Conformed or Transformed?

To all of you who feel like giving up

2010-11-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

A post from a friend

2010-10-24T17:16:00.004-05:00

The following is a post from my former Pastor and friend. It touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you and pray it speaks to you as well.

I went to my cousin's memorial service this week. You would've loved Ed, he was a great pastor and a fun guy. I find myself sitting next to some of you in the stadium of questions. You know the place - it's the crowded arena that holds all of us who have had an experience that doesn't seem to fit in the game of life.

I hugged Ed's wife, who now is without a husband, a father for their kids, a pastor, and even a church. I stood in the stadium next to her and felt a fraction of her pain. We cried. I walked and talked with my other cousin who is now without his younger brother and himself racked with pain from cancer - we talked about God, about questions, about hanging on.

The stadium is often quite full. As I work my way out of the stadium I'm looking back making some observations.

1. The stadium of questions rarely has answers. I went in with a list of things that didn't make sense to me. I went in with a bunch of suggestions for God on how he could have handled this one differently. I went in thinking I should be exempt from having to be there again. I went in knowing I wasn't alone - but feeling like I was. Being answerless makes what I feel bigger than what I know.

2. The stadium is often the birth place of anger. It is amazing to me how close we are to an angry response. Please know that God can handle our anger, but in most cases it's a huge waste of our energy. We get angry over what we can't change and don't like. The danger is that anger not given to God grows into a poison that infects all of our life and is usually expressed on innocent bystanders.

3. The stadium of questions is where I am most selfish. I couldn't count how many people were there. When I'm in the arena I'm not usually aware of anyone else. I see people, but I don't notice souls if I'm not careful. My questions become my identity and the absence of answers is my evil twin. We're not good for each other.

4. The stadium of questions some how grows me. After I sit in my chair for a while and search for illusive answers I eventually notice that Someone is sitting close to me. At some point He asks if I am ready to leave. "But I don't have an answer yet," I reply refusing to get up. "You know, you can leave without one, don't you?" He kindly asks. "But if I have questions doesn't that mean I am weak and have no faith?" "No," He didn't hesitate to answer. "Are you willing to keep walking without an answer? Are you bold enough to let My Father have the answers and not share them with you? Are you able to have faith and questions at the same time?" He asked the series of rapid fire questions not waiting for my response. "Yah, I think I am." I finally said. "I'd love to have a person like that walk with me," He smiled. We stood together. I don't have answers - I have a Friend.

Leaving the Arena Again,
Pastor Dave

NEVER EVER GIVE UP IN LIFE

2010-08-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

A short 2 minute sermon!

2010-05-07T07:07:00.002-05:00

GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING GREAT

2010-04-26T13:05:00.002-05:00

I have found myself saying "That's just not fair!" this week. I have experienced frustrating situations that I would allow to consume me. I have let my mind wander and have experience a cluster of destructive emotions. I had valid reasons to be angry; valid reasons to fight; valid reasons to quit. So, if that is the case, why would I say "it's not fair" and out of the same mouth "God is up to something great"?

Perspective. It comes down to perspective. In all of our situations, whether or not we can see it, God is up to something great! Through our situations, we may find ourselves saying:
• How could God let this happen?
• This isn't fair!
• If God cares about me, why is he allowing ____________ to happen?

Our life is a short little speck in light of eternity. God has seen all of the past thousands of years and he already sees the next thousand years. He knows everything we have ever done and will ever do. He knows what will happen to us...the good, the bad and the ugly!

We all have lived enough life that at this point you can probably say that you could write and even direct the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". We have each experienced those times in our life when everything seems to be going our way.
• every time you go to park your car, there is a front row spot just for you
• finances are good
• friendships are good
• you're healthy
• your family is healthy and getting along

It's a great time! But life isn't always what we would term "good". We live in a fallen world. From the beginning when Eve took the fruit and gave it to her husband, sin entered into the world. From that point on, God said we would have to work for our food. We would have troubles and life would be hard. Sometimes life is bad.
• facing relationship strains
• financial hardships
• maybe you were laid off from your job for a time
• maybe a car accident or other difficult times
• life just seems stressful
And then there are times that life gets down right ugly.
• health issues - cancer or some other debilitating disease
• bankruptcy
• divorce
• friendships are in turmoil
• at every turn it seems everything is going wrong

But in all our situations, God is up to something great! Stick with me for a few minutes. I know, you are thinking, What? Did she take a happy pill or something? How can she say God is up to something great? She has NO idea what I am facing right now. Life is ugly and unfair and I don't know how God can let this happen to me. Like I said...stick with me for a few minutes and let's take a look at someone in the Bible that had every reason to say "Life's not fair!"

We are going to take a look at the life of Joseph. Genesis 37 We won't be reading all the chapters, but I'm going to give you the cliff notes version of the story and we'll highlight some verses along the way.

Joseph was the son of Jacob. Joseph had 10 older brothers and they weren't such good boys:
• murderers
• affair with father's concubines
• sex with his daughter in law....thought it was a prostitute

Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. He loved him the best. He gave him a coat of many colors to show his love for him. It was no secret that he was the favorite. Joseph didn't do himself any favors either. He tattled to his father that his brothers were doing a poor job in the fields and he had a dream that his brothers would bow down to him and he went out to the fields to tell his brothers about this dream. True, but that probably didn't go over real well with the brothers who already hated him.

It got to the point that the brothers wanted to kill Joseph. They plotted and planned and then his brother Reuben had the idea of throwing him into a pit and he would die of thirst and exposure. It seemed more palatable to them instead of outright murder.

But then, the Midianite traders were going by and they decided that they could make some money off him, so they pulled him out of the pit and sold him for 20 shekels of silver.

Continuing with the story, we see the Midianites sold him as a slave to Potiphar, one of the Pharoh's highest ranking officials.

Joseph went from being the favored son to being a slave. He faced rejection, hate, neglect and probably felt completely alone.

Then we see my favorite verse in this whole story: Genesis 39:5 "the Lord was with Joseph" God was intimately aware of Joseph's circumstances, feelings, and future. Joseph's life was not catching God by surprise. I am sure God's heart broke watching Joseph go through the troubles he was facing, but God was up to something great! The Lord was with Joseph.

Let's keep on with the story. It gets worse. Joseph is a slave in Potiphar's house. He's a good looking dude and Potiphar's wife begins to lust after him and propositions him. In Genesis 39:8-9, we see Joseph refusing. She doesn't like his answer, so what does she do? She falsely accuses him of having an affair with her and Potiphar threw Joseph into prison for it. so, Joseph does the right thing and it seems to put him in a worse position.

So, let's review so far:
• hated by his brothers
• loved as the favorite by his father
• sold as a slave for $
• sold again as a slave
• makes wise, good choices and is thrown into prison for false accusations

THE BIG QUESTION:
• "Why am I going through all this?"
• "Lord, how do you want to use this ugliness to move me ahead for your purposes?"
We don't have time for the first "it's not fair" approach! Sometimes we can't see the reason for a situation, but all the while God has a plan that we can't yet see.

Tony Evan's shares a great example of this from his family life: Their car was falling apart and needed to be replaced. Family gave the very last of their finances to the church on Sunday, not even knowing how they were going to put food on the table. Later that week, as they were traveling down the highway, their car caught on fire. Car repairs were the last thing he could afford to pay for right now. He had it towed to the shop to get an estimate, but when he got there, they had the car totally torn apart and were fixing it. He knew he had a $200 deductible on his insurance and he had no idea how he would pay for it. The shop said the insurance company said to go ahead and do the work. Upon checking his insurance papers, he found he had no deductible only if it was a fire. So all the work that needed to be repaired was now done for free.

At the time of the fire, it looked like an impossible situation. He was frustrated and discouraged and yet all the while God was coming to the rescue behind the scenes. They had no idea how GREAT the final outcome was going to be. God was diligently working.

You see, just because we can't SEE what God is doing, doesn't mean that He isn't working. God is up to something great!

So how did Joseph respond to all of his circumstances?
He may have prayed something like this: "Lord, if you have to allow what is going on in my life to bring about even greater things, then that's ok. I am willing to trust you completely and put my life in your hands, since I know you are up to something great!"

Joseph served diligently. His actions revealed his heart. While in prison, he interpreted two different dreams. One of them was that the guy was going to get out of prison. He asked that man, who would become a cupbearer to plea for him to Pharoah. Genesis 40:14-15 " But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharoah and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in the dungeon." Get this....the man forgot.

Years pass! Joseph is still in prison for a crime that he didn't commit. Yet, remember the verse "the Lord was with Joseph." God was up to something great!

Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams and he was scared and needed an interpretation. It was at this point that the cupbearer said "OH YA!!! Um, ya, there's this guy in prison named Joseph and he interpreted a dream for me and maybe you should bring him in."

Genesis 41:34-36 we see that Egypt is going to experience a famine and Joseph would save Egypt through the instructions in that dream of how to prepare for the famine.
Pharaoh was impressed and we see in Vs. 39-40 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

Joseph is promoted. Only the king would be greater than him. He went from a prison cell to the second in the kingdom. From prison to Vice President of the USA.

So, the famine is playing out as Joseph said. His brothers are still back in Canaan starving from the famine. Egypt had grain, so they left to go buy grain from Egypt. Little did they know that they would be buying from their very own brother, Joseph. At first, Joseph didn't reveal who he was. He wanted to test to see if they had changed. He wanted to see what kind of men they really were.

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

He grows our character and makes us stronger people to do the work that God calls us to do. It's in those hard times that God is creating you into the person he wants you to be to do the work that he has planned for you to do. God has to test us to see if we have changed. Are we the strong people that we need to be to do the next task God has for us?

Joseph sees that the hearts of his brothers have changed. Genesis 45:4-7 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But god sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance."

Look at the words that come out of Joseph's mouth. He doesn't cast blame on them. He doesn't say "I can't believe you did that to me." He doesn't call them a jerk. Look at what he says: Joseph said "God sent me". Even though it happened by being sold into slavery. You thought you were getting rid of me, but God was orchestrating a plan, using the bad and ugly events of my life to fulfill HIS purpose for this time. He prepared me in advance for this time in history. You see, Genesis 50:20 says You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. There's some comfort in that, isn't there? There's comfort in knowing that God is accomplishing a bigger work and He intends to use US! He has chosen YOU for the task.

Perspective! Joseph chose to look at it through the lenses of God's glory being revealed vs. a "that's not fair" approach

Have you ever seen REAL pizza made? Not the kind of pizza where everything comes pretty much pre-made. I mean...REAL pizza. The kind of pizza place that serves homemade dough. They take that dough and kneed it and punch it and roll it around. The pound on that dough and then they twirl it and make it ready for baking. Why do they work it so hard? Because that dough has to be able to hold "the works" on top of it without falling apart and splitting out.

We are like that pizza dough and God is the person working the dough. He has some good stuff that he wants to lay on you, but he can't give it to you until you are strong enough to hold all that stuff. God has good things in store for you. The process seems brutal at times, but when we finally see God's plan revealed, it's worth it! Oh, it's so worth it!!! We have to trust that.

Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.
If we were to look at the verses before Jer. 29:11, we see that Israel is in captivity in Babylon because they had rebelled against God. They were being disciplined. They were hopeless and discouraged and living in a pagan, evil, idolatrous place. And smack dab in the middle of all that is Jer. 29:11 offering hope and a future.

You see, God has a plan for you. Even if you have missed it or ignored it for years. How do we hold on to that hope? The first step to hope is:

1. STEP UP IN FAITH
Have you ever booked a flight? What do you do when you book a flight?
1. Identify the destination of the flight.
2. Pick a time to fly that works for me.
3. Affordable price.
After that you just show up and fly, right?
Have any of you ever:
1. Asked the pilot to explain how the plane works?
2. Ask the pilot what the equipment does and how they plan to use it?
3. Checked the route to make sure you are flying only directly to the destination?
4. Argued with the price after you already made your reservation and paid for it?

No, we don't do that. We book the flight and trust the pilot to get us to our destination. How much more do we need to trust God? He is our pilot and we have placed our life in His hands. We need to stop questioning the route he is taking. Have faith. What is faith? Believing in what we can't see. Have faith that God is at work and has a plan for you. Have faith that God has a hope and a future for your life.

How's your faith?

2. RUN AWAY FROM SIN
Hebrews 12:1 says Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. That first word you see there "therefore" means something came before it. It means, in light of what you just read, this is what you should do. What came before Hebrews 12:1? It's the great faith hall of fame. It tells of all those who had faith and in God's plan and their actions showed their faith but didn't see what had been promised to them. Hebrews 11:39-40 says 39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

So, in light of this, we get to Hebrews 12:1 and SINCE we have such a great heritage of those going before us that had faith, we must throw off all that hinders. Let me stop right there. What hinders your hope? Is there anything in your life that hinders your faith in God's plan? Throw it off! And the sin, that easily entangles. Throw it off too!

It's so easy to get tangled up in sin when life isn't going the way we had pictured our life to be. It's easy to get angry, to give up, to throw our fist up at God in anger. It's easy to run to those things that look like they will satisfy us, but in the end, they just dig our hole even deeper.

Satan sure works hard at making sin look attractive, doesn't he? Oh, I can do ________ and it won't hurt me. No, maybe it won't, but next step down the road, WILL. Don't even play with sin! Run from sin! It starts in our minds. Do you ever let your mind wander and think that it's not hurting anyone? Those initial thoughts, left unattended to, turn into bigger thoughts and eventually down a path of sin. Those things that hinder: start in our mind, distracting us from the good that God has for us.

Don't believe the lies! Go back to step one. Step up your faith that God has a plan and don't take your eyes off that. Don't believe the lies that the enemy tries to distract you with. Don't just walk away. RUN!!!

3. WALK IN GOD'S PRESENCE
If we look at Jeremiah 29 again, where God promised hope. He didn't just promise the hope and let them sit back and do nothing. He told them exactly what to do.

Jeremiah 29:5-7 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

God told them exactly what to do. Don't just sit back and wait for God. Maximize your potential! How do we do that? How do we maximize our potential?
• learn from your mistakes
• remember God is working behind the scenes....trust Him! Step up in faith!
• run away from sin
• be confident that God will accomplish the work he has begun in you. Philippians 1:6 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Walking in God's presence means we seek him! Active looking for God in our lives and situations.Jeremiah 29:12-14 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

I think many times we misuse this verse. We seek solutions from God and we use this verse to say "Call on God and He promises to answer your prayer and fix all your problems if you pray with all your heart." That's not what these verses say. It says "When you seek ME, you will find ME, when you seek ME with all your heart. I will be found you." It doesn't say seek solutions. It says...seek HIM and you will find HIM and let me tell you, HE is far better than anything you are asking for, I guarantee it!

Do you notice all the key words are action words? God is up to something good, but we have a part to play in receiving it! We need to:
1. Step up in faith
2. Run away from sin
3. Walk in God's presence

Where did Easter come from?

2010-03-29T14:03:00.002-05:00

A friend asked me the origin of the term "Easter" this week. I looked it up on Christiananswers.net (http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html) and here's what I found:

Where did “Easter” get its name? Where did the concept of an Easter egg and bunny originate?

The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For these reasons, we prefer to use the term “Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ's resurrection.

Ancient origin
Most reference books say that the name “Easter” derived from the Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. Although this relationship exists, in reality, the origin of the name and the goddess are far more ancient - going all the way back to the Tower of Babel. The origin begins not long after the biblical Flood.

The Flood was a divine judgment sent on mankind after evil had become all pervasive and all people everywhere were totally unresponsive to God. The Bible says that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). It is not difficult to imagine that life must have been almost unbearable at this time in history. God gave humankind a second chance by preserving the righteous man Noah and his family (a total of 8 people).

After the Flood, Noah had a talented, but evil, great-grandson named Nimrod (Genesis 10:6-10) who rebelled greatly against God. The Bible says that he was “a mighty one”[1] Jewish tradition indicates that Nimrod was a tyrant "who made all of the people rebellious against God."[2] It is evident from history that Nimrod was not only a political leader, but also the lead priest of a form of occultic worship.[3]

King Nimrod, Queen Semiramis (Easter), and Tammuz (the “reincarnated” Nimrod)
Nimrod built and organized major cities. The Bible notes that these included Babel, Asshur, Nineveh and Calah (Genesis 10:10-12). If you know anything about ancient history, the mention of these places may send shivers up your spine. For these were cities of great, almost unimaginable practices and perversion.
When Nimrod eventually died, the Babylonian mystery religion in which he figured prominently continued on. His wife Queen Semiramis saw to that. Once he was dead, she deified him as the Sun-god. In various cultures he later became known as Baal, the Great Life Giver, the god of fire, Baalim, Bel, Molech, etc.

“Later, when this adulterous and idolatrous woman gave birth to an illegitimate son, she claimed that this son, Tammuz by name, was Nimrod reborn.”[4] Semiramis “claimed that her son was supernaturally conceived [no human father] and that he was the promised seed, the 'savior'” - promised by God in Genesis 3:15. “However, not only was the child worshipped, but the woman, the MOTHER, was also worshipped as much (or more) than the son!”[5] Nimrod deified as the god of the sun and father of creation. Semiramis became the goddess of the moon, fertility, etc.

"In the old fables of the Mystery cults, their 'savior' Tammuz, was worshipped with various rites at the Spring season. According to the legends, after he was slain [killed by a wild boar], he went into the underworld. But through the weeping of his mother… he mystically revived in the springing forth of the vegetation - in Spring! Each year a spring festival dramatically represented this supposed 'resurrection' from the underworld.[6]

Thus, a terrible false religion developed with its sun and moon worship, priests, astrology, demonic worship, worship of stars associated with their gods, idolatry, mysterious rites, human sacrifice, and more. Frankly, the practices which went on were so horrible that it is not fitting for me to speak of them here.

It was at Nimrod's city of Babel that a towering structure was first built in defiance of God as part of their Satanic religion. Archaeological evidence indicates that this was a spectacular pyramid-shaped structure (ziggurat). The Bible tells us that at this time there was only one language in the world and that most of the world's population centered in this area and participated in this religion. It was evident to God that all mankind would soon degenerate into a level of evil that would parallel that of the pre-Flood world. For humanity's sake, something had to be done to slow and frustrate this organization of an evil one world, tyrannical government.

God confused their language, so that they could not understand each other (Genesis 11:7). (This is the ultimate source of the world's many languages.) As a result, many people moved away from the area in groups according to their particular new language. Most, if not all, of these people carried their evil Sun-God-based religion with them. They continued to worship the stars and practice all the other ungodly rituals of their religion. Some also continued to build pyramids reminiscent of the Tower of Babel as part of this mystery religion. Today, we can still find remnants of these throughout the world (e.g., Iraq, South America, Central America, Egypt, Burma).

Babel was the origin of an idolatrous system that swept the world. The Bible says of her, “Babylon… the nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged” (Jeremiah 51:7). The Bible often speaks of the Satanic religions which came from her. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus "witnessed the Mystery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions how Babylon was the primeval source from which ALL systems of idolatry flowed.[7] Austen Layard said “that we have the united testimony of sacred and profane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia - the most ancient of religious systems.”[8]

Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess “ISHTAR” (originally pronounced “Easter”).[9] In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. Other names for Semiramis, the Mother Goddess include: Wife of Baal, Ashtaroth or Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven.[10] The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. She was also worshipped as a mediator between god and man. Sexual orgies and temple prostitutes were often used in her worship and in attempting to gain her favor.

The Easter Rabbit or Hare
The rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.). As you may remember, the Mother Goddess Semiramis (Easter) is associated with the Moon. In other words, the Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod.

The Easter Egg
Most children and families who color or hide Easter eggs as part of their Resurrection Sunday tradition have no knowledge of the origin of these traditions. Easter egg activities have become a part of Western culture. Many would be surprised and even dismayed to learn where the traditions originated.

“The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter.”[11]

The idea of a mystic egg spread from Babylon to many parts of the world.[12] In Rome, the mystic egg preceded processions in honor of the Mother Goddess Roman. The egg was part of the sacred ceremonies of the Mysteries of Bacchus. The Druids used the egg as their sacred emblem. In Northern Europe, China and Japan the eggs were colored for their sacred festivals.[13]

The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names.

Summary and Conclusion
“Easter” is simply one of the names of a woman who mightily deceived the world and whose religion has caused untold suffering and misery.[14] She was clearly an enemy of Christianity, and her son Tammuz was an anti-Christ, a false messiah that ultimately deceived millions.

If you are Christian, it is not difficult to discern the bizarre deception and confusion that Satan has successfully orchestrated. For example, notice the embarrassing irony in these traditions which are practiced innocently by most people. They are repeated year after year, because they have become traditional and their origin is unknown to many.

■On the day commemorating Christ's resurrection, Americans roll decorated eggs on the White House lawn and pretend the Easter rabbit hid them. The same ritual is practiced at some Christian churches.
■“In Lancashire [England] on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the towns and villages as 'Pace-eggers' begging for eggs before performing the 'Pace-Egging' or Pasch (i.e., Easter) play.”[15]
■In Greece each person in a group bangs his red EASTER EGG [not knowing that it is symbol of the Goddess] against the eggs of all the others present in turn, saying 'Christ is risen,' and receives the reply 'He is risen indeed.'"[16]
The seductive symbols of ancient ungodly religions inspired by Satan have been incorporated into people's everyday lives, even to this day - continuing to obscure the truth of God .
One might wonder if there is a better way for Christians to celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection, the most important of all Christian holy days. In retrospect, it seems obvious that it would have been a better witness to the world if Christians had not attempted to “Christianize” pagan celebrations - adopting the name “Easter” (Ishtar/Semiramis) in remembrance of Christ. Jesus has been obscured by painted eggs and bunnies. Attention has been shifted away from spiritual truth and toward materialism (clothing, products and candies with the wrong symbolism). Stores merchandise the name of Easter (not “Resurrection Sunday”) and sell goods that have nothing to do with Christ's death and resurrection. Christians naively use symbols and practices that unknowingly perpetuate ancient anti-Christ traditions - symbolic customs followed by the same religious cults that inspired the destruction of great numbers of Christians and Jews. Is the Devil laughing at us?

Many church bodies recognize the problem and make every effort to keep the focus of Resurrection Sunday totally on Jesus Christ and the Good News that He brought.

2010-03-15T13:22:00.003-05:00

It has been a long while since I have posted. So what have I been doing? Church. Fresh Start Community Church is a new church in Interlochen, Michigan, just outside of Traverse City. It has been an amazing journey!

We started services in December and held our official launch on March 7th. It has been a whirlwind of a trip but I am so excited to see what God has in store for this new church.

We held a carnival on Saturday, March 6th and we had over 400 people in attendance. It was well received and we pray to see some of those people walk through our church doors in the coming weeks.

Thank You, Lord for allowing me to be a part of this awesome opportunity that is so much bigger than I am. You know the plans you have for Interlochen. Plans to prosper and not to harm. Plans to give a hope and a future. Guide us and direct us in Your way. I want to see YOU!!!

Fresh Start meets on Sunday mornings at 11am in the Interlochen Library's Fellowship Hall.

Complete faith

2009-10-23T11:45:00.003-05:00

I want to share a quote from a friend that she posted on her facebook this week. It has totally encouraged me in my faith.

"To know that God watches my back is so wonderful. I say I trust Him to take care of me only to find that when it comes down to the wire, He outlasts my faith. Just when I wonder how I am going to make things work, He reminds me that it is His timing, not mine and comes through the Victor at the final bell. I am humbled."

I am in the process of starting a church in Interlochen, Michigan. It's an exciting time, but we have not been able to get into a building. There is NO question in my mind that this is what we are supposed to do, but why hasn't God opened up the doors to the right place for us? We have one option, but I am just not at peace about that quite yet.

God's timing is NEVER late. I trust in that and reading her quote reminded me once again, that He WILL come through and I just need to keep my eyes on the Savior and not look in any other direction. There is a reason for the delay and I have faith that we will open our doors on the perfect date that HE sets.

So, Thanks Sheryl for the reminder of God's faithfulness. I keep trusting...

I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN

2009-05-04T08:57:00.002-05:00

Psalm 62:5-8 says Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people;pour out your hearts to him,for God is our refuge.

My soul finds rest in You
My fortress and my rock
My hope for life my hiding place
My refuge and my God

In You I've found my home
My shelter from the storm
And I'll pour out my heart to You
And lean upon Your throne

I will put my trust in You
I will put my hope there, too
I will stand upon Your word
And I will not be shaken

I will let my praises show
Holding on to what I know
Because I know You're always there
And I will not be shaken
I will not be shaken
(Repeat)

I will not be moved
I'm leaning on the throne
Because You died for me
And called me to Your own
And even when the strongest winds begin to blow

I will stand my ground
I will not be moved
I will not be shaken

My soul finds rest in You
My fortress and my rock
My hope for life my hiding place
My refuge and my God

I will put my trust in You
I will put my hope there, too
I will stand upon Your word
And I will not be shaken

I will let my praises show
Holding on to what I know
Because I know You're always there
And I will not be shaken

I will put my trust in You
I will put my hope there, too
I will stand upon Your word
And I will not be shaken

I will let my praises show
Holding on to what I know
Because I know You're always there
And I will not be shaken
I will not be shaken

A little humor about criticism....

2009-04-02T13:10:00.003-05:00

Prayer for the Church

2009-04-02T07:24:00.002-05:00

Our merciful Father, may Thy church be stripped of all that weakens and be clothed with all that strengthens. Cleanse us from a worldly mind-a mind that reaches eagerly for the things that perish and discerns but dimly, the values that are deathless- and purge from our souls the pettiness that quarrels over trifles, the pride that makes an idol out of titles and offices, the narrowness that has no understanding eye for churches and nations and races other than our own. Drive from our hearts the complacency, the prayerlessness, the heedlessness that form always so deadly a drag on our discipleship and witness.

We ask, amid the difficulties and vexations of these times, for a holy and heartening remembrance of the pioneers who have blazed the long trails by which the gospel has been carried to strange lands and distant peoples. May the mantle of their dauntless courage and their passionate love for the souls of men fall upon us.

Revive Thy church everywhere. Give us reality to our worship. Grant soundness to our teaching. Kindle brotherly love into a glowing ardor. Turn our formal attachments into fiery committments. Push back our horizons and bestow upon us the truly seeing eye. May we be baptized by Thy Holy Spirit into feeling a oneness with all sorts and conditions of people. And thus may we enter into partnership with Thee in making known to all people in all places the message and power of Thy saving mercy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-From Paul Reese: Portrait of a Preacher

Olivia's hospital visit

2009-03-30T18:26:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. It seems life has been pretty crazy. Olivia was in the hospital for a few days with a kidney infection. Brian was out of town and some friends of ours were out of town and we were watching their 3 girls. I wasn't sure how I was going to take her in to the hospital at 9pm and manage to get kids off to school and such in the morning. I am so blessed to have good neighbors. Andrew was ok to spend the night here and "hold the fort down" and my neighbor took the girls and my brother was able to take the big kids to the highschool. A big hearty THANK YOU to all who helped make things easier. I couldn't have done it without you. Olivia has been on antibiotics since the visit and is doing well. It took us a week to get back in the groove of things, but praise God she is back on her feet!

How quickly we can take our physical health for granted. I have a friend who has to go to the hospital all the time for her three children. She is a single Mom. I can't imagine all the time and money in trips to the children's hospital in Grand Rapids. She is a strong woman! I don't know how she does it, except in the strength of the Lord. I often forget to see how I can help her. I often forget how stressful that must be for her. I often forget how her heart must hurt for her children.

Have you forgotten? Have you taken your health for granted? I want to continually spend time in prayer...thanking God for our health and praying for those who need health. Who needs your prayers or encouragement today?

Slivers part 2

2009-03-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I finally took that sliver out of my foot. Because it was so small, I had to dig a bit to get it out and now today, my foot really hurts. It hurts worse than when I had the sliver in there. Every step I feel the cut.

I thought about that for a bit, as it pertains to my post from yesterday. When we confess our sin and finally get it out of our lives, the pain of the consequences of our sin linger. Sometimes the consequences of our sin are worse than the pain of having the sin in our life.

The good news is...that pain may feel worse at first, but it goes away and you become stronger and wiser for having gone through that process.

Key for today: Cut out the slivers in your life and rejoice in God's grace and healing power in your life.

Slivers

2009-03-10T13:12:00.001-05:00

Somehow when I was in the basement yesterday, I got a sliver from the floor in my foot. I didn't notice it much, but every once in a while I got a little poke in the bottom of my foot that kinda bothered me. It wasn't that big of a deal, so I left it. I figured it would work its way out since it was such a small sliver. It wasn't worth all the digging and cutting.

Last night every time I took a step it really kinda bothered me, but today, it's almost as if I've gotten used to the occassional little pick I get. It's not like I am running a marathon that I need to keep my feet in good condition. So...the sliver is still there.

In Hebrews 12:1 it says "Therefore, since we surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The phrase that stands out to me is "sin that so easily entangles". Why and how does sin easily entangle us? It's like that little sliver. We convince ourselves that it's really not a big deal. It's just a little thing and isn't really bothersome, so we leave it. I'm talking about those things we might categorize as "little sins" (which, be reminded that sin is sin...it's not big or little, it's sin). Things such as: bad thoughts; gossip; not sharing our time, talent or money with God; watching a t.v. program that we know we really shouldn't; a little "white lie"; prayerlessness; overeating....You get the idea!

We tell ourselves that our particular sin is just a little thing, maybe hardly even a sin, and we let it go. We let it continue to be a part of our lives. But what happens when you don't remove those "slivers"? They tend to fester, get bigger and infection starts to set in. Now the sin is easily entangling us.

We are in a race. Little slivers will become bothersome and cause us to lose the race marked out for us, because our focus is off Jesus and on those things that have entangled us. Verse 2 of Hebrews 12 says that we need to "Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith." What does it mean to lose the race? We face the Lord's discipline, we may cause other's to sin with us, we end up deeper and deeper in sin, we may even get to the point where we just give up and walk away from the race. How incredibly sad, because it began so small and could have been easily removed.

So I am off to remove my sliver...both the real sliver in my foot and a sliver I've been justifying for a while. How about you? Got any slivers?

ABC's of a Great Marriage

2009-02-12T08:51:00.004-05:00

My friend, Mark Wilson and his wife put this list together. With Valentine's Day approaching, it's a great time to spend some extra time on our marriages. Great list, Mark! You can visit more of Mark's thoughts HERE.

A - Accept your partner as he/she is - no strings attached.
B - Be attentive, thoughtful and considerate.
C - Commit yourself and your marriage to God.
D - Date each other regularly and often.
E - Endure the difficult times with a good spirit.
F - Forgive any grievances you may have against each other.
G - Give affection generously.
H - Have fun together. Make wonderful memories!
I - Involve your partner totally in your life. Don't shut him/her out.
J - Journey through life together, looking forward to what's around the bend.
K - Keep the lines of communication open. Always be honest.
L - Listen, really listen to your partner.
M - Make love often.
N - Never gripe about your mate to others.
O - Openly praise your mate.
P - Pray together. The couple that prays together, stays together.
Q - Quit doing stupid things that annoy your partner.
R - Remember to put the lid on the toothpaste tube.
S - Start something new. Don't let your love grow stale.
T - Take time to tune in to each other.
U - Understand that there is ebb and flow in every relationship.
V - V.I.P.! Treat your partner like the most important person in the world.
W - Write love notes.
X - 'Xpress affection and tenderness every day.
Y - Your spouse is God's gift to you. Be thankful!
Z - Zoom! Your marriage will zoom into high gear when you give it your best.

God's Positive Answers to Life

2009-02-12T08:40:00.004-05:00

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 & John3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Worship and Prayer

2009-02-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

Prayer can no more be divorced from worship than life can be divorced from breathing. If we follow his impulse, the Holy Spirit will always lead us to pray. When we allow Him to work freely, he will always bring the Church to extensive praying. Conversely, when the Spirit is absent, we will find excuses not to pray. We may say, "God understands. He knows I love him. But I’m tired…I’m so busy…It’s just not convenient now." When the Spirit is absent, our excuses always seem right, but in the presence of the Spirit our excuses fade away.

R.T. Kendall

The IRS

2009-02-03T13:18:00.003-05:00

Isn't it interesting:
If you put the words "The" and "IRS" together you get...THEIRS

and....

If Fex Ex and UPS were to merge, they would be "FED UP" and then we could FED UP our payments to the IRS.

While I'm Waiting

2009-01-31T11:18:00.003-05:00

There are so many areas of my life that I have been bringing before the Lord. I am staying focused and worshipping and serving Him while I wait. Listen to the words of this song....While I'm Waiting
John Waller
The Blessing

I’m waiting.
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy, no
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yea

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

Are you distracted too?

2009-01-30T13:39:00.002-05:00

This video is done by one of the Free Methodist Bishops. He has a good point to his message. Listen carefully...

The Sin of PRAYERLESSNESS

2009-01-26T11:13:00.007-05:00

I have been reading a book called The Prayer Life by Andrew Murray. This book was written after a ministerial conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 1912. The ministers at the conference realized that one of the deepest roots of evil is the sin of prayerlessness. Andrew Murray writes about what they talked about to be victorious in this area.

It was interesting to me that the reasons they struggled with not praying back in the late 1800's and early 1900's are the same reasons we give today: distractions, busyness, sin, ect.... It is not that we don't have time to pray, as we make time for friends to come over when they call. It's a matter of choice.

Just as a doctor takes our pulse, our level of prayer is the pulse of our spiritual life. Prayer is a weapon that can destroy in a fight. We can conquer EVERYTHING by prayer. "Is it any wonder taht Satan does his utmost to snatch that weapon fromn the Christian or to hinder him from the use of it." Satan hinderances: giving us the temptation to postpone or curtail it, bringing wandering thoughts and all sorts of distractions, feelings of unbelief and hopelessness.

"The greatest stumbling block in the way of victory over prayerlessness is the secret feeling that we shall never obtain the blessing of being delivered from it." I know that at the funeral of dear Jessie Farlow, I committed to "picking up the mantle of prayer that she held in her life." I have struggled to do that on and off in my life. I pick it up and put it back down at times. I want to be a prayer warrior, but I have been looking at this all wrong.

Lack of prayer...a sin? But, if we look at it this way, we see that Jesus says "Just as I will cleans you from all other sins, so also will I deliver from the sin of prayerlessness - only do not seek the victory in your own strength."

Andrew Murray continues to say, "What a folly to think that all other blessings must come from Him, but that prayer, whereon everything else depends, must be obtained by personal effort! Thank God I begin to comprehend - the Lord Jesus is Himself in the Inner Chamber watching over me, and holding Himself responsible to teach me how to approach the Father. This only He demands - that I with child-like confidence, wait upon Him and glorify Him."

"Our whole relationship to the Lord Jesus must be a new thing. I must believe in His infinite love, which really longs to have communion with me every moment, and to keep me in the enjoyment of His fellowship. I must believe in His Divine power, which has conquered sin, and will truly keep me from it. I must believe in Him who, as the great Intercessor, through the Spirit, will inspire each member of his body with joy and power for communion with God in prayer. My prayer-life must be brought entirely under the control of Christ and His love. Then, for the first time, will prayer become what it really is, the natural and joyous breathing of the spiritual life, by which the heavenly atmosphere is inhaled and then exhaled in prayer."

This type of relationship, in love with my Savior, is what compells me to prayer. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This includes the sin of prayerlessness. This is how we can "pray without ceasing".

You can read this book online HERE.

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-21T14:08:00.002-05:00

Some friends have done this, and I have really enjoyed hearing their 25 things, so I thought I would share my 25 things with you here:

1. I grew up as the oldest of 3, a younger brother and sister. When I was pregnant with Andrew, I found out that I had 2 older half brothers from my Dad's first marriage that I knew nothing of. When I was pregnant with Olivia, my Mom got a call asking for my Dad from a young man. Upon conversation, I found out that I also have another half brother that is younger than me but older than the brother I grew up with. So, essentially, I have one sister and four brothers. And...I am DONE having kids! lol

2. I have two beautiful children, Andrew (15 years old) and Olivia (almost 9)!

3. I met Brian at McDonalds on May 25, 1990 and saw him every day after I met him until I went on a missions trip to Mexico in July of 1990.

4. I have lived in Michigan all my life, except for about 10 months when I was one years old, when we lived in Wisconsin.

5. I am an ordained minister in the Wesleyan church and currently serving as the Assistant Pastor at Woodside Wesleyan.

6. I love the beach and summertime weather.....and I live in Northern Michigan where it's polar opposite of that!

7. I love to wakeboard...even if I'm not that great at it.

8. When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a missionary to Brazil.

9. I love worship music.

10. Someday I would like to plant a church.

11. I love to socialize.

12. Starbucks! Cinnamon Dolche Latte. Need I say more?

13. I like knowing the big picture of things. I like a plan.

14. I HATE to be late for anything.

15. Good Chinese food really hits the spot.

16. I love seeing people come to Christ and be victorious in their walk with Christ.

17. I used to make my sister and brother and all my stuffed animals and dolls be my "students" as I played teacher as a kid.

18. Even though most people would probably think of me as a rule breaker, I actually like people to play by the rules. I don't like to see injustice, disrespect, or dishonor.

19. I attended Calvary Baptist Academy/Church almost all my life. When I was a Senior in high school we moved over to Midland Free Methodist Church and my first week there I signed up for the missions trip to Mexico for that summer. It felt like home immediately.

20. I have received much grace through my mistakes in life and hope I can extend just as much love and grace as I have been given.

21. Once I set my mind to something, I have a hard time changing gears or letting go.

22. I process things by talking them out. (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not)

23. I have lived in Traverse City since January of 2003.

24. My favorite color is periwinkle. (for those of you asking what that is....it's light blue and light purple and mixed together)

25. I love flowers, but seldom have them in my home, cuz I hate that they die......that's why I garden in the summertime.

23 MINUTES IN HELL

2009-01-05T12:03:00.005-05:00

I just finished this book by Bill Wiese. Bill is a realtor that experienced 23 minutes in hell one night. He and his wife Annette share their story.

Whether you believe he actually went to hell or not, I pray that it will open your eyes to Scripture. May we each avoid hell and be inspired to share the gospel with others so that they, too will avoid hell.

Bill shares his story in the video here.

Kung Fu Panda

2009-01-03T12:37:00.004-05:00

We watched Kung Fu Panda last night. I really liked this quote from the movie:

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery, but TODAY is a GIFT. That's why they call it the present."

What are you doing with the gift of today that you have been given?

Finding Peace at Christmas

2008-12-20T14:31:00.009-05:00

If you have ever seen a beauty pageant? What is the one thing that they frequently say that they are working for or wish for? World Peace! Everyone longs for peace.

Have any of you been shopping this past week? If you were, did you walk out of the store saying “Wow, this season is full of peace on earth and goodwill to men!” Ha ha….probably not! Some of you may be thinking “Peace at Christmas? Is that possible?”

This week I watched a t.v. program that had a woman on who HATES…and I mean…HATES Christmas. She hates how mean people get to get a good deal at the stores, she hates how rude people are to the store clerks. She hates all the obligation to get together with family and worse yet….feeling obligated to buy gifts. Now, I do agree with her that people can act exactly opposite of what they should be for the season and I do agree that people should make a point to get together other times of the year as well, but….HATEING Christmas? What she is ultimately saying is “There is no peace on earth at Christmas.”

How important is peace to you? If you could purchase it at a store like you do your groceries, what would you pay for peace? Would you regularly buy a dose? I went online to check out “how to find peace”. It was amazing what came up. Here’s what one article told me to do to find peace:

1. Find a quiet, shady space. it can be anywhere (including outside) and get yourself comfortable. 2. Sit in a relaxed position.
3. Put your hands on your lap, or any comfortable position.
4. Close your eyes.
5. Focus carefully on your breathing.
6. Think about a long winding river and try to achieve stillness.
7. Notice how much easier it is to concentrate when you are done and how you feel much, much happier.
8. Practice this more; you will get better.

Disclaimer at the bottom of the page:

· To get ongoing access to the peace within, you will need to find a way to access the experience directly -- to live peacefully.

· The peace is lost due to our own disturbability of mind, which is due to subclinical neuroendocrine and autonomic imbalance and lack of focus and conviction. This can be rectified by namasmaran and pranayam which compliment every other measure to attain peace.

· The experience of peace cannot be created by mental exercises or physical exertions. Sometimes they allow you to get a glimpse of the peace within.

I had to laugh….here’s how to find peace…but you may only get a glimpse of it. It doesn’t last. Who wants that? It’s like going to thanksgiving and being told you can look at all the food and maybe have one small taste, but you can’t sit down for the dinner.

So, can you find peace that lasts? And if you can, where do you find it? Because I think we all want a piece of peace. “Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus is our Prince of Peace. The word “prince” has four meaning in the Old Testament. Leader, official representative, governor and royal King. The word peace in Isaiah 9:6 is referring to rest, safety, security and freedom. It’s the word Shalom. So, what this verse is saying is that Jesus is the ruler, leader, governor and official representative of the rest, safety, freedom and security that only He can give a person in life.

True peace is a gift from God that he longs for you to open this Christmas. I believe that God has three gifts of peace for you this Christmas and my prayer is that you not only look at these gifts, but you open them and enjoy them. I pray that you don’t just set His peace for you on a shelf to collect dust in your memory banks, but that you know what it means to walk in peace in every day.

The first gift God has for you this Christmas is THE GIFT OF PEACE WITH GOD.
He who IS peace and enjoyed the peace of heaven where there are no wars, fighting or strife, became a man in the form of a baby that first Christmas night for the sole purpose of reconciling humankind to Himself so that you and I could personally know the peace of God.
Think about what life would be like if you never had a disagreement or fight. If you never had war. If you never had the stress of hard relationships. Jesus had that in heaven. It was perfect there. Let the kid in you come out and ponder the mystery of why Jesus would leave all that and come to earth for you? As I sat thinking this week, I came up with a few reasons: His great love for me. To be an example of how to live without sin in this life. To have a relationship with us and not just be the big man upstairs. To live here 33 years doing ministry and then give his life as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could enjoy the peace of heaven with him. WOW!
God sure loves us a lot. But to have peace with God, we must have a relationship with God. I believe there is a direct correlation in the Bible between peace and holiness. The Bible says there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 48:22, Is. 57:21), but the Lord promises peace to his people (Is. 32:17, Colossians 1:20). If you don’t have a personal relationship with God, you will seek and seek but come up short every time. Isaiah 57:2 says that those who have Christ will find peace even in death. It’s true. They know where they are going and look forward to meeting their Savior face to face. It removes all fear.

Have you unwrapped this gift of peace? Do you have sin festering in your life that needs to go? Have you ever committed your life to God? Unwrap the gift of peace with God this Christmas.

The next gift God has for you this Christmas is THE GIFT OF PEACE WITH YOURSELF
Doesn’t life get stressful trying to make everyone else happy. Are there times when you just feel like you don’t measure up? You don’t like the way you look or you are holding on to the past and the things you’ve done wrong. You may have a relationship with God, but you don’t much like yourself sometimes. Maybe you think you’re too fat or too big of a nose or you can’t sing or …yada yada yada. We can be pretty hard on ourselves sometimes.

Do you know that the Prince of Peace can actually help you like yourself? He created you in HIS image. You were formed like a pottery forms a piece of clay and makes it into a masterpiece. You weren’t an accident. And when we tell God that we don’t like how we look or what gifts or talents we DON’T have, we are telling God that he messed up and we don’t like the way he created us.

Imagine a potter molding a piece of clay. He works for hours molding and molding until it’s just right. Then he fires it and paints it up beautifully. He is a professional and his work of art is worth thousands of dollars and his art is coveted by all. Would you ever think of going up to that artist and saying…”I really don’t like this. I think it is a piece of junk! If you would have just made it with a smaller handle and with prettier colors…….” NO! You would never do that! But why do we tell God constantly that his work stinks?

When we have that relationship with God, we can open the gift of peace with God, but also peace with ourselves, because we can realize that God fashioned us. And we know that this world is not our home…heaven is and HIS opinion of us is the only one that counts. What goes on inside here (pointing to chest) is what matters. It’s the only thing that will last. When we die we don’t take our bodies with us. It’s our soul and that relationship with God that goes to be with the Lord. So why do we obsess so much over our appearance and talents?

Who does God say you are? Here are just a few truths that we can hold on to. Each one is taken right from scripture. If you want the references, ask me after church and I will give them to you. If you are in Christ, this is what God says your identity is: I am accepted and acceptable. I have been bought with a price. I am God’s temple. I am chosen. I am loved with an everlasting love. I am forgiven. I am complete in Christ. I am God’s child. I am holy. I am a saint. I am God’s workmanship. I am God’s precious jewel. I am created in God’s image. I am God’s friend. Neil Anderson says “The more you re-affirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity.” We really can be at peace with ourselves and who we are when we realize who we really are! God has given each one of you special gifts and talents that are yours alone. God doesn’t make junk and God made you, fashioned you, in HIS image. We are made to look like Him! That’s precious and amazing!

Are you willing to un-wrap that gift this year? I challenge you to take some time this week to re-affirm who you are in Christ and who He has made you to be. Maybe you remember this old song….I’ve changed it just a bit…. Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world…red and yellow black and white, old and young he made just right. Jesus loves the little children of the world!

The last gift Jesus has for you this year is THE GIFT OF PEACE WITH OTHERS.
Romans 12:18 says “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I have heard of countless stories of family members who no longer speak to one another because of some rift that happened 20 years ago. At Christmas, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could come together in peace? Who is that one person in your life that comes to mind when I talk about being at peace with others that you just wish you could be at peace with? It IS possible!

Proverbs 16:7 tells us that if we have peace with God, we can even live at peace with our enemies. How is that possible? I have seen that very thing this week. They aren’t enemies, but the press is sure giving both sides heat. Who am I talking about? President-Elect Barack Obama and Pastor Rick Warren. Rick Warren was asked to give the invocation at the presidential inauguration and everyone is up in arms about it because they hold such different views on things. So how can Barack Obama and Rick Warren live in peace with one another when they disagree about so many hard issues? It’s because they can agree to disagree but they find common ground and stay there. They can respect one another and live in peace even if they don’t always agree.

John tells us that if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. Wow. That’s pretty strong. Jesus said that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. It all goes back to that initial relationship with God. It holds the keys to having peace in all areas of our lives.

What will it take for you to be reconciled with the ones you are in conflict with? God has offered us forgiveness far beyond what we deserve. Is it time for you to offer forgiveness to someone that may not, in your eyes, deserve it? When we are at peace with God in our hearts and when we are at peace with ourselves, God enables us to live at peace with one another. Are you willing to extend peace? I guarantee if you do, you will receive back more than you gave.

We live in a culture that seems to have lost all peace. Our rest, security, stability and safety seem to be disintegrating before our eyes. How can we have peace when our finances are upside down? How can we have peace when everything is going haywire? We go back to the first point. When you have made peace with God, you will have that quiet trust in Him, trusting that He knows tomorrow. Trusting that He can see what is best. Trusting that what looks impossible to us is easy for the Lord to take care of. Trusting Him in faith which results in peace. Un-wrap the precious gift of peace from Jesus today. Don’t leave this gift sitting under the tree un-opened.

God’s peace never lessens. The Prince of Peace has come to rule in peace over our lives. Remember, HE is the only gift that won’t break, wear out, or go out of style. Isaiah 54:10 says that Jesus offered us peace as a covenant that will not be broken. Receive His gift of peace to you this Christmas.

You’ve heard of re-gifting? It’s where you take a gift that someone has given to you and you wrap it up and give it to someone else. This is one of those gifts that you can re-gift. Give it away to others. You’ll be glad you did! Don’t leave today without this gift of peace.

Do you have peace with God?
Do you have peace with yourself?
Do you have peace with others?

Let this Christmas be different than any one you have ever experienced. “Let the peace of the Messiah rule in your hearts to which you are called in one body and be thankful.”

In the news

2008-12-17T11:05:00.003-05:00

Olivia is in the elementary choir at school and yesterday they went to the Pavillions, a nursing home. She was in the news last night and since I can't get the video to post here, you can watch it HERE.

Olivia loves to sing and she blesses us with her gift. Thanks for sharing your gift with these people Olivia. You did a fantastic job and brought smiles to many faces! I love you, girly!

Staying postive...Because life goes on!

2008-12-16T13:39:00.006-05:00

Wow...those are precious words from a sweet, 75 year old woman who was beaten and bound for 26 hours. The whole story is here http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28250704/This is an amazing woman. The teens involved in this were less than remorseful and yet this precious woman says "There aren't many people out there like that"

We can learn a lot from this dear One. She made a CHOICE to be positive. She made a CHOICE to get back up again. She made a CHOICE to go forward. You see, it's a choice that we have each and every day as well. We can choose to look at the negative...cuz it's there. We can choose to be a victim and let it ruin us for the rest of our lives. We can choose to live our lives in fear, OR we can choose to trust in Christ and look for the positive in situations.

What situation in your life has you down? What is it that persistently frustrates you? Take a few minutes to give that thing to the Lord and pray over it and then purposely think of three positives in your life. No matter how bad your situation, there is a positive there if you look for it. Find it now!

If you find yourself struggling to find it, write to me and I'd love to talk with you about it! write to: joy-ziegler@hotmail.com

Uncle Brad

2008-12-08T14:54:00.004-05:00

On November 26, 2008, my Aunt found my Uncle "sleeping" on the couch....eternally. At this point, we still don't know his cause of death, but I have been processing over the last few weeks. We went down state early before Thanksgiving to be with my Mom and spent extended time there. He didn't want any type of service or fanfare, so the family didn't even get together.....besides, they are living in Florida for the winter.

I have been mulling over a few things in my mind. Here are some random thoughts I'm having....

- I don't like the idea of people milling around my body when I'm gone, but I think it's a healthy thing to do, as it helps people to get together, talk, process and grieve together.

- Life here on earth is short. We never know how long we have, so we need to be ready.

- Comfort and peace are difficult when the person is "not ready".

- Is my urgency to share the gospel when a crisis comes the same as when there isn't a crisis?

- Does love for Christ pour out of me through action?

- I have some good memories.

- This is what it means to be held....by Jesus, my only Comfort and Peace.

I RUN TO YOU

2008-12-02T13:55:00.005-05:00

I run to You.

When the waves around me are crashing from the storm....

When I'm in the stillness of the redwood forest and not a sound is heard...

When I am in a crowd of people and feel all alone....

When I sit on the edge wondering where you are....

When I am filled with excitement that I cannot contain.....

When I don't feel I can go on....

I run to You. Your love reaches. Your love touches.

I run to You. Where it's always safe and I am held.

I run to You. The One who never changes.

I run to You. I run only to You.

Jesus.

God vs. Science

2008-11-12T16:30:00.000-05:00

A science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, "Let me explain the problem science has with religion." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

"You're a Christian, aren't you, son?"

"Yes sir," the student says.

"So you believe in God?"

"Absolutely."

"Is God good?"

"Sure! God's good."

"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

"Yes."

"Are you good or evil?"

"The Bible says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. "Aha! The Bible!" He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?"

"Yes sir, I would."

"So you're good...!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

The student remains silent.

"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

"Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"

"Er...yes," the student says.

"Is Satan good?"

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."

"Then where does Satan come from?"
The student falters. "From God"
"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?"

"Yes."

"So who created evil?" The professor continued, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

Again, the student has no answer. "Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."

"So who created them?"

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. "Who created them?" There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me," he continues onto another student. "Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes, professor, I do."

The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?"

"No sir. I've never seen Him."

"Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?"
"No, sir, I have not."

"Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."

"Yet you still believe in him?"

"Yes."

"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?"

"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."
"Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. "Professor, is there such thing as heat?"

"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."

"And is there such a thing as cold?"

"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No sir, there isn't."

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. "You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees."

"Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it."

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"

"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation. "What is night if it isn't darkness?"

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word."

"In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. "So what point are you making, young man?"

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you explain how?"

"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains. "You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought."

"It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it."

"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.

"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir."

"So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll have to take them on faith."

"Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life," the student continues. "Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?"

Now uncertain, the professor responds, "Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

Keep on Trusting!

2008-11-11T14:20:00.009-05:00

The following article is from http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11595374/ (Answers with Bayless Conley) It really hit home in many ways for me. It is a great follow-up to yesterday's post about waiting.

If you’re like me, there's been a time in your life when trusting God has been tough. Perhaps that time is right now! Maybe your marriage isn't where you would like it to be. Perhaps it's far from ideal… even very far from being happy… and you've been praying and trusting God to turn things around. Maybe you're trusting God for the healing of a physical affliction in your body. Maybe there's a difficult financial situation in which you're trusting God for favor. Maybe it has to do with your kids or some other situation in the home. Maybe it has to do with something that's going on at work and you're trusting God for something to change. Whatever it is, I want to encourage you with a word from the Lord today. I want to share with you one reason to hold fast. A reason to keep believing. A reason to hold on to the promise that God has put in your heart and to keep trusting Him.

That reason is this: If God ever helped you in the past, He can help you in the now.

I read a true story recently about a guy who was totally distraught over some bills which had come due. And in the midst of his panic he remembered an experience he had as a World War II soldier fighting in the South Pacific. He had become separated from his comrades, and some enemy soldiers had spotted him. In his attempt not to be caught, he scrambled through the jungle on the island he was on and managed to wedge himself inside a tiny little cave. And being a Christian, he prayed, "God, please protect me." In that moment, he noticed that a little spider had started to spin a web at the mouth of the cave, and for the next 30 minutes he watched that spider spin a web as his enemy searched the caves around him. Pretty soon, the enemy soldiers appeared at the mouth of the cave—and in an instant, they were gone. The soldier realized the enemy assumed nobody would have gone into that cave if there was a spider web in front of it!

He had let the distress about his bills overwhelm him… before finally remembering that God had saved him with a spider web! God had been faithful in a situation that had been much worse! This human tendency to forget God's faithfulness… our failure to trust Him… is the same thing we find in Mark chapter 8, right after Jesus miraculously fed over 4,000 people with a few fish and seven loaves of bread. Right after that miracle, the disciples had jumped into a boat with Jesus and crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. And they immediately forgot the miracle they had just watched Him perform.

Let's pick up the story in Mark 8:14…

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?” (v. 14-21)

Jesus is telling His disciples that they don't get it! He has just performed two amazing miracles feeding thousands with a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread. Yet they are panicking because they realize that they only have one loaf of bread now for themselves. Somehow they have forgotten God's provision… His faithfulness. They are panicking in this situation because it has not dawned on them that what He did before he can do again.

But God does do repeat performances! He is faithful! What He has done in your life He can do again. And that's a good reason to hold fast… to keep believing… and to hold on today to the promise that God has put in your heart

Waiting.

2008-11-10T09:23:00.003-05:00

It is so hard to wait. We can get impatient. We can get down right mad at having to wait. We have gotten so used to instant gratification that I think we have lost the art of waiting. The "art of waiting"? What does that mean?

There was a time when people prayed until they saw God moved. There was a time when people pleaded with God and stayed all day, all night, whatever it took to see God move. There was a time when people fasted and gave up everything just to wait on God. There was a time.....when was the last time for you? Has there been a time? I am convicted in my own spirit by this.

So, what will I do about it? I find there are some things I have been praying about and I am waiting. Trying to be patient. Trying to be faithful. Trying to keep my face on the ground and not give up. Trying. Trying. Trying.....and yet....what are we supposed to do "in the waiting"? Here are some things God spoke to my heart about this morning:

- Fast and keep a spirit of continual prayer on my lips.
- Hold on to the truth that I know. Claim it. Live it.
- Stay close to the Savior. (worship music, prayer, Bible reading, memorize and meditate on God's Word)
- Keep joy in my heart, because my God is living and active.

So, I wait.....

It's all about love....

2008-11-09T08:37:00.001-05:00

"If we dont radiate the light of Christ around us, the sense of the darkness that prevails in the world will increase."

-Mother Teresa

Praying for our President

2008-11-06T12:19:00.003-05:00

It is now time we set aside our feelings about the election and act. We can spend a lot of time speculating, fighting, talking about the election, but what if we were to spend that same amount of time in prayer for our president? I believe that God can change even the hardest of hearts. I believe that God can move mountains....truly. I believe that God is ABLE to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or imagine! Do YOU? PRAY.......

The following was sent to me by a dear saint:

The 10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama

Whether you are happy about this week’s election results or not, all Christians must unite in prayer for our new president. Please don’t forsake this responsibility.

It’s over. We’ve reached the end of the longest, angriest and most nerve-wracking presidential campaign in American history. Finally the “I approved this message” ads have ceased. The endless robot phone calls have stopped ringing. The debates, and the annoying post-debate comments from “experts,” are history—until the next election cycle.

More than half the nation is celebrating today while others are mourning. We are a divided nation, split into unhappy fragments by abortion, gay marriage, global warming, a failed economy and an unpopular war. Those who voted for Barack Obama have claimed a historic victory; some on McCain’s side are already looking for scapegoats. Politics is politics.

But when I got up this morning, I turned all my attention to the fact that Jesus Christ is still on the throne. His government is what is most important. Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the Bible says “the nations are like a drop from a bucket” to God (Is. 40:15, NASB). That includes the United States . We may boast about being “the greatest nation on earth,” but He who sits in heaven has a different perspective. Let’s take a big sigh of relief now and remember that God is sovereign.

I’ll admit this election did not turn out as I had hoped. I supported McCain primarily because I am pro-life and I prefer his small-government mindset. But now that the election is over, I’m not going to harbor bitterness toward Obama supporters or go into attack mode. Obama has been elected president of this country, and that means I have a biblical responsibility to support him in prayer—even if I challenge his policies.

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington . The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States , and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel .

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.

Tough Love vs. Spanking

2008-10-13T20:12:00.003-05:00

This letter came across my email today and I found it quite funny, so I thought I would share it with you.....

TOUGH LOVE VS. SPANKING.............

Most people think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control kids when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.

Either way, kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. Eye to eye contact helps a lot too.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,

Your Friend

Love and Respect

2008-10-03T08:25:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Brian and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. It has been a difficult year in some ways for our marriage, so we thought it would be good to really focus on our marriage during our anniversary and how we can grow even more. Can you believe it? There was a Love and Respect Conference near Chicago on the exact weekend of our anniversary. So, last weekend, we went. Amazing!

Love and Respect is based on Ephesians 5:33 that says "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." How have we missed this verse in scripture. How many of us have heard the first part about husbands loving their wives, but the second part has been lost. It's not about the husband lording over the wife, but a mutual love and respect. Women long to be loved and men long to be respected....and go figure...that's how GOD created it to be.

Most would say that we should love unconditionally. I probably wouldn't get too much discussion over that, but what about respecting unconditionally? OUCH! We would most likely say that people only get respect when they deserve it, but that is not what scripture says. It says and "the wife must respect..." Without giving the whole 2 day conference, it is hard to explain, but I will be using this material for my marriage counseling. It has transformed Brian and I and it just makes sense....and it's scriptural.

I bought the videos so we can go through it again...maybe in a small group setting, or hold a video conference of our own. Marriage is hard work. The key is...to keep working on it. Brian and I have committed our lives to each other for eternity. We long to be the best of friends and lovers and continue to work hard at it. This last year, we let other things get in the way and our marriage paid for it. So, in 2008 we have worked harder than we ever have and keep pressing on. Satan loves to get an edge in, and the minute we quit making our families priority is his opportunity to slide in. I declare war! Not in my marriage! Not in my family!

Lord, I come to You, let my heart be changed, renewed...flowing from the grace that I've found in You. Lord, I've come to know the weaknesses I see in me, will be stripped away by the power of your love.

Hold me close. Let Your love surround me. Bring me near. Draw me to Your side. And as I wait, I’ll rise up like the eagle. And I will soar with You. Your Spirit leads me on in the power of Your love.

Lord, unveil my eyes, let me see You face to face, the knowledge of Your love as You live in me. Lord renew my mind, as Your will unfolds in my life, in living every day by the power of Your love.

Hold me close. Let Your love surround me. Bring me near. Draw me to Your side. And as I wait, I’ll rise up like the eagle. And I will soar with You. Your Spirit leads me on in the power of Your love.

Reverse Altar Calls

2008-09-23T10:20:00.003-05:00

I took a Missions Trip to Mexico back in 1990 and David Roller was the missionary there. Since then, he has changed positions a few times and is now one of the Bishops of the Free Methodist Church. He has posted an interesting concept he came up with on his blog and I wanted to share it with you....

I had a cool idea recently while studying Acts 15. As a part of their ruling on the Gentile Christians, the Council of Jerusalem said, "we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." And I thought, "what a great principle!"

I know that it's a time-honored tradition to make it difficult for people to decide to follow Jesus (and He sometimes did too, like the rich young ruler). But Jesus usually made it easy, made it attractive to follow Him (free fish, free healings, free kingdom of God).

I thought about our traditional altar calls ("every head bowed, every eye closed...") and how they made it hard to come to Jesus. Then it came to me, my brilliant idea: Make it hard to go to hell and easy to go to heaven.
So here's how the altar call should go,

Preacher: Okay I want everybody looking around at each other, don't anybody close your eyes. Now, if you're wanting to go to hell, just slip your hand up. If you're wanting to spend eternity in a state of constant suffering, raise your hand. Or if you want to live a life of destruction and selfish ambition, raise your hand.

(Wait a minute then say:) Okay now, those of you with your hands up, I'm going to ask you to do one more thing; I want you to stand up and come down front so we can all see who the weak ones are who don't want to love God. We're not trying to embarrass you, we just want you to understand the seriousness of your decision to reject God.

After they come forward then the preacher can pray for all those still seated, because they have all decide to accept Jesus!!

Why not do it this way? Why make it hard to come to Jesus? In fact, couldn't we apply that Acts 15 principle to other parts of our ministries? Where do we make it difficult for our neighbors to turn to God?

If their "stumbling block" (to use Paul's terms) is the cross of Christ, that's okay, but if their stumbling block is just something in our church culture, we need to remove it.

Make it easy.

Just Let Me Say

2008-09-19T12:54:00.001-05:00

This is the song of my heart today.

Evaluation and Motivation

2008-09-19T10:13:00.005-05:00

Life has been very hectic with the start of school this year. Andrew is in high school and just finished his driver's education. A lot of changes for us. I am finally finished with classes and tomorrow is my ordination ceremony down in Fremont, MI. It feels good to have reached that goal.

I started this week with Pastor's Prayer and Fast Retreat down at camp. It was a good time to meet with other Pastors and get to know some of them, as well as the time of meeting with God. Betweeen the retreat and my ordination and my wedding anniversary this month, I have been in evaluation mode. I am evaluating each relationship I have: my marriage....both to Brian and to God, my relationship with my children and also my relationship in ministry.

I have been overwhelmed this week by the deep responsibility I carry in each relationship. So, I am evaluating, setting goals and praying for each one. Here are some of the questions I am asking myself:

1. How much time do I spend on this relationship in a day?
2. What am I doing to grow this relationship?
3. Is there anything inappropriate in my life that is hindering this relationship?
4. How much time do I spend in prayer over and for this relationship?
5. Am I serving or being served in this relationship?
6. Is God pleased with the status of this relationship?
7. What do I need to change in this relationship?
8. What are my goals for this relationship?
9. What is my action plan for reaching those goals?

So I ask you....How are your relationships?

Sarah Palin and Integrity

2008-09-05T06:46:00.004-05:00

I have been watching some of the speeches this week from the Republican Convention. I was really impressed with Sarah Palin. She's got such personality! You could feel the people being drawn in by her speech and by the end, you could tell that they loved her! The commentators at the end of the speech were saying what an incredible job she did and then it immediately went to a clip about a lawsuit she is currently fighting in Alaska. I was really disappointed. It seemed they took her great moment and tried to squelch it. Every decision she has ever made, her family life, her job, everything is under scrutiny.

It got me thinking, what if my life "went public" tomorrow? What if others evaluated my every decision? If they scrutized how I raised our family and spend my money, how would I hold up? Would they have a lot of "dirt" to proclaim to the press or would they see a life of integrity?

1 Peter 2:12 says to live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

To be totally honest, my heart kinda skips a beat at the thought of everything in my life being scrutized, but for today....I move forward doing my best to live a holy life and thankful that when I mess up it's not in the press.

Sarah's speech challenges me in two ways: First, to be in continual prayer for the leaders of our country. They have a lot on their plate and the media breathing down their back only makes it more difficult. Secondly, even though I may not have millions of people questioning how my life, I am challenged to live right in front of the people that matter the most...my children. I would be embarrased at some of my actions in front of the world, yet there are still people who are watching: my children, my neighbors, the gas station clerk, ect.... I need to make sure that others will see my good deeds and come to know and glorify God.

Does this resonate with you at all?

Trading My Sorrows

2008-08-31T06:58:00.004-05:00

Music amazes me. It can set the mood and tone for your day. It can change your day. It can lift you up. The flip side...it can bring you down, as well depending on what you are listening to.

For the past couple of weeks, I have set my alarm to wake me up to the song "Trading My Sorrows". I have been amazed at how it has changed my view on the day. If I wake up with anything heavy on my heart, it is a reminder that I need to give that to the Lord and trade my frustration, anger, worry, sadness, ect.... for the joy of the Lord. Listen to the song....let it speak to your heart as it does every morning to mine...

Pullin' Weeds

2008-08-29T14:50:00.007-05:00

I was outside pulling weeds in my garden and was reminded of the spiritual impact of "pullin' weeds". If the weeds are left to themselves in the garden, they will take over the beautiful flowers and vegetables that should be growing there. The garden was meant for beauty and producing fruit (or vegetables).

We may think that now that we are a Christian that we have our ticket to heaven and that is enough. IT'S NOT! We have to pull the weeds, the sin, to be what God created us to be. He desires that we grow, flourish and bear fruit, but sin left untreated, will take over our life and choke us out.

I can go out on any given day and pull at least ONE weed. Spiritually, I can go to prayer and seek my heart and almost always find at least ONE weed (sin, bad attitude, ect.) that needs to be removed.

How about you? When was that last time you opened your heart up and let God reveal improper motives, attitudes and sin? Does your heart break over the sin or have you become indifferent? Recently I had an issue in my life that kept coming up and I just didn't seem to be able to get over. It wasn't until my heart broke over the issue that I became victorious in that area.

God desires holiness in our lives. He longs for us to live victoriously over sin. I want that for my life, but that means daily de-weeding.

VBS, Youth, and School

2008-08-28T16:38:00.003-05:00

Last week was an amazing week with Vacation Bible School. It was a long week and took an extra 40+ hours out of my week, but worth it. I trust that God is going to grow the seeds we have planted at VBS.

This week I have been working diligently on the youth group plans. We are doing Alien Youth and I have been writing all the lessons for the next 6 weeks. I am very excited about it all. We are going to have a ton of fun and learn what it means to be a Christian in this world, but not of it. I have to save the details, so it will be a surprise for the youth, but I WILL be sharing as it unfolds.

Looking forward to the last weekend of "freedom". School starts on Tuesday with Andrew in high school and Olivia in 3rd grade. We were going to go away for the weekend, but think we will just relax at home and maybe spend some time out on the boat and have a few friends over for a cookout.

Cooking with Olivia

2008-08-18T11:42:00.003-05:00

For the past 24 hours, Olivia has had a fever and a headache. She woke up this morning and took some more Tylenol and was finally feeling like eating. She asked for a smoothie for breakfast and then said "Mom, I really want crabmeat cheese. Can we make some in our new deep fryer?" So, we cooked together this morning and made just that and enjoyed our cooking creation together for lunch. Since she was sick, I got the day off work. It's a blessing to spend the day home today.

Thank You, Lord for knowing when we need to slow down and giving us opportunitites for that to happen. I feel blessed this day!

TONIGHT STARTS VBS....gonna need this time! I am very excited about this week!

ALIEN YOUTH

2008-08-12T07:28:00.001-05:00

"making a difference with our time here on earth"

This is the new youth group name. It should be a lot of fun starting up again this fall. I am working on writing some materials about how we are in this world, but not of it. What does it mean to be a Christian in this world? How are we aliens and strangers here on earth? How does that translate into the way I interact with the world? We are going to be looking at 1 Peter. I am excited about it. Do you have any ideas for me? Talk to me....

We're Back.....Kinda!

2008-08-02T08:17:00.003-05:00

We spent a great week at Family Camp. It was so much fun seeing friends who we don't get to visit with often. I had 5 kids with me, so I didn't get to visit as much as I wanted to, but we did get to share a potluck on Sunday with our Midland friends and then the Schloemann's generously make a pancake breakfast for the Midland group (the sausage balls are the best!)
We had numerous campfires with smores and cherry pies and whatever else kind of pie the kids could come up with.....smore pie, pizza pie, and grilled cheese. One friend made snowcones for all the kids in the area and I made a bit of homemade icecream.

Let's not forget the endless trips to the beach. My niece, Cassandra, for the first time jumped off the blob (a tall platform that you jump off on to a big inflatable, which sends the person at the other end of the blog flying up into the air and into the water)

Andrew had his friend, Brad, stay with us for the week, and they had fun pulling pranks on people (flirting with the girls, callapsing friend's tents, ect...) One morning, they slept until noon. How you can sleep in a tent with all that is going on around you, as well as the heat and such, I don't know. It's fun having a teen!

We had church every night and the kids love riding the horse-drawn wagon ride to church. They changed things up a bit this year, and rather than having an evangelist come in and speak, they had some of the pastors in the Conference speak and it was great! I know that God has been doing some work in my own heart about my heart for those who don't know Jesus and what am I going to do about that? I will post more as I work through that process.

So, why do I say we're back...kinda? Well, I am headed to Indiana for a few days to spend time with my Mom's sisters and their daughters. Every year they do a "sister's weekend". It's for any girls in the family...aunts, moms, sisters, daughters. This year, my aunt from St. Croix will be able to join us, so we are staying at my Aunt's house. Not sure what we will be doing, but I DO know that there will be LOTS of talking and talking and talking. It cracks me up to sit back and just watch sometimes. I should have some pictures of the trip when I get back at the end of the week.

Blogging Break...

2008-07-19T10:14:00.003-05:00

We are going camping at the Free Methodist Church Family Camp this week, so there will be no posts for a week.

Camping in New Era, Michigan pictures

2008-07-19T09:43:00.008-05:00

MICHIGAN'S ADVENTURE!!!

Bumper Cars....Mom vs. Dad and Olivia!
Frog Hopper....this ride goes up and as it comes back down bounces up and down. The kids scream with excitement. It's so fun to watch!

We went to a petting zoo that had this big jumping pillow:

And what is camping without a little water time and a campfire?

by the way...this stuff really makes a campfire fun! It sizzles when it burns (and supposedly helps with mosquitos).

Horseback Riding

2008-07-18T09:33:00.004-05:00

When we were camping last week, one of our day trip excursions was for Olivia and I to go horseback riding. It is the first time Olivia has been on a horse and the first time in a loooonnnggg time since I have been on one. We took an hour long trail ride with a guide and another mother and daughter. We had such a good time. We each had our own horse. I was a little worried that Olivia wouldn't like the trotting part, but she did well with it all...and I must say, she had the cutest curls bouncing up and down when we did trot. These are great memories for her and I!

A Very Happy Birthday!

2008-07-17T19:39:00.003-05:00

Today I turned 140-70/2. (For those of you not good at math, the answer is 35!) Thanks to those of you who sent birthday greetings.

I worked this morning and then came home, took a shower and went to my birthday massage. I was going to get my hair cut, but I ended up doing that yesterday. After my massage, Brian and the kids took me to Outback for dinner. I love their steak and fresh broccoli. It was really tastey, especially since we finished the whole thing off with a hot pecan brownie with vanilla icecream, whipped cream and hot chocolate fudge sauce. MMMM!!!!

Now we are going to watch a movie together.....the perfect ending to a beautiful day! I feel very blessed to have such a fantastic family!

Update

2008-07-16T06:55:00.004-05:00

Wow, summer has been a blast, but is flying by. We have kept very busy. I attended an open house this weekend and was reminded of how long it's been since I've posted. School was still in session on my last post. So, what's been happening???

NEW ARRIVAL: We have a new baby in the house. Her name is Callie. She was 4 weeks old when we got her. She is now 2 months old and is so playful and fun. Yes, a kitten! The kids both love her to death. She plays a lot and loves people. If she finds herself alone in a room, she cries. It is sooo cute. Welcome to the family, Callie!
TUESDAYS: Olivia has been attending "Tuesdays at the Township". Every Tuesday she attends a different event. The first one was about what it's like to be a kid in El Salvador. She learned a little Spanish and wants to do more. She's excited about it. This week she learned kid safety. People from the local TaeKwonDo came and taught a few moves and talked a lot about how to be safe in the midst of a stranger. Again, she loved it and learned a lot.
CAMPING: We spent a week in New Era, which is just North of Muskegon, MI. Besides the mosquitos carrying us away, we had a great time. We spent some time at the beach, the pool, horseback riding, riding bikes, walking trails and then a day at Michigan's Adventure. It was fun! We plan to spend another week at the Free Methodist Church Family Camp. We'll keep you updated, hopefully with some pictures....

That's a few things of our summer so far. I will have pictures to update later, but at least I am getting back to posting. Hope your summer is going as well as ours!

Beautiful Day

2008-06-01T07:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day outside. It was just cool enough and the sun was shining to get some heavy outdoor work done. Brian was at work, so the kids and I spent the whole day outside. I THINK the kids ate lunch, but we came in around 8pm to eat dinner. I couldn't believe it was so late.

We did some clean up of the trees in the front yard, picking up brush/sticks, ect.... and some flower planting/moving of plants. My Mom had given me some things that she decided to take out of her garden, so we planted them! It has been fun finally getting to the landscaping at our home. I keep saying that I am almost done, but then I had more gardens and clean more things out that need "help". Our grass is coming in pretty nicely and Andrew mowed it for the first time. I think that will be Andrew's job this year.

All in all, it was a great day together, even though Brian couldn't join us. We will probably spend tonight around the campfire burning all that brush that we cleaned out yesterday. The smores and pies will be a nice reward for the kid's hard work (the beauty of the yard is a great reward for me!)

Church Bulletin Bloopers

2008-05-27T17:31:00.004-05:00

You may have seen these before through the emails circulating, but many of them made me laugh out loud, so I thought I would share them here....enjoy!!!

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching For Jesus."

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.

Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

Don't let worry kill you off -- let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hostility.
Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM -- prayer and medication to follow.
The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.
The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped my Pledge -- Up Yours."

Troubles....

2008-05-21T08:14:00.003-05:00

This last week part of what I preached was how we view our troubles. What if God allows troubles to come our way to grow us into the people that He wants us to be. What would happen if we viewed troubles as opportunities to see God work? I believe that miracles were not just for Bible times, but also for today.

Mark Batterson says this "Too often our prayers revolve around asking god to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor, but maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God's glory."

What trouble are you facing right now? Instead of praying to ask God to take the trouble away, try asking God for a miracle! What do you think? Talk to me.....

IN THE NEWS...updated

2008-05-10T07:37:00.004-05:00

My friend, Mark Wilson, posted a video of the story I shared with you earlier. Just thought you might be interested in hearing more of the story....

IN THE NEWS.......

2008-05-03T06:16:00.006-05:00

I can only take so much of the news and then I get depressed. There is so much that they report that is negative, but HERE is a story of great proportions. It lifts your spirits and makes you wish they reported MORE stuff like this.....and that more people acted like this. Note who carried this girl around the bases.......Check it out!

Blogging and Life

2008-05-03T06:12:00.002-05:00

I keep telling myself that I am going to be more consistent in my blogging, but it seems I can't seem to get into that groove. BUT...I will continue working on it. This week we have been getting ready for our garage sale. Yesterday was the first day of the sale and things went well. I had lots of traffic, despite the rainy weather. We did have to close early due to the rain. It is sunny so far this morning and I am hoping for a bright, sunny day today.

Tonight we will have a new couple in the church over for dinner. We are excited to get to know some new friends. I am looking forward to a great day!

Wednesdays At Woodside Wesleyan

2008-04-24T08:06:00.003-05:00

About 10 weeks ago, we started a new youth program and children's program on Wednesday nights. Every week we have seen growth. It has been so fun to watch. We decided that we would do 6-8 weeks and then have a family night, where we play games and give the updates as to where we have been and where we are going. I hoped that it would generate outreach and excitement for what we are doing.

Last night was our first Family Fun Night and WOW! Was I surprised! We made about 20 hotdogs, thinking that should be about enough. As we brought the hotdogs in, we looked around and realized that we needed to quick get on the ball and get some more hotdogs and buns, as people were pouring through the doors. When we did the count, 47 people were present....over DOUBLE what we were expecting. We only had around 40 on Sunday morning.

What's exciting about all this, is that only about 1/3 of the people were regular attenders. Most of them were people who either don't attend or don't attend regularly. There were so many new faces. I was so excited and blessed. We are so looking forward to continuing. We heard lots of comments on how people wanted to start coming regularly. I am looking forward to watching this area of ministry grow. God is so good!

FINISHED!

2008-04-22T23:30:00.002-05:00

Tonight was my LAST night of class. Not just for a semester, but for good. I have finished the ordination courses and just need to turn in my last set of supervised ministry papers and my ordination interview papers and I am completely done. I now can read a book because I want to read it and not because someone tells me what to read. It feels good to be done!

Since I know that some of you will ask, my ordination should be on September 20, 2008 in Fremont, Michigan. If you want more details to attend, please email me and I would be glad to get them to you.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me, encouraged me, prodded me, ect. in this journey. It has been incredible and I look forward to what God has in store for the next phase in this adventure.

In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day....Chapter 3

2008-04-12T07:41:00.004-05:00

It has been a really busy week and I have read Chapter 3, but haven't had a chance to post about it. When I got an email yesterday asking "Where is chapter 3?" I figured I had better get on that! I really appreciate those of you who faithfully read and comment. It encourages me to keep on sharing. Sometimes you wonder if what you have to say ever makes a hill of beans difference in anyone else's life. I pray that the words here on this blog will encourage and inspire your relationship with God in a new way. I know it hold me accountable to keep my relationship with God going strong. I pray that for all of us that we will "no longer be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds".

So, on that note....chapter THREE!!!

First, I realized that I haven't really shared with you what "chasing lions" is all about. Beneniah killed a lion in 2 Samuel 23:20-23. I am sure it was one of the scariest moments of his life, yet the most valiant and courageous thing he had ever done. This book is about facing our fears that keep us from doing something great for God and pushing through so that we can see God at work!

1. "Don't let mental lions keep you from experiencing everything God has to offer."

2. "Half of spiritual growth is learning what we don't know. The other half is unlearning what we do know.....Faith is unlearning the senseless worries and misguided beliefs that keep us captive." (Fears are learned. If they are learned, we can unlearn them. To do this, we must "download" the mind of Christ, which has no fear. We need to do some re-wiring.)

3. "Satan has two primary tactics when it comes to neutralizing you spiritually: discouragement and fear."

4. "Courage is doing what is right regardless of circumstances or consequences."

5. "When you put yourself into defenseless positions, it sets the stage for God to show up."

He talks about the fact that we go to theme parks and pay people money to scare us, because we have a need for that excitement and thrill in our life. That sense of danger gets our adrenaline pumping. Can you imagine if we were to harness that into doing things for God? Mark Batterson asks this question: "Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?" Beneniah had killed a lion. What a story to tell the grandchildren. What have you done great for God that is worth telling stories to your children/grandchildren about?

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day...chapter 2

2008-04-03T07:07:00.006-05:00

We continue on today with highlights from chapter 2:

1. "God loves impossible odds.......Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a mirile of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God's glory." (Think of the example of Gideon in Judges 7 and the army too large. God widdled it down to 300 men and then has them fight the opposing army with trumpets and jars. They knew in the end that it HAD to be God and not them that made them win.)

2. "How you think about God will determine who you become.....and that internal picture of God determines how you see everything else......The more we grow, the bigger God should get. And the bigger God gets, the smaller our lions will become."

3. "God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go."

IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY!

2008-04-02T06:36:00.004-05:00

I bought this book a while back that I really wanted to read and I am just now getting to it. It has a crazy title, but upon reading chapter 1, you totally get it. It's based on 2 Samuel 23:20-23 where Benaiah killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The book is about facing your fears to take the risks of the opportunities that God has given us. Over the next few days as I read this book, I want to share some of the highlights, as already in chapter one I have been challenged.

Here are a few challenges from chapter 1:
1. "God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. But the right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time."

2. "I recognize this simple truth: The greatest opportunities were the scariest lions. Part of me has wanted to play it safe, but I've learned that taking no risks is the greatest risk of all."

3. "I think the church has fixated on sins of commission (wishing you hadn't done something) for far too long. We have a long list of don'ts. Think of it as holiness by subtraction. We think holiness is the byproduct of subtracint something from our lives that shouldn't be there. And holiness certainly involves subtraction. But I think God is more concerened about sins of omission (wishing you had done something) - those things we could have and should have done. it's holiness by multiplication. Goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Those who simply run away from sin are half-Christians. our calling is much higher than simply running away from what's wrong."

4. He addresses stewardship. We think of this as how we manage our time, talent and treasure, but what about other things that God has given us, like our imagination, our humor, our sex drive, our competitive streaks, our energy. What about 'opportunity stewardship'?

5. "Spiritual maturity is seeing and seizing God-ordained opportunities."

Good stuff here! I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book by Mark Batterson and sharing more each day. There is a workbook for small groups that goes with the book, and if you are interested in more information about sermon series or media, ect.... check out http://www.chasethelion.com/

Spring Break

2008-04-01T16:01:00.003-05:00

This week is SPRING break for the kids. Not so spring-like, as we have a lot of snow yet, but they are off anyhow. My sister's kids, Cassandra and Theo are here this week as well, as their Mom is a teacher in a different school district than they attend and have different breaks. Cassandra is a year older than Olivia and Theo is a year younger, so they fit in well here.

I am still watching my sister and brother in law's children like I do every week, but they are coming to my house this week. Frank is 4, Evelyn is 2 1/2 and Audrey is 1. So, at any given time, we can have up to SEVEN kids here! I might get a picture of them all tomorrow. It gets kinda crazy at times, but all in all, it is going well.

I am just thankful that I am blessed to have a job that is flexible and that I can stay home with my own kids this week, as well as help my sister out. God is good.

The Beauty of Math!

2008-03-28T14:47:00.005-05:00

My Friend, Chadwick Walenga, shared this on his blog and I thought it was worth passing along. Make sure you read all the way to the end.

Beauty of Math!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 1 1111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 =1234567654321
1111111 1 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this...

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12 +5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close,and Attitude will get you there,It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T21:44:00.004-05:00

He is risen! He is risen indeed!!!

Today we celebrate our risen Lord! We started out our worship service this morning with the song "My Redeemer Lives". What a great way to start! We also sang "He Lives" and "Because He Lives".....see the theme? Then we ended with "Worthy is the Lamb/Crown Him with Many Crowns" set. Music is powerful and I know that the songs touched me today.

We focus so much on the fact that Jesus died this time of year and on Sunday we always celebrate the fact that He has risen, but the thing that hit me today was the fact that we should be living our lives daily in light of the risen Lord. How does the risen Lord change who we are on a daily basis? Does it make a hill of beans difference to us? Why is it that we only celebrate once a year?

Celebration. What would that look like if we celebrated the resurrection every day? When we celebrate a birthday or a birth of a new baby, we tell those around us. You Grandparents and some of you new Parents are willing to tell the grocery store clerk or someone standing in line....anyone that will listen about the celebration of a new birth. We have been given a new birth in Christ.....a chance to start over.....and why is it that we keep it silent? Why are we embarrassed about what someone else might think? Isn't our life in Christ even more important that the birth of a new baby? If so, why aren't we celebrating on a daily basis? Why is it that we are so silent about it?

As I sat in church today, and we sang celebration songs and served communion, I am reminded of the awesome privilege we have to worship. I am reminded of the awesome gift that we have inside of us that we take for granted. We have become complacent in our approach to worship. I want to be known as one who shares the gospel in celebration mode. I don't ever want to get comfortable in my pew and forget about the lost world around me.

We live in a world that needs to hear good news! We have something to celebrate........share it!

Worship hangover

2008-03-18T07:25:00.004-05:00

On Sunday I went to church and it was "good" but it wasn't any great epiphany or anything, but I have had one of the songs on my heart since Sunday morning. It is pressed deep upon my heart today.......

As I come into your presence past the gates of praise
Into your sanctuary til we're standing face to face.
I look upon your countenance and see the fullness of your grace.
I can only bow down and say....

You are awesome in this place Mighty God.
You are awesome in this place Abba Father.
You are worthy of all praise.
To YOU our lives we raise.
You are awesome in this place Mighty God.

"This place" is not referring to our church services. "This place" refers to my own soul. As I stand face to face with my Savior it truly is awesome.

Easter has kinda sneaked up on me this year. All of a sudden it is here and I don't feel like I have prepared my heart properly. So, this morning, as I sit at the foot of the cross, I say.....

You are awesome in this place!! You are worthy of my praise! I give you my life, Lord! As I look into Your face, I see the fullness of your grace. You are awesome in this place, Mighty God!

Feelings

2008-03-17T16:14:00.004-05:00

An amazing amount of time has passed since I posted last. I shared with you my trip to Cancun, Mexico and it seems life has been hectic and I haven't "felt" like writing much. There has been much going on with me personally and I just don't feel like I have had much to say at times. What possibly could I say that might make any type of difference? I don't wanna talk just to talk, so I have been pretty silent.

So, what do you do when you don't FEEL God. What happens when you are in the valley and not the mountaintop? I know that sometimes when we don't feel God it's because of things in our life that shouldn't be there, but at other times, it's just a time when God seems silent. That doesn't mean that God is farther away. It doesn't mean that He isn't still in control or care about what is going on in your life.

It's in these times when I don't FEEL God that I realize that this is where my faith comes in. As it is talked about in Hebrews 11:1, faith is believing in what I cannot see. I can't see tomorrow. I can't know God's grand plan, but I do know that He is faithful. I know I can stand on His promises and who He is....even though I may not feel it.

God is:
My Rock, My Deliverer, My Savior, My Friend.
Forgiving, Patient, Love, Mercy, Trustworthy, Forever.
Creator, Sustainer, Faithful, Gracious.
My Hope, My Redeemer, Eternal and Truth.

These are just a few that I cling to today. I am so thankful that I don't have to feel God for Him to be real. He's there. I just have to trust in faith. And that is what I do today.

Maybe you feel this way too? Trust God. Put your faith in the FACTS and the FEELINGS will follow. The fact is....God is amazing!!! You can rest in that.

Cancun, Mexico

2008-01-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

We're BACK! We spent some time in Cancun, Mexico as part of our bi-annual Christmas trip with Brian's parents and Sister's family. It was beutiful there. We had good weather most the trip. If it rained, it would only rain for about 10 minutes and then the sun would come back out. It was a bit windy, but it was 85 degrees and sunny, so who cares about the wind, right? It was all inclusive, so we stayed here most of the time. It was an amazing time! This was our hotel...

We were able to do some fun excursions. Here are some pictures of our once in a lifetime chance to swim with dolphins. It was amazing! We spent about an hour with them. We got to pet them, feel their tongue, make them do tricks for us, and learn some interesting facts about them. We were right there in the water with them, as you can see.

We also did some parasailing. It was amazingly quiet up in the air, but it was a bit windy and with 400 feet of rope, it make me a bit nervous. Brian was able to go up with the kids and then they came down and I was able to go up with the kids. Andrew and Olivia LOVED it! They dipped the kids and I in the water, as you can see in the one picture. It was a blast!

We spent a day at a waterpark and that was a lot of fun. It was a good time just to be "us". The kids loved the waterslides and the wave pool!

The ocean was my favorite part. I loved the sound of the waves crashing in. The sand between your toes and the wonder of the water. I would never tire of watching and listening to the ocean.

We had a great time! It was hard coming back to the extra bitterly cold weather we are experiencing right now, but thankful for the time we had to rejuvienate and spend some good, quality family time.

VACATION!

2008-01-12T02:07:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how time gets away from me. It has been a busy, crazy, hard couple of weeks, but our family is very much looking forward to leaving in just a few short hours for Cancun, Mexico. We will be gone for a week!!! Instead of doing Christmas presents with Brian's family, we save our money for 3 years and take a trip someplace. It's always a great time!

We covet your prayers as we try to focus on relaxing, rejuvenation and just some good family time together. We really need it these days. Looking forward to returning home with a fresh perspective and passion to move forward!

See ya when we get back!

Love

2007-12-17T14:16:00.001-05:00

Wow! How time flies! It must be the Christmas season! I have been processing some things in my personal life and it has been hard to write.

I am so glad that God isn't finished with me yet. He keeps working and changing me and drawing me to himself. And when I fall down, he picks me up. When He reveals something in my life, He is faithful to walk through it with me....and He loves me so much. His love is one that stays. Never walks away. Never changes. His love is one that comes down in the trench with you and helps you out of it instead of standing up above and telling you how to get out. His love is amazing!

So today I just am thankful for a love that was willing to come to this earth as a baby. Helpless and dependent on others so he could be the One to save the helpless and independent. I celebrate His love today.

Self-Examination

2007-11-26T22:09:00.000-05:00

In my Spiritual Formation class with Mark Wilson, I was given these questions and they were very revealing in my own life. I would encourage you to use them in your own devotional time. They are from John Wesley's Holy Club and Loyola, the found of the Society of Jesus.

Here is one set of nearly two dozen questions which John Wesley gave to members of his discipleship groups more than 200 years ago. The questions may have their origin in the spiritual accountability group started by Wesley when he was a student at Oxford -- a group that detractors called "The Holy Club."

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?
3. Can I be trusted?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith? [ conversation starter questions ]
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
20. Do I grumble or complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?

Loyola's Spiritual Exercises:

1. Is there any desire, thought, habit or deed blocking me from God today?
2. Have I been indifferent toward God? Have I consciously sought His presence? Have I tried to expand my idea of Him?
3. Does Christ's motive of love control my thoughts and actions?
4. Have I been insensitive or unkind to the poor, sick, ignorant, or people different than myself?
5. Is there any person in whose presence I am uncomfortable, or against whom I have an unchristian attitude? What should I do about it?
6. Have I wronged anyone? What wrongs should I right today?
7. What message has the Bible for me today?
8. What should I be thankful for today? What persons should I thank today?
9. How can I show my appreciation?
10. For what Kingdom interests should I pray today? (family, church, missions, social work, justice)
11. On which of these should I work today?
12. What persons shall I remember in prayer today?
13. How shall I share myself, my time, and my possessions today?
14. What debts shall I pay today? What letters shall I write today?
15. Are all my plans and motives for today Christian?

Ruth Bell Graham

2007-11-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

December 1-9 there will be a Billy Graham special about the life of Ruth Bell Graham. There are special powerpoint slides, E-banners and also a 90-second promo. video for advertising in your church or with your friends to watch. Here is the link that gives all the dates and times as well as misc. info: billygraham.org/tv

Perspective.....

2007-11-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to "Dad." With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's not only the passion...Dad she's pregnant.

Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She deserves it.

Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, Your Son, John

PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer.

I love you.

Call me when it's safe to come home.

Girls on the Run!

2007-11-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

My niece called and asked me about two months ago to see if I would sponsor her for her Girls on the Run. I said, "Of course I will, sweetie! What do I have to do?" ha ha! That's the wrong order of response, for sure! It should have been: "What do I have to do?" FIRST, because to be a sponsor/mentor/running buddy you had to run a 5k. It ended up being almost 4 miles. And, to top it all off.....it was just before the parade, so there were people everywhere. I was certainly not in good enough shape to run, but I did it anyhow and it was really fun. Olivia ran in it as well. I will have pictures when I get them from my Mom over Thanksgiving.

The point of the run was to boost elementary girl's confidence to be able to stand up against domestic and sexual violence if it presents itself. It was supposed to be a run for fun! They had fun and everyone finished the run...what an accomplishment for them! There were about 75 girls who ran with their mentors.

So, to all the girls, Cassandra, Joan, Olivia and even to myself....go girls! Good job!!!!

Worship Wars

2007-11-07T13:33:00.001-05:00

I have heard quite often lately the term "Worship Wars" and I have been very disturbed in my spirit about it. The one thing that we should be unified about is worship and yet it can be a war....anything BUT unity or worship.

I talked with the teens on Sunday morning about worship and how would they feel if we only did children's music on Sunday mornings, how would they feel about that? They all said they would hate that. We went from there to discuss that is how the older people feel about our rock and roll music.

We are all at different places in our life and what it all boils down to is likes and dislikes. I like purple and you like red....WHO CARES?! Neither one of them is right or wrong....just different. It's what you DO with your preference that matters! Whether is children's music, hymns, rock and roll, country or somewhere out there, what matters is this: Is Jesus lifted high? Is He the one you are worshipping or is it your style preference?

Worship Wars. Yuck! What we really should be at war with is the one who is trying to cause all this dissention in our church body and take our eyes off the reason we are singing in the first place! Let's get back to the heart of worship.....IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, JESUS!

Happy 14th Birthday, Andrew!

2007-11-01T06:37:00.000-05:00

I can't believe you are 14!!!! Wow! You have been such a joy to our family. You make me laugh. You love Jesus! You are an awesome big brother to Olivia. You amaze me with the way you pick up and learn how to fix things so easily. You are an awesome teenager! I love you so much, Andrew! Have a fantastical birthday today!

Resist ONE sin

2007-10-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

I have been reading the Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis slowly over the past few months. There is so much rich material in there that I can't possibly take it all in by reading it through in a few days like I would like to. So, periodically I have been sharing a few thoughts from the book here.

On how to aquire peace and on the desire to improve: "Resist one sin for a year!"

Simple. We tend to look at all the things we need to do better in and then end up not doing well in any of the areas. If we became truely disciplined in ONE area of our life that needs attention, in a few years, we would cover some of the hardest things we deal with and be victorious.

This idea reminds me of dieting. When I go on a diet, I tend to say "Ok, I am going to eat right, drink my water, exercise every day, and get good sleep" Yeah right! And day two of the diet, I am overwhelmed and discouraged because I can't change all those habits overnight. But....what if I were to simplify it and work on one thing at at time. Maybe just start by exercising three times a week and forget what I eat and drink. And get that down and then think about the food end.

Discipline takes hard work and I think we are not successful in our attempts, because we take on too much. Evaluation time. What is the one thing that you really would like victory in the most? Make that your ONE THING today and work diligently on it. The other things will come in time. We don't grow up physically overnight and we don't spiritually either. It takes time.

"Do not be CONFORMED to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your minds."

My Last FLAME

2007-10-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

I forgot to post before I left that I would be gone for a week of classes last week. Sorry about that. It was the last required FLAME that I have to go to, but I will most definitely be back for ReKindle, as the time spent there is so valuable to ministry.

It was an amazing week. I took Philosphy/Ethics and left there with one presiding thought.....KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND WHY....otherwise you will make decisions based on the situation rather than what is truely Biblical. It seemed that every question we faced brought up another opposing, sometimes just as good as the last. Frustrating, yes, but helping us own our faith. For those of you who know me...this kind of stuff makes me nuts, but I recognize the value in it, so I persevere through it!

And then I was off to Spiritual Formation. It might better be called Revival 101. What an amazing time with the Lord. We were able to take some "time outs" to search our hearts and pray. When we were together in prayer, God's presence was so strong, it was hard to move on. We just prayed and sang and prayed and sang. We serve an amazing God. We saw healing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was a precious time with my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

I came home and Pastor Roger preached on Praying for Revival. It was so fitting for where I had just come from. It was based on the Facing the Giants movie where the man prayed over the lockers every day....and then God moved. I want my life to be one of prayer. I want to be so in love with my Savior that I can't help but pray.

It has been an incredible time with friends this past week. I love the relationships that are built at FLAME. It is sometimes hard to leave, but how amazing that we serve together in different parts of the world and the common ground we share is the good news of Jesus Christ. God is good.

Complete Surrender

2007-10-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

We are doing a sermon series based on the movie "Facing the Giants" and today I preached on Complete Surrender. We ended the sermon with my first communion service that I have performed. I felt so unworthy to be serving. What an awesome privilege I have been given.

Here are some of the notes from my sermon:

What does it mean to love God more than anything else?

The first time “love” is used in the Bible is when Genesis speaks of Abraham’s love for his son Isaac. Isaac was Abraham and Sarah’s only child, born to them when they were past child-bearing age. God promised to Abraham that Isaac would continue the legacy and ancestry of Abraham for future generations.

Did Abraham love Isaac more than God? God was going to test Abraham’s commitment to Him by asking Abraham to do the unthinkable. Let’s read about it in Genesis 22......

Genesis 22:1-18
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram [a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [b] all nations on earth will be blessed, [c] because you have obeyed me."

What is a surrendered heart and how do I do I surrender my heart?

Psalms 73:25 says “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.” Can you say with the Psalmist that there is NOTHING you desire besides God? Not your family, your church, your job, your home, your “toys”….. Nothing?

When someone surrenders, many times they will wave a white flag or raise their hands up and say “I give up….I give in to whatever you want.” It means that the other party is in total control from that point on. Surrender to God means I give up and let Him have total control of my life. Whatever He wants, I will do. My answer will always be “yes”.

There are some great lessons we can learn about surrender from Genesis 22.

1. Our first response should be a conditioned “yes, Lord!”

Vs. 1 says Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

I am sure that this was not the first time God asked something of Abraham that he had a choice to say yes or no to. I am sure that God asked little things of Abraham and he learned to say “yes” when God asked something of him. This time, it was a huge thing. It was beyond fathomable to offer his only son. God knew how much he loved Isaac. He knew that it was the one thing he really wanted in life, and now he was going to test Abraham to see if he loved that one thing more than he loved God.

What is the one thing you just love to have or do in life? What if God asked you to give up that one thing? At lent, many times people will give up something, such as coffee or chocolate, or something that they love to have. That’s just for 40 days, but what if God asked you to give up something more precious than that for the rest of your life? Would you be willing? Our response will always be “yes” if we are totally surrendered.

2. Don’t wait for the full picture.

Vs. 2 says Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

God knew what he was asking of Abraham and how hard it would be to do what He was asking. You notice in the verses, he said “Take your son, YOUR ONLY SON, WHOM YOU LOVE and then mentioned his name ISAAC” All three of those note that God was keenly aware of how hard this quest might be.

Yet, Abraham was asked to take his son and he didn’t get the full picture. God said to go to a mountain “I will show you.” He didn’t even fully know where he was going. His job was to pack up and go and wait for further instruction.

Wow!!

I am a person that likes to have the big picture. I don’t really care so much about what I am doing as much as knowing what it will look like. This is a hard one for me. When God asks something of me, I want to say, “OK God, I’ll do it, but give me the details first.” God wants our complete trust in Him. That means….we won’t have all the details and that proves our complete faith in His process.

God knows how hard the thing he is asking YOU to do. He’s been there. Remember….God did send His One and Only Son to this earth as a sacrifice for our sin. He watched His Son suffer agony. He knows how hard surrender is. So, since He knows, will you trust Him? Will you obey and surrender completely to His will without all the details in place?

3. Procrastinated obedience isn’t full obedience.

Vs. 3 says “Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey.”

Abraham didn’t say “Yes, Lord” and then wait a few days or weeks to spend as much time with Isaac as he could. I think that is what I would have been tempted to do. “Lord, I will obey you, but let me just have a few more days with him.” No. That’s not what God was asking. He wanted to know if Abraham would obey immediately.

When you ask your children to do something, you expect them to obey right then. You say “Son, I want you to clean your room.” He says “OK, Mom” and doesn’t clean his room for 4 days. On the fifth day, he cleans his room. Would you be ok with that? No. You wanted him to clean his room that day. Procrastinated obedience isn’t full obedience. God wants us to get up and obey immediately like Abraham did.

Has God asked you to do something and you’ve said, Yes, Lord, when…… I have the money or when I have more time, or when my kids are gone, or some other excuse? God wants your obedience TODAY!

4. Trust God for the outcome….even though it doesn’t look like what God has promised to you.

Vs. 5 says He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

You see those words “WE WILL worship and WE WILL come back to you.” He had an expectation that God was going to work, even though he didn’t know HOW God would work.

God had promised to Abraham that his descendents would be numerous and how could that happen with Isaac being sacrificed? If you look in Hebrews 11, it is filled with “even thoughs”. It is the great faith hall of fame. Even though they didn’t know….they had faith that God would…..

Concerning Abraham….Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." [a] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Is there anything in your life that God has asked you to do and you think “That just doesn’t make sense” so you have said no to it? God sees the big picture and though it may not look like what makes sense, do it anyhow and see how God provides for you in ways you can’t even imagine. I think God longs to do miracles in our lives to prove His faithfulness to us, but we shut Him out by our lack of faith in Him.

So how surrendered are you? Is there anything in your life that takes the place of God? job, children, church, t.v., maybe good things like volunteering/serving others, shopping, housework?????

God wants first place in our hearts. Is there anything between you and God right now? Can you say that you have a fully surrendered heart, that God could ask anything of you and you would say “yes, Lord, here I am!” and then move immediately in complete faith?

Give Us A Greater Hunger

2007-10-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

Give us a greater hunger, Lord,
Thank we have ever known.
Help us to wait in one accord
Until Your power is shown.
Keep us, Your children, on our knees
Beseeching You with mighty pleas
Till floods of blessing like the seas
Sweep over all Your own.

Give us a sense of urgency
That will not be denied.
Give such desire your work to see
Till ease we cast aside.
Give us soul-hunger and soul-thirst
Till hearts with longing almost burst,
Till we could wish ourselves accursed (Rom.9:3)
If souls but reach Your side!

Lord, now begin Your mighty work;
Make bare Your holy arm.
O God, forbid that we should shirk
Or to this age conform!
Reveal Your Spirit's mighty power;
Oh, come upon Your Church this hour!
By Your own working, Lord, empower
Till Satan's forts we storm.

Help each of us to do our part;
O Lord, may we not fail.
Give clearest guidance to each heart
Till highest mounts we scale.
Use us however You may choose;
We would no burden, Lord, refuse;
But get us, Lord, where You can use
And mightily prevail.

Oh, send the promised Holy Ghost
Upon us as we kneel,
We need his holy working most
Till men conviction feel.
Lord, this is still the day of grace;
Have mercy on our dying race.
Revival send to every place;
Your miracle reveal.

-Wesley Duewel
(taken from Wesley Duewel's book Heroes of the Holy Life)

William Booth on evangelism:

2007-10-02T07:06:00.000-05:00

'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.

How to read books:

2007-10-02T06:29:00.000-05:00

I read the blog of Bob Franquiz, a church planter of Calvary Fellowship in Miami, Florida. He reads a lot of books and here is how he gets it done:

1. I like to read - if you hate reading, there's no cure that I know of. I used to not like reading, but I was so hungry to learn, I got over it and dove into books.

2. Bring a book everywhere with you - People have tons of time that get wasted (waiting for someone, late appointment, etc...). If you bring a book, use the time to get into it.

3. Give yourself "reading time" every day - I read for 30 minutes every day. Just like I schedule exercise into my daily routine, I schedule reading in as well. If it's not scheduled, it probably won't happen.

4. Read while you're watching TV - Believe it or not, Monday Night Football can be watched with a book in hand. I rarely watch a sporting event without a book in hand. Your brain can handle both activities.

5. Set goals - I try to read 2-3 chapters a day in the books I read. Most books have 10-12 chapters, so I set a goal to finish a book in 4-5 days. It usually works out.

6. Read with a pen in hand - I underline, circle, star, put question marks, and write in all my books. On the inside cover, I write my favorite quotes (so when I go back to the book looking for a quote, I don't have to fish through a 200 page book. I just open the inside cover). Writing it out also helps me memorize the quote.

7. Get into a rhythm - I try to find the author's rhythm in the book. That helps me read faster. That's also why I don't like reading 5 books at once. It's very difficult for me to find the rhythm of 5 authors at the same time. Plus, men are conquerers. We want to finish the books we read and move on. Reading 10 pages in 5 different books doesn't give guys a sense of accomplishment.

8. Skip irrelevant sections - I rarely do this (I need to do this more), but when a books starts going overboard with stories, I skip the section and more on. If a chapter is lame, move on. Most people get stuck in their reading because they hit a dry spot in the book and don't feel the freedom to skip it.

9. If a genre is working, stick with it - Most people say you need to be balanced in your reading. I agree. But be balanced over the long haul, not week to week. If ministry books are rockin' you, then keep going with it! If business books are challenging you, read them. If romance novels...let's not go there :) The point is, sometimes based on where we are in life, there's a certain author or genre that's connecting with us. So read that until you want to move on. I've gone through periods where all I've wanted to read are commentaries, theology, ministry, or leadership books. So I do until I usually read a lame book,s then I move on to something else.

10. Keep a log of what you read - I have an excel spreadsheet that list every book I've read for that given year. It says the book's name, author, number of pages, genre, date I started, and date I finished. This helps me see where I've been this year and if I want to add more of a certain type of book in to my reading diet.

Praise You In This Storm

2007-10-01T21:29:00.000-05:00

This song means a lot to me with all that our family seems to be encountering right now. Listen here.

HAPPY 15th ANNIVERSARY!

2007-09-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

I love you so much, Brian! We have grown so much these past 18 years we have known each other. You are a great Husband and Father. You care so much for your family. Thank you for your love for me. I look forward to many more years with you!

Keep your eyes on the Savior

2007-09-24T06:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a great day to be in the house of the Lord! There's some "junk" going on, but as I told my Senior Pastor, that means something good is going on here. So, let's keep pressin' on. We covet your prayers for us as we try to handle these situations.

I preached on "Attempting the Impossible" based on Matthew 14, where Jesus fed the 5000 and where Jesus and Peter walked on water. It was a good message for me, as there are situations in my life that seem impossible and without God, I can't make it.

The thing that God spoke to my heart most was this: We need to keep our eyes on the Savior and not the situations. It's easy for me to get frustrated with the situations of life, but my job is to have a good relationship with God and seek His heart for what I am to be doing....and then keep my eyes focused on the Savior and let the situations fall to the side. Jesus told Peter to come out on to the lake in Matthew 14 and His focus was totally on Jesus. He wasn't concerned with the situations around him. It was when he DID look to the situations (thes wind and waves), that he fell. Good lesson for us.....Keep your eyes on the Savior and not the situations.

Revival

2007-09-20T06:28:00.000-05:00

We need revival when....
... when we do not love God as we once did.
... when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones.
...when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible.
... when our Christianity is joyless and passionless.
... when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives.
... when we make little effort to witness to the lost.
...when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study or prayer.
. . . when we do not tremble at the power of God.
On the other hand, the characteristics that take place when revival comes are...
... a deepened spiritual hunger
... intense fervent prayer that is enjoyable not dreadful
... repentance
... reckless abandonment and surrender to God
... a fresh fullness of the Holy Spirit
... spontaneous evangelism and soul winning
... restored relationships
... a spirit of thanksgiving and joy
... increased hunger for God's Word
... a desire to put God/church before entertainment

Wholly inflame, consume and transform me into Yourself

2007-09-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

O MOST kind, most loving Lord, Whom I now desire to receive with devotion, You know the weakness and the necessity which I suffer, in what great evils and vices I am involved, how often I am depressed, tempted, defiled, and troubled.
To You I come for help, to You I pray for comfort and relief. I speak to Him Who knows all things, to Whom my whole inner life is manifest, and Who alone can perfectly comfort and help me.
You know what good things I am most in need of and how poor I am in virtue. Behold I stand before You, poor and naked, asking Your grace and imploring Your mercy.
Feed Your hungry beggar. Inflame my coldness with the fire of Your love. Enlighten my blindness with the brightness of Your presence. Turn all earthly things to bitterness for me, all grievance and adversity to patience, all lowly creation to contempt and oblivion. Raise my heart to You in heaven and suffer me not to wander on earth. From this moment to all eternity do You alone grow sweet to me, for You alone are my food and drink, my love and my joy, my sweetness and my total good.
Let Your presence wholly inflame me, consume and transform me into Yourself, that I may become one spirit with You by the grace of inward union and by the melting power of Your ardent love.
Suffer me not to go from You fasting and thirsty, but deal with me mercifully as You have so often and so wonderfully dealt with Your saints.
What wonder if I were completely inflamed by You to die to myself, since You are the fire ever burning and never dying, a love purifying the heart and enlightening the understanding.

-Thomas A Kempis

Man in the Arena

2007-09-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt
"Citizenship in a Republic,"Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Humbleness

2007-09-16T07:50:00.000-05:00

"If you want to learn anything worthwhile, seek rather to be unknown and to be thought of as nothing." - Thomas A Kempis

This is the true concept of humbleness. I want to serve and do things for God, but I need to do it for the Lord…serving Him only and if nobody else ever knows or acknowledges it, the fact that God knows is enough and satisfying to me. But, to do nothing, because I can’t be known while doing it is sin. It’s hard not to want recognition for our work, yet our soul motivation should be out of a love for God …nothing more….nothing less.

Facing the Giants

2007-09-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the movie "Facing the Giants"? I am becoming very familiar with it, as Pastor Roger and I are doing a sermon series based on the movie. I will be preaching two of the sermons in the series. The two sermons I will be preaching are titled "Never Give Up!" and "Complete Surrender", and boy oh boy, I feel like I am being tested in these areas!!!
My husband is trying to sell a big CNC Router. Yesterday a crew flew in from New Jersey to look at it and test it out. They were here all day and it looked as if tey were going to buy it. (This machine cost more than my first house and we really need to sell it) As they were finalizing things, they tried one last cut with the machine. Long story short, the machine ran out of fuel, which caused the air compressor to quit, which caused a malfunction in te air hydrolics and the whole head of te machine came crashing down, causing about $15,000. worth of damage. UGH!!!!!
In the Facing the Giants movie, if you saw it, you will remember that the couple was trying to get pregnant and kept coming back that they weren't. The wife leaves the doctor's office after once again hearing the bad news that she was not pregnant and she says "God I will still praise you! I will still love you!" All day yesterday that theme kept running through my head. I was just praying that the machine would sell, but that if it didn't, I would still praise and love Him. Not only did those clients walk out the door without buying it, but now, when we desperately need this machine to sell, we need to dump MORE money into it to get it sold. Immediately I was reminded of my promise....."I will still praise you and I will still love you, Lord" Even though I don't know how things are going to work out, I trust in t One who sees tomorrow.
Why does this have to happen? I don't know. But, I am keeping my heart open to the lessons I can take away from here. It looks impossible in my eyes and my heart hurts, not knowing how things will work out, but I have complete faith in a God who completely loves me and if He's all I got, then that is enough! I am reminded of the old hymn "The Solid Rock".

My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus’ blood and righteousness.I dare not trust the sweetest frame,But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand,All other ground is sinking sand;All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,I rest on His unchanging grace.In every high and stormy gale,My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid Rock I stand,All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,Support me in the whelming flood.When all around my soul gives way,He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,Oh may I then in Him be found.Dressed in His righteousness alone,Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

Big Day!!!

2007-09-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

Olivia decided one day this last week that it was TIME! It was the day to get her ears pierced. Last year her cousin got her ears pierced, and wanted her to go with her, but Olivia was too scared. So, I don't know what changed her mind and gave her the courage she needed, but SHE DID IT! It wasn't easy, as you see from the picture, but she was very brave and they look great!

Woodside Wesleyan at the Park

2007-09-03T05:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we held church at the park. There are some advantages to being a small church. We had service and then a picnic. We had a really good time. Again, five of the people from H.O.M.E. came and got involved in some healthy fun. It was great to have them. We had fun with water balloons, treasure hunts, volleyball, and races. Here are a few pictures of the day:
The young children doing a treasure hunt.
My daughter, Olivia and Rebecca with their water balloons. They are going to go find someone that "wants" to get wet.
The great ski race!

One funny story of the day.....I was doing the games and at the end of all the water balloon games, I let everyone just take balloons and "do what they wanted with them." I asked Pastor Roger if i could use his phone (he he he) He gave me his phone. Then I said ok kids...."hit the Pastor". Yep...you got it....they went after Pastor Roger, but then they realized if the game was to hit the Pastor....that meant they needed to go after me too! Not what I had intended for the game! I took a few good hits. I was soaked, but it was worth all the fun we had doing it!

All in all, we had a great day with our new church family. The weather was absolutely perfect and there were many smiles and of course lots of good food and fellowship. Happy Labor Day!!!

Unexpected!!!

2007-08-26T22:10:00.000-05:00

What a great day! It started out so rocky that I knew that Satan was busy at work trying to thwart the good that was about to happen.

I offer to take any of the men and women in our transition/shelter to church every Sunday. Anyone who wants to go, I will pick up that morning. I had a gentlemen who just got out of prison and said that he would not ever go to church. He has been a member of the white supremacy group before he went to prison and he wanted nothing to do with church. I told him that I offer it up to everyone and there's no pressure, but if he wanted to go, he was welcome. As we were driving down the road, he said "Hey, about that church thing, I think I'll go, if it's still ok." I was grinning from ear to ear on the inside. I didn't know if he would change his mind before Sunday came, but this morning...he was ready to go. And I found it funny that he came with the Korean man that we have in our house.

So, backing up a bit....Brian was going to pick the guys up for church. He went to leave in the van and I had accidentally taken the keys, so he went to the Honda, and the battery was dead, so he did a quick charge and thought he would borrow his sister's Tahoe. On the way to church, they ran out of gas. Normally the vehicles has 40 miles from the time the gas light comes on. Well....fancy that....the light NEVER came on. So, they got to church about 30 minutes late, just before the message.

I got up to preach and talked about Truth. How do we know what is truth when everywhere we go everyone is telling us that they have the answer. How do we know who and what to believe? I believe it was a great message for them to hear, but wondered if it would be a little "strong" for them, given their diversion to church.

After church, they booked out the back door and I thought, well, they at least gave it a shot. I went outside to talk to them and they said "Hey, that picnic thing and church next week. Will you pick us up? We would like to come back here. This was nice!" WHOOOHOOOO!!!! I told them that I would absolutely bring them with us and was glad that they liked the service. They said "Good message, Pastor Joy"

God is good. His Word is truth and I praise God for it! I look forward to "the rest of the story". I can't wait to see what God does next! It's been a good day!

Change

2007-08-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

I promised I would share what changes have been taking place for the Ziegler family. It has been one of the most interesting and yet challenging months of my life. Here's what's been happening in our world.

1. I took a position at Woodside Wesleyan as the Assistant Pastor. I am very excited about the future and dreams for the church. The people have been very loving and have embraced us with open arms. Woodside is in Lake Ann, Michigan, which is a suburb of Traverse City. It has a population around 300. I am excited to be a part of this new community. The nice thing is....we didn't have to move to take this position....it is actually closer to our house than our old church. This church will mean "doing church" differently, as it is in the country and a small church around 60 people. We have some incredible dreams and I look forward to partnering with them to make them happen. Funny thing is.....it fits with where God has called me to be from the very beginning of my ministerial call. God is good.

2. So, given number 1, that means our family had to make a very hard decision in leaving our old church. It was a difficult decision, but we know that leaving is what we were supposed to do, so we trust that and move forward. We will miss the people of College Terrace and trust that God will continue the work he has begun there.

3. Since my work at Woodside is part time, I also have been working for H.O.M.E., shelter and transition houses. We service about 30 people at a time. This past week I went full time and it has been a tumultuous week. I am learning that there aren't enough hours in the day! This job is stretching me. Details aside....it has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. Can I just say.......I hate politics! I enjoy the people. I just wish I had more time to invest in the people. Isn't that the way it always is, though?

4. This month I also attended another FLAME class. The end is in sight!!! Again, it was a great time of learning. My family got to come with me and not just my husband and kids, but my Mom as well. It was great to share firsthand with her what she has heard me talk about for so long. She was able to meet some really neat people and stayed up late talking too! It was really great! The kids enjoyed the daily activities. Andrew was excited that they t.p.'d his bed one day while he was gone. The go-karts were by far the hit of the week! I drove Andrew one night and he decided that a 14 yr. old girl drove faster than me. he he he : ) It was fun! (Thanks Wayne for sharing those with us!) Most of all, the spiritual renewal that can take place while you are there is incredible. The time away from the busyness of life and slowing down to really focus is always good for me. Now I just need to get hopping on that post-work and get that turned in!

That's the family update! It's an extremely busy time of life for us, but we know that God is faithful to carry us through. I cling to that. I don't know how people make it without the Lord.

Wesleyan Bloggers

2007-08-08T23:25:00.000-05:00

My friend, Mark Wilson has been collecting Wesleyan blogs. Thanks for keeping up with all of us, Mark! Check out these great blogs!

Mark O. Wilson, Revitalize Your Church
Lawrence W. Wilson
Tim Guptill, G'update
Paul Kind, Vagabonding
John & Danielle Freed,
Rod Pickett, Kingdom Come
Jim Garlow
Josh Garlow, In Stereo
John Drury, Drulogian
Keith Drury
Jerry Brecheisen
Ken Schenck, Schenck Thoughts
David Drury
Eric Wagenmaker, Random, Contemplative
Chad McCallum, Compass Church
Dale Argot, Virginia Transplant
Joe & Randi Gormong
Eric Hambrock, The Front Porch
Jim Watkins
Nate Kingsbury
Joel Gorveatte, Get to the Point
Amanda Drury, Amanda's Spot
Bill Lawson, Kidd's Place
A. J. Thomas, The Jonny Smith Regime
Rod Densteadt, Brothers of Willow
Kevin Wright, Wright off the Bat
Shannon D'Agostino, Our Simple Adventures
David Rutler, Savior Stretching
David Sheffield, One Rock Crying Out
Wisconsin Spiritual Formation: Davis, Mavis and Brown
Joy Ziegler, Conformed or Transformed?
Matthew Rose, The Matthew Never Knew
David and Katy Kinnan, The Kinnan Chronicles
Ben Robinson, The Orthodoctor
Brian Johnson, Community Wesleyan Church
Ryan Budde, The Scope
Ed Boston, Do the Right Thing
Josh Cooper, Front Porch Life
Gail Neuerberg, The Beauty of God In Little Things
Straight Talk for Church Planters
Mark Schnell Thinks Out Loud
Brian Russell, Real Meal Ministries
Glen Robinson, Dividing Wall
Tom Kinnan, Keeping Perspective
Steve Matthews
Dean Brown, Corktown Capers
Mark Gorveatte, Church Edge
David Wright
Daniel Shipton,
Dan Bickel, Wisconsin District Brooks Sayer, Stuff I Say
Doug Dennis, Intentional Interim
Josh & Jamie Hilty, Sermons and Other Stuff
Jeff Bouma, The Fuse
Rick Hudgens, Trustworthy Sayings
Phil Stevenson, Inner Sanctum
Jeremiah Gomez, Musings of a RookiePastor
Ed Torres, The Core
Lenny Luchetti, Relevant Living
Brandon & Jennifer Bruce
Steven Sheets
Dale Robertson, Dale's Place
Carles Fletcher, Community Wesleyan Church

TODAY WE TALKED

2007-07-28T11:33:00.002-05:00

by Ted Heatherington

Today we talked.
I said, "I'm confused." You asked about my devotions.
I said, "I get angry." You quoted a verse.
I said, "I hurt." You said "Believe."
I said, "I'm depressed." You said, "Rejoice."

You said I could call. I said I would try.
You said you would pray. I suppressed my doubts.
You said things would get better. I wondered, When?
As we parted, you waved with a smile.

Today we talked. neither of us listened.
And though we talked, there was silence.
Nobody said, "I care."

Today we talked.
I said, "I'm confused." You asked, "About what?"
I said, "I get angry." You asked, "When?"
I said, "I hurt." You asked, "Why?"
I said, "I'm depressed." You said, "I care."

You said you would call. I said, "Please do!"
You said you would pray. I knew you would.
You said things will get better. I tried to believe.
You said there is hope, and you wrapped it in a hug.

Today we talked. You listened for both of us.
And as we talked, there was a third voice.
He said, "I care" with your lips.

Something to think about....

2007-07-26T15:31:00.001-05:00

I received this great list today in an email. Good thoughts for life!

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
When you say, "I love you ", mean it.
When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
Say, "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson!
Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone The caller will hear it in your voice.
Spend some time alone.

Break!

2007-07-13T18:06:00.000-05:00

Our family will be spending the next week at the Free Methodist Family Camp. We have been camping every year with them for the last 15 years. It's great to go back "home" and catch back up with old friends. We, as a family, are looking forward to the break from the hustle and bustle of life and have some much needed "fill up time". So, no blogging this next week. Look forward to sharing what God does in our hearts when we get back. It's always a Spirit-filled week.

Sweetly Broken

2007-07-12T17:57:00.001-05:00

This is an incredible song about what God is and does for us....and what our response should be.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE1_l6bGBoI

Transitions and Goodbyes

2007-07-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

It has been an extremely difficult month, hence the reason for the lack of posting here. I have been working two jobs and spent very little time on the computer. It has been a month of hard work and lots of thinking, discussions, praying and seeking God's heart.

We have finally made some decisions and it will mean change for our family. As much as we know this is the direction we are to take and have such a peace about these decisions, the transitions and goodbyes are difficult. I will be posting more about what it will look like in future posts.

For now, I am working for Homeless Outreach Ministry Exchange, which houses the homeless and transition house clients. It is very demanding, but rewarding. My job includes doing the books, working one on one with the women and a little work at the 4 men's houses that we have. We are a faith-based ministry, so I am allowed to talk freely about my faith and share it with them. I am very thankful for these opportunities to present hope in these seemingly hopeless situations.

So, transition and goodbyes are taking place and we covet your prayers as we, as a family, take on new ministry challenges.