This past Sunday, I shared with our congregation how I selected 20 people to pray for who were generous, faithful, and cared about the poor, oppressed, and marginalized.
I’m praying that God would make them wealthy (multi-millionaires) so they could reach back and help the poor & permanent underclass.
Why? Jesus was/is ALWAYS on the side of the poor, oppressed, and marginalized AND someone has to speak for the voiceless. Also, it’s time for a shift of wealth into the hands of Kingdom-minded people with integrity to do the right thing!
I prayed before selecting people because they had to meet the following criteria:
Compassionate
Unselfish
Have extraordinary faith
Have a genuine concern for the poor
A heart for empowering those who are less fortunate
This Sunday, I extended an invitation for others to join my list & WHAT A RESPONSE! If you meet the aforementioned criteria, you may want to consider getting in on this prayer. If you are selfish, lack integrity, & want to be wealthy for the sake of being wealthy, please reconsider your priorities before deciding to join.
In the meantime, the Lord wants you to get your financial house in order before the harvest comes & the hardest step is getting started!
Wow! There’s something INCREDIBLE going on @ Mars Hill! It’s in the atmosphere & all I can say, “It’s a move of God!” We’re busy attending to last minute details in order to offer THREE excellent worship experiences for the broken, battered, & bruised! Please join us and experience “Resurrection Power” this Easter!
Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good!
I’m starting a brand new series this Easter called, “Cheaters.” Why the title “Cheaters?” Everyday, we face a variety of responsibilities and opportunities: work..family..hobbies…sports leagues…community events…the list is endless. Each of these things competes for out most valuable resource, OUR TIME. To give each of these the time it deserves or demands would require more time than we have. So, we cheat. We give up something in hopes of gaining something else of greater value. So, we cheat! Come hear a life changing message that’ll cause you to reevaluate everything you do! As a matter of fact, grab three friends and bring them with you and discuss how you’ll “cheat.” Trust me, this series will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
No,we’re doing a media fast. Like any kind offast, this kind of cleansing is tough but the benefits are worth it. David Lewis, who coined the phrase information fatigue syndrome, writes: “Information is supposed to speed the flow of commerce, but it often just clogs the pipes.”
The daily onslaught of news, entertainment, e-mail, advertisements, and other media often prevents us from being able to process any of it at all. And the time we spend absorbing this information cuts heavily into the time we could be spending on activities that nourish us rather than drain us . . .
Research has shown that both news and television programming can have an intense effect on mood, even causing sadness and anxiety. Without the “noise” of the media running through your head, you are freer to focus your attention inward. Ideas will present themselves to you more readily, and you will find yourself available to revel in the small joys of your own life. You also will be freer to live in the present moment, rather than focusing on what’s going on in the news or your favorite soap opera.
These are a few words that come to mind regarding the earthquake that rocked Haiti. Our leaders will meet tonight to discuss our church’s response to this great tragedy. I will share our plan of action tomorrow.
Labeling any natural disaster as God’s judgment is nonsense. True “judgment begins with God’s family” (1Peter4:17), not others.
Peter warned that God judges all people according to their deeds. He also disciplines and judges his own children in order to refine them, as Peter has explained in 1 Peter 1:6-7. This judgment purifies and strengthens believers, readying them for God’s Kingdom. Natural disasters are the result of living in a broken world! Please pray for nation of Haiti.
“Lord, let your glory reign in the midst of this devastation.”
The longer I serve as pastor of a thriving church, the more I realize how VITAL prayer is! Prayer is the link to a vibrant and fruitful ministry.
What if God granted you an opportunity to go back in time and speak to the wisest people who ever lived (people such as Moses, Apostle Paul, Solomon, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Fredrick Douglass)? However, once you reached your destination, you sat at their feet and proceeded to do all the talking? Would it be a worthwhile endeavor? Did the aforementioned people need to know all you had to say? Upon leaving would you wish you had talked less and listened more? Incredibly, many people enter God’s holy presence in prayer and then do all the talking!
What God has to say to us is infinitely more important that what we have to say to Him, yet we generally monopolize the conversation. God already knows everything we plan to tell Him, yet we continue talking rather than allowing Him to tell us things we don’t know. Why? Our American individualist mindset tricks us to believe that we can dominate our conversation with God. Prayer is two-way communication, but it is not communication between two equal parties.
Tonight (7PM) we’ll gather @ the Mars Hill Baptist Church for our 1st Wednesday Worship. This worship experience allows us to spend more time worshipping God and listening to the Word. During tonight’s service, I will pose 5 Questions that will revolutionize the prayer lives of those in attendance. The questions are as follows:
What is Prayer (the definition may surprise you)?
Why Pray (it’s not what you think)?
To Whom Do We Pray (is it God, Jesus, or The Holy Spirit)?
What Do God’s Answers Look Like (it’s more than, “God give me a sign”)?
Unlock the power of gratitude and transform your life with our FREE gratitude journal!
This journal is designed to help you develop a daily gratitude practice scientifically proven to improve mental and physical health, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase happiness and overall well-being.
With our gratitude journal, you'll have a dedicated space to reflect on the things you're grateful for in your life. By taking just a few minutes each day to focus on the positive, you'll cultivate a more positive outlook, attract more abundance and joy into your life, and enjoy a greater sense of inner peace and contentment.
I hope you find this helpful. Let me know if you have any specific requirements or changes you'd like to make.
Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.
Congratulations, and welcome to our family of subscribers! You've decided to join us on this journey of discovery, excitement, and unparalleled value. We're thrilled to have you on board and can't wait to share all the fantastic benefits of being a part of our community.
You're now part of a select group of individuals who are the first to know about our latest products, special offers, and exclusive events. We promise to deliver the most engaging and entertaining content to your inbox.
So sit back, relax, and get ready for a world of endless possibilities. Thank you for subscribing, and we can't wait to connect with you soon.
Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
