National Porn Sunday...Feb. 6th

Got this off of xxxchurch.com...I think this is an awesome thing to be doing!

------------------------------

Addison Conference Center 11am - Porn Sunday
By Craig Gross on Thursday, January 27 2011 at 12:43 PM

It is closer then you all think! National Porn Sunday is around the corner. If you are in the Dallas area or coming into Dallas for the big game we would love to have you out for the Official XXXchurch event at 11am in a suburb of Dallas called Addison on February 6th. Here is the information below. If you are willing to help out with the event can you email my friend Steven who is the pastor at Presence Addiion church who is hosting us.

Relationship Builder: 30 Second Rule by Ron Carpenter

Came across this article on Ron Carpenter's site...deals with our thoughts and how they effect our emotions/attitudes. I thought it was pretty interesting...Check it out and tell us what you think!

--------------------------

It’s a proven, scientific fact that when any thought enters your mind, you have approximately 30 seconds to deal with it and make a decision before your feelings set in.

Your mind is given the job of deciding the battle between you and your thoughts. It’s up to your mind to control your ideas and imagination and make a decision as to where they’ll go next.

Here’s the danger: After your 30 seconds are up, your emotions kick in and develop a relationship with the thought. You become emotionally invested, and that’s when it starts getting complicated.

The Bible says to “take every thought captive.” Confine it in your mind, hold it hostage, and make a verdict before it goes anywhere else. Seize the thought and ask yourself, “Where did this come from?” If your answer is that it is not a Godly thought, then you have a decision to make: Get rid of it and move your mind to the next thing, or allow it to live.

If you dwell on the thought too long, you’ll no longer be battling the thought but you will be wrestling your feelings, and emotions are a lot stronger than we believe. They create a cycle, because those feelings hold you there and make you think more thoughts, and then those new thoughts bring more intense feelings. The danger is this: The more you become invested, the greater the desperation comes for you to find that answer. And the greater the anxiety, the greater you look to find a way to numb that feeling.

So now you’ve got these overwhelming, overpowering feelings and you’ve got to dispose of them but you can’t, and you become desperate to find a way to numb their effect and soon you find yourself doing things you know you never should do and saying things you don’t want to say.

So many people spend their entire life in this cycle, constantly trying to numb the pain of a feeling that, had they taken that first thought captive and said “You don’t belong here,” would never have had a chance to live.

You’ve got 30 seconds to deal with it. Your thoughts can put in you the worst mood or the best mood; can make yourself the happiest person no matter the condition of your surroundings or hell to live with.

Your feelings aren’t coming from your surroundings; they’re coming directly from your thoughts. Learn to control your thoughts before your emotions get in the way and begin leading you.

How nice will this day be...?

In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be
established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised
above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many
peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He
will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle
disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will
not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for
war anymore.

Isaiah 2:2-4

Comparing our situations to Job...

Got this post from Jon Acuff's site Stuff Christian's Like and was written by comedian John Crist...check it out!

-----------------------------------------------

(I’m doing a chronological read through the Bible plan right now and we’re in Job. So when I got this guest post from John Crist, it felt like perfect timing. Someday I hope to share the stage with this guy. Why? So I can take notes and learn. He’s a hilarious writer, a tremendous guest poster as exhibited last month and a great comedian. Hope you dig the post as much as I did!)

It’s hard to meet girls in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

If New York City is the City That Never Sleeps, Colorado Springs is the city that gets eight hours of sleep on a tempurpedic mattress…and a pillow with extra lumbar support.

So when you do find a girl in church that’s everything you’ve ever dreamed of, you gotta make a good first impression. That’s why I lead with the perfect question:

“What’s your stance on premarital spooning?”

Yep, that was my intro line. That got me a first date.

On our second date, or as Christians like to call it ‘getting engaged’, I went to pick her up at her house. She opened the door and I said confidently, “Baby, Let’s go to Jared’s.” she freaked out and started calling all her friends in the familiar “He. Went. To. Jared’s!” tone.

Not gonna lie, she was pretty upset when we pulled into subway.

She dumped me after I told her my five-year plan was to Eat Fresh.

I found myself sitting on the curb outside of Subway, single, lonely and heartbroken. And you know what I did next? I made an even bigger mistake. A mistake that undoubtedly ever Christian has made.

I started to compare my situation to Job.

Let’s get one thing clear. Job lost all his family, his house, his livestock, his wealth and his own health. My girlfriend of two weeks dumped me. Those are not comparable situations.

Job is one of the saints of our faith. He sits right next to Jesus when the secretary brings in the prayer requests everyday. (The secretary is probably Esther, we all know she’s confrontational and she demands to be called an administrative assistant, not a secretary). I digress. When Jesus shows Job these types of prayer requests, he probably just laughs.

Also, as Christians, let’s remember…we’re gonna meet this guy Job one day. Are you gonna introduce yourself and say, “Hey, your story really encouraged me when I picked up some coffee, drove ALL THE WAY HOME and realized it was a single pump, not double. I was crushed, I read your story and felt better.” I hope not.

For me, the breakup has been hard. Sometimes I feel like there’s only one set of footprints in the sand.

But I think some good can come of it. Please help me and call out your Christian brothers and sisters when you hear any variation of the following sentences:

“My flight was delayed for 20 MINUTES!!! I totally understand what Job was going through.”

“They could only give me store credit and not a refund, I instantly thought of Job.”

“After I got a flat tire last week and had to wait for AAA for 30 minutes, I read the book of Job with a new sense of understanding now.”

As for me and the girl, you ask? We eventually worked through it. I just sent her grandparents a save the date…to when the new meatball sub comes out.

They’re Italian. I figured they’d like to know.

(John Crist is a standup comedian. Visit his YouTube page.)

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7