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Video of "The Way Church" launch service!!!l

 

Isaiah 53

I'm not going to wax eloquent today.  Listen to the words of the prophecy...they speak of Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus! 

Isaiah 53 (NIV)

 ¹ Who has believed our message 
   and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, 
   and like a root out of dry ground. 
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, 
   nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 
³ He was despised and rejected by men, 
   a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. 
Like one from whom men hide their faces 
   he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities 
   and carried our sorrows, 
yet we considered him stricken by God, 
   smitten by him, and afflicted. 
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
   he was crushed for our iniquities; 
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, 
   and by his wounds we are healed. 
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
   each of us has turned to his own way; 
and the LORD has laid on him 
   the iniquity of us all.

 ⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, 
   yet he did not open his mouth; 
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, 
   and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, 
   so he did not open his mouth. 
⁸ By oppression^[a] and judgment he was taken away. 
   And who can speak of his descendants? 
For he was cut off from the land of the living; 
   for the transgression of my people he was stricken.^[b] 
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, 
   and with the rich in his death, 
though he had done no violence, 
   nor was any deceit in his mouth.

 ¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, 
   and though the LORD makes^[c] his life a guilt offering, 
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, 
   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 
¹¹ After the suffering of his soul, 
   he will see the light of life^[d] and be satisfied^[e]; 
by his knowledge^[f] my righteous servant will justify many, 
   and he will bear their iniquities. 
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[g] 
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong,^[h] 
because he poured out his life unto death, 
   and was numbered with the transgressors. 
For he bore the sin of many, 
   and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Which Jesus do you follow? Baby Jesus? Bearded Jesus? Teenage Jesus?

Watch this first.....

 

One of my favorite songs is "My Jesus" by Todd Agnew.  A phenomenal song which will make you examine how you view Jesus.   Todd begins the song with a very important question.  He says, "Which Jesus do you follow?".  

Now you may ask....Dan isn't there only one Jesus?  Yes, you are correct.  There is only one.  However, isn't it amazing how many people interpret Jesus differently?  

Some people have such a wrong perception of Jesus that it warps there entire view of life and faith.  For many, Jesus is a "white, middle class, Republican who opposes Obamacare".  To others...."Jesus is a liberal who will do anything to advance the agenda of the political left."  

For many, Jesus is a poster child for welfare, health, wealth and happiness.  For others Jesus was just a good teacher...but not God.  

Jesus is also used as an expletive when somebody needs to be blamed.  To others...Jesus is just a good luck charm when then need something to go their way.  There is no better way to illustrate in a "comedic" but sad way... how this happens.  Watch this. :)

 

So let me ask you....which Jesus do you follow?  How has your political, socio-economic, denominational, childhood, views have impacted on how you view Jesus?

I know what you are saying right now.  "Dan, I get my view of Jesus from the Bible."  

Awesome.  But do you really?  How can so many people say that and be wrong?  How can you read the Bible with an unbiased view?  We are so sinful, that we must be very, very, very careful, that we are not reading things into the text that are just not there.  If you are not careful...you can leave your Bible reading with a warped view of Jesus and life.

I think Todd Agnew is right.  If Jesus were physically walking the earth today we would not be impressed.  Jesus would probably not be welcome in most of our churches.  We would not want to b

e around the people that He would around.  We probably wouldn't even darken the door of some places Jesus would hang out. We would not be impressed because the images and views of Jesus, are so warped by our worldview, that it's hard to see it clearly.  I'm sure that some would even debate Jesus on doctrine.  Guarantee it.  So sad....but so true.  Heaven is going to be so awesome.  Can't wait to see the real Jesus. :)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2-3

Think on this.  Which Jesus do you follow?  

Congrats to Venango Woods Church on 10 years!

 

Big Ben and the value of your name

Big Ben will go down as a Hall of Fame Quarterback in the NFL.  He is a very talented player and plays for one of the most storied franchises in all of sports.  I should know...I lived in Western Pennsylvania for about 5 years.  The Steelers breathe life into the Steel City and the entire region.  Big Ben came into the league and had instantaneous success.  It didn't take Pittsburgh fans long to fall in love with Ben.

One of the things, that became apparent in Ben's life and to the world, was his faith.  Big Ben is a Christian.  Ben even sought to have the following initials on his cleats, "PFJ".  PFJ stands for "Play for Jesus".  A likable guy?  Yes.  Talented? Oh yeah! Role model?...yep.  So what's the problem?  

Ben made poor choices.  One who gives God glory on the field and in the locker room is also expected to do the same in private. If you are going to talk the talk...you have to walk the walk.  About a year ago, Big Ben was accused of sexually assaulting not one...but two women.  I won't go into the details.  It's bad enough.  Big Ben was not charged with any crimes but his reputation was tarnished.  

Now, you may be saying...Dan, isn't this post just a tad late?  This is old news. Yes, yes it is. However, Ben is making headlines again today in
announcing his upcoming marriage.  He also has announced that he won't be living with his fiance until they are married this June.

This has raised many questions.  Why would Ben, live such a carefree lifestyle, having sex with multiple women...to now want to live to a higher standard?  Because he is human.  He screwed up.  He has asked for forgiveness and has been granted grace and fresh start.  A very smart move.  I understand it.  I get it.  The rest of the world doesn't.  Every choice you make matters.  The bad ones and even the good ones.

We should not hold his sins against him since God has forgiven him.  However, the one thing that we can't get off our mind is his name.  Ben's nights of passion will be remembered as his biggest folly.  He'll be remembered by many as the guy who said he wanted to live like Jesus but really lived like Hugh Hefner.  

Your name is valuable.  Don't believe me?  What images or thoughts come to your mind when you read these names.

Tiger Woods.

Albert Einstein.

Barry Bonds.

Charlie Sheen.

Billy Graham.

Mother Theresa.

Dan Sardinas.

Your name.

Just hearing a person's name can paint a picture.  It paints a picture of what people remember the most.  Unfortunately that's the way it is.  Some people will remember Ben the Super Bowl Champion.  Some will remember the Ben the guy who couldn't keep his pants on.

What does the bible say about protecting your name?

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." - Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)

"A good name is better than fine perfume..." Ecclesiastes 7:1

What if you are thinking right now..."Ok..Dan.  I've blown it.  I've really screwed up.  My name is tarnished.  What now?"

There is good news.  Even though the consequences of sin does not go away....there is still hope.  There is peace.  There is forgiveness.  There is grace.  There is renewal.  The gospel doesn't let us go back in time...but it does give us freedom to not be weighed down from the guilt of our past.  There is grace available.  The gospel gives us all a brand new fresh start.  Thank God for good news.

What's your legacy? What do people think of when they hear your name?  What are you doing to protect your name?  Do you need forgiveness?  A fresh start? 

Ben got a fresh start.  His name will be ruined in the eyes of many people.  But he now stands forgiven and set free in the eyes of God.  How about you?

My personal wish list for the iPhone 5 #apple #iphone

You know that I love Jesus & my family.  However...one doesn't have to be around me very long to know that I love Apple!  I have always had a love for technology...but no company has met my expectations like Apple.  I heart Steve Jobs.  He is the man.  Anyway....with the rumors this week that iPhone 5 will most likely be delayed until the fall. (I really hope not).  I have decided to compile a wish list of new features I'd love to have included in the iPhone 5. Some of these features are likely...but some may still be a ways off.

1.  A 4 inch 'Retina Display' - Apple gaves us the gorgeous Retina Display in the iPhone 4.  The images and text are so crisp and clear on the screen.  Amazing quality. It is known as the "Retina Display" because your eyes are not suppose to differentiate between the indiviual pixels on the screen.  

This past year has seen a plethora of smart phones with a nice big 4 inch screen.  The current 3.5 inch screen is plenty big....but why not go bigger? 

2.  No "Home Button" - One of the aspects of the iPhone is it's simplicity.  There is only one button that you need to concern yourself with.  It has served it's purpose and has been a great way to navigate through the iOS interface.  However..with great multi touch gestures...why have it?  As a matter of fact...I had to bring my iPhone 4 to the Apple Store because the home button had gone bad.  Make it simpler...no buttons. 

3.  10 Mega Pixel Camera - the iPhone 4 jumped to a 5mp camera.  That was a huge improvement.  Why not jump all the way to a 10 mp camera so we can finally replace our other digital camera's? Also an increase to the "front facing camera" is needed.  It currently only has VGA quality resolution.

4.  1080P HD Video Recording - again..the iPhone 4 made a major jump to allow 720P HD video recording.   Why not make the next jump...most of our TV's today display 1080...why not?  I'm sure price is a factor...but as time goes on these components get cheaper and cheaper.  It will come eventually.

5.  LTE or 4G data speed - Later this year 3G will be a thing of the past.  Verizon's 4G network is already up and running and AT&T's will up near the end of the year.  If Apple sticks with 3G with the next iPhone...Android devices will have a MAJOR advantage.

6.  NFC (Near Field Communication) - This is a brand new technology that Apple has been researching for awhile.  This would allow you to make payments with your iPhone anywhere.  Makes it handy for one who forgets thier wallet at home.  No, this never happens to me. :)

7.  Scratch Proof/Smudge Proof Screen - One of my pet peeves is to buy a screen protector/case for my phone.  iPhones are beautiful.  So beautiful that I'd rather have my phone naked.  yes....I just said that.  No case...no cover.  A scratch/smudge proof would save consumer's oodles of money.  It also would preserve the beauty of the design that Apple engineers have toiled over.

8.  Solar Battery - A phone that you never have to plug in to charge?  How awesome is that?  How many times has your cell phone battery died in the middle of an important call or other event.  Solar charging would allow you to charge your battery wherever there is light.  Are you outside?  IN your house?  in the office?  No problem.  Might we never charge our phones again?  Apple is known for it's "green" and friendly environmental standards. Apple does own a patent for this technology and I'm sure we'll see it soon. iPhone 5?  Pretty please? 

9.  Larger Flash Storage - This has also been something else that Apple has been improving with each phone.  The iPhone 4 is currently available with either 16 or 32 Gigabytes.  Flash storage upgrades always double in size.  Might we see flash storage of 64 or 128 gigabytes?  Yes.  In time.  This is necessary with each time Apple upgrades the camera/video resolution because increases file sizes. 

10.  Dual Core Processor & More Memory - Face it.  Phones are no longer phones.  They are mini computers (mini tablets) that are ultraportable.  With more technology advancements it is necessary that more and more horsepower is required.  Many of the latest Android phones are now sporting dual core processors.  This is a must.  And hey why not....they put it in the iPad...which is hope for the iPhone 5. 

Mark Driscoll on Hell and the Wrath of God

Watch below and hear Pastor Mark Driscoll tell you exactly what he thinks on the subject.  He doesn't leave any stone unturned.  Your thoughts?