BillLaMorey.com

#3

Our 3rd child is on the way! We are 8 weeks in and the due date is March 8th. We went for the ultrasound today, saw the baby and heard the heartbeat. We are extremely excited and feel supremely blessed!

We were hesitant to share the information so soon, especially in light of Rebecca's miscarriage last year, but couldn't keep the good news all to ourselves. After all, how valuable it is to invite all of you to include us in your prayers in the season ahead!

The Forgiven

We have all wronged someone and we have all been wronged. If we don’t deal with these wrongs we end up bearing guilt and grudges that are toxic to the soul. The way to deal with these things is clear, but as many of us have discovered, it is easier said than done. Fortunately the Bible has much to teach us about the topic of receiving and giving forgiveness, and we will explore this in our new series “The Forgiven” beginning Sunday, August 5th.

Decisions, Decisions: Discerning the Will of God

Who wants to know how to determine God's will for their life???

If that is you then todays' message by Nick Lauer, "Decisions, Decisions: Discerning the Will of God" is right up your alley.

To hear the sermon you can click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to download it or listen online from our church website.

Making Vision Stick

If you are a leader of any type of organization, then Andy Stanley's brand-new book "Making Vision Stick" will be very helpful to you.

He writes, "Seeing a vision become a reality requires more than a single burst of energy or creativity. It requires daily attention. Daily commitment."

In this easy to read, 1-sitting book, Andy simply and masterfully challenges and equips leaders to address the leaky-vision problem that every organization faces. Just because a place is busy, doesn't mean it is effective. As Andy writes "It is up to each one of us to make sure there is alignment between the activity and the vision of our enterprise." If you face any level of challenge with that, then let Andy assist you with "Making Vision Stick"

Cut to the Chase

I just finished reading "...Cut to the Chase" by Stuart R. Levine. In the 1st chapter the author writes, "We give our time away all day long, to emotions that gain us no advantages, to people who do not value our time, to inefficient habits. If you want to take back this time, you need to cut to the chase."

The author delivers solutions while clearly applying his own principles to his writing. The book is about 200 pages, but can be easily read in 2 hours. It has a huge ROI potential to "give back" the gift of time to the reader who learns and applies the concepts and solutions it contains. I recommend you buy it and read it (if you're a business owner, buy it for everyone on your staff).

In case you're not ready to "cut to the chase and buy it yet, here are the top 10 things (in sequential order) that personally impacted me:

1. “Multitasking is overrated. Depending on how many tasks you are juggling, you could be losing 20 to 40 percent of your time, because you have to reengage your focus and thoughts.”
2. “Every communication will be more effective and on point if you spend time considering your audience. And it will take less time to prepare.”
3. “Resisting change wastes time, can burn you out, and causes others to lose patience. Instead view change as an opportunity. “
4. “If you can have an important meeting with your doctor in 10 minutes, you can do the same at work.”
5. “While it’s important to be aware of your weaknesses, devoting time and energy to strengthening them will give you only limited gains.”
6. “When you have a job to fill, hire someone with the right skills and experience…if you need a drummer-hire a drummer.”
7. A quote from Truman Capote re: editing: “I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.”
8. “Numbers can help you build a case, but stories drive your message home.”
9. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do your best. But striving for perfection when ‘good enough is good enough’ is a waste of time.”
10. A quote from Goethe on self-renewal: “A person should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”

Primer on the Emergent Church

Conversations abound about the emergent church that often elicit strong feelings ranging from intrigue to adoration and from fear to contempt. Many of these conversations are based in ignorance.

I am not part of an emergent church nor do I consider myself an expert (though I have taken some time to familiarize myself with it). Yet I am often asked my opinion about it; in fact 2 different people asked me about it this week.

In attempting to answer their questions, I sent them articles on the EC written by a conservative EC voice (Mark Driscoll) and a more liberal one (Brian McLaren) published by the Criswell Theological Review last year. These clearly aren't meant to be exhaustive, but they're great primers to give a basic understanding if you're interested in studying the Emergent Church.

So in case you're interested and never saw these articles, here they are:
Download 3220apastoralperspectiveontheemergentchurch5bdriscoll5d.pdf
Download 3220interviewwithbrianmclaren28streett29.pdf

Running On Empty

We concluded our On the Run series today with a message entitled "Running on Empty."

We can finally start running in the right direction doing the right things, but find ourselves running on empty as we do them with the wrong heart.

To hear the sermon you can click here to download the podcast from iTunes or click here to download it or listen online from our church website.

Bible Action Figures

Have you heard about the latest bible action figures going on sale at Wal-Mart?

I'm really not sure how I feel about them. I'm not opposed to them per se, but I just don't understand the full rationale for replacing regular toys with them. "Daddy, did you get me Optimus Prime for my birthday?" "No son, but I did get you this David doll...and he transformed from a lowly shepherd to the king of Israel!"

We certainly can't claim that the bible toys are less violent. What does the packaging read? For Goliath?: "A giant of a toy equipped with a talking feature to taunt the Israelis and removable head and carrying case for your David figure to carry after his defeat." For Samson?: "This holy muscle man comes with a jawbone to smite Philistine armies and gougeable eyes?"

I know, as a father it will be tough when my children get older and want to play with the latest bizarre McFarlane action figure (maybe famous world dictators by then?). I have always LOVED action figures, particularly the Mego figures from the 70s...but I'm still processing how I feel about these.

Maybe it's difficult for me because of past negative associations. In my darkened days I used to frequent Christian bookstores with Brian Warner (aka Marilyn Manson) to scoop up Jesus figures which were then converted to Charles Manson figures...yes, I've repented!

Momentary summary: I guess these would make a fine addition to a child's toy collection, but not the sole component (unless perhaps Mego manufactured them).

God lookin' out!

I've been meaning to join the local Chamber of Commerce for some time now. This afternoon, I finally decided to head over and sign up (perhaps 2 years too late, but who's counting?). Anyway, the woman who helped me told me how lucky I was because today was the last day before the annual business guides are sent off for proofing and printing, thus Calvary Fellowship can be in the guide this fall instead of fall 2008 (which would have happened if I went tomorrow). I smiled because I knew luck was not the force behind the promptings for me to head down there today.

Sometimes its the little things that make you smile!

Happy (Belated) Samuel Huntington Day!

People who discover my middle named always ask the same question..."Why?"

My middle name is Huntington and it was given as a reminder of my lineage to Samuel Huntington. Who is he? Well, he signed the Declaration of Independence and he was the first real president of the U.S. in a manner of speaking.

Anyway, thanks to Governor Rell, he is finally getting some props! Anyone have a fife and drum I can borrow?