Associate Pastor Asked to Preach Easter Sunrise Service

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christen Daily Blog!

Pastor East R. Sunrize had begun planning his sermon for the 11 a.m. worship service on Easter Sunday.

The 40-year-veteran of pastoral ministry decided to concentrate on Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection during the sermon.

“When I talk about the Crucifixion, I’m going to focus on the fact that Christ’s death on the Cross was necessary to save mankind from sin,” Pastor Sunrize told his wife, Sunny. “And when I talk about the Resurrection, I plan to emphasize that Jesus’ coming out of the grave proves that He is more powerful than death.”

“Your messages are always so timely and inspiring,” said Sunny.

“That’s because I must depend on the power of the Holy Spirit,” said the pastor. “If I depend on myself and my own ability to preach God’s Holy Word, I know I’ll fall flat on my face.”

Pastor Sonrize decided to ask his associate pastor, Solar Sunraze, to preach the message at the church’s sunrise service.

Associate Pastor Sunraze had only been in the ministry for about three years, and he accepted most opportunities to preach. “It’s a blessing to stand behind the pulpit to preach God’s Holy Word,” he said.

He enjoyed preaching revivals, kids crusades, and Vacation Bible Schools, hosted the church’s radio and TV ministries, and wrote a newspaper column.

About two weeks before Easter, Pastor Sunrize called his associate pastor. “I’ve been thinking about offering a new ministry opportunity to you,” said the pastor. “I know how passionate you are about preaching the gospel.”

“Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so that I could live forever with Him!,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “It’s a great honor to be called into ministry. So what is this new ministry opportunity you mentioned?”

“You know that Easter is coming up in a couple of weeks, right?,” asked the pastor.

“Yes, and I can hardly wait to hear you preach about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “It was through the Crucifixion that Jesus shed His blood, and it was the Resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.”

“I would like for you to preach an Easter message for the sunrise service at the church,” said Pastor Sunrize. “It starts at 6:30 a.m.”

“I am so excited that you’re offering this opportunity to me,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “But I’m afraid I must turn down your request.”

“But why?,” asked the pastor.

“I feel I must always be fully awake when I preach,” said the associate pastor. “You see, I’m not a morning person.

“If I start preaching a sermon when I’m not wide awake, I might fall asleep while I’m preaching. And it would be the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep during one of my own sermons!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Book Review: The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher

The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher is part of the Ancient Practices Series, but it's actually the first of her books that I've read. It gives a different insight to communion than I typically study or even consider. That's not a bad thing!

Ms. Gallagher and I obviously come from different backgrounds, ecclesiastically, and probably theologically, however, there were many insights that she gave to the meaning of communion, or the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper (depending on your ecclesiastical background) that I found interesting. She points out that this is a time of waiting on the Lord and listening for Him to speak, then receiving from Him, and afterward, even through the sense of "jet lag," letting the experience "seep in into [our] cells."

What Gallagher calls "practices," and this being but one of them, I have always considered "traditions," which is the term I find most Nazarenes use. I found I liked her term as well, because the traditions that we practice are what make us Christian.

If you'd like to have a deeper understanding of Communion, and of how it is a practice of the Church because it draws us closer to Christ, I'd definitely recommend The Sacred Meal. I have a few pastor friends I think should read it. If Communion is truly a practice—a tradition—of our faith, as are Baptism, Prayer, etc. then we need to better understand it. And I, personally, believe the Nazarene Church as a whole needs to place more emphasis on it. But that's for another post.

I'd give this one four stars!

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Watch Your Aim When Throwing Verbal Darts

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Ramsey and Rose were teenagers who lived in a huge metropolis where some teens were known for hurling insults at visitors, relatives, friends, enemies and everyone else. Sometimes they even stood in front of the mirror and called themselves names.

Rose and Ramsey, who had known each other since kindergarten, especially enjoyed throwing verbal darts at all the senior citizens and young children they met.

The two friends became known as the Verbal Dart Throwers Club. They enjoyed throwing those fiery darts so much that they held a special meeting to come up with an idea that would greatly enhance their evil efforts.

Rose considered herself the leader of the club, and Ramsey seemed content to play along with that notion. During the meeting, Rose suggested a drastic change in their mode of operation. "Instead of continuing to toss verbal darts at everyone, why don't we begin saying nice things?," she asked.

"Where did you get such an idea?," asked Ramsey. "Aren't you afraid our reputations will be ruined by such a big change in the way we do things?"

"Absolutely not!," exclaimed Rose. "That's the beauty of the plan. People will be so shocked that they won't know what to think. Then when everyone thinks we've become goody-goody, we'll just go back to our old ways."

"When do you want to start this new and improved plan?," asked Ramsey.

"The sooner the better," said Rose. "I can't wait to see how well this little scheme works."

The next afternoon after school, Ramsey and Rose met at their local mall, their usual location for verbal dart hurling. As they were walking into the mall, Ramsey taped a piece of paper to the back of Rose's jacket.

Rose walked up to a man named Ron, flashed her most charming smile and said, "Good afternoon, Sir. That's a very beautiful tie you're wearing."

Without waiting for a reply, Rose bounced over to a woman named Rexanna, who was pushing a baby carriage. "Your baby has the most beautiful red hair," Rose said.

Rexanna replied, "You can't fool me with your goody-goody act. I've seen you here on numerous occasions, and I've observed you when you were being yourself...not putting on an act!"

"How did you know that I'm putting on an act this time?," inquired Rose.

"Because someone wrote a message on the back of your coat...It says 'ACTRESS,'" said Rexanna.

Rose realized that Ramsey had played a trick on her. "I'm really going to try to stop throwing those verbal darts," she said. "Sometimes they have a tendency to hit you instead of the person you're aiming at!"

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Free Christian Radio Toolbar

If you listen to Christian radio online, and I do, when I'm not writing, you might want to take a look at the Christian Music Internet. It's free, which is always nice, and it comes with an uninstaller, so if you don't like it, you're not married to it for the rest of your PC's life.

It allows you to listen to Christian radio while you surf, and if you prefer, the same company offers a variety of other types of radio including sports, country, oldies, classical and several others.

The toolbar comes with a search pane, as well as several newsfeeds, and you don't have to listen to strictly the genre you choose! For instance, the Christian toolbar also gives you the option to listen '70s music (which I love!), so it's pretty cool. And it's got a stop/play button that lets you stop listening if you get busy, the phone rings, or the someone walks in for a chat.

The toolbar comes with some great gadgets that link to places like Travelocity and other popular quick links, but being a pastor and a Christian, I didn't like the video poker gadget that's included automatically. And the only way I could find to remove it was to remove the entire Gadget section under Toolbar Options, Hide App. But all in all, it's one of the better toolbars I've come across. You might want to check it out.

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Unborn Baby Wants To Become Professional Thief

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Everyone who knew Esther could tell that she was extremely happy that she was going to have a baby.

“I have dedicated my son, Elijah, to the Lord,” Esther said. “When he grows up, he will accomplish great exploits for God! “I think he may become a great preacher or a well-known Christian singer!”

A couple of months later, when Esther was six months pregnant, she and her husband, Elisha, were on their way home after the Sunday morning worship service.

The radio’s smooth Christian music was interrupted by a soft, “Hi, Mom and Dad! Would you mind changing the station to something geared more to us in the younger generation!?”

“Esther, I thought I just heard someone ask us to change radio stations,” said Elisha. “But we’re the only ones in the car.”

“That was Elijah, our son,” said Esther. “He and I had a nice conversation last night. I almost thought I was dreaming. He told me that he was going to talk to us today after church.”

“So, how are you doing this afternoon, Son?,” asked Elisha, as he tuned the radio to a Christian station with a more contemporary sound.

“I’m great, Dad!,” exclaimed Elijah, his feet tapping to the music. “And thanks for changing stations for me.” “While we’re having this little discussion today, there is something specific I want to talk to you about,” said Elisha.

“What’s that, Dad?”

“I know you haven’t been born yet, but you’re my son, and I’d like to give you a bit of a head start in life. So, I’d like to talk to you about your career options.”

“And we have already dedicated you to God, so your career needs to be one that will honor and glorify the Lord,“ said Esther. “I‘m thinking about you becoming a pastor, evangelist, youth leader, music director, or a Christian actor.”

“How about you, Dad? Do you have any ideas on a career that will be the best for me?,” asked Elijah.

“My ideas would tend to be more secular in nature,” said Elisha. “A field like information technology or science. But even if you work in a secular job, you’ll still have lots of opportunities to serve God.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Dad, because I guess you might say that I’m interested in a secular field. I want to be a professional thief.”

“I professional thief?,” gasped Esther.

“Yes, Mom, a professional thief. Dad, you know how you always watch professional baseball games on Sunday afternoons after church? Well, I’ve been listening in, and I’m sort of thinking about a pro baseball career. I want to be the all-time stolen-base king!”

For a couple of seconds, Elijah gave his mother a couple of unusual kicks. “What’s that all about?,” she asked.

“I’m just practicing sliding into second base!” Elijah laughed.

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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The Sovereign Lord is in Charge of Climate Change

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Blizzard 2010 was a small city in the Land of Virtual Winter, USA.

Many cities and towns in the Land of Virtual Winter had seen so much snow that even the residents who loved the white stuff were ready for a reprieve.

The Blizzard 2010 City Council, which met on the second Friday of each month, decided to consider an ordinance forbidding snow, freezing rain or sleet to fall inside the city limits for the remainder of the winter.

Councilman Snowz Grate was the first to speak in favor of the ordinance. “Fellow citizens, we’ve had entirely too much snow this winter,” he said. “I have so much snow at my house that the last bunch of snow flurries started talking among themselves. They were complaining that they were working much harder than this winter’s raindrops.”

“I have more than one hundred cattle on my farm, and they were mooing among themselves,” said Councilman Daree Farmur. “They said the amount of snow, combined with the extremely cold temperatures, was making their lives utterly unbearable.”

Councilman Snow E. Rhoads said the town had used nearly all of its winter salt supply. “So there will be no salt to take care of the streets during the additional accumulating snows that are heading in our direction,” he said.

Councilman Snowz Grate then asked if anyone from the community had additional comments.

SnowCreme D. Zert stood and walked to the podium in the center of the council chambers. “Members of the council, you will be making a huge mistake if you pass the proposed ordinance,” she said.

“It will be a mistake because even if the ordinance passes, the blizzards, blowing winds and arctic temperatures can still come into town. Wind, rain and snow are not subject to our laws.”

“They can’t be subject to our laws now because we have no laws governing bad weather and climate change,” stated Councilman Snowz Grate. “But after we pass the ordinance, they will be required to obey the law, and they must never again enter Blizzard 2010.

The Lord was observing the city council session from his throne, from where He controlled the rain and snow, hot and cold temperatures and whatever climate change He deemed necessary. “I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear!,” said the Sovereign Lord.

“The Blizzard 2010 City Council has no jurisdiction over the weather or the climate!,” exclaimed the Lord. “And I’m the only weather forecaster with a 100 percent accuracy rating.”

“Why are you always so accurate?,” asked Councilman Daree Farmur.

The Sovereign Lord replied, “Because not only do I predict the weather, I decide what it is going to be!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Every Day is Thanksgiving Day

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Once upon a time in the Official Land of Thanksgiving, lived a man who was truly thankful for his blessings, although he occasionally experienced a bump on the Road of Life.

ThanksAlot, who was always promoting the advantages of living in the Official Land of Thanksgiving, was special to the Lord because of his attitude of gratitude.

One morning, ThanksAlot prayed, “Thanks a lot, Lord, for a good night‘s sleep. Thanks a lot for letting me live in a free country. And thanks a lot for sending Jesus Christ, your Son, into the world to die on the cross for my sins.”

After breakfast, ThanksAlot walked outside, got into his car and drove to work. When he arrived, ThanksAlot ran into one of life’s minor bumps on the Road of Life - someone had parked in his assigned parking space. Because ThanksAlot was considered the hardest worker at his place of employment, his supervisor had granted his request to paint his parking space his favorite color - green.

ThanksAlot parked in a space near the rear of the parking lot. “Thanks, Lord, for helping me to find this parking space, “ he said. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re a couple minutes late this morning,” observed Alwayz Thankful, the receptionist.

“Someone else parked in my space this morning,” replied ThanksAlot.

“Yes, I know,” said Alwayz Thankful. “That’s my car. I’ve been promoted to your position, so it’s now my parking space. By the way, the company president, Thank U. Lord, wants to see you right away.”

ThanksAlot walked down the hallway and knocked on Thank U. Lord’s door. “Come in,” said Thank U. Lord.

“Am I in trouble, Sir?,” asked ThanksAlot. “Alwayz Thankful said she has been promoted to my job, and she parked in my parking spot.”

“No, you’re not in trouble,” said Thank U. Lord. “You’re doing such a great job of promoting our town that I am promoting you to a newly created position. You’re going to be our new Officer of Public Thanksgiving. Your job will be to build an army of thankful people within our corporation.

“This army will encourage everyone else in our corporation, as well as in our great nation, to both publicly and privately, express their thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for his continual blessings.”

“We’re giving you your own car, and you’ll have a new indoor parking spot next to your office. You’re getting a new salary of $250,000 per year.

“Thanks, Sir,” said ThanksAlot. “Thanks a lot.”

ThanksAlot left the building and walked to his car. He entered the vehicle, and bowed his head. “Thanks a lot, Lord, for your blessings of today,” he prayed.

“You’re welcome, ThanksAlot,” replied the Lord. “I appreciate your heart of thankfulness and praise. Thanks for your continued faithfulness to me every day. Thanks, my child. Thanks a lot!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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