Labor Day
Sunday, August 31, 2008
I won't be blogging tomorrow as I am going to Des Moines to meet my parents for Labor Day. It is so nice to have an extra day off. I love holidays. Anyhow, I had a good weekend. As most of you know my wife was gone Thursday through Saturday night, so I got to watch all the sports I wanted. I do get to watch a lot of sports anyway because we have 2 TV sets. It is really nice though when no one is around so I can scream as loud as I want at the TV or better yet my team. Today we had a really good service. We knew several people were going to be gone, but we were still anticipating a good service. We were not disappointed. We switched up our service. We had two songs to start off, we usually have 4 or 5, then we did the shaking hands thing and offering. After that Melissa spoke about worship. She did a really good job. You can listen to it by clicking here. (had to do a girly color for my wife) After she got done speaking we had a great time of worship. It was one of those times during worship when you feel God's presence so strong, that there is no word to describe how awesome God is. I, of course was crying because God was really touching my heart. Our service ended well and we anticipate great things with our new series "The Easy Button". Can't wait to see you next week. Have a great Labor Day.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 6:41 PM,
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American Promise
Friday, August 29, 2008
Dream: an aspiration; goal; aim: a wild or vain fancy.
Promise: an express assurance on which expectation is to be based
I like many people watched the "big speech" last night by Sen. Barack Obama. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that the guy is a great speaker. Everyone knows that though. I really do think he is a man of strong convictions in certain areas. I do believe he is a forward thinker. I believe he cares strongly for his family. Throughout his speech he kept talking about the "American Promise". He eluded to health insurance, education, jobs, war, and several other topics. I have always heard it was called the "American Dream". Which is that possibilities are endless in our great country. If you work hard, try to be an honest person and obey the law, you can see the "American Dream" come to pass. I felt like he was calling it a promise though, which I think is misleading. I posted definitions up top of what a dream and a promise. I feel like a dream is something that can happen if you work hard, etc, but to say that it is a promise if you live here or come from a foreign land is creating a false expectation. Sure I would love for every single person to have health insurance, I am a pastor and I don't have health insurance. Sure I would love for everyone to get "a world-class education", but students have to dedicate themselves. Sure I want every American to work, but not every American wants to work. Sure I want every soldier to be safe, but there is a cost to freedom, they must defend us. This is the best country in the world, we have a lot to offer, the possibilities are endless here. Sen. Barack Obama has an amazing personal story which I respect. Can our country get better? Yeah, it can. It is the worst place to live, not even close. One thing we must do is honor our leaders, not once did he call our president by his official name. He is President George W. Bush, not George Bush. The American Dream is alive here in America, let's keep it that way. When we start to promise things to people that might not happen or most likely will not happen, it creates a false expectation. In order to see the dream come alive, you have to go and get it. In order to see a promise come alive, you just have to receive it. Not everything is free. Someone always has to pay a price, every American needs to be willing to pay a price, not just those making $250,000 or more. They paid a price to get there. Sorry so long
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:38 AM,
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first step
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Last night at men's bible study we talked about taking the first step. We are using some material from bluefishtv.com. We get a lot of backgrounds and things like that for our church. Anyhow, it was talking about the overwhelming task of building the ark. It was a football field and a half long, it's capacity was over 500 railroad cars worth. It would seem like a daunting task. We also talked about Abraham leaving his land to a land he didn't know, Rahab protecting the spies, and Ananias praying for Paul/Saul. Sometimes God asks us to do big things. What would have happened if he told Abraham to go to a particular location instead of an undisclosed location? I mean he had Ananias go pray for Paul who had been given permission to arrest those proclaiming the gospel. Doesn't sound like a job I want. That would be like God asking me to go and get the two leaders from the bloods and crypts (sp) and pray for peace. All I am saying is it wouldn't be easy. God doesn't always ask easy things of us, he just asks us if we will be obedient. So, the question is "what is God asking you to do"? Everything starts with the first step: leaving your land, getting the wood for the ark or going into battle with 300 hundred guys verses over 100,000. It's gotta start somewhere: pray for that friend, start tithing, witness to your mom, write that book, get that degreee or move to that place God has for you. MAKE THE FIRST STEP!
Labels: church, encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:06 AM,
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audio blog wednesday 8.27.08
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Here is another attempt at the audio blog. Click here to hear
Labels: church, encouragement, friends
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:33 AM,
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updates
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Just a few quick updates
- I did run this morning with my mp3 player so it is not up for grabs yet. I was sidelined for a week or so with a deep thigh bruise, won't get into that.
- Had a great meeting with our children's leaders from church. Really excited about the opportunity to be a part of what God wants to do through the children of Clarinda and the surrounding communities.
- Cubs are still awesome
- I get to see Billy Graham at Catalyst Conference.
- Hawkeyes kick off the season this Saturday.
- Gearing up for our series next month called "The Easy Button" (this is from the staples commercials which have been hilarious lately. "How much now"? "Same Price" Funny stuff
- Melissa is preaching this Sunday, can't wait.
Labels: church, encouragement, goofy, joy
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:47 AM,
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great timing
Monday, August 25, 2008
So we ran up to Sioux City on Friday and Saturday for a b-day party. We had a lot of fun. We got to talk to our friends Bill and Robyn. We had some shopping to do for our church, so we did that as well. After that we went to Melissa's dads house and relaxed for a bit, then went out to Arby's. YUM! After that we came home and I beat Grady 3 out of 4 on college football 09. Slept in on Saturday, went to Kohl's and Target, then came home and had a b-day party. We ate, swam, played 500 and played volleyball. After that we came home. It was a long drive, but we had a great time in S.C.
Yesterday went awesome at church. Everyone entered into worship. I felt like the message went over really well, people were engaged. It was a great day at New Life Assembly.
Labels: church, encouragement, friends
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:07 AM,
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not wrong, just different
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My message from yesterday went very well. This is a must listen to, not because it is from me at all, but because it will enhance your communication and not just in marriage. Check it out here.
Labels: church, encouragement
posted by Pastor Potter @ 8:55 PM,
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rain
Friday, August 22, 2008
Jeepers Creepers. I cannot tell you the last time it rained here in Clarinda. It has been so dry. I haven't mowed my yard for 2 weeks and it doesn't look like I will need to any time soon. It has been really dry. I feel bad for the farmers, but I don't think they have said what the long term effects may be? Anyhow, I am going to be praying for rain as crazy as that sounds so that our yards can be green, so our fields grow and our flowers don't die.
In a related story this is exactly what happens to our spiritual lives. We can grow dry. When we are dry, we get hard and prickly. Our attitudes are different. In order to change that we can water ourselves with the Word, fellowship, worship and encouragement from God. I want to encourage you today don't let your relationship get dry. Keep it watered by God.
Labels: church, encouragement, goofy
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:46 AM,
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revival
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Over the past several months I have had many people ask me about the Lakeland Revival in Florida. I have not known what to say as I have not followed it that closely. I do want God to move and I was part of the Brownsville Revival which a lot of people had questions about. As a pentecostal people are always talking about and praying for revival. We don't know exactly what it looks like, we have all experienced it in different ways. I would never trade my experience down in Florida for anything. Everything I look at in regards to revival will be viewed through my experience of revival at Brownsville. Anyhow, I didn't know what to think of the "Lakeland Outpouring". I had watched it on GodTV a couple of times. When I watched it, there was not much preaching of the Word. There were a lot of people being healed and touched, so I didn't want to say it wasn't of God. Anyhow, I read a post yesterday that has a lot of interesting info that I wanted to pass along. Here is the post check it out.
Labels: church
posted by Pastor Potter @ 3:14 PM,
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leadership meeting
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Yesterday I had the priviledge of going to Des Moines and being part of what our network is calling "Next Generation Leader". I loved the feel of it and the vibe of the young leaders represented. God is going to raise up some great leaders and to be a part of it is just humbling. I had a great time. Anyhow, Tom our district superintendent started off the meeting and really just imparted some great leadership tools. I love being around great leaders because they just ooz leadership and draw you in. After that we talked about defining moments in our lives that have shaped us and our ministries. Wow. It was incredible to hear the back stories. It was a great meeting and I am looking forward to our next meeting in September. In October I get to go to Atlanta, GA for the Catalyst Conference. I cannot wait. It is around 10,000 to 12,000 next generation leaders gathering together. Needless to say I think I will be able to look back several years from now and see how God worked some great things through me in this leadership partnership. Had a great time connecting with Paul Stewart and Todd Jones.
Labels: church, encouragement, friends, joy
posted by Pastor Potter @ 2:30 PM,
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Wild Goose Chase Book Review
Monday, August 18, 2008
I gotta be honest to start off here and say that I thought it was going to be pretty hard to top "in a pit". I was eagerly anticipating this book and let me just say this, "move over Barack Obama, Mark Batterson is flat out inspiring". When you read this book it is like you are having a personal conversation with Mark. The thing I see in Mark that I don't see in most next generation leaders is that he is not the "the church is horrible and needs to change" kind of guy. Most next gen. leaders spend more time pointing out the flaws of the church or what the church has become, while Mark is busy inspiring the next generation of followers who will grow into leaders. When I read this book I feel like I can get out from under the 8 foot ceiling and do something that can affect His-story (as Mark says). I feel like I have enough guts to do something great through Christ. Other books by next gen. leaders leave a bad taste in your mouth about the church and have me asking "why would I go to church if it is so horrible" or "maybe we should start paying reparations to all of the de-churched or unchurched people?" The church that is made up of people may not be perfect, but it is the solution the world has to find Christ. I would strongly encourage you to buy this book here. Don't just take my advice, check it out yourself at www.chasethegoose.com as well as his 10 steps to setting life goals here. I'm off to chase the goose!
Labels: church, encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 3:08 PM,
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friends and family fun night
Last night we had our friends and family fun night. We encouraged all of our people at New Life to invite all of their friends, family, co-workers, classmates or whoever else they could think of. We had a good night. We had a great turn out. We ordered 20 pizzas, and I think ended up with 4 left. The kids didn't eat much as they just wanted to jump in the bouncy castle. We played volleyball, kickball, the grand prize game (from the bozo show), and a few other games I can't think of right now. It was a lot of fun. I think people really enjoyed it.
Yesterday at church we talked about priorities. We did so in a positive way. I encouraged kingdom priorities that will blow the roof off any church if we just apply them to our lives. Something my old pastor used to always say was " don't try to fit God into your schedule, try to fit your schedule into God". Here is the sermon.
Labels: church, encouragement, friends, joy
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:08 AM,
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olympics
Friday, August 15, 2008
As I said I am doing an independant investigation into those Chinese girls :) , but in the mean time I must say I have watched more of these olympics than any other olympics from the past. Of course I have been following the Michael Phelps story, but I have also been following several others. I watched the gymnastics, some tennis, badminton, softball, b-ball, volleyball, swimming and I am really looking forward to the track and field portion of the olympics.
I am so proud of our country. We live in such a great country. When you look at some of the stories of people from other countries and the turmoil it took just for them to come, you are so much more grateful for our great country. I think it is godly to thank God for where he has placed you. I mean seriously, what if God had placed you in Canada? YUCK! Just kidding. In all seriousness, if you live in America, you are extremely blessed. Use what God has given you, where he has put you for His glory. Always remember to thank him for our great nation. God bless America.
Labels: encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:57 AM,
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I did it
Thursday, August 14, 2008
You might not be able to believe this, but I went out and got an mp3 player. The reason I say you might not be able to believe this is because I had a big fiasco a few months ago. I went to Wal-mart and bought one, and then immediately regretted it. I am actually getting it as another way for me to get off my lazy rear end and run. I am going to use it in the mornings when I run. I am going to be disciplined about this. I am going to work my tail off with this thing. I am looking forward to it when we take long drives as well. It will be able to be used. I just needed to relax and realize I didn't pay too much, plus we had a gift card that helped a little, so it was totally worth it. So basically send me a comment in the next month or so to make sure that I am running, and if I am not, this mp3 player is yours. Deal?
posted by Pastor Potter @ 7:14 PM,
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seriously
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I didn't have much time to write today. I didn't have much time as I have opened my own independant investigation into the women's gymnists from China. Seriously, no way those girls are 16. If you want to join with me in this investigation let me know.
Labels: goofy
posted by Pastor Potter @ 8:47 PM,
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how it works
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I want to remind all Christians of how things work just to encourage everyone. I want to give everyone a little advice that I think all of us have experienced, but usually forget. When God is doing something in your life or about to do something, you will ALWAYS face adversity. I can go back in my past and look at times when I faced some of my most difficult circumstances and then fast forward a month or two and see how God did something amazing. I ask myself "why does it have to be this way"? I don't fully understand why it happens the way it does, but I want you to think back to some of your most significant moments in life. Was there any adversity just before the defining moment? In my life that is how it has worked out. So today I just want to remind those that may read this, hang in there no matter what. When you seem to be up against a brick wall, look out, because God is about ready to do some serious demolition of that wall in front of you. If He doesn't, maybe that wall is there for a reason. Use discearnment!
Labels: church, encouragement, life
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:39 AM,
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zoo recap
Monday, August 11, 2008
As I posted on Friday we went to the zoo. We had such a great time together. After the zoo we went to the christian book store and got some books and a new cd. Then we headed off to Kohl's to do a little shopping. After that we went to Olive Garden. It was just a great day. I slept in on Saturday which doesn't happen all that much so it was really nice. Yesterday we had a great service. Worship was excellent and people really entered in. After church we went over to the Pugh's for lunch and it was tasty. Got a short nap in then watched the Cubs beat the Cards. This week is off to a good start for me. I hope you have a great week.
Labels: church, encouragement, friends, life
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:17 AM,
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Parenting
Yesterday I preached about Parenting. Here is the message
Labels: church
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:25 AM,
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to the zoo
Friday, August 08, 2008
After work Melissa and I are headed off to the zoo in Omaha. The zoo for us has a little bit more meaning because that was the place Melissa and I met for our first date. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life. A little of the back story is we met at camp and then I pursued her and I somehow talked her into going on a date with me. So we meet up at the zoo and it's like one of those slow motion movies when a girl sticks their leg out of the car first and then she emerges and you are like "dang". Thank God for skirts. That is how I felt that day. She got out of the car and let's just say I was likin' what I was seeing. She looked really good. We spent a few hours at the zoo and then hung out throughout the day. But it all started with the zoo. So every year we go back to the zoo. I am really looking forward to our date today. It is also the first place we kissed, settle down, not on our first date. It will always hold a special place in our hearts. I love to go there and see the monkeys. Out of all the animals I look forward to seeing the monkey. The animal I dread seeing the most is a tiger. I hate seeing them all caged up. They are definitely not living the life they were created for, to be unleashed upon the wild. Anyhow, I am excited about date day with my lovely wife. Have a good weekend.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:47 AM,
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great discussion
Thursday, August 07, 2008
We had a great discussion at church last night. We kicked the night off with some worship. Melissa did a great job singing "Breathe" and "The Stand". After worship we took a few testimonies. I have been here for 2 years and a few months and we have never had near as many testimonies as we did last night. I mean almost everyone there had a testimony. It was great to hear what God is doing in people's lives. We did something different last night compared to other Wednesdays. We split up into two groups and we had two separate discussions. The question both groups answered was "What are the 5 greatest challenges each Christian faces"? There was great participation in both groups. After they discussed that for a while, we went into solution mode. We talked about all of those challenges and then attempted to talk about solutions. Some people gave great ideas and testimonies of how they dealt with the challenges. Some were common to every Christian. It was great to discuss these openly. There was no condemnation. It was a great night at church and everyone participated. Can't beat that.
Labels: church, encouragement, joy, life
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:42 AM,
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sorry
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The audio blog from yesterday was a little ridiculous. I was talking way to low or something? Anyhow, I don't know when or if we will try that again. Anyhow, today is Wednesday. This week is going by very fast. I am excited that the week is half over. This has been a pretty hectic week for me as my boss from my p/t job is in and we have 10 days worth of stuff to do. I am trying to figure out what we will be doing for our Wednesday nights and all the while trying to prepare for Sunday. It's one of those weeks where you have to just stop yourself and make yourself breathe. The good news is that I am not the only one who is facing the busyness of schedule. Everyone of us go through these phases when everything is happening at once and we just get so bogged down. The other good news is that even when we do, God is still right there with us. Helping us through the busy times, just as he is in the not so busy times. It is all about taking time during the busy days as well to stop and ask God to recharge you. Get in the Word, pray and spend time with Him and it always has a way of working out. We serve a good God.
Labels: encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:45 AM,
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audio blog
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
I am going to try something from time to time. I will do an audio blog for people to actually hear my heart, rather than read it. I look forward to sharing my heart with others.
Labels: church, encouragement, friends, goofy, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 11:33 AM,
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kicked in the stomach
Monday, August 04, 2008
Have you ever been kicked in your stomach. Something happened and it felt like someone hauled off and kicked you right in the gut? It can come in a wide variety of packages, but at the end of the day it leaves you scratching your head. An example would be Judas betraying Jesus. Although Jesus knew it was coming, it had to just sting that someone who followed you closely for 3 years could do such a thing. It is the ultimate betrayal. It can also be like getting the wind let out of your sails or a knife in the back. Either way when these things happen they sting and are often hard to get over. Here are 3 suggestions to help, and I need to listen to this advice because I just got kicked in the stomach this morning:
- pray about it
- have patience
- everytime you feel like giving up on something, there is probably a blessing on the other side the enemy doesn't want you to get.
Labels: encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 10:33 AM,
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Sunday's sermon 8.3.08
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Here is my sermon from Sunday 8.3.08. Hard to give, but very productive I believe. We are tackling tough subjects this month in our Elephant in the Church series.
posted by Pastor Potter @ 12:16 PM,
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i am learning
Friday, August 01, 2008
So the other day I was going over some bible studies that I could do for men's ministry at our church. I came across a series at at blue fish. I was reading through it and it was a message about the world we live in. We were comparing it to the world Noah lived in before God wiped almost everyone off the face of the earth. Long story short it said something that made me think : it said "we are righteous because of what we do, not because of what we don't do". That really hit me. It's true. I am righteous because of my actions, not because of what I don't do. Think of it this way. The fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23 describe action. When we love we are righteous. Not hating someone doesn't make you righteous. When you have joy you are righteous, it's not because you are not mad, sad or depressed that makes you righteous. This was a great thing for me to hear. So what it tells me is I have to focus on doing the things that make me righteous, instead of thinking I am righteous because I don't do ________ . You fill in your blank. I hope you are as encouraged as I was about this.
Labels: church, encouragement, life, personal
posted by Pastor Potter @ 9:22 AM,
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