newspaper
Thursday, November 30, 2006
i am trying to get a little more exposure to the community down here, so i called the paper up to see if they could do an article on me and the church since i am a new pastor down here. they gave me the opportunity to meet with them, and it went well. i met witha guy named kent, he asked me good questions about my time here and anything new that we might be doing as a church. i was able to share with him some great things about our church, and most of all the vision for the church. we are going to have an article in the paper this week about me and the church, and i am praying God will use it for his glory and purpose, please pray with me.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:19 AM,
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nada
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
well, i am just sitting up here at church thinking and reflecting on things once again. have you ever noticed it is so easy to focus on the negative? i have really been trying to concentrate my efforts on thinking positive, it just changes the way you look at everything. everything is not positive, but if you can see the good in things i think we are on the right path. God can see good things in us, even though we are all sinners. i am grateful for his mercy and grace.
i am praying for boldness to preach the word of God as we have the Christmas christians come into our church over the next month. i do preach the word, don't get me wrong, but sometimes i think we try to cater to people and tone it down a little worrying that we may offend someone that comes to church once a year. anyhow, pray with me that there is a great harvest of souls over this period of time. God Bless
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:40 AM,
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overload
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
have you ever been on brain overload mode? this is when you have so much going on, or have been thinking way too much (rarely happens for me) or you have a big decision to make. many factors can go into this way of thinking. i have been stuck in this mode for a few days now, topped off today by talking to someone from the IRS. (yeah, i know, fun times) anyhow, i have been learning a lot and reading a lot, and God is really revealing things to me.
i don't know about you, but sometimes you just need God to speak to you, you need a word from God. i don't know if you have been there lately, but i was getting to that place of man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the father (matt 4:4) sometimes we try to go off of fumes, or live our lives going off of what we can supply for ourselves or what everyone else can supply for us. when it comes down to it we can only live off what God gives us. i know we need people, and God uses people, don't get me wrong. there is something that happens in us when we have that moment alone with God and he speaks, sure he can speak in the crowd, but it is when he pulls us aside, like he has some sort of secret to tell us. he can only tell it to us, he can only reveal it to us, don't you like to be on the recieving end of a secret no one else knows? that is what it is like when God's revelation comes, he gives us something that has not been revealed to us before. it is awesome. i love when this happens. anyhow, God has been speaking to me, and it gets me excited. have a good thanksgiving.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 2:20 PM,
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I need it!
Monday, November 20, 2006
do you have something that you just can't live without? maybe it is a cell phone, or wallet, or clothes, or whatever it may be. we all have things that we cannot live without. i have really felt the Holy Spirit speaking through me lately and working in our church over the past couple weeks. i have had a really strong desire to have the Holy Spirit work in me on a daily basis in whatever capacity he wants to. i realize without the Holy Spirit working through me i am just a man, not that i am any less of a person, cuz i am still a person, but when the Holy Spirit is working through me i can do so much more, he can reach so many more people. this is my prayer:
Holy Spirit work in me. Holy Spirit continue to change me everyday, let me be controlled by the Spirit so that i don't fulfill the lusts of my flesh. I need you to work in my life, and without you i cannot do what you have called me to do. Please use me as you please. I am yielded to you for your work, not mine, but yours. I love you and need you.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:21 AM,
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creating space
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
over the past 3 weeks we have been experiencing God at our church. now i don't mean we show up and God just comes or experiencing him through the Word, i am talking about the Holy Spirit showing up and touching hearts and lives and healing people. i am someone who desires to be where God is moving, and to be honest i would say God has not been moving very much here in our midst up until a couple of weeks ago. i am fired up because God has been refreshing me and teaching me so much, which i believe in turn goes out to the flock. if the pastor isn't willing to be changed and turned upside down for God, his people won't either. he has been showing me a lot of new things. i am excited because people are responding to the Word, responding to alter calls, and responding to the Spirit of God.
i guess i look at church as a filling station sometimes. we need to constantly be filled with the spirit (gal 5:16-18). i think in reality everyone should desire this on their own at home, but certainly when they come to church they should get filled up by the power of the Holy Spirit and then take it out to their jobs, families, schools, etc.... then they can come back the next week and get filled up. as i said before, we need to pursue this in our personal walk with God that is why it is important to pray without ceasing, and also pray in the Spirit. i don't think we can just keep giving sermons that aren't backed by the power of the Holy Spirit, i don't want to do that. anyone can put a sermon together out of their knowledge, i want God to put something on my heart that messes up everyting i ever believed that did not capture the trugh of who God is. God please reveal yourself to me and your people.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 3:04 PM,
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a couple thoughts
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
well i don't really have much to say, but i did want to share a couple things i have been thinking about lately. what urgency is in my heart right now for lost people? do i have any? should there be more of an urgency? i guess for me i have really been challenged lately to get my eyes on what is important, not church attendance, our offerings, our short-comings or mistakes, what is important to God is souls. and we need to stop trying to make ourselves as christians into better christians and avoid the lost, we need to do both, we grow by doing certain things, keep doing those things, but let the lost be on your heart, if they are not, ask God to give you a stronger burden and urgency for them.
i also have been thinking about what i preach about. am i preaching the word? am i preaching about sin? jesus would preach about sin, even to the religious crowds he always talked to. he didn't make coming to him comfortable, people need to understand being a christian is not always comfortable, he called people out in public. being a christian is not that easy of a thing and what are we teaching people, or preaching to people that is making them think it isn't about sacrifice or "you"? i need God's revelation to come to me, not just the knowledge i have of him, so God please send your revelation to your people. we need a word from God
posted by Pastor Potter @ 1:55 PM,
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excitement
Sunday, November 05, 2006
i am excited for many reasons, but mostly because God is on the throne. i am excited because the bible says God is for us, not against us, and if God is for us, who can be against us? this morning i heard a testimony of a guy from our church that is in the military. the drill sargent was asking the men if they believed in God and 3 raised their hands and said they didn't, the drill sargent told them, the only friends they would have in Iraq would be the other soldiers with them and God. what a great testimony, then he told them if you don't know God, you need to find someone that does. all three of the men came to Justin and asked him to pray for them, what a great opportunity. we are living in the last days, there is no doubt in my mind. i want to be right with God when he comes back. this is also a great time, people are going to start getting nervous once Iran gets these weapons, we need to pray for a great harvest when this all goes down. help us Jesus.
we had a great service this morning, worship went great, and i felt the anointing of God on me as i was preaching, God is good, and he is working. thank you Lord.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 4:13 PM,
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where?
Thursday, November 02, 2006
this week i am doing a sermon on where we worship. i am excited about it, because so many times we limit worship to a song, or to a church, and i am really going to be focussing on getting it in your daily life, your daily routine. i love to worship, so it comes easy for me, but not everyone is like me, we worship God differently, but the point i want to get across is worship him everywhere, give him honor, adore him, revere him no matter where you are. if we could all get this in our hearts, i think it would change the way we are, the way we act especially.
i hope you all are having a good week, God bless you, stay warm!
posted by Pastor Potter @ 3:18 PM,
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