Search

Open Search

Imagine God

Hi there, Joseph McKinney Jr. here. For the past six months I have been making daily devotionals for the church in João Pessoa. I want to share some of the thoughts with you.

The purpose is to take five or ten minutes to meditate, deepening your relationship with God and then share with one other person, thus deepening your relationship with a brother or sister in Christ. So say a prayer, take some deep breaths and let this verse wash over you.

Colossians 1:15 – “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

Have you ever tried to imagine what God is like? Did you imagine an old man, a ball of light or a cloud? It is impossible to imagine God, not because He is all powerful or so immense, but because He is Spirit. He is invisible. God wanted to reveal Himself in a way we could see Him.

Now imagine Jesus, a man with a physical body like ours, but with the character, love, and justice of God. Look to Jesus and you are seeing God. And when people look at you, guess who they should see.

Jesus is the bridge between God and us, and we are the bridge between Jesus and other people.

1

Operation Arctic 2017

Join us for our Vacation Bible School, where kids will have fun while learning from the Bible. In this day and age, it’s vital that we teach our children that the Bible is more than just a dusty book of stories. We need to show them God’s Word connects to every area of our lives and is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.

Vacation Bible School starts Sunday July 9 and goes through Thursday July 13, 2017 at 6 p.m.–8:45 p.m.

 

0

One of us

Is it truth or blasphemy? When we returned from Brazil in 1995, we became reintroduced to American TV and one of my favorite shows seemed to me at first to be blasphemy. It was named “Joan of Arcadia” and the theme song by Joan Osborne went like this:

“What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us? Just a stranger on the bus Trying to make His way home?”

The gist of the story line was a teenager who God chose to appear to in a way that He seemed to be a stranger on a bus when someone in her life needed divine wisdom. It reminded me of the conversation between Jesus, Phillip and Thomas in John 14: 5 – 15:

5 Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

It is a historical fact that a man, Jesus of Nazareth, lived about 2,000 years ago. We know where He was born, the names of some in his family, how He died and, yes, that in him was life and that He himself was LIFE. His coming was a demonstration of life and this life is eternal. With Christ, “LIFE” stopped being just an abstract theory of philosophy. LIFE manifested itself as a carpenter’s son, who walked, talked, ate, slept, cried and loved and whose resurrection from the dead proved Him to be who He claimed to be. He said of Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Christ is life and life is Christ. If you have eternal life it is because you have Christ. If you don’t have Christ, you don’t have life. Real life, eternal life, which is the life of Christ, is much more than mere existence. Many exist who have never found “life”. If you ran into Jesus on the way to work on a city bus, would you recognize him? That’s not a strange question. After all, He became like one of us, didn’t He?

0

Youth Ministry:

JYM Spring Retreat 2017:

       Recently our youth ministry participated in a Spring Retreat with three other youth groups (White House Church of Christ, Main Street Church of Christ, and Lafayette Church of Christ). The theme for the retreat was “Mayhem.” We were playing off the AllState Insurance Company’s point that “Mayhem is everywhere.” We began the weekend by addressing the fact that inevitably there will be storms in each of our lives. Then we talked about how we can prepare ourselves for those storms, and we emphasized the importance of having a firm foundation in God.

       The students participated in a couple of object lessons that emphasized that we need each other to get through the storms of life. In the first object lesson the students got into pairs, and one student was blindfolded, so they could not see. The other student had his/her hands tied behind their back, so they could not use their hands. They had to walk up the hill to the mess hall to eat lunch this way. They had to completely rely on each other to move around and to eat. Once again, the lesson was that we need each other when the storms come.

       The second object lesson was a prayer walk at night. The students were divided into small groups, according to their age and gender. Each group had to carry a cross that weighed up to 110 pounds, similar to what Jesus had to carry when he was on his way to be crucified. The cross was heavy, and the students needed each other to help carry it all the way across the camp. The lesson was very humbling, and it emphasized once again how much we need each other during the storms of life.

       I believe each of the students had a great time, and I believe they learned valuable lessons about preparing for the storms of life. I hope they remember to grow their roots near God, our only true source of life, and I hope they build a firm foundation in Him so that they will stand strong when the storms come!

0

Don’t Wait

Don’t wait …
for a smile before you are pleasant to others.
until you are lonely before you recognize the value of a friend.
until the funeral to appreciate someone important in your life today.
for a better job before you start working hard.
until you fail to remember good counsel.
until you are ill to recognize how fragile life is.
until you are bitter to ask for forgiveness.
until you are in pain to believe in prayer.
until you have time in order to begin to serve.
until you are separated before you seek reconciliation.
for recognition before you start to serve.
until you are rich to be a generous giver.
for the other one to take the initiative if you are guilty.
for someone to say “Me too” before you say “I love you”.
until the day you die to give your life to the Lord!!!

0

Give honor to whom honor is due

This is why we want to honor so many of our dear sisters in Christ. Just think about the Caring Kitchen meals, teas and showers, funerals and the bereaved, Life Groups, sick and shut-ins, pot-lucks and more. You all are truly remarkable and worthy of praise. We praise you and the Lord who inspires you to tirelessly serve others.

We belong to Him and each other.

0

Belong at Joelton

It is a shared desire among us that every person at Joelton will become a follower of Jesus and will seek out his purpose for their lives.  The church at Joelton is a family – a spiritual family of believers who are passionate about their love for Jesus.  Families are not perfect.  But even with all of our shortcomings, we realize that each person here is a precious and loved child of the King.

We belong to God and to each other, and we invite you to share in that same experience with us.

Now you are the body of Christ,

and each one of you is a part of it.

I Corinthians 12:27

0

Do you know any walnuts?

They may be tough nuts to crack but if you succeed, you’ll find beauty, potential and a valuable source of nutrition. To crack a walnut open, just place it on a rock or a concrete surface, hold it at the right angle, lift a hammer into the air and force it down rapidly. If you hit it hard enough, it will open, but you may sometimes crush it to smithereens. God has a better way. Just bury it in the ground, expose it to the right moisture and temperature and wait for it to crack open from the inside, just like a chicken egg. You never need to beat it over the head to make it sprout and grow and be transformed into a very useful tree. Human beings, when placed in the proper environment, can grow and become what God designed us to be. God’s power to transform people is incredible. There are some important factors in the process of transformation:
1. The potential for greatness that God designed into human beings.
2. The environment conducive to growth provided by Christians who look beyond a  person’s faults to see their needs.
3. A person’s own free will and ability to choose between good and evil.
4. The gospel of Jesus Christ that motivates people to love and goodness.
5. The Holy Spirit present in the life of a person. I know it happens. The Bible says it  happens and I have seen it happen.

I am just a nobody who wants to tell everybody about somebody who can transform anybody.

0

Feed the Flock

Following a BBQ meal, the church family had a great time at Joelton’s annual talent show, “Feed the Flock.”  The night of music, skits, and comedy included performances from several adults, teenagers, and children who showcased their God-given talents.  It was certainly an evening full of fun, laughter, and entertainment!  Thank you to everyone who organized this year’s event to make it a huge success!

0

WordPress.com.

Up ↑