STORY!

Easter at Fc3 was amazing. We had over 90 people in attendance, including a dozen or so visitors, and enjoyed a rich time of worship and study. I preached out of Luke 24 and 1 Corinthians 15- you can listen here.

But, we want to keep up the momentum! Next week we start a new 5 week sermon series entitled "Story: Changing the World." I am so excited about it and can hardly wait to start it. Here is one of our promo videos for the series. Enjoy! Join us for this series if you would like!

STORY from Mike Skinner on Vimeo.

Adam on Wheel of Fortune!!

My good friend Adam McIntire was recently on Wheel of Fortune. When he flew out to LA months ago, I told him not to embarrass us... looks like he didn't listen to me. Mailbu Barbie? Really? Btw- his face at :47 seconds is hilarious.

Enjoy!

Adam McIntire on Wheel of Fortune!! from Mike Skinner on Vimeo.

Thanks, God.

"But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus."

2 Corinthians 7:6 (NET)

Last week I had the honor and privilege of being invited up to Sulphur Springs to speak to 75 (ish) kids at a monthly youth event. I've spoken at this event twice before, so it is encouraging to be brought back. One of the biggest compliments an itinerant (traveling) speaker can get is an invitation back.

While there, I was speaking on Psalm 133 and pleading with the kids to walk in deep and intentional relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ. To be honest, a good number of the kids seemed very distracted. This distracts me. BUT, there were a good dozen or so who were locked in with me and hanging on every word. Later that evening at dinner, one of the youth pastors recalled for me how earlier in the evening, when they found out I would be speaking that night, a group of students asked for pen and paper to take notes. Another one of the biggest compliments a speaker can get is the faithful taking of notes (especially among youth!).

It seems that God has been encouraging me much lately. Thank you, God. Or then again, maybe my eyes are just open wider to see the many ways in which he blesses and encourages. Are your eyes open? How is God encouraging you?

Hope in Focus: FACT

hope in focus - FACT from First Colony Christian Church on Vimeo.

Conquering Faith

This past Sunday I preached (at Fc3 - www.fc3.org ) from 1 John 5:1-5 and attempted to unpack this very powerful and tightly packed passage. You can listen to the sermon here. In these verses, John centers the entire Christian life and identity around a dynamic, active, and victorious faith placed in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.

John's argument could be laid out in the following formula:

Faith (produced by God's regeneration) = Love for Others & Love for God = Obedience to God's Command = Victory over the World = Faith.

The following is an image I made while exegeting this text and I think that it helps visualize the argument.

John's plea is simple. Place your faith in Jesus. Center your entire worldview around the fact of the cross and the resurrection. Love, obedience, and victory will flow naturally.

Love you guys! - - Feel free to join us at Fc3 for the last two parts of our 1 John series!!

Mike

Quote

Here is a quote that I have taken from a resource I am using for Fc3's 1 John series. It was found inside a discussion of 1 John 5:1. Think about it, pray over it, and enjoy! Oh, and be sure and comment to tell me what you think!

"Faith's tie to God is not grounded in its own tenacity, much less in a self-serving spiritual autism; it is rather a response to a saving message brought home by the grace of divine regeneration. The sublime authorship of saving Christian faith- for which John gives God primary credit- makes possible a sublime outcome: love for others." - Robert W. Yarbrough

Christians & The Scriptures

My plan for my devotional life in 2010 is to keep up with the ESV Daily Reading Plan (New Testament in morning, Old Testament and Psalms at night)- and so far it has been going well. Jesus is convicting the mess out of me in the sermon on the mount (via Matthew).. Anyway, I wanted to encourage all you guys to dig into your Scriptures with energy and hope this New Year!

Someone much smarter than me (Eugene Peterson) had this to say about the Scriptures:

"Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus’ name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.”

What is your plan to dig into the Scriptures this year? How is it going so far??