Growing up watching the 3 Stooges provided hours of laughter. Their comedy is timeless and still makes me laugh. The Three Stooges will always be remembered as comedic geniuses and as one of the best comedy dream teams who made our day by slapping the laughter out of us. Honestly, the slaps look real to me 🙂
I chose this video to show that oftentimes we do something similar to guests each Sunday. Sometimes the way we treat our guests is equivalent to a slap in the face. And when that happens, guests forget everything else (awesome praise & worship, children’s ministry, & the message) – even the good that happened before the slap.
A slap in the face to a guest can be a number of things. It can be an insensitive comment from the pulpit, a moment of awkwardness, a harsh word from an usher, or a nasty glance from a member.
Since Easter is our “Spiritual Superbowl” let’s do everything within our power not to spiritually slap our guests. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Mars Hill, let’s make Easter Weekend memorable and not “spiritually slap” anyone.
I recently heard someone say, “Life is a cruel joke and I ain’t laughing.” I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, the majority would agree that life comes at you fast, doesn’t play fair, and is downright unpredictable! Wouldn’t you agree? Since life doesn’t play fair, why should you? If you plan to excel, you’d better learn how to “hack” life and make it work for you. Hack life, what in the world is that? “A life hack a clever solution to a tricky problem,” according to UrbanDictionary.com.
Today begins our corporate (church wide) Daniel Fast. We’re fasting for three specific purposes:
Let’s Do It For Them (Special Offering to Renovate our facilities)
Spiritual Renewal
Praise and Worship Conference (March 25-26) and Concert (March 27, 2011 @ 6pm)
What is the Daniel Fast?
The Daniel Fast is a biblically based partial fast. It is a method of fasting that men, women and young people all over the world are using as they enter into the spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting. There are two anchoring scriptures for the Daniel Fast. In Daniel 1 the Prophet ate only vegetables (that would have included fruits) and drank only water.
So from these scriptures we see two of the guidelines for the fast:
1. Only fruits and vegetables 2. Only water for a beverage
Then in Daniel 10 we read that the Prophet ate no meat nor any precious breads or foods and he drank no wine for 21 days. So from this scripture, we get a third guideline:
3. No sweeteners and no breads
Another important guideline is drawn from Jewish fasting principles, where no leaven is used during the fast. So that’s why yeast, baking powder and the like are not allowed on the Daniel Fast.
The Daniel Fast for the body, soul and spirit. (more…)
Today, we are literally five days away from a New Year, a new season, and new opportunities. Without question many view this past year as one filled with struggle, sadness, and maybe even a sense of unfulfilled expectations. However, you already claimed 2011 as your year and your moment. You’ve seen change, tasted change, and decided you like what you’ve seen and tasted. How do you plan to change your world, the one in which you live? Allow me to cut across the yard and tell you how – GET SALTY!
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13
Jesus referred to His followers, as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt is a necessary mineral, without it we die. Too much of it and we also die.
On December 2, I celebrated my 44th birthday with family and close friends. During the week of Thanksgiving, we loaded up a rental minivan and hit the highway headed to Jackson, MS. We had a great time bonding with family, shopping, and of course – EATING! I’m happy my wife had a chance to see all of her relatives including her mother and grandmother.
(All the grandchildren posing for a pic…including my Shauntai – my wife)
Last week, my family and I shared a birthday meal together and I hopped on a plane to a much warmer place with a few close friends. You can call it an official “fellas” trip. We had a chance to catch up on old times and enjoy each others company in a “warm” & “stress-free” environment. In short, we had a great time. While away, I thought about my next steps in life…what they would look like…how I would approach the next phase of my life. It’s been said “when a man enters his 40’s he carries with him the experiences from the past and the anticipations of tomorrow.” Thus, I decided to create an organic…ongoing list called “Now that I’m 44.
What is Black Friday you might ask, It’s the day after thanksgiving, the kick off of the holiday shopping season, a day you will find great deals, and lots of people. If you have never done a black Friday before you will need to have a plan in place. You can’t control your job, investments or home value, however, you can control how you spend.
Therefore, before you hit the stores (you may already be out there by the time you read this), ask yourself the following questions:
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Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
