Here’s a thought: When God created you and I, it was the
intentional act of a perfect, Holy, all-powerful, being. That says something
about who you are, doesn’t it? “For you created my inmost being; you knit
me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:13&14.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Living For God All The Time and Everywhere
Living for God involves recognizing Him, following Him and
serving Him in every area of life—all the time, everywhere, every day. If He is our Lord, then He is our Lord at
home, at work, at church, at the gym, on the out-of-town business trip, and at
the neighbor’s cook out. We want to
follow the Spirit’s leading everywhere we go and in everything we do.
Monday, October 29, 2012
God Is Walking With Us
We can handle everything that comes our way today because
the Almighty God who created the universe loves us and He is walking with us. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
God; trust also in me.” –Jesus, John 14:1.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Practice What You Preach, Bub!
Yesterday, I asked everyone to please silence their cell
phones, as a courtesy to others, during the service at which I was
officiating. Less than one minute later,
the fairly loud and obnoxious text message notification on my phone—which I
thought was turned off—rang.
As you might guess, there was a very strong “Hey, Bub,
practice what you preach!” vibe happening in the room at that moment.
Use Your Gifts!
Followers of Jesus are given abilities or insights that are
referred to in the Bible as spiritual gifts.
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common
good.” 1 Corinth .
12:7. These gifts include but are not
limited to things like encouragement, serving, teaching, leadership ability,
prophecy, and giving. In general, we will serve God most effectively when we are serving in the area of our giftedness.
Do you know your spiritual gifts? Are you using your spiritual gifts?
Friday, October 26, 2012
E-Flash From Dan, October 26, 2012
Dear E-Flash Friends;
Jesus takes 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and he feeds a
crowd of over 5,000 people. (Oddly
enough, many of the folks reported that it tasted like chicken.)
As we reflect upon that story (not the chicken part, I
made that up) we are reminded that we serve a God for whom all things are
possible. Are you a little bit excited
when you think about that reality? Good! You should be excited.
We’ll be looking at that miracle story this Sunday and
thinking about some truths revealed in the story that apply to our lives. You won’t want to miss it!
Speaking of “not missing it.” Our annual Trunk or Treat event is coming up
this Sunday, from 2pm to 5pm. That’s right.
You know how you’ve heard about all the fun of Trunk or Treat? Well, that’s happening this weekend. In fact, we got so excited thinking about
Trunk or Treat that we recorded a podcast to tell you about it. Why not click on the link and take a
listen? It’s fun!
What’s Coming 10/28/12? Trunk or Treat Edition – Dan Marler
with Andrea Rodman
We’re trusting that it’s going to be a terrific day here
on Sunday and I’m praying God will bless all that happens.
Hope to see you!
Love and blessings,
Dan
Suffering Produces Growth
I was told, again recently, of a couple of instances in
which people have dealt with struggles and difficulties and, yet, in the
process learned important lessons and experienced significant growth. “Not only
so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Rom. 5:3-4
Thursday, October 25, 2012
What's Coming This Sunday 10/28/12? Trunk or Treat Edition -- Audio Podcast
I talk with Andrea Rodman about the services this Sunday and about Trunk or Treat.
Click here for podcast!
.
Click here for podcast!
.
God's Power Is Required
Everything that God wants us to do
requires His help and His power. We
simply cannot live God’s way without God.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Living God's Way
God loves us and He wants us to live His way, not because He
wants to kill all our fun, it’s actually the opposite of that. He wants us to live His way because that is
life in its fullest, greatest, most fulfilling sense.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Walking With God & Keeping First Things First
It’s possible to make a big deal out of things that are
actually relatively minor. And it’s also
possible to give too little attention to matters of great consequence. Walking closely with God can help us maintain
the right perspective, keeping first things first.
Monday, October 22, 2012
4 Billion Year Old Meteorite Used As Doorstop
When I saw the headline in the photo to the left, earlier today, it cracked me up. In fact, at first I thought it was a gag
headline from the “Onion” or some other kind of humor web site. But it’s a real news story.
There’s something oddly amusing to me about a
family not realizing that this rock by their front door is a valuable item from
outer space and so they are kicking it around and using it as a doorstop. (Okay, I’m easily amused… I know.)
By the way, I’m going to go take a closer look at that
large rock in our back yard.
Get On Board With God
Years ago, I read this advice: Where do you see God at work? Instead of trying to initiate your own ideas, get on board with God where you already see Him working.
This is an approach to discovering and doing God’s will that makes a lot of sense to me.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
E-Flash From Dan, 10/20/12
Dear E-Flash Friends;
One time, Jesus told a group of religious leaders that
there were other witnesses who testified to the truth of His identity. It is an interesting exchange and it teaches
us some lessons about Jesus, as well as some lessons about ourselves.
That’s what we’re going to be talking about in the
services on Sunday, Oct. 21st (9am or 11am). I hope you’re planning on being here. But if you need even more persuading, I
invite you to click on the link below and listen to the podcast. Actually, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to
listen to the podcast even if you don’t need any persuading. I’m joined by a stellar group, including Eric
Maze, Paul Anthony and Paul Maze. It’s
fun to listen and see what’s happening.
What’s Coming Up 10/21/12? – Audio Podcast -- Link… http://visitusonline.org/scmedia.php?type=mediaplayer&loc=visitusonline.org/media/media/mediaplayer.php&id=20121020011007F8B1AE
Looking forward to seeing you!
Love and blessings,
Dan
What's Coming Up 10/21/12? -- Audio Podcast
I'm joined by Eric Maze, Paul Anthony and Paul Maze on the podcast. It' a lot of fun.
Click on the link and let the fun begin!
Click here for podcast!
.
Click on the link and let the fun begin!
Click here for podcast!
.
Friday, October 19, 2012
When Truth Is Revealed
Sometimes we have an experience
where it seems as if a light has been turned on and we see a particular truth
in a vivid way—we see it with a clarity that we had not seen before. When God reveals truth in this way, even if
it is unexpected or surprising, it is a blessing!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
God's Power Not Our Power
Our willpower does not make us more obedient followers of
Jesus. In fact, the power does not exist within our own selves to be the people
that God calls us to be. However, God’s
power—at work in us—can enable us in extraordinary ways. “Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with men
is possible with God.’” Luke 18:27
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Talking About Trusting God
It isn’t necessary to talk a lot about trusting God because
when we really trust God it is already apparent to everyone; it is revealed in
our actions.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
I'm Thankful For God's Mercy
When you deserve some kind of negative punishment or
consequence but you receive goodness, kindness, forgiveness and love instead,
then you have been the recipient of mercy.
I’m so thankful that God has been merciful to me.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tought Questions For God?
Sometimes people tell me about the questions they are going
to ask God when they see Him face-to-face.
I understand that there are hurts, frustrations, and times of confusion
that happen in life that could lead to that type of comment. But I suspect that when we do, finally, stand
in the literal presence of Almighty God, we won’t be asking Him any tough
questions.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Serving Out of a Response To God's Love
When we serve others out of a response to God’s love in us,
the service doesn’t happen because of an attempt to win God’s favor or because
we’ve been guilt-tripped into serving.
What happens is that God’s love in us stirs up an authentic desire to
serve others out of a blessed and thankful heart.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The Heart Matters
We don’t become like Christ from the outside in; the journey
of becoming more and more like Christ happens from the inside out. That’s why Jesus is so concerned with the
heart because that’s the essence of the person and that’s where the important
things of God are rooted.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Dan & Vic Podcast for 10/12/12 - 3 Good Reasons To Be Thankful
Vic and I offer 3 good reasons to be thankful and we talk about what's coming up this Sunday.
Click here for podcast!
.
Click here for podcast!
.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Great Things For God Always Involve God's Power
Well-meaning Christians often try to accomplish good things
for God based on their own strength and wits. I’ve tried to do this many times.
Um… it doesn’t work very well. Perhaps you’ve noticed. When great things are
done for God, it is always based on the leading and power of the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
God Understands Our Pain
In Psalm 147:3, the Bible says that God “heals the broken
hearted and binds up their wounds.” If you think, “Yeah, but He doesn’t really
understand my pain.” Remember this, the Christian faith teaches that we have a
God who has wounds. He does understand!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Maturity Or Comfort?
God is more concerned about our growth, development and
maturity than He is about our comfort.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Prosperity And Religious Faith
“…[P]rosperity gives one a sense of self-sufficiency; we are
doing well and feel that we don’t really need God. By contrast, the poor feel a constant sense
of vulnerability, and consequently a need to depend on God. No wonder religious faith and practice are
much higher in third-world countries than in the West.” – Dinesh D’Souza.
Friday, October 5, 2012
God Is Not Ordinary
“The Hebrew word translated as ‘profane’ basically means ‘to
treat as common or ordinary.’” –Dwight Edwards.
When we live our lives in such a way that we treat God as something
ordinary we “profane” His name. God is
special. He is not ordinary; He is
extraordinary in ways that are even beyond our comprehension. It’s good, right and helpful for us to
remember that!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Getting Beyond Our Circumstances
If you are happy, joyful, peaceful, or experiencing a strong
sense of hopefulness right now, that has more to do with how you’re thinking
and what you believe—especially what you believe about God—than it has to do
with your current circumstances. I’m not
saying that the circumstances don’t matter. They do matter. But what we think about the circumstances
matters even more.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Serving Others Is Part Of A Well Lived Life
One of the important characteristics of a well-lived and
healthy life is a willingness to see beyond our own self-interest and help
others. “Each of you should use whatever
gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in
its various forms.” -- 1 Peter 4:10
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Hard Way Or The Easy Way
Sometimes, it feels like God says, “We can do this the hard
way or we can do this the easy way. It’s
up to you.” On numerous occasions I have
chosen to do it the hard way. But even
then God is patient, kind and gracious.
I can be a bit slow, but I’m learning.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Surprised To Come To Christ
There have been times when people have been very surprised
to find themselves coming to faith in Christ.
They didn’t think such a thing was possible. At one time, they considered something like
faith in Christ to be silly or laughable; the refuge of the weak. But recognizing our need for God is not silly
or weak it is what happens when the light is turned on and suddenly we can see.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)