Misplaced faith and insane expectations, the search for the perfect church.

What are you looking for in your church? If you go to a large church like I do it wont take you long to find someone who isnt happy with the way things are going in the church .. They feel left out and neglected .. They feel like outcasts. They are seeking the love of the people in the church they attend. But are they putting that love and acceptance of the people above there relationship with Jesus? A friend of mine asked me a serious question today .. “how do we keep people satisfied in church, to take their mind off them being fed, and to reach a hand out to those who need help themselves.” .. It was that question that inspired me to write this blog.

The question is not so much how to keep people satisfied in church so much as it is about how to get people to the point in there faith walks where they realize the following .. Salvation is not found in the church or its people. Salvation is ONLY found through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once people begin to understand that and walk in it then church becomes less of a place of stress and acceptance and more of a place where they can relax and connect with God. Once they are relaxed and focusing on Him they are more likely to be able to walk in the flow of the Holy Spirit and then they will automatically start building the relationships they were previously to distracted from building.

The Bible does not say seek first the church and the acceptance of its people .. it says this .. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – matt 6:33. God allowed me to place my faith in people and in return those people failed me time and time again .. but it wasn’t so much the people at fault .. it was more that I was looking for the perfect friendship when really .. that can only be found in Jesus. Once I realized that I should’ve been relying on Jesus first he then sent me people that I could rely on. Gods got a funny sense of humour like that. Sometimes he has to sit back and wait for us to be obedient before he can move. I’ve always told people how vitally important it is to maintain a solid personal and devoted relationship with Jesus but I wasnt applying it to one of the key areas of my life .. fellowship. If I am in true fellowship with Jesus everything else flows .. if we’re not in true fellowship with Jesus we tend to displace those deep inner desires for fellowship, love and salvation on people and not Jesus and it always leads to heart ache and bitter disappointment. But for some reason ever since I set foot in Australia I had been diverting my need for salvation onto people instead of Jesus.

I even dragged my wife out of the church we were called to be at in the desperate search for what was right in front of me the whole time.. JESUS! Rather then go into the ugly details I’ll skip to the chase and let you know that were back where we’re supposed to be and quite content.

So .. feeling invisable in your church? feeling unwanted or unloved? maybe they are legitimate feelings or maybe your displacing your need for salvation on people who are just trying to keep themselves a float much less be your saviour. Maybe just maybe Salvation is meant to be between you and Jesus and once you realize that you begin to develop and grow in your relationship with Jesus .. and in turn you begin to walk in the natural flow of the Holy Spirit and suddenly you start making friends and church becomes something you look forward to again. More to come! stay tuned.

i think i here customers!

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A rough week for the republican party

First Gen. Colin Powell a prominent republican announces hes backing Obama and then today the republican party gets some backing they probably werent interested in getting .. read article below ..

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/alqaeda-backs-impetuous-mccain/2008/10/22/1224351327271.html

.. thats right good old Osama would much rather Obama then McCain in the oval office .. now .. I dont know what that says about the current state of the republican party .. but to me its the funniest bit of news to come out of this election.

Somehow I don’t think we’ll see Bin Laden on the campaign trail with McCain anytime soon .. but you know what they say .. “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” Just not sure this is what the republicans had in mind ROFL.

double shot latte @ cremosa

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Cremosa on Queen

Cremosa espresso bar on the corner of queen and wharf street in Brisbane .. One of my all time favorite cafe’s.
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Why I would vote for Barack Obama

OK first off I’m not an American citizen .. merely an avid follower of American politics. Growing up across the river from Detroit Michigan I have always watched US politics closely and I have always supported the republican parties views. Until now that is.

The world is clearly a very different place post 911 and it has never been more clear that the era of right wing republicans in the oval office is just about over. John McCain has been reduced to outrageously negative add campaigns in a last stitch effort to regain some momentum in the US election and its clearly a plan that is failing in a big way.

It is time for a new young and fresh perspective in the white house. And thats something the world has not seen in quite some time. Although Barack Obama is a democrat he is indeed a born again Christian. Yes his stance on abortion isnt quite as down the line as John McCains but as I get older I’ve begun to realize that abortion isnt quite the black and white issue I used to think it was.

Living outside North America for the past 8 years has given me a very different perspective on US politics and how the rest of the world see’s America. One thing that reigns over all the noise and hype of this election is that a lot of right wing republican Americans are not liking the way things are being handled by the current administration, and all they see in John McCain is George W. Bush Version 2.0. Most people you talk to here in Australia are of pretty much the same opinion .. they don’t want to see another George W in the oval office.

So in short .. its clearly time for some drastic changes in the way the US is governed. There economy is on the verge of collapse, there military is dangerously over stretched and public opinion of George W. Bush is currently sitting at around 63% disapproval. If those numbers are any indication we will see the first African American take the oval office.

So in a sense by supporting Barack Obama I have “jumped the isle” and to tell you the truth it wasn’t easy but its clearly time for the US to be heading in a new fresh direction. One things for sure .. I’ll be praying for Barack and his staff .. they have one mess of a country to look after once they take office. The times they are a changin!