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OK. It's obviously been quite a while since I've posted anything on here.
Shame on me.
I've been working on a new website to consolidate all my online efforts. So, if you are interested in what's going on in my world, head over here.
I won't be adding anything to the Between Nut and Saddle blog anymore. Everything will be at www.keithbarger.net, so go hit the subscribe button and let's see where this thing takes us.
See ya on the other site!
When we think of Easter, images of bunnies and eggs and family dinners come to mind. There's a nostalgia to the Easter celebration. Reliving our own childhood fun in the eyes of our own children.
We used to go to my grandparents house in Kingman, KS every holiday. And every easter eggs and candy would be hidden in the yard or around the house and the seven of us grandkids would gleefully hunt down the sweet prizes that were the celebration of Easter. I remember finding and re-hiding and finding again over and over. I remember the smell of the cedars in their back yard. I remember the warmth of the sun and the fun of running outside.
Our parents would all sit inside talking/cooking/sleeping - coming out to check on us every so often. I remember the tables all pushed together for lunch and the leftovers for dinner. And when we were quite young, my cousin Kevin and I would petition the powers-that-be to stay the night at grandma and grandpa's.
Those memories are joyful. Full of warmth and love.
What I don't remember is talk of the resurrection. Oh, we went to church. Either our own or my grandparents church. And we would sing and pray and listen to the preacher. But I don't remember our family talking about Christ's sacrifice.
And that's something I want her to remember.
Lots of work going into Harvest's Easter celebration.
But more importantly, lots of people are volunteering their time to make this Resurrection celebration a truly exciting time in the life of Harvest Community Church. And not just exciting because it's different. But exciting because God is working on Harvest in big ways - and this celebration is serving as something of a catalyst.
So, if you're a Harvest regular, make your plans to be at the South Milwaukee High School Performing Arts Center on Sunday, April 12. Doors will open at 10am. And our planned presentation will begin at 10:30. But the celebration?
The celebration has already begun.
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
I'm not sure how many times I've read this Psalm. Many. But as I was reading it again this week, God smacked me with something new.
Isn't it cool when He does that?
Anyway, I usually see this Psalm as the "sing and be happy because God made us and He is good" Psalm. But this week, verse 2 really struck me. "Come into his presence with singing!" His presence.
It doesn't say come to church with singing...
It doesn't say come to youth retreat with singing...
It doesn't say come to your home group with singing...
It says come into his presence with singing.
Galatians 2:20 says this: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
If Christ lives in me, then THE PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD is IN ME.
So, Christian, sing His praise all the time. His presence is in you.
Be glad, sing, make a joyful noise.
Need help figuring out how to spend time with God?
Examine.me is a great tool. Check it out!
I haven't posted here for a while. I see my blog every time I open up Firefox and I feel a little twinge of regret that I haven't been diligent in posting.
I've been busy.
But I've been wondering the last week or so. Why am I feeling so busy? Especially when I'm not feeling terribly productive.
I think I tend to work on the immediate tasks that pop up throughout the day rather than focusing on what I need to do to be productive. And it seems to me that most of us are this way from time to time. The biggest frustration for me is that I know that I have loads of things that I could be doing and being productive.
Planning services, planning Easter event, working on home projects, developing personal leadership and leadership skills in others. The list goes on.
After coming back from Catalyst One Day, I've been spending considerable energy and time in working on/ reading about/ listening to podcasts about leadership. And focus is a big part of what the leaders of leaders talk about . Focus on being productive. Focus on what is important rather than what is immediate/urgent.
I guess today is a day for renewing focus. And I'm going to focus on being productive.
