1/29/2009Slumdog Millionaire

I went to see the move Slumdog Millionaire this week.  This is one of those movies that will allow you to travel into an area of the world most of us will never visit...the slums of India.  On the other hand, it will also take you to the most beautiful part of India as well.  As Robert Ebert said in his review, this is a movie that will "present the real India" to all moviegoers.  It reveals just how quickly you can go from one area where there is extreme wealth to being in an area where you will witness the most extreme form of poverty.  As you well know I am slightly ADD, which means a movie that starts out slow makes me want to scream!  That definately wasn't a problem with Slumdog. 

As soon as the 2 hours of previews end, Slumdog takes off running.  Depending on your level of sensitivy, this is one of those movies where one minute you are on the edge of your seat with excitement and the next you are trying to hold back the tears (good luck with that by the way).  It is difficult for anyone to hold back the tears seeing as though this is a movie about a Mumbai orphan by the name of Jamal who literally goes from rags to riches.  How does he do that...how does he become wealthy?  You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so go check it out!


Posted by: Doug Walker
Posted on: 1/29/2009 at 11:47 AM
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1/26/2009Less is More

Yesterday Charles and I finished up our teaching series with, “I Resolve to Deepen My Relationships.”  I Corinthians 13:1-3 makes one thing very clear, life is about love!  We first enter into a loving relationship with God.  We accept his amazing love for us and then we pass that love onto those around us.  I Corinthians says that our ability to love others is more important than spiritual gifts, knowledge, faith, generosity, and accomplishments.  I have to admit that this is a verse that I have to remind myself of often.  I can get so focused on studying for the next sermon series, planning the next event, and trying to accomplish the next goal that I forget to get focused on loving those closest to me. 

It was around the time that my boys got old enough to tackle me when I walked through the front door that I learned a very valuable lesson.  I learned that in their heart and minds there is no substitute for the gift of time.  And it isn’t just my kids who love time…it is my wife’s favorite gift as well.  As men we tend to say that we work long hours and are driven to succeed for those we love.  However, those we are in relationships with would not say they want us to work more for them.  They would not say they want us to spend more time trying to accomplish more, make more, and do more…they would say that they simply want more time with us. 

Trust me when I say that you can make good money and achieve great success next year, but if you don’t show up to your kid’s games, school activities, or recitals…they will not feel a great deal of love from you.  If you give your spouse thousands of dollars in gifts, but don’t have regular date nights and time alone together…love will feel absent from your relationship.  Charles and I also discussed 21 very important words that we all need to use often in our relationships.

The first six words are, “I admit I made a mistake.”  In other words you need to learn to say you are sorry when you make a mistake.  The next five words are a little easier for most of us to say.  We need to be able to give others the encouragement they need through saying, “you did a good job.”  It shows those we love that we are paying attention to them.  There are also four words that show them that we value their opinion.  They come in the form of the question, “what do you think?”    We also talked about the three important words, “after you please” or as Charles said at our Keller Campus, “you go first.”  To put others before ourselves is the ultimate form of love. 

The next couple of words carry an amazing amount of weight with those that we love.  It is these next two words that again show that we are paying attention.  To simply say “thank you” is a lovely phrase to use and for all to hear!  Last but not least we have one word with a dual purpose…the word “we”.  It shows those that we love that we view them as a partner…a team member in life.  And as the saying goes there is no “I” in team.  “I” is the one word we need to use the least.  Yes your needs are important, but to put other’s needs ahead of your own is the ultimate form of love.  Does that sound like anyone you know? 

The greatest example of putting the needs of others ahead of His own is Jesus.  When Jesus died on the cross, He displayed the ultimate form of love.  He made us his number one priority when He was here on earth.  We can do the same for those that we love as well!

 


Posted by: Doug Walker
Posted on: 1/26/2009 at 3:29 PM
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1/20/2009Taking Control

Over the last few weeks we have been in a teaching series entitled, “My 2009 Resolutions”.  I have simply taken the resolutions that many of you turned in at www.my2009resolutions.com and shared what the Bible has to say about them.  On Sunday we discussed our spending habits in I Resolve to Fix My Finances.  Let me give you a brief summary of what we learned.    

Most people do the following with their money, and they do it in this order:            

     1-Spend it            2-Worry about it            3-Repay it            4-Save it            5-Give it 

At first glance there may not appear to be anything wrong with that order.  After all when you get your paycheck then don’t you owe it to yourself to go buy yourself something you want?  And obviously the very first thing you should do is begin paying your bills right?  And doesn’t everyone worry about money…isn’t that normal?  Well it may be normal, but it is far from the way we are to handle our money.  In fact if your money is handled in the order shown above, then you are likely to be in deep trouble.  Why?  Because it means that your money is controlling you rather than you being in control of your money.  And anytime we are worried about money it likely means that somewhere along the way we have gotten our priorities out of whack.  So how do we get control of our money?  The answer is simple, but the process is very difficult for many to accept and implement. 

The first step is to declare all of our assets and money to God (Romans 11:36).  All that we have is His.  Secondly we give God His tithe (Proverbs 3:9-10).  The next step is something that most of our parents did without hesitation, but for many of us it is a missed step.  Thirdly we need to save a percentage of our money (Proverbs 21:20).  Obviously many of us may have to give up some of the luxuries of life in order to tithe and save a percentage of our income.  How difficult is it for us as Americans to sacrifice inorder to give and save?  Let’s talk about this briefly before looking at the last two steps.

The recent copy of Money Magazine has the results of a survey that asked people what they would and would not be willing to sacrifice during a financial downturn.  The list of items or services that they would not give up was very interesting.  Many said that they would not give up the following:  A gym membership, eating out, their extra car, premium cable, and fine wine and spirits.  Now if I’m reading that correctly, that means the average American says that even when they are going broke there are just some things they will not give up.  Regardless of how much financial stress they are under they are still going to attempt to stay in shape while eating out, driving a sweet ride, and getting drunk on expensive booze while sitting in front of the TV!  Okay so I am being a little sarcastic, but you see why so many people are having financial problems.  In order to have financial freedom and to begin controlling our money rather than allowing it to control us…we may have to be willing to give up some of the luxuries of life.  It is all about priorities!  Let’s get back to our list of priorities when it comes to our money.    

First we declare all that we have to God.  Then we pay Him the 10 percent that he asks of us.  Thirdly we put a percentage in savings.  Fourthly we begin repaying our creditors (Proverbs 13:8).  Lastly, we should find ways to enjoy our money (Ecclesiastes 5:10).  I realize that we are in very difficult economic times and that some of you reading this may have found yourself in the middle of a financial crisis.  Please don’t feel shame or guilt, because we have all been there at one time or another.  The key is to get help and change your spending habits.  I want to recommend something that will help you do just that!  It is called Financial Peace University.  It is a course offered at our church and you can get signed up today by calling the church at (817) 741-3687.  Don’t put this off any longer!  Today is the day to begin controlling your money instead of continuing to allow your money to control you!     

Posted by: Doug Walker
Posted on: 1/20/2009 at 3:51 AM
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1/16/2009Guilt Free Sundays Available Soon!

To say that our country is facing an economic downturn is a huge understatement!   In most of our lifetimes we have never seen more foreclosures, bankruptcies, and layoffs.  Yes times are very difficult for many, and that means they will go in search of three very important things.  They will be looking for faith, hope, and love.  People want to have faith.  They want to have enough faith to truly believe that things will get better.  They want that level of hope needed to face their ever increasing daily challenges.  And while they may not realize it…they crave being a part of a community of people that will love and support them. 

What does this mean to all local churches?  It means that we will likely see more visitors in 2009 than ever before.  As members, volunteers, and staff we have the strategy in place to take care of them.  However, we also need to make sure of one very important step in welcoming this new set of visitors to FOTP.  We have to make sure that we have more than enough room when they arrive.  When someone is broke, busted, and disgusted the last thing they need is to show up to an over crowded parking lot and foyer!  Obviously we would love to build a 1200 seat worship center and move back to 3 services and make room for more people, but we simply can’t afford to do that at this time.  Think about all of the benefits of a Saturday night service! 

For those of you with very young children, it may be much easier it is to get your children ready in the afternoon than in the morning.  And for you night owls…it will reduce the number of guilt ridden Sundays.  You know what I’m talking about.  Those mornings where you couldn’t shake the cobwebs out in time to go to church, and then you are miserable.  Well miserable might be an understatement, but that is what I pray over you when you miss just so you know!  Last but not least, you will be out by 6:00 which will give you plenty of time to get to Billy Bobs!  Okay, I am not condoning that last one, but it is a valid point. 

Put it on your calendar, Palm, daily planner, or Blackberry…FOTP’s version of Saturday Night Live will begin on February 7th at 4:45!  By adding a service we will also need several more volunteers.  If you would be interested in volunteering please email us at serve@fellowshipoftheparks.com.  Don’t worry!  We are also going to have a worker’s service for all volunteers at 6:00 Saturday evening.  So that means that everyone will have a chance to sleep in on Sunday morning!  I am very excited about this new opportunity for all of us to reach out to more people in our growing community.  It is through our love that they can come to a faith in Jesus Christ, and it is in their faith that they will find the hope that they crave! 

I love you,

Doug 

Posted by: Doug Walker
Posted on: 1/16/2009 at 10:19 AM
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