Making Life Count

Just For Fun

Making Life Count — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:42:05 GMT

If you can’t enjoy a good movie, a sport (on or off the field), a concert, or a trip to the amusement park with the kids, you’re probably a good candidate for a monastery. We all like to have fun. In fact, we like it so much that we sometimes become obsessed with it…as if it was the very essence of life. We eventually discover that, when we finish a great show on television, we wear out the remote looking for the next one. When we drop off the video, we head to the shelves looking for another. Or, we run home and surf the net, check our Facebook, or look for something to cure the next wave of boredom. Amusement can be…well…amusing…but only for a while. Amusement has no permanent power, only temporary. In the message, “Just For Fun”, we’ll see an often overlooked truth for God’s solution to lasting satisfaction.

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Collaboration

Making Life Count — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:12:04 GMT

Many people have invited Jesus into their lives and hearts. Hopefully, you're one of them. And, according to scripture, He comes in...wherever the door is opened to Him. But the next question is...where, in you, does Jesus live? Is He in the guest room or does He have a room of His own? Does He have free run of the house, or is He confined to a closet or the back porch? In the closing message of the "Redirection" series, entitled "Collaboration", we will see that God wants to be more than a guest in our home, He wants a partnership. And, we'll learn exactly what is expected when you decide to become partners with the Almighty.

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Implementation

Making Life Count — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:16:02 GMT

There are times when God is silent, when it seems like He has moved off the scene, and when nothing changes for a long time. Then suddenly, He speaks to His leaders, inspires His people, everyone answers the call to action...and everything changes! When it does, it's good to be on the right team, at the right place, and doing the right things for the right reasons. In the message, "Implementation", Ben Bonner will take us through the next section of Haggai to see how God implemented just such a plan and what its implications are for us today.

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Motivation

Making Life Count — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:36:17 GMT

Have you found yourself stuck...or at least, dragging? Are you lacking in motivation and don't know how to get going again? Are there things that you want to do for the Lord that you just can't seem to get around to? Are you serving in some area but thinking about 'retiring?' The people in Haggai's day had been "stuck" for fourteen years. In the message, "Motivation", we'll discover the "spark" that got them going and learn how to get moving ourselves.

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Introspection

Making Life Count — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:24:37 GMT

When things in our lives begin to get out of proportion and we find ourselves out of tune with God's best, it is time for an inspection, or actually, an introspection. We have to take a good look in one of the most difficult of areas - the mirror. We may not like what we see, but we will never move on to what can be, without clearly picturing what is. In the message, "Introspection", we'll see why it is so important to take that look.

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Disproportion

Making Life Count — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:30:52 GMT

It is easy to get caught up in living and miss out on life. God, like any good father, wants His children to be blessed and to enjoy a full and prosperous life. But, when our focus and attention begins to lean heavily in our own direction rather than His, He has to remind us how disproportionate our lives have become. In the message, "Disproportion", we'll look at why our blessings are never enough to fulfill our lives and see God's prescription for the "medicine" that will.

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In Step

Making Life Count — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:34:56 GMT

Today is the first day of the year 2012. In one sense, it's just another day. In another sense, it is the beginning of a brand new year. Some of us find it helpful to take a look back, a look at the present, and a look forward. It is a time of reflection, reassessment, and realignment. The holidays are over and we will begin that new diet...tomorrow, of course. We're going to be more frugal with our time and our finances. We're going to spend more time with the people we love. It's going to be a good year. We're ready. Now, if we can just figure out that first step...

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The Other Reasons for the Season

Making Life Count — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:25:41 GMT

It's a good slogan "Jesus is the reason for the season". To the believer, it is the most important part of the holiday. But, often in the wrong spirit, believers complain about commercialism, frivolous Christmas carols, the emphasis on shopping and presents, and the avoidance of a simple "Merry Christmas" in many businesses and workplaces. Is it as bad as it seems? Should we just sit around in sackcloth and ashes on Christmas Day and try not to look too happy? In the message, "The Other Reasons For The Season", we will take a look at some biblical perspectives on the traditions we have come to associate with Christmas and try to get the religious "Bah, Humbug" out of the holidays.

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Espionage

Making Life Count — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:14:00 GMT

There's nothing like a good spy thriller to put you on the edge of your seat. You can expect secret agents, dangerous encounters, narrow escapes, close calls, and plenty of action. In the best ones, the good guy wins in the end, the bad guy "gets his", so to speak...and good triumphs over evil. In the message, "Espionage", we will look at one of the many stories in the Bible will all of those elements and much, much more...because this story is true and the consequences are eternal.

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Babe In Arms

Making Life Count — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:05:26 GMT

As every contractor knows, it you don't get the foundation right, the rest of the building will be off. The foundation affects everything that goes on top of it. The foundation of Christian parenting is understanding that our children do not belong to us. They belong to God. And, we should treat them accordingly. In the message "Babe In Arms" we will explore exactly what this means and see how we can either get the foundations right or fix the ones that need repair.

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Cheers

Making Life Count — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:11:13 GMT

Sometimes, the most challenging part of the holidays has to do with the relationships between parents and their grown children. What used to be a march, must now become a dance. Parents are accustomed to giving orders and commands to their younger children and, at times, they fail to change gears as their children grow up. The "dance" then becomes a war dance! But, as we will see in the message, "Cheers", when we are operating in the grace of God, the war can be avoided and the dance can continue.

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Reflections

Making Life Count — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:18:24 GMT

In the message, "Reflections", Ben Bonner challenges us to live a life that is a true reflection of Jesus to the world and (for those of us who have children) a reflection of Jesus to them. As we look at the types of things the world needs to see in us, we'll see how we can go beyond "ordinary" and become extraordinary representatives of an extraordinary God.

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Shelters

Making Life Count — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:47:06 GMT

In the opening words of the popular television series "Monk", composer Randy Newman sings, "It's a jungle out there...disorder and confusion everywhere." The song goes on to say, "You better pay attention or this world we love so much might just kill you." Those words sound very similar to the advice in God's Word..."Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." And, when it comes to raising children, every parent has to ask the question, "How much should I protect my child, at each age, from the world and how much should I allow them to face and experience? In the message, "Shelters", we will look into this issue and, from a familiar story in the gospel of Luke, seek some wisdom from Jesus' own family.

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Leash Laws

Making Life Count — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:11:35 GMT

As a parent, are you too permissive? Or, are you too controlling? Or, do you think you're "just right!" The lack of control and the excess of it can lead to a lot of problems in raising your children. But, how do you know? How can you find the right balance? In the message, "Leash Laws", we'll take a look at this issue from the Old and New Testaments and discuss some ways we can develop just the right balance in raising our children.

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Woodwork IV

Making Life Count — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:46:41 GMT

Borrowing the major concept from a beloved Bible school teacher, Don Loose, Pastor Marc takes us, in part four of the message entitled, "Woodwork", on a journey through the Scripture...highlighting Biblical references to four wooden objects that are directly connected with child rearing. From these four simple objects, we can keep a focus on the things that really matter in raising our children and gauge how to keep them and us on course.

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Woodwork III

Making Life Count — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:14:32 GMT

Borrowing the major concept from a beloved Bible school teacher, Don Loose, Pastor Marc continues part 3 of the message "Woodwork" taking us on a journey through the Scripture, highlighting Biblical references to four wooden objects that are directly connected with child rearing. From these four simple objects, we can keep a focus on the things that really matter in raising our children and gauge how to keep them and us on course.

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Roots

Making Life Count — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:02:58 GMT

Drawing principles from the Word of God and sharing some stories from his personal life, Ben Bonner adds input to the series "Raising Great Kids In A Challenging World". In the message entitled, "Roots", he gives us a close look at the ups and downs of childhood through a child's eyes. Ben's stories will touch your heart and the Word of God will challenge you to be sure that your children experience more "ups" than "downs".

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Woodwork II

Making Life Count — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:53:30 GMT

Part Two of Woodwork: Borrowing the major concept from a beloved Bible school teacher, Don Loose, Pastor Marc takes us on a journey through the Scripture highlighting Biblical references to four wooden objects that are directly connected with child rearing. From these four simple objects, we can keep a focus on the things that really matter in raising our children and gauge how to keep them and us on course.

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Woodworking

Making Life Count — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:53:31 GMT

Borrowing the major concept from a beloved Bible school teacher, Don Loose, Pastor Marc takes us on a journey through the Scripture highlighting Biblical references to four wooden objects that are directly connected with child rearing. From these four simple objects, we can keep a focus on the things that really matter in raising our children and gauge how to keep them and us on course.

The God Box

Making Life Count — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:09:52 GMT

Ask ten people to describe God to you and you'll get 10 different interpretations. He has been quoted and misquoted, represented and misrepresented, adored and accused, blessed and blamed, and described in every way imaginable. But, what is He really like? How can we know? Is He so small as to fit into our limited ideas of Him? Or, is He bigger than we could ever possibly imagine? In the message, "The God Box", we'll look at the things that limit and confuse our understanding of Him...keeping Him boxed in our limited thinking. And, we'll learn the correct posture of our hearts that will help to keep God, from our perspective, out of ANY and EVERY box.

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