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Coffee Break – 08.24.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

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On this day in history: In 410, the Visigoths overran Rome. This event symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. An even more important event occurred in 1869: a patent for the waffle iron was received by Cornelius Swarthout. And, in 1995, Microsoft’s “Windows 95” went on sale, going on to change the PC world forever.

Three Ways Coffee Boosts Creativity And Makes You A Better Writer – Long title. Short article. But very interesting. I need to get some more coffee before I finish this post…

The Fender Stratocaster – My first electric guitar was a Fender Strat. I sold it soon after because I like the Telecaster much better. But it will always hold a special place in my heart. Here are a few facts about the Stratocaster you may not have known.

What Tears Look Like Under A Microscope – The human body is truly unique, even down tot he smallest of details, such as a close up view of human tears. This images are simply beautiful.

The World’s Deadliest Animals – Recent news seems to have contained several new shark attacks over the past couple of months. But are sharks the deadliest animals? Or is there something worse?

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:14-16

With all of the issues that Paul has addressed so far with the Philippian church, arrogance and conceit, lack of unity, and more, it is no surprise that complaining and arguing is cropping up. This is what Paul addresses next.

You can see this week’s passage in Philippians 2:14-16:

Philippians 2:14-16

As Paul continues through this letter to the Philippian church, he becomes more and more practical. As is typical with Paul’s letters, he spent the first part dealing with doctrine and philosophical issues, “This is what is wrong.” Now he moves more into the practical application side of teaching, “This is how we can fix it.”

Complaining and arguing

First of all, he says, do everything without complaining or arguing. There isn’t anything else mentioned in this letter about complaining or arguing, so the question comes to mind that this could refer to Euodia and Syntyche in 4:2, although that is not certain. It could be that, with all of the other issues that were going on, some were finding reason to complain. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Blameless and pure

There is a reason for the Philippians’ need to set such things aside. It is for their own good, so that they can become blameless and pure. As they set aside their differences and focus on unity and humility, they will grow in their own spiritual health. Our main concern is the holding forth of the word of life, and if we don’t live such lives, our task goes unfinished. We shoot ourselves in the foot, because we look no different than the world, when we should look quite different.

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The Benefit Of Short Term Mission Trips

You may recall that our church went on a mission trip to Arizona a few weeks ago. It was an incredible trip, and our group was able to accomplish a lot while we were there. But what did we learn?

CCC AICM Group Photo

Near the end of July, we loaded up and headed to American Indian Christian Mission, near Show Low, AZ, to work with them on the reservation of the White Mountain Apache tribe. Our trip was incredible. It was one of the highlights of ministry for me for the past several years.

While we were there, we operated in two different ways. First, we spent the mornings on the AICM campus, doing work projects. We helped remodel several school classrooms, getting them ready for the school year. And we also stained several of the staff homes, which were log cabins, and in need of some treatment. As far as work projects go, these were fairly easy to do and we accomplished quite a bit of work for the ministry.

After lunch, we loaded up and headed onto the reservation, where we gathered the kids from two small communities, Turkey Creek and Corn on the Cobb (yes, those are the real names of these communities). Once gathered, we had Vacation Bible School activities; we taught a lesson, sang some songs, created some different crafts, and then played a lot of games with those kids. It was very incredible.

But, really, this is a very common approach for mission teams who come to AICM. And, as the week progressed, I began to wonder just how effective we were being, and how that was affecting and changing us.

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Coffee Break – 08.17.2015

Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration

Coffee Break

Today is a significant day in history: In 1790, the capital city of the U.S. moved to Philadelphia from New York City. In 1859, A hot air balloon was used to carry mail for the first time. John Wise left Lafayette, IN, for New York City with 100 letters. He had to land after only 27 miles. In 1896, the Klondike gold rush was set off by George Carmack discovering gold on Rabbit Creek in Alaska.

15 Famous Coffee Fiends – It appears as if coffee lovers are in good company…

The Internet Doesn’t Exist – This article is a couple of months old, but the point made is interesting. “What we call the Internet—and what web writers so lazily draw on for their work—is less a hive mind or a throng or a gathering place and more a personalized set of online maneuvers guided by algorithmic recommendations.”

Dealing With Afternoon Sleepiness – The afternoon slump. It is something we all deal with from time to time, especially after a big lunch. But what can we do about it? Learn to work with it.

The Atlantic Slave Trade In Two Minutes – When we think of the slave trade of the last few centuries, we generally think of slaves brought to the shores of the United States and North America. But this two minute animation shows a bigger picture, and it is disturbing. To make matters even more interesting, each black circle is clickable, giving stats for the slave ship it represents.

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Memorize Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13

After quoting what may be an early Christian hymn, Paul turns to application. His use of the word “therefore” indicates this. And what comes next is extremely valuable instruction.

Take a look at this week’s passage in Philippians 2:12-13:

Philippians 2:12-13

Paul begins this passage with a linking word that connects what he is about to say directly back to the passage before it. In effect, this becomes the invitation to action that should be a direct result of what Paul has stated to this point.

What comes next though has been a source of disagreement for centuries. Paul make a statement that gives us a portion of the responsibility for our own salvation. He makes a statement that shows that we have a role to play.

If works could save us, then we would have no need for God’s grace in our lives. What we do would be enough to get us to heaven. But Paul, and several other New Testament writers, make a strong point that it is by God’s grace that we are saved.

But is that sufficient? Is there a need for human involvement in the process? Verse 12 seems to make this statement, giving the responsibility to the person. But verse 13 allows for God’s involvement at every level.