What I've Been Up To... Part 1

I admit it. I am guilty of one of the most important principles of blogging-- if you want to keep people reading, keep posting regularly. But I guess I just haven't had the time or the discipline to put my thoughts onto screen. I can't possibly go into all the stuff that's been going on lately, or to give you detailed observations of Sundays at Eden since Easter, but here is the abridged version of my life over the last 6 weeks:

• Like I mentioned in my last post, Easter was a blast, not only at Eden but in general.
• On Saturday, April 25, Eden had its first Family Meal & Movie Night. We had a great spaghetti dinner and then we watched the movie Fly Wheel. Honestly, we didn't have nearly the number of people we were hoping for, but then again we didn't market the event much either. Nevertheless, it was a great time spent with the Eden Church Family as well as we had a non-churched couple come for the meal and the movie. Here's the awesome part: That couple have been coming every Sunday since then and bring their grand kids. They're asking questions about God and He is definitely working in their lives.
• After Easter, we did a series of messages at Eden called Where's My Bailout? I hate to talk about money, but Jesus tells us to teach what He and His Father taught. There are 500 verses in the Bible about Heaven and Hell, less than 500 on faith, and there are nearly 2,300 verses in the Bible dealing with what God says about money, possessions, and being good stewards! People are really concerned with their money and stuff and as the body of Christ, we need to be teaching them God's plan. It was really hard boiling down all God says into three messages when we could spend years on the subject, but it came down to three main issues:
  --Am I Putting God First in My Finances? When we put God first by tithing (giving God 10% of my money before anything else) He promises to bless us and provide for our needs. This is one of the few places where God actually dares us to test Him. I have never met someone who went broke who also put God first in their finances. By the way, tithing should always go to a local church, not some televangelist with wild hair, or some other ministry. We should be generous, but God calls us to bring our tithes to the local church. If we give to other ministries, that comes after the tithe. Also, if you are unemployed, I realize that 10% of 0 is 0.
  --Am I Working Hard? God does not reward laziness. Even if you are retired (which is not a Biblical concept) or even well off, you need to be active. Volunteer, plant a garden, do something with your life. If you have a family, provide for them! I understand that you might not have a job or can't find one right now. I am there myself. But you need to get off your rump and try! Paul tells us that a man who does not provide for his family is much worse than an unbeliever! Ouch!
  --Am I Trusting God and Investing in Him? Jesus said that we need to lay up treasure in heaven where it cannot disappear. But instead, we are so worried about the economy. Lets be honest... We do not have a terrible economy. It's just not as good as it has been. I've been to third world countries, and we still are rich beyond compare. The reason so many people are worried about money is because when the stock market died, so did their god. Our Lord has all the riches imaginable and He WILL SUPPLY OUR NEED! But are we trusting in Him?
• In Summary: Here is God's Bailout Plan-- 1. Put God First in Every Area including FINANCES. 2. Work Hard. 3. Trust God and Seek Him First.
• Christina and I now have a house to rent. It needs a lot of work because no one has lived in it for almost 10 years, so no maintenance was done. But the landlord is a great guy and giving us a great rate, so we're happy to do a lot of the cosmetic work ourselves.
• Anyone know where I can get a good slightly used refrigerator?