Do you come to feed or be fed?

I heard an interesting sermon today by James MacDonald. The Title was; “Gripped by the Worship of God” (Part 1 in the Series), you can listen to it here… James MacDonald. One of the topics in his discussion was related to our reasons for going to church. He made a point that reverberated with me and I agree with it.

In most Christians mind, the purpose of going to church is to be fed the word of God so that we can grow in our walk with Christ. Although this may be a part of what the church can offer, it is far from the purpose that the church is meant to serve in our lives. Our instruction in the word of God and the growth in our walk should come from our own daily efforts “AT HOME” to study Gods word… although I am certain that this is the last place most Christians are fed Gods word.

But this should not be the case!

Our purpose as Christians in the church is to worship God FIRST, and to serve the church by bringing others to Christ and helping to feed them. If you are coming to church as a “mature Christian” with the expectation of; “God what will you do for me today”… then you have it backwards, you are still an infant, requiring milk and have not become acquainted with the teachings of righteousness, Hebrews 5:13. As mature Christians we should come to church with a heart of Humility, Gratitude, Sacrifice and above all else Praise; to the God of the Universe, who by His mercy and Grace pardoned our worthless souls and loves us in spite of who we are and what we have done. We should be asking God;

“What can I do for you, My King”?
“How can I serve you?”
“What can I give you”?

You should be there to bear your very heart and soul in worship to the creator of the Universe who for some crazy reason found some measure of worth in your individual life and called you to Himself and made you His child.

Every example of Angels given in the Bible portrays them in one of two ways… carrying out the will of God or offering God worship and praise… Should we His children offer Him less?

The Bible tells us to:

To seek Him and His will first!
To love Him, with all that we have and are!
To put Him FIRST!

His church should be the Holy place we come to joyfully bring Him Praise and worship for all that He has done… and as you grow in your walk…grow to serve Him in this Holiest of places by feeding those that are coming there seeking Him… those that are hungry for Him… … so that they too can grow to the point where they bring God their own sacrifice of praise and worship… and as they grow, their service.

Come!

The earth is trembling
Dark times are at hand
Evil times have fallen
upon this once great land.
And, Your children cry;
“Come!”

Come,
Take your children home
Rise,
from your eternal throne
Come,
From the Eastern Sky
Rise,
Your time is nigh!
Come, Lord Jesus
Come!

From a shattered world
Your chosen sigh.
Humanity is lost
in perversion and lies.
Still, Your children cry;
“Come!”

Come,
Take your children home
Rise,
from your eternal throne
Come,
From the Eastern Sky
Rise,
Your time is nigh!
Come, Lord Jesus
Come!

Injustice cries out
Your saints blood runs
How long must we wait
to see evil undone?
All, Your children cry;
“Come!”

Come,
Take your children home
Rise,
from your eternal throne
Come,
From the Eastern Sky
Rise,
Your time is nigh!
Come, Lord Jesus
Come!

Did He really say that?

Our society teaches us how to hold our own in this rough and tumble world that we live in, how to look out for “Number 1”. Sure, it allows room for charity… but it usually in the context of if it benefits us first, or give, but give out of our excess not out of what we need… But what did Jesus say… or what did He mean when He said:
Love your enemies.
Do Good to those who hate you.
Bless those who curse you.
Pray for those who mistreat you.
Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also.
Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
Give to everyone who asks of you.
Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.

The sentences above are directly out of the NAS Luke 6:27-30…

Did He really mean it when he said that???

Give to everyone who asks, and do not expect repayment… Did you really mean Everyone Jesus??? and I don’t get my money back?...

If someone takes away what is yours, let them keep it… They took my (…..) and I am supposed to let them keep it.

I am supposed to Bless those who curse me… Love those who hate me, and do good for them on top of loving them….

The world view responds to this type of thought process with… Jesus, are you sure you weren’t changing your drinking water to wine and hitting it a little hard when you said that? You must be off your rocker???

I especially like the way the message says this particular passage.

Luke 6:27-38 "To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

The world that we live in has become downright mean! The attributes in this passage that Jesus is telling us to display are virtually non-existent in our society… even in our churches. With the economic melt down and companies scaling back, very few have excess, fewer have what they need… and most of us know someone in need!

I struggle with most of what He has said here as much as anyone else does… but I want to throw a challenge out. This week let’s try and show the world what Jesus means to those we know or meet by modeling this passage in our life. Next week is the election, and there will be many gathered in tight quarters who have vastly different world views… is there a way we can show Jesus to those at the polls this week… or how about at work with the guy or gal you can’t stand… or the crabby old neighbor down the street… or… you insert the "or", but let us find the worst case scenario in our own lives to model this with… and let’s see if we can make a difference in that persons life… it might just change your world!

Facts vs. Faith

Have you ever had to decide between what you know to be the facts staring you straight in the face and what you know to be the will of God?
I have, and I chose the will of God… and I would again, as I will again in the future. It sounds weird but the way I came to writing this post and contemplating my thoughts for this topic were while I was considering what to do about the tires on my truck.
You see, several years ago at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I made some career decisions that have completely changed my life. These changes have also put me in a position of total dependence on God for my families and my needs and the lessons it has taught and is teaching me has revealed several flawed areas in my own life as well as created a few issues in my home life that I am still trying to wade through. I have to admit that I still don’t have a clue where the whole thing is going, but He keeps dropping bread crumbs for me to follow whenever I get too far off track. One of the many things I am dependent on God for are some of the same things the Israelites enjoyed while wandering in the desert for forty years.

Deuteronomy 29:5 "I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.

I believe in many ways I have experience this… one of the more recent instances is related to the tires on my truck. Now, before I go too far into this I want you to know that I recognize the fact that I need tires. But they have gone way farther than they are supposed to… (especially the way I drive)… and I swear whenever I get to looking at them and worrying about how bald they look, the next time I consider them they seem to have grown more tread… I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. But that thought is neither here nor there for my point to be made.

Throughout each day I have these ongoing conversations with God. Today the talk surrounded my tires and the inevitable snow that will come with winter. I was telling God that by now I had expected Him to work things out so I could have bought some new tires… I reminded Him that winter was coming. And then He shoved this thought right into my stubborn minded pea brain… “You don’t need tires to help you drive safely through the winter… you need Me to drive you safely through the winter, and I can do it on new or old tires”. Now I am certain that at some point He will provide an avenue for me to afford some new tires… but the thought He gave me remains, end it extends far beyond my need for tires.
We (I) rely far too much on what we see and know to make the decisions that govern our lives. Not that we should throw all rational thought out the window in order to follow God… but sometimes the things He is asking us to do don’t add up to what we have to do it with. You have to be very careful here, and be sure that you are hearing from God and not your own will or desires, or somebody else’s misguided idea of what Gods will for you is. But when you are absolutely certain He is taking you in a particular direction and it is flying in the face of what you know the facts to be… just remember…

It’s not the condition of the tires that will get you safely through the winter, it is God, and He can do it on what ever kind of tires He decides He wants to use.

For Such a Time as This!

Have you ever wondered what conversations in Heaven will be like? There are some we will see there that lived in times like no other, they have stories about the times they lived in that no one else experienced. Is there anyone that comes to mind you would like to sit down with and ask; “what was it like”? Maybe it is Noah, and you want a first hand account of the flood, or how about Enoch or Elijah and talk about their one way ride to heaven, how about Moses and the Red Sea… or how about us?
Last night I watched two videos from UN meetings in which Sarkozy (French President holding EU Presidency) and Barroso (EU Commission President) were calling for a New World Order, “New World Governance”, “New Global Order”. The discussion was not in the context of a suggestion but more along the lines of; “let’s complete what we've already started so we can solve the current financial crisis”… watch for yourself, http://www.infowars.com/?p=5549 .

It doesn’t matter if it is this video or the hundreds of others that are making there way around You Tube and other sites… there is plenty of evidence to suggest that; “the times they are a changing”…
To me it is exciting, for the same reasons that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. There are definitely some things to fear. Jesus called it; “a disastrous time like no other”. But, some one has to be the last generation… why not us? What if it is us? Do you think about it… or is it outside of your comfort zone, that most want to continue living in? If it isn’t in our time, then it’s no big deal… but if it is then, WOW! I mean what else can you say, there isn’t much we can do about it, other than hold on and do your best to enjoy the ride… but when it is over, we will have a story to tell in heaven like no other. The story of what these last days were like… and then what I think will be the favorite story for all of us to tell, the twinkling of an eye change into our new bodies and the upward rush of going to meet Jesus in the sky…

Matthew 24:40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

Matthew 24:30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Throughout the ages many have thought; "this is the end time"… but until now no one has had the opportunity to view the past and the present from the perspective that we have. Almost every prophecy the Bible predicted has come to pass. There is very little left to be completed, and that which is left are predictions of those last few days on earth. Jesus truly has been preached to the four corners of the earth, and the world is definitely moving in the direction of a centralized economy and government. There are so many things taking place right before our eyes, events that are setting the stage for the last act of the show.

A time like no other, given to a people born for such a time as this!

Are you ready?

Why did God Make Us?

Deuteronomy 6:13 "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him”

I think the answer is discovered by condensing the Bible and that which it teaches into a single sentence.

“To Love, and be loved and Worshipped.”

God had already created the Angels… but they were created in His presence with a purpose. They were designed from the beginning to worship and serve God. I don’t think that they were given much choice in their purpose. Although, they must have some ability to choose, otherwise Lucifer could never have become Satan. But the love that is born from their existence can not compare to the love born of completely free choice. He created us so that He could Love us and be loved and worshipped perfectly by us. When you consider the disparity of whom we are and who God is, it is the only thing that can make sense. I will try and show a comparison of us in relation to God. Imagine collecting a sample of pond scum to put under a microscope. The Ameba’s and micro-organisms that you would be viewing would represent us, and we would represent God. Now imagine that while you were viewing the organisms in the microscope you began to have compassion and love for them, you wanted to care for them as your children. You would choose to love them with all that you are… even to the point of sacrificing your own son so that they would have the ability to continue their existence. The whole thought seems absurd… but that is exactly what God has done for us.
“Love” is the glue that bonds us all together. It’s what can cause a husband or wife to continue loving their spouse long after an accident has left them horribly disfigured or incapacitated. It’s what can cause a parent to love a child that was born with disabilities or with no hope of ever gaining cognitive thought. It is what can cause us to cherish a beloved pet or animal or create compassion in us for the plight of a people a half a world away that we have never met or never will meet. And it is this same “Love” that can cause the God and creator of the universe to want to reach down from the cosmos and enjoy a personal loving relationship with one of us. He calls those He loves and that return His love “His most treasured possession”.

Exodus 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

We are the treasured possession of the creator of the universe. What an honor! Outside of this we are still pond scum, we have no value. But because of this we are valued; because we are His we have value. I have heard that an old scratched and dirty cigar box was auctioned off for over $500,000 dollars. The cigar box itself contained no value whatsoever. But, it was once owned by JFK, and because of who it belonged to it became priceless.

That is exactly what we were, scratched worn and dirty… but because of whose we are, we became a priceless treasured possession, made in the image of the creator of the Universe, and bought with the blood of His own Son, so that He could love and treasure us and be loved and worshipped by us for all of eternity…

That my friends; is why He made us.

What an Awesome Sight!

I began reading Luke this morning, and was struck by the amazing moment that Jesus birth as well as what rearing God as a youngster must have been like. The Bible says twice that Mary treasured the moment and pondered it in her heart. The first time was after His birth and the shepherds came to see Him and the second was when He was twelve years old and they had to go back to the Temple to find Him. In Islam they tell that Jesus spoke from birth… I don’t know how much truth there is in that but I am certain that He was an extraordinary child. I sometimes wonder crazy things like, if He was potty trained from the start, or if He ever had to be corrected or told to quit pestering His siblings. I wonder if His siblings were jealous of Him growing up, did He do anything miraculous as a child, or did the miracles start after His desert experience. What would it have been like to go to school with Jesus, or to be his best friend… WOW! It must have been quite and amazing household to observe, to say the least.
I was also thinking about the night of His birth. Can you imagine what the Shepherds must have felt seeing the host of Heaven singing and proclaiming the birth of Jesus… Most people who experience a visit by an angel are awestruck or terrified; I can’t imagine what seeing millions of angels in the sky singing must have been like… it must have been an AWESOME sight. The song they sang and the music they made must have been incredible to hear. I wish I could have seen it.
I also think about the anticipation that heaven must have felt… waiting for that moment. I bet it was a feeling that permeated the earth. There must have been a tremendous feeling of tension in the air covering the whole earth.
What also comes to mind is the magnitude of it all. If you have read the earlier post “How Big is God” it is almost inconceivable to think how one tiny insignificant planet in this vast Universe, would command the entire attention of God and the whole host of Heaven. That He would choose to create, nurture and love us… and then bring the attention of all that is heaven to our tiny world for that one great moment in time. There is so much in those first two chapters… the conception and birth of John the Baptist… the visits by Gabriel to Mary… and the other visits to Elizabeth and Zechariah. There is so much to be gleaned from what is written, if you will just slow down to savor it and read between the lines… I want to encourage you to read or re-read it if you have all ready read it, and just try to imagine the splendor it must have been for that night and the weeks and months that led up to it.

Is God too Big?

Yesterday I wrote about How Big God is. I also referenced the comparative difference between Him and us. But, when I consider the giant chasm that looms between who we are and who He is, I must admit that it is hard to imagine that He is aware of us as a race... let alone as individuals. At times when I am low or feeling overwhelmed sometimes I also question whether or not He is aware of me or my plight. It is easy to allow the circumstances of today to erase the memories of yesterday. I don't have to think very hard to remember all the times in my life when He has personally intervened or rescued me. But even with all the awesome ways he has moved in my life, when I focus on my circumstances the past seems to blur. The one thing I have learned and continue to apply in my life is perseverance. No matter how bad it seems at the moment He has always been Faithful, and I have always come out the other side, wiser and stronger…

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It doesn’t make the pain of my circumstance go away, but it does erase the fear. I know that God knows me and that He cares for me… He says he knows me by name and to Fear not…

Isaiah 43:1 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

If the God that created all of what we see, cares for me then what do I have to fear… I once heard someone say; “don’t sweat the small stuff, and remember that to God it is all small stuff." He has a plan for you and I, it may not all make sense now and it may not even make sense tomorrow, but He has a plan none the less.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So even when I can’t see it, I will still believe… even when it doesn’t make sense, I will still trust…

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me!

Amen

How BIG is God?

To get a better understanding of just how big God is let’s take a look at the Universe He created and put it into a perspective that we can understand.

If we scaled our planetary size down to 1/100,000,000 size… or one hundred million times smaller that it is, that would make our sun about the size of a large pumpkin about 4.5 feet in diameter. The Earth would be the size of a cherry and rotate around this giant pumpkin Sun at a little less than one mile. The farthest planet (or now non-planet) in our Solar System, Pluto would be about the size of a grain of rice, and orbit at about 36 1/2 miles away from the Sun.
Now get this… to reach the nearest star in our Solar System (Proxima Centauri) you would have to travel 24,800 miles. To reach the edge of our Solar System… ready… you would have to travel 288 billion miles (in 1/100,000,000 scale) the actual distance is 28,800,000,000,000 (over 28 trillion miles)

The actual Diameter of the Milky Way is estimated to be 130 million light years. A light year is equal to six trillion miles, so that would be 780,000,000,000,000 or 780 trillion miles. There are suns in our solar system (the Milky Way) that in comparison to our pumpkin sized sun would cover a football field…

Now IS THAT BIG or what!

If you were to try and sequentially count the stars in the universe it would take you about 2500 years. There are estimated to be 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ten-sextillion stars of various sizes in the known universe and God made and named each and every one…

Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

Isaiah 40:26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 45:12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.

If He created all of what we see in the Universe by stretching out His hands then; then how much bigger is the rest of Him?

And just think, this God who made all of this vastness wants a relationship with you... a microbe living on a cherry size planet located less than a mile from the giant pumpkin that is 288 billion miles inside of one of the smaller of the solar systems that He created.

And He knows us so well and is so much aware of each of us that He knows the number of the hairs on each of our heads…

Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

… the sad part is most of humanity doesn’t even recognize Him for who He is, and most Christians leave him waiting day after day never showing up for the standing date that He has offered to each of us. The creator of the Universe wants a personal relationship with you, to spend time with you…

Do you leave Him waiting in the car in front of your house for your date?

Easter candy Peeps

There is a great pictorial example of our sin nature to be found in Easter candy Peeps.

Mankind has a great propensity to sin, but after we come to Christ He gives us a new nature.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

The only problem is the old nature still exists. It becomes that which we struggle against to please God. We must choose to wake up every day and slay our old nature and live according to the new nature God has given us.

Luke 9:23 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

In order to successfully win this struggle we must continually immerse ourselves in Gods word and prayer, and surround ourselves with other people who will hold us accountable in our walk with Christ. Other wise we grow distant, then weak… then we fall.

I heard someone tell a great analogy of why we are to remain around Gods people and in the church.
A young man went camping with his grandfather and eventually the discussion of God and church came up. He was bragging to his grandfather about how strong he was as a Christian, but he just didn’t see the reason why we should go to church. The young man kept on espousing his reasons for not going to church… and his grandfather never said a word. But while the young man was talking he walked over to the campfire and pulled out one of the big logs that was burning brightly. The young man continued on and on, all the while the log that was once burning brightly began to grow dim and then eventually went out. The old man never said a word; he just looked at the dead log and then his grandson. After a few silent moments the grandson sheepishly smiled up at his grandfather and said; “I get your point”.

Easter candy peeps are darn near indestructible. You can stomp on them, run them over with the car and just about anything else, and eventually if left alone they will reshape themselves back into a Peep. Our sin nature is like the Peeps. Unless constant pressure is maintained to shape it into what God desires it will always revert back to its natural shape…

DEAD!

Convergence

Have you ever been in a life threatening situation? I have been involved in several; but two come to mind at the moment… in both, my situation was dire, and my survival or the survival of those with me did not look good. In books and movies when this happens they portray it as your life slowly passing before your eyes as you head towards disaster. In situations like these I have never experienced this, but what I have experienced is akin to seeing your circumstances play out like a slow motion movie. In both accidents everything happened very quickly, but in my minds eye it was like everything slowed down to a crawl, or at least that is how my memory plays it back to me. Today, I am having that same feeling as I watch the circumstances of our country and our world, play out before me. I feel like we are on a collision. There is an ominous feeling of merging or ‘convergence’ of time, place and circumstance all coming together at once. You see catastrophe approaching and are helpless to control the outcome. Not that we have to worry about the outcome, we have been told in advance how it will end. In fact Jesus said when speaking of the end times in Matthew 24:6; “…but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen…” Time will tell, but as each day passes I become more and more certain that this is it, we are on the verge of, or smack dab at the end of the last days. I also feel a certain sense of darkening and ineffectiveness in carrying out the work of God. I don’t know if I am alone in this or if there are others who see and feel the same thing, but it is almost like we are in a ministry maintenance mode. We can all still carry out Gods work, but His voice is becoming distant and aside from those who are already His, nobody else is listening. My only question in the midst of all this is; “God, what do you want me to do”? I have felt my whole life that there would be a time when it would all be put on the line… Growing up, I never really new what that meant. But as I look back on all the screwy coordinated events that have made up my life, I can almost see the purpose behind it. I am not sure what it all means yet, but I know that I have been honed and made ready for such a time as this… and I am ready. I have purposed in my heart and mind to serve Him at any cost. I know that this all sounds so fatalistic, but what if I am right. What if we are here… or there… or it is here? Are you ready for what Jesus said would come? All of this can all be found in Matthew chapter 24.

All these are the beginning of birth pains. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other

because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

All the gospels have dire predictions of what we will suffer for our Christianity. If I understand it correctly, the Christians who were fed to the gladiators and lions in the Roman coliseums had a cake walk compared to what we face. Neither I, nor anyone else can know for certain if it is time or not, but the signs all seem to show that it is suspiciously close. If I am wrong then so be it. It’s not like I have abandoned my life or anything. God has told us to live out our lives just as we are, with what we have been give in the time and place that we live in. We still have and will continue to have responsibilities all the way up to the end. During Paul’s time he thought it was the last days, and the advice he gave then is the same advice we should follow today.

1 Corinthians 7:24-31 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to. Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

The bottom line is this. Whether it is our time or it is not, we should serve God with all that we have and all that we are. What you need to ask your self is this… IF BEING A CHRISTIAN COST YOU OR YOUR FAMILY YOUR LIVES… would you still profess to be His? And as far as the present time is concerned… if everything changed tomorrow and you WERE put on trial for being a Christian… would there be enough evidence to convict you? Attending Church won’t count during the trial. There have been as many people sitting in churches just warming pews throughout history as there are sands on the sea shore. Sitting in church no more makes you a Christian than sitting in the garage makes you a car. Let’s start by asking your children, your co-workers and friends to see if they have seen evidence of your Christianity. Let’s open your check book and see if the registry reflects your Christianity. Let’s see how many people attending church with you are there because you led them to Christ… these are the things that man will use to convict you and God will use to prove the condition of your heart…

We can all start by creating evidence and building their case against us today!

The Next Ten Yards… Ten Yards at a Time!

I don’t often like to use football analogies for life because they have been used so often that they seem cliché. But today while watching my son’s team play ball I was struck by the similarities between the struggles of his team and my life.

Life is rarely a long bomb for the touch down, usually it is a daily give and take battle that happens ten yards at a time. We need to have the long range goal of winning the game, but it is done by focusing on the next ten yards. So many people get so wrapped up in how they will finish the game that they never can get to the next first down or worse yet they never start because the goal is too large. And then there are others who are so focused on the next ten yards that they lose site of why they are playing the game in the first place, and end up quitting. Life is a careful balance of knowing why you are playing, and focusing on the work required to win the game. If all we focus on is the end of the game, then when we have a setback or a turn over it can make the goal seem so far away that we just want to quit. But if you are intentional about winning the game and focused on the next ten yards then when you have a set back the goal isn’t that much further away, it is just a few more yards on top of the ten you are trying to get. And if you have a turn over and you are focused on the next ten yards, you aren’t worried about losing the game; you are focused on standing your ground and trying to get the ball back.

So when life looms large and seems insurmountable, (after you pray)… remember it is Gods job to make sure you get to the end zone… and it is your job to focus on getting the next ten yards.

The Battle for your Mind!

We are not human beings going through a temporary Spiritual existence... We are Spiritual beings going through a temporary Human experience.

This one is long but I believe it is worthwhile.

In an earlier post I discussed my intentions to quit chewing tobacco. During this time I have had several internal self talk battles with myself. Through these internal discussions it has brought to mind an idea that seems to make sense. The bible says that un-regenerated man is sinful beyond measure.

This is Romans 3:9 from the Message:

Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it: There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, Don't know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day.This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.

And the Bible says that He gives us His Spirit to live within us:

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.

And when we receive that Spirit we begin to war within ourselves.

Romans 7:14-15 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

That we must die to ourselves everyday in order to live the life God wants us to.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

So… after considering everything I read concerning the war within me, I want to consider taking the whole thought to a literal extreme. Let’s divide the sum of who we are into parts. Our body, our mind (the flesh), and the Spirit that God gives to live within us. Our body is the vessel that contains who we are. It is nothing more than a tool. Granted it has needs and desires that the mind must continually filter, but it is a tool of the mind none the less. Our mind which controls the body is sinful by nature, without the Spirit of God to control it. When we give our selves to God we essentially lay down the control of our mind to the Spirit. Before Christ came into us the thoughts and desires we acted upon were restricted only by the laws or taboos of the society we live in or by the opinions of those we live around or with so as to remain in good graces with them. But after receiving God and the Spirit we are given a ‘second voice’ if you will. Our mind becomes divided. There is the part that desires God and that which wishes to remain as it was. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:31 that he dies everyday. I think he means that every day he must wake up and choose to slay the thoughts of the flesh to deny his selfish desires and serve only those that are of the Spirit, to choose God over self.

I believe if we can change the way we think… change the way we see ourselves. Then we can become a master of our body, instead of the other way around. I will use another example. I have a high threshold to pain. Not because I don’t feel pain but because I can compartmentalize it. In my mind if I know that the pain I am feeling is superficial and no real harm is befalling me then I can ignore it because I know that it is just my body providing stimulus from something it is experiencing. In 2 Peter 2:19 it says; “for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him”. If we can master our bodies, if we can train our minds to become masters of our bodies then we can better discern the voice of God and ignore the signals are body is sending us. It would be almost as if we see ourselves in third person. We train our mind to see everything circularly, to see our body and its desires objectively. To logically and consciously decide to deny the body anything that is not necessary and seek what ever is of God. To isolate and compartmentalize any desire… the desire of lust, the desire for food, the desire for sleep, anything… and make an informed decision and act in a way that is honoring to God and beneficial to the body.

I think one of the exercises that God gives us to train our minds to control our bodies like this is fasting. If you can regularly train your mind to deny your body one of its most basic and necessary desires then you can train your mind to overcome any desire that your body throws at it.

1 Corinthians 9:27 …but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

There is an old Chinese story. A young man is questioning his master about the desires for good and evil within him and how to choose to do good and not evil. The master said; "we all have two natures… you decide which one wins by determining which one you feed!"

Let us all begin today to train our minds to feed the nature that God gives us, and starve the nature that wars within us against Him.

The Ride of your Life!

I was reminded today of a particular trip we took as a family. My father is a small plane pilot and many times we would go somewhere on vacation in our plane. I believe we were going to Boston on this occasion and we were flying over LaGuardia Airport. Air traffic control is very strict in this area due to the large number of planes around you, so when the air traffic controller gives you a flight pattern you have to remain on it. We were approaching a very large thunder storm and my father radioed the tower to try and get another vector, the controller said that no one had reported any bad weather in the area so it probably wasn’t that big of a system and to just continue on. Back then Doppler radar didn’t exist so radar screens did not show weather patterns. When we hit this giant thunderstorm it became very dark and extremely bumpy, we were immediately caught in an updraft that took us up almost a thousand feet in just a few seconds. As we were rising my father killed power to the motor to slow our ascent, which caused a loud beeping sound and red blinking lights to appear on the console… it was a stall indicator, but to me I thought it meant we were crashing because my dad was on the radio to the tower screaming, Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, and I knew full good and well what that meant. The wings on the plane were flapping up and down like a bird and I thought they were going to be torn off, and periodically I could see patches of water below us. My only thought was; “I can’t swim”, as if I would somehow have survived the impact of slamming into the water. I remember the ashen faced look of my brother sitting next to me while our stomach’s turned flip flops as G-forces tore through us and threw us up and down, left and right… I remember at one point looking in the back of the plane and my other two younger brother and sister, who were about four and five at the time, were being bounced up and down in their loosely fitting seat belts. They were literally going from the seat to the ceiling in repetitive motion in the small space they were confined in. I will never forget the contrast between my sheer terror and the absolute shouts of joy and glee that were coming from their mouths. They just thought dad was doing this for their entertainment and they trusted completely, that he knew what he was doing.

Shouldn’t that be the way it is for us? I remember after we landed thinking about how much fun my younger siblings were having and thinking: “If I had known that we were going to land safely, it would have been one heck of a fun roller coaster ride that I could have enjoyed”. And under those circumstances I most certainly would have done it again. But, isn’t life the same for us! Our father in heaven has promised to take care of us and that nothing is going to happen that is outside of His control. In Luke 12:22 He very plainly tells us; “Do not worry about your lives”. We can’t do anything about it anyway, so just let him handle it.
Just like the feelings I had after our plane landed, when this life is over, I believe we will look back and think; “I wish I had enjoyed these moments more”. We will see that we were comfortably placed in Gods loving hand every step of the way. And under those circumstances we most certainly would have done it again and enjoyed every moment of it!

Let’s try and trust Him that way today!

He knows exactly who you are and what you are going through. Remember that He has the very hairs of your head counted, (Matthew 10:30) and not a single sparrow falls to the earth without His notice, (Luke 12:6-7) . So do not be afraid, we are worth much more than a sparrow. And just like the song says...

“He’s got the whole world in His hands”!

Hitting the Jackpot!

Imagine if you were traveling far away from home and on the way back from your trip you bought a lottery ticket and then subsequently lost it. Six months later you found it again and discovered that you had won a 200 million dollar power ball jackpot three states away!

Now, did you become a millionaire when you bought the ticket or when you found it?

A similar question is; would you quit your job and travel first class and in style to claim your winnings at the lottery office… or, would you beg for time off from your boss and hope you had enough gas money to drive your dilapidated car hoping it would make it to the lottery office to see if you could collect your earnings.

The answer depends on whether or not you believe you actually won the money!

We as Christians face the same dilemma. God told us that when we become saved we also become the children of the King and are seated in the heavenly realm with him. He told us we have a crown and a mansion waiting on streets of gold for when we go home, that we are more than conquerors and that we have the power to move mountains.

So did you become the son of the King when you were saved or do you think you have to wait until you go to heaven? Are you seated in the heavenly realms with Him today… or are you waiting to see Him to sit next to His throne? Are you more than a conqueror with the power to move the mountains in your life, or do you live a miserable and defeated life… waiting for the day you go home to see if you actually did win the jackpot?

The choice is yours… you can travel through this life first class as the son of the King, or you can remain as you are, (broken and empty handed) until you redeem your ticket hoping that what He said really is true.

Going down in Flames!

I can’t help it… I know I said I was not going to be political but I can not stay quite and watch our country go down in flames. McCain may not be able to get us out of the toilet, but Obama will use the power of the office he seeks to burn us to the ground and the world along with us.

It’s kinda sad, that we as a nation are lost in media driven hyperbole. Not trying to discover truth and ignoring the facts, turning a blind eye for the sake of emotion.

Dig deep and look objectively; there is much that is not adding up and much more that is being ignored.

The attached video link ( http://www.obamacrimes.com/ ) says a lot, but it is just the tip of the ice berg. There is more FACTUAL evidence linking Obama directly to Reznick, Ayers and his old racist preacher Wright… most people have not even looked up what Black Liberation Theology is (the racist foundation of Wright’s and Obama’s church). IT IS SCARY... Obama sat under this ideology, being MENTORED (His Words) by Wright for 22 years and fully supporting its agenda. He personally financially supported militant black liberationist campaigns within the school system of Chicago as a community organizer. He did way more that just sit on the board of ACORN. He was involved in helping to organize its initial efforts and financially supporting it to get it off the ground. Yet he denies any affiliation with them other than sitting on the board. But under Jeremiah Wright he spearheaded and financed an entire push to get Black Liberation Theology (an extremely racist movement under the guise of Christianity) into the public school system in Chicago.

There is so much more… AND THANK GOD, there is evidence, tape recordings, videos, and documents that FINALLY are being brought to light. YOU WILL SEE MUCH MORE about it over the next few weeks, along with the one thing that can not be ignored… HE IS NOT A NATURAL BORN AMERICAN CITIZEN as far as it relates to meeting the qualifications required to run for president.

It is sad that people are so desperate for change that they will accept anything regardless of what the change represents. The guys history is so checkered he would not qualify for the lowest level of security clearance for the military, yet he can attempt to gain the one position in government that would give him the highest level of access to this countries secrets.
WE are one Screwed up country…

We are sheep being led to the slaughter!

Less than a month ago gas was pushing $4.00 and in some places it was way over $4.00 per gallon… and we all said OHHH Tayyyy…. Today it is back down in the mid to high $2.00 range, and we all smile and say OHHH Tayyyy. The oil company’s are making record profits that are eerily equal as a percentage increase to the percentage of increase we have paid at the pump and they say it is a coincidence, their profit margin is the same… and we all say OHHH Tayyyy.
I don’t know about you but this wild ride that Wall Street and the banks took has not impacted my life in the slightest… but our government says we need to spend 700 billion of yours and my money right away to bail out a bunch of people who make more money in a year than the entire last three generations of my family have made in their lifetimes, or the world will end tomorrow… and we all say OHHHH Tayyyy.

WAKE UP PEOPLE AND THINK!!!!!!!!!!! Until we unite to do something about the crap that those who lead us feed us, then they will continue to do as they please and we will all united say OHHH Tayyyy!

I know that we (humans) as a race are sheep. Jesus and God have used the term numerous times in the Bible to describe us. And if you just take an objective look at how the masses of people respond to leadership (of any kind) most people just blindly follow. Very, very few people carry an objective original thought of their own, and even fewer take the time to verify the rhetoric that is fed to us. If any one were willing to be totally honest regarding that statement, it would ring in their mind with the clarity of truth. The fact that according to the polls the majority of people favor a green around the ears junior Senator with zero executive experience and extremely questionable associations to lead our country is a shining example of our propensity to live out our lives as sheep. God never looked down on us because we are sheep. He obviously made us this way so that we would be dependent upon Him for our lives, and so He could enjoy loving and nurturing us as only the true shepherd can. The only problem is that we have let the national media networks replace the only shepherd that could or would care about us. We gobble up the biased crap and partial truths that they feed us like a lamb hanging on her mother’s teat. Our presidential race is a fine example of their work.

We as a people are being led to slaughter by the liberal media of this country… in the literal sense. Most of the affiliates we watch are owned by Arabs who traditionally have had less than our best interests at heart. And if you don’t think that they can spin the truth in such a way so that you go willing to the packing house with a big smile on your face, then you are like the many others with a dazed look of bliss on their face while they stand in front of the executioner.

There is only one shepherd that gives a hoot about your life, and He is the only reason our country exists today.

If we as a country… as a people do not return to Him, do not personally bow our knee to him and begin to share Him with those we meet and know, then our country is lost. I fear He has already removed His hand from us. And if WE (the United States) no longer champion His cause then who will? We are one of the last bastions of hope in the world for true Christianity.

A lot is at stake this year… there is much to be lost.

It is time for those of us who truly belong to him to fall to our knees and ask Him for wisdom and guidance. And to be willing to say yes to what ever He asks of us, and then to ask Him to birth within each of us His spirit of revival.

Before it’s too late, if it isn’t already!

We Are Who Are Friends Are!

Try as I might, when I try to think about something to write about, my thoughts are consumed with the upcoming election.

I am a republican but as far as voting is concerned I am willing to vote for the best candidate regardless of political affiliation. I have in the past and I most certainly will again in the future. To be honest, I wish the entire system of democrats and republicans were scraped and we could all vote on issue based candidates. I think the party system does nothing to help the country in fact I believe it does more to divide us.

I am not a John McCain fan… but I am even less of an Obama fan. He scares the crap out of me! When it’s all boiled down I don’t believe either candidate is capable of rescuing this country, but I have heard too many rumors about Obama and his ties to radicals to vote for him. And as I am discovering most rumors are far more than rumors. Granted there is some exaggeration in a lot of what is being said… but for what part is still truth scares me to death.

My mother told me that; “You are who your friends are”. And unfortunately I proved that statement very true in the negative sense… just as today I prove it true in the positive sense.

Obama’s friends are who Obama is, regardless of what he says. Sean Hannity recently aired a program factually tying Obama to many people that desire to divide and destroy this country. He has long standing relationships with these people and now that it is coming to light he is trying to tell us; “I didn’t know that he bombed the capital” Or; “I didn’t know that my pastor of 22 years was basically a black racist and the church he started was based on black liberation theology”. He has rumored ties to radical Muslim groups and frankly I have seen enough to believe that there is probably some truth to it. Regardless of whether or not the majority of what is being said is true of not, the show I saw from Hannity provided more than enough evidence to disqualify the man from becoming our next president. And if he is, as he says ‘naïve’, about his friends past affiliations then we do not need some one that NAÏVE running this country. So one way or another the guy doesn’t belong... and like I said HE SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF ME!.

For those that would like to start getting more factual based reporting of the news that is news in our country then include Info Wars: http://www.infowars.com/ in your digest of what is being talked about.

I apologize for my rant… and will try to stay on the course that I originally intended to blog about in the future.

P.S. The show that Hannity aired on Hannity America is supposed to be aired again, you can get information on it from this link: http://www.foxnews.com/hannitysamerica/ watch it... that way I won't be alone in my fear for the future of our country.

Can I do it till I need glasses?

There is an old joke that I will modify for the sake of content, but it goes something like this.

A mother catches her young son picking his nose. Disgusted by it she immediately ponders a course of corrective action. An idea comes to mind so she sits him down and says; “Johnny I know it seems natural to pick your nose and lots of people do it. But if you keep picking your nose it will make you go blind!”
Johnny thinks about it for a minute and replies: “Well Ok Mom, but can I do it until I need glasses?”

I think so many times that we take the same approach to bad habits and sometimes even sin. We think; “I know smoking is bad, but I’ll quit when I notice a persistent cough”. Or, “I know chewing tobacco is bad, but I’ll quit when I notice a problem with my teeth or gums”. Or, “I know looking at dirty pictures is wrong but I will stop when I get married”. Or, I know flirting with my co-worker is wrong, but I will quit if it ever gets serious”. Or,… you insert what you are holding on to.

For me it has been chewing tobacco. I chewed as a teenager and quit for almost 30 years, after having reconstructive oral surgery. Why I started again is beyond me, but after several inconspicuous hints form God, and quite a bit of overt expression of dissatisfaction from my family… I have decided to make a go of it again. For me it is not a big deal… but two passages come to mind when I contemplate what I am doing and how it relates to my walk with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

Romans 14:13-21 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

Referring to the first verse, I think it is a fair statement to make to say that; “using tobacco causes a hunger for more of it and it desires to master you”.

And referring to the second verse, I know that using tobacco is among the many things that can cause some one to stumble. Sure, I can use it in private so as not to cause some one to stumble… but it goes back to the mastery thing, eventually you will use it in public or around someone you think is ok… but, they may tell some one, who tells some one, until it eventually finds its way to an audience that does stumble… so what is the better choice? Do I really need it that bad anyway? And not to mention there are additional health concerns that can leave my children fatherless and my wife a widow!

God calls us to lead a life that is Holy, just as he is Holy.

1 Peter 1:16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

So now the question is pointed to you… what is trying to master you?

What is it in your life that may cause someone to stumble?

What is it that is keeping you from being presented to God as Holy?

Did you become a Christian to buy your fire insurance policy, or did you sign up to serve Him?

Ask Him today to reveal to you where you may be leading others astray, or what may be keeping you from being Holy! Then when He shows you… Do what He says about it!

Waiting STINKS!

If a tree fell in the woods and no one was there to hear it would it make a sound?

When you close the refrigerator door does the light really turn off?

Can a thousand angels really fit onto the head of a pin?

WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE GOD IS HE STILL THERE?

Does my life still have meaning?

Does Jesus still Love me?

Does God even know I’m still here?

There is no part of the Christian walk harder to endure than when the voice of God has said wait... and these many years later you are still waiting… and waiting… and waiting?

Throughout history God has told his people to wait and watch Him work. Abraham received some pretty clear instructions from God. But unless there were more encounters than those mentioned in the Bible, there were some pretty big gaps from one moment of clarity and instruction to the next.

And many times God made His people wait until the very last second, when all hope was lost except His… God always shows up in the nick of time. When He first led the Israelites out of Egypt, they were hemmed in by the desert on one side, the Red Sea on another and the Egyptian army advancing upon them from another.

Exodus 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."

The Bible says that God moved between the Israelites and the advancing Egyptian army and then parted the Red Sea so they could escape… it is one of the many marvelous stories in the Bible of God showing up on behalf of His people, in just the nick of time. And even in my own life God has moved so powerfully and in such obvious ways that there can be no denying His existence or His love for me and my family… but what do you do when He becomes silent and says:

“Be still and know that I am God”…even while the locusts are still eating and eating and eating?

Elijah became so depressed after defeating Baal’s prophets that he wanted to die, Job cursed the day he was born, David spent years in hiding waiting for God to make him King, Joseph spent years waiting for God to complete his life… and on and on. And not everyone received their reward while on this earth, Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet and he died while Israel was still in captivity, Paul and many of the other apostles lived a brutal life by any standard.

To put it bluntly… WAITING STINKS!

But, like Job said; “Though He slay me yet will I serve Him”.

This is, and will continue to be my mantra. I just wish I could sometimes get a little peek underneath the curtain, or hear His voice (literally) telling me how much longer or what comes next…

But when I think about it, for those that I have read about in the Bible who could see and hear Him more clearly than I, didn’t fair very well at the hands of those around them.

So maybe it is better to just sit blindly in the cold silence and wait for further instructions.

TEN LIFE RULES:

I have received a lot of flak for my view on these ten rules. I wrote them in the event I were to go to the Lord before my children were grown, and this is what I felt would be a good summary of what I have learned in my life and a way to pass it on to them, a way to live by if you will. Life has not been easy for me and I have run into quite a few characters along the way… so here is how I have learned to deal with it… after tonight, I am even more convinced that this is a good legacy to leave for others to follow…


1) KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT:
Nothing is worth having or doing unless it pleases and brings Glory to God. Anything else is a waste of what little time He has given you on this planet!
This does not mean that you can not enjoy the moments in between and use what He has provided for personal pleasure. Personal pleasure is not a vacation from God or a way of escaping Him. If you have the right feelings of Love for your Father then even your personal pleasure is more enjoyable with Him not away from Him. (Just like the feelings you first had in dating your first love or your spouse) you would never have dreamed of personal pleasure apart from each other, you wanted to include them in every possible aspect of your life. These are the same feelings that God wishes for you to have towards Him. If your thoughts throughout the day are not; “is what I am doing pleasing God”, and the last thought when you lie down at night is not; “how have I lived to please God today”, and when you wake up, if your first thoughts of the day are not; “how am I going to live to please God today”, then you do not have your priorities in the right order. Following God should not be a waypoint in your week or "just part of your life". It should be the very core, the center of your life that everything else should revolve around.

2) DON’T EXPECT MORE FROM THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAN THEY CAN GIVE:
People you trust and love are imperfect just like you and can and will make horrible mistakes that can hurt you. The only one you can trust completely is God.
You may trust those that you love but always be prepared for them to let you down, either because they did not understand your expectations or could not meet them. Always be willing to forgive their mistakes whether they ask for it or not. When you forgive then forget; other wise it is not forgiveness.

3) BE CAREFUL OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW OR MEET:
Most people you meet or know are motivated by selfish desires, and some can be very deceitful and mean. Expect to be hurt at some point and in some way by most of them.
Always allow someone to prove themselves first by their actions, then remember who they are and deal with them accordingly. Give every one an honest opportunity to succeed or fail, but always be prepared and willing to lose whatever you trust them with. Whatever you lose write it off and forget about it; God tells you to freely loan to others what He has given you and not expect repayment; I believe you should place the trust you give others in this category as well. More times than not people have some sort of personal agenda and it will always take precedence over their feelings about you. A good way to think of it is: "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".
Do not shun people or harbor grudges or feelings of resentment towards them because of what they have done, you make mistakes too and need their forgiveness as well. If you do not forgive them it gives them control over you. Instead look for the positive things in them that you can enjoy together and understand them for who they are, then deal with them on that basis. Other people’s actions should not be the sole factor in determining your response. Neither God nor you can control or are responsible for the decisions they make for themselves. You are only responsible for your response to them. Regardless of your initial response make sure your final response is what pleases God, people may not be willing to forgive you and give a second chance but God always will.

4) NEVER REJECT OR EXPLOIT THE WEAKNESS OF OTHERS:
This is one of the most horrible traits that we possess as a society. Do not participate in taking advantage over another by exploiting or rejecting them for what they lack. Gods pounds His nails and you never want to experience His reversal of circumstances so that you experience what you have done to others. Instead champion the weak and defend the defenseless. There is no worse feeling than the rejection or exploitation by your peers of what you already recognize as inferior in yourself and are powerless to change. Always make sure to treat others the way you want to be treated, see the view through the eyes He looks at you through.

5) NEVER QUIT ALWAYS FINISH:
No matter how many times you fall or how much it hurts always get back up and try again. You are never beaten unless you quit! He never told us; "You won't fall", what He said is, "Don't worry when you do, I will be there to catch you".

6) DO NOT PLACE MORE SIGNIFICANCE ON THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAN THEY DESERVE:
Heaven is your true home. The unseen things of Eternity have more significance and are more real than the world you see around you. Time and space are the temporary place God created for you to live and prove yourself in. There is nothing that can happen to you (good or bad) on this earth that will have any significance to you when you finally go home. The only thing that will matter is your response to it. Do not spend the time God has allotted for you building things that exist inside of time, instead invest the time you have building what will exist after time ends!

7) ALWAYS TRUST GOD:
God has never let me down or broken a promise to me! No matter how bad it looks God is ALWAYS faithful and will do EVERYTHING He has promised. Even when it looks like all hope is lost never give up.

8) ALWAYS THANK GOD:
Always thank God that He selected you. Nothing compares to being one of mankind’s few, chosen by God to become His child out of the sea of humanity. Be thankful for everything He has given you, and for choosing to Love you.

9) NEVER FORGET YOUR ENEMY:
Satan rules this world and will exploit any and every circumstance of weakness in your life, so always be on your guard. Look towards and trust God completely to deliver you. Everything that happens is for Gods Heavenly purpose not your earthly benefit. Use each event to learn what He wants to teach you. Find and cover each exposed weakness so that you will grow stronger. Don't look at every bad thing that happens as an attack, some adverse things are from God so that He can demonstrate His faithfulness to you or discipline you. Examine your life for things God is pointing out that are not pleasing to Him, when they are discovered remove them IMMEDIATELY. In this way Satan will never be able to gain a stronghold in your life.

10) FIND HIS PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE AND PURSUE IT:
If you still have a will then God can't show you His. You can only understand your life after you discover Gods purpose and then wear blinders in pursuing it. You can never decide to commit so much of yourself to God that it becomes too much. All that you can give is never enough. There is no such thing as an over committed Christian. Do all that you can to find Gods purpose, and then give all that you are in service to Him alone! Every Minute spent outside of Gods will is useless and wasted, not one breath taken in pursuit of life outside of Gods will is profitable. Remember that we are at war; and as Gods soldier you should live as such!

A Life of Passion

What makes you excited?

Is it a hobby, or maybe it's campaigning for your favorite political candidate. Is it when you see your favorite team winning a game or when you drive home in your brand new car, or pull up into the driveway of the new home you just bought? Is it when you go on the first date with the beautiful girl you just met?
What’s the first thing you want to do when you see a good friend after you just bought something new or one of these other moments? Do you want to hide in shame or do you want to show off your new girlfriend, your new car, your new house. Do you want to talk about how your team kicked butt the night before?

You want to share high points and moments of excitement with your friends; don't you?

And if we are excited about it we usually bone up on stats and specs. We become knowledgeable about how fast or how safe our car is, or all the batting averages or how many completed passes and team stats of our favorite sport or ball player(s).

A lot of these people (some of whom are us) who get excited about a subject, travel great distances to participate in something related to it... we spend or invest money (sometimes lots of money) to acquire memorabilia or better equipment like golf clubs or fishing poles.

A lot of us will unashamedly do this and more to prove how dedicated we are to whatever it is that excites us... But what has any of it ever done to change or improve your life for the better? I know you can claim that it provided relief or entertainment and a way of relaxing... but when its all said and done, how has it really helped you or your family, and is there anything in your life that you are neglecting because of your obsession?

Where does God fit into all of this? Does He have to take a back seat to what is your passion...

Or is He your passion?

Do you spend as much time learning about him as you do the stats of your favorite team? Do you give Him as much money as you pour into your hobby? Do you get as excited about sharing with your friends how He has changed your life, as much as you do about discussing last nights game or justifying why so and so should win the next election? Are you as unashamed about sharing or worshipping Jesus with strangers, as you are about dressing funny and screaming your head off in front of thousands of strangers at a ball game.

Why is it we can become so passionate about something so insignificant and yet neglect the only one who really matters in our life?

What is your passion...what is your shame?

What are you investing yourself in... what are you wasting yourself on?

We only get one shot at this life... lets not waste it on things that won't matter when its over.

I doubt you will be worried about who wins the next Superbowl on your death bed...

A Mushrooms Life!

I keep trying to think of an analogy that paints a picture of the thoughts that have been on my mind over the weekend.

What comes to mind is an old cartoon I remember.

Einstein is walking out of a room and closing the door behind him. What you can see as he closes the door behind him is a large room with wall to wall banks of super computers.
In his hands he is carrying a simple wooden box with a light bulb and an on off switch.
His assistant is questioning what he has in his hands and why he is closing off the room with the rows of computers. The assistant is saying, ''What about those''? As he points to the room full of computers.
Einstein replies, ''Yes... I know, but we will start them with this''. Holding up the light bulb box.

That is how I feel about the economy and the election. I feel like we are only getting a very small insignificant part of the story... and there is so much more we should know and need to know, but no one is telling.

I don't like to think of myself as one who subscribes to conspiracy theories… adhering to radical left or right wing tales of suspicion and terror. But, when I see the finances of the world crashing around me and every one continuing to party like it is 1999, I wonder.
When I can easily find that Obama has obvious friendships and financial and political ties to radical extremists and the media isn't talking about it I wonder.
When I find out our country has been under Marshall Law since the passage of the bailout and no one in the media is talking about it I wonder!
When the media has become part of the political machine and its subterfuge instead of a reliable source of information I wonder...

When so much of everything I see in the world around seems like it is taken right out of the books of Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation I wonder...

And I am wondering if it isn't time to stop wondering and wake up. I don't know what waking up means or what we can do about it if we do, but I am tired of being a mushroom living in the dark and being fed Bull-crap!

P.S If you are wondering about the Marshall Law thing click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbheoKVx0hc

The clip is form Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) speaking on the floor. His statement comes in @ 1 minute and 19 seconds into the clip clarifying the fact that the speaker of the house broke the news to the Senate that the country was under Marshall Law on the night before the vote for the bailout.

I want to be the one!

As things begin to unwind or wind down I reflect back on where I am, compared to where I wanted to be.

In my Christian walk, I wanted to be the one... the one who gave anything and everything in pursuit of God. My heart still screams this thought, but I missed the boat somewhere along the way, and now I feel like I am just trying to survive.

I still feel the same fervor to draw closer to God, to serve Him, but I feel dirty now. Not because I have done everything wrong... I just didn't do everything right! I feel like I haven't tried as hard as I could, I don't feel any where near as close to where I wanted to be. There is no greater pain than the realization of how far away you are from how close He wants you to be.

I have always wondered what made the heroes of the Bible heroes. Why did God choose them? And what can I do so He will choose to use me that way? Was it because they were special and I'm not? I don't mean that I need a special place of recognition... or my story told in the bible. All I want is to do my very best... to walk into that banquet for the marriage of the lamb and have God lean out over the table, look at me and wink. A sign between Him and me, a wink that says ''I know''. I have seen you; I know what you have overcome... and I am proud of you. Well done my child.

We have so little time to become who or what He wants us to be and the final shape of what we become determines how we will spend eternity with Him. So many fall short, and so many more don't even show up for the race.

We all run a race. It's a race against our selves. And God expects us to win.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

We as Gods children are rounding the final turn of what is to come. This is the point in the race... in our life... where we need to sprint to the finish... wearing blinders to every distraction, determined to win.

Are you in the race? Are you running to win? Will there be a prize waiting for you when you step up on the podium…

…or will it be a consolation prize for showing up?