They are tired of the weight.  They are tired of the lies, the facades.  They allow Him to look in. Embarrassing and self-realizing as it may be, we allow Him to point out each and every stone we have been carrying.  Stone by embarrassing stone, He removes them from the bag.  Each time it gets lighter and lighter and lighter.   Some have even emptied their entire burden at one, life-changing time in the presence of Jesus.

Wednesday Nights
7:30 pm Union Station

Current Series: (read more about it)

Hebrews 12:1-2

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Sometimes it seems like life just gets so heavy.  We are weighed down with all kinds of cares from homework and relationships to finances and reputations. We care about what people think about us. We care about what people say about us. We care about what people expect of us.  So we wear masks and facades all day long.  Much of the time we keep the facade up even when we are all by ourselves.

The problem with the facade is that, it makes us miserable.  Always trying to measure up, always trying to remember how to act, what to say, and when to say it.  We have to appear like we have it al together, we have to appear like nothing bothers us, we have to appear as if we have all our ducks in a row all the time.  And then we come into the presence of Jesus.

He shuns our facades and pulls back all of our layers of disguises and points out all of those things we try to hide.  Insecurities, lies, sins, feelings.  They are like stones that we have in a backpack that we carry all the time.

Someone hurt our feelings, so we pick up that stone of rejection or bashed feelings and put it into our backpack and carry it.  We have a problem lying, and we pick up the big ole’ lying stone and add it to our collection.  On and on the list goes with lust, hatred, pride, and a host of others providing the crippling weight.

Some of us have gotten so skilled at carrying that backpack that we have developed the muscle to add even more and more and more… However, in our weak moments we wonder if one more isn’t going to be the straw that broke the camels back.  Or the mistake that broke the “somewhat-christian” man’s back.

What is to be done with all of these stones you ask?  Let me introduce you to someone that specializes in getting rid of those stones.  This is the guy that can make the stones cry out.  This is the guy that, even though He was dead, rolled a giant grave-sealing stone away.  A stone that one, two, maybe even 3, 4, or 5 “he-men” couldn’t budge.  His commands move the stones in our lives.

Its like we come before Him with our facade covering the backpack of rocks on our back.  We come before Him with the same idea but He doesn’t beat around the bush. “What is that on your back?” He may ask.  ”What?  There is nothing on my back.”  “What’s in that backpack?” “What backpack?”  “That one right there, on your shoulders!” “MY shoulders?  I have a backpack on MY shoulders?”

He grabs it off your back and pulls out the stones one by one.  ”Are you sure you want to carry this one?”  OOOoo it would be so nice to not carry that one.  It’s one of the heavier ones…  but we have carried it for so long it has become a part of our life.  It would be so weird not to deal with the weight… Can He really take it away?

Welcome to the crossroads that many people have come to.  Many have made it there but everyone leaves with different results.  Some people grab the backpack up and slap a padlock on the zipper afraid to ever let down the facade.  Some people allow him to remove one or two of the stones, but still deny that there are more in the bag.  And then there are a few, a very few that come before him and have a much different reaction.

They are tired of the weight.  They are tired of the lies, the facades.  They allow Him to look in. Embarrassing and self-realizing as it may be, we allow Him to point out each and every stone we have been carrying.  Stone by embarrassing stone, He removes them from the bag.  Each time it gets lighter and lighter and lighter.   Some have even emptied their entire burden at one, life-changing time in the presence of Jesus.

That’s what we are inviting you to do through the next wednesday nights at the Revolution service at 7:30 pm.  We will be covering some of these stones that you may have in your backpack.  As a matter of fact, we are going to be discussing those stones that you probably have… that you have or will have.  And we will be allowing God to open us up, and take a look at the stones we have added to an already burdensome journey.

Who better to remove the stones we carry than Jesus?  After all, He is the original stone-mover.  And He still moves stones.

Johnathan Ellingsworth and Collin Streeter are the 2-man team from Finley playing as “Tennessee 2.” Glenn Streeter and Walter Wilson, both NBQ veterans, are the coaches.

In their first game, TN2 won easily over a Colorado. In their second game, Texas 3, a team that could win the championship, defeated our boys on the 19th question.  Excited by the way they are playing, and confidence rising, they play their 3rd game tonight at 8:30.  You can check it live by clicking here and finding the game that features “Tennessee 2.”

I stole a few pics from Collin’s facebook page to include here.  Say a prayer for our boys in St. Louis… they are close to being in the trophy bracket.

[View with PicLens]

The Senior Bible Quiz team is headed to St. Louis today to take part in the national quizzing tournament of the United Pentecostal Church.  They will be representing, not only Finley United Pentecostal Church, but also the Tennessee district.  They will be playing as Tennessee 2.

You can follow their progress at the tournament by finding them on Facebook.

* Sorry about the Dyersburg Live watermark… my photo program did it automatically.  I’ll remove it next time.

[View with PicLens]

123►

We are going to be canoeing the Spring River in Arkansas for anyone that wants to go, especially those that missed out on the last canoe trip.  Hopefully this river will have faster water than the last one.  We hope to have a LOT of fun, and hope that Wess can stay in his canoe when the water is slow.

For more information contact us, or send us a message through Facebook.