Would God Call You to Do Something Unconventional?

And if so, would you say "yes?"

An Intentionally Missional Lifestyle from Acts 29 Network on Vimeo.

How to Deal with Sin in Your Life (John Owen)

- excerpt from John Owen's "The Mortification of Sin" (A Puritan's view on how to deal with sin in your life):

"Now this is, first, the most unjust and unreasonable thing in the world; when two combatants are engaged, to bind one and keep him up from doing his utmost, and to leave the other at liberty to wound him at his pleasure: and, second, the foolishest thing in the world to bind him who fights for our eternal condition, and to let him alone who seeks and violently attempts our everlasting ruin.  The contest is for our lives and souls.  Not to be daily employing the Spirit and new nature for the mortifying of sin, is to neglect that excellent assistance which God hath given us against our greatest enemy."  (ch.1, p.32).

For a short outline of Owen's treatise, click HERE. 

For a 12-page reading summary in PDF format (written by John Thune), click HERE.

Why Christmas?

Bad News: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (John Piper)

The Real Christmas Story: A Loving God and His Divine Redemption of Sinners

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I Survey from HR Sweat on Vimeo.

We Are Here (Christmas)

A Social Network Christmas

Ever wonder what today would be like, say.....2000 years ago.

Find out here...A Social Network Christmas.

One Last Christmas - Matthew West

...praying for those who might not live for another #Christmas, has a way of changing your #prayer life

Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground) Chris Tomlin

Beautiful the Blood

God, help me discover that my "real" treasure is in you

God, please make me a #trader

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

Be Radical

Are you praying that God will do something or that He will use you?

Be Radical.

Are you focused on getting your "best life now?"

Behold - Believe - Be Raised

This Thanksgiving, we Christians should be the most humble, thankful people on the planet because God has opened our eyes to see how little we deserve and how much God has done for us, and become for us, in Christ.

Create in Me a Clean Heart ~ Keith Green

The Truth and the Lie in Contemporary Culture

Sexual Sin

Matt Chandler on Prayer

61% of Today's Young Adults...had been

From Andrew McElyea's blog:

- 61% of today’s young adults – had been churched at one point during their teen years but they are now spiritually disengaged (i.e., not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying).

Your Vote Counts

For more information on how to prepare for the November 1st election, click HERE!

What Keeps You From Praying?

A Game of Hope

Next time you find yourself praying for YOUR needs, think about this video and how one football coach considered the implications of doing something nobody else has ever done:  cheering for the other team.

Especially when that team is a group of incarcerated criminals.

The Truth and the Lie ... in Worship

The Lord's Prayer: Luke 11: 1 -4

Lifeline: Power Through Prayer

Christ's Call: Follow in My Footsteps

Madison Dawn Williams April 13, 1996 - August 28, 2010

Madi William's funeral will be held 9/4 @ 10am at First Baptist in Van Alstyne, TX - pls continue praying for the William's family (Amanda, Tenielle, and Daniel). 

A City On Our Knees

Father, we mourn the loss of our beautiful, 14 year old Madi Williams. She's your child, God. But we are a city on our knees ~ and we need your help.

Covey's Story ~ from Ethiopia to Texas

The video is appx 30 minutes long, so it's a bit of a time commitment ~ but to hear Covenant Bonnema's testimony of God's faithfulness is 30 minutes well-spent (esp. the last 60 seconds of the video!).

Enduring the loss of her entire family, Covey shares her story of how God brought a family from Texas to an orphanage in Axum, Ethiopia - an orphanage that, in the 50 years of its existence, had never seen a single adoption.

Don't think God answer's prayer?  Let's ask Covey Bonnema.  This is her story ~ from Ethiopia to Texas:


Covey's Story....from Ethiopia to Texas! from Griff Servati on Vimeo.

Do Hard Things: Don't Waste Your Life

We're "Doing Hard Things" this week @ PEAK, because we don't want to WASTE our lives:

My Prayer: God Don't Let Me Waste My Life

Can Your Faith Survive Tragedy?

29:11 Students ~ Summer 2010

The students of First Baptist Van Alstyne, TX, under the incredible leadership of Captain Griffith Moses Servati (aka, Mo), did HARD THINGS for God this summer!

Here's a few clips taken of our 2911students on a missions trip to El Paso, TX, during their trip to Summit Camp, PEAK Group, and the student-led Gather to Pray Event held at Van Alstyne High School.



29:11 Students ~ Summer 2010 from Dennis Smith on Vimeo.

Dead Christians

What kind of people is the Father looking for?

True worshipers.

Mark Driscoll
Worship: God Transforms (Chapter 11)
from his book, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe

What you pray for and what you live for are...one in the same

A Prayer for You - Colossians 1:1-14

Praise You in this Storm (Animation)

The Art of Prayer - Matt Chandler

How many of you who have been believers for a period of time, whether that
be one year or 20 years, would say that, although you know that prayer is to be a part of our lives and that we are to be men and women of prayer, would have to honestly say that deep, intimate prayer life with the God of the universe on any consistent basis has been very difficult for you?

So let the record show that it’s a bulk of us. If you’re listening to
the podcast, through three services, anywhere between 85-90% of the room raised their hands.

Click here to read Matt's entire sermon titled, "The Art of Prayer."

The Sovereignty of God in Prayer

by John Piper


I am often asked, "If you believe God works all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11) and that his knowledge of all things past, present, and future is infallible, then what is the point of praying that anything happen?" Usually this question is asked in relation to human decision: "If God has predestined some to be his sons and chosen them before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4,5), then what's the point in praying for anyone's conversion?"

Continue reading.....here

Small Prayer Groups Change the World

How Much Room is there for God in Your Life?

Because He (God) is Good - Matt Chandler

Brian Sumner says, "Skateboarding is third, God is first, and I Am Seond"

If God sent you a bill each month, what would you owe?

And They Crucified Him

I Dare You to Pray This

Jesus Finds Wrecked People

Don't Waste Your Life

A Letter to my Mother

It’s hard to believe that you’ve been a mother for almost 50 years.  I was thinking about that today and I wondered how many times since 1960 you’ve heard one of us cry out that famous word (usually in times of peril), “Mooooom!”

I have learned so much from you that I could easily fill several pages with thoughts of how your life has impacted mine, but I wanted to take just a minute and name a few of the basics:  you taught me how to separate the whites from the colors; how to iron a white shirt until it’s nice and crisp; and how to whip up the best desserts.  You even taught me that my wife would one day appreciate a clean bathtub and toilet, and that she’d appreciate it even more if I were the one who cleaned them! Thanks, Mom.

As a young boy, I recognized how much people loved being around you.  It was easy for me to realize that God had given you a special gift and it centered on what He loved the most:  people. God made you a lot of things, Mom, but there’s no doubt in my mind that He made you first and foremost for “loving people.”  And that was not something you taught your children in words, but rather in deeds – you lived it out every single day of your life. 

There are so many things for which I am thankful.  Above all, for loving my father, and modeling for your three sons the joy and beauty that can be found in a marriage whose primary goal is to wholeheartedly serve God and then each other.    

Thank you for filling our home with laughter.  Although childhood is oftentimes filled with the likes of stomach aches, scrapes, and fevers (especially in a home of three feisty boys), I rarely remember a time when we were sick.  Without question, laughter is great medicine, and the medicine cabinets of our home were filled with the best medicine of all – the sounds of three boys and a Mother and Father who laughed.  

Thank you for reading scripture to us each day before school.  You took God at His word and diligently read the scripture that He then hid in our hearts.  The fruit of that has been born out in the lives of your three sons and seven grandchildren who all have called upon the name of the Lord, and whose lives have been incredibly changed by the mercy and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for being quick to forgive when we disappointed you.  Whether I knocked out the neighbor’s garage window, crashed my best friend’s car (in a prank gone awry) or missed my weekend curfew, I was certain that a consequence would follow.  But I was even more certain of your forgiveness, and there is nothing that makes the heart of a child more secure. 

Finally, and most importantly, thank you for praying.  Few children have the privilege of living in the home of a “praying mother.”  As a teenager, I had a distinct experience that I have carried with me for the last 30+ years.  One night, after being out late with my friends, I quietly breezed through the front door of our home hoping that I wouldn’t wake you.  As I tip-toed down the hallway to my bedroom, I was stopped in my tracks after hearing the sounds of a crying mother coming from your bedroom.  You didn’t know I was there, but you were praying…for ME.  You were thanking Jesus for dying for me on the cross and washing away my sins, and asking God to make Himself real to me in a way that I’d never known.  That night marked the beginning of the journey which, only months later, led me to the cross of Jesus Christ. 

Mom, your legacy of prayer, faithfulness, laughter, forgiveness, and love, will live beyond you.  It will live in the hearts of your children, and your grandchildren’s children and we will give God the glory. 

Happy Mother’s Day 2010 ~ I love you, Mom.

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Why I Hate Religion!

Francis Chan on "The New Middle Road"

Amazing Grace (my chains are gone)

2010 Dove Awards "Song of the Year" ---- By Your Side

Talk to God as Dad

5,000 Years of Religion in 90 Seconds

Forgiven

One Way

Indifferent Christians

I Am Second (Anne Rice) - Interview with an Ex-Vampire

The Kingdom of Heaven is like...

The Kingdom of God from Stewart H Redwine on Vimeo.

Pray....about everything

Prayer from Stewart H Redwine on Vimeo.

You Must Suffer

Stuff Christians Like

A lot of Christians take themselves WAY too seriously...that's what why I like Acuff. And that's why he has a site called stuffchristianslike.net

Do You Know God?

What are you willing to give up....for the sake of Christ?

So Great Salvation

Why the Bible?

Is the Bible Today the Same as the First Bible Written?

The Crucifixion of Jesus (Part 1 of 3)

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

We Are Here

Resurrection Factor - Part 1

A Conversation with Death ... on Good Friday

CHRISTIAN:

Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me?
I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. Let me ask you a question, Death.
Where is your sting?

DEATH, sneeringly:

My sting is your sin.

CHRISTIAN:

I know that, Death. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked, where is your sting? I know what it is. But tell me where it is.

Why are you fidgeting, Death? Why are you looking away? Why are you turning to go? Wait, Death, you have not answered my question. Where is your sting?
Where is, my sin?

What? You have no answer? But, Death, why do you have no answer? How will you terrify me, if you have no answer?
O Death, I will tell you the answer. Where is your sting? Where is my sin? It is hanging on that tree. God made Christ to be sin—my sin. When he died, the penalty of my sin was paid. The power of it was broken. I bear it no more.

Farewell, Death. You need not show up here again to frighten me. God will tell you when to come next time. And when you come, you will be his servant. For me, you will have no sting.

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

 Source:  Desiring God - John Piper

Worship

Never too early....to follow God's call

The State of Missouri asks for...Prayer

Howell County News - www.howellcountynews.com

This is a first....the state of Missouri - members of the Missouri Legislature have asked for prayer in efforts to tackle the worst budget crisis to face the state of Missouri in decades.

Think budget crisis is too big for God?

Me either.

Love is Here

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

- Isaiah 53:5

Mark Driscoll's Mandate to Men

Where are the faithful young men and women?

Intercession

Carboard Testimonies (changed lives)

Go After Him!

Source: Every Generation's Hope (Keith Warden)

Ephesians 5:18, “Be filled with the Spirit.”

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today. I can’t fix yesterday, and tomorrow seems a long way off.
Today, Lord: Cleanse my heart from the fleshly residue of yesterday’s fallen humanity.
Today, Lord: Scrub my thoughts and motives till they shine with singularity – wanting Your glory alone.
Today, Lord: Wash me and I will be whiter than snow, purposed afresh to follow Your footsteps.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today. The tasks ahead are too much. If I must go alone, I cannot go at all.
Today, Lord: I’m not smart enough to know what is best, and not strong enough to choose what is righteous.
Today, Lord: My wife, my family, my friends, my church . . . I am not sufficient for these things, and I know it.
Today, Lord: Or what unfolds in the hours ahead will fade into the abyss of worthless, wasted time.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit right now. Come, make these 24 hours all You created them to be.
Now, Lord: You know how to ‘give good gifts’ and I am so thankful to be called Your child.
Now, Lord: By faith, I receive the Presence You’ve promised, and delight to know that Your Word is true.
Now, Lord: You are filling my life with peace and purpose and freeing my soul to sing.

Galatians 5:16, 22, “Walk then in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of your flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control.”

Jesus+Nothing=Everything

Jesus + Nothing = Everything (Part 9) from Coral Ridge on Vimeo.

Lead Me to the Cross

The Christian Athiest

Give Me Your Eyes

The Gap of Eternity

Contending for the Gospel

Inside Out

Do You Desire God? Paul Washer

The Name Above All Names

Lead Me to the Cross

I Am Second ~ Ashley

Bring Your Requests to God

Lay 'em Down ~ NeedtoBreathe

When I Hear the Praises Start

Passion Conference 2010

We Cry Out

What is Prayer?

Are You Wasting Your Life?

Does Anybody Hear Her?

At the Cross

Go Light Your World - Chris Rice

Revelation Song - Holy is the Lord God Almighty

None But Jesus - Hillsong

Hold My Heart ~ Tenth Avenue North

By Your Side ~ Tenth Avenue North

With All I Am ~ Hillsong

We Were Made to Give Our Lives (for something eternal)

For Whom Do You Fight? For What Do You Pray?

Prayer

Why? - Unanswered Prayer

I Am Second - Jason Castro

The Power of Prayer

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

unfailing Love - chris tomlin

Passion 2010: Do Something Now

Rising Hope

Prayer is a War Time Walkie-Talkie, Not a Domestic Intercom: John Piper

I AM Second (Brian "Head" Welch)

Something's Not Right

East to West - Casting Crowns

Secrets of Spiritual Growth (Prayer)

Do You Know God?

Glow (by Hillsong)

How Did Jesus Pray?

Pray Short

How Not to Pray

Is anyone crying for help? God is listening Psa. 34:17

God of this City

Is God More Likely to Do Things if More People are Praying?

I Make My Life a Prayer to You

Mighty to Save

Plastic Jesus

Preach the Gospel For the Perishing and the Saved

Prayer Causes Things to Happen

Decide to Abandon Retirement as the Reward for Your Life

God Puts Us in Fire to Awaken Earnest Prayer

Prayer: Whatever you ask in My name?

Joining in with the Groaning of Creation

I Will Rise