Two videos

Two videos

   12:51 PM       REBickerstaff

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Here are two videos I want to share. The first is "Thanksgiving?" a sketch by the super-talented Peter Harmon. We've worked together on a bunch of stuff and I think this one's pretty good:

Thanksgiving? - watch more funny videos


And the second is one my good friend Bryan Mayer made. It's got a real pro wrestler! 

http://apps.facebook.com/crashthesuperbowl?page=watch&video=3728

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Response to "Mercy and Justice"

Response to "Mercy and Justice"

   2:02 PM       REBickerstaff

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I just listened to this amazing sermon from Christine Caine at Seacoast Church. She heads up A21, an organization that is working to totally end human trafficking by the end of the 21st century. She has some really, really incredible things to say. Usually I write good quotes from sermons down, but she said too many and too quickly so I wasn't able to write down much. Just do yourself a favor and listen.




This is especially poignant because I was at a friend's community group meeting last night and we prayed for God to "light a fire under my butt." This prayer is birthed out of a conversation with a coworker that made me realize I'm not living a life that proves God is real. I hear stories about people who do, and it's amazing, but I want that for my self and for my family.

 I feel like God is doing something awesome here...

"Doubt dies unborn if it's never spoken."

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Justice and Mercy

Justice and Mercy

   12:30 PM       REBickerstaff

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For some reason I was thinking about this this morning...

A lot of times in the bible, God says he desires mercy and justice:

• Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
• Proverbs 21:3 "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."
• Hosea 6:6: "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

It occurred to me this morning that all of this was a set up, or foreshadowing, for the Messiah, and a true example of God's character. God had mercy on us by forgiving our sins, but He is still just, and our sins required payment. The Messiah came and paid for the sins, and thus came this very physical picture of mercy and justice.

He exemplified the thing He desires from us. God set the example just like any father should for his children (because we all know "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work). So all along, He's just saying, "be like Me and here's what that looks like." 

I struggle with the idea of justice and mercy sometimes, because they're almost at opposite ends of the spectrum. I'm not sure when it's appropriate for me to get riled up about a just cause, or when there are things I need to let God handle. When is it proper for us to enforce justice and when should we exercise mercy? It's a judgement call I guess; or ideally, God would let us know when each is appropriate.

Either way though, I think it's awesome that God says, "this is what I want from you" and then exemplifies it in the most sacrificial act ever!

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October is My Favorite Month...

October is My Favorite Month...

   11:48 AM       REBickerstaff

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...for weather. Although this month was hotter than I would have liked. Yesterday was November 5th and it was in the 80's...crazy.

Here are some of the things I learned in October:

 PRAYER

• God's desire to pursue us is greater than our desire to hear from Him
• "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5
• Remember this when you're praying and getting distracted 

COMMITMENT TO TRAINING

•  2 Corinthians 3:17 - Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
• Liberty is not found doing your own thing, but being where the Spirit is, with others
• Are you available/ expendable for Christ?
• Will you go anywhere in the world He tells you?
• Will you do any job, no matter how base?
• Will you work for/under anybody?

1. Have a volunteer spirit. God isn't being done a favor by us working for Him, He's doing us a favor
2. Must be free from entanglements: money, education, etc. (if you're not generous with your money now, you won't be later).
3. Freedom from sin: God gives us a blank check as far as serving Him goes...it's up to us whether we are a vessel used for noble or ignoble purposes (humans have the same types of vessel, why wouldn't God?) - 2 Timothy 2:20 - 22
4. Marry the right person
5. Be available for training.

WHAT IS GOD'S PURPOSE/ CALLING FOR MY LIFE?

• God is more interested in forming you than using you.
• 3 types of calls...
• GENERAL CALL: We are called to...
• a Person first and foremost (God)
• being formed in the image of Christ (be who Jesus is)
• love others
• do good works  (do what Jesus did)
• PARTICULAR CALL
• Find God in our past. Is He really faithful?
• Find God in the present
• SPECIFIC CALL
• Call as a free steward of what we're given (talents, money, etc.)
• You are bound by a particular call first
• Often means surrendering stewardship to God
• The purpose of the parable of the talents is not that the guy in the field who hid his money did the wrong thing, but that he did NOTHING! All of the others were rewarded exactly according to what they did.
• People are the only thing worth investing in.
• Sometimes we ask God what He wants us to do, then He asks what we want to do.
• We have the option to say "no" to God and His calling and "yes" to fantasy
• STEPS TO DISCERNMENT
• Be open in community and with yourself
• Trust what God has placed on your heart
• Acts 15: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..."
• Sometimes it's not a huge thing where we need to hear God's audible voice. Sometimes it just seems good to us and good to God.

And don't forget to remember, remember the 5th of November...

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