Attempting Recovery & Catching up on Sunday Sermons

It has been entirely too easy to use the excuse of a damaged left wing to prevent me from updating these posts. Though I have seen some slight improvement in the range of motion in my arm and the pain has been under better control, it still is uncomfortable to type at my desk for any extended period. But enough is enough.

I've been procrastinating at rescheduling a trip back to the doctor. I already have an annual physical scheduled for March 7th, so I think I'll wait till then and give the arm a little more healing time. In the mean time I've been doing appropriate exercizes with the arm/ shoulder. If it is still no better by the 7th, I'll concede to whatever the Doctor orders.

One thing I didn't mention last time I posted was something I was particularly proud of. One of my goals for 2010 was to become a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. This is a special certification given by the Brain Injury Association of America to persons who meet certain qualifications and can pass their exam. In early January I finally got my opportunity to take the exam. Leading up to the exam, I spent a week studying and the evening before I was feeling pretty confident and spent the evening reviewing material and then I took a practice exam to see where I stood. On the practice exam I scored a 96%. Being the perfectionist I am I decided to spend a little more time on an area I was weak in and about 11:00pm, all of a sudden everything went blank, At that point it was like everything I had been preparing vanished. It was as if my mind went blank. I tried not to panic. I realized I had just overstudied. I reasoned the material had been encoded but it was like I had been filing all this information away and someone had turned the cabinet over and now it was hard to retrieve the needed information- a classic organization problem. I also knew, after a good night's sleep, I should be able to retrieve the information much better and when I took the test, the questions would likely cue me toward the material now stored in memory. Sure enough, I felt confident again as I took the test and felt reasonably sure I had passed. My results came back recently and I passed with a 99%.
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I haven't posted any of my sermon notes for awhile so here are the outlines from Pastor Paul Woodruff's Sunday messages from February 13th and February 20th.
The entire sermons and other messages can be found at The Eagle Creek Grace Brethren Church web site at
http://www.eaglecreekgbc.org/Home/SermonAudio/tabid/66/Default.aspx

2/13/11
"Be Transformed"
Romans 12:1-2
1. A Call To An Act of Presentation
Pesent- To put at God's disposal
God wants us committed to Him- nothing held back- the best we have
Malachi 1:6-9- The priests defiled God because they offered less than their best
An all out presentation of our lives to God is reasonable & logical- not radical
Considering God's mercy toward us and because Jesus gave Himself for us it is reasonable for us to give everything His love for us should compel us

2. A Command to the Precept of Transformation
Don't be shaped by the world (conformed)
Don't adapt to the world's view & priorities
The World of Fallen Humanity is characterized by Self Love / Self Seeking
It substiutes the glory of this world for the glory of God-- Rom 1:23-25
What we must do is Transform
We received a new nature when we became a believer & now we should be transformed by God
It is a process about change and not just growth- real growth happens by transformation
Done By:- The renewing of the mind- We must think differently
How we think will affect how we act
The Christian mind needs to think from an eternal perspective- not a secular perspective
Eternal Life doesn't begin after I die but should determine how I Live
The Method of the Holy Spirit's renewal- God's Word Col 3:10, 16
The Result proves what the will of God is

We discover God's will is what is Good
Ask yourself when making decisions
Is it Good?
Is it Moraly Pure?
Is it pleasing to God?

Dedication to God leads to Discernment which leads to delight

2/20/11
"Humbling Exercize"
Romans 12:3-8

A call for humility within the church as it relates to the exercize of gifts-
A biblical humbling will open the door to love

1. The Caution to Think Humbly About Ourselves vs 3
Don't overestimate our value Rom12;16
I shouldn't think myself better than others
"matter of faith" -a reference to the gifts & the resources to exercize them Eph 4:7
Whatever grace or gift given to us is all of God & He gives us the grace to minister the gift 1 Cor 15:10
When we understand it is all of God we will have sound judgment
1Tim 3:6 a person can easily become conceited
Pride is the first sin- comitted by Satan-- Pride is spiritual insanity- Fueled by the Devil
1 Cor 4:6

2. The Reminder how Important Everyone is to the Body of Christ
Gifts- Deal with our service
Fruits deal with our character
Gifts shouldn't be a copout for service ex." I don't do that it isn't my gift"
Every believer has at least 1 spiritual gift
1 Pet 4:11

3. Call to Exercize your Gift for Service of the Body
We need to Act out what we read in the Bible
Act On What We Believe

Sunday Sermon Notes 1/2/11

"Choose You This Day"
Joshua 24
Pastor Paul Woodruff

Joshua is about new beginnings & what God will do in a life totally committed to Him
Joshua is about living victoriously & experiencing all God has promised

Joshua calls the people to make a choice

Joshua Sets Forth the Motivation to Serve the Lord-- vs 1-13
The Goodness & Grace of God should Motivate us
Whenever one doubts God's call to service thinking it too much one should review his life & remember God's mercy& faithfulness

Joshua Calls for a Decision to Serve the Lord vs 14-15
By and large the people were good but secret idolotry in the camp is revealed, keeping them from full services to God
There was still some hypocrisy undermining their devotion to God
1st John 5:21 "little children, guard yourselves from idols"
God wants & deserves ALL of our devotion
Joshua says choose- don't live with a water downed service to the Lord

Joshua Challenges Their Resolution to Serve the Lord vs 16-18
Joshua points out the people won't be able to serve because God is Holy
Joshua knew the people & knew they would cling to their old ways & he knew the human heart & how man continues to fail after rededication & rededication

Man has a tendency not to fulfill his resolutions. We try to fullfill them in our own power.

We need to think through our decisions & make sure we understand them
Jesus said "You can do nothing without me."
We can't serve God the way we should without the power of the Spirit
Galatians 3:3 "Are you foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"

Joshua wants the people to seriously consider their decisions & the people continued to say they would serve vs 24 So a Covenant was made vs 25

3 Keys to Serving the Lord in Sincerity and Truth

You must determine in your heart to obey what is written in the Bible
Joshua 23:6 "Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left."

Our decisions need to be based upon what God says. Obedience brings success.

Refuse to Compromise with Sin vs 24:14
Joshua 23: 6-8 is a progression
Be firm in the Word
Seperate from sin
Cling to the Lord

Put away foreign gods & don't mention or serve them- interaction with those things was the 1st step toward compromise

When you compromise with the enemy you will not have victory & you will lose peace- no abundant life if you compromise with sin- Don't live by the world's standards

II Corinthians 6:14-18 ""Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for that partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 'THEREFORE COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPERATE,' SAYS THE LORD. AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; AND I WILL WELCOME YOU. AND I WILL BE A FATHER TO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO ME' SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY."

Resolve to love God with all your heart- Joshua 23:11

Submit to God's Word
Seperate from the World
Devotion with all our Heart

This message can be heard at the Eagle Creek Grace Brethren Church website at

http://www.eaglecreekgbc.org/Home/SermonAudio/tabid/66/Default.aspx