Does God Serve You?

Super Bowl and Jesus Baby

2012-02-01T00:05:00.002-05:00

You Might Die in your Troubles, but you Might Live Too.

2012-01-23T08:45:00.002-05:00

Romans 8:28 - (ESV): " And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Yesterday in church, I learned what Romans 8:28 really means, and I was not surprised, as I always assumed that is what it meant to begin with.

Paul is NOT telling us that all our problems will be fixed. He is telling us all of GOD'S problems will be fixed by his using us.

Aside from the good news that God wins, and we are his, that is a little sad. To drive the point home, the pastor also quoted, " And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, Matthew 26:39 “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Tada, he says. God did not even rescue Jesus, so why would he rescue you. See, it is all about God!

For sure, it is all about God. I was very down heartened, and started doubting my faith. I began thinking I was less than a Christian, because I was putting all my worldly hopes onto God's shoulders too. I even remembered Daniel 3:16-18 " Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

They were even willing to die for the Lord, even if he did not rescue them.

You see, in my life, right now, I am in way over my head. I can not get out of the trap I am in, and now one can help me. Only God. I am not saying, Help me God, and if not, it is ok. I am saying, "Help Me God."

So I began to feel even less of a Christian. Maybe there is not hope. I am not afraid of death, and I was starting to look forward to it. Rather be with God than in this mess. Again.

Then it hit me.

John 11:1-6 - (ESV): "Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."

Lazarus was brought back to life. God did help. In the flesh.

Buck up Christian. It is all about God, and God will use your suffering to make you stronger, to help his needs, but he also fixes things in the world. Your world. There is hope, and if not, there is hope in eternal life.

Wait a minute. God helped the three in the furnace too. I forgot.

Just because there examples in the Bible where God lets us feel the pain, does not mean we are always going to feel the pain. He asks that we follow him, and believe that in the end, it works out for God's best interest ... and that God's best interest is also you best interest.

Eagles Wings and Spiritual Gifts

2012-01-08T22:16:00.000-05:00

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Isaiah 40:31 (ESV): "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Most of my life, if the time where I am not fully engaged in something, I worry. It is not a function of my lack of faith, but rather a function of my TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury).

I don't mean the "I am a little worried about this," kind of worry, but more like the "I am going to be killed," type of worry. It is with me every moment of every day, except ... when I am waiting on the lord.

Before I explain what I mean by that, I want to explain what I would have believed before I established a personal relationship with Jesus. Have you ever heard, "An idle mind is the devils workshop?" That is kinda what I thought. If I kept busy, doing anything, like having an active mind and body, rather than doing nothing, then I would not be tempted to do something stupid or sinful, like worrying. You know, the popular self improvement university thing, "Do Something," with the ultimate understanding that it was I who was making in happen. So, basically, I would have believed that I was the master of my feelings, and I could make it all better by just doing something. Anything really. Just get the mass moving.

So, when I re-read this psalm, the "wait on the Lord," part must be more than just doing something. At first, I thought that waiting meant being "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God" of Psalm 46:10. You know, just sit down and wait, and let the Lord do it all.

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But that did not help. I could not sit still and wait, because of the TBI. Sleep, yes, but wait? So I continued to read the word, and check my life. What I discovered was that the ONLY time I was not worried was when I was working within my Gift, walking with the Spirit, so to speak. For me, it is teaching. When I am teaching Karate or Sunday School, I am at peace. When I am not, my TBI tries to take over my life. I have come to understand that with worries I can learn to wait for resolution, if I remain within the Spirit, doing what I was made to do.

So, I encourage you to find your gift. Pray about it, examine your life, ask others. You will discover that there are things you can do that others either can not, or do poorly. Read the bible and discover what gifts there are, and then start doing the one(s) that will make itself obvious to you. The Spiritual Gifts are there for you to wait upon the Lord, and if you want to soar like on eagle's wings, you are going to have to use your gifts.

Peace

2012-01-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

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John 14:27 - (ESV): "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

My mind races with the consequences of my actions every moment of my waking life it seems. For example, 2 months ago, I hit a car in a parking lot. At the time, I was not sure I hit it. I looked, it did not appear damaged, so i parked 10 feet from the car, and waited for my wife to do her business within the building I was parked in front of. She came out and told me to drive next door to pick her up. On the way out, just to make sure I did not hit the car, and if I did hit it, I did not damage it, I looked again. Seemed whole to me. I pulled out of the parking lot, turned left, saw why wife, pulled to the side of the road, picked her up, and spent the next 45 minutes going from business to business for her within the same town.

Then, as I was entering the Geo Tag in facebook, for the business she was then inside of, a local police officer scared the tar out of me by sticking his head in the van's window. You gotta know that this was a 15 passenger van, and was very tall, so his head actually was right in front of mine, face to face. He then told me we had a problem. Since I was still thinking about the near miss I had in the parking lot, when he told me that I had hit the car, I said "Oh Crap -- I did hit it?"

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He flipped out. Reminded me of a DI. Screaming, pointing, being rude, calling my wife a Girl, refusing to accept the registration which in CT in on the windshield, refusing the insurance card at first, never letting me tell him what happened. He just went nuts.

Since then I have been told that he was probably not used to people telling him the truth, so he just assumed I had hit the car and left the area. He was told that I had hit the car, sped away, picking my wife up on the side of the road, and beat feet to get out of the area. No one told him I had been there for 10 minutes after I evidently did hit the car. It did not occur to him that I was still within a mile of the store where this happened 45 minutes later.

Rather, in his rush to PROVE that I was an idiot, he wrote on the report that there was food wrapping trash from the store I was parked at when all this happened. There was trash on the floor, for sure, but not from there. We don't eat there. It makes me ill. In addition, my wife and spent 10 minutes talking to friends inside the store, and they have volunteered to tell the law that we did not buy any food. Further, I have the Geo Tags which are time stamped to show how long I was there. No one fled the scene. 10 minutes I was parked within 10 feet, and there were only 2 or 3 cars in the parking lot.

He never asked. He just assumed I was a bad guy. After I got the citation, he finally asked why I left. I said, "If I remember -- " He yelled, "What do you mean, if I remember, it only happened 30 minutes ago?" I apologized, and said, "I have a brain injury, and I ...." He yelled, "I don't care." I lost it. I walked into his personal space, put my face inches from his face, and said, "Excuse me?" The reason I told him I have a brain injury is because I have VERY poor short term memory. I only remember emotional things, and those poorly. This one I wrote down.

Why is this important? Because I failed the Lord. I know I did not do much wrong. I should have called the police, even though I could find no damage, or was even sure I hit that car. I should have looked more carefully. I did not, I am not at peace because of it. I am afraid of the court date too. Why? Because the officers report was horrible. His vision of what happened is all one sided. Makes me look very bad. I could have prevented that, if I just remembered who this life is all about. I abandoned the peace of the Lord and tried to do it on my own.

The problem only escalates for TBI patients though. Now, since I can not really remember what happened, only what I tell people happened, and fear rules my day, I see myself in prison for 15 years. Not possible, but that is the nature of my illness.

So why don't I have the peace of the Lord? Am I not forgiven?

Perhaps my conservative friends are right, and the Lord is punishing me for my loss of control. You know, Forgiven but still responsible. I don't buy that, but that is running around in my head.

Perhaps God just does not care about me right now. I don't buy that either, but obviously I have thought it.

But then I ran across this verse. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Jesus, as he was dying, left us a gift far bigger than I at first understood.

He left us Peace, and not just any Peace, His Peace.

Wow.

Jesus did not leave it there, just in case I misunderstood. He said, Not the world's peace - you know, the forgive but don't forget type, but His peace.

And just to make sure I did not miss the point, he tells me to not be troubled or afraid.

So why was I troubled and afraid when I started writing this?
Because I allowed the world's peace to be my guide.

Why am I sitting up straighter and breathing slowly right now, without the fear or trouble?
Because I accepted this gift too. Right here. Right now.

Read the Bible, listen to Holy Spirit within you, and be at peace. It is your new birth right. Own it.

Dark Well of Despair - Light of Hope

2011-12-26T21:30:00.000-05:00

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Christmas morning I was helping my church teach the children, from Pre-K to 5th grade, at their "Birthday Party" for Jesus, our Christmas Sunday School class.

My wife and I were doing the pre-class games and the "fun" physical games after the music and teaching. I love teaching, and do it without any issues, in spite of my brain injury. Naturally, I have issues both before and after teaching, as is the way with people who have a TBI, but while I am teaching, I am just following my calling and changing lives.

Afterwards, my wife and daughter were socializing, as is their want, and I went to where there were very few people, and was reading a book on my Kindle App on my phone. I went to where people were missing for a few reasons, the two most important being that I get ill socializing, from fear and other awesome mental fun, and second, reading requires pretty massive focus for me to do, once I was the happy owner of a TBI.

Anyway, while I was sitting in the stuffed chair, waiting for my wife, after the kids service, one of my former students at Sunday School walked out the building. She is now a teenager, and at least 2 or 3 years removed from my class. She is one of the very few who I actually remember the name of, because when she was in my class, her faith was challenged in a large way when her elder sister went to war in the middle east. We bonded. She was also one of the students who is physical, in that she liked to punch, push etc. Cool with me, but unique, so I remember her.

Right after she walked out, a women that I knew I should have known walked in, right up to me and stopped. I guessed she was the mother of the teen who just left, and said, "She has grown up." The women just looked at me, and I began to think I guessed wrong, and really wanted to escape. When you have TBI, reaching out to people is hard, because at the same time you are wondering if you really know who they are, you also assume they are judging you. I stuck my neck out, and it felt like I had just blown it.

Then she said, "Have you heard about my Accident?"

That had an echo of reality in it, in that I thought I might have heard about her accident, though I did not know what happened, why I should know, who she was, or who told me about it. So I said, "No."

As it turned out, she also had TBI. Many people do, but we all pretty much stay away from everyone, hide within our lives, and hope that it will all go away before someone asks us to do something we have forgotten how to do. When someone who has TBI tells you they have TBI, and there is some reason to trust them, as there was in this case, she being the mother of one of my former students at church school, you get to relax. Not much, but a little. They generally are not judgmental.

Somehow we got talking about a vision she had that described her desperation as a result of the injury. I have never heard anything or read anything that described so well how I fell about my life with TBI.

PIT OF DESPAIR - Hanging on but knowing you are going to lose.

Pit of Despair

The first part of the vision of her brain injury I tagged in my memory as "Pit of Despair." She saw herself at stuck in a dark well, hanging on to a ladder with all her might, pretty sure there was no way out. You look up, and all you see is darkness, not light, no way to the top. Your arms are losing strength, and fear you will be forced to let go. When you look down, you notice that there is a body at the bottom of the well. That would be bad enough, as a reminder that you to are going to die, pretty soon, and lose everything. Yet, just as that feeling of despair is about to take over your life, you notice that the body at the bottom of the pit is, in fact, yours.

At this point, I noticed I was dizzy, and holding my breath. This is exactly I how feel most of the time, when I am not teaching karate or church school. My whole life feels like I am holding on with the failing strength of my fingers, and the only certain thing is that I am cold, in the dark, and that help not only will not arrive, but does not even know I am stuck.

But what about the body? She told me that she assumed the body was who she used to be, before the brain injury took it all away. Personally, I have let go of who I was. Not because I have Superior Intelligence and strength of will, but much more simply, I can not longer remember who I was. One of the advantages of have TBI is long term memory loss. There is only one person left alive who remembers who I was before I was injured is my wife, Anne. Everyone else was either too young, or met me after the injury.

Yet, there was still some points in common between her life and mine, that surfaced when we discussed the body at the bottom of the well. Before I was injured, I had never run into a problem that I could not solve personally. I was smart enough, fast enough, and wise enough to tackle any problem and succeed. I was so good, I really did not understand why everyone else was so stupid. She, the women I was talking to, described it as arrogance, and in reflection, she hit the nail on the head. The only part of my former life I can still taste, is the absolute arrogance I lived my life with. So in that respect, my old self was also at the bottom of the well. I can no longer solve every problem I see. In fact, it is more likely that I can solve NO problem I have on my own. I have become dependant on my wife, on students or fellow teachers for my validation. I am secure that God Loves me, but knowing that I am being of service to the world in his name requires that I am told by someone I am making a difference. I have NO ability or arrogance left. I only have fear.

So here I am, standing in my church, talking to a women who I am supposed to know, but am unsure that I do know, listening to a description of her life that is exactly what I fell about my own. I began to lose it.

Light of Hope - Holy Spirit to the Rescue

Light of Hope

So here I am, standing in my church, shaking in my knees, seeing 20 plus years of my life described by a women I don't know, but I should, and then she gives me some hope, and some envy.

She went on with her vision. Just as she is about to let go of the ladder, because it is too hard to keep holding on, light beams start breaking down the bricks that make the well up. The darkness begins to go away. Light pokes from one side to the other, high and low.

She tells me that she sees this as the Holy Spirit breaking into her life. I really want to see this part of the vision. I only see the Holy Spirit acting in my life when I look back at what I have just lived through. I have never felt the hand of God in such a strong way as in this vision. Yet, there is more than hope here. She has the same injury, she has lost the same things I have lost. She is loved by the same God I am loved by. I told her then that the verse that keeps me from ending my life, the light, if you will, that is in my dark well, is "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (ESV) That is my light. That is my hope. She just gave me a physical picture of what that looks like. I was called to teach, and I have come to teach, for I do love the Lord, and I show this by loving his people. So, in a sense, I have the beams of light in my dark well of despair as well.

Water of Hope

Learning to Trust in the Lord

Her vision did not stop there, however. She then told me that she now felt that the well was being filled with water. Even though the darkness had been pierced by the Light of the Holy Spirit, she, and I, were still holding on to the ladder, and still losing in our despirate fight to not let go. And her arms were failing. Just as she was about to give up, God began to fill the well with water, so that when her fingers lost their grip, she was already floating in the water that God had put there to catch her.

This part scares me. I know he is there, and that he will catch me, but I still want to hold on. I still do not want to relax, and let him do it. I have so little control over my life, so few choices I can make for myself, that letting go, and letting God keep me afloat still feels like running away. So, I am still holding on with all my strength; my fingers are still cramping, and I still don't see that water coming up to catch me.

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” — Matthew 14: 23 - 33

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There is more though. Yes, her vision rocked me to the core of my being, but she also supplied me with some living water. The bible tells us that we each have gifts, and one is highlighted in Acts 2:17 "“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;" This women I had just met, calling what I had done surviving, when I call it being a burden, describing my emotions exactly, and putting God into my life in a way I would have never been able to do, saw visions, making God tangible to me.

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Hold on Baby, Cause God is On the Job

2011-12-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

The other night, Anne and I attended High Pointe Church's annual Christmas show. The year it was a remake of "One Wintry Night - Seeing is Believing."

At the end, as is the custom at most churches I have attended, the Pastor go up and made a passionate and spiritual presentation about salvation, and it's importance. He spent a lot of time on the concept that God frequently picks people to do things that do not volunteer, such as Abraham not asking God to move; Moses not asking God to send a burning bush his way; Daniel not asking to be sent to the lions den. This was interesting, and not at all what I was thinking, but it is important enough for me to mention.

However, I learned something else that never occurred to me. First you have to know, though I am an evangelical Christian, I am not an "in your face" Christian. In fact, I am a Christian that has learned from my study of the bible that yelling about hell at people who do not know God was NOT what Jesus did. He helped people, loved people and yanked the chains only of those who should have know better.

Friday I was talking to a friend that is having some serrious issues in her life, issues that go beyond the TBI injury we share; Issues that go beyond the depression that all of us in the group that was gathered shared. She has some serious stress based on life. In the back of my head, I hear a voice say, "Tell her that there is a way out." I waited, because I do NOT normally bring God into a situation where I have not been invited to. The situation, however, was serious. I heard the voice again, decided it was a calling for me to act, and I suggested to her that I was going to say something that if she ignored, I would not be unhappy. I pointed out that most of us in the discussion leaned on God from time to time for our lives. That God was not just and end point resident in heaven, but a living God.

She said, "I don't buy that, 'God only gives me what I can handle' thing. This is too Big. Again, it is big. I said that it was cool, but if she ever wanted to talk about it, any of us would be happy to talk to her about it.

If you are searching you brain for the scripture support for what she said, it is: 1 Corinthians 10:13 and speaks of not Temptation being able to overcome us.

Most sermons, homily and articles I have read about this verse always point out that it is often misquoted as only giving us what we can handle rather than being about temptation.

I disagree strongly. I recently read a book called Good News for Those Trying Harder, and the author pointed out to me that the first commandment is, Thou shall have not other God before me. Anytime we try to handle a situation that is bigger than us; anytime we try to do anything without God, we are making our own skill and power more important that God. That is called idolatry. So, assuming we can or should be able to handle a problem on our own, without God, is temptation. So 1 Corinthians 10:13 is for our problems.

Knowing that makes the Christmas Story way different for me. The major theme of the performance we watched was the difficulty that each person in the Christmas story had nothing easy to overcome.

Mary was faced with the loss of her intended husband and even her life. At the time she was was pregnant, without being married, they stoned women for adultary. So, when the angel told Mary what was going to happen in Luke 1:26-38, she should have freaked out, cause she was going to die. Instead, she accepted her role, and God protected her.

Joseph could have acted as any male would have when he found out his wife to be was pregnant, and he risked be thrown out of the village, which was pretty close to a death sentence. Instead, he chose to follow God in Matthew 1:18-21, and God protected him.

The "wise men" knew of the birth of the king, and risked their lives, in a journey to a foreign land, saw the current king, and left without telling him what was going on, as we read in Matthew 2:1-12 In those days, that would have been enough to be killed. Yet, God protected them.

Then an angle shows up, and tells the family they have to leave their country, or they are going to be killed as we can read in Matthew 2:16-18. This too is a death sentence for poor people, yet God provided the money .... the gifts from the wise men.

Common theme. If God asks you to do something, even in our own lives, then he will protect you and provide for you. Jesus is the supreme example for everything in our lives, and is here too. The down side is the world is going to mess with you, because the world does not love God. The world will fight back. All hope will seem to be lost. Yet, God will provide as he has always done. 1 John 4:4 says it all. God is greater than he who is in the world.

So Fear NOT, for God is with you. He will help. He will Support. Isaiah 41:10.

Diving Into the Unknown II - an Act of Faith

2011-12-13T14:25:00.001-05:00

If you have not read Diving Into the Unknown - An Act of Faith , you might want to, in order to understand this post.

C.H. Spurgeon is quoted in the picture to the left, and he is speaking of a theological concept called Sufficiency, or in other words, Jesus is all you need, and he can and does fulfill the need you have.

This last week has been horrible for me. My wife and daughter had students who freaked out and caused strife in our lives, one of their landlords for the karate schools suddenly became unreasonable, I attended a 2 hour Christmas presentation (I get messed up in public settings), I showed up to teach Sunday School, as I was supposed to, only to hear "Why are You here?" For someone with TBI, any of this would be sufficient to make my injury and it's accompanying illness go nuts, and drag me down.

I would like to tell you that I was not dragged down, but I was. To the mat. Still down. Feels like I am drowning, and reaching for the surface, but nothing I do can make a difference. Normally, I can talk myself into action, but this time my entire body is fighting. Migraine headaches that worsen with movement, light or stress. Loss of desire for anything, including fluid, which only makes the migraines worse. Dreams with my eyes open, with colors and shapes I do not understand. Everything that can happen with TBI is happening. I am reaching out to control the situation, being the man and all, but only find out that there is nothing I can do. I have to depend on others. I hate depending on others. It makes me feel useless. Yet, here I am. Again.

So I repeat to myself over and over again:

Isaiah 41:10 - (ESV) "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

So where is Jesus.

I look behind me, and I don't even see my foot prints, so I can't say that Jesus is carrying me, as in the famous poem by Mary Stevenson.

So where is he, and is he really enough for all situations?

My faith says yes, but my body and mind say no. NO. NO. NO.

So let's explore the faith side.

For sure, for my salvation from my sin is secure in Jesus, and he alone. That much is certain.

John 10:7-10 (AMP): So Jesus said again, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door for the sheep. All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them. I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Notice, however, that Jesus is NOT talking only about eternal life. He goes off the reservation to tell us he came that we may have and enjoy life in abundance. Enjoy life in abundance. ENJOY LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.

Wow ... So, I am off the reservation when my brain injury is making me live a life without joy and abundance. No wait. My brain injury does not make me do anything. What is really messing me up? Fear that what I am will not be enough for those who know me and depend on me. Pretty stupid when you think about it. I am what I am, as Popeye used to say, and more than that, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus, so if God is happy with his creation, shy should I not be.

Nice.

Freaking useless when you are at the bottom of a pit looking up, or you know your hand is in the air, but your face is underwater, and you are going down, for the last time, but nice.

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You see, that is the problem with TBI. Sitting in a chair, stairing at the world go by, knowing all the things you have lost, looking for someone to blame is not good for feeling joy. But that is what I do. Count the poop spots in my life.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: (ESV) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

That is what I have to count to get from where I am taken, to where God wants me. Be thankful. In order to be thankful, you need to be specific. That means you have to count the things you need to be thankful for.

Count your blessings.

COUNT!

Count right now!

All I Need to Know is on the Bathroom Wall

2011-12-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

High Pointe Church in Tompson CT has a youth program they call 24/7, and that program has it's own building, which is used by the entire church when not being used by 24/7. I took the opportunity to use its restroom when in it today, and on a clipboard above the toilet was the note shown above.

It always amazes me that God finds a way to teach what I need, just when I need it, even if he has to write it on the bathroom walls.

God

Evil One Zero.

Excellence Poster

2011-12-06T22:30:00.001-05:00

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Quick Christmas Attitude Adjustment

2011-12-05T18:27:00.000-05:00

This comes from John 10.

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Tick Tock

2011-12-04T15:54:00.000-05:00

Wednesday November 30, 2011 my wife and I were in downtown Worcester MA, at an intersection, when a street fight happened. We were first in line, 10 ft from the fight. It took 3 sometimes all 4 on the roads into the fight. It started, stopped, started again, and ended, with a fatal gun shoot, across the front of our van, all within the time of a light changing from Red to Green to Red again.

My wife and I assumed the gun shot killed the down man, but we were told by a local news paper, the Worcester T & G, that he died from a medical condition. Did not look like that. It looked like one young man shoot blind behind him as he ran and another man fell, who was in direct line of the gun. On of our friends is a reporter and saw a facebook post about us being there, and interviewed us for yahoo news. Pretty scary.

I have to say, it really did not matter what about the fight killed him, we saw a man die as a result of a fight that happened 10 - 20 ft in front of us. Turns out, he did die from a gun shot wound. WCVB Channel 5 reported Friday that he was actually shot.

The reason I mention it here, is that among the many things I learned from be so close to so horrible a thing, was that not everyone, perhaps a minority of people, place a high value on life.

Worse, this was random. The young man who was killed was not aimed at. The young man who shot him was not even looking at the direction he pointed the gun. He was running one way, and shooting another, looking where he was running. The man who died was not expecting to die any more than I was expecting to see it happen.

Life is fragile, and only our faith can ensure that it continues after our time in the world. Thanks to the Lord Jesus, we have the gift of life eternal.

Pass it on.

Pass it on before you or the the one who needs it is no more. You have not been promised time in this world, so pass it one now.

Today in church, Solid Rock Church in NY, I heard something I have heard a million times before. We live by faith, and by faith we should answer the call.Some of us have been called to something that we know about. I, for example, have been called to teach. The sermon was very direct. We need to answer the call, once we know what it is.

Well, this is one call we all know about. Jesus called us all.

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Yes, what we saw convinced me we need to care for people who live in inner city areas more than we have. What type of country allows their children to grow up thinking that this type of behavior is necessary. Some have told me that it is all on the parents. Some say it is on the kids. True, we all own our actions, but if you are raised to think that life is cheap, you will act as though life is cheap. Life will to you be cheap.

If you know that Jesus loves you, then you will act as though Jesus loves you, and how you have lived your life until that moment becomes the stuff you have learned from, not the stuff you are.

Pass it on. The clock is ticking.

The Value of a Christmas Gift

2011-12-03T17:12:00.001-05:00

Some of the things we say, make us feel good, but have nothing to do with life as it is lived. Giving, though, is a act that God himself has practiced for our behalf. Christmas is the apex of all gifts.

To download this poster, as a free 11 x 17 copy, click here.

Winning Attitude

2011-11-27T18:23:00.000-05:00

Colossians 3:23-24 (NKJV)

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

Winning is really this easy. Because all things work together for those who love the Lord, and are called according to his purpose, all we have to do is answer his call. This is how to do so. Whatever you do, do it with everything you have, as if for the Lord himself, and not just for man. You win.

When we look at motivational or inspirational quotes, knowing where the wisdom comes from, makes all the difference. God is the river from whence wisdom flow. Man is the pot into which the wisdom flows.

To download this as a 11 x 17 Free Poster, click Here.

Love that is Real

2011-11-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

1 John 4:18

1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

Sometimes the bible says it all, and there is little need for additional words.

This series is about "Inspirational and Motivational Quotes," that are founded in something solid, rather than in the human spirit. It is said that God is the source of all Wisdom, so I am spending some time collecting and sharing that very wisdom.

If you would like to download the PDF version of this poster, then click HERE.

Amazing Grace - Fourth Verse

2011-10-28T00:06:00.000-04:00

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton and published in 1799. I reviewed the first verse of "Amazing Grace" in one of my earlier posts, and if you would like the background information on the author John Newton, or the song itself, see Amazing Grace, first verse. I also reviewed the second verse in Amazing Grace, Second Verse, and the third verse in Amazing Grace - Third Verse.

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The Lord has promised good to me...

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be...

as long as life endures.

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Line 1: The Lord has promised good to me.

Psalm 23:6 (Amp) - Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Many times, perhaps most times, in my recent life of the the last 20 plus years, I have experience turmoil, difficulty, loss, pain and doubt. I would love to blame that on my brain injury, now called TBI, so I could have an enemy, and I would feel all warm and fuzzy knowing it was not my fault. At times, I have blamed it on my brain injury. (If you would like to read about that part of my life, and how that helped lead me to Christ, read "Diving into the Unknown, and Act of Faith."

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

But in the long run, I am beginning to see that it is not the hills and valleys that matter, or even the destination, which is the subject of the second line of this stanza, but in a very real way, it is about the journey. When you walk over a mountain, in the end, you are on level ground at the beginning and the end, and the journey over the mountain either built you as a person, or you complain about the effort. I complain. The holy spirit is teaching me to notice the learning instead.

For example, if you were crossing the mountains in this photograph, you might not be really pumped each day when the oxygen content in the air got smaller, the temperature got colder, the food started to run out, and your body started to fail. You might start focusing on the next step you were taking. That is how I live my life, worried about the next step. Imagine for a moment though, that you stop walking, and look around, and see what glory God has provided you. Surely there are those who could not do what you are doing, see what you are seeing, feel what you are feeling. Stop for a moment, and count the blessings, and the weight seems to become less.

I used to say, all the time, that I never noticed God working in my life at the moment that he was working in my life, but rather I would see his work when I looked back, like the poem, Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson. I am now certain that "Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life," and if I slow down and notice God all around me, I will not have to question the footprints in the sand, but instead spend my time looking for the trail of goodness in my life. I have life. I have a child that out shines her father. I get to help others change their lives, because I have been given a gift. Surely God's goodness and mercy is not just following me, but leading me.

Better than that, but because of the Holy Spirit, a gift of God at Pentecost, I am dwelling in the house of the Lord already.

Line 2: His word my hope secures.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (AMP): And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

I love reading the amplified bible, because you don't have to look up every other word, when you are confused, because they look it up and write it down for you. From 1 Corinthians, we see that HOPE has nothing to do with wishful thinking, or a projection of want into the future, but rather "confident expectation," of eternal salvation. No guess work here. If you too want some confident expectations of eternal salvation, watch this video .. and then decide.

What is really cool, is the rest of what we hope for, with confidence, is a result of our salvation. You become a child of God, and there will never be a better father than God.

Stronghold - Credit: Free images from acobox.com

Line 3: He will my shield and portion be.

Psalm 144:2 (ESV): he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer,my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

Again, as a result of my salvation, God will protect me. Against what? Sometimes it is earthly enemies, sometimes powers, but always, since you have hope, confident expectation of eternal life, you are protected against the loss of your salvation. Once you are God's, you are his business, and he will guard you. The rest is covered by "all things work together for those who love the Lord, and are called according to his purpose." Why? Because of your Hope, you received faith and most importantly Love! All I have to do is learn how to and practice taking refuge within his arms. It is Hard to let go, and let God do it. Yet, he will protect you when you do.

Line 4: As Long as Life Endures.

James 4:14-15 (ESV): "yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.".

For sure, we do not know what tomorrows brings, and that is hard enough for me to wrap my head around, but what we do with it is based on the will of the Lord. So here, it seems, at first glance, that John Newton is letting us know that as long as we live, God is our protector.

How long is that? Psalms tells us that 3 score plus 10 or 4 score ... 70 to 80 years.

John 3:16 tells us we will live forever. That casts a different light on this verse. God will protect us forever. That is well past Awesome.

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Our witness statement is "Diving In - an Act of Faith," and explains where we are coming from with respect to our Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

A blog entry about how God interacts in our lives, and how we interact with him can be found in "Does God Serve You?"

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If you would like more information on the Song Amazing Grace, and it's role and history in ending slavery, then follow this link: Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery

Does God Serve You?

2011-10-23T13:42:00.008-04:00

Psalm 86:9 (ESV) tells us: "All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord," and shall glorify your name."

Pretty clear, we are to serve God by glorifying his name and worshiping him.

However, there is more to this verse than meets the eye.
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Digression into a rant:One of the worst uses of the bible the Internet has made worse. You can now, with the speed of the computer, find a verse for nearly anything, if you don't bother to look at the context.

this, however, is not a NEW problem, it has been around as long as the Bible has. Here is an example for the early 17th century. Galileo proposed that the Sun was the center of our solar system, and the planets circled it, rather than the Earth being the center of the Universe, and everything circling the Earth. Some things about Galileo you have to know before you can understand how strange this part of our history is. First, he was a STRONG Christian. If you would like to read more on this, and science in general as it relates to Christians, read: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

This position was arrived at on the behalf of God, on the basis of Pslam 93:1 (ESV) "The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved." (Italics added) Seems "it shall never be moved," is violated by Galileo's ungodly belief that the Sun is the center of our solar system.

Yet, the sun IS the center of the solar system. Great example of the using 1 verse to prove what you want to prove, backing it with "The Word of God," and still being wrong. Worse, you drag God's name through the mud too.

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Back to Does God Serve You? and Psalm 86:9. So, it is Bad to just use one verse to decide the will of God. So let us look at Psalm 86:8 - 10 (ESV): "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God."

In a Greater context, it is still NOT about God serving you, it is about YOU serving God, worshiping God, Glorifying God, noticing God.

Yet, we are still not at the beginning of David's prayer. Remember that David is the one human being that was closest to the heart of God before Jesus, and how and what he prayed is an awesome clue for us.

This is Psalm 86: 1-7 (ESV): Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me."

Let me paraphase.

The prayer starts with, "Listen to me NOW, for I am messed up." That is certainly about God helping David.

The next several lines are all about, "help me," "I need help," "help me because I am yours," "help me because you are Good," and end with "Listen up God, because I am in trouble." Also, all about God being of service to David.

And God did. Thus the thanks in the next few verses. David did not ask in vain, ever. He did not need proof for he knew that God would help. We call that faith. So did he. Pretty cool.

So yes, we are of service to God, but he does not need our service. And yes, he is of service to us, though he does not need to be. The greatest service he has ever been to us is that of John 3:16. For no reason, other than Love, he reached out to us, and gave us eternal life, if we wanted it. If you have not accepted the free gift of God, and you want to, get more information by click HERE, or watch this video.

The real question is not does God serve us, or do we serve God, but rather, why does he call us his children and Love us so much. Why did he create us to begin with, whether it was 6000 years ago in the person of Adam and Eve, or 150 million years ago in 10,000 humans who had the breath of life breathed into them by God.

Yes, it is because he loves us. But not like I love my cats. Because, Jesus told us, he wants a personal relationship with us, and for that, we had to be made in his spiritual image. Free. Spiritual. Capable of Love. That, I believe, is the whole point. We were created to Glorify God yet we were created for companionship and love. God is, in fact, of service to us too.

The More Things Change, the More He Stays the Same

2011-10-18T11:08:00.000-04:00

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. At the top of the list of what this could mean is

1) Money can drag you down.

Some will tell you that this means money is evil. Let me say this about that. I had a friend that once told me that Hampton Beach in New Hampshire was evil. I will admit that I had not been to Hampton Beach since I was a child back in the 60's, but, I thought, what could make a beach "Evil." So I asked him. He told me that at the beach women were wearing bathing suits that were nearly not there at all, and that brought up in him feelings of lust. Matthew 5:28 (ESV) tells us: "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Ok, being at Hampton Beach caused him to sin, and that is evil. However, the beach is not sinning. Perhaps, or perhaps not, the people on the beach are sinning too. But there is much to Hampton Beach other than the sand, and his sin is not everyone else's sin. It is possible that some people are there for their children, and don't see the bathing suits. It is possible that some people are there for their spouses and don't see the bathing suits. It is possible that some don't see the bathing suits as an issue. It is even possible that some people are there for the arcade, the shopping, the food or the feeling of vacation, are are not tempted to sin. My friend was tempted to sin though, so he should not go to Hampton Beach. The same with money. If you are worshiping money, as I have many times, it may be evil for you. I know many people who take its presents and its absents as a gift from God, though, and for them, money is a tool no more sinful than a hammer.

So, it is not fair to say money is Evil.

It is fair, however, to say that money is dangerous, and can cause temptation if you are not walking with the spirit. It can be a trap.

But that is not the amazing thing to me about this verse, Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV). The amazing thing is that in both the new and old testaments, our God is always the same. In most "religions," the god changes as the people change. One day it is not good to kill your enemy, the next day it is ok to kill them under certain rules. One day women are to be protected, the next day you can beat them to death if they make you sad. But the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus does not change. He is always the same. We change, but what he said 2000 years ago, 4000 years ago, and today is always the same, and it is still true. This verse is an example of that. I have collected a partial list of similar verses, teaching the same message, from both books of the bible, so you can see what I am talking about.

OT - Ecclesiastes 4:8 (ESV): "one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, "For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?" This also is vanity and an unhappy business."

NT - Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV):"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

OT - Habakkuk 2:5 (ESV): "Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol; like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples"

NT - Luke 12:15 (ESV): "And he said to them,"Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.""

OT - Psalm 52:7 (ESV): "See the man who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!"

NT - 1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV): "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."

There are more, but I am sure you get the picture. Out God is an Awesome God. He never changes, and his message is always the same, and true.

He is worthy to cling to. But what is truly amazing, that it is not our clinging to him that makes a difference. It is, rather, that HE will NEVER let go of us. No matter our sin, once we have confessed our sin, asked forgiveness, and committed our lives to him, we are his, forever. He will Never Let go. If you would like more information on how to accept Jesus, so you to can receive the free gift of Eternal Life, no matter your sin, no matter the size or number, no matter your previous faith .. if you want to assurance of God's Love, then play this video.

I have attached this video that I found on YouTube, because it is a song that moves my heart, and it's theme is the God will Never Let Go, even as we ask him to hold on.

Book Review: Who Is this Allah? by G.J.O. Moshay

2011-10-13T00:49:00.000-04:00

Right up front, if you want the truth to set you free, then read this book; but it might scare the poop out of you to know the truth.

Ignorance in this case is a far nicer state of being.

I am going to answer the title's question, so when you read the book, you can focus on the proof, and the truth. No, Allah is not the God of Jesus or Moses.

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

When we were in China, we visited many Buddhist temples, and were as open minded to the history of each place as we could be.

A few striking emotions however, we wish to share you with you, because they are similar to the how I felt reading this book. First, until I had entered one of the temples, I assumed it was just a building with ancient architecture that would be educational. When we got there, the HUGE "gods" that were everywhere, reminded me of pictures of demons. One in particular scared me to my core. A Large blue man, wearing a variety of non-related clothing, standing on the neck of a human, baring his teeth, like an animal.

We then saw dozens of people in prayer to some other wooden objects (idols), and my heart sank. I thought I understood Deuteronomy 4:28 (AMP): "There you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell," but when I saw it, the air actually got thick, and I had to leave from the oppression of the site.

The things I learned in this book were like that, only worse.

"How long would a devout Muslim stay in Hell before Allah comes to rescue him? The rescuing is to be done on the Day of Judgment. Meanwhile, billions of Muslims have died since Islam started." -Moshay, G.T.O. (2010-10-11). Who Is This Allah?

It seems, according to the prophet, if you do not die in battle, you go to hell until you are rescued. Aside from the obvious horribleness of this, since salvation is both free and available to all, I now understand why someone would strap a bomb on and jump into a crowd of people. That is the only way for them to get to heaven. Sad that it is a false belief, worse that it kills people for personal gain, even worse that it is celebrated by thousands when it happens. This book tells you how it can be stopped, and it requires the power of God to transform them, just as he has transformed Christians. God is Awesome.

The author goes into detail about the belief of Islam, where it differs from Christianity, why people think that Allah is the same as the Christian and Jewish God, why that is wrong minded, and even the history of the entire issue.

But what is really cool about this book, other than its awesome research, is the perspective that it is written from. It seems as though he is writing to Muslims. He is polite, non-confrontational, patient, and lays a direct case for Christ, that the reader arrives at without direct effort.

It comes with decades of experience in Islamic countries, and according to the author, these methods actually work for peaceful and spiritual awaking of the Holy Spirit via Jesus for members if Islam, as well as educating us.

Read this book. I gave it 4 STARS instead of Five, because it scared me so much. Truth yes, but as the story goes, I am not sure I can handle the truth.

Book Review: The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven - Kevin and Alex Malarkey

2011-10-02T20:32:00.000-04:00

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

My Senior Pastor recommended this book at church. He was talking about miracles and other physical evidence there was in our lives that skeptics might be able to see, feel or hear, that speaks to the reality of a personal God.

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven is such a piece of evidence of the very personal, very real Glory of God that is alive and in our lives today. This book review will tell you what you might expect to gain from reading this book; what I did not particularly appreciate, and what I believe is the spiritual validity of the arguments that will allow us to use this book to witness to the Glory of God.

First off, this is a very disturbing real life story of a horrible automobile accident, and the death and return to life a 5 year old boy in a hideously and scaring injury. The horror of the injury is only overcome by the Glory to God that the child who is injured conveys in this narrative. There is plenty of scriptural evidence to support the ideas and events retold in this diary of events, and the time lines are continually corroborated by outside evidence. Thus, the actions of God stand alone, without much evidence for a skeptic such as myself to use to break down the narrative. This is a story told as a factual history of a real life event that will give you hope of Angels, of Jesus' personal relationship with you, of the love of the Lord, of the existence of Heaven and Hell and Hope in a faith that is only strengthened by the struggles in this book. It reads like a history book, with the notes, footnotes and backup you would expect from a non-fiction history about an event that defies logic.

Horrible Car Crash
Credit: Free images from acobox.com

You are taken from a family that has monstrous financial difficulties, but is still living the life if faith in spite of the difficulties they face, and the difficulties are truly astounding, striking a cord of commonality with most of us. It brings you immediately to an accident that should not have happened and is squarely and unequivocally laid at the feet of the father, and is tragic beyond imagination.

Then Hope enters the picture in the form of physical manifestations worked on those in the injury, the appearance of angels, the forceful presence of the holy spirit, the massive interaction of thousands of prayer warriors, physical interaction with angels and modern day new covenant prophesy, all of which is confirmed by scripture, pastors and independent evidence. In one case, an angelic appearance is painted at the very moment of its occurrence by an artist who is not known to the family, is not in the area, and knows nothing of the hospital room or circumstances of the picture she painted. It is not even confirmed as accurate for months after the art was sent to the family. Imagine for a moment that you have been visited by the Glory of the Lord, but you are unable to believe, communicate or confirm the event. Then, unasked for, you get evidence depicting the very same event sent to you by an unknown person. Astounding.

The story, however, is far more that a laundry list of events that defy our understanding. It is also the story of a young child as he struggles physically with something no one of any age should have to deal with, and no one survives. Yet, all he communicates, once he can communicate, is his love for the Lord. He only want the Glory to go to God. Awesome.

The only hole in the story for me, is the fact that it is modern medicine that bring the child back to near mobility, in spite of the assurance of the faithful that he will be totally healed. For sure, most of the actual progress is made by the spirit of the Lord, his Angels, and the laying on of hands combined with prayer, but in the end, it is a doctor who does the surgery. The expected answer from the father would be that God's time is different than our own. In fact, that is the answer that is offered for the apparent contradiction in the story. Yet, God's time is different, and his purposes are his own, so even with this small hole in the book, it has changed my life, fortified my faith, strengthened my knowledge, and given me even more reason to reach out for a personal relationship of a substantial type, and not settle for the civilized version of Christianity I have lived with for so long.

I not only recommend this book if you want some physical evidence of the the supernatural interactions of the Lord, but I also suggest that your own relationship with Jesus, your understanding of Sin, and the power of the Lord to forgive it, the power of prayer in our daily life and even the actions of the Lord in such mundane things like financial difficulty, will all be strengthened and grown by reading this book. This is a message of Hope brought to you by the Glory of the Lord.

Get one!
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We have written a book review on:

Book Review: The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin Raphael McManus

and

Book Review: Good News for Those Trying Harder by Alan Kraft

To read them, just click the links above.

Amazing Grace - Third Verse

2011-09-29T00:49:00.000-04:00

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Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

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Through many dangers, toils and snares...

Psalm 27:1 (AMP) - "THE LORD is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"

For most of my life, I was pretty sure I could handle whatever came at me. There were no dangers that could touch me and no difficulties in my jobs that I saw as anything but a welcome challenge and there were NO traps. If you do not believe in Satan, and I did not, what type of traps could there be? Human ones? So what, I thought, I can handle it. For 100% of my life, until my accident, I could in fact handle it. Even after my accident, and after my acceptance of Jesus, I still though I could handle it, but that was pride mixed with lack of belief in Satan and demons. Those things were for other people. (For my story, see "Diving In.")

I was wrong. The war is not against just people, it is against Satan and all of his followers. I have read the bible dozens of times. I even took a undergraduate course on it, just to make sure I was on solid ground, yet I did not believe in Satan or demons. Yet, it is pretty clear.

Ephesians 6:12 - (AMP): "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."

It's not paranoid dreaming, it a war against spirit forces of wickedness. There are traps (snares), dangers and wrestling is extreme toiling ... yet, God has brought us through.

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...we have already come.

There are two things here you should look at. The first one is really obvious. You are Alive, so you have already made it through. I don't know about your life, but once my eyes were open, and my ears could hear, I am amazed every day when I eat, when I see my family, when I am alive to go to bed. With all the "wickedness" we have to contend with, both in our world, and from the spiritual world, which I can now finally admit is everywhere, I am thankful I am still alive.

But there is more. John Newton is speaking to US in this song, not just about himself and his relationship with God. He says .... we have already come. We Christians are the Body of Christ, and we are together.

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T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

Ephesians (AMP) 2: 8-9: "For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Through all the toils, the traps, the spiritual warriors that are fighting to keep the Body of Christ down, we have all come. But not by our own will, or strength, or power, but as a FREE gift of God, bought by the Jesus, for US. Pretty Awesome. Amazing, you might say. Amazing Grace.

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and Grace will lead us home.

John 14:2 (AMP): "In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare

a place for you."

Many Mansions
Credit: Free images from acobox.com

So far John Newton is singing in this verse about the stuff that happens in the flesh. Cool as that is, there is more. Jesus says he is preparing us a house in Heaven .. in HEAVEN.

Us ... even though we have done nothing to desire this, he is giving it to us anyway.

That is Amazing Grace.

Very Amazing.

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Amazing Grace Verse 2

2011-09-19T18:25:00.002-04:00

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T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

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T'was Grace that taught...

Romans 11:6 (NKJV): "And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved"

Grace, or unmerited favor, the free gift of God, purchased by the death of Jesus.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV): "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

When we talk about Grace, we almost always, as if by rote, think of our salvation. This is a good thing, because this is this biggest thing anyone could have given to them. Yet, grace is a far bigger part of my life. Once you realize the depth of your sin, how much you sin, how often your sin, and how much God really has forgiven - then you start to see. In my life, the little things that I still have, like my home, my car, my food ... they seem so much bigger, given the fact that God gave it all to me, even while I am still a sinner.

So, what this lines means to me, is that Grace, the unmerited favor shown to me by God, has given me everything I have. That has finally taught me humility, faith, love and duty. Grace. Grace has taught it all.

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my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved.

Psalm 33:8 (NLT): "Let the whole world fear the Lord and let everyone stand in awe of him."

Psalm 33:8 (AMP): "Let all the earth fear the Lord [revere and worship Him]; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him."

Two different words here. I have read so much in preparing for this blog, but all of it was about actually being afraid of the Lord. I can understand being afraid of punishment, but even that is a little out of place, if you believe in unmerited favor, as in, you deserve one thing, but you get another. We know that God is Just, be we know he gave us Grace. That's the point. Jesus paid the price of our Sin ... all of it. So, no, I don't really fear the Lord is going to strike me down. I do, however, as in the Amplified Bible above, revere and worship the Lord. Why, because he loves me, provides for me, and carries me, when what I deserve is death. Praise the Lord ... Love the Lord, but fear him only in the sense of the verse above. Let those who fight against him, FEAR him.

That leaves Death, the big fear. Not going to happen to me. My body will die, but I am but a guest on this planet. When my body dies, I will be with the Lord Jesus in Heaven, since he has both paid the price needed and promised me he has gone to prepare the way for Me and you.

That is HOW Grace my fears relieved. Because of Jesus' death, and resurrection, I live forever with God. Wow.

John 14:2 (AMP) In My Father's house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.

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How precious did that Grace appear...

Brokenness, that is what this is talking about. You, when you first believed, understood just how messed up you are, and God gave his only son over to a VERY painful death, while you were still a sinner, just so he could give you eternal life with him. I was, still am, ashamed of my daily sin. It hurts me to know that I am forgiven it all, and loved, even as I sin. When I realize what I have done, it breaks me. Brokenness.

Romans 5:8 (AMP) "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us."

He had his own son pay the price, as a human, for your sin, making you clean, so you could be with him. Pretty scary, when your eyes can finally see just how bad we are, and how good He is.

Acts 26:18 : To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me.

For me, I did not really come to understand brokenness until just recently. As in the last few weeks. I always had everything covered, in my own mind. I was the man, and I could find a way. After all, that was the way I was raised, and God had always stepped in to help me out, so why should it change? For the story of how I came to faith, read Diving In.

But it did change. I read a book, Good News for Those Trying Harder by Alan Kraft, and it changed everything. Now I understand what the Bible is trying to tell me.

They my eyes were opened, very painfully I might add, and someone reached out with God's love, and I grabbed hold. It was AWESOME. It really changed everything. I could see.

IT APPEARED HUGE!!

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The Hour I First Believed ...

If you have read Diving In, you already know that I don't remember anything. Both Long and short term memory issues. Kinda like living as a dog. Not really challenging for me, because I can remember no other way to live. Not so much fun for those around me. Yet, I remember exactly where I was when I accepted Jesus. I also remember the time of day, the Hour, if you will. In psychology they call it a significant emotional event.

Psychologically speaking, that is Bunk. I don't have the capacity for significant emotional events that end in a positive way anymore. Head to road event fixed that for all time. Seriously, I also have a real tough times with things I can not see, touch, feel and measure. God just did not fit the type of person I was. I was just sitting at a desk, thinking about what someone had told me about Jesus, and the light went on. Boom. It was almost audible. I love YOU for who YOU are it said. Wow. Significant? Yes. Emotional? Just Love. That was the hour I first believed.

But there is more to this line. There is the implication that I have moved away from the event at that hour; that I am less secure in my salvation and less receptive of God's grace now that I was then. Most of my friends call that "spiritual maturity." I call it sin. I was willing to do whatever the spirit asked back then. Now I think about it, to make sure it is God. I was the barbarian for Jesus, not looking for reasons, just doing. Now I have become the civilized Christian, who at times looks and acts like one who does not even follow Jesus. That is what this line means too. Go back to the moment you were first made whole in Jesus, and start again for God. There is a really good book on this subject too. "The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within" by Erwin Raphael McManus.

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Easy Sunday School
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Amazing Grace - First Verse

2011-09-12T11:57:00.003-04:00

Amazing Grace was written by John Newton and published in 1799. He was born in London July 24, 1725 into a sailing family. He followed his father's profession and was pressed into service in the English Navy, where he was eventually assigned to a Slave ship. From there he became a captain of a slave ship and that is how our story begins, according to Amazing Grace, the Story of John Newton.

The moment that the Amazing Grace first occurred in his life was at the height of a storm at sea, where a seaman who was steering the ship had already been washed overboard and lost. Again, according to Amazing Grace, the Story of John Newton. "He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him."

At a moment of extreme danger, and extremely disagreeable, disgusting, ungodly, non-repentant, non-believer addressed God, and God reaches out and touches his soul. Amazing.

FIRST VERSE

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

Amazing Grace refers to that fact that John Newton saw himself as a great sinner, one beyond the rational levels that could allow anyone to think of redemption. Acts 15:11 (AMP) "But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they [are].

What was amazing about the grace was that at long last, John Newton was broken. He discovered how evil his life had been, and how real God was, and it sickened him. He was Amazed that God would reach out to one such as he, and even more amazing, that he would wash his sins away, and offer him Heaven. Amazing Indeed.

For me, the Grace extended by Jesus was "logical." By that, I mean I was not surprised when it dawned on me. The person in my life who was teaching me about the Lord only talked about the Love of Jesus. He was passionate about what Jesus' love had done for him, and what it could do for me. Once I accepted his testimony as legitimate, finding that same love witnessed in the Bible was easy. No Bells. No strange moment of 'I got it." Just a feeling of duh.

I really did not get the amazing grace part until the last few weeks, when I finally reached out an made my relationship with Jesus something more than it has been. I was broken in the world, and that caused me to look inside. I saw nothing, and had nothing to lose, so I asked the Holy Spirit to show me my sins. POW. Now I get it to the roots of my toes. My sin, like John Newton's is huge and ongoing. That makes Jesus' grace all the more amazing. We have an Awesome God!

That Saved a Wretch Like Me. Just in case you missed the meaning of Grace, undeserved favor or mercy, he repeats the sin ... he was a Wretch in the eyes of man and the Lord, and he knew it. That is called confession.

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

I once was lost but now am found. He was not a believer of any type, according the "The Creation of Amazing Grace," yet God found him, like the lost sheep in Luke 15:6-7 (AMP) "And when he gets home, he summons together [his] friends and [his] neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep which was lost. Thus, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind, abhorring his errors and misdeeds, and determines to enter upon a better course of life) than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance." He did not believe, and he acted according to his own compass as to what was right and wrong, but Jesus found him and carried him home anyway.

I was once told that the outstanding quality of sheep was that they were stupid and dirty. That offended me. Now I wish I was only the stupid and only that dirty. What a great way to look at ourselves. We roll around in the dirt of the world thinking that is what we were born for, and along comes Jesus, tells us the truth, offers us love anyway, and some of us actually say NO THANK YOU. I did for over 30 years. If you want to read my story, visit Diving in to the Unknown. If you want to dive in yourself, and experience this amazing grace for yourself, then click here.

Was blind, but now I see. John 5-37 (AMP) "And the Father Who sent Me has Himself testified concerning Me. Not one of you has ever given ear to His voice or seen His form (His face--what He is like). [You have always been deaf to His voice and blind to the vision of Him.]" He went from not knowing there was a God, to seeing him everywhere in his life, in a blink of an eye.

This was not a conversion experience that left him wondering. It was a face to face meeting with his own evilness. And God washed his sin, opened his eyes, and welcomed him home.

I did wonder after I accepted Christ. I did not ever wonder about my salvation, I just wondered what I was supposed to do next, and how to get closer to Jesus. I frequently forgot even that when things were going well.

Recently I have read a few good books that have gotten me back into the Word, and back into the arms of Jesus.

If you would like to read our review of them, see: Book Review - Good News for those Trying Harder, and Book Review, the Barbarian Way.

Amazing.

Grace.

How sweet it is.

He Should be IN Your Heart! - Where is Jesus Part 3

2011-09-08T19:41:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 7: 2 - 3 (AMP) "Keep my commandments and live, and keep my law and teaching as the apple (the pupil) of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."

I got some awesome advice in a book, Good News for Those Trying Harder, by Alan Kraft, that suggested that when I read the bible daily, with the attitude of Finding Jesus, rather than duty, I would enjoy the journey. He was right. Especially the old Testament. When I first welcomed Jesus into my heart, the Bible came alive when I read it. It was this kind of change that occurred when I started reading the Bible looking for Jesus. (For more on Finding Jesus in the Bible, read Part 1 and/or Part 2)

This one is really easy. First, "apple of my eye," according to the Amplified Translation, simply means as the pupil of your eye. In other words, you can NOT miss it, since you look right at it every time you look at anything. Obviously Jesus preached the Law, as in "Love the Lord your God .... and your neighbor as yourself ...." but that is far too distant of a connection for me.

Bind them on your fingers, according to "Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible," means wear the law like a fine jewel, as in, on a ring on your finger. Doing this will always keep it before your eyes. Solomon is suggesting to his sons that they always keep the Law before them, more important than even jewels that they own. Still not really something you can say, Wow, I found Jesus here.

But the Solomon says, "write them on the tablet of your heart." Ding, Ding, Ding.

Hebrews 8:9-10 (AMP) "It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day when I grasped them by the hand to help and relieve them and to lead them out from the land of Egypt, for they did not abide in My agreement with them, and so I withdrew My favor and disregarded them, says the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

And how did that come to us? How was the new covenant delivered and written on our hearts?

2 Corinthians 3:3 - "You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Ah ha! I found Jesus.

Pretty Cool. I you want to read the book that brought this awesome way of finding Jesus, and made the Bible fun to read, buy the book. Worth the money and time.

Peace

As a Scientist, I Really Hate to Hear this at Church

2011-09-04T15:26:00.002-04:00

Hurricane
Credit: Free images from acobox.com

Have you heard that the weather is getting worse? More Hurricanes, more earthquakes, more flooding? There are more wars, and rumors of war? What could possibly be happening?

Check the bible, and perhaps the word of

God has an answer.

Matthew 24:6-8 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

More Wars: Ok, this one is confusing. There have been many more wars in the last 100 years than the previous 1900 years, and a much higher death rate, but the last 30 years far less death and number of wars. Source Wikipedia. So, Yes .. but No.

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

More Famines: Yes. Way worse, and getting noticeable worse every year, not just the number of dead, but the number of actual famines. It is possible that we know more now than we did of the ancient world, but statistically, the increase in overwhelming. Source Wikipedia.

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

More Pestilences: NO. We have eliminated many hundreds of plagues in the last century, and the simple addition of washing has changed the face of the globe since the end of the middle ages. This argument normally goes: "the world is smaller now than at anytime in history due to transportation, and we are due for a pandemic. Perhaps, but the bible says NO MAN KNOWS, and we are to look for signs that have actually happened, not ones that might happen. Plus, the bible tells us that, "Today's worries are enough for today". Normally AIDS is mentioned as an example of a plague that is God's message to the world, and a sign of the End Times. It seems to me that we should, however, be worried about the state of Grace and Health of those with aids, and not their sin. I have recently been acquainted again with Paul's reminder that we are all sinners. Source Wikipedia.

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

More Earthquakes: NO. Certainly we have increased both the technology and the number of locations we measure earthquakes, but according to the United States Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Programs, "earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have remained fairly constant." They tell us that we can expect 17 major earthquakes and 1 great quake every year. Like pestilences, this is perception fueled by fear, not fact.

So, prophetically speaking, we have not entered the beginning of sorrows.

It is also important to know that the Greek word used in Matthew 24 does not mean the end of the world, but rather, the end of the age, according to BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - WILLIAM MACDONALD. The Age is the age of the Church.

So why all the noise about the end of times?

1 Thessalonians 5:4-9 (NKJV) "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

This is why.

First, I learned this in church today at Solid Rock Church in NY, "God did not appoint us to wrath." Even in our present circumstances, if you are in NE United States, and your home was destroyed by earthquake, tornado or Hurricane, God has got you back.

Second, we are to pay attention, so we will not be surprised. Every generation of the followers of Jesus sees signs in their time, and they pay attention to them, because Jesus said to. Do not let it bring you to fear. Do not let it convince you that you know the date. Do let it bring you and yours, and all those you meet to salvation.

So, I was wrong. This is an Awesome topic to hear in Church. I would have hated to miss it!!

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior?

If you have not, or you are not sure, click Here.
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To read our statement of Faith, Click Diving In.

Where's Jesus - The Many Names of the Savior - Part 2

2011-09-02T22:58:00.000-04:00

I have this poster on the wall of my home, with dozens, maybe hundreds, of names that Jesus is called in the Bible. I though it was cute, even spiritual, and a testimony to my salvation. After I had read it once, it has never crossed my mind to read it again. I still have not read it again.

In the spirit of the Bible reading tool I discovered and explained in Where's Jesus Part 1, I found these names and descriptions of Jesus in the Old and New Testaments by my own hand. I did this with a certain degree of joy. If you want to know why, and you have not read Where's Jesus Part 1, you might want to read my

Book Review: Good News for Those Harder - by Alan Kraft

so you can see where the joy came from.

The cool thing is, this list ties the entire Bible together in a way I have heard about, read about, studied in College a quarter of a century ago, but I have never felt. Now I do. Here is the short list.

Advocate - 1 John 2:1 - My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Power of God - 1 Corinthians 1:24 - But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Wisdom of God - 1 Corinthians 1:24 - But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45 - The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

Righteous - 1 John 2:1 - My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

The Savior of the World - 1 John 4:14 - Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

The True God - 1 John 5:20 - And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

Living Cornerstone - 1 Peter 2:4 - You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

Great Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4 - And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

Mediator - 1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

Potentate - 1 Timothy 6:15 - which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

King of kings - 1 Timothy 6:15 - which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

Lord of lords - 1 Timothy 6:15 - which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

Our God and Savior - 2 Peter 1:1 - To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

Lord and Savior - 2 Peter 1:11 - for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Savior - Act 13:23 - From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—

The Holy One - Acts 3:14 - But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

Prince of Life - Acts 3:15 - and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

Jesus - Acts 7:59 - And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Christ - Acts 9:20 - Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Son of God - Acts 9:20 - Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

The first-born - Colossians 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Head of the Church - Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.

Author and Finisher of our faith - Hebrews 12:2 - looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Captain of Salvation - Hebrews 2:10 - For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Mighty one of Israel - Isaiah 30:29 - You shall have a song, As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain of the LORD, To the Mighty One of Israel.

Man of sorrows - Isaiah 53:3 - He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Commander - Isaiah 55:4 - Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.

Immanuel - Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Wonderful Advisor - Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Mighty God - Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Child - Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Lord of glory - James 2:1 - My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

Lamb of God - John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Teacher - John 1:38 - Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

Messiah - John 1:41 - He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).

True Light - John 1:9 - That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Bread of life - John 6:48 - I am the bread of life.

Messenger of the covenant - Malachi 3:1 - “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Lord of the Sabbath - Mark 2:28 - Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Carpenter - Mark 6:3 - Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him

Son of David - Matthew 15:22 - And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

Nazarene - Matthew 2:23 - And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Son of Man - Matthew 8:20 - And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15 - And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Anointed - Psalms 2:2 - The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take Against the LORD and against His Anointed, counsel together,

Mighty One - Psalms 45:3 - Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty.

Alpha and Omega - Revelation 1:8 - “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,”^[a] says the Lord,^[b]“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Almighty - Revelation 1:8 - “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,”says the Lord,^[b]“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Lord of Lords - Revelation 17:14 - These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Word of God - Revelation 19:13 - He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Bright and Morning Star - Revelation 22:16 - “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Offspring of David - Revelation 22:16 - “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Amen - Revelation 3:14 - “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

Lion of Judah - Revelation 5:5 - But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

Lord of the dead and living - Romans 14:9 - For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Where's Jesus - Part 1

2011-09-01T17:04:00.002-04:00

Where's Jesus

Luke 24:27 (NLT) "Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

I recently finished reading a book by Alan Kraft, Good News for Those Trying Harder, and he made an astounding point; one that I knew, have heard in church, have told other people, but yet still never really understood.

He wrote, "Jesus is the Point." The entire body of the scriptures is about leading us to Jesus.

Pretty simple. Yet that is not the whole deal. He went on to ask if I had ever had difficulty putting the Old Testament into the context of my life.

Well, Let me think about that....

YES!

Frequently I force myself to read the bible out of obedience, hoping not so much that I will get something out of it while I read, but rather that I will survive the process, and be rewarded for being such a good bee.

Instead, I usually fall asleep, banging my head on the chair or computer. Especially in Numbers.

Alan Kraft suggested, with Luke 24:27 as his support, that the entire reason for reading the scriptures was to "Find Jesus." He then asked another simple question.

"Would you ever read a Where's Waldo book, without looking for Waldo?

NO. That is the whole point of the "Where's Waldo" book; finding Waldo. Alan suggested I read the bible the same way, except make it a "Where's Jesus" kinda thing.

That changed everything. I read too much now, rather than not enough or just when my life is hard. It is AWESOME. (For you goal setters out there, this really is not a goal, it is more like an explanation of what the purpose of the Bible.)

Without the Holy Spirit, you are not going to find much in the bible. if you want to know more about getting the Holy Spirit into your life, click HERE.)

So, since this has made such a huge change in how I view and read and use the bible, I am going to share some of it with you. This is Part 1. I hope you enjoy the journey, and you gain some understanding of the Power of our Lord Jesus. I strongly encourage you to read the book I got this idea from, "Good News for Those Trying Harder," by Alan Kraft. I read it on a free downloaded Kindle app on my phone. It took 2 nights as I was falling asleep. I am re-reading it again now.

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Psalm 84:4 "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah"

For the sake of clarity, Selah means Stop and Listen, or Stop and Think, but either way, it is used to let the singer of the psalm know that this is an important point, worthy of remembering.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV) - "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

Jesus sighting #1: So, because of Jesus giving us the Holy Spirit, YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV): "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Jesus sighting #2: Because you have the spirit of the Lord within, the spirit Himself prays for your needs, even if you do not know how or what to say. Spiritual weaknesses are the core of most worldly weaknesses, but this verse is talking about HELP in OUR WEAKNESSES. Real help for real people. This, if you listen to the Spirit, is the blessing of peace in a fallen world.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV): "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Jesus sighting #3: Even more blessings --- everything will work out for good if you are called according to His purpose. If you have the Holy Spirit within you, and you listen to him, then you ARE CALLED ACCORDING
TO HIS SPIRIT.

In one verse of the Old Testament, with the attitude of certainty that Jesus is the reason for the bible, I was able to find Jesus 3 times.

That is pretty cool. Didn't fall asleep 1 time. Didn't have to put my obedience or false spirituality hat on even once. It was Fun. Try it!

Book Review: Good News for Those Trying Harder by Alan Kraft

2011-08-31T21:09:00.000-04:00

I came to this book because I longed for an emotional & spiritual experience which I perceived that other followers of Jesus the Christ all had, or said they had, when they became followers of Jesus. I was literally crying out for something more, something deeper, something real from my faith. If you would like to know more about my spiritual journey, and why "crying out," is not something that would surprise me, read my article on my conversion experience called Diving In, an Act of Faith.

It was actually recommended by Amazon when I finished another book, The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin Raphael McManus, so I bought it. It rocked my world. It rocked my spiritual world first, but it ripped the foundations off of my life in the "World." I will never be the same again.

Before I tell you what I learned and what else I thought of the book, let me tell you a little about the author. Alan Kraft is the lead pastor of Christ Community Church, Greenly, Colorado, and he is both a husband of many years and a father of several ages of children. He has lived life, made mistakes, admits them, and is willing to share what he has learned with us.

I recommend this book to anyone who does not believe that they have not yet experienced “brokenness, faith or a personal relationship with Jesus" at the levels they once expected or hoped for. If you long for the “Peace of God that surpasses all understanding,” (Philippians 4:7) then this book is for you.

I recommend this book with even more urgency if your life is full of fear. I don't mean spiritual fear, (like fearing God, fearing you are not worthy, fear of death), though it will help with that too. I mean fear of anything in your life that is tangible or not. If you are tired of being chased by the same anxiety; if you think a lot, "I can not catch a break," or you are having trouble sleeping because of the pressure in your life, this is a MUST READ.

If you have the world by the tail, and you really are "all that," you won't like this book.

In the reading of "Good News for Those Trying Harder," I discovered three things that I was lacking and looking for.

1) A personal relationship with Jesus. I had asked friends at two churches in two states what a "personal relationship with Jesus," was, and what it felt like, because I was tired of the "Jesus Speak," I always heard from Christians like myself when speaking about Jesus. I really did not know what it meant. One church, only members answered. Even though it was a monitored page and the pastors read it, no one who was trained answered. The people said things like, "it's just like your relationship with other people." and the like. NO IT IS NOT. It is mind blowing and emotional, and it is all over the Gospel and can even be found throughout the old testament. This book tells you where it is in the Bible and even shows you how to start down the path. It will make you cry. It will make you happy. It will make you safe.

2) An Emotional Recognition of my Brokenness beyond the technical definition of sin we have all heard so many times before. I discovered just exactly how I could discover what my sins really were, and that brought me to the floor, face down, several times. Way past mind blowing. Deeply soul stretching.

3) An understanding of the roles of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God the Father in my prayer life and in my mortal life. I have always wondered what the deal was with the Trinity. Why the doctrine was created by man, justified by scripture and memorized by millions, but not understood by anybody. I discovered the sameness of God. I discovered the Power of grace in the three parts of God, and most importantly to me, I discovered the universality of the Gospel. How it applies to my life in all its aspects, every moment of the day, and just how amazing grace really is.

I don't know if these things were the intended messages of the book, but I do believe that the Holy Spirit and the Bible support the messages that I got for my life, and I suspect it will in your life as well.

Remember, David was a Sinner Too!

2011-08-24T20:04:00.000-04:00

There are 2 things you have to remember about David.

1) David was a Sinner too.

What sin means to you, however, might not be the same that Sin means to God. The way I keep it straight in my mind, to keep me humble but also to keep me under the protection that David enjoyed, is that if you break a Law of God, you have sinned. To keep in simple, when Jesus was asked what the most important law to follow, instead of saying, ALL of them, which I would expect, he said something else altogether.

In Luke 10:27. "He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

So keeping it simple, your first thought should be about God, then right after that you should be worried about other people. If your first thought is about how anything impacts your life, your emotions, your finances, your anything, you are sinning. Self Centered actions are the center of Jesus' answers.

That is a tad scary for me. I most definatly sin.

So did David, yet in Psalm 27: (NLT) David says with confidence and faith, "The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"

He does not say, Please Be My Fortress, he says the Lord is his fortress, and yet he was a sinner. When I read this psalm today, I saw hope.

Normally, I don't like reading the psalms. They are either too difficult for me to integrate into my life, or they are to simplistic. Today I was reading "Good News for Those Trying Harder," by Alan Kraft, I discovered this biblical explanation for sin.(I will review this book when I finish it.) When I read it, a crisis in my daily life prevented me from continuting in my reading, so all got, until I read Psalm 27, was that I was a far worse sinner than I had thought.

But then I read what David counted on from the Lord, and hope surrounded my being. He too was a sinner, and yet he continued Psalm 27 with: "When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident."

I want some of that. I am a sinner who loves the Lord, but today I feel attacked, beat down and nearly hopeless. So What is the secret. What did David had that I do not?

First, you have Jesus. So you are ahead. Way ahead. But yet, David has this scary weird confidence. Verse 4 clears it up, and it is the second thing that you have to remember about David.

Pslam 27:4 "The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple."

2) David had as his first and only request the desire to live with the Lord all the days of his life. That is goal 1 for him.

Does your prayer life always start with the absolute feeling and expression of gratitude that you do get to spend the rest of forever with the Lord? Do you love the fact that you are saved, or has that become a secondary part of your Christian Life?

I know my gratitude frequently comes after the situation. I need to reach into my life and express my gratitude for the forever I have already be given, then I too can share David's confidence.

I Didn't Do It, or the 12 Points to Fight off Rumors and Accusations

2011-08-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

Psalm 26 - A Psalm of David (NLT)

Old Faithful
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1 "Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering."

Point 1: If you are being accused or hounded by people (or a victim of rumors), and you didn't do it, Tell God. If you can't, then your heart probably thinks you are guilty.

If you believe that the Bible is accurate, inerrant, and the Word of God, you can trust it. If you do not believe that, then reading this probably will only make you more confused. Let me put it this way; if you trust the bible, then this will be awesome. If you think the bible lies, then go play angry birds, cause this will make you angry.

So we start with David, who is innocent. That is what the Bible says, but of what is he innocent?

According to Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, it is likely that David wrote this psalm when he was being chased by Saul. If you remember, Saul was the Supreme Judge or King of Israel at the time. So David could submit himself to Saul for judgement or to God. But what was he being Judged for?

It can not be for his sinless behavior toward God, since David knew he sinned and we know that no one is righteous before God. For example, Psalm 51:3:(NKJV) "For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me."

So that only leaves the "sins" against Saul, for which he was being pursued, harassed, and killed if he were caught. Even when his men suggested he kill Saul, he would not kill God's anointed. 1 Samuel 24:6-7 "And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way."

I don't know about you, but I have been pursued by friends and companies alike who accused me of doing all sorts of things from lying through stealing. They were wrong, did not understand what was really going on, looked at things through their own perspective without asking enough questions, and launched to verbal, emotional and at time legal redress. I have felt like this many times, and in the last 5 years, during the worst of it, I have begun to behave like David. I try not to attack them with word or deed. In fact, I try to honor their vision, rather than my own, under the verse above - that they, like me, are God's. Not easy. Especially since my injury magnifies stress to the point of illness, but David was looking at death, not illness, and yet he followed the Lord. So will I.

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2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and
my heart.

Point 2: If you believe in your cause strongly enough to appeal to the Lord. Ask him to judge you NOW. If you are right, he is the most powerful advocate against whom no one can stand. If you are wrong, fixing it now will help your life immeasurably.

There is no Jury with God. He knows everything. Everything. This is how strong David felt about his actions toward Saul and God. There is only one penalty for transgressing against the Lord, and he just asked for it to be invoked for sins against Saul, if he had committed any. Wow. That's faith.

3 For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.

Point 3: If you defense is "I have not sinned against God," you have already lost. If your defense is "I didn't do it, and I am following you Truth and Love," you are right!

What's his defense? Not, "I never harmed Saul," though that is true. Rather, he says, I know you love me and I live my your word. Try me on my behavior and my faith. No wonder God says he is close to the heart of God. Again, Wow!

I have learned in the last 6 weeks that I must live in the world, so I will be judged by the people in it. That hurts. I am hard to understand, and very few really care. Their lives are hard too, and they are trying to pay their bills, climb their mountains, enjoy their lives and what I am doing really does not matter all that much to them. They don't care that my Mother in Law almost died from Lyme disease 8 weeks ago, and we have spent the whole of the summer helping her. They don't know that I don't get paid at all, since I am as messed up mentally as you can be and not be in a hospital. Not their concern. So some of them judge me harshly. Can't change that. But I have learned to appeal to the Lord. At the end of the day, it is in his court, not the worlds, and David did it too.

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4 I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites.

Point 4: It really does matter who you call friend.

It really does matter who you hang out with. I spend time with hypocrites and liars all the time. I live in the world. I am one of them. Yet, I go to those who Love the Lord for advice and friendship. The others are the mission field we walk in. Jesus showed us how. He commanded us to go. Mark 16:15 (NLT) "And then He told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone."

So, hang with those who belong to Christ, but go into the world.

The Heart of Darkness
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5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.

Point 5: Evil Feels Wrong. If you do not Feel the wrongness, you need to get closer to God.

I have begun to feel evil now. Scares me. I can tell if I am in the wrong place with the wrong people. It is not always their language, their activity or even their attitude. It is more like something is missing. You can feel the absence of the Lord. I leave when I feel that. It scares me.

When we visited China, we went to an active Buddhist Temple. Painted wooden statues everywhere. I though it would not bother me, but when we say people prostrate before wood, it made me ill. Evil is real.

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6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord,

Point 6: Before you come before the Lord with your grievance, make sure you are clean of sin.

He washes his hands to remove sin before he comes before the Lord. This is not arrogance, like saying, "hey, you. You know I am clean." Rather, he knows he is NOT CLEAN before the Lord, only before Saul. He never forgets he is a sinner, even when pleading the unjust treatment he is getting from God's own king.

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7 singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders.

Point 7: Be Thankful, and tell people about it. God is NOT private.

Oddly, that is what I am doing with this article right now. I feel I am being unjustly treated. My wife is being harrased for doing what normal people could never do. Our mistakes are being viewed as either stupidity or immorality. I am tired of the weight that I have to see her carry. It has always been so.

I don't know when I turned the corner, but Anne has always been around the other side. She can't wait to go to church, to pray before we eat, to pray just because she can. That is new to me. I have learned to see the wonders of the Lord within the darkness of the world. Praise the Lord.

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8 I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.

Point 8: Remember whose you are!

Think about this for a second. Where is the Lord's sanctuary NOW?
.....

.....

Your Body. Love yourself and take care of your body, because it is where the glorious presence of the the Lord dwells.

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9 Don’t let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don’t condemn me along with murderers.

Point 9: Be Sure of Yourself!

David is being bold. He is telling the Lord not to equate what is happening with Saul with Sin. Two things strike me about this, that I have never noticed before. First, he must believe in himself quite a lot if he makes a statement that bold to the God of everything. Second, he is talking like that to God, and God says it is Good. ...

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10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes.

Point 10: Express your outrage at you, a follower of Christ, being treated like those who do not follow.

He draws a line in the sand about his moral behavior with people. He points out that God's anointed is not playing fair, and is not treating him or others as he should. David is outraged that Saul can get away with it, when he, David, follows the Lord.

He is proving Point 9.

11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy.

Point 11: Ask for Mercy.

He states, with certainty, he is not like that. So he asks for the Grace of God to sustain him, and rescue him.

Point 12 Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.

Point 12: Again, Tell People about how Awesome the Lord is!

And when he is done, does he wait for something to change, like Saul to die or send a message? NO. He gets us, stand up, and not only praises the Lord, but does it in front of others. That takes faith. He dives right into the rest of his life with the faith that God will not let him falter. Click Diving In, for more on how I have dived into my life since I have learned the truth of God's word.

Why is it so Dark in Here?

2011-08-21T00:42:00.001-04:00

Just Peachy
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Psalm 23: 1 - 3 (NLT) "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name."

Imagine for a moment that YOUR CAR JUST BLEW UP.

Just Peachy!

Stop and think for a moment about how you would feel if you car just destroyed itself. Take 30 seconds and think of 2 things that you would really want. Do it NOW ... counting ....

STOP. This verse is a promise from God that you will not want. If either of your two things was "I want a car that works," you don't believe the Word of God.

You Will not Want, if you are living for him, living out loud for the Lord. Living in faith and love for the Lord!

Let me explain. Your car blows up, and you like me, might think ... why can't I catch a break?

What is wrong with you? You just did catch a break. The promise is you will NOT want, if you are right with God. So instead of wasting your life in anger or fear about what is going to happen with the Car, you should be saying, Wow .. What is God going to use this for to Glorify his Name?

You car did not blow up because you sinned and are being punished. It did not blow up because God no longer loves you. Your car blew up because it blew up.

But God said: "He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name." That means your actions will bring honor to his name, if you stay on his path. So look around, God guided you to where you are. The opportunity to bring honor to you Lord is There. Find it.

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This is So Cool.

Lemonade from lemons.

Peachy? You bet!

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You are Being Chased
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Psalm 23:4 - 6.(NLT) "Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever."

Do you notice that it is assumed you will be in a "dark valley," or a difficult place in your life? Yet, if you are walking with the Lord, he is close beside you. That is a promise, not a feeling. A promise. You do not have to earn it. It is just going to happen.

So if you know that God is walking beside you, it stand to reason you will not be afraid. You already know he is going to guide you. You already know that it is going to be dark, dangerous, not fun, yet you are not afraid of how it is going to turn out.

Or are you? If you are afraid, it is not because God has walked away, but rather you have let go of his hand. Grab it again, and believe that he does not lie. He is right there. Assume now that it will turn out His way for you.

But it is way cooler than that. Those people who are making your life tough. The ones that are laughing at you, hounding you, making fun of you, stealing from you. You will actually get to see them brought low, at the same moment you are brought high. Not only that, but he is going to set you aside yet again for his own. Personally, where everyone will see it happen. Not only that, your blessings, ones that you will recognize as from the Lord, will be so many, that you cannot count them. He says, "You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings."

Yet, that is NOT ENOUGH for the Lord. Even if you run, he will pursue you. Even if you forget, and you are afraid, he will follow you, and you gotta know, he will catch you. The Psalm says he will pursue you with his goodness and never ending love will follow you "all the days of your life." So if you are afraid, you are running from the Lord, but he will catch you with goodness and love.

Think about this for a second. If you have accepted Jesus as Lord, he will pursue you FOREVER, because your life will not end.

Creation of Adam (public domain)
by Michelangelo, c. 1511

If you are a follower of Jesus already, relax. The big guy is right beside you, and if you forgot that and walked away from him, he is following right behind you, and intends to catch you. Reach out to him.

If you have not reached out to Jesus, or you have no idea what that means or how to do it, Click Here. Either way, Remember that tough stuff happens in our lives. If you are walking with the Lord, Fear should not be in you. He will provide.

It will be better and more than you can imagine.

You just have to believe and wait on the Lord.

Book Review: The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within by Erwin Raphael McManus

2011-08-19T23:02:00.000-04:00

After reading the first few paragraphs, it was clear to me that Erwin Raphael McManus was attempting to illustrate how "civilized" most Christians have become and how far from the standard of behavior and passion that Jesus set for us in his life and ministry. Such a rich background of real life stories, both from the author's life and from history, illustrate the point, that is hard to imagine how anyone who reads this book will not have the leash holding their faith back from extraordinary actions ripped from their necks. I want to paint my face blue, wear animal skins and break all the rules for the Lord Jesus. I have, in fact, changed my behavior and my reaction to the world has been significantly altered. This is not only a Must read, it is a must do type of book.

As I was reading this book, and I am a sloooooowww reader and I still only took less than 1 day to finish the first time, I first thought that this was a book that people who have accepted Jesus as Lord decades ago would have a very good chance of capturing the power and purpose they and always hoped to have, but missed. Yet, the more I read, it became obvious that New Christians would also benefit from this book, and might even get to miss the "lack of wonder" stage that so many Christians go through soon after accepting Jesus into their lives. It even occurred to me that leaders, students, employees, athletes and children could all learn how to face their fears and act with power. Pretty much, if you love Jesus, and you want to be in the kingdom as a warrior rather than a busboy, then read this book.

The book starts by explaining why Jesus was so unaccepted by the world when he was in it, and relates that to the behavior of a Barbarian, while at the same time relating the religious community to the "Civilized." This is done artfully by juxtaposing scripture and other historical examples. He tells two stories from his own life, both early life as a Christian, and his family life, that had me crying. Not because of how 'sad' or 'funny' they were, but because without really trying, he had found the weakness of my own actions and behaviors, and that of the religious institutions of our own time, and opened my ears to the call of the Lord. And he did call. And I did hear. It scared me it was such a powerful moment.

He goes on with the same high craft to tell us how we can change our own lives, so that we can life a life a true freedom and by so doing be the changed person we are called to be. This is not manuscript of philosophy, but rather a way to under stand the word of God through the Holy Spirit withing you. This is a how to book, though the only how to is how to be a barbarian for Jesus. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God do the rest of the telling, but once the fog of my entire life was lifted from my eyes, and I saw Jesus' life for what it was, everything was changed.

There was one line of scripture in the first few pages that I felt he took out of context, and that interpretation permeated the entire book, but in the end, the miss us of one word, Fire, turned out to be totally unimportant. I could describe this book as an attack on Orthodox Churches, even my own, but that would be cynical. He really did not attack any Church. He attacked my understand of the power of God, and he was right.

Plug into this book, but leave 3 hours, because once you buy it, you will not put it down happily.

So, How Sweet is It?

2011-08-16T22:02:00.001-04:00

Credit: Free images from acobox.com

I was out running today, or I should say jogging, just faster than a walk, listening to my MP3 player built into my Blackberry phone. In the background I was running a GPS tracking program called Runtastic, so I know if I improve, and I can tell my wife where to pick me up when I get lost. (smile here)

Anyway, at about 40 minutes into my run I was listening to a version of Amazing Grace by Bill Anderson, and half way through the song, he had a message. (Click the Play Button below if you want to hear the version I was listening to.

Amazing Grace by Bill Anderson

Before I explain the BGO, (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious), that hit me like when Pythagoras exclaimed "Eureka" upon discovering Pythagoras' Theorem on the right triangle.

I run listening to up to 30 versions of Amazing Grace playing in my ears. This is direct result of a suggestion that one of my friends made to me 20 years or more ago. He said he ran with his dog, and listened for God. I tried that. I never heard God. Some would say I needed to listen longer, but I always turned my listening, at about 5 minutes, into talking to God, rather than listening, since ADHD is not an affliction with me, but rather a life style. So, rather than spending 60 minutes telling God how bad my day is, or what I want or need, I decided to tell him how awesome he is.

What is the most awesome thing that God has done or me? Amazing Grace. So, since I need to keep on track or get lost on the way, I decided to sing along with the many versions of Amazing Grace I have on my player. It takes between 12 and 18 versions for me to run about 60 minutes. So that is what I do. I run and give praise and thanks while I do it.

Now that really is Amazing
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Generally speaking, my life is pretty amazing. (See Diving In, if you want to know what I mean by amazing.) Though, amazing as it is, we have our moments, and this week is all about the moments.

The back end of our vehicle blows up, and we don't have the money to repair it. We need to be somewhere else helping other people, but we are stuck away from home waiting for the repair to finish. My daughter comes home from Washington state, after visiting my sister and climbing Mt Rainier, and we can not pick her up at the air port. Her car is parked at our house, not hers, and we have the keys. There is more, but that is enough, if you get my drift.

The phrase we threw at each other was, "we can't catch a break." That is what was in my mind as I started running. Not very amazing, but based on yesterday, the broken vehicle, and tomorrow, all that other stuff, I was pretty stressed and regretful.

Blinding Light
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Back to the BGO. Bill Anderson broke down a way to look at grace that had not occurred to me in his context. It took my breath away. He quoted Matthew 6:34 (AMP) "So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble."

He went on to say that God provides us with enough grace to live this day. "He does not provide enough for yesterday or for tomorrow. That is why, if we live in the past we live with regrets and if we live in tomorrow, we live with stress."

I had always looked at grace as referring to Salvation alone, a spiritual thing only, not connected with the world. Yet, the Bible is a whole, not disconnected verses. Grace itself means unmerited favor. It had never occurred to me that living through today's problems was a benefit of Grace, and even in my daily life, unmerited favor was a promise of God. Wow.

I fall victim to this issue, sin if you will, nearly everyday. I live for tomorrow tempered by yesterday. It is a function of the way I was trained to solve problems in physics. I don't know how to do it any other way.

But the BGO was this. It requires effort to live in the moment. I know that there is enough grace for right now. I need to remind myself to live in the right now.

Amazing. Grace. How sweet it is.

Does God Even Know You are There

2011-08-14T23:40:00.000-04:00

After writing the last article in our journey toward God, it occured to me that I had assumed that it was obvious that God knew I was here.

Yet, right now, it is not obvious. Life is so confussing and difficult, right now, that I actually, in the midst of thinking I had it all together, found myself typing in to my cell phone, like Bing or Google were the Magic 8-Ball's of old, "God, Please Help Me Now."

I kid you not.

That's how difficult today is.

So, I have spent a little time to finish the article we just posted, The Sword of Damocles, by looking up as many places in the bible where God lets YOU and ME know he is with us, he does know what we are doing, he does care, and he understands the difficulty we are going through. (Just in case you have a bad day too.)

If you want to see the entire verse in context, and I suggest to you that you really do want to, click on the verse, and you can read the whole thing.

Luke 15:11-32 - The Message (MSG) "His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

Psalm 139 - The Message (MSG) "You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight."

Matthew 10:29 - The Message (MSG) - "He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head!"

Psalm 139:13 - The Message (MSG): "You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body"

1 John 4:16 - The Message (MSG): "Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God."

Acts 17:28 - The Message (MSG): "He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him!"

James 1:17 - The Message (MSG): "Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven."

Exodus 19:5 - The Message (MSG): "Out of all peoples you'll be my special treasure. The whole Earth is mine to choose from, but you're special"

Revelation 21:3-4 - The Message (MSG): "He'll wipe every tear from their eyes."

Genesis 1:27 - The Message (MSG): 'God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image"'

Of the hundreds of verses I read trying to get to the heart of God in my life, these 10 said the most in the least amount of time. I would like to direct you to another site if you would like more. I stumbled up GodHelpMePlease.com when I was freaking out over the weirdness and danger of today, and it was the one out of the many sites that gave me a grip on God's love the fastest.

Why? you might ask? Because it is all about the Word of God. Very little conclusions; very much scripture.

God is Good ... go out and meet him! Meet him in the Word, every day and at every stress point; meet him in the faces of the people you interact with, because we were created as social beings and we are the main method of spreading the Good News; Meet him in your own actions, as you spread his love around.

Go.

Go Now.

The Sword of Damocles

2011-08-14T18:36:00.001-04:00

Dionysius II was the "king" of Syracuse who ruled in the 4th Century B.C. There is a story that a famous Roman orator, Cicero,
(during the times of Sulla and Julius Caesar) told to convince people that living a virtuous life was the path to happiness rather than being a powerful man. (This is important, because Cicero was one of the main proponents of returning to the Roman Republic after Sulla and Caesar were voted dictators, and he was eventually killed because of this.)

This is a basic retelling of the the story.

One of Dionysis' sycophants, Damocles, was telling the king how awesome it must be to have so much power, money and ability to do what you want. He meant it as a complement to the ruler. Dionysus, however, saw the flaw in this particular retainer's attitude, and suggested that they switch positions in life for a day. Dionysus, seeing an opportunity to be rich and powerful, leapt into the role happily. However, Dionysus rigged the experience, to teach his follower a lesson. He suspended an over-sized sword over the throne where Damocles had to sit. This gave Damocles sufficient fear to ask to be relieved of the position. Thus, the ruler had shown the constant fear that a powerful person always lives with.

Cicero sums up the meaning of the story, in Tusculan Disputations 5, by saying, "Does not Dionysus, then, seem to have declared there can be no happiness for one who is under constant apprehensions?"

This is a very good point to remember. The phrase, the grass is always green on the other side of the fence, is only a small part of the understanding that Cicero was trying to convey. Certainly, if your motivation is to improve your life by taking the role of someone else's life, you are doomed to failure, but the real point is, FEAR is bad for you. FEAR of death is REALLY BAD for you.

Most of the time humanism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ do not agree, as one is about the power of human nature and the other is about the fallen nature of the human. But in this case, they agree.

In an article I read on Bible.org, they state, "There is one great fear common to all men, which is greater than all other fears. It is a fear which paralyzes men all of their lives. It is the fear of death."

Thanatophobia is a psychological condition which is the fear of death. What makes it tricky is determining if the fear of death is out of proportion with your life, making it a phobia. In other words, everybody is afraid of dying.

So, in order to deal with Fear, you have to deal with fear of death first, since fear of death is the Primo fear.

John 14:1-6 The Message (MSG) John 14:1-7 "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."

Thomas said, "Master, we have no idea where you're going. How do you expect us to know the road?"

Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me."

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Jesus said this before his own death, and it is pretty clear that we go to him when we die. He is speaking here as though the people he was talking to were children, so he gives us many direct pictures of his promise to prepare a place for us. This is made all the stronger by his Resurrection. Certainly anyone, even I, could tell you when we die we will go and prepare a place for you. That would be a waste of breath however, for you have no reason to believe that I will survive death. You have every reason to suppose I will not. Jesus, however, was different. He rose from the dead, and was seen in one place by hundreds of people after his Resurrection. That proves that we can trust his word.

What was his word again? First, he will be in heaven to prepare a place for YOU. He will come and get you. He is the Way, just in case you forget how to get there. Tada.

Recently, everything I have read and heard by pastors, bloggers and gurus has all taken parts of the word of God out of context, using that to comfort us. The implication from their words was that God would get involved in your finances, you illnesses and your relationships. The problem was, every one of their verses was about spiritual issues, as in fear of death. It was beginning to seem like the entire bible is all about spiritual growth, and heaven.

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And then I remembered one of our friends, who is a Baptist Pastor in Worcester, once told us of the horrible condition of his church, ministry and the people he has chosen to serve. His church had been hit by lightning. It was a 200 year old church in a section of town that was waiting for urban renewal. The church was condemned because of the damage. At the same time, a place next door where the homeless people stayed was partially destroyed. These are the people in his ministry. When we saw him, he was happy. After we heard the story, he also told us that the town had lost some property too, and they were not using it either now or before the storm. So I asked. Why are you happy? He said, "you have not because you ask not." I nodded my head up and down, and moved on. He got his land. God got his Glory.

Turns out, that is James 4:2. In Context, the verse becomes a promise for help from the Father. James 4:2-7 "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

So, if you want something, ask for it. If you ask for it the right way, which is with humility and NOT for your pleasures (read that sin), Jesus gives you "more" grace. He gives. So ask.

But is that too simple. Is there some more scripture that encourages us to rely on God for earthly or worldly issues?

How about John 14:13-14 " And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

Anything, that may glorify the Son. In other words, if it is about your sin, don't ask. If it is about the Lord, ask.

More ? Ok.

Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Read good things as spiritual things, that God sees as good.

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Enough. Time for the good news, from the Good News. The Key that I learned in church 3 weeks ago, but it took me all this time to find the scripture to explain it. The answer. The way. What you need to do to make it work for God, so you do not have to worry about the world or death. So your fear can be released. (There is more than one verse saying this - I have just picked the one that is the easiest for me to understand. Are you ready?

1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

If you go to work for the money, than you have already gotten your reward, in your pay. If you go to work for God, than you can expect even more Grace. You glorify God, then good things happen to you. In my case, giving it to the Lord means that the results in within his hands. I am told to ask, but ask that he do these thing for his business, his people, his bills. Then whatever happens is in his hands, as long as I, in whatever I do, do it for the glory of God.

Pick up the key, and open the door.

Ruuuuunnnnnnn (run)!!!!! from your problems, as fast as you Can - Temptation Part 1

2011-08-10T23:51:00.001-04:00

One of the hardest parts of being a Christian for me, is dealing with the amazing amount of Temptation I see around me everyday.

When we were being trained in EE, we were taught that a good definition for sin was doing something that God forbade, or by our inaction allowing something to be done or go undone that God forbade.

Since I am a science fiction freak, I immediately turned that into something I already knew, the "3 Laws of Robotics" from Issac Asimov. Just to make sure you know, this is my memory tool. The source for what is sin, and what is not, is always the bible.

1 John 3:4 (KJV) "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

1) You may not violate God's law, or, through inaction, allow a God's law to be violated.

2) You must obey any orders given to you by God.

3) You must use your own judgement when you can't use the first two laws.

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So, what is temptation in light of the three laws?

The word temptation in the KJV of the new testament is used 15 times, and it is always the same Greek word. What does it mean in Greek? "A putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity." - Strong's Concordance

In other words, temptation is either a test (from God), an experience of Evil (Satan), or a life moment that requires self control, by implication a moment of adversity, just because we live in the world. God, Satan or life. That's temptation.

The bible mentions many ways to avoid temptation. This article is 1 part of my research into how to avoid and survive the second type of temptation; an experience of evil.

Let me give you an example that I have always misunderstood until I read the verse I am about to quote. An acquaintance of mine once told us that Hampton Beach in NH should be closed. Why, you ask. Because women wear wearing bathing suits (if you are generous in definitions of what a bathing suit is) that caused him to be tempted (by adultery or lust - not things God would throw at you), and since it was tempting him, it must be evil.

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My thought about that for over 10 years was, "don't go there. Your issues are not everyone else's issues." Turns out, I was right, kinda. The bible verse that tells us how to deal with this type of situation is: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) - "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

Escape is defined, by Dictionary.com as "to slip or get away, as from confinement or restraint; gain or regain liberty: to escape from jail."

Think escape from jail. How would you do that? RUUUUNNNNNN. Run fast, run far, but above all run away. Don't hang with people who are asking you to sin. Don't stay at a beach that makes you want to break the law. Don't remain where you are in danger. Escape. Run.

Look Around - He is There

2011-08-09T16:02:00.000-04:00