SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (UNDEFILED)

Wk 4... WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW WILL HURT YOU!

The purpose of Marriage is to make you HOLY – not HAPPY! HAPPINESS is a byproduct - not an end in itself!

General NTK’s about MARRIAGE…

1) NEVER… “Talk Yourself Into Marrying A Person!”

2) Marriage Is Not About What You Can GET… It’s About What You Can GIVE!

3) To Expect Another Person To Meet All YOUR NEEDS Is Incredibly Selfish!

4) Have FUN Together!

5) “QUALITY TIME” Doesn’t Mean… “Let’s Have A Conversation During The Commercials!”

6) The Purpose Of CONFLICT Is To SETTLE The Argument… NOT WIN IT!

7) Don’t Go To Bed MAD!

8) You Cannot Hold Your Spouse Accountable For Unspoken - Unrealistic Expectations!

9) INTIMACY Is Not Limited To A Sexual Experience!

10) It Takes WORK To Make It WORK!

Here’s the deal - many of us… THINK WE KNOW WHAT MARRIAGE IS!?

WE have an IDEA – a CONCEPT – a THOUGHT… Based on WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW!

In all reality… (Truth be told!) WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW - WILL HURT YOU!

Biblical NTK’s about MARRIAGE…

HOPES vs EXPECTATIONS

CONTRACT vs COVENANT

See You Sunday as we wrap up our UNDEFILED Series...

FAMILY FOCUS... (Family's Return/MAN Camp 2010...)

Both sets of PARENTS are in the 'COPA!

Tom & Wanda (In-Laws) arrived LATE last night and are here for the next week and half! Always love having my Mother & Father-In-Law visit! They are such a source of ENCOURAGEMENT to my WIFE & my KIDDOS - which in turn is an ENCOURAGEMENT to ME!

My Mom & Dad (Clare & Susie) are heading back home - as I TYPE! They have spent the last couple weeks on the West Coast with my brother and his family! One of the reasons they chose to retire in AZ - only 6hrs from the Coast! They had an AMAZING time - lots of Bike Rides along Pac Coast Hwy & great CALI weather! We've missed 'em and are excited to get them back! Actually... my pop just called and asked an AWESOME ?? - "ARE WE GONNA PLAY GOLF THIS WEEK OR WHAT!?" To which I replied rather cleverly - "ARE YOU GONNA PAY OR NOT?!" (lol)

I also get the awesome privilege to head up to WILLIAMS, AZ this coming weekend for COC's Annual MAN CAMP! We are taking almost 50 guys this year - should be some fun! The weather is calling for a COOL FRONT (probably the last one) to move in - dropping temps in the 'Valley' to the 70's on Thur & Fri - which means that the temps up the 'HILL' will be in the 40-50's - and I'm supposed to PLAY GOLF on Friday with some of the guys at the MOUNTAIN Course - ELEPHANT ROCKS! Golf in the 40-50's - let's see... "OK - if I have to!!!" (lol)

Family ROCKS - keep praying for Ging please! Passed a couple 'small' flecks of Kidney Stones last week - but is still dealing with some pretty intense pain - which usually means a BIG ONE or ONES are on the way!

PICS OF EASTER... (My INCREDIBLE Kiddos!)

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (UNDEFILED)

(Apr18/Wk2) Just This Once...

15 Ways to DESTROY a Marriage…

#1 – Have an AFFAIR!

#2 – Refuse to RUN from Tempting Situations!

#3 – Look at LOTS of PORN!

#4 – Connect with ‘Old Flames’ through online social networking (Facebook/MySpace) and then convince yourself it is OK because you aren’t actually doing anything wrong!

#5 – Refuse to talk to your spouse about issues that make you ANGRY or FRUSTRATED… just bury them and let a huge pile build up so that you can explode irrationally on them when they totally don’t expect it!

#6 – Have an AFFAIR!

#7 – Make sure you spend lots of personal time with the same person of the opposite sex that you are NOT MARRIED TO… and when confronted on it say, “It’s Business!”

#8 – Make ‘INNOCENT’ remarks to an attractive person of the opposite sex such as… “I wish I had met you before I had gotten married!”

#9 – Put an AD for yourself on an internet dating site… even though you are married… just to see what type of interest you could create!

#10 – COMPARE YOUR SPOUSE with other people OFTEN and convince yourself that you didn’t get God’s best when you agreed to marry him/her!

#11 – Have an AFFAIR!

#12 – Take your cues about sexual morality from Hollywood and your ‘FRIENDS’ rather than GOD’S WORD!

#13 – Begin to believe that your spouse’s main mission on this planet should be to meet your needs… and when they don’t meet them - JUSTIFY trying to get your needs met elsewhere!

#14 – FANTASIZE often as to what it would be like to be with another person other than your spouse!

#15 – Be willing to SELL OUT… YEARS of Marriage - the RESPECT of your Children and your Character for 5 sensational seconds – by HAVING AN AFFAIR!

Key THOUGHT for Sunday… SIN ALWAYS STARTS SMALL – BUT ENDS UP… REALLY BIG!!

2 Samuel 11:1-5 / David’s ‘JUST THIS ONCE…’ Moment!

Four WARNING SIGNS to ‘JUST THIS ONCE…’ Moments…

James 1:13-15 And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.

CURIOSITY… “I CAN HANDLE THIS!”

ENTICEMENT… “IT SURE WOULD BE NICE!”

CONCEPTION… “IF I COULD… I WOULD!”

BIRTH… “JUST THIS ONCE…”

Did I mention… SIN ALWAYS STARTS SMALL – BUT ENDS UP… REALLY BIG!!

See you SUNDAY at Church of Celebration! (9a & 10:45a)

FAMILY FOCUS... (Psalm 118:24)

MAX LUCADO ~ EVERY DAY DESERVES A CHANCE…

Doesn’t every day deserve a chance – a shot, a tryout, an audition, a swing at the plate…an opportunity – to be a good day? Okay. But we all know that into every day shadow cans come too. There are days when traffic snarls, airports close, friends forget, and spouses complain. Days full of deadlines, long lines, receding hairlines, luggage-losing airlines, nauseating pickup lines, and those ever-elusive bottom lines. And let’s not forget divorce days, final exam days, surgery days, tax days, and days when the cemetery dirt is still fresh. The type of DAYS that affect your ‘General Skills’ on how to be or act like a believer.

Suppose, neck deep in your tough day, you resolve to…GIVE IT A CHANCE! You choose not to drink, work, or worry it away. Instead, you decide to give it a fair shake. You trust more. Stress less. Amplify gratitude. Mute complaints. And suddenly… ‘giving a day a chance’ works! You do the same the next day, and the next. Days become a week. Weeks become months. Months become years of good days! In such a fashion good lives are built. One good day at a time!

Psalm 118:24 (NLT) THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE! WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!

“THIS is the day…” includes EVERY DAY – RIGHT? (Divorce days…Surgery Days…Tax Days…Bill-Paying Days...Job Loss Days…Foreclosure Days…911 Days…Children heading to College Days…Cancer Days…Funeral Days?)

According to what is written here… God made THIS DAY - ordained THIS HOUR - designed the details of THIS MOMENT! (Each DAY emerges from God’s drawing room!)

So… what must we do with this day? Rejoice and be Glad - IN it!

I guess here is where I wouldn’t mind editing another word… “IN”

-Maybe I could swap if for “AFTER” - “I’ll be glad AFTER the day!”

-Or maybe… “THROUGH” - “I’ll be glad to just get THROUGH the day!”

-Or maybe… “OVER” - “I’ll be glad when the day is OVER!”

How do we “REJOICE” or “BE GLAD”… “IN it"? (Is it even possible?)

-Paul rejoiced IN Prison!

-David wrote psalms IN the wilderness!

-Jonah prayed IN the fish’s belly!

-Paul and Silas sang IN Jail!

-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego remained steadfast IN the furnace!


-John saw heaven IN his exile!


-Jesus prayed IN the garden!

Do you think it’s possible that we could REJOICE smack-dab IN the midst of the day? (Imagine – just imagine… if we could?)

Will you or Won't You? (That’s the question!)

Here's what I know... GRATITUDE IS AN OPTION!

(Need some SPICE in your DAY?) Trying THANKING GOD for every problem that comes your way IN each & every DAY! James 1:2 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for JOY!

TODAY (Tuesday, April 13^th ~ 2010) is the DAY the LORD HAS MADE! I WILL REJOICE & BE GLAD IN IT!

These are always a GREAT REMINDER for me to REJOICE & BE GLAD – IN – EACH DAY – the LORD HAS MADE…

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (UNDEFILED)

(Apr11/Wk1) GREATEST SEX EVER!

SEX has long been a taboo conversation in most churches; but guess who came up with the idea of SEX in the first place? Is it possible that the one who invented SEX is actually pro-SEX and wants us to have fulfilling SEX lives? Is it possible that what we're experiencing is only a second rate imitation of what God hoped our SEX lives would be? Is it possible we've lost the original design and have settled for something else? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 13:4... "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be UNDEFILED..." The term UNDEFILED can be defined as pure, free from stain or blemish... IMMACULATE! Could it be possible that God designed our SEX Lives to be IMMACULATE & beyond our wildest imaginations?

If you want to EXPERIENCE the GREATEST SEX you’ve ever had – then you have to KNOW something ahead of time! You have to know… WHERE IT’S ALL GONE WRONG! In Romans 1:24–25… the Apostle Paul says that people either worship God their Creator and enjoy HIS CREATION -- including our bodies -- or people worship CREATION as God! Paul goes on to explain that those who worship creation - invariably worship the human body because it is the apex of God’s creation! In this skewed concept – SEX (itself) becomes a RELIGION! I believe that one of the greatest threats to Christianity is SEX!

Dr Kevin Leman writes in his book SHEET MUSIC… “Our marriage beds are one of the most CROWDED places on the face of this earth! It is teeming with people, some of whom you’ve never met, but they’re all there – all affecting your sexual intimacy, looking over your shoulder, and shaping the quality of your sexual pleasure! Don’t look behind the pillow, but be aware that your parents are lurking right underneath it! And if you think that’s bad, you also better get used to your in-laws, who are hiding under your spouse’s pillow! At the foot of the bed? Oh, that’s your & your spouse’s siblings. Underneath the bed? Don’t even get me started about that! WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? You come into marriage with more baggage than you know! This baggage has formed into what I call your “RULEBOOK” – your unconscious but very influential beliefs you hold about HOW things should be done - especially in bed! Here’s where you might say… ‘I didn’t know I had a RULEBOOK?’ Few of us do, but all of us get furious when a RULE from our ‘RULEBOOK’ is broken! (Example) A husband will ultimately pay for the mistakes of his father-in-law, just as a wife will pay dearly for the mistakes of her mother-in-law! YOU’RE NOT GETTING MARRIED TO A PERSON WITHOUT A PAST! You’re going to bed with a person who has been indelibly imprinted by his order of birth, her parents’ style of child-rearing, and his early childhood experiences with sexuality! He or she may be naked when they come to bed, but the last thing he/she is – IS ALONE!”

What does SEX really mean? For starters – you need to know that God is not FREAKED OUT about this topic! It’s His INVENTION – His CREATION! Matter of fact – God actually COMMANDS His Creation to HAVE SEX! 1 Corinthians 7:4-5…The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband… (All the guys say right about now… AMEN!) …the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife! (All the women say right about now… OH MY!?) (5) Do not deprive each other…except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.

The main problem with this gift from God is what the world keeps saying… “IT’S JUST SEX! It’s just two people getting together – fulfilling each other’s needs! It’s just PHYSICAL! IT’S JUST SEX!” Now think about that… You realize the UNDERLYING THEME with that line of thinking right? It’s basically implying that YOU & I are just ANIMALS! If it’s nothing more than PHYSICAL! That if we continue to DO IT ENOUGH – DO IT DIFFERENT WAYS – DO IT WITH MULTIPLE PARTNERS – that somehow or sometime – it will SATISFY YOU! To be honest with you… NOTHING could be farther than the truth with this line of thinking! Here’s the reality folks… if God designed for us to experience ‘Big Bed Sex’ (the Greatest Sex ever) – then ‘Little Bed Sex’ (the ‘it’s just sex’ thinking) WILL NEVER SATISFY YOU – IT CAN’T! You know WHY!? WE’RE NOT ANIMALS! Matter of fact – God said something completely different to this in Scripture - He said something along these lines… “You’re not like that! You’re not an ANIMAL! I designed you incredibly DIFFERENT than that!” Check it out - Genesis 1:25-26… God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 THEN... (After God got done making the ANIMALS) THEN… (God says… I’m gonna do something DIFFERENT – I’m gonna do something UNIQUE – ONE OF A KIND!) God said, "Let us make MAN (ready for this…) in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over (the animals) the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Because they are NOT AN ANIMAL – they are a HUMAN – created in OUR IMAGE – in OUR LIKENESS! THEY ARE DIFFERENT!!)

The language used here… ‘OUR IMAGE & OUR LIKENESS’ means that you and I have… PHYSICAL BODY / SOUL / SPIRIT. This is what makes us DIFFERENT from ANIMALS! It’s also why you & I can NEVER just ‘Crawl Into Bed’ together – we can NEVER have a ‘Sexual Relationship With Each Other’ – and it ‘JUST BE SEX!’ Because you & I – bare in OURSELVES – IN OUR SOULS…(Ready for this!?) THE IMAGE OF GOD! And because of this… it’s IMPOSSIBLE for you & I to PARK OUR SOULS at the DOOR OF THE BEDROOM & GO IN WITH ONLY OUR BODIES! Because the MOMENT that we convince ourselves that ‘THIS IS JUST SEX’ – IT’S ‘PURELY PHYSICAL’ – we violate… OUR SOUL! Here’s what I know… SEX IS HIGHLY SPIRITUAL! With everything that’s happening PHYSICALLY – our SOUL is hoping to be SATISFIED & FULLFILLED as well!

Come check out the Church of Celebration over the next few weeks (Apr 11-May 02) as we take a closer look at how GOD views SEX & MARRIAGE!

CHURCH OF CELEBRATION

Maricopa Wells Middle School / 9A & 10:45A

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (Bricks&Sticks)

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

Resurrection Sunday is a DAY of Celebration for sure! It is the DAY that we marvel in the GRACE of Jesus Christ - in His provision of GRACE granted to you and me!

The crowds that attend 'Easter' Sunday are composed of three particular groups of people...

1. RESISTING - those who are AWARE of the 'Day' - but are not too interested beyond that!

2. RESPONDING - those who understand the difference between Christianity & Religion - they just haven't yet grasped the difference between Religion & RELATIONSHIP!

3. REPRODUCING - those who are growing intimately - and know completely that Following means Fishing!

We're gonna be taking a UNIQUE look into the lives of EACH of these three attendees this coming week by looking closer at the passage in which Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15...

Because of God's grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ. Anyone who build on that foundation may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The build will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

The BIG IDEA of the day is... WHAT KIND OF HOUSE ARE YOU GONNA HAVE?

See... everyone is BUILDING their LIFE with some kind of BUILDING MATERIAL! Some MATERIALS will last... some WON'T! God has given each of us the MATERIALS to BUILD a LIFE that will last for ALL OF ETERNITY! If you don't use the right MATERIALS - you will discover in due timing - the FOUNDATIONS and WALLS of your LIFE will CRUMBLE! Don't discover this TOO LATE!

Can't wait to CELEBRATE our RISEN SAVIOR with the Message of HOPE and incredible GRACE this weekend at COC! Praying to see YOU there!

BTW... Statistics show that if an unsaved person is invited to Church on EASTER - 82% will come!!

(WHO have you invited to CELEBRATE with you?)

CHURCH OF CELEBRATION / Maricopa Wells Middle School / 9A & 10:45A