Discovery Life Church - November 28, 2010

Pastor Roy T. Barrett
Discover Life Church
Budding Ministry
Location - Church shares space with another church that is located nearby a residential area in Dunwoody.
Service Times: Sunday - 10:30AM, lasts no more than 1.5 hours
Parking - there is a standard sized parking lot for the church. 

Members - there are about 40 persons in service by the time that it was over.  The members were predominantly African American.

First Time Guest - There was a greeter at the door when we arrived, welcomed us and asked how we knew about the ministry.  There is a point in the service where visitors are asked to stand, encouraged to share their information, and asked to come back.  We were given a packet of information that gives instruction that is suited for new believers, a CD message from the pastor, then all members are encouraged to give a hug to the members and their other neighbors.

Praise & Worship - There was one person who lead the group in song at the start of service, playing recorded music in the background. 

Sermon Title - Giant Slaying - It is Time to Slay That Thing
1 Samuel 17:1-11; 32 - Story of David v. Goliath

This is the story of the little guy v. the big guy.  People who are not even believers are likely to know the story of how David was able to take out Goliath.  They might not know the back story as to how Saul, Samuel and Jesse were involved, but they know the high points.  Saul was rejected by God as king, Samuel was sent to Jesse's house in search of his son who was 'after God''s own heart'.  Though David was not initially presented as the answer to the search, he was later discovered to be in the field tending to the sheep.  He was annointed with his calling, then went right back to tending the sheep, which was what he was SUPPOSED to be doing.  Even after being told of such an amazing call on his life, he did not neglect his duty.
The war started, some of David's brothers were off fighting.  David was sent out into the field by his father to run an errand and he encountered a giant.  *Note - even though we are following our father's direction, we will encounter giants.  Simply being obedient does not mean that one will not run into hard times.  This is the last line of defense before one obtains favor.  You do not get promotion through avoiding your issues.

I. Reviewing my Info on The Problem - v. 22-27
a. Motivation will be challenged - we run into encounters with people who challenge our progress when we are still in the fact-finding stage due to their own hang-ups. 
b. calculating your compensation - your rewards need to proportionately match the size of your sacrifice.

II. Relying on my Instruments for The Problem - v. 32-40
a. Need the RIGHT equipment - YOUR right equipment, not just necessarily the equipment that someone else recommends that you should have.  David was given the kings armor to go out to slay the giant, it was too big, it was too heavy, it was awkward and he did not know how to move around.  He picked up the stones and he went for the weak spot that he located on the giant.  As a part of their armor, the giants were niave enough to leave their soft spot exposed.  Had David aimed for any other spot on the giant, he would have been defeated.  But, he knew what he was to do, he knew what he was to do it with, and he did it.  You never obtain victory from the attire of someone else's armor.
 b. my age (natural or spiritual) does not matter.  Listening to taunting from the wrong folks for so long had all of the others to a point in which they were afraid.  They were willing to listen to the no that was delivered to them.  They were worn out by life, so they were throwing water or gas onto the fire of someone else, imposing their own choices onto them.

III. Relying on My Instruments - v. 45-50

Elizabeth Baptist Church - November 21, 2010

Pastor Craig L. Oliver
Elizabeth Baptist Church
Established church, satellite location. 
Location - EBC has 3 locations: Cascade Road (main location), Fairburn Road, Smyrna
The Smyrna location shares space with another church, so it is a remote location. 
Service Times: Saturday- 6PM, Sunday -  7:15AM, 8:30AM, 9:30AM, 10:45AM, 12PM
Parking - there is a small parking lot for the church.  overflow has to park in various lots for surrounding businesses.

Dress: Ranges from very casual to very dressy.

Members - there are about 200 persons at this 'satellite' location.  The main campus has a membership of over 10,000 with members who reside all over town.  A number of members elect to go to the location that is in closer proximity to their home so that they can avoid a much larger crowd.  The members tend to range greatly in ages, predominantly African American.

First Time Guest - There is a point in the service where visitors are asked to stand.  They are given a packet of information that gives instruction that is suited for new believers, then all members are encouraged to give a hug to the members and their other neighbors.

Praise & Worship - There is a praise team who performs various songs prior to the start of service.  The music is very loud on the level as if they are in the much larger facility.  Words to the songs are typically provided on the screen.

Other Notes: This is the church that I have attended for the last several months, the one that my fiance has been a member for the last decade.
 
Bible Version: KJV, nearly exclusively
Sermon Title - Principles for Thanksgiving Every Day
Text - Matthew 15:29-39
Outline
I. Accept Scope of your Blessings
A. Be conscious and give thanks for our own little blessings
B. Be content with your Life's Blessings
II. Acknowledge the Source of our Blessings
A. Without God, life is not possible.
B. Without gratitude, life is an insult.
III. Accept the sufficiency of our Blessings - God sees the shortfalls.
Outline

You Are Doing What, Now???

I became engaged to an amazing man after several years of dating.  We were both dedicated to our own respective churches and in hindsight, we could both pinpoint that a part of our hesitancy in taking our relationship to the next level several years ago was that we did not know how we would be able to merge our church attendance into one, going to seperate churches was not an option for us.  In a symbolic moment to extend my willingness to compromise for the greater sake of our relationship, I decided to leave the church that I had been a member for the last several years to join his church.  After I became a member of his church, after a few months, my fiance decided that we needed to embark on a journey to find a church that WE could call our own.  I really appreciate and adore him for a number of reasons in this entire matter:
1. Allowing me to extend to him my desire to place him as the spiritual head of our household and exemplify that I was willing to follow him.
2. Take note that he noticed a difference in my reactions and not place me in the position to have to ask him to start looking for another church home when I was not feeling like I had a 'gel' fit.
3. He started to put forth the effort to find some locations for us to visit.
4. He is supportive of the vision that I shared with him that we could take on as we go about this journey.
5. He is prayerful that we will find exactly what we need.

While a member of the church that I attended, Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church, I was extremely active in ministry.  I enjoyed my time there and had the opportunity to expand my ministerial knowledge exponentially.  I read a number of books, attended several conferences, soaked up a number of lessons from persons who had been in the ministry, talked to many people, and read the Bible to seperate what I had been taught in church over the years from what was actually scripturally based.  In all of that, I have developed a number of truths that are not meant to be all-inclusive, but are the essentials of my thoughts as it relates to gatherings of Christian believers in dwellings across the country:
-The church is a gathering of imperfect Christians who know about a perfect being.  The more that we realize the perfection of the one that we adore, the more that we need to start to realize our imperfection.  From time to time, in all of our imperfection, we lose sight of this and start to think that we are indeed the perfect being.  None of us are perfect-from the leaders to the visitors.
-Our goal as Christians is simple, yet the most complex task that we can ever take on.  Simple complexity.  Because it is so simple, we often think that it is so easy that we do not have to do anything in order to accomplish our goal.  In fact, we think that it is so simple that we really don't have to do it.  The complexity lies wherein we need to make sure to actually pay attention and react to the information presented to us. 
-Being a believer means that a Savior saved you as well as me (AND He loves others as well).  Being a believer means that you are caled to join in fellowship with other believers.  Being a believer means that you are to go about the work of spreading the word of God.