bob robbins

fasting

This Sunday at Lifepoint we will be talking about fasting. I spent a significant amount of time in church growing up and I don't ever remember hearing anyone talk about fasting. Granted I probably didn't pay very good attention but I think I would remember that.

Most of the time when you hear the word fasting you automatically assume food. Though that is true I think there are other things that can also come into play.

Here is the definition we will be using: Fasting is the spiritual discipline of denying our appetite to focus on God.

In our society we are constantly consuming and I think that has an effect on our relationship with God.

youth pastor

Today is going o be a very busy day. Many of you already know that Kyle Parker is the new LifePoint youth pastor. Today Kyle and his wife Emily are moving in.

I am very excited to see how God uses Kyle and Emily to impact the lives of young people and their parents.

TV

I love watching TV. It is not the only activity that I enjoy doing but it made me wonder how much TV do Americans watch.

• Percentage of households that possess at least one television:               99
• Number of TV sets in the average U.S. household: 2.24
• Percentage of U.S. homes with three or more TV sets: 66
• Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home:               6 hours, 47 minutes
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900               hours
• Hours per year the average American youth watches television:               1500

I am not asking or suggesting that anyone give up TV. I don't want to give up TV. But I do want to ask what would happen if we were to give up one show (30 min.) and give that time to God? How would your life change? How would your relationship with God change? How could that change the world?

food

Have you watched a show on the Food Network? It is one of the most popular TV channels even among people who seldom cook.

I don't know if you ever thought much about the Bible and food. 'Why did God give us food?' 'How are we to think about food?' 'Can we enjoy eating?' The Bible gives us answers to these questions. According to the Scripture, food is given to us as a gift from God.

Enjoyment -- The variety of tastes found in creation is not an accident. The human tongue has about 10,00 tastebuds. God gave us such a wide variety of food and a highly developed taste system, so that we would find pleasure in eating. Food is meant to be a source of joy (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; 5:18).

Sustenance -- Even in the garden of Eden, Adam needed food to sustain life and give energy to do the tasks God had assigned. Genesis 1:30, Genesis 9:3.

Fellowship -- Genesis 18:1-8 gives us one of the first examples of fellowship and food. All through the Old Testament the people of God came together for fellowship over food. God made food for fellowship. He even commanded that some of the sacrifices offered to Him at the temple were to be shared with others. These were communal meals -- meals in which the whole community sat down and ate together (see Deuteronomy 12:6,7,18). When you eat together you will find love, fellowship, discussion, and understanding.

Worship -- Food also is a source of worship. We should be very conscious of the fact that food is a gift from God (Matthew 6:11 & 1 Timothy 4:3b-4). In fact, Paul says that every bit of food "should be received with thanksgiving" (1 Timothy 4:3). According to the Bible food was created to be a source of thanksgiving and worship.

Just a little food for thought.

funny monday

Here is one of those very addicting games. You have to make chains of 3, 4, or 5 similar pieces of candy. If you think you can beat my score of 919 then click here.

Have a great Monday!

forgiveness

Forgiveness is very easy to talk about, but we need the power of the Holy Spirit to actually forgive. For the Christian, forgiveness is not optional. It is mandatory.

Henry Ward Beecher said, "We are most like beasts when we kill. We are most like men when we judge. We are most like God when we forgive."

Go ahead - stretch out that hand of forgiveness to someone today. Write  a letter or an email, make a call.

Corrie Ten Boom said, "Forgiveness is not an emotion. It's an act of your will."

God forgives you - who will you forgive today?

communion

Last week at LifePoint we talked about baptism and this week we will be talking about communion. Many time baptism and communion are refered to as sacraments. The most conventional definition of a sacrament is that it is an outward, visible sign that conveys an inward, spiritual grace.

Communion is also referred to as the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist and it has ties all the way back to covenant God made with Moses that was celebrated as the Passover.

Jesus commanded in Scripture  for His followers to participate in communion and when you do you are to remember the sacrifice Jesus made.

satisfaction

In our world today we pursue satisfaction in all kinds of ways. The Rolling Stones have a rather famous song that says:

I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try

In what ways do you pursue satisfaction? Have you found what you were looking for?

How would your day-to-day life change if you were to seek your satisfaction in God? We are to easily satisfied with things that are temporary.

Today I was reminded of a quote from John Piper: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

shotgun

This post doesn't really have anything to do with anything but I think it is kinda funny. My kids play a game called shotgun every time we go in my car. You probably have played the game before where someone calls "shotgun" and they get to sit in the front seat.

But did you know that there is a website called shotgunrules.com? You will have to go to the site to get the entire list of rules - because there are many - but here is a sample.

The Theory The term "Shotgun" refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. "Calling Shotgun" is the act of claiming the position of Shotgun for one's self. As this position is the most coveted of all positions when riding in a car, the following list of rules has been created to ensure that Shotgun can be acquired in a fair and equitable manner by any passenger of an automobile. The History The history of calling "Shotgun" goes back to the days of covered wagons and the Wild West. On a trip across the plains, the driver of a wagon would hold the reins of his horse team and concentrate on driving. This left him and the occupants of his wagon susceptible to sneak attacks from bandits and thieves. To avoid this atrocious circumstance it became necessary for one person to sit next to the driver with a shotgun and fend off the enemy. Defending against bandits is no longer the priority of Shotgun however, but it has evolved into a pre-driving ritual that is experienced before almost every car ride across America and even the world. Because of the obvious evolution that has already occurred with Shotgun, we ask you to consider Shotgun as a living entity and be aware that it is always changing for the better good of society. The Rules The following rules have been created through many years of exploring the ritual of Shotgun and are designed with the idea of fairness to all as the main priority. They are also the most complete and comprehensive listing of Shotgun rules available today. You Must Say The Word "Shotgun" You must say the word "Shotgun" to stake your claim on Shotgun. This must be done clearly and loud enough so that at least one other to-be occupant of the vehicle can hear you. No variations of this word are acceptable. After you have rightfully called Shotgun, you have exclusive rights to Shotgun for that ride. However, if no one hears you call Shotgun it is still fair game for everyone.

pictures

Just wanted to post a few pictures from our trip. We went to a wedding of some good friends Jamie and Lauren. Martha got to sing and I got to speak at NHC. And of course we went to the beach!