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Thank you so much, Cornerstone, for a great time of fellowship today after the morning service! As usual, you all brought your best (deviled eggs, sandwiches, etc.) and especially the desserts; cakes and brownies!

I can't begin to tell you how much Linda and I love you all and appreciate the opportunity to serve you. Remember the message ... don't get sidetracked in Haran!

I will be in the process of packing this week but am available to you if need be. God bless you.

(1) I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations ... (11) The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them ... (14) Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face ...(18) For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

How can we NOT bow down before Almighty God?

Everywhere I look ... I see more that I have to pack! Dang!

Don't forget to pack a few sandwiches tomorrow! We're going to have a fellowship lunch with sandwiches, chips, and hopefully some brownies! Tomorrow is my last Sunday in the pulpit. I hope to see a lot of you to tell you how much I have appreciated your love, care, and prayers.

The title of my message tomorrow morning is Sidetracked in Haran ... straight out of the book of Genesis. God still has a Word for us.

Looks like my office is in a bit of "disarray" ... and you're right! I'm sorting, throwing, keeping and packing. It is amazing what accumulates over time, isn't it?

I think the end is in sight!

One of the many organizations I am involved with is G5 Leadership. It is an online group that helps people from all walks of life improve their leadership and it offers some great insight into practical, everyday experiences.

Their motto is Shift Your Performance! G5 is short for "Fifth Gear." And, they lay out the different "gears" of people in the workplace. They fall into one of these five categories:

First Gear: The Value-Suckers (2%) These are Me-mentality, disconnected from the team, make things worse just by coming to work. When they call in sick, productivity and morale go up.

Second Gear: The Job-Holders (25%) Also Me-mentality, one or two people they connect with, fight for the status-quo. Been to the DMV lately? Yes, that's them.

Third Gear: The Isolators (49%) Me-first mentality, personal project-centered. Team is for coordination/logistics, not collaboration. You vs. me. Think "The Apprentice."

Fourth Gear: The Turf-Protectors (24%) Team-centered, functional mentality, good team performance, but don't have the bigger company picture in mind. Us vs. Them. Think Sales vs. Marketing, not Sales and Marketing.

Fifth Gear: The Difference-Makers (2%) Enterprise/market-first mentality. Think like connected, focused entrepreneurs. No turf wars, just killer production. Have you seen a Pixar Movie (Toy Story?) lately? Those movies are brought to you by Difference-Makers.

Great stuff from G5 on Leadership.

Planned Parenthood acknowledges in its Fact Sheet on “Reducing Teenage Pregnancy” that “teenagers who have been raped or abused experience higher rates of pregnancy – 4.5 out of 10 pregnant adolescents likely have a history of abuse.”

I am reading a report that is both fascinating and repugnant at the same time! It was produced by Americans United for Life and it is titled, The Case for Investigating Planned parenthood. This report is dated July7th, 2011 (just came out yesterday) and the subheading says, "AUL Looks Behind the Closed Doors of the Nation's Largest Abortion Provider."

I have pulled just two paragraphs from the report  to give you a few statistics and to let you know what you might have already thought ... abortion is used MANY TIMES to cover up sexual abuse by a father, brother, cousin, uncle, or someone else either close to the child or living in the same household. There is a case study of the same 13 year old girl making trip after trip to Planned Parenthood (I still can't get over the name "Planned Parenthood") after her brother (10 years older) continues to impregnate her! Planned Parenthood is required by law to report this type of activity to the police but the RARELY do (according to this 181 page study).

“Reducing Teenage Pregnancy” that “teenagers who have been raped or abused experience higher rates of pregnancy – 4.5 out of 10 pregnant adolescents likely have a history of abuse.” Planned Parenthood also notes that “teenage girls with a history of abuse are more than twice as likely to become pregnant as peers who do not experience abuse.” Among women younger than 18, the pregnancy rate among those with a partner who is six or more years older is 3.7 times as high as the rate among those whose partner is no more than two years older.

A report prepared for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services noted that half of children born to minors are fathered by adult men, and sexual partners of these adolescents are often 3 to 6 years older. The report also found that 75 percent of girls under 14 years of age who have engaged in sexual activity
report having a forced sexual experience.

This is the world we live in! Are we making a difference?

This is a life-changing praise anthem! Linda and I heard it for the first time while at Ridgecrest. Stop what you are doing ... RIGHT NOW ... and listen to this music from heaven.




Go to this link for the MP3 download ...
We Will Remember

In Dallas for a meeting and taking friend to DFW airport. I'll post later.

We took a look this evening at "Lets" Which Let In a Blessing!.

You wouldn't believe how many times Scripture says, "Let this," and "Let that," and "Let everything that ..." I chose eight different "Lets" of the Bible that, if allowed in our personal lives, will let in a blessing.

I have uploaded a copy of the notes (and answers) to the server. You can read or download here.

From the back jacket: The Heavens are telling the glory of God, and their expanse declares the work of His hands. Night after night they remind us of just how small we are, and how huge God is. Looking out into the far reaches of the Universe, we find a seemingly infinite expanse of mystery and wonder, intricately fashioned by a God of unfathomable size and power.

Just a glimpse of one of the billions of visible galaxies He has formed resizes us, shrinking us and the world we call home to a seeming insignificance in an instant. But as tiny as we may seem, the God who knows every star by name also knows yours, and mine. And in the most stunning rescue imaginable, God sent His Son to this spinning planet we call home — the Creator reconnecting us to Himself with life that never ends.

Indescribable takes us on an image-rich journey through the Cosmos, allowing us to peer into God's universe to discover the amazing magnitude of His greatness and grace.

—————

Louie Giglio, in a 43 minute DVD filled with images of our universe, shows us God's wonder and glory and it truly is Indescribable. This DVD is part of Louie's "Passion Talk Series" ... I cannot describe the wonder and joy you will have in watching this time and again, and in sharing it with others.

You need to get this today! Click this link for more information Louie Giglio: Indescribable ...

In my reading this morning, I came across an article titled, Five Leadership (and Life) Lessons You Learn From Your Kids! Here they are in a nutshell;

1. You are a role model ... watch what you say and do.

2. Honesty really is the best policy.

3. Focus on others' needs.

4. Balance challenge and support.

5. Develop the next generation.

This is a great (and short) article. READ IT HERE ...

I hope to see you tonight at 6:30pm for Bible Study and prayer. This will be the last Wednesday evening that I will be with you. There is a special little passage of scripture that I want to share with you as I finish up my ministry here.

I decided to wrap up the day with this ... do you remember the crazed frenzy that went along with CB radios back in the late 60's and 70's? Seems that everyone had one (or two or three) ... and a lot of the "over-powered" talk came through our TV and AM/FM radio speakers. Anybody remember "Breaker, Break 19 ... You got a copy on this big boy?"

Those were the days.