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Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

Brazil Day Four Recap

I know it is actually day 5. but here is the recap of day four of our team’s journeys in Brazil. Giving the recap: Holly Smithwick, Andy Six, and Jeremy Armstrong.

We’ve been having a blast here! We had a great day of ministry yesterday and today started off with a bang as we had the privilege of worshiping this morning at Templo Batista Biblica here in Jacarei. Here’s a few shots of yesterday and today.

Sam Cirrincione sharing his testimony with translator Patrick McClure.

Our group singing in Portuguese and English at the favela (slums).

Our team doing the drama called “The Woman”, which is about finding hope and peace in Christ in the midst of a chaotic world.

This drama is called “King of Hearts”, which is about how we all hide beyond masks but Christ helps us realize who we can be in and through a relationship with Him.

I had the great honor of preaching at TBB, the first church I worshiped with in Brazil in 1998.

Our CPC team with some of the staff and members of TBB hanging out after church.

All in all, it has been an incredibly fruitful trip thus far! God has multiplied blessings here. The best highlight so far: our team leading 9 people to Christ last night… IN PORTUGUESE! It was awesome.

Keep praying for us. Hopefully the next update will be by Tuesday.

‘Weekend Away’ Marriage Retreat

weekendaway1

This weekend, our church hosted its first ever marriage retreat. We had an absolutely incredible time! We laughed a lot together, but it was more than just entertainment.

Dr. Chuck Hannaford was our speaker, and he delivered some powerful stuff! Many, if not all, of the couples that attended were greatly impacted by the teaching.

It is hard to summarize a weekend at the “fire hydrant”, but I want to share some quotes here that impacted my life and worldview as a husband. Some may seem obvious, but a reminder was definitely necessary. Others were like taking a slap to the side of the forehead. Here we go:
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“Loving my spouse well shows my maturity in Christ.”

“God doesn’t hold me responsible for what others do to me. He holds me responsible for what I do with what they do to me.”

“What God intends to be confluence we turn into conflict.”

“God created marriage for my sanctification, not my satisfaction!”

“God created marriage for my holiness, not my happiness!”

“The Bible doesn’t teach us to fall in love but to walk in love.”

“We can only overcome that which we confront.”

“My relationship with my wife is more important than being right.”

“Husbands, submit yourselves to the needs of your wife and use all your resources to meet those needs – to the point of death.”

“I can’t be in fellowship with God if I’m not in fellowship with my wife. In order to effectively worship God, I must love my wife.”

“Marriage is NEVER about control – it is about influence! The most controlling people are usually controlled by fear.”

“Forgiveness is the canceling of debt, not the approval of sin.”

“When we have problems in our marriage, they are spiritual problems. You can’t solve spiritual problems with a carnal weapon.”

“We have two choices in life: we can base our self-worth on our experiences and what others have done to me OR we can base our self-worth on who Christ is and what He has done FOR me.”

“When I do marriage God’s way, I become more like Christ.”

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Needless to say, this was a very introspective, spiritually awakening time. What quotes or concepts stand out to you? I’d love to know…

You can view Dr. Hannaford’s bio here.

Wanna Get Away?

Our friends over at Worship House Media always do a good job at creating great sermon illustrations. We regularly use their videos at our church.

One of their newer ones is hilarious… It is called “Placebo.”

It is based on the idea that we want to create a false reality in our lives when things aren’t going our way. How true this really is!

southwest_airlines_logo1It reminds me of the Southwest Airlines commercials that tag “Wanna Get Away?” after an evident problem occurs. We can all feel like this sometimes, but instead of growing through the tough trials like God wants us to, we kick and scream and wish for them to magically disappear. We try to interfere with our own sanctification far too often…

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did! See it here.

Worship House Media‘s Description:
“When life gets you down, why not create your own version of the truth. It will be disastrous in the long run, but you’d feel better now. This mock commercial is the perfect prescription for people looking for an alternative to the truth when it gets too hard to swallow.”

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