Stupid Financial Mistakes

Perry Noble of New Spring Church in South Carolina posted a list of the top seven financial mistakes he ever made. They fall right in line with what we've been talking about in our current Sunday morning series, In God We Trust. Read the list of seven here and here.

My Blessed Business

Some thoughts from this past Sunday's sermon:

• The tithe belongs to God. Not to us. To God.
• The word "tithe" means tenth. The Bible says that one tenth of everything that God has given us belongs to him.
  
• The average Christian in the U.S. only gives about two percent of his income to the work of the Lord.
• Fewer than three percent of those who call themselves followers of Christ honor and obey God with the tithe.
• God has given each of us a business--the business of managing our financial resources. But if we don't return the tithe to God, we are robbing him (literally "embezzling"), and we place our business under a curse. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. (Haggai 1:6)
• But if we return the tithe to God, He promises to open the floodgates of heaven and pour out such a blessing that we will not be able to contain it. "I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land." says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:11-12)
• Ninety percent with God's blessings is far more than one hundred percent with His blessings.

In God We Trust

This Sunday, we will continue our series titled In God We Trust, in which we are looking at God's principles for managing our money. We've talked the last two weeks about how God has given all of us a small business--managing our financial resources. This Sunday, we're going to talk about how our business can be blessed by God. Don't miss it!

Roe v. Wade

Today is the 35th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. How much do you really know about Roe v. Wade?

Act Your Wage

Some key thoughts from this past Sunday's sermon:

• Stop spending money you don't have. Live within your means.
  
• Learn to say "no" for a little while so you can say "yes" for the rest of your life.
• Before going into debt, learn to ask "What will be the real cost of this debt in terms of stressed relationships and lost opportunities in the future?"
• Train your money. (budget)
  
• Pray before you pay. No impulse buying.
  
• Plan for emergencies. (The "Oh, no" fund)
  
• Eliminate overhead. Use the debt snowball.
• Build a reserve fund.
• With hard work, sacrifice, and discipline, you can get out of debt. Remember, God is on your side.

A Look Back at 2007

Here are just a few pictures from 2007. It was a great year, wasn't it! 2008 will be even better!

In God We Trust

I'm really excited about the current sermon series. It's called In God We Trust, and it's about learning to manage God's money. Last week's message was Mind Your Own Business, and tomorrow's message will be Act Your Wage.

Don't miss tomorrow's service. It'll be worth your while.

Something Stinks

Araceli Hernandez speaking at Solid Rock Church on January 6, 2008

How to attend service 52 weeks in a row

I ran across this post on how to attend a church service 52 weeks a year. What's interesting about this is that it is not written by a pastor. Quite frankly, it was written by someone who until recently was not a church-goer. The comment about adult beverages notwithstanding, this is great advice!

How to attend service 52 weeks in a row.

Guitar Hero I'm Not

Laughing at how bad I am at this! I'll stick to the piano.

Yes, it's true!

Kelli has joined the blogging world! This should be interesting, because with Kelli, there's never a dull moment. Stay tuned.

Week of Prayer

We've been meeting every night this week for prayer. I was looking forward to this week but it's been even better than I expected. There's something special about being able to slow down and quiet our spirits in God's presence. I truly enjoy being able to pray together with the Solid Rock Church family.

Tonight's service was especially moving. I was blessed to see the adults speak to our youth and pray for them. May God continue to bless our teenagers and children.

We have two more evenings of prayer. Let's make the most of this opportunity to meet together for prayer and praise.

Quotes on Prayer

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. -Corrie Ten Boom

Prayer in private results in boldness in public. -Edwin Louis Cole

We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. -Oswald Chambers

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. -Abraham Lincoln

Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need. -E.M. Bounds

Praying Hyde

During this Week of Prayer, I'd like to introduce you to the story of a missionary named John Hyde. He was known as Praying Hyde. That says a lot about him, doesn't it?

The following information was taken from the Christian History Institute. Please take the time to read it and reflect on the life of this man of prayer.

"Give me Souls, O God, or I die!" That became the plea of John Hyde, born on November 9, 1865 in Carrollton, Illinois. John's family were praying people. Consequently, as a young man, he learned to pray expecting results.

John's brother Edmund went as a student missionary to Montana, where he contracted a fever and died. John wondered if he should take Edmund's place. During his senior year at McCormick Theological Seminary, he came to the room of his friend Mr. Konkle near midnight, saying he wanted all Konkle's arguments in favor of going to the foreign mission field. "I told him that he knew as much about the foreign field as I did; that I didn't believe it was argument that he needed, and that I thought the way for him to settle it was to lay it before our Father and stay until He decided for him: We sat in silence a while longer, and, saying he believed I was right, he rose and bade me good night."

The next morning Konkle felt a hand on his arm. Looking around, he saw John's face radiant with a new vision. "It's settled, Konkle," said he.

John left for India. Aboard ship, he opened a letter from a friend who wrote that he would pray until John was filled with the Holy Spirit. Angrily John crumpled the letter and hurled it aside. He had yielded his heart to the Lord, gotten his degree, studied Indian languages and was obediently on his way to a life work. How dare his friend suggest he lacked the Spirit? But when he cooled down, he realized that his friend was right. He pleaded for the power of the Holy Spirit.

The result was that John became a notable intercessor, one who pleads for the souls and needs of others. He was nicknamed "Praying Hyde." He often paid for his concern with sleepless nights.

Revival began when he came late to a meeting one evening. "I have been having a great controversy with God. I feel that he has wanted me to come here and testify to you concerning some things that he has done for me, and I have been arguing with him that I should not do this. Only this evening...have I got peace concerning the matter and have I agreed to obey him, and now I have come to tell you just some things that he has done for me." John told them how God had freed him from certain sins. Soon his listeners were weeping and confessing their own.

In 1908, anguished by the sight of sin and souls doomed to hell, he asked the Lord to bring a soul a day into the kingdom of God. Soon he upped that to two souls, and then four. God answered his prayers.

But in March of 1911, Hyde had to say good-bye to India. His heart had shifted in his chest and required medical attention. In the United States it was found he had a malignant brain tumor. Surgery was necessary. On February 17, 1912 he died. His last words were "Shout the victory of Jesus Christ!"

Week of Prayer

The Assemblies of God Week of Prayer will be held from January 6-12. In addition to the Sunday evening service which will focus on prayer, we will have a prayer meeting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings beginning at 7:00. Our monthly InterMission service will be held on Wednesday starting at 7:00 PM. The Spanish Prayer Group will meet Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Yes, that's right--we're going to meet for prayer every day of the week!

We know from the Scriptures that God responds when we devote ourselves to prayer. Let's get serious about seeking God as we begin the new year.

TPE's blog

Today's Pentecostal Evangel has a new home for their blog. Check it out here.

Paul Potts

This is the story I told in last night's service.