Praise Break- My Praise Causes things to look Bettah!

Stop complaining and start Praising!

Praise Break: Step Aside!

Sometimes we worry so much that we hinder the work that God is trying to do.  "Hold on!  Don't give up!  Don't you worry!  You don't have to cry!"

Prayer Break- Lord I'm Available!

 

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7

Dear God,  I thank you!  I Bless you!  You are worthy!  You are awesome!  Thank you for being everything that I needed even when I didn't recognize it was you.  Thank you God for drying tears, for opening doors, for making all things possible, and for being my shield.  I come to you today God to surrender.  I surrender my will to your will.  I surrender my thoughts to your thoughts.  I surrender my way to your way God.  I Surrender All.  I lay my total being at your feet asking that you just use me as you see fit.  I am tired of trying to do everything on my own.  I give up God.  Lord, I'm available to you because I want to be a blessing to your people and to your kingdom.  I realize that all that I am and ever hope to be is because of you God.  I make myself available to work, love, inspire and encourage in any way, shape, or form that you see fit.  I pray for the strength, courage, and wisdom to no longer resist your call and anointing upon my life.  Here I am God, send me!  - Amen

Sunday, September 2, 2012 Sermon: Normalcy No More!

Have you ever felt different than everyone around you?  Have you ever been talked about, picked on, or bullied because you stood out and were different?  Join the club!  Tomorrow's Sermon is all about dealing with the idea complacency and normalcy!  God called us to be different, to be set apart, to be born again.  Come and Be Empowered.

Scripture:  Amos 6  ¹ Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!2 Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms?  Is their land larger than yours? ³ You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. ⁴ You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches.  You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. ⁵ You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. ⁶ You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. ⁷ Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end. (New International Version)

Step into Greatness!

Today's sermon is about understanding greatness, being great, and utilizing our greatness to promote the Kingdom of God!

Consider the following quote from Marriane Williamson: 

“You're the faucet; you're not the water. Your human existence is a conduit for something much greater—the divine that lives within you. So start each day asking how you can serve your Creator; how you can put more love into the world; how you can be a more compassionate person. Those things are your greatness. Without a connection to our source, all of us are mediocre really. But connected to the One who lives within us, all of us can be great.”

Our text for the sermon is Psalm 145:1-14  ¹ I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. ² Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  ³ Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. ⁴ One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. ⁵ They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—  and I will meditate on your wonderful works. ⁶ They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds. ⁷ They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. ⁸ The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. ⁹ The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. ¹⁰ All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. ¹¹ They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, ¹² so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. ¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

In substance we must realize that true greatness can only come from God!  In order for individuals to be great we must work to surrender our total beings to God so that God can work, move, and serve through us!  "God is great; God is Good!"  

Prayer Break: Wisdom

I Kings 3: ⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

Dear God, Today I pray for wisdom.  At times I am overwhelmed because occasionally I feel inadequate.  Sometimes I feel like I do not have the skills, knowledge, or abilities to do what you have called me to do.  Sometimes I give up because I am so confused.  Please empower me to hold true to the saying that "where God guides, God provides."  Bless me to be wise.  Help me to have a discerning heart, mind, and spirit so that I have the ability to work and live in such a way that you will say well done.  I thank you for answering past prayers.  I thank you in advance for answering prayers yet prayed.  I Love you!  Amen.  

Prayer Break: I need thee!

Psalm 13- How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?  Look on me and answer, Lord my God.  Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,"  and my foes will rejoice when I fall.  But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Dear God,  Thank you!  Thank you for your love, your kindness, your mercy, and your favor.  You have always been good to me and I appreciate all that you have done for me in my life.  I pause today because I am feeling somewhat defeated.  I feel like I keep trying my best yet I'm still missing the mark.  God I want to make you proud but I am struggling so much.  You said that I should not worry but I am God.  I worry all day and all night.  I try to be alright.  I try to smile.  I try to pray without ceasing.  I try to fight the good fight God but sometimes I just feel so tired.  Physically, emotionally, and spiritually weak and tired of always feeling a day late and a dollar short.  I need you to help me remember God.  I need to remember what you've done, the ways you made, and the storms that you have calmed in my past.  I need to remember the tears you dried.  I need to remember the moments that I you carried me.  Thank you God for never giving up on me.  Thank you God for reminding me that you are always here for me.  I refuse to give up my joy.  I refuse to give up on your promises.  I refuse to give up on your love.  You have been good to me and I know that what I am going through right now will last but a season.  Thank you God.  I love you.  Amen

July 29, 2012 Sermon: H.E.L.P Somebody!

Scripture: Scripture: 1 John 3: 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.  ¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.  

Quotes about Helping Others: “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ” - Martin Luther King

“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Up to his nest again, I shall not live in vain.” - Emily Dickinson

Objective:  We should take the time to show our love to others with our actions not just our words because we are commanded to Love one another. 

Helping Other People Everywhere
Encourage
Love
Pray always, Prepare to bless others, Practice what you Preach & Pray

July 22, 2012 Sermon: Working Together!

Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 4: 1Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Quotes About Working together:   

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." -Helen Keller 

"Teamwork It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." - Andrew Carnegie

Objective:  Christians should work together in life and ministry because we need one another and we can achieve more united than we can divided.  

Summary:  In the aforementioned scripture reading a widow came to Elisha and asked for assistance.  Elisha responded to her with a plan that required teamwork.  First he himself worked with the woman as she "cried to Elisha" and shared her story with the prophet.  Elisha took time to listen and respond to the woman.  The blessing of being united in the church universal is that we are able to cry to our brothers and sisters in the church when we go through whatever we go through.  Not only did Elisha talk to the woman but he willingly helped her to process how she could solve her problem.  Beloved its more than just being present with people when they struggle but he actually asked "What Shall I do for you?"  Some of us are so quick to dismiss people that we miss out on opportunities to minister and witness the work of the spirit.  Elisha helped the woman to understand that all was not lost.  How many times have we looked at our situation and quote the woman in this story by saying "I have nothing..."  It doesn't matter how broken we may be- we have something that we can use.  Once the woman informed Elisha that she had oil he told her to get her greater community involved in her victory by borrowing "empty vessels and not too few."  Too often many of us let our pride hinder us from the victory that God is trying to give us.  You must not allow pride to block your blessing; if God tells you to ask for help then ask for help.  Conversly, if you have the opportunity to loan or give something to a hurting brother or sister you must do it.  Remember, it is more blessed to give than it is to receive. After the woman prepared her business Elisha gave her a simple encouraging phrase- "Go Sell!"  Sometimes that's all someone needs is a few words to push them out of their comfort zone in order to follow the steps that God has before them.  Let us work well with one another.  Let us cry together, help one another process/plan our work, and let us encourage one another.  You can do it; we can help!  Be Blessed, Rev. Derek A. Terry 

Closing Mediation: 

Welcome!

Welcome to the NEW Community Empowerment Center Blog!  Please check back weekly for prayers, sermon notes, and other helpful tools!  We pride ourselves on being a community service based church serving the Louisville, KY Metropolitan Area.  Be Blessed! - Rev. Derek