It’s summertime and you know what that means…flies slipping through open doors in your house. I’m certain you know what I am talking about. You come home from a long, hard day at work, sit down in your favorite chair and read the newspaper. About the time you get comfortable, something begins buzzing around your head and distracts you from concentrating on the latest headlines. If you are like me, you make sure the flying insect is not a bee because there is a distinct protocol for handling a fly and a bee. A bee requires clearing everyone from the room and safely removing it without anyone having a heart attack. A fly usually involves everyone staying in the same room while laughing at you swatting dozens of times without any progress. (more)

Leah and the kids have been out of town for the last few days so it gave me a chance to spend some extra time getting work done in the yard and on the house. One of the fun tasks was cleaning out the gutters...not really my idea of time well spent! At any rate, it needed to be done so Tuesday evening I started on what, I thought, would be a 30-minute project. That didn't happen. About an hour into the mess, I found myself standing at the top of a step ladder shaking furiously for lack of balance. There were several obstacles along the way – bees flying at my head, shrapnel from the gutter getting stuck in my eye (not really, but it sounds dangerous), and almost falling off the ladder while swatting at the bees. What’s worse? Bee sting or two broken legs…I’ll go with the bee sting. (more)

I don't have anything catchy to write about today (I actually do but I am saving it for a rainy day). I did, however, come across an awesome verse in 1 Peter. For the past couple days I've been journaling through his writing to the church which was under severe persecution for their faith.

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Take some time to meditate on these verses. You can check out my other blog (including my current thoughts on 1 Peter) by clicking here. I have been journaling through much of the New Testament for the past year so you can also search through the archives...when you have time!

I have to go home for lunch everyday this week because my family is out of town and our dog, Marley, needs a midday potty break. She is getting old. After a quick bologna sandwich, applesauce, and a little orange sherbet I got in my car and headed back to the office. About halfway back I stopped at a red light. I was the first car in line at the red light and to my left there was another car waiting to go straight. To the left of that car was a turning lane where a line of cars were waiting for their green arrow. Do you need a recap of that scenario? Out of the corner of my eye I saw that the far turning lane got the green arrow to turn but the straight ahead lane still had a red light. Without warning, the car beside me (who had the same red light as I did) started going because she mistook the green arrow for a green light. Most people would realize halfway through the intersection that they were making a mistake. Not this lady. She cruised right through cars at the opposing turn lane without even slowing down. No break lights. No wave of apology for her mistake. No glance in the rearview mirror to see that the rest of us law-abiding citizens were still sitting at the light. (more)

This afternoon yielded some free time for me so I decided to cut the grass. Maybe I’m weird, but I actually enjoy time spent listening to the hum of my mower and attempting to make obsessive-compulsive straight lines in the grass. About half way through the front yard something jumped up from the grass which caused me to instinctively kick up my right foot in case it was 1) a snake, 2) a mouse, 3) a massive flying object which may have the potential to sting, or 4) anything which I have not mentioned above but has the potential to take off my right foot. I didn’t shut off the mower immediately in case I had to use it as a weapon, but when I finally looked down to the ground my eye barely made out a rather large toad. Mentally I tried to recall if toads could be poisonous, but thinking through all the episodes of The Crocodile Hunter I honestly could not remember. Then the thought hit me…that thing would have made a huge mess if I had run over it. Then I started asking the deeper questions - where did that toad come from? It literally came out of nowhere. Like I said before, when I am mowing I really keep an eye on what is in front of me to make sure my lines are straight. The problem was that the toad blended in perfectly with its surroundings. In the wild, this is a good thing for a toad since they can disguise themselves from would-be predators; however, a toad is no match for my whirling blade!

So, when does blending in with your surroundings become dangerous? (more)

Tonight, it rained at our house in the early evening. You could tell it was going to rain because the clouds got extremely dark and then without warning it started pouring. Although it looked like it would last most of the night, the raindrops quickly ceased and the sun came out. My son and I were headed to someone's house during this time and as we stepped out of the car I caught the glimpse of a rainbow in the sky. I immediately pointed up to the clouds and my son saw what I saw - a beautiful rainbow. Not that I am always thinking about the Bible, but as Tyler and I stood there I was reminded of the first rainbow which ever appeared. Noah and his family had just left the ark after God had destroyed all the inhabitants of the earth in a universal flood. I'm sure Noah was petrified as he had witnessed firsthand the wrath of God upon those who rebel against His ways and in the back of Noah's mind he was probably...well, scared. Wouldn't you be if God had just destroyed the entire world as you knew it? Your friends, your extended-family, your home, and everything familiar is gone. In anticipation of Noah's fear, God made a covenant with him promising that He would never destroy the world again by a universal flood. Then God gave Noah a visible sign to regularly remind him of His promise. What was that visible symbol? You guessed it - a rainbow. It is pretty amazing to think that tonight my son and I got to share in a promise God made to one of His followers thousands of years ago.

Our family has supported a little girl through Compassion International for the last several years and we have found it to be very rewarding. The weird thing is…we’ve never met her. Our main line of communication is through letters which are translated into English so that we can read what she has written. Recently she wrote us a letter that really touched an emotional part of me. “Dear godparents…I live with my dad, grandma and grandpa. My mother ran away with another man but she loves me.” She went on to explain some other things which were happening in her life and her words really broke my heart. I have her letter taped to the bottom of my computer screen at work so I can remember her each day and pray for her strength. I wonder how many other kids are hurting and dealing with emotional issues when they should be playing with dolls and riding bikes. We tend to get wrapped up in our own little world and forget about people all over our planet who are suffering. I know I do. Don’t forget and ask yourself how you can make a difference in the life of someone who is hurting.

Over the last few days I have been reading a book by D.L. Moody called Prevailing Prayer. This short book "examines nine elements that are essential to prevailing prayer." I have to admit...most of the chapters are predictable. He writes about things I have heard about my whole life concerning prayer. As I approached the book, I did not expect to learn much new information, but actually each chapter has exposed many lacking areas in my own prayer life. The chapter I read today was entitled "Restitution." As I began to read each word, God used the author to remind me that He will not hear my prayer if there is an unresolved circumstance in my life. Quoting from page 44, "We may sing our hymns and psalms, and offer prayers, but they are abomination to God unless we are willing to be thoroughly straightforward in our daily life." He continues on page 46, "If we have taken anything from any man, if we have in any way defrauded a man, let us not only confess it, but do all we can to make restitution. If we have misrepresented anyone - if we have started some slander, or some false report about him - let us do all in our power to undo the wrong." This chapter reminds me of Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). Think about it.

I was cutting my grass this evening and as I was mowing near a tree in the front yard my eye caught something lying on the ground. Normally I would just run right over objects such as leaves, sticks, and small animals (just kidding about the last one) but this particular thing looked different...it actually appeared valuable. Don't get me wrong - I didn’t strike gold in my front yard, so put away your mining shovels and don't quit your day job. The reason I deemed it valuable is because it took someone a lot of time to construct this work of art. What was it? A bird's nest (pictured here). I shut off the lawn mower, reached down to pick up this abandoned nest, and carefully examined every inch. The Discovery Channel lover in me could only marvel at the intricate design in this small, yet complex piece of art. Then the thought hit me - this was someone’s home. Where was the bird? Why was this nest on the ground and not in the tree? My guess is that the awful storm we had in Ohio last night blew this nest right out of the tree with the strong winds and pounding rain. As that bird returned to what she thought was home today, she was met with shock as she found…nothing. All those tiring hours of bringing pieces of grass and straw to build a nest now meant nothing. She had to start all over. But I’m sure as the sun came up this morning she was still singing.

If you are like most people, they consider themselves good (Romans 3:10). Well, in order to see if you are a good person, let’s take a look at a few of God’s commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and ask yourself these questions answering them from an honest heart…
Have you ever lied (even a little white lie or an exaggeration)?
Have you ever stolen something (even a small thing)?
Have you ever committed adultery (remembering that Jesus said “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”)?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, by your own admission you are a liar, thief, adulterer, or all of the above. Knowing that you have broken God’s commandments and you must face him on Judgment Day (Revelation 20:11-15), would you be innocent or guilty? I think if you were honest, you know that you would stand guilty before Him and because you are guilty of breaking God’s law, you must suffer death and eternal punishment in hell to pay for your sins (Romans 6:23).

“But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is great news because even though you have broken God’s law, God loved you so much that He chose to send His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sins and take the punishment you deserve. The Bible also says that Jesus Christ rose again from the grave, defeating death and if you “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

What do you do now? If you will simply confess (repent of) your sins and trust that God has forgiven you - He will forgive you (1 John 1:9) and give you everlasting life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). Right now through prayer you can express to God your guilt over sin and your thankfulness to Him for paying the price of your sin on the cross.

As a result of trusting in Jesus Christ as the payment for your sin, the Bible promises that you are “a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that you are now a part of God’s family (John 1:12). Begin reading the Bible daily and it will give you instruction for living life as a part of God’s family. If you would like more info, please e-mail me at thogsed@thesummitgreen.com.

Most of this teaching is adpated from The Way of the Master series.

It is the time we have all been waiting for...at least I have. Get ready with the drum roll...today our website officially launched! You can sit back down now and quit screaming for joy. Regain your composure...focus. This morning when I checked my e-mail box, Neal had sent me a message that the website was up and running. I immediately logged on and was very surprised to find a brilliantly designed site. Thanks, Luca! The site is extremely user-friendly and very welcoming. The only real scary thing is that my picture made the front page. Whose idea was that? Not mine. We want people to come to our church, not be frightened away! Anyway, I want to urge you to go to your computer right now (I guess you are already there) and type in www.greenmoviechurch.com. Although the church name is The Summit, we'll be using Green Movie Church mainly for advertising purposes. Speaking of advertising, a great opportunity came our way this week and to make a long story short, we will be sending an early mailer this weekend to 70,000 homes in Stark County. This is really exciting! Please pray that the mailers will get into the homes of those who are searching for hope. I hope many of you will leave comments for this blog entry and share your thoughts about the site. If you are interested in seeing more of the stellar work of the website designer, click here. Happy browsing!