bob robbins

bitterness

Do you ever go for a hike? Sometimes it's fun to just take a walk down a trail or out in the woods. Sometimes when you are walking around you can get a rock down in your shoe. Even the smallest rock down in your shoe can become very painful.

Bitterness is kinda like that rock in your shoe. Here is a quick definition of bitterness - Marked by resentment or cynicism.

With the rock you have a decision - you can either continue to walk in pain or you or you can stop and take the rock out. You have the same choice with bitterness. You can either continue to live in pain or you can do something about it.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

reminder

Just wanted to remind you about two things.

1. My good friend Chris is a pastor in the Gulf Coast area and they were recently hit by hurricane Ike.

This hurricane has not received the media coverage that others have but that doesn't mean that there aren't thousands of people that have been affected. They have set up a website (ikeassist.org) that can keep you informed. Please check out the website where you can see some pictures, find out ways to pray, and discover other ways that you might be able to help.

2. I also wanted to remind you that you can go to the resources button on the LifePoint webpage (lifepoint365.com)  and click the media link to see this weeks message along with previous messages. To see messages just click the on-demand button at the bottom of the video player.

Today was a great day at LifePoint. Brandon and the band did a great job - LifePoint has great music! The energy was great today and attendance was very good even with several families out of town. I love being a part of a church that is will to do whatever it takes to help people far from God get close to Him. There are so many people in our area that NEVER go to church and we're going to change that.

Bring someone with you next week.

props

Today I wanted give huge props to few people.

Bob Fitzhugh is a guy that I love and he does all kinds of things to keep LifePoint up and running. Every week you can see him out there cutting grass and this week he was doing some tree removal because of the storm on Sunday and fixing a few parking lot issues.

Steve Walton does whatever it takes. He's the type of guy that you know you can always count on. He has been spending time trying to fix our flooded basement at LifePoint.

Erica, Alana, Martha, Brandon, Lyndsey, Mandi and Emmy, spent time cleaning and disinfecting the basement and trying to get it ready for Sunday. The basement looks and smells soooo much better.

Each one of these people inspire me and I am so thankful that they are willing to do whatever it takes to create a place where people can encounter God. If you know them you should thank them the next time you see them. If you don't know them you could pray for them.

To each one of you - thank you! It's a honor to work with you and I'm so greatful you're on our team.

a river runs through it

We had all kinds of water in the basement at the church on Sunday. It is now all dry and the nasty stuff has been hauled out. We now need to clean and disinfect the nursery and the kids room and start to put some things in place for this Sunday.

Thursday night at 7:00 PM - If you have a spare moment and would like to have the most fun you've ever had cleaning then swing by the church and hang out for awhile.

hurricane ike

What a day! I'm not sure I've ever been so excited and so disappointed at the same time. Let me try to explain. This morning we were dealing with the remnants Of hurricane Ike and we got an unbelievable amount of rain in a short period of time.

That real problem was that the heaviest rain was before and during church. We literally had a river running through the basement at the church and there were several people that stepped up big time today to make the best out of not so desirable situation. Thank you to all of you that hauled out carpet, sucked out water, and spent the day working so hard and getting so wet.

As a result of the weather there were many people that were unable to get to church this morning because they were either cleaning out their own basement or couldn't get their cars down the street. If you didn't make it today you can check out the video of the message by clicking here and then clicking the on-demand button at the bottom of the video player.

The band did a great job today and in spite of the horrible weather we still had visitors in every service. Hopefully we will have better weather next week (at least no hurricanes).

Please make plans to be at LIfePoint next week as we continue our HOSTAGE series. We will find a way to have the basement put back together!

don't miss sunday

I'm excited for every Sunday and every Sunday feels like the Super Bowl to me but this week I'm even more excited than usual. So does that mean that this week feels like the World Cup?

Doug and Brandon are mixing it up this week (it's going to be awesome), the room will look completely different and I think God has given me a message that we all need to hear. You will want to make extra effort to be at LifePoint on Sunday! Don't miss a great opportunity to hang out with some amazing people, sing to a great God with a rockin' band and hear a funny preacher man.

See ya Sunday!

r u willing

A lot of times I leave my keys in my car and the other day someone said that I must be a very trusting person. I don't think trust has much to do with it and if you saw my car you would understand.

Some people are list makers and some people are contemplators but we all want to know what's next. Some by nature worry more than others.

Most people like to have at least some control (okay a lot) over the things in their lives. They wouldn't say it's because they don't trust others  but they would say because nobody knows what's best for them better than them.

Jesus speaks about this issue of trust in John 14:1
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God..."

I'm not suggesting that we don't need to make plans or be oblivious to the things around us but we do have to be willing to trust God.

Are you willing to trust God? Are you willing to trust Him when he calls you to do something out of your comfort zone? Are you willing to trust Him when He prompts you to share your faith? Are you willing to trust Him when you see someone you could love and serve? Are you willing to trust Him when He says He wants to use you to help change the world?

r u willing

I think everyone has had "that guy" in your life before. You know, the one that just seems to bug you. The one that seems to come around at the worst possible time. The one that says things that make you want to punch him in throat.

And then there's the person that you really don't know but the weird you out because of how they look, where the live, how they smell, what they look like, or what their experiences have been. You would just as soon avoid them all together.

Then there is the family member that you haven't talk with in months or years and you're okay with that.

Jesus tells us how it should be in John 13:34-35
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

It doesn't matter where someone has been or what they've done - we must be willing to love them.

I would also add, are you willing to love yourself? It doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done, Jesus forgives you and loves you. Can you forgive yourself and love yourself?

r u willing

Have you ever been asked to do something you just didn't want to do?

When I was a kid, my dad asked me to walk to a neighbors house to tell my sister it was time to come home. I did not want to do it so I just walked part way and sat down and waited for awhile. After what I thought was a sufficient amount of time had passed I returned and told my dad that my sister said she didn't want to come home.

Jesus reminds us in John 13:1-5 that we must be willing to serve and He set the example.
It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

I am not suggesting that we run around and wash people's feet but we do need to find ways to serve those around us.

Remember these two things:
1. We are called to serve
2. Nothing is beneath us

Are  you looking for ways to get out of doing something or are you looking for ways to serve?

worship

In the book, Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori and Rom Brafman there is an interesting observation. The book doesn't talk about worship but I think this quote helps clarify what we value or worship.

“When we encounter a new object, person, or situation, the value we assign to it shapes our further perception of it.”

Worship is what you and I value greatly and how that decision impacts our lives.