Happy Easter

Feeling the Zap

Fellow Pastors: Buy this book!

"What I feel at any given time is not the measure either of the truth itself, nor of its work. A good chef can prepare succulent dishes even when his own nose may be stuffed up and he has no ability to smell the savory odors nor taste the dishes himself. Beethoven still composed and arranged brilliantly after losing his hearing. David was instructed not to number the people lest he see them to be few in number compared to his enemies, and hesitate to wage war as God might require. So it is with us. If we measure our preaching's fire power on the numbering and qualifying of our own chills, goose bumps, glory buzzes -- or whatever else it is we think signals to us that God is at work -- we will be timid, ill-prepared and faithless when such feelings are nowhere to be found."

- Reid Ferguson, The Little Book Of ... Things You Should Know About Ministry, p. 43

Behold Your God

"For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate {it} with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good. There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish {In their} discipline of delusion--their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men.

But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation."

Jeremiah 10:3-10

God is So Good

I want to commend to you

God is So Good, the ministry of John Bishop. If you are not familiar with the Bishops' story be sure to pick up a copy of the DVD from their online store, or stop by John's page at sermonaudio.com and listen to some of his sermons. If you are battling discouragement, health issues, or any of the "thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" then give this man your undivided attention. I don't have evangelists in to speak at Grace Bible (there's a discussion all its own!) but I cannot wait to introduce John Bishop to the church family.

Another Important Tool

Time out for a very serious issue: one of the most important tools for the pastor is a great cup of coffee. For all of you road warriors who are still searching for the perfect coffee mug: spill-proof, well-insulated, and actually built to fit into your cupholders, look no further than this beauty.