower of less, but not this one. It was twin cylinder and 12 horsepower! Way too much for our feeble craft. We got it running , but it seemed weak in its performance. We assumed it was just the way it was made, but really it was having trouble getting air through the carburetor. So we puttered around the lake one day with 2 of my kids on board, me at the back trying to tune it up as we motored along.
With one slight turn of the needle valve the thing took off like a rocket! All three of us are now stacked in the back of the boat next to the motor, gliding along at what seemed 100 miles per hour, at a 45% angle, making a zigzag pattern that would be the envy of any wasp. Wow, what a surprise!
After it was all over we talked about our assumptions. We assumed the motor had some problem that would never be remedied, but it was a simple adjustment that made it come to life. All that power was there, the whole time, for the asking, simply by lining up one little thing.
Was reading Acts 13:1-4 today and that was far as I got. I noticed something. There is no problem with God having the power to affect His own world. He has chosen to use us in this affecting and transformation of people. He could do it all without us, but then what is the point if He did it that way?
What I noticed was the “adjustment” these believers were making to “line-up” themselves with the power of God. It was while “they were ministering to the Lord and fasting” that the Holy Spirit said to set apart Barnabas and Paul for a great work. Verse 3 says they “prayed and fasted.”
I think secretly we think God lacks power to change much of anything. As if He has relegated Himself to just let things run their “natural course.” I thinks it is an “adjustment” problem residing in us. I have made bad “assumptions” of late. How about you? JWP

Good Morning!
I hope you are the kind of believer who thinks “missional” as you go through your day. We all have a choice here. On the one hand, we can scramble to deal with the next situation in front of us, make no review of it, then on to the next, or we can be “missional” as we deal with each situation, hoping for divine interruptions. We can become activity junkies living with no rhyme or reason, which drains hope, or we can live out of the new life we have in Christ and begin to tie these situations together as one on a quest. What is your mission in life? What has God called you to be? How will that calling affect the world? Are you living just for you and yours, as they say?
As we start into the fall of 2016 to readjust our focus to “mission living,” we need your input. On a personal level to whom are you being “salt” and “light? ” Collectively as a church, what can we do to connect to those who are searching for the real Life that only Christ can give.
Our studies will explore the books of Thessalonians. Not only will we get a clear picture of end time events and our mission in those times, but we will see a maturing church and find out how they stayed on the path to a fullness in living, and the joy of walking with the Lord. I hope you will begin to read the book of Acts and 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, particularly Acts 16 and 17.
You may want to pick up the small book, “Surprise The World: The Five Habits Of Missional People,” by Michael Frost. (Navpress, about 5 bucks.) An easy read and easy to remember. I am amazed at how a little shift in thinking can open the door to an adventure of faith you may never have experienced before. I have been refreshed by knowing that we have all we need, right now, to make a great impact on our community and our friends and relatives. Looking forward to having meetings where we consider the “what if” ideas, inspired by prayer, to change our church, our town, and our world. JWP

Are You a Window Person or a Mirror Person?
A window and a mirror are both made of glass, have a frame around them, and are used for seeing things.
But they have two totally different functions. You look through a window to the world outside, and you look into a mirror at yourself.
I have found that there are two totally different kinds of people when it comes to life and leadership . There are externally focused people, window people, who look outside at others passing them by; and there are internally focused people, mirror people, who look inside themselves for the solutions they need to move forward.
Which of these two are you? Answer the following four questions:
1. Do you assign blame or find solutions?
The first characteristic of a window person is that they look to the world outside and critique it. Rather than participating in the toss-and-tumble of real life, they stand on the sidelines and find fault. Window people are professional critics who see problem after problem and ask, “Who screwed up here?’”
A mirror person, on the other hand, takes a totally different approach. Rather than passing the buck onto someone else, they accept responsibility. If they participated in causing a problem, they own it and fix it. If they didn’t, they help find a solution. This question is never far from their lips, “How can I help?”
2. Do you give up power or do you become self-empowered?
The great irony of being a window person is that you think you’re so smart, sitting smugly on the sidelines cynically criticizing the work of others. But that’s a position of powerlessness. Quite simply, when you’re not involved in finding solutions, you give up your power to others whom you have no ability to control. You are at their mercy.
By looking into the mirror, internally focused people see the one thing they can control: themselves. And by controlling their response in any situation, they become self-empowered in every situation. Few things can stand in the way of a self-empowered person.
3. Do you approach issues as a victim or as an equal?
Lack of power and control, then, makes a window person a victim, and all victims, by definition, have villains. Instead of working with other people just like you who are trying to do their best, you view yourself as working with sinister people who are out to get you. This point of view poisons your relationships.
Mirror people bring confidence and strength to their relationships. They don’t play the victim, but approach others as respected peers, an equal to an equal. Even in a bad situation, they believe the best in others, withhold judgement, and ask questions for clarification (as opposed to making accusations).
MORE: Resolving Conflict at Work Without Victims and Villains
4. Do you take input personally or receive it as useful information?
Finally, window people take a totally different approach to input and feedback. Because of their victim mentality communication is always personal, seen as an attack on them. As a result they feel compelled to fight or take flight. That’s what we do when under attack, right? The villain is either attacked in return or withdrawn from completely. Both destroys communication.
A mirror person, approaching issues as a peer to a peer, an equal to an equal, doesn’t assign emotional meaning to a conversation. Input received, even if it’s about them, is a way to become more knowledgeable. And knowledge is power. As a result, a mirror person is able to communicate calmly and collaborate effectively because it’s not personal. It’s just information.
How do you become a mirror person?
Okay, how do you become a mirror person and not a window person?
Recognize that we’re all born window people. We come out of the womb pointing our finger at others and assigning blame. It’s part of the human condition. We become mirror people by the choices we make. Here are two.
In every circumstance you face, first ask and answer this question: Who am I? That is, look deep inside yourself and discover the values you embrace at the very core of your being. Define those values personally and live by them uncompromisingly. They are your moral center. Your rock. Your anchor.
Secondly, ask and answer this next question: What do I do well?
From your moral center flows a functional capacity for excellence. This is the unique ability you possess that allows you to thrive. It’s your personal tool box, a set of gifts and talents you can access at any time to solve pressing problems.
These two dynamics, character and competence, are the choices you can make to become a mirror person. Character, your core values, and competence, your unique ability, clearly defined and consistently deployed allows you to control the one and only thing you can control in any situation: yourself.
In this way you’ll be ready for anything that life and leadership throws at you.
( I found this a while ago and do not know source; Jimmy Petty. Though it might help as we plan out the fall ministries at the church)