So, it has been a loooong time since I wrote just about what is going on in my world and I have a yen to let it all hang out.  So this is what, like a mind dump?  Anyway, it is personal goings on rather than deep thoughts intended to stimulate and transform.  So here goes:

I started twittering.  You can find me at twitter.com/artrogers.  I know, some of you will think I am against twittering because of my post rant about it which you can read here:  twitteranting.  In truth, I am only against putting your twitter in your rss feed, which I have NOT done.  This way, if you twitter and want to follow me, you can, but if you read my blog and aren’t interested in the little thoughts that cross my mind or interesting happenings, you don’t have to see ‘em.  Unless I do a mind dump post like this one.  Then you’re stuck.  Sorry.

I finally decided it was worth the time yesterday when I found Steve McCoy’s regular updates on his wife’s visit to the neurosurgeon.  Molly’s been having serious health problems and had brain surgery within the last year.  I found that I was able to pray all day long with them as they found out what was happening.  It was then that I saw some real value in it.

If you are using Firefox and are interested in following twitter feeds, you should get the AddOn: twitterfox.  It gives you a pop up at intervals you set to let you know what is happening.  Or you can tell it not to do that.  Makes it easy.

So I’ve been committing to finishing all things sermon related by Thursday, if the Lord is gracious enough to allow it.  This has been going on for over a month now and was spawned by my switching to an Apple Workbook.  Our presentation software that we use on Sundays is MediaShout (which rocks) but it only works on PC’s.  I had been in the habit of working on the presentation side of the sermon over the weekends in my “free time.”  Moving to Apple stopped that, and I had to choose getting it done early in the week or coming in over the weekend.  This has made me really buckle down early in the week and then have a truly relaxing free time over the weekend.  I spend a lot more time with my family and I am not constantly working on stuff for Sunday, so when I am there, I am all there.

Last night I had to stay late (about 7:00 pm) to get it all done.  This was due to the short week, a busy week, and a long complicated presentation for the sermon.  70+ slides.  The deal is that I am preaching a series called, “The Core of our Faith: The Gospel,” and I am using Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology as a roadmap.

*Side note:  God used something Joe Thorn said on Sub-Text about the better you know the Gospel, the easier it is to relate a casual conversation to a conversation about God.  So, it would seem, that God does use Joe Thorn.  Who knew?

So, the first sermon is on how we got the Bible.  The first two sermons are on Biblical authority.  The first is part Bible Study, part history lesson and I don’t want it to get too academic, so I downloaded tons of pictures (public pics) off of Google Images and then worked them over with Gimp to add humorous illustrations to the deal.  That all takes time, but I was committed to getting it done by Thursday, and I did.  Now I am giddy with excitement hoping that everyone will get the humor and learn to treasure their Bible at the same time.

So I was leaving last night and was exhausted, when I found a few folks riding four wheelers on our church’s side property.  I went outside to put my stuff in the truck.  They kind of ignored me, I think in hopes that I would go away and not run them off.  I put my stuff up and started over to where they were.

When they realized that I wasn’t leaving, the leader, Tommy, came over and introduced himself saying that he hope they didn’t disturb anything and that they weren’t making any ruts.  They are a stunt team and neighbors of ours.  They were practicing for a gig they had on Saturday.

I told them who I was and that they were welcome on our church property.  They should feel free to use it all they want and I was glad they were there.

You should have seen their faces.  I am torn with feeling joyful over breaking down the walls they have with church/God and sad they we’ve built them so high.  They thought I was going to run them off.  Ten years ago, I probably would have.

It was a long, exhausting day yesterday, but I slept like a baby last night.  Really good stuff happening here.  Great day to be serving God.  He is good.  I am blessed.

I did, however, link to Joe Thorn and Steve McCoy in the same post, which makes it look like I am sucking up to those Chicago suburban yankees.  Sorry for that.  :)

Posts with related content

• No Related Post

TAGS: None