This Day In The Life Of Your Pastor – February 8th, 2010

1. Myrtle Beach Marathon had a humble start – Myrtle Beach Marathon Newsletter – TheSunNews.com: http://bit.ly/9w63pX via @addthis about 9 hours ago from web
2. The first Myrtle Beach Marathon in 1998 had 2,400 participants, and this year’s event has about 11,000 participants about 9 hours ago from web

3. I hear the salt trucks loading up, the snow has arrived! about 10 hours ago from web

4. A FREE BEER to the runners! Just bring in your race number! NO THANKS, I GET MY HIGH FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT about 10 hours ago from web

5. Course Map for the Myrtle Beach Marathon february 13th, 2010 « Imagebearer’s Weblog: http://bit.ly/aF1mJP via @addthis about 10 hours ago from web

6. Marathon, 1/2 marathon are SOLD OUT!!!! No race transfers, bib transfers or deferments. this means I am in the Marathon and I can’t stop it! about 10 hours ago from web

7. Marathon and Half Marathon- Saturday, February 13th, 6:30am can you say “Ouch” I can’t wait! about 10 hours ago from web

8. The weather looks good for this weekend’s 2010 BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon presented by Chick-fil-A and the Dasani Half Marathon. about 10 hours ago from web

9. 50 Golden Days of Evangelism « Imagebearer’s Weblog: http://bit.ly/b0tq9Q via @addthis about 11 hours ago from web

10. Foundation Celebrates Youth Leadership in Ministry |  The Foundation For Evangelism: http://bit.ly/9RXrUh via @addthis about 11 hours ago from web

11. The Harry Denman Evangelism Award |  The Foundation For Evangelism: http://bit.ly/cBdSbk via @addthis about 11 hours ago from web

12. 50 Golden Days of Evangelism |  The Foundation For Evangelism: http://bit.ly/9yiXnM via @addthis about 11 hours ago from web

13. Wesley Report: The Extremism of the RCRC: http://bit.ly/c9UJyx via @addthis about 11 hours ago from web

14. @jonathan_snow14 you go man! http://myloc.me/3DC2D about 11 hours ago from UberTwitter in reply to jonathan_snow14

15. who needs sleep? about 12 hours ago from web

16. @Sharritta I know but I just accept it as a gift from God. He is sending it to us for some reason. Praying you stay safe. about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter in reply to Sharritta

17. Another Winter Storm is on the way, snow, sleet, and freezing rain http://myloc.me/3Dq74 about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter

18. We are about making Connections http://myloc.me/3Doqy about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter

19. My eyesight is really going down or maybe I am just tired. Going to ask God to heal that while fasting http://myloc.me/3DnPN about 14 hours ago from UberTwitter

20. RT @RevMSlaughter: Jesus’ death on the cross tells me that God would rather go to hell for me than go to heaven without me–and you. about 15 hours ago from UberTwitter

21. great Council Meeting, headed home to the best wife and kids in the world about 12 hours ago from web

22. Council Meeting http://myloc.me/3D5wO about 14 hours ago from UberTwitter

23. @faithengineer I need to sit down with you and get explination. I don’t like it at all. I am sure I will get use to it. about 14 hours ago from UberTwitter in reply to faithengineer

24. got to spend time this afternoon with some youth at Out Of The Box who have a vision for a band. Awesome young folks about 15 hours ago from web

25. @keithmusser521 not nice http://myloc.me/3CXRU about 17 hours ago from UberTwitter in reply to keithmusser521

26. Meeting with Rev Terry Gregory to plan Youth Lay Speaker Training http://myloc.me/3CJYC about 21 hours ago from UberTwitter

27. I am immersed in work this morning and I feel the presence of God so present, so amazing, God is alive about 22 hours ago from web

28. Anyone who would still like to sign up for Experiencing God @ Out of the Box, let me know ASAP about 23 hours ago from web

29. Experiencing God Bible Study is starting 1 wk late due 2 weather forecast & the current conditions downtown. We wil start Wed 10am Feb 17th about 23 hours ago from web

30. http://foundationforevangelism.org/ Foundation for Evangelism, check out their resources 6:41 AM Feb 8th from web

31. Day after day, n the temple courts & from house 2 house, they never stopped teaching & proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. 6:00 AM Feb 8th from web

32. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 5:59 AM Feb 8th from web

33. “We gave U strict orders not 2 teach N this name,” he said. “Yet U have filled Jerusalem with your teaching.” We need 2 fill our Jerusalem 5:56 AM Feb 8th from web

34. more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. Acts 5:14 5:53 AM Feb 8th from web

35. reading God’s text message in Acts 5-8 this morning 5:51 AM Feb 8th from web

36. Clergy Land http://holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volEE/num1/new/ 5:48 AM Feb 8th from web

37. http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs017/1101843652827/archive/1103010720918.html The Call 2 5:47 AM Feb 8th from web

38. RT @shawnlovejoy: “Sin is like mold. It grows best in the dark.” -Tim Chester (see Jn 3:20-21) 5:11 AM Feb 8th from UberTwitter

39. @Sharritta praying for you 5:09 AM Feb 8th from UberTwitter in reply to Sharritta

Day 40-90 Days to read the New Testament (TNIV)

Acts 9

Saul’s Conversion

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. ²⁰ At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹ All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²² Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

²³ After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, ²⁴ but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. ²⁵ But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

²⁶ When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, ^[a] but they tried to kill him. ³⁰ When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹ Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Aeneas and Dorcas

³² As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴ “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. ³⁵ All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. ³⁷ About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

³⁹ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

Acts 10

Cornelius Calls for Peter

¹ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. ² He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. ³ One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴ Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. ⁸ He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹² It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. ¹³ Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

¹⁴ “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

¹⁷ While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. ¹⁸ They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

¹⁹ While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three ^[b] men are looking for you. ²⁰ So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

²¹ Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

²² The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” ²³ Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. ²⁴ The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. ²⁶ But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only human myself.”

²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. ²⁸ He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with Gentiles or visit them. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. ²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. ³² Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts those from every nation who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues ^[c] and praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Acts 11

Peter Explains His Actions

¹ The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him ³ and said, “You went into the house of the uncircumcised and ate with them.”

⁴ Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

⁸ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

¹¹ “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with ^[d] water, but you will be baptized with ^[e] the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. ²⁰ Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² News of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴ He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

²⁷ During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) ²⁹ The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the believers living in Judea. ³⁰ This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 12

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. ²⁰ He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a mere mortal.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God continued to increase and spread.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

²⁵ When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from ^[f] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

Course Map for the Myrtle Beach Marathon february 13th, 2010

I still can’t believe that February 13th is right on top of us. It seemed like a great idea to sign up for this race back in December. It seemed like just the motivation to keep us training through the winter months. We never dreamed we would have 3 weeks of bitter cold and wind. We never imagined we would have 3 major snow and ice events. However, we ran the Atlanta Marathon on Thanksgiving Day and Kenneth says there is no way we have lost all of our conditioning in this short period of time. lol

We  are going to run, have a great time, and enjoy the Ocean in the background. We also desire your fervent prayers.

Ronnie

50 Golden Days of Evangelism

50 Golden Days of Evangelism

Source: Foundation for Evangelism

01/26/10 10:40 Age: 13 days

Category: Evangelism, News

In May of 1949, Dr. Harry Denman wrote a letter to “Shepherds”, a journal published between the years of 1944 to 1956. In this letter, Dr. Denman asked every pastor only not to observe Pentecost on June 5th, but to “meet the conditions so that every church will have a Pentecost on that day”. From Easter to Pentecost, Dr. Denman wanted to have “50 Golden Days of Evangelism”.

Dr. Harry Denman’s goal was two-fold.

First, from Easter until Pentecost, he wanted “every church [to] organize visitation teams to visit one night each week during that period and secure thousands of first commitments to Christ and his church on June 5th”. Next, Dr. Denman asked that during Family Week, May 1st through 8th, the teams would visit young families and secure their first commitment to Christ. A daunting task indeed. There is no record of how this was completed, but the goal was quite clear.

60 years later, the 2004 recipient of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award and a student of Dr. Denman’s approach to evangelism, Rev. Ronnie Collins, feels that this message is still important today. But, he also believes that thanks to new ways to communicate to the masses, that the completion of such a task is more easily accomplished. As Ronnie states “I have wanted for some time now to put this together and challenge the churches of Holston Conference with ‘50 Golden Days of Evangelism.’”

Rev. Collins has taken that initiative. Using the latest tools at his church’s disposal to do this work, from Facebook and Twitter, to Youtube and Blogging, Rev. Collins has been spreading the gospel in new ways. Ronnie is also sharing various resources which you may also access via his website at Imagebearer to learn what methods could work for you to join in such a commitment.

Rev. Collins has been true to his understanding of Dr. Denman’s vision. A vision reflected in The Foundation for Evangelism’s passion statement; “helping all persons experience God’s transforming love through Jesus Christ”.  Rev. Collins has a logo for his commitment on his website.  The commitment states he wants to have a “90 day investment in 3000 lives” saved, 40 Days of Preparation, fasting and prayer leading to 50 Golden Days of Evangelism. The commitment even rings true for The Holston Conference who have taken up the mantle of this monumental task. This year’s theme for their 2010 conference will be “Offer Them Christ” and follows the theme of the 50 Golden Days of Evangelism.

If you wish to do the same for your church or within your conference, click these links to find out more.

Holston “Offer Them Christ” page

Reverend Ronnie G. Collins homepage

Evangelism Resources – providing responsible evangelism resources