Christmas Eve Service Cancelled

There is NO Christmas Eve Service. The weather is just not worth risking. Let me suggest you use the evening in other ways of worship -
• have devotions with your family in your pajamas, and then have a wonderful home-made dinner together around the table, or
• Build a snowman read your Bible and pray together - maybe even sing a little! Or
• just spend some time with God yourself -- reading, praying, and thinking so that you're ready for the opportunities of the coming year. Ask God to reveal what role you're to play in the Ironridge ministry. Begin taking the steps to get involved!
That's all. Have a Merry Christmas!

What Will You Do?

Day 2 Converge USA NOC

Day Two of The National outreach Conference in San Diego. God made some real interesting people and here is one of them. Lloyd the Builder stopped by. He has a great story to tell. Check out his Facebook page here Become a fan. I did! I didn't say anything but, the guys got a big head.

Later Church planter and friend of mine Charles Hill stopped by. Charles is currently preparing to plant a church in Salt lake, Utah. One of the most un-churched places in America.You can check out his blog here. Tomorrow i will try to get some video of a few things happening.

See you soon.

Marlan

NOC in San Diego

The National outreach convention is on. This week I am manning the booth at the NOC with Dr. Randy Deal from Phoenix Arizona. Some great things here besides the weather! Randy is pastor of Rock Point church in Phoenix He has a great passion for God and making disciples. Besides that he is just fun to hang out with.

The second picture is me with Jon Lowry of Prison Fellowship. Check out their website to see what incredible things God is doing in the ministry to those in prison and how they are Transformed and brought back into the community. Jon stopped by the booth and as we talked he shared his incredible testimony of how God had led him from prison to ministering to gang members in Southern California. I was blown away by his story and yet knew I had met a brother in Christ. We have got to bring him to Ne Iowa to share what God is doing in his life!

More tomorrow!

Marlan

Where do you stand?

“ If you don’t need the Gospel more than the people you’re sharing it with, you ought not be sharing it with them."
Dan Allender, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Mars Hill Graduate School

Sometimes we can see ourselves as Superheroes or bearers of the truth. We may tend to think we are on the 'right side' rather than see ourselves as a people who need the message as much as anyone we will try to share it with. That simple little adjustment of our position in all of this makes the difference between us being used by God for his purposes or us using God for our purposes. Which position are you in?

We don't have to always defend ourselves...

Last week I made the statement that we don't always have to defend ourselves. Someone asked me this week about that. I told them that I see many people who spend vast amounts of time putting out the little fires that manifest themselves in the whispers of critics and that it only keeps them from doing what God has called them to do. I myself have things said about me that are painful and my urge is to defend or strikeback. However the only one that wins in those situations is Satan. Remember the bible says that Satan comes to "Kill, Steal and destroy" but Christ came to give life. Which life will you model? Here is a short video from Perry Noble of Newspring church, you might find it valuable in this discussion.

Perry Noble shares an important truth that many of us should visit today: We don't fight battles with people that claim to be Christian but don't like us". Why... quite simple: That is not our calling.

Have you been criticized by someone who doesn't know you? Have you been cut down from someone who has never attended your church? How about another church in town that doesn't agree with your style of ministry? Don't take on that battle... it's not your calling.

Bottom line: We can't control what other people say about us. But we can control how closely we stick to our calling of preaching the gospel.