Archive for November, 2008
Sunday Night Reflections November 30, 2008
What a day…trying to wrap my mind around all that I learned…several phases to Sunday Night Reflections tonight…
Phase #1 – Our Church
- I LOVE what God is doing in our church…the anticipation level is through the roof right now…I feel like He’s going to BLOW OUR MINDS this next month and in 2009!
- A church that refuses to take risks and is satisfied with the status quo will never become who God has called them to be…I am so glad our church isn’t satisfied…we want to see more of Jesus!
- Our next series, “A NewSpring Christmas Party,” is going to be freakin’ awesome!!!
- THIS FRIDAY NIGHT is our night of prayer and worship–be there, 7:00…and get there early or you won’t get a seat. We are going to beg God as a church to do great & awesome things among us during this upcoming season of ministry.
- Last week I blogged about Christmas tickets here…they’re going like crazy…here is the link to get your tickets to our Christmas services.
Phase #2 – Today
- Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church spoke today and flat brought the house down.
- I love Pastor Steven…he’s one of my best friends in the ministry…and we literally call each other every Sunday afternoon to encourage one another, challenge one another…and sometimes, talk one another off of a ledge! :-) (If you are a pastor…you understand!)
- Our worship time today was amazing! Singing, “Holy, Holy are you Lord God Almighty” over and over rocked my world! I once heard a speaker say that the church has made the word “holy” quite boring…while in heaven the angels are amazed by it!!!
- Steven challenged our church to not get so close to Jesus that we miss who He is and what He is doing.
- My favorite line of the day, “Jesus away on a manger and sleeping in the hay this Christmas…He’s the ruling, reigning, powerful King of the Universe!”
- My other favorite line, “Jesus didn’t die on a cross so you can sample churches like food from a party platter!”
- The way he encouraged our volunteers was PRICELESS!
- What happened at the end of the 6:00 service completely overwhelmed me. I wasn’t expecting it…and God used it to both encourage me and blow my mind. WOW!!!
Phase #3 – Last Week…
Last week I blogged about sex…it was quite fun…if you missed it I wrote about how a husband can have more frequent sex with his wife…
- I set it up with this post
- Here is part one for husbands
- Here is part two
- And then here is how wives can have more frequent sex with their husbands.
Phase #4 – Strange Happenings…
A lady whose blog I follow shot me an email the other day and asked me could she do a post entitled, “I can not stand Perry Noble.” She explained why…and I agreed.
It really is a pretty cool post in regards to how God did a work in her to change her perception of me and NewSpring Church…but it didn’t take long for the haters to come out…and it’s a little funny how people completely missed the point of her post.
You can read her post here and the comments if you would like. Did they bother me? A little…gotta be honest…but it’s just one of those deals where I can fight with those guys…but I would have to come down off the wall to do so. (Nehemiah 6:1-4)
I say all of this NOT for me personally, heck, I just don’t fight with people like that anymore. I say that to encourage a pastor out there somewhere. God has put it in your heart to do something great…you love Jesus and God is radically rocking your world…you want to see His church shine more than anything…
BUT…people are hating on you. They are attacking you. They are flat out lying about you. They’ve never been to your church and they attempt to judge your character by listening to selected portions of your sermons. (Which would make them superficial!)
Pastor…church leader…don’t come down off the wall!!! Spend some time reading Psalm 35 & how David dealt with the same stuff…and yet was called a man after God’s own heart. Don’t get caught up in fighting battles with the very people who decended from the party in power that led the murder of Jesus…just keep your eyes on Him, BEG Him for wisdom and be who God called you to be.
Trust me…if people aren’t hating on you…then you aren’t doing something right. You are ALWAYS going to piss people off…you can either piss those off far from God (the church has done an excellent job at that) or piss off those who are religious and immersed in self righteousness. You choose.
Whew! That was like therapy! AND…I seriously pray it encouraged someone.
AND…one more thing…Anne Jackson is an amazing lady…she wrote an incredible book that she graciously allowed me to be a part of…I can’t wait until it is released!!!
Taking It To The Next Level! November 28, 2008
As many of you know…I’m sort of a work out freak!
I’ve read up on it, asked lots of people lots of questions, switched up routines…but I’ve NEVER hired a personal trainer…ever.
Until now…
You see, I’m not satisfied with the way things are. Sure, I’ve accomplished a lot when it comes to losing weight and exercise…but I really do believe I am capable of doing so much more…and that my full potential will ONLY be brought out with someone pushing me.
Bottom line…I can never achieve my maximum potential by working alone!
The same can be said of each one of us spiritually…we will never fully become who God wants us to be if we go at it alone!
The writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25 that we should not give up meeting together. I’ve always said that one of the first things the enemy wants to do to a believer is ISOLATE him…because after isolation comes destruction.
Who do you have in your life that pushes you, I mean REALLY pushes you to go to the next level in your walk with God? Who is it that you allow to ask you questions that sometimes make you uncomfortable?
We all need this…do you have it? What’s holding you back from doing it? Go for it…life is too short to be an apathetic follower of Jesus!
Happy Thanksgiving November 27, 2008
Hello everyone!
I hope all of you guys are about to indulge on an incredible day of giving thanks and eating some food.
What are some things I am thankful for?
- My wife! (God blinded her…I am so glad!)
- Our daughter!
- My wife’s cooking…HAD to be a food reference in here!
- NewSpring Church!
- NewSpring Staff!
- NewSpring volunteers…
- OK…NEWSPRING!
- That I do not wear a scarf OR a Christmas sweaters!!! :-)
- Twitter!
- Starbucks
- Clemson football
- The Dallas Cowboys playing today!
- God’s ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY over the universe!
- The guys in my coaching network!
- My new MAC…JUST about to say it’s the best computer ever…I said ABOUT…not quite there!
- Fogo De Chao!!! (I need an excuse to go to Atlanta…SOON!)
- Naps!
- 80’s music
- ALL of the Star Wars movies…
AND…seriously, MOST of all…I am thankful that Jesus power washed my soul and gave me a BRAND NEW START!
I was reading Psalm 16:2 the other morning and about hit the floor…that verse is SO TRUE in regards to my life!
Lots to be thankful for!!!
Three Ways Wives Can Have More Sex With Their Husbands November 26, 2008
To be fair…I thought I should blog about the other aspect of this relationship/sex thing…here goes…
#1 – Check and see if he is awake!
#2 – If he is…simply tell him you would like to have sex.
#3 – If he isn’t just whisper the word “sex!” He will immediately wake up…when he does just tell him you would like to have sex.
That’s it!
Five Ways Husbands Can Have More Sex With Their Wives – Part Two November 26, 2008
Here’s the second part…
#4 – Spoil Her!!!
When was the last time you did something “over the top” for your wife…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
When was the last time you gave her a foot rub…and didn’t expect a “favor” in return?
When was the last time you let her sleep late and handled the responsibility of the kids all by yourself?
When was the last time you have her a backrub…with NO STRINGS ATTACHED?
Here’s the deal…if you are doing something “for her” with “selfish motivations,” SHE KNOWS! SHE’S SMART!
BUT…if we as husbands make it our PRIORITY to absolutely SPOIL our wives…that will naturally overflow into them wanting to spoil us!!! We’ve GOT to take the lead on this!!!
#5 – Treasure Her!!!
We can’t make the sexual experience ALL ABOUT US! We can’t reduce her to a sex object. We can’t ONLY show her attention when “we want it!”
It is our responsibility before God to VALUE her, to TREASURE her, to see her as a daughter of THE MOST HIGH GOD!
Does your wife feel TREASURED? (Ask her!)
Let me make you a promise…a wifes perceived value will most likely be determined by how much undivided attention she receives from YOU!!!
That means no freakin’ cell phone when you two are on a date!
Heck, that means actually getting a babysitter and GOING on a date!
Here’s a question to ask her (which will require you to listen to her answer!) What are some things that I do that make you feel valued and treasured? And…after you ask this question…SHUT UP AND LISTEN! Your wife has WAY MORE INSIGHT about what she needs than ANYONE else on the planet!
Whew…those are five things that I believe will help some of us guys out! Enjoy! :-)
Christmas Services November 25, 2008
WOW…Christmas is NOT THAT FAR AWAY!
I read somewhere recently that Christmas has surpassed Easter in regards to being the most likely time someone who doesn’t know Christ will visit a church service.
SO, with that in mind…we are going all out this year to present the most creative and direct Gospel message that has ever been given here at NewSpring Church. Trust me…the elements involved in this service are going to be amazing…and countless hours of prayer and preparation are already underway!
This would pretty much be an excellent time to get people to church who do not know Christ…OR who think church is boring! :-)
We will be asking people this year to get tickets for the service they are planning on attending. This will help us to better accommodate the crowds that are coming…and give you something that you can give to a friend as a tool for inviting them.
THE TICKETS ARE FREE (and no one will be refused admission)…but we are asking that everyone PLEASE get tickets to help us better serve every single person who will show up!
We are currently planning five services for our Anderson campus, three for Greenville and one for Florence. AND…there have already been 1,500 tickets distributed in less than 24 hours!
Times are…
- Anderson Campus – Saturday, December 20th at 4pm & 6pm and Sunday, December 21 at 9:15, 11:15am & 6pm
- Greenville Campus – Sunday, December 21 at 9:15 & 11:15am and 6pm.
- Florence Campus – Sunday, December 21 at 10:30 am!
You can go online here to get your free tickets…OR you can grab them at church for the next several Sunday’s!
TRUST ME…you DON’T want to miss this service!
Five Ways Husbands Can Have More Sex With Their Wives – Part One November 25, 2008
Here we go! :-)
#1 – Serve Her!!!
The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25 to love our wives as Jesus loves the church! He modeled this love in John 13:1-5 in one of the most powerful examples of servanthood in the Scriptures!
Unfortunately, too many times we as husbands make the sexual experience all about us “being served” and not about doing all that we can to “give ourselves up” for our wife by placing her needs as a priority in our lives.
I had a friend once who, on honeymoon night, took his wife by the hand and led her into the bedroom…where he had a bowl of water and a towel. He got down on his knees and said, “Scripture tells me to love you like Jesus loves the church. He modeled that love for us in the Gospel of John when He washed the feet of the disciples. I want to make it my goal in life to put your needs before mine, to serve you as best as I can. And so right now, before anything else takes place tonight, I want to wash your feet as an example of how I plan on serving you for the rest of my life!”
DANG!!!
#2 – Talk To Her
When we get home after a long day…we should talk TO HER! All too often we sum up our day in 30 seconds or less, then sit on the couch, expect her to have dinner ready, expect her to get the kids ready for bed…and then expect her to be “ready” in “30 seconds or less!”
BUT…one of the things that I am continually discovering is that my wife wants to have an emotional connection with me…and a lot of that happens as a result of me talking to her, telling her about my day…and including the details of things that take place.
I used to be HORRIBLE at this! I didn’t realize it until we were in a group one time and people were saying things to her like, “Hey ‘Cretia, did Perry tell you about (BLANK),” and she would look at me and say, “No, I guess he hasn’t had time yet.”
Truth is…I didn’t MAKE the time to communicate with her, to tell her the details of my day…thus she didn’t feel as close to me.
So now…I MAKE IT a priority! I don’t want her finding out about my day through other people…I want her to KNOW she’s important…and the formula I’ve discovered is DETAILS = IMPORTANT!
#3 – Listen To Her!!!
I once heard that the average man uses 5,000 words per day…and the average woman uses 10,000 with gusts up to 15,000!!! Men, they use twice as many words!!! Do you know why?
DETAILS = IMPORTANT!
When they are talking they want to communicate EVERYTHING to us…not because they want to bore us to death, but because they want us to FEEL like they FEEL!
SO…that means we can’t tell them, “Talk to me during the commercials please!” That is NOT romantic!
We can’t sit there and zone out of the conversation with her and proceed to watch the movie on television we’ve seen 100 times and then think we’ve had “intimate” conversation! Just doesn’t work!
We can’t ask them, “Does this story have an ending? Can we get there please?”
“Well Perry,” you say, “it’s hard to be patient when she’s going on and on!”
I am quite sure God has felt the same way about us at times when we are talking to Him!
We’ve GOT to make time for the details!
