A short message from Compassion International

Thank you to Marc, Wendy, and Lindsay for all your help this morning. Because of ya'll and the UMW, this service today was a huge success, and because of this, 5 children received sponsors. Today, we changed the lives of 5 children. Thank you all so much.

Prayers

Got this message about Dale's nephew this morning and wanted to share it with you all.

We talked to Gary last night. I cannot remember if I told you that they'd discovered this week that Sage has a micro-bacterial infection in his lungs. At this point the doctors have said that there is a 95% chance that it is not TB....something less serious.....but precautions are underway until they're sure. (Results of further tests should be back by the middle of this week.) His medications have also been adjusted; I think Gary said that 2 or 3 (out of 23 he's taking) have been eliminated or replaced....one of which is the phenergan that they were giving him for nausea. (He seems to be responding better to a different anti-nausea medication.) He has now had two days off oxygen; the night in between he was on a low percentage. His enlarged liver also appears to have less swelling. At least the last few days have finally held a little encouraging news; the doctors, Gary, and Ginny all think that he's actually looking better. So...please continue to take a few moments to remember him in prayer in your Bible study group, and Gary asked me to thank you and the others.

I pray that Compassion Sunday reached some hearts today and we will see you all this evening!

Word Puzzles

From a blog I read: (Been Thinking About)

To love well, we must also learn to hate. Some of what we hate, we must learn to love. Much of what comes easy will be difficult to endure. Some of what comes with work will give us rest.

Riches are discovered in seeing our real poverty. Safety in a place of risk. More in the place of less.

To live, we must learn how to die. To find life, we must be willing to lose it. To find hope, we must learn to despair. To rise on wings like eagles, we must wait and rest.

To find comfort, we must grieve. To learn self-control, we must surrender. To win, we must put others first. To save our money, we must be willing to give.

To see most clearly, we must focus on something that cannot be seen. To make progress, we must admit defeat. To find ourselves, we must love one another.

To become wise, we must admit our foolishness. To find understanding, we must forget what we have learned.

To be strong, we must admit our weakness. To be satisfied, we must be willing to hunger and thirst.

To be great, we must serve. To work hard, we must learn to rest. To keep, we must be willing to lose. To retain, we must be willing to release.

To save the present, we must be willing to live for eternity. To prepare for eternity, we must see the importance of the present.

To find comfort, we must be willing to hurt. To be accepted by God, we must give up any hope of earning His approval. To live our own life to the fullest, we must let Someone else live His life through us.

To find safety and satisfaction, we must learn to trust a God who has a good way of calling the wicked “righteous,” and every reason to see things which are not as though they were.

Is there any wonder the Scriptures say that “the just will live by faith” (Rom. 1:17), and that the “wise” of this world will call us foolish? Is there any wonder the apostle Paul was not loved by everyone who heard him describe the people of God as those who are “deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things”? (2 Cor. 6:8-10).

...And Now It's Embedded!!

I don't know why I didn't embed it in the first place. Oh well....

The Video

I've watched that video I posted yesterday (from Wendy) several times now. I keep thinking about what an accurate portrayal of the Gospel, of Jesus, that it is. We start off innocent, walking (or dancing in the video) with Jesus. Soon, however, the temptations of the world draw us away - just a little bit at first, but soon that girl in the video found herself totally separated from Jesus, although he kept calling out to her, trying to get her attention. And eventually, she tried to throw off the sins and get away - but they kept dragging her away from Jesus. In her own power, she could do nothing. Only when Jesus put Himself in between her and her sins - that's how the power of those sins was broken, only by the power of Jesus Himself. That video is a powerful portrayal of just how grace works, how we are saved. I think I'll go watch it again now!
-bj

Video From Wendy

She asked me to post this for y'all:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

-B.J.

Upload...Defraggggg

Hey,
I finally got to be a blogger!!!! I am one week away from this semester finally being OVER!!!!!
I just wanted to let you all know that and I will try to check our website at least once a week. It is ever so cool and informative.

Cya'll later
Wendy

Insights (maybe helpful, maybe not)

I think last night's bible study was very good. Great discussions, great praise music, great questions etc. I would like to suggest some things that may or may not help us. Either way, I think they are worth saying and I hope that they are taken in love.

I would like to try to steer away from such indepth analyis of all the denominations. As interesting as I think this is and I personally feel I could talk an endless amount of time about them, I enjoyed it as much as anyone, but found myself wanting to get back more to the study questions at hand.
This should probably be considered also on the fact that we should also keep in mind this type of fellowship as being an outreach as well. There may be others attend later that are from other denominations or are coming from other denominations and we do not want to be a stumbling block to them. I just do not want a person coming from another denomination to the bible study and walking away confused about their beliefs, plan of salvation, etc. I feel we need to be the mechanism for simply providing the WORD and its blessings.
All of us will have some difference on our interpretation of Scripture and denominational creed, and that is fine, but lets not focus on that. For instance, Wendy and I come from the Baptist church. There are things I agree with them on, there are things I do not. Now we belong to the Methodist church. There are things I agree with them on, there are things I do not. There are things I agree with the Catholic Church on, but there are things I do not.
I just do not want us to go down a road where we start to break down denominations and then inadvertantly start taking that mentality to each other in regards to how we interpret things in the bible, etc. Because, let's be honest, the fact is that we do not have it all figured out and the other denominations do not either. I would encourage us to stick to the questions more and analyze/examine the scriptures more in detail as it relates to the context in which it was written and how it applies to our lives now.
I hope this helps and is taken in love. This is a great group and a great bunch of committed Christians. Again, I just don't want us to go down a road of criticism that could lead us down other roads unintentionally. Again, I thought last night was great, but I just felt it on my heart to share with you all something that might help us grow more and focus more on life application bible study.

Love,

Marc

Bible Study Hang-over!

Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Well what did you think I meant LOL?
Seriously sleepy this morning but grateful to the Lord for all of you and for an evening spent growing closer to each other and to the Lord.

I was reading a devotional this morning and this quote stood out to me:

The defining characteristic of a community that is being transformed is that the socio-economic traits are being positively affected. The crime rate goes down, the economy is improved, and the number of Christians in the city increases, prayer increases, and the city leaders become Christians. It is the manifestation of Deuteronomy 28:13, "The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom."

The devotional was speaking about entire communities being transformed through the gospel of Jesus Christ. When you think about what happens to us as a small group and translate that to a larger community level - AWESOME!

and that's all I have to say about that!

What a great morning!

It was nice to have B.J. and Dale at our Emmaus group this morning. Its always great when we can get together in good Christian fellowship and discuss our faith. I hope to see you guys there more often. Just remember one thing:

What happens in Vegas stays Vegas!

Something to Think About

From "Our Daily Bread" - a past devotional I happened upon today.

In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would
sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text:
"Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man" (KJV). Not knowing the
word austere, he thought the text spoke of "an oyster man."
He explained how a diver must grope in dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it "in his torn and bleeding hands." The
preacher added, "Christ descended from the glory of heaven into . . . sinful
human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to
the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has
placed on the object of His quest."
Afterward, 12 men received Christ. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on.
The Oxford-educated Wesley simply said, "Never mind. The Lord got a dozen
oysters tonight."

Our best may not always measure up to the standards of
others. But God takes our inadequacies and humble efforts and uses them for His
glory. — Cindy Hess Kasper

The Master can use what you have to offer,Though you may consider it small;His work here on earth is done through His children,So give Him your best, give your all. —Hess

Do what you can where you are with what you have.

Much better!!

I think everyone would agree - last night was MUCH BETTER than last Sunday. You could feel it up on the stage, even. Especially the song "Everlasting God" - that is one of our best ones. Wendy did a great job on that one (and our other songs). Props to Brian also for delivering an awesome and thought-provoking message, even though I thought Dee was supposed to talk last night, ha ha. Hope everyone has a great week!

Great Message Tonight!

Thanks Brian - great job! I wanted to put the links to the Compassion Website up here in case anyone wants to check it out.

Compassion International

Compassion Sunday

From wikipedia:

Causes of Child Mortality

According to UNICEF, more than 70 per cent of around 11 million child deaths every year result from one the following 6 causes:

1. diarrhea,
2. malaria,
3. neonatal infection,
4. pneumonia,
5. preterm delivery,
6. lack of oxygen at birth.

The majority of child deaths are preventable. Some of the deaths occur from illnesses like measles, malaria or tetanus. Others result indirectly from marginalization, conflict and HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition and the lack of safe water and sanitation contribute to half of all these children’s deaths. Research and experience show that six million of the almost 11 million children who die each year could be saved by low-tech, evidence-based, cost-effective measures such as vaccines, antibiotics, micronutrient supplementation, insecticide-treated bed nets and improved family care and breastfeeding practices.

Rates of Child Mortality

According to UNICEF, these deaths mostly occur in the developing world. An Ethiopian child is 30 times more likely to die by his or her fifth birthday than a child in Western Europe. Among deaths in children, South-central Asia has the highest number of neonatal deaths, while sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates. Two-thirds of deaths occur in just 10 countries.

Link to World Health Organization (spreadsheet or PDF file of statistics)

Working in the school system I see so many kids who are in so much need. Not to the point of death - but to the point of life in terms of the future. They leave school with so little in the way of resources for surviving and often already parents themselves. So many you start out wondering how they can act so badly and then when you learn more about them you wonder how they even make it to school every day.

Good Stewardship For The Planet

My very environmentally conscious friend Frances submitted a bag design in the Kroger(R) Design a Reusable Shopping Bag contest.

PLEASE!!! Vote for her Kroger reusable bag design at kroger.com!!! You can
vote once a day - thanks!!

View design and vote
http://www.designagreenbag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagId=9662

Equipped to Win

This is an email devo I get and I always think of Marc when there's a sports theme (or EasterBunny/Jesus theme)

Today's Turning Point With David Jeremiah

Winning Moments: Equipped to Win

Now may the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will.
Hebrews 13:20-21a

Recommended Reading 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Basketball players dress simply: shoes, shirts, shorts, and sweatbands. But life is not so simple for football players—and what about ice hockey players? Besides clothes, the athletes in these two sports have to cover themselves with pads and helmets for protection. Regardless of the sport, no athlete can expect to win without the proper equipment.

Paul wrote to Timothy that Scripture was given by God to man that we might be "thoroughly equipped for every good work." How, exactly, does Scripture equip the believer? It teaches us doctrine, it reproves (disciplines) us, it corrects our path, and it instructs us in righteous living. And it gives us our uniform for "offense" (putting on Christ; Romans 13:14) and "defense" (spiritual armor; Ephesians 6:11-18). In addition, we are given our daily practice gear: service, Bible study, the fruit of the Spirit, prayer, and obedience. If that sounds like a lot of equipment, consider the stakes: The spiritual life is a winner-take-all contest.

In which kind of equipment have you invested more—the type for a temporal game or the kind for the eternal contest?

Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments.
C. S. Lewis

And Yet Another Post...

I had an idea. When we finish the current DVD series, what would everyone think about starting a new study and plunging into Romans? Not using a video or a workbook or anything like that - just reading through and discussing. Romans is Paul's Manual of Christianity - not the Gospel, but the how-to of Christianity - the nuts and bolts of what we believe. I really think it might be a gret way to increase our discipleship and deepen our commitment to Christ. What do you guys think?

PS - Also, Romans is my favorite book of the Bible, so I would be more than willing to do my share of teaching, lol.

Songs We Know And Can Play Fairly Well :)

How about everyone list the songs they think we all know, the ones we have done repeatedly, the ones we do well. I'll start us off:

Good Songs:
I'm Gonna Sing
You Are The Everlasting God
My Life Is In You Lord
You Are God Alone

Maybe Songs:
Beautiful One
Revive Me
I Wait For The Lord (maybe we should wait on this one lol)
Nothing But The Blood


This is just to start the list off.

Some Stuff From Last Night

I just thought it would be a good idea to make a short list of the things we discussed about the contemporary service last night, just to get them on record.

• We should remember that we aren't professionals - we are just lay people, the kind Jesus picked to be his disciples, who still went on to do great things for Christ.
• We need to aim for a little more structure in our worship. But let's not overdo it and stifle the Spirit if He chooses to lead us somewhere during the service.
• Wendy can't do it all - but she does a great job of it all anyway!
• We can throw in some oldies but goodies now and then to our songs.
• Less new songs for now - let's concentrate on the ones we know, and get better at them.
• Practice, practice, practice!

I don't have time to finish the list right now, so if anyone wants to add anything, feel free!

Ok B.J.....

I've been flickr'd!

www.flickr.com/photos/blovedbrownsfan

Pics are Online!!

My Third Day/Rangers Ballgame pics are now online!! You can check them out here:

www.flickr.com/photos/homer4k/

Pics

I'll have my pics from Saturday up soon - I still have to edit them in RAW, then process into JPEG, then upload, and defrag...hahaha. Anyway, they will be up on Flickr soon!!

What We Learned From Last Night

1) We need to practice more! :)

2) Brian is no longer allowed to sit in the audience and not sing and play.

3) Shawn is no longer allowed to play drums unless he has a mike.

4) I can't sing lead after attending Third Day concerts.

5) Always follow Wendy, whatever chords she is playing. ;)

and 6) And despite that the music may not have been all that good last night, God still loves us when we worship Him. What a wonderful Lord we serve!!

Wow! God Is Good!

It was good to share the Lord's Supper with all of you and BJ did an awesome job with the message. It was also good to see so many people there tonight. Dale said there was a total of 35 including those of us who are serving.

Acts 5:
38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His[d] name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

I believe with all my heart that if God wills it, we can grow. People are hungry for many things but what they truly NEED is the Word.

John 4:13
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

We live in a broken and hurting world full of people who are so in need of "living water" and who need to learn more about the living God that we serve! Amen?

Here they are!

Holly, Lauren, Jessica, Jerica, Jessica V., Jessica M., and Lindy at the Third Day concert @ Rangers Ballpark In Arlington.


"The doctor of musicology", Mark Lee!


Mark Lee & Mac Powell on stage.

Holly and Lindy standing near the security gate.

Lauren is intently watching!

Mac, Tai and crew backstage.

Mac, Tai and crew backstage.


This is David Carr, Third Day's drummer! I was about 4 feet away when I took this picture!




The guy standing beside the truck (he's almost impossible to see here) is Mac Powell, the lead singer for Third Day. I am convinced that the man has the greatest voice I've ever heard!





A sea of people!

Jessica M. waves to the band as they leave the stage.

Mark Lee, Mac Powell, and Tai Anderson of Third Day on stage @ Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Mac and Tai on stage.

Even people on the walkway on top of the ballpark got to see the greatest band on earth, Third Day.

The big day is finally here!

THIRD DAY BABY!!!!!!!!

Ouch!

This hits me where it hurts!

The Absent Are Safe Here
March 24th, 2008

This weekend I listened to a podcast sermon by Haddon Robinson in which he told a story about Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University. He put up a plaque in his living room that said, “The Absent Are Safe Here.” That meant that neither he nor his wife would speak unkindly about those not present. Whenever they had guests who began to speak negatively about others, he would not interrupt but instead would simply gaze at the plaque until the guests saw it and got the message.

Haddon Robinson told that story and then asked a very convicting question. Are the absent safe around you? Or do you take advantage of their absence to say things about them that you wouldn’t say in their presence? Do you allow others to speak ill of them in your presence? It is a wonderful thing for your friends and family members to know that they are safe even when they are absent because you will not take advantage of them. And it is wonderful for your co-workers and neighbors and your fellow Christians and those who don’t know the Lord to know this much about you–that you will protect them even when they are absent, that you will guard their reputation and will not speak harshly or unkindly about them and that you will endeavor always to give them the benefit of the doubt as much as you can. That certainly means

No cheap shots
No sharing of gossip
No repeating of rumors
No judging of motives
No sharing of details that should remain private
No trash talk
No insinuations
No angry invectives
No making yourself look good at the expense of others
No maximizing the sins of others
No adding aggravating details to make the absent look worse
No dismissing an unkind remark by saying, “I was only joking.”

So here we are–the day after Easter. This is a good time to make a new start. We would do well to ponder this question today. Are the absent safe around you?

This is beautiful!

What To Look For In A Church

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. --Acts 2:42-47


One common question people often ask is, "What do I look for in a church?"And while there are many reputable, Bible-based churches today, I want to show you what to look for in a church, according to what the Scripture says.

The first and obvious sign of a good church is one that it is filled with people who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. In today's passage, we're reminded that the "Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Those who accepted Jesus as their Savior, believed the Word of God, and were then baptized in obedience to Christ, were added to the early church.

What this teaches us is that every follower of Christ should either be in a church or looking for a church that is...
• filled with growing believers in Jesus,
• has a high priority upon the study of God's Word,
• has a corporate worship of Jesus Christ,
• bathes everything they do in prayer, and
• stays on mission by sharing Jesus Christ with the lost and hurting.

If you follow these simple guidelines, I'm confident you will find a dynamic, growing church where God is adding people every day to the family, faith, and fellowship of other believers!

THE FIRST AND OBVIOUS SIGN OF A GOOD CHURCH IS ONE THAT IT IS FILLED WITH PEOPLE WHO KNOW AND LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

--by Jack Graham

Torahbytes

This is from Torahbytes, a weekly email I get.
Mezora
For the week of April 12, 2008 / 7 Nissan 5768
Torah: Vayikra / Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33
Haftarah: 2 Melachim / 2 Kings 7:3-20

Defiled No More!

"Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst. (Vayikra / Leviticus 15:31; ESV)

This is perhaps one of the most important statements in the Torah in helping us to understand the implications of the New Covenant. Vayikra (the Book of Leviticus) contains detailed instructions regarding how the community of Israel was to deal with spiritual uncleanness.

The term unclean in Hebrew is "tamei". It does not mean unclean in the sense of being dirty, but rather it is the defilement of spiritual purity. When someone or something is "tamei," they are unfit to be in God's presence or to be used in God's service. Not only did the defiled person risk death by being in God's presence, their defilement also defiled God's dwelling.

I will explain. God's plan and purpose for creating the people of Israel was to make himself known to the world. God instructed the people of Israel through Moses to construct a tent-like structure called the Mishkan (English: Tabernacle), which would later become a permanent structure called the Temple. The Mishkan and the Temple represented God's dwelling place. The various inner sections of these structures, while providing, in some sense, access to God, actually illustrated the barriers that existed between us and him.

Much of the sacrificial system was to deal with the issue of defilement. On one hand it allowed people to engage God by undergoing ritual cleansing, but at the same time it continually reminded them how they, as an example of the condition of all people, were unfit to intimately engage God.

Many of the things that defiled a person, which in turn threatened the purity of God's dwelling, were unintentional, including certain diseases, bodily emissions, and child birth. While immorality was also defiling, it was necessary to learn that human defilement was involuntary. Being unfit to approach God was part of our natural human state.

The Torah's teaching on defilement, therefore, describes our predicament before God. Even though the people of Israel were called to be God's people, human nature derived as it is from our first parents is unable to engage our Creator as he originally intended.

It is this predicament that the Messiah came to resolve. He, who in his nature, was completely undefiled, took on our defilement, so that we can approach God freely and fully. The New Covenant book of Hebrews details how Yeshua purified God's heavenly dwelling of which the earthly Mishkan was a model. Our defilement defiled God's dwelling place and kept us alienated from him. But the sacrificial blood of the Messiah, the Son of God, removed the effects of our defilement, making all who trust in him eternally pure, and thus absolutely fit to be in God's presence.

It is no wonder then that not long after Yeshua's coming the Temple was destroyed. There is no longer any need to go through the motions of purification or to be reminded of our defilement, since Yeshua has made us pure once and for all.

New Bling for The blog

I added the Verse of the Day and a Search Box from Bible Gateway - great tools!

A Story

(Note: This story actually happened last week, but I have spent time editing this post)

I did something today I've never done before. I needed to get gas yesterday morning, but I didn't . After a trip out to Powderly, I really needed to get gas by yesterday evening. I went walking at lunch Friday, and didn't have enough time left to get gas. So today after I got off work, I REALLY, REALLY needed to get gas. I pulled into a gas station on Clarksville St (while talking to Dee, as it happens), ready to give up my hard-earned $$$$ for gasoline. I pumped my gas, then went inside to pay. The line was pretty dang long in front of the register. A woman was trying to find some way to pay - she had pumpher her gas, then didn't have any cash. She tried to use her credit cards (I pieced this together while waiting in line, listening to the conversation between the distraught woman and the cashier) but none of them were accepted. She was almost crying, and desperate to find a way to pay. The cashier asked her to step out of line so he could help the other customers (me included). As I inched closer to the register, I kept watching the woman (while trying to not be noticed). She was tearful, but not overly so - embarrassed, to say the least. I got the impression she didn't have much money anyway, just from her manner of dress and other things. I didn't know that for a fact, mind you, this was just an impression.

Anyway, as I got closer to paying, something began tugging at the back of my mind. Something told me to pay for the woman. I ignored it at first. But this small voice kept speaking. And when I got to the cashier to pay, I told him to also put the woman's charges with mine - I'd cover for her. He looked at me like I was crazy. I kinda felt like I was! I asked him to just let me pay for what the woman owed, and not say anything to her until I was gone.I'm not blogging this to toot my own horn - gee, look how generous and Christian I am!! If anything, I am the least generous, least compassionate person I know.

My point in writing about this is...well, I'll be honest: I've been through a spiritual dry period lately, over the past year or so. I didn't feel close to God, or even really like a Christian, for that matter. As I began going to the Sunday night service at Oak Park, however, my worship there began to infuse me with the Spirit again - I even began to crack open my Bible every now and then.

Then my dog, Snickers, became sick. I know, I know, she was a dog, not a person, but she is the closest thing I have ever had to a child, I guess that's how I thought of her. She'd been ill for awhile, and I had been treating her for arthitis with Previcox for some time, but after Christmas, Snickers began failing. Slowly at first, but by the beginning of March, the decline was obvious and the conclusion inevitable. I have to confess - in the two weeks leading up to her death (March 17, 2008) I would alternate between cursing (and I mean cursing) God for allowing her sicken, and praying desperately for her to be healed and asking forgiveness for what I said about God. Eventually, the day came when I knew that I had to put her to sleep, to keep Snickers from suffering anymore. So on Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day), I took her to my vet and put her to sleep. Immediately afterwards, I just drove around, kinda in shock. I got on the Indian Nation Turnpike for some reason, and drove all the way to the end in Henrietta, OK.

Somewhere along the way, I just bared my soul to God and asked Him one thing - I wanted to know if He had taken Snickers to be with Him, and would I ever see her again? Or would she just disappear, since the Bible is pretty much silent on pets, beloved or not, going to Heaven. As I begged Him for an answer, something popped in my mind: Hosea 13. I can't recall reading Hosea very much, certainly not to where I can quote you anything from it. So it seemed like a very odd thing to come to mind.Anyway, I was still driving, and I got my Bible out (I keep it in my car so I always have it with me) and began flipping to Hosea 13. I was reading (again, while driving) and the majority of the chapter deals with God's judgment on Israel for it's sins. Not exactly anything I was looking for.And then I caught it - at the end of the chapter, and it hit me like a rock.

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? (NIV, Hosea 13:14)

I think God chose this chapter to give to me because the entire chapter deals with judgment, except for this coda near the end. It seemed very specific - I took it to mean that, yes, God has redeemed Snickers from death, from the power of the grave, and that she is with Him right now, even as I type this.So what's the point of all this? I was so thankful to the Lord - He gave me an immediate and powerful (if that's the word) sense of peace that day. And even though I was still sad, God used this time to bring about a change in my heart towards Him - a desire to become a deeper Christian, to be more faithful to Him, to dig into his word faithfully - and most importantly, to be a DOER of His word, not just a hearer. It makes me think of the scripture from Romans:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose
(Romans 8:28, KJV)

God works all things for the good. Even when the circumstances are bad, God can and will bring good out of them. One of those good things, for me, was a hunger for a deeper relationship with God. He is leading me to step out in faith, to do things i have never done before - nor would ever even have considered doing! Next Sunday, I am going to give the message Sunday night. Public speaking terrifies me, yet I feel like God is leading me to do this. I plan to talk about Communion, about how Jesus' sacrifice leads us to be living sacrifices (Romans 12) daily. Part of being a living sacrifice means denying my will (my will is that I don't have to speak, lol) and instead conforming to God's will (that I WOULD speak next Sunday).

Anyway, I just felt like writing all this for some reason - sharing our stories is a great way to communicate Biblical truths - not that I am comparing my writing here with Scripture in any way!

-B.J.

Lord, Increase Our Faith

From a commentary:

"We work differently under faith or discouragement; we pray differently under faith or discouragement; we read and hear the word differently under faith or discouragement - no wonder Satan works so hard to keep us from faith and in discouragement!"

Isn't it true that nearly everything we do in this life is colored by how we feel? I remember hearing someplace that carnality is when you are a Christian but still living worldly, in bondage to your feelings.

I tried to find the quote I read by C. H. Spurgeon and couldn't but the main point was that if you are truly saved you want everyone else to be saved too, and if you don't have a heart for everyone else to be saved then you are not truly saved yourself.

That is not to say that everyone has the gift of evangelism and I think we can even do more damage if we are just trying to "bulldoze" someone into faith. I think that the gospel is able to stand on it's own. We teach the Word, we pray that God's will be done, we have the humility to get out of the way and let God do a work. If we have a heart for God's people then we will respond by feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, healing the sick, and loving the unloved - not because it is what we should do, but because it's what we can't help doing because we want to be like Jesus.

Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:38-39)

Even the disciples asked God to increase their faith. The only way faith can be increased is FROM God - it is a gift. We can't learn it, we can't earn it, but we can encourage each other to hold on to it and we can pray that God will increase it for others as well as ourselves. That would be my prayer for all of you and it is the prayer I would ask more than anything else from all of you - Lord, increase our faith!

Something That Caught My Attention

From Greg Laurie's Harvest daily devotional

Friday, April 4, 2008

Between Two Worlds

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to
carnal, as to babes in Christ."
— 1 Corinthians 3:1

The Bible mentions a category of Christians who are described as carnal. These are people in an arrested state of spiritual development. They have never really grown up. They're caught between two worlds: they have too much of the Lord to be happy in the world, but too much of the world to be happy in the Lord. They're the most miserable people around.

Many of us realize that this world doesn't have the answers and can't be trusted. But at the same time, we don't trust God either. We haven't made a stand.

But it's time to say, "I believe in Jesus Christ." It's time to stand for our principles and not just blend into the woodwork.

So often in our attempts to gain credibility, we lose our integrity. In our attempts to relate to people, we lose any power we will have in relating to them, because we have compromised our principles.

The Bible gives us many examples of people who stood up for what was right at the risk of losing something important, even their lives. One such person was Daniel, who held position of great influence in Nebuchadnezzar's court. Even so, he would not compromise his principles.Maybe you're afraid to stand up for Jesus Christ. You're afraid that it could hurt your career, or a relationship or something else. But there comes a moment when we have to stand for what we know is true. You may be criticized, and might even lose something important to you. But whatever you lose, God will make it up to you. He will bless you for standing for what is right.

Sharing the Good News

Sharing your Life Message

( A subtopic on Evangelism from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life)

Those who believe in the SON of GOD have the testimony of GOD in them. 1 John 5:10

JESUS said, "You will be my witnesses." Acts 1:8

We speak the truth before GOD, as messengers of GOD. 2 Corinthians 2:17

You are the ones chosen by GOD, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, GOD'S instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night and day difference he made for you, from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
1 Peter 2: 9-10

My zeal for GOD and his work burns hot within me. Psalm 69:9

CHRIST'S love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all. 2 Corinthians 5:14

There is no fear in love, perfect love drives out all fear. 1 John 4:18

Make the most of your chances to tell others the Good News. Be wise in all your contacts with them. Collossians 4:5

Peace,