(Tim Kimmel)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
God Incomprehensible
A prayer from A.W Tozer,
Lord, how great is our dilemma! In Thy Presence silence best becomes us, but love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak.
Were we to hold our peace the stones would cry out; yet if we speak, what shall we say?
Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Let faith support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in order that we may believe.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord, how great is our dilemma! In Thy Presence silence best becomes us, but love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak.
Were we to hold our peace the stones would cry out; yet if we speak, what shall we say?
Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Let faith support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in order that we may believe.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, January 25, 2010
_Emerge Opening Night 2010!
This Friday, Jan 29th, _Emerge relaunches itself into the stratosphere...!
Boom!
Boom!
Emerge Relaunch 2010 from Elevation Church on Vimeo.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 2 - Pray for Labourers
Yesterday we kicked off our church-wide FAST, and are believing for more of Jesus to be seen and savoured in our lives both individually and corporately this year, than ever before!
Here are two prayer points for yesterday and today to chew on as you go through your day.
Day 1: Pray to see Jesus as more infinitely worthy & compellingly beautiful than ever before
Philippians 3:8-10
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection”
Day 2: Pray that God would raise up labourers for the harvest…and that one of them would be youLuke 10:2-3
And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way…”
For some great resources to help you with the your fast, click here.
For Pastor Ross Abraham's daily blog during the fast, click here
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Who Fuels You and Who Drains You?
Just came out of an inspiring leaders meeting, in which Ross Abraham shared some inspiring thoughts (from The Resurgence) on 4 different types of people in our world.
1. People who fuel our passion
These are our mentors and role models; they are people we can spend time with or whose writing, thinking, blogging, & speaking expands and deepens our passion and purpose in life. Someone has observed that what we are tomorrow will be result of the people we meet and the books we read today.
2. People who catch our passion
These are the teachable and the moldable; they are the people who are hungry for God and hungry to make their lives count. They want to grow, to learn, and to see God at work in their lives. They will take what we give and pass it along to others, multiplying our investment many times over.
3. People who enjoy our passion
Most people we know fall into this category. On the one hand, they don't take a great deal from us, but then neither do they add a great deal. It's easy to spend a lot of time with these "nice people." They are fun and easy to be with.
4. People who drain our passion
This is where the major energy leaks can occur. These are the needy people, the people that struggle, or the people who demand hours and hours of our energy, but don't often seem to profit from it. Yet, they keep returning with the same problems and want more of us.
They might say they want to change, but never actually do anything about it.
Take a moment and write down some names:
- Who do you need to spend more time with, that fuels & inspires you?
- Who is hungry to grow & eager to climb the mountain with you, that you need to invest more time in?
- Who do you need to avoid, who drains & dampens your passion?
1. People who fuel our passion
These are our mentors and role models; they are people we can spend time with or whose writing, thinking, blogging, & speaking expands and deepens our passion and purpose in life. Someone has observed that what we are tomorrow will be result of the people we meet and the books we read today.
2. People who catch our passion
These are the teachable and the moldable; they are the people who are hungry for God and hungry to make their lives count. They want to grow, to learn, and to see God at work in their lives. They will take what we give and pass it along to others, multiplying our investment many times over.
3. People who enjoy our passion
Most people we know fall into this category. On the one hand, they don't take a great deal from us, but then neither do they add a great deal. It's easy to spend a lot of time with these "nice people." They are fun and easy to be with.
4. People who drain our passion
This is where the major energy leaks can occur. These are the needy people, the people that struggle, or the people who demand hours and hours of our energy, but don't often seem to profit from it. Yet, they keep returning with the same problems and want more of us.
They might say they want to change, but never actually do anything about it.
Take a moment and write down some names:
- Who do you need to spend more time with, that fuels & inspires you?
- Who is hungry to grow & eager to climb the mountain with you, that you need to invest more time in?
- Who do you need to avoid, who drains & dampens your passion?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
VIDEO: Benaiah meets Alaiya
Benaiah Blaze Ramsey came into the world on January 5th, 2010 at 9lbs 0 oz!
Kristina is a super-woman, pushing him out with no gas or drugs...she is the most amazing mum in the world!
Benaiah Blaze means "God has built his son to shine brightly."
Benaiah (pronounced buh-NYE-ah) is named after one of King David's mighty men, who is found in several places of the Old Testament, particularly 1 Chronicles 11:22-25 --
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men. 25 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
Here's a video of our little Benaiah, 1 day old, coming home to meet his big sister Alaiya.
Her reaction is priceless!
Alaiya Meets Benaiah from Adam Ramsey on Vimeo.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wish-List or Resolutions?
It's that time of year again...where treadmill salesmen are rejoicing and krispy kreme owners are sobbing under their unused donut machines in the fetal position.
Well... at least for the next week or so.
Perhaps the greatest danger of resolutions is the wrong thinking that life will change just because you wrote down a wish-list on a piece of paper. In case you didn't know...It might be a new year, but you are still the same person.
Unless you take actual steps, and consistently walk out those steps to execute your goals...nothing is going to change.
Nevertheless, at the risk of standing at the end of this year & proving myself to be the same fat, out of shape, broke, hypocrite....here are some of my own resolutions as we enter the new decade!
2010
Resolved: To begin each day not focusing on the tasks & problems ahead, but on the greatness of the Saviour above. To see more of me die & more of Christ reflected in me.
Resolved: To start on my Masters degree.
Resolved: To find my abs (I can't remember where I put them...)
Resolved: To start playing organised sport again
Resolved: To watch no more than an hour of TV each day. There is so much more to see, experience, behold, and do in this world...that little box dulls my spirit and steals too much of my time.
Resolved: To wipe out all remaining debts.
Resolved: To put laziness to death and become a more diligent and proactive husband/daddy.
Resolved: To practically & more fully understand the statement, "that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Top Moments of 2009
2009...what an incredible year!
Below is a recap of the top books, 'awe-inspiring' moments, 'what-the' moments, lessons learned, movies, humans, and Scriptures that I experienced.
Top 5 Books I've Read
5. Death by Love (Mark Driscoll)
4. I am not but I know I AM (Louie Giglio)
3. God is the Gospel (John Piper)
2. The Prodigal God (Timothy Keller)
1. Desiring God (John Piper)
Top 4 Awe-Inspiring Moments
4. Ross Abraham's & Tara Jones' Daddy/Daughter Dance at Lach & Tara's wedding...what a tear-jerker.
3. Standing on the platform with other youth pastors from all over the Gold Coast at 'The Uprising,' watching a thousand young people united & passionately seeking after the heart of God.
2. Encounter Camp in January 2009.
1. Watching my daughter Alaiya grow from a baby into a little girl.
Top 3 'What the' Moments
3. Barack Obama winning Nobel Peace Prize for things he intends to do, but not actually done. What the?
2. Kanye West's childish outburst when Taylor Swift beat Beyonce at the VMA's. What the?
1. Girls around the world falling in love with this guy? WHAT THE?
Top 2 Lessons Learned
2. If you do what God has called you to do, some people just aren't going to like you. Accept it and keep moving forward.
1. Never...ever...for any reason...take a 9-month old child on an airplane from Australia to USA. Ever!
Top Human Being: Kristina Ramsey. Gorgeous & supportive wife, amazing & godly mum, genius chef...and did most of the year pregnant with our 2nd. She could take Chuck Norris any day of the week, with one hand.
Top Movie: Avatar
Top Scripture: Psalm 16:11
"You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence is fulness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Have the best 2010!
Below is a recap of the top books, 'awe-inspiring' moments, 'what-the' moments, lessons learned, movies, humans, and Scriptures that I experienced.
Top 5 Books I've Read
5. Death by Love (Mark Driscoll)
4. I am not but I know I AM (Louie Giglio)
3. God is the Gospel (John Piper)
2. The Prodigal God (Timothy Keller)
1. Desiring God (John Piper)
Top 4 Awe-Inspiring Moments
4. Ross Abraham's & Tara Jones' Daddy/Daughter Dance at Lach & Tara's wedding...what a tear-jerker.
3. Standing on the platform with other youth pastors from all over the Gold Coast at 'The Uprising,' watching a thousand young people united & passionately seeking after the heart of God.
2. Encounter Camp in January 2009.
1. Watching my daughter Alaiya grow from a baby into a little girl.
Top 3 'What the' Moments
3. Barack Obama winning Nobel Peace Prize for things he intends to do, but not actually done. What the?
2. Kanye West's childish outburst when Taylor Swift beat Beyonce at the VMA's. What the?
1. Girls around the world falling in love with this guy? WHAT THE?
Top 2 Lessons Learned
2. If you do what God has called you to do, some people just aren't going to like you. Accept it and keep moving forward.
1. Never...ever...for any reason...take a 9-month old child on an airplane from Australia to USA. Ever!
Top Human Being: Kristina Ramsey. Gorgeous & supportive wife, amazing & godly mum, genius chef...and did most of the year pregnant with our 2nd. She could take Chuck Norris any day of the week, with one hand.
Top Movie: Avatar
Top Scripture: Psalm 16:11
"You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence is fulness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Have the best 2010!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Disturb Us
What in your life needs to be disturbed, for you to become the person God created you to become this next year?
If your fire has faded into a mere flicker, perhaps it's time to stoke the coals of your heart again. Move some things around. Disturb the areas of your life that have become comfortable and complacent.
As you prepare to reflect on the past year and begin to make resolutions for 2010, don't be content to just play in the shallows & sail around the same pond again. Don't settle to be a spectator behind a railing, when Christ is calling you to step out of the boat.
Make some audacious goals!
Dream some impossible dreams!
Set your sails and prepare to move into uncharted deeper waters!
Consider these words of the 16th century adventurer, Sir Francis Drake:
Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord,
when with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
(Sir Francis Drake)
If your fire has faded into a mere flicker, perhaps it's time to stoke the coals of your heart again. Move some things around. Disturb the areas of your life that have become comfortable and complacent.
As you prepare to reflect on the past year and begin to make resolutions for 2010, don't be content to just play in the shallows & sail around the same pond again. Don't settle to be a spectator behind a railing, when Christ is calling you to step out of the boat.
Make some audacious goals!
Dream some impossible dreams!
Set your sails and prepare to move into uncharted deeper waters!
Consider these words of the 16th century adventurer, Sir Francis Drake:
Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord,
when with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.
This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.
(Sir Francis Drake)
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Compellingly Beautiful
Love.
We cannot just wake up one day and decide to love someone else. And we cannot just wake up one day and decide, "I'm going to love God."
There must be something more...a desire, an attraction, a powerful emotion of joy that comes from being in their presence.
I once heard Matt Chandler say, "Seeing God rightly stirs the affections of the soul."
Love for God happens when we SEE God for who He is: infinitely worthy & loving, majestically breathtaking, compellingly beautiful.
This phrase "compellingly beautiful" deeply resonated with me as I was reading through one of
John Piper's books this week. Chew on this excerpt :
"...we cannot love God apart from the revelation of Jesus who changes our hearts to know God so that we see him as compellingly beautiful.
The reason I use the phrase "compellingly beautiful" is to stress two things. One is that loving God is not a mere decision. You cannot merely decide to love classical music or country western music, much less God. The music must become compelling. If you don't love it, something must change inside you. That change makes it possible for the mind to experience the music with a compelling sense of its attractiveness. So it is with God. You do not merely decide to love him. Something changes inside you, and as a result he becomes compellingly attractive. His glory-his beauty-compels your admiration and delight.
The other thing I am emphasizing in the phrase "compellingly beautiful" is that love for God is not essentially behaviour but affection--not deeds but delight. God's glory becomes our supreme pleasure. We begin to prefer above all else to know him and see him and be with him and be like him."
(p.77-78 'What Jesus Demands from the World)
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