Today in our Lent Devotional Oscar and Candis challenged us with the words of Peter.  He tells us that God is not slow, just patient.  Why is he patient?  Because his desire is to see people come to understand grace, forgiveness, and wholeness!  What a great God!  His desires are for our good!

How in the world is he hoping to accomplish this marvelous extension of hope?  Through an unlikely source... me and you!  Let's take the time this week to share with somebody about what God has done for us and what he can do for others.

See you tomorrow,

Joe

Kelly and Joey Wolfer helped us today remember the importance of honesty in all areas of our lives.  Most of us would never dare steal something of significant value, but "fudge" in the smaller things.  While they may be small to us, they are huge to God!

Today my wife and I filled out our taxes and we were reminded to fill out everything with integrity and honesty.  What do we gain if we save on our taxes but loose out on giving honor to God?  

Thanks Wolfers for the word today!

Joe

Today's devotional in the Journey Lent Devotional booklet was from Pam and Jeff Harris. It starts out... "Oh how many time we lament the shortcoming of being human?" At first I saw the topic and thought they were referring to the person who has offended me, but in the end realized the finger I was pointing at somebody else was the finger that should be pointed back at me! May God make me like him. May I be one who is quick to forgive and keep no records of wrong.

The journey continues,
Joe

Today marks the beginning of Lent 2009! If you were at church on Sunday you most likely picked up a copy of your own Journey Lent Devotional. Today's meditation was written by the Jeffersons and is out of Acts chapter 3. If you did not get a copy there will be some available Sunday.

See you soon,
Joe

This week we begin a new series called Fight Club. In this series we will be focusing our attention on the letter that the apostle Paul wrote to his friend and disciple, Timothy. At one point in his first letter to Timothy Paul tells him to fight the good fight and then in the second letter he says that he is ready to leave the world because he has personally fought the good fight.

Faith is sometimes classified with words like wimpy, passive, and soft. However, in the Scriptures the strongest and most rugged people are men and women of faith. They endured incredible hardships for the cause and pressed on when many had turned away.

Join us this weekend as we begin to look at what it means to fight for Christ.

Joe

Cardboard can be used for lots of things, but yesterday might have been the best use!  At our 5th Celebration about 25 people stepped out and shared testimonies of how God has worked in their lives.  They did this by writing what was true of them in the past on one side of a piece of cardboard and then flipping it over to reveal the reality now thanks to God!

People shared how God has freed them from alcohol, made them better spouses, given them piece, and provided them with a family!  It was an honor to be witness to God's work in the lives of others!  Thanks to all who shared.

Joe

Happy Birthday Journey!  This weekend we celebrate Journey turning 5 years old!  This is a huge milestone in our history.  Sunday we will hear from people who helped start Journey, celebrate all that has been done over the last 5 years, and look forward to where God is taking us.  You won't want to miss it!

Also, this is a great Sunday to invite somebody to see what Journey is all about.  Invite a friend or neighbor to come along and join us for this big day.

Joe

Lee Strobel was a legal reporter in the Midwest when his wife became a follower of Christ.  Annoyed at her conversion and concerned about what this meant for his marriage he began to watch her closely.  What he noticed was that she changed in character for the good!  This pressed him into a discovery mode process that took over 2 years to complete.  

Strobel took his legal reporter skill and applied them to Jesus.  For example, are there any eye witness accounts that can confirm Jesus was a real person?  Strobel took his journey and put it down in a book called Case For Christ.  

I am reading this book right now and am enjoying it.  Maybe it would be a good one for you or a friend of yours?

See you tomorrow,

Joe

Last week we had our first Journey Knowledge Course.  These courses are designed to help people make adjustments durning this economic downturn we are experiencing.  Some of the courses will deal with finding new jobs, a few are on personal finances, and one is on the housing market.  

Course 1 was about something we all deal with on a weekly basis that effects us daily... buying food!  One of the gals at Journey, Beth Tippery, shared her experience of saving hundreds of dollars a month using Coupon Sense.  Check out the website and contact Beth ( dtippery@cox.net ) for more details.  She has really helped the Daragos get going and I hope we can maximize this tool going forward.

See you later,

Joe

Be who you are because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

Dr Seuss

On Saturday we will be meeting at Maggie's Place for our U R Loved service project.  We will be getting down and dirty there by cleaning the place, pulling weeds, fixing odds and ends, and the like.  It is not too late to come and join us!

So pack up the SUV or Mini-Van with the whole family and come ready to work 9-11AM on 45th Ave & Northern.  Look for all the cars and Journey window stickers!

See you there,

Joe

On Sunday I mentioned I am reading Huck Finn through the help of an audio book. Mark Twain wrote this classic in 1884 and the setting of the book was some 60 years or so before that. Just to give you a picture of what Huck Finn's America was like consider this:

John Quincy Adams was president and had just been the first President selected by the House of Representatives because neither candidate had received the majority of the electoral votes.

There were only 24 states in the good old USA (Arizona was not one of them)

The Civil War had not taken place

Slavery was prevalent and slaves were considered property not human beings

Why do I point all this out?  There is one point towards the end of book where Huck is perplexed about what to do about his friend and run away slave, Jim.  Should he turn him in to the authorities or help him continue to live in freedom against the law.  In a crisis moment, Huck's conscience is telling him to do the "right thing" and turn him in to be punished.  He senses that God wants him to be righteous and not help Jim escape.  However, in a moment of "weakness" Huck decides he is going to help Jim even if it means he himself will have to go to hell for doing so!

I reflected on this and thought...  what a great display of friendship and loyalty, what counter cultural courage, and what a precursor to what is coming for our country and for the slaves themselves!  

Then I thought about how interesting it must be to be God.  I mean, in one generation something is right and then in just a few years that very same thing becomes wicked to the next generation.   

Then I wondered what is in my day and age that is comparable to slavery?  Is there something I support now that in a few years or a few hundred years I will be ashamed to have supported?  And if there is, which there most likely is, is it even possible that I could know right now what that is and choose any different?  And is it possible that Huck actually did the unrighteous thing even though he did what future generations would say is righteous?

Like I said, it must be interesting to be God.

Thoughts?

Joe

St. Athanasius lived in the 4th Century and was part of the Council of Nicaea where he argued for the deity of Christ.  I read a good quote by him and thought you might like it as well.

"He became what we are that He might make us what He is."

God is busy at work in us to conform us to the image of His Son, Paul tell us.  Our circumstances, the work of the Holy Spirit, and God's end in mind for us is to transform us into Christ's image.  Our friend Jack Shaeffel told me recently, "I don't know what God is doing, but I know He is ultimately wanting to make me more like Christ through it."

May we all seek Him who became what we are in order to free us to become what He is!

Have a great day,

Joe

Yesterday in the message I referenced a site where I download MP3 versions of books.  It is a great site with a variety of books to listen to and thought it might be helpful to you in your desire to read more.

Currently I am listening to Huck Finn, but have downloaded the NIV Bible and some CS Lewis classics as well.  

Check it out here.

Joe

"I have not failed.  I've just found ten thousand ways that don't work"

Thomas Edison

Linda Reidenbaugh emailed me this quote and it is a good one!  Thanks Linda!

"What is true of biology is true of faith:  If it isn't growing, it's probably dead."

I read Seth's blog from time to time and wanted to introduce you to him by posting one of his latest entries.  Enjoy and put your thinking caps on!

Joe

Solving a different problem

The telephone destroyed the telegraph.

Here's why people liked the telegraph: It was universal, inexpensive, asynchronous and it left a paper trail.

The telephone offered not one of these four attributes. It was far from universal, and if someone didn't have a phone, you couldn't call them. It was expensive, even before someone called you. It was synchronous--if you weren't home, no call got made. And of course, there was no paper trail.

If the telephone guys had set out to make something that did what the telegraph does, but better, they probably would have failed. Instead, they solved a different problem, in such an overwhelmingly useful way that they eliminated the feature set of the competition.

The list of examples is long (YouTube vs. television, web vs. newspapers, Nike vs. sneakers). Your turn.

Over the last 2 Sundays we have been trying to determine interest for a trip to Peru again this year.  Maybe you have been on the fence and not sure?  Well, check out last year's site where you can see pictures, read stories, and get a better feel for the trip.

If you are interested drop me an email at joe@lifeisajourney.org.

Have a great day!

Joe

I just finished reading a solid little book called If God Disappears 9 Faith Wreckers & What To Do About Them by David Sanford.  It was given to me by Elizabeth Honeycutt who goes to Journey.  David is her father and a very good author!  In it he shares some insights into some lesson for life he has learned from Joseph.  I found them helpful for our study on Habakkuk and think you will as well.

Here are a few of them, but you will have to read the book to get the rest!  You need to be reading anyway right :)

 In this life, I will be mistreated by others.

 God isn't the one to blame.

 God wants to test my character and cultivate my trust in him so I'll be able to walk alongside and encourage others

Thanks for the good read David!  

Joe Darago

Lead Pastor

 

Watch this video and think about..

   what does this mean for the church and the spreading of the gospel?

   how should we be doing ministry differently?

   what does this mean for you?

Post your thoughts!

Joe

Don't Waste Your Life  by John Piper


This book can be a truly life changing experience. It rattles our entire view of Christian life from the inside out. This is a book that really forces the reader to reflect on what they value vs what God values. Does God simply want us to be comfortable with a good spouse, good kids, nice car, long weekends, a few good friends, a fun retirement, a quick and easy death and no hell? The answer is no. Our entire idea of the Christian life is flipped upside down as John Piper challenges Christians to seek within their hearts what God has planned for their life.

The first two chapters Piper prepares the reader with a biography and introduction to the idea of subjective and objective truth and existentialism in his life... but hang in there because by the end of the second chapter, Piper wastes no time challenging Christians with scripture that shows God's plan and idea of what truly living is all about.

Piper focuses on the "Cross of Christ" from which our joy and daily life of bearing fruit should derive from. He quotes 1 Peter 3:15 "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you.." and turns around and asks the question "do people see hope in your life by the way you live, or is your life so much like the world's that there isn't much of a difference".

If your looking for a book that will force you to look deep into your personal beliefs and question how far your willing to live out what you believe, this book is for you. At times it's not the easiest book to read... or understand. For me there where times I found myself re-reading pages over and over before the light bulb came on. Everything Piper talks about is very practical to the Christians everyday life. Take some time and pick up this book and hang on, because after reading "Don't waste your life", your life won't be the same. 

Scott Harris

The Power of a Praying Woman

I believe that the book “The Power of a Praying Woman” is one that should be read by every woman at some point along her spiritual journey. Whether you are just beginning, have been traveling a while or are a seasoned veteran, this book has incredible insights to help deepen your walk with Christ in some incredible ways. This book has challenged me in so many different areas of my life and served as a reminder that prayer is a powerful thing that God uses to deepen our faith and connection to Him.
Whether you are looking for help in conquering fear, becoming more obedient to God’s ways, healing broken relationships, realizing God’s purposes for you, and many more issues, Stormie Omartian offers great insights, personal stories and many scriptures to help you gain a new perspective, one that is focused on God’s ways and not your own. At the end of each chapter, there is a prayer that can be personalized and help you express your hearts desire to God. I will be recommending this book to every woman I know.

Christie Darago