Archive for March, 2011
I Never Changed My Sheets!!! March 10, 2011
I moved in to Anderson College (now Anderson University) in August of 1990. I remember putting a set of brown sheets on my bed…
And I didn’t change/wash them ALL SEMESTER!
(Sorry for those who just threw up a little bit in your mouth!)
Seriously…I NEVER changed them.
I thought about washing/changing them…but…
I took my showers at night, so how dirty could they really be? Besides, changing them would take a lot of time and energy. No one really ever saw my sheets! It wasn’t a big deal, right?
(Can you EVEN begin to imagine how gross those things were?)
Everyone reading this KNOWS that those things were gross! I will bet hardly ANYONE here thinks that I was wise in my decision not to change the sheets…
However…
So many people do that every Sunday in churches all over the world.
They will show up every week…listen to a sermon and then go home.
Sometimes they think, “wow, I should do something about what I heard today.” But often times they decide against it because doing so would take a lot of work; after all, who is ever really going to see the area of their life that needs to be changed?
When God deals with an area of our lives He isn’t doing so because He has nothing better to do but rather He’s doing so for our own good.
If He is wanting to change something…then that something needs to be changed.
I am learning more and more as a follower of Christ that He is constantly changing me, my thoughts and my attitude by making me more aware of who He is. Because, becoming more aware of who He is really does make me want to be more like Him…
And…in order for that to happen I’ve got to “change the sheets” when He clearly points out things in my life that cannot continue the way they are going.
Anyone need to change the sheets?
What A Wife Should NEVER Do! March 9, 2011
A wife should NEVER underestimate her influence in regards to speaking words of encouragent to her husband…
EVER!
Ladies, believe it or not he both wants and needs to know that you believe in him.
And you cannot assume he knows it…because he doesn’t. Trust me, he wrestles with thoughts of insecurity and often wonders what you think about him…
And your words have the power to lift him to levels that he’s never experienced.
Last week I was working on my book and, after hours and hours of writing I was SO discouraged. Literally, I wanted to give up…to call my agent and tell him that I wasn’t going to write a book…EVER! And…the more I focused on my perception of how bad it was the more the enemy used that to absolutely jump all over me.
I drove home feeling very defeated after what I would refer to as “a wasted day” and picked up Lucretia for our date night! She asked how my day was and I told her of my horrible experience at attempting to write all day long…and that when I had completed my work I thought it was awful!
Honestly, I was in a pretty vulnerable position…and she took that opportunity to speak some very timely and encouraging words. Seriously, what she had to say took her about 30 seconds…but when she was done I literally was ready to start writing again. Why? Because my wife, my bride, the person I value the most on the planet took time to encourage me and believe in me. I got up the next morning at 5:00 and hit my writing project with an intensity like I’ve NEVER experienced when writing…it was awesome.
I know it is MUCH easier for a woman to pick out all of the “areas of improvement” for her husband; after all, if he would just do BLANK then he would be awesome, right? And…how in the world will he know if he is or isn’t doing BLANK if you don’t tell him. Believe me, I am NOT saying that there are not times for speaking the truth in love and for conversation focused on correction; however…
Ladies, you should NEVER underestimate your influence in regards to speaking words of encouragement to your husband.
Go ahead, try it, because when a man feels respected/believed in by his wife…it really does make a difference.
A Letter From Pastor P To NewSpring Church… March 8, 2011
I LOVE MY CHURCH!
Howdy NewSpring Church, EIGHT things I wanted to share with you today…
#1 – Sunday was amazing! We saw dozens of people receive Christ after hearing a message on generosity and greed…ONLY Jesus could do that…and seeing people surrender their lives to Christ NEVER gets old!
#2 – Having the kids on stage leading us in worship was absolutely insane. I could not help but think this thought while they were up there singing, “Our ceiling is their floor…and they will one day take the church to places that we could never even imagine!” I LOVE the next generation and cannot wait to see what happens to HIS church when the children in KidSpring and the students in FUSE are one day leaders in the church!
#3 – If you did not catch Joe’s FREE online Financial Learning Experience last night online there are still two more chances…tonight at 7 and tomorrow night at 7. Remember, if you are in a financial prison you did not follow Jesus there, you got there from bad, unwise and even some self centered mistakes. (Trust me…I’ve been there!) However, Scripture is clear as to how to BREAK FREE of financial bondage…and so honestly, the only reason you have to stay in a financial prison is that you are simply choosing to be there. You have nothing to lose by watching the class…give it a shot at www.newspring.cc
#4 – Show me the area of your life that is the most out of control and I will show you the area of your life that God does not control. I surrendered my life to Jesus in 1990 but really battled in two areas of my life until 1999 when they both were completely surrendered to Him as well. One of those areas was my finances…and I will talk about the other area this coming Sunday. Can’t WAIT!!!
#5 – For those who may want to dive into some additional Scripture reading in regards to this past Sunday here are a few you can read, memorize, meditate on…
- Psalm 37:25-26
- Deuteronomy 8:18
- Psalm 37:21
- Proverbs 11:25
- Proverbs 22:7
- II Corinthians 9:6-8
- II Corinthians 8:7
- I Timothy 6:6-10
#6 – TIME CHANGE THIS WEEKEND!!! Don’t forget to set your clock FORWARD an hour on Saturday night. (Yep, we lose an hour this weekend!) BOOOOO! And, yes, I do believe Sunday is going to be amazing as we dive into how to be STRONGER in our walk with God than we’ve EVER been!
#7 – I challenged Fuse with this on Sunday night…can’t WAIT to see what happens!
#8 – Unleash, our annual church conference, is happening THIS Thursday. Keep us in your prayers as church leaders from all over the world will be descending upon the metropolis known as Anderson, SC for a day that is going to be both awesome and intense. Thanks to everyone in advance who are taking a day off from work to volunteer at this event! I cannot wait!
Restaurants For Unleash March 7, 2011
People always ask when coming into town for Unleash what restaurants I recommend, here are a few…
#7 – Skins Hot Dogs – One of the BEST hot dogs you will EVER put in your mouth. There are several locations all over the upstate, but the easiest one to find is right across the street from our Anderson campus in the Bloom Shopping Center.
#6 – Little Pigs BBQ – A local BBQ restaurant that has been in Anderson for DECADES. They do not have a website…but they will put more BBQ on your plate than you can eat if you can find them!!! (Put this address in your GPS)
#5 – Creekside BBQ – They won’t be open on Wednesday night, but they will be open on Thursday night after the conference. In my opinion they have the BEST BBQ chicken I’ve ever put in my mouth! (Here is the address)
#4 – Bucky’s BBQ – (anyone seeing a trend?) :-) You will have to drive to Greenville to get it…but it’s worth the drive! (Get their sweet potatoes!!! Your taste buds will become Pentecostal!)
#3 – Outback – I know, I know…it’s a chain restaurant and I hardly EVER recommend a chain restaurant; however, they have THE BEST filet I’ve EVER had (and that is saying a lot! Get it cooked on the wood fire grill with extra wood fire seasoning…TRUST ME!
#2 – Mama Penns – THE BEST meat and three ever–period! If you want some good ‘ole southern cookin’ then you’ve got to try ‘em out!!!
#1 – Sullivans – If you want a really nice meal in one of the most unique and awesome environments you’ve EVER been in then I highly recommend Sullivans in downtown Anderson. (The hangar steak is AMAZING!) And…whatever you do you HAVE to HAVE dessert! Trust me!
And…just in case you are wondering…NONE of these restaurants paid to have me say these things; in fact, they don’t even know I’m blogging about them. I just wanted to recommend them to you because, well, they are places where I actually eat and enjoy the food!
Some Quick Monday Hits… March 7, 2011
Wanted to hit a few things today…
#1 – Yesterday’s service was amazing! If you want to continue to “upgrade” your finances then join us online either tonight (Monday), tomorrow night or Wednesday night at 7pm. Joe will be teaching his Financial Learning Experience…and it is, hands down, THE best teaching on how to handle your money the way the Bible says. Before the session is over you will know how to do a budget, establish a plan to get out of debt and also have a date in mind as to when debt freedom will actually take place! Just go to www.newspring.cc at 7 (actually you might want to get there a few minutes early and download the PDF forms if you want to take notes.)
It will be the same class all three nights. We are encouraging home groups to go through this together…and even if you are not in a home group I promise you it would be great for a group of you and your friends to get together and watch.
#2 – I have hit this before but wanted to make sure people were aware of it since this is Unleash week…
We WILL NOT be streaming Unleash live on the web this year. We’ve been able to do it over the past few years; however, this year we’re will not be able to do so.
However, we will be making the video and audio recordings available for free in the next few weeks at www.unleash.cc and on itunes at the Perry Noble leadership podcast.
That’s it…happy Unleash week!!!
Hey FUSE Students… March 6, 2011
I made a deal with the 6pm services in Anderson and Columbia tonight…and I wanted to include all campuses in on it.
You guys are growing like crazy, I’ve NEVER seen THIS MUCH EXCITEMENT in the student ministry in the history of NewSpring Church!
You guys have had almost had 1,500 (total for all campuses) for a few weeks now…so…
I’m challenging you to SHATTER that barrier THIS WEEK!!!
You KNOW FUSE is going to be incredible this week (isn’t it always?) So…let’s do WHATEVER it takes to get your friends to Fuse this week! (Found people find people!)
AND…if you break 1,500…then as I promised in the service tonight I will lead worship for one of the sessions this summer at the Gauntlet.
I’m serious! I’m ready to dust off my guitar and put in the practice…now…let’s see what you’ve got!!! :-)
Some Of The Scariest Verses In The Bible… March 3, 2011
In my opinion some of the scariest verses in the Bible are…
We are commanded by God in the Scriptures that, when we hear His voice to not harden our hearts.
How do we harden our hearts? Simple…by KNOWING what God’s Word clearly says about something but refusing to obey because doing so might seriously interfere with the lifestyle that we are wanting to pursue.
- It happens when people know they should respond to the Gospel but keep finding reasons to say no.
- It happens when a person knows they are in an ungodly dating relationship but fears being alone more than they fear God.
- It happens when a person knows their life is out of control…but fears if they confess their sin and ask for help it may seriously damage their reputation.
- It happens when someone knows they should stop spending money the way they do…but have become dependent upon numbing their pain with the temporary satisfaction that trinkets bring.
- It happens when a church leaders knows the direction God is wanting him/her to take the ministry…but they refuse to do so because they fear being unpopular with the people.
- It happens when a person knows they should not continue to pursue the “innocent flirting” with someone at work…but…it feeds their ego or fulfills their emotions so they continue the practice.
- It happens when a person knows they should stop the intimate connections they are making online…but refuses to stop because of the pleasure it brings.
- It happens when we know we should invite someone to church and/or share Christ with them…but we convince ourselves that they would not be interested OR that we will simply do it later.
I could go on and on…but we all get the point.
When people harden their hearts in Scripture it just doesn’t go well for them.
My question is this…is there anything in your life that God seems to be relentless in coming after?
If so…are you repenting or defending? Because, when you defend what you are doing in the face of a Holy and awesome God who wants nothing but the best for you…then you are actively hardening your heart. AND…one day…you might not even be able to hear His voice anymore if you don’t deal with what He’s dealing with!
It’s not that most of us don’t hear the voice of God…it’s that we don’t like what we hear and so we either fight with Him or ask Him to tell us something else. BUT…until we deal with what He’s dealing with we will NEVER get past where we are right now. (See Ezekiel 14:1-6)
Today…if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!