Conformed or Transformed?

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...

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 worshi...

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...

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.

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 d...

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 t...