EvangeWoman

Voddie Baucham on Divorce/Remarriage

2010-04-25T15:13:00.002-05:00

This sermon completely changed my presuppositions that I had about divorce and remarriage. Please take a listen:

(Scroll down to the Sermon Audio box and click on the sermon "The Permanence View of Marriage")

The Permanence View of Marriage

Changes.....

2010-02-22T11:11:00.002-06:00

Most of you have probably not noticed that I have not been writing in a while. I really can not believe that it has been nearly 6 months since I have posted anything on my blog. It is not something that was intended but I am always in awe of my God who has different plans than I do.

Throughout the past few months I have been craving my Lord and Savior. That quite frankly has taken time away from writing. However, it has been on my mind since I love to write. The Lord has shown me some incredible things that I still hope to share. In the midst of this learning He has also showed me some things that I have had to relearn. This relearning process has made me be a little bit more careful about the things that I write about. Some of these things he has taught me has had me even go back and adjust some things in some of my previous posts, which I'm sure has gone unnoticed.

As far as future plans with this blog in particular I remain unsure about it for now. I do know that if I continue I will change the direction of this blog and thus that will be the third time I have done so so I want to make sure that I am committed. I want to make sure that I am glorifying God in my writings and not myself. I want to make sure my time is spent wisely in guiding others to Christ which is my full desire more than anything. For I am not awe inspiring in anything I do but my God is....and I want to proclaim that more than anything.

So with that said...bear with me. I will keep you posted depending on the Lord's will and where and how He is going to use me to be a shining light for him.

Blessings in Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria.

How Close to the Edge Can You Get?

2009-08-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

Do You Truly Desire Him?

2009-07-30T10:51:00.001-05:00

You Know You Are An Evangelist....

2009-07-20T11:08:00.003-05:00

From Last Words Radio

You Know You’re An Evangelist…

10. Because every time you take your wife out on a date, you’re secretly scoping out prime open air spots.

9. When you ask for Gospel tracts on your birthday, Christmas, Fathers Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, and the Martin Luther King Jr holiday.

8. When you buy shirts because they have pockets for tracts.

7. Because you lose friends on Facebook on a daily basis.

6. When a character is dying in a movie, you can’t help but hope they hurry and put their faith in Christ.

5. When you take out a home line of credit and convert the cash into dollar bills.

4. When nobody wants to invite you anywhere, because you’re "that guy" who's always sharing the Gospel with everyone.

3. When you hear a Christian say “God bless you” to someone who sneezes, and you ask them if that’s the extent of their friendship evangelism.

2. When you find yourself starting to preach the Gospel to your Sims family.

1. When there are so many tracts, charts, and pieces of open air equipment in the trunk of your car you discover there is no room for the kids.

Luke Warm & Loving It

2009-07-20T10:52:00.003-05:00

Excellent sermon! Watch please!

Is It Legal To Place Tracts in Books?

2009-06-08T10:15:00.002-05:00

The Lawman answers the question on the legality of placing gospel tracts in "Christian" books and/or religious books in the library:

Placing tracts in books is an excellent way to share the Gospel! I encourage those who might be starting out to consider trying this method.

Mark Cahill on Evangelism

2009-05-21T16:58:00.001-05:00

Who Can Find A Virtuous Woman?

2009-05-01T13:19:00.002-05:00

What are you looking for in a relationship? Is it biblical virtue or is it sensuality? Paul addresses this in the clip below:

Paying Fines

2009-04-23T11:35:00.002-05:00

Today I was waiting outside the municipal court to pay my ticket that I had gotten a few weeks ago. I have never been to this court and didn’t really know what to expect! I ended up showing up a little early and the court was not open yet. As I waited for the court to open, I really wasn’t planning on talking to anyone as there wasn’t any one around. In fact, my one-on-ones lately had been few and far between and I had been pleading with God to use me. Then, Anthony, 15, got out of his Mom’s car and stood right next to me and I thought I’m going to talk to him.

I asked him if he had gotten a ticket too and he said yes. When I asked him what for he said he had gotten suspended for fighting at high school. I reached into my purse and handed him a million dollar bill and said, “Hey, read this. This will make you think about what happens when you break God’s law.” He smiled and said that he had gotten one of these before which is something I hear quite a lot lately! I asked him then what he had thought about it when he read it and he said that it made him go to church. I said, “So after reading that you went to church but yet you are still in trouble for fighting?” He kind of smiled.

I asked him then if he knew where he would go when he died and he gave me the typical answer that he was going to heaven because he was a good person.

I said, “Anthony, since you are in high school you are used to taking tests right? Mind if I give you a little test right now to see if you are that good person? You’ve heard of the 10 Commandments right?”

So I took Anthony through the Law and he was guilty of being a liar, thief, blasphemer and adulterer at heart but he still thought he was going to heaven. So I took him through the court of law just as we were somewhat about to do to pay the fines for the laws that we had broken. This made sense to him. Then Anthony got quiet and I could tell the conversation was going to stop there.

We had a little more small talk I learned that he was from Chicago and was planning on moving back there. He also mentioned that he went to church every Sunday with his five brothers and sisters.

I left Anthony pleading with him to think about what we had discussed and I gave him the Mind Game tract as well. Even though my encounter was brief, only the Lord knows what was really going on in his heart as outwardly I could not tell from his expressions but my faith and hope remains in what I can not see.

Lord, bring Anthony to you. Open his eyes so that he will have a change of heart and turn from his sins.

Death To The Sinner's Prayer

2009-04-22T14:08:00.001-05:00

Lord, Grant Me Compassion

2009-03-02T14:00:00.008-06:00

(Repost of 4/07)

A few days ago I received my class of '93 newsletter from Texas A&M. As I was reading the first page, I was really a little surprised at what it said. Obviously lots of my class members have been going through some hard times. It actually mentioned the letters and updates they had been receiving about all the bad news and changes that were taking place. I know it is going on. I see it happening all around me. Divorce, death, people with broken hearts and spirits, and a lot of us walking around with numbness -- no compassion, no feelings. Where has the compassion and down home friendly support gone? I am just as much to blame. Sometimes I can get so caught up in my own world and I just ignore or pretend that there is no one hurting out there. It is too much of an inconvenience to get involved in someone else's problems. Or, when I do, they pull away, which in turn discourages me making me hold back even more.

Our pastor one Sunday even mentioned it. His wife was on her way to take their dog to the vet. She ran out of gas. No one stopped to help. No one. Finally, a Frisco police officer pulled up to offer assistance. She mentioned no one would stop to help her. They were pulling up behind her in the turn lane and honking! He said "Yeah, no one stops to help anymore. They just don't do it."

A couple of months ago, I had just left the hospital from visiting our friend who had surgery. I was feeling an extreme amount of love for mankind that day. The Lord was opening my heart for his people. A feeling of helpfulness came over me. Soon after, I saw a car parked on a side street of a busy road. I thought maybe that person needed help or could use my cell phone. So I pulled up behind the car and stopped. It was an elderly woman who was having problems with her radiator. I offered her my phone but she already had one. We discussed what to do and she finally got her mechanic on the phone. I drove away. She would be fine.

I wasn't able to help much. But I stopped. Something I have never done or least not in a very long while. I just didn't stop for anyone either.

But I stopped.

I think the fact that I recognize my need to offer more compassion and help is God reminding me that he is there to heal the pain and hurting. He is there with arms open wide with more compassion and love than we can ever imagine. I want to cry out to him immediately when a painful memory or situation crosses my path. I don't understand all the reasons that he brings pain. But I do know that it makes us cry out to Him...he wants us to cry out to Him. He is the healer and deliverer of all pain and hurt. And, he reminds me that we will suffer pain. It is part of our growth as believers in Him.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:12-19)

Those verses are powerful. Judgment begins with HIS people. Pain can be judgment from God. I have been in this judgment. I have endured the pain of turning from his ways, even if it seems ever so slight. Most of the time what keeps me on the right track is fear of this pain! The pain that I do endure calls out to me to seek Him with more hunger than ever before.

When Beth or Parker come in with a boo-boo we wash it, kiss it and patch it up and make it all better. This kind of pain is temporary, probably not one that is going to make them cry out to the Lord. Sometimes my compassion in these instances even is lacking because it's not any deep heartfelt pain or suffering. The type that everyone says "time will heal". I want to have compassion in the little things as well as the big things. My love and care with the little "boo-boos" will help me give support when it's needed for much larger ones.

As I pray for the Lord to continue to work compassion in my heart for his hurting people, I rest in His hope. Hope that by our suffering our characters are strengthened for His glory. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

My prayer also is for those that are hurting to reach out to the hope and comfort of our Lord, for His compassion is great.

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." (Lamentations 3:25)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

"Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. Your compassion is great, O Lord; preserve my life according to your laws." (Psalms 119:153-156)

Stupid Evangelism

2009-03-01T13:47:00.002-06:00

The greatest lie in American Christianity is to say the "sinner's prayer" and declare yourself saved. We must stop promoting this!

I Am Repenting But It's Not Working

2009-02-27T12:59:00.000-06:00

Listen, Just Listen

2009-02-23T14:14:00.005-06:00

Are you truly a Christian? Do you want to know for sure?

The Most Important Message You Could Ever Hear

"Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23)

A Lesson In True Conversion

2009-02-04T16:11:00.001-06:00

25 Random Things About Me

2009-01-29T11:37:00.004-06:00

1. When I was growing up I lived on a farm in East Texas. I had to milk the cows before and after school -- well one cow. I would get up at 5 a.m. and call the cows in from the field. One morning my cow wasn't cooperating and I was frustrated. So I did the only logical thing you could do--- I bit her on the ear. I'm not kidding . I bit her. You should have seen the look of surprise on MY face!

2. I've owned and driven about six cars in my life. I drove a small Chevy truck in high school, then a Geo Spectrum (don't ask), a Honda Accord, two Honda Odysseys (death to the mini-van!) and now an Aggie maroon Hyundai Santa Fe.

3. I love Sonic. In fact I go just about every day! A very bad habit I tell you. What do I get? Plain, ole unsweet iced tea with lemon! I can't start my day unless I have a huge 44 oz foam cup in my hand.

4. I stopped drinking diet coke about two plus years ago now. It's one of the reasons I now drink a lot of tea!

5. I have a shoe fetish. No, not that I love to buy shoes but I must be wearing shoes at all times. I never like to go barefoot unless I'm at the beach. Otherwise, shoes must be on my feet at all times preferably with socks.

6. I picked the names of both of my kids when I was in high school. No joking. I'm still amazed by it.

7. I absolutely detest unloading the dishwasher.

8. For some reason, I add random numbers together. If I pass a sign with numbers on it like the speed limit I automatically add them together.

9. I like numbers but I hate math!

10. I am so glad to know there is more required for eternal life than just saying a Christian sinner's prayer. By grace I have repented, become born again and put my trust in my Lord Jesus Christ.

11. I try to leave gospel tracts everywhere I go. One of my favorite places is credit card machines at gas stations, restaurants (like Sonic), and bank ATM's.

12. Everyone should take the Good Person Test (www.thegoodpersontest.com). I did and I failed!

13. I've discovered that I battle sin more now than ever in my life but it doesn't bum me out. It's better to battle it now than to answer for it later. (For more on that see my blog post "Shades of Gray")

14. I love peppermint candies. I pretty much have them with me wherever I go and have withdrawals if I run out.

15. I found the best prayer for true repentance is Psalm 51.

16. I use the 10 commandments in witnessing to bring about the Law in the sinner's eyes to see how they have disgraced God and deserve judgment.

17. I have a huge compassion for the souls of non-believers and false converts.

18. I would absolutely love to go to theological seminary. I would fail but oh, what I would learn! For now, I just listen to courses online.

19. I would also love to go to culinary school and there is no doubt I would really fail that! But boy that would be fun (not failing) but learning more creative things! Guess I'll have to stick with Food Network for now!

20. I lately have been battling some weird physical things going on in my life. I am thankful for my prayer warrior friends who have lifted me up when the hard times call and thankful that the Lord will not leave me or forsake me.

21. One of my favorite prayers to pray is Psalm 51:10-13 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from thy presence, and do not take thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee."

22. I have given away about 20 - 25 copies of two of the greatest books The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort and One Heartbeat Away (English and Spanish) by Mark Cahill.

23. I met hubby Trey in high school but we didn't start dating until after I graduated. In March we celebrate 13 years!

24. My parents used to own a Christian book store/health food store which I worked in all growing up. The things we sold the most of were vitamins and Bibles and frozen yogurt!

25. I love my Lord and Savior more than this life!

Shades of Gray

2009-01-17T13:29:00.005-06:00

What does the life of Christianity hold for the believer? Is it so black and white that there is a dividing line between the struggles of this walk with no gray areas in between?

In today's modern Christianity, people seem consumed by critiquing the lives of Christians who do seem to be struggling in the gray area. I find that those who are weak in biblical understanding do not comprehend why so many Christians can be hurting or struggling with certain problems or sins. They think that so and so must really messed up and they are so amazed at why the struggle seems so difficult and long. They think that after all they are a Christian and they shouldn't be having all these problems. I was of this mindset about myself at one point because I wondered how in the world can I be battling these kinds of things? In my own understanding I concluded that there must be something really wrong with any Christian who could walk in such unjoyful melancholy. I struggled with putting up that perfect image that portrayed unbridled happiness because I was a Christian. To struggle against sin certainly seems like it portrays weakness when in the worldly view all Christians should be strong.

My understanding of this certainly has changed because I know why there is a battle.

Why do we see this struggle? Because we live in a depraved world and we battle sin just like anyone else does. It is a learned process sometimes to believe in the grace of our Lord and Savior. It is part of our sanctification that we learn and grow in this belief and sometimes it does not come easily but through continual prayer and studying the Scripture.

I don't believe that we should walk in constant sorrow by any means. There are countless people of God who battled sin including David who I think is the greatest example of one who went through some very despairing times. He was constantly crying out to God to restore his joy because of his conflicts with sin.

So, we know that Christians do sin. Even Paul in Romans 7 says that he battles with the things that he does not want to because there is ongoing conflict with two natures. This is why we must be careful with how we label Christians. The battles they face can be far and wide but we must remember to show compassion and love for those who are struggling.

For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing that I hate.
(Romans 7:14-15)

A believer does not have the mindset to just chuck sin aside like an unwanted toy. Instead, we set forth to go into battle with our sins. In our own strength it is too hard. We can't stop it ourselves but must receive the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in order to change our minds about our sin. After all, if it looks like it is so easy then how will the sacrifice that He made for our sins be seen and understood? He sacrificed His life for us -- that could not have been an easy task to take on the wrath of God for our sinfulness. The difference now for a believer is that we have the power to resist the sin even if at times it seems daunting and difficult. And, as we grow in our sanctification we will see more of that sinfulness revealed.

In Romans 6 Paul says this:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2)

Paul goes onto say in Romans 6:11 that as believers, we are dead to this sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ. But we must know that because of our depraved situations there will be ongoing battles with our sinful natures. In his article Gospel-Driven Sanctification Jerry Bridges explains it this way:

"But the question arises, 'If I've died to sin's dominion, why do I still struggle with sin patterns in my life?' The answer to that question lies in the word struggle. Unbelievers do not struggle with sin. They may seek to overcome some bad habit, but they do not see that habit as sin. They do not have a sense of sin against a holy God. Believers, on the other hand, struggle with sin as sin. We see our sinful words, thoughts, and deeds as sin against God; and we feel guilty because of it. This is where we must continue to go back to the gospel. To consider ourselves dead to sin is to believe the gospel.

This doesn't mean that we just believe the gospel and live complacently in our sin. Absolutely not! Go back to Paul's words in Romans 6:1-2. We died both to sin's guilt and its dominion. Though sin can wage war against us (hence our struggle), it cannot reign over us. That is also part of the gospel. But the success of our struggle with sin begins with our believing deep down in our hearts that regardless of our failures and our struggle, we have died to sin's guilt. We must believe that however often we fail, there is no condemnation for us (Rom 8:1)."

We must continually lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer who are battling some of life's harder moments and to remind that we are not under the condemnation of sin and darkness instead of criticizing. Because through criticism, whether it is of ourselves or others, we are not showing the love of Christ.

As believers, let's keep our faith in the saving grace of the gospel!

Deluding Influences

2009-01-13T10:45:00.002-06:00

I have written a post on this topic before (And the Wind Doth Blow) and am planning to go further into the topic at some point about hearing God. We do not hear God "in our head" but only from his words in Scripture. Deceit and deception is all around us and we must be warned of that. I am in constant prayer about this for myself as I do not want to be influenced into believing delusions and signs.

In the meantime, here is an article that touches on this topic by Warren Smith.

"Today it is very sad to see so many believers falling under the influence of the same spirit that influenced me when I was in the "new age." This spirit says that it is a time for "breakthroughs" and for the fulfillment of our "destiny"; that there is something "new" and exciting in the wind. This teaching claims that we are in the midst of a great "transition" that will result in a "paradigm shift," and that through "new revelation" and "personal experience" God is in the process of taking the church to a "new dimension" and to a whole "new level." Many Christian leaders these days are so sure that what they are hearing and experiencing is from God, they are rarely testing the spirits, or even considering the possibility that they are being deceived."

(From Christians Under the Influence of Another Spirit by Warren Smith at Lighthouse Trails Research)

I Grew Up A "Christian"

2009-01-06T12:03:00.007-06:00

I have always wanted to do a post on my testimony but I couldn't quite put into words anything about it. I think probably because some part of me was still shocked that I had called myself a real Christian.

See, I did grow up in a Christian home. I did all the "right" things. No smoking, drinking, cussing, and I hardly dated at all until after high school and I didn't participate in the things that "dating" included either. I was a good person with a good heart. However, now I know my definition of good did not meet up with biblical standards. My parents owned a Christian book store that I worked in all through high school. I felt that it was very important to keep up the image that I should be portraying Christ in every word and manner. And I did. I kept up with the image because I thought I needed to. But there was no sense of sincere conviction in my life. No sense of who Jesus is and what He had done for me. When I did do something that I felt was particularly bad I would just feel bad about it and move on. There was no feeling of true repentance and utter distaste for sin. I still longed to do what everybody else was doing and I told myself that I was a better Christian because I didn't follow through with all of those actions. How bogus I was! I knew what God did for me. I believed it. I longed for others to have that closeness and understanding with me. But that was just it. I did it for me. I didn't do it for the glory of God.

In college I believe that God worked more diligently with me. I did continue to grow and learn about the things of the Lord. But I still wasn't regenerated into a new person. My understanding was still very shallow.

Until just a few years ago, I was still on this path until God really moved my heart and began to show me that I wasn't such a great person after all. He shook me to the core and my walk and my talk has not been the same since. He literally broke me and it was my questioning and crying out to Him as to what He was doing that eventually changed me. My heart is different. My outlook on sin is completely different. My hope and my compassion for others has truly changed. Even now, He is still working with me in quite a few areas. But my understanding of what is required to enter the kingdom of heaven is quite different than what I thought I understood about it years ago.

If you have a few minutes (the video is about 17 minutes and well worth the time) watch the following testimony of Susan Yenser. She is a basketball player with the University of Florida. As I was listening to her testimony I was floored at how similar to mine it was. Towards the end of the video she says so many people thought she was crazy because she had always proclaimed that she was a Christian and now she was denouncing that and saying no NOW she really is a Christian. This describes me to a tee. Self-righteously, and I see this a lot in modern Christianity, it is hard to admit that I am really just a filthy rag and no amount of labeling or church-going or looking like a "Christian" will change any of that.

God says that He will give us a new heart. One that despises sin and wants to put on the new self. Perhaps you are in that place and are not quite comfortable with where you are. You feel like something is out of place and you are not feeling like God has your whole heart. You might be right. Examine your life. Pray that God places the desire in your heart to truly turn to Him. Pray that He grows that desire stronger in your life everyday and that He creates in you a clean heart. As Susan mentions in her testimony, you might find that you are battling sin even more as God begins the sanctification process in you. I find this to be absolutely and honestly very painfully true as God works in my life to expose the areas of darkness.

I am eternally grateful that the Lord had me examine my life and that I listened. I am praising Him for choosing me and supernaturally changing me!

Please watch the video!

What is God Going to do In 2009?

2009-01-02T13:49:00.005-06:00

He went out, not knowing whither he went.
(Hebrews 11:8)

"Have you been ‘out’ in this way? If so, there is no logical statement possible when anyone asks you what you are doing. One of the difficulties in Christian work is this question—‘What do you expect to do?’ You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing. Continually revise your attitude towards God and see if it is a going out of everything, trusting in God entirely. It is this attitude that keeps you in perpetual wonder—you do not know what God is going to do next. Each morning you wake it is to be a ‘going out,’ building in confidence on God. “Take no thought for your life, . . . nor yet for your body”—take no thought for the things for which you did take thought before you ‘went out.’

Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do; He reveals to you Who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you go out in surrender to him until you are not surprised an atom at anything He does?

Suppose God is the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him, what an impertinence worry is! Let the attitude of the life be a continual ‘going out’ in dependence upon God, and your life will have an ineffable charm about it which is a satisfaction to Jesus. You have to learn to go out of convictions, out of creeds, out of experiences, until, so far as your faith is concerned, there is nothing between yourself and God."

FROM: My Utmost For His Highest: Selections for the year (January 2)

Real Self-Esteem

2009-01-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

NOTE: This is a repost of one of my favorite posts in 2008. If you haven't seen it take a moment to watch it.

Blessings to all of you in this new year! May we continue to seek after our Lord and Savior and to hit the pavement to bring the lost to Him in 2009.

You have probably guessed by now that I am a fan of Paul Washer -- I should say that I am more of a fan of the truth. When I listen to Paul preach my eyes are wide open and my mouth is SHUT.

This video is approximately 7 minutes.

I dare you to watch all of it.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T13:27:00.004-06:00

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away,

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing,

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday!

HT: Heart For the Lost

Constant Examination

2008-12-16T12:45:00.001-06:00

There are times when I am reminded of my own sinfulness through the sinful actions and comments of others. I am greatly disheartened by those who proclaim Christianity but by their words and actions they completely deny our Lord and Savior.

Upon further scrutiny of my own character and because of the tremendous work that the Lord has been doing, I have to work extra hard at not adding to that sin by some distasteful thought or act of pride within myself. But I do know this, the more and more the Lord works with my heart the less that I want to satisfy my own flesh.

The difference is how quickly do we recognize the sin and what do we do about it?

This is why those who proclaim to be Christians and those that really are should be in a constant state of examination. Am I really a child of God? Am I sincerely portraying the character and holiness of Christ in my actions, words, thoughts and deeds? We may think that we own the ordinances of God but if we don't do them then we are no Christian indeed. Or, we lay out the excuses such as I know I'm filling my mind with this but it's okay I'm not actually doing any of it.

I am amazed how easily it can be for some "Christians" to change gears so quickly. They can talk about how they had a wonderful prayer group today and then in the next sentence describe a whole episode of Desperate Housewives. This kind of consistent behavior is not Christian. If we are not uniformly putting to death the deeds of the flesh and are not sickened by it then we are in need of examination of our ways. Consciously, we know that the items of the world and the items of living for the Lord do not belong together in the same bag. Yet, to our ultimate destruction we choose to ignore our conscience and continue in what satisfies our flesh.

M. Meade wrote in 1661 in his treatise titled Almost A Christian,

"Whatsoever a man’s state be, whether he be altogether a Christian or not, yet it is good to examine his own heart. If he finds his heart good, his principles right and sound, this will be a matter of rejoicing. If he finds his heart rotten, his principles false and unsound, the discovery may be in order to a renewing. If a man have a disease upon him and know it, he may send to the physician in time, but what a sad vexation it will be not to see the disease till it be past cure! So for a man to be graceless and not see till it be too late, to think himself a Christian when he is not; that he is in the right way to heaven when he is in the ready way to hell, and yet not know it till a death bed or a judgment day confute his confidence, this is the most irrecoverable misery. These are the grounds upon which I press this duty of examining our state. Oh, that God would help us in doing this necessary duty!"

How do we know then if we are the real deal? If we are truly conforming our lives to mirror that of Christ, if we loathe sin and things of the world and everything it represents, if we believe in the true gospel then so we will be living it. We make an effort to live in obedience. We know that the Lord's grace and sanctification is at work because there is tremendous change that grows daily and doesn't fade. We strive to obey all the commands and not just one or two and yet we understand that it is not the work of keeping the commandments that saves us but the grace of God who has done a supernatural work in us to change our hearts. This change compels us to live in holiness. We have a hunger and thirst after righteousness which reflects in our concern and compassion for the state of others; these are signs that we are living in true Christianity.

Meade concludes,

"Ah, my brethren, it is better to have a conscience never quiet than quieted any way but by the blood of sprinkling. A good conscience is the greatest affliction to the saints, and an evil conscience, quiet, is the greatest judgment to sinners."

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Let us not quench the conscience in our daily walk. Let us continually examine our lives and actions from top to bottom to make sure that we are remaining in the faith, or wanting no surprises on the day that we meet him face to face, that we are even walking in faith at all.

Witnessing About Wrath

2008-12-11T10:50:00.001-06:00

Ingrid at Slice of Laodicea had a post up about Beth Moore commenting that she did not think that the wrath of God should be mentioned in witnessing. Here's a portion of her comment.

"Towards the end of her commentary she (Beth Moore) states that she does not think that using warnings about the wrath of God is the best way to witness. She feels that the love of God and what God “brings to our lives” in our failures, etc. is a better way to share Christ."

What? Isn't the gospel about the fact that God poured out his wrath on His own son so that our sins would be covered? How do our "failures" explain away the consequences of sin? We fail because we are sinners! We can't witness without explaining how we deserve God's wrath should we choose not to repent of our sins and believe and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. God does love us all. But his wrath will be poured out on those who do not walk the narrow way.

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)
So here's where all the naysayers can have hope...those that proclaim that all the evangelicals talk about is gloom and doom. The good news is this....even though we deserve God's wrath that fine has been paid! And it is a free gift. There is nothing we can do to try and make it work. It works because of God's merciful grace.

This is why the God loves you message isn't sufficient information for our sinful natures. It doesn't tell people that they are sinners much less what sins to repent of!

The book of Romans is one of the best places to get an understanding of the wrath the Lord has in store.

"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds." (Romans 2:5-6)
The Bible is full of verses regarding how the Lord is going to pour out his wrath on the unrighteous. There are even descriptions of how the Lord pours out his wrath on believers to chasten and discipline us. Just read the Psalms...it is full of heart wrenching prayers to God by David to lighten the wrath and discipline on him due to his sinful activities.

I love to use the courtroom analogy when witnessing. It paints the perfect picture of a loving and just judge of righteousness. Say that you committed a crime and you are standing before the judge about to receive sentencing. Before the sentence is proclaimed, you are pleading with the judge and saying how sorry you are for the crimes that you committed and that you truly are a good person. Would the judge be "just" if he let you off the hook because you are sorry? No, he wouldn't. Somebody has to pay for the crimes that were committed. This is the just and fair punishment that is deserved.

So there you are about to receive your sentencing. In walks a stranger that you don't know. He says that he will give up his life and everything he owns to pay your fine for you. What would you think of that person? You would owe him your life and want to get to really know who this person is! And, that is what Jesus did! He gave up everything to take our ugly sins so that we could be forgiven and free from the chains of sin forever!

And to accept that gift we have to die to self...we have to be born again into the kingdom of the Lord.

Let's remember to keep the whole gospel when witnessing and not give half of the story. This is how false converts are bred. We know that the true gospel offends. But it's better to be offended than to lose your soul forever.

Let us keep praying for our lost friends.

Read full post here.

Try Jesus For 60 Days

2008-12-05T12:48:00.004-06:00

Recently, Rick Warren proclaimed on the Hannity and Colmes program that everyone needs to try Jesus for 60 days and if he doesn't do something for them that he will give them their money back.

So, Rick, what are we to do when it really doesn't work out for these people in 60 days?

God did not come to deliver us into health, wealth and prosperity. He came to deliver us from hell.

Where is the gospel? Where is it?

This is why people are "trying" God and when he doesn't work out it's so long Jesus.

Why can't we just encourage people in the gospel? Why does our God have to be shaped and formed into everybody's "friend"? He is a holy God who demands our obedience and submission! He is not standing around giving hand outs to whoever wants a sample.

Our hope is in the gospel for a lifetime....not for 60 days.

Naughty or Nice?

2008-12-03T12:32:00.004-06:00

I love this tract to pass out during Christmas time. I have all ready started handing out to everyone at the mall, stashing on cars and anywhere!

Front of Card: Which list are you on? Place your thumb on the red bulb and leave it there for five seconds. If you've been good the red will fade. Back of Card: Sorry . . . you're just like the rest of us. The dictionary says "good" is to be "morally excellent." Let's check the standard the Ten Commandments, to see how far we fall short: Is God first in your life? Do you love Him with "heart, mind, soul and strength?" Have you made a god to suit yourself? Have you used His name in vain? Have you always honored your parents? Have you lied (including "fibs"), stolen (the value is irrelevant), or coveted other people's possessions? If you are honest, you know you will be guilty on the Day of Judgment. God, however, doesn't want to send you to Hell. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, so you could go free. That's how much God loves you. We broke God's Law, but Jesus paid our fine. Then He rose from the grave. If you repent (turn away from all the things you know are wrong) and trust in Him, God will forgive your sins and grant you everlasting life. Begin by reading your Bible daily (start with the book called John) and obey what you read. God will never let you down. For more information please visit: www.YouGotOurTract.com

You can order this one through One Million Tracts and they are on sale right now!

Don't pass up the holidays to reach others for the Lord. It is the best time especially in these challenging economic times. People are crying out for Jesus.

Let's get to them while there is still time.

Is Your Evangelism God Centered?

2008-11-23T15:40:00.001-06:00

Sally Sunshine

2008-11-21T13:30:00.003-06:00

NOTE: I originally posted Sally Sunshine over a year ago! Wow! Since then I have been thinking of making it or something like it into a tract. Obviously, a gospel message needs to be added. What do you think??

Sally Sunshine had a pretty normal life. Nothing too great and nothing too bad. She was happy with how things were going. Nothing much to worry about and not many fires to put out. She figured that she had a pretty good perspective on life and what she thought the future would hold for her.

The days and weeks that went by were filled with the normal things, work, marriage and an occasional night out on the town.

And so was the life of Sally Sunshine.

On Monday she got up excited for another day at work to get things done. She put on her Jesus shirt and got ready for work. This morning she was out of milk for her coffee. Oh well, she would grab a cup of coffee from 7-11 on her way to work this morning. All in all it was a great day even though she had to work a little later than usual.

On Tuesday, she was a little tired and stole a few more minutes of sleep before she crawled out of bed. She burned her toast for breakfast and still didn’t have any milk. She had forgotten that she had a dentist appointment later this afternoon. She may have to just cancel it – too much work to do. She put on her Jesus shirt and headed to work.

Wednesday was welcomed by a loud thunderstorm and sheets of pouring rain. Great, she thought, it will take me forever to get to work today. She hurriedly put on her Jesus shirt and rushed to get in her car – only to find that she had a flat tire. Terrific, this day just couldn’t get any worse. Her husband was out-of-town again so she called a neighbor to see if she could get some help. Luckily, she was able to get the tire fixed and off to work even though she was quite late. Today, maybe it was the weather, but she felt lonely and tired. All day she just felt miserable. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something was out of place.

Thursday was a terrible day for Sally Sunshine. Nothing seemed to go right. A client called very annoyed with something that wasn’t even her fault. Her boss blamed her too and told her so. She went home exhausted. When she got home she discovered that her dog was not feeling too well. He had thrown up all over the carpet. Her husband called and said that he would be late again and not to wait up. It seemed like he was never home anymore. She wondered what was going on. She wondered what was happening to her normal, happy life.

Friday couldn’t come fast enough. She was so glad it was almost the weekend. She put on her Jesus shirt once again. When she got to work her boss met her at the door. “We need to talk.” Sally went into her office and was horrified to hear that her position with the company may be cut. There was some financial difficulty and she may only have a matter of days left. She could go ahead and take the rest of the day off. They would call her soon and let her know if she would be able to come back. Sally was upset. How could things turn out like this? Nobody cares she thought. Where was this perfect, happy and peaceful life that was promised to her? Sally was sad. Some things are going to have to change. She even thought that she might change her name.

Sally Sunshine went home. When she walked in the door she saw her dog on the floor. He was dead.

Sally slowly took off her Jesus shirt and threw it in the trash. It just wasn’t working. There was no way that he would let this stuff happen to her. She didn’t believe he loved her anymore. She was angry. It just wasn’t fair.

Poor Sally. She was not identifying with Jesus. She didn’t know that Jesus came not to give her a better life but to save her from the wrath to come. To save her from hell.

She was only putting him on hoping for a better life…when he didn’t work for her…she just threw him away.

Poor

poor

Sally.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)

Laugh Of The Day

2008-11-21T13:02:00.000-06:00

There is something rather humbling about giving a million dollar tract to the cashier guy that just rang up two boxes of feminine pads!

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
Psalm 5:11

Keeping Christ In Christmas

2008-11-20T17:00:00.002-06:00

I am entering a contest posted by my friend Sunny at A Damsel No Longer in Distress and even though I am entering the last day I am thrilled that the Lord has all ready moved me to be sharing the gospel!

I hope and encourage you all to pray about doing the same thing!

The rules are for me to answer the following questions:

At what age did you recognize you were in need of a Savior?
Very young, don't even remember my age!

Who shared the Gospel with you (you don't have to share names unless you just want to)?
My parents!

What was your first reaction when you heard the Gospel for the first time?
I was happy!

How long did it take you to understand Jesus is the only Savior, repent and trust Him with your life?
Minutes I tell you minutes!

How often do you share the Gospel with others?
Every day!

What plans do you have to become more committed to sharing salvation in Christ with others?

I have no plans in my fleshy flesh.....but the Lord does and his plans are for good in this area that is for sure and I look so forward to it!

What scares you the most about sharing the Gospel and what Scriptures have helped you overcome those fears?

It is funny the things that I have fear about and this is not one of them! Praise God!!

Deep In Love With You

2008-11-07T11:24:00.002-06:00

I recently got the new Michael W. Smith CD "A New Hallelujah". This is one of the songs on it. It couldn't be more of a description of how I want to please my Lord and Savior who saved me and makes me whole. I love you Lord! My Abba! Father!

"God Moves In A Mysterious Way"

2008-10-28T12:25:00.010-05:00

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up his bright designs
And works his sovereign will.

You fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
"God Moves In A Mysterious Way"
(William Cowper, 1774)

Just A Tractin'

2008-10-25T10:47:00.006-05:00

(Above is image of Mind Game tract available at Living Waters.)

My Father in heaven, today I pray for the several people that you created that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and give tracts to this week. I pray for the cashiers at McDonalds, the young teenager who was behind me in line at the drive-thru that I paid for her breakfast, the cashiers at the mall, at the grocery store, and the other tracts that I placed around for others to find.

Lord, use them to open the eyes of their hearts to the saving and loving grace of your gospel. Use them to bring them to true repentance and to cry out for you.

Please continue to use me to do your will. Help me to keep my eyes on you and not go by what I see.

Thank you for your lovingkindness and mercy.

Just Words

2008-10-13T11:25:00.004-05:00

I read this post a while ago on Steve Camp's blog: CampOnThis. I hope to have more on this subject but wanted to preface it with this excellent post.

Here's a piece of it:

"A few years ago I was ministering in concert at a prominent Midwest Christian college. During the concert of about 2,500 people attending, a young man stood up in the middle of the auditorium and shouted to me, "Brother Steve, I have a word from the Lord for you." Taken a bit back by his rudeness, but impressed with his courage, I asked him politely, "OK, what Bible verse did you want to share with me?" He said, "Oh no, this is a word directly from God for you personally." I said back to him, "I know every verse is penned by the Lord--it is all directly from Him to us... So what Bible verse did you want to share with me?" Becoming more and more frustrated at his inability to 'woo' me to his words of "divine revelation," I finally agreed to let him speak with one condition (and believe me, I was being generous in letting it go this far); I told him, "Everything you say must agree perfectly with God's final revelation in His Word. If anything you say, no matter how trivial, disagrees with Scripture, then I will have to rebuke you in front of all these people and then we will all have to take you outside and stone you to death!" With those ground rules stated, he thought for a moment and then said these profound words, "Maybe it was a feeling I had?" I said, "Good answer man--now sit down."

Read full post here.

The Time Is Here

2008-10-11T16:25:00.004-05:00

Ever thought about something that you know would be happening in this country eventually?

Well, the time is here. It's happening now.

How much longer will we tolerate?

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, chaving a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:1-7).

A Thought For Today

2008-09-30T12:44:00.005-05:00

In the midst of a thousand bombarding thoughts today that just don't want to seem to end I am teary-eyed. Teary-eyed for souls. And it's really not any different from any other day lately. My heart cries out for the lost. For the unsaved. When God begins to work He doesn't do it in a small way. In fact, He has literally been breaking me. Breaking me from my earthly lusts and filling me with a hunger for Him. In the midst of this brokenness He is growing an unspeakable love for others the kind that He has.

It is most indescribable.

I continue to ache and to hurt for those that just don't see it. My eyes well with tears and concern for the countless lost souls that don't know my God. Those that love Him with their lips but their actions are far from Him. Those that sit in the church pews thinking everything else but about our precious Lord and Savior. Those that have turned away because He just hasn't done anything for them lately.

My heart aches for the people that I have encountered that refuse to have anything to do with me because I dare to tell the truth. Am I so big of a person that nothing will phase me, nothing will bring me down? No. I am not big. But my God and my Savior is and it is His work that I so long to be done through me. I long for freedom from fear and I cry out for the endurance to keep the faith and continue to set out to do what He has commanded and to warn the lost no matter the cost.

He shapes me. He molds me. His work is not complete.

Tagged, Again!

2008-09-16T10:30:00.005-05:00

A friend just informed me that I've been tagged! Okay, so it's been a while since I was tagged before which is probably a good thing but I do welcome the "break"! Let's see now if I can come up with eight new things but I may have to borrow a few from previous tag!

And, I won't be able to follow the rules totally! See, same as last time I was tagged nobody I know except my great college friend Lisa and those that all ready tag me have a blog! And, nearly every one I tagged didn't respond anyway. What party poopers!! So, Lisa sorry to do this to ya again! You can skip it if ya want....but Lisa you are tagged! And if some other readers want to do this....please feel free! We would love to know more about you!

Here's the rules:
-- Post eight random facts/habits about yourself. Choose eight others to "tag", and include the guidelines in your post.

-- Let your "taggees" know they've been tagged!

-- Enjoy learning more about your cyber-sisters/brothers.

Here we go:

1. I love to leave tracts everywhere I go. One of my favorite places lately is in credit card machines at restaurants (Sonic is a good one), gas stations, and bank ATM's. You don't have to get creative about leaving tracts! Just put them where ever you are. Yesterday I ran out of one of my most favorite tracts that fits perfectly in the ATM's. It's called the Smart Card and you can get it, as well as countless others, at Living Waters. It makes my day brighter to know that someone may be brought closer to coming to the Lord just by reading a tract!

2. I believe this nation is at a pivotal point. The outcome of this upcoming election I think will reveal a lot about where the Lord is with patience towards us. We all should be on our knees praying that God heals our land and opens the eyes of our people. Our hearts should ache for the countless souls headed to hell.

3. I absolutely love this video that was posted at The Lawman Chronicles. It is a great indicator of where my heart is right now -- to seek and save the lost while there is still time. I definitely look at faces a lot more know. The love that I have for people and the condition of their souls is very important to me. Please watch:

4. While I still have a strong desire to evangelize, God recently has, for a time, been slowing me down from this task. There are several of my acquaintances that are in this same position. Why? Because He is in the process of teaching ME how to be a Christian. While this task will be ongoing until the end, there are some things that I am having to relearn per se. I hope to be doing more posts on this topic eventually.

5. Spiritual warfare. It is out there. Let's train ourselves to be on the alert for the prowling enemy. I am astonished at how much discipline this takes and how inept I have been at pinpointing this as an issue in my daily battles. We are either giving the enemy too much power or we or not focusing on training ourselves to be victorious with the tools that the Lord has provided! More to come on this topic too, I hope!

6. I have given away about 15 - 20 copies of one of the greatest books I have ever read called Way of the Master. I am about to order more and will be handing these out freely again to those that desire to know more about the Lord and His Gospel message and truly want to seek and save the lost. If you haven't read this book I suggest that you do! What is more important to you, your well being with the Lord or an episode of the worldly Desperate Housewives?

7. I just got a new BlackBerry (thanks Mom!)! Wow, how did I ever function without one of these! And, I didn't even sign up for the email capabilities (yet!). Thank the Lord for his wonderful blessings!

8. And last but not least, I wanted to let everyone know that I have the greatest Mom in the world! She raised me to seek after the Lord with my whole heart and I wanted to thank her for planting that seed that is growing strong due to her constant support, prayers and encouragement. What a great thing to see a Mom that loves the Lord with her whole heart through every blessing and struggle. Thank you for standing firm. I love you Mom!

Blessings to all!

Losing Control

2008-09-03T11:05:00.000-05:00

Today I am losing control.

I am letting go and letting loose. Finally, I'm seeing it. The control that I want to have of my own life. I see how I want to grip it and squeeze it and shape it into what I think it should look like. I want to wake up and have every day go a certain way. I don't want any hardships, struggles or conflicts. I want it to look perfect even when it's not.

But not anymore. I am losing control.

Discovering new things about yourself can be surprising but sometimes it is not. You know that thing about yourself is in the closet but I don't want to take it out and wear it...even though really I am wearing it. Each day I cinch it around my waist tighter and tighter. I don't want to take it off because it's seemingly holding up my life. I am comfortable with it. I can make it do what I want but I don't dare take it off.

Sometimes God can use the simplest things to reveal the strongholds in my character. A spark of a revelation that takes you somewhat by surprise. You knew something was there that was hindering your closeness and fellowship with the Lord but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. When the revelation comes it's like a new dawn has opened up your heart and exposed it for what it is. This is what I wrestle with. Knowing that there are so many things left to be exposed and I shudder at the thought of it. My fear of God moves me on to be thankful that He is exposing these weaknesses and areas of control.

Lately, one of my prayers has been for strength and endurance. Sometimes the Lord answers in a way that you least expect. While I waited for strength and endurance to come I expected it to crash over me like a wave so that I could feel it, soak it in and rest in it. Instead, God brought trials, although as simple they may seem to some, they ravished me exposing the rotten core on the inside. See, when I was praying for endurance the trials are what he used to bring that to fruition. This of course would not have been my plan of action. That's where I wanted full control.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
(Romans 5:3-5)
I am discovering that not exulting in tribulations can bring unwanted stress. Instead of concentrating on rejoicing through my trials I tend to concentrate on the problem. After all it is human nature to do that isn't it? When I can't control it the way I want it to I begin to worry about how I am going to "fix" the problem instead of relying on God to carry the burden. It can be very difficult when I'm in this situation just to throw it all out there and let God handle it. I am still learning about this process. Although I know to do it sometimes I just don't know always how to do it and this is where feverish and unceasing prayer surface. What I do know that keeps my hope alive in Him is that He will not let his work go unfinished in me!

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
I look forward with open heart and humbleness to that completed work in my life!

What a joy it is to have my Lord and Savior
directing my steps!

The Supremacy of "ME"

2008-08-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

I think this video is the most incredible five minutes I've ever seen. I am so grateful that the Lord is showing me his omnipotent, sovereign and merciful character and that I get it!

Please watch this by Voddie Baucham:

Open Mind Means Closed Bible

2008-08-24T15:56:00.013-05:00

I don't have an open mind regarding the book "The Shack". I stand by my suggestion and pleading that professing Christians should not entertain this book.

Here is a thorough review on it:

Tim Challies Book Review of The Shack

HT: Heart For The Lost

And the Wind Doth Blow

2008-08-16T15:39:00.001-05:00

***REPOST of post dated February 2008***

The kids have missed two soccer practices and half of another because it has been really windy here in the past couple of weeks. You could barely get out of the car without the wind blowing the car door back on you and crushing part of your body. While I was picking up Beth from school one day I noticed a bird that was lazily “enjoying” the wind. First he would fly a little forward only to be pushed back by the wind. Then, he seemed to give up and be content floating along wherever the breeze would take him. His wings stopped fighting what he couldn’t resist long enough to just float along.

It reminded me of something the Lord has been showing me. Something that is still sinking in. Something that if left untethered can become dangerous.

A while back some of you may recall a post I did on my allergies (I removed this post months ago). I had decided to see a doctor that I thought the Lord was leading me to. I had felt clearly that this is what the Lord was going to allow to help me in this area that had become quite a “thorn in my side.” The methods she used were interesting, not utilizing medication, which I did not want to consider. Things moved along okay. It was getting expensive but I felt it was helping...until she suggested I watch a DVD called The Secret. Then, instantly, I knew that I had made a mistake. I knew that God and not told me to see this doctor. I had listened to my own thoughts, my own ideas, my own agenda of how I wanted it done. And, I was deceived. I immediately stopped going to this doctor. Looking back I see now that I was going down the road associated with New Age doctrine and mysticism. It was clearly not directed by the Lord.

I was extremely grateful the Lord had placed this caution on my heart. As the weeks moved on, it didn’t stop there. I realized how easily one can be swayed by teachings, books, and even today's Bibles that are manmade paraphrases of what they think the Lord is saying. I began praying for wisdom and discernment. I began research on doctrines, book reviews and false teachings. I was alarmed at how easily, for a time, I could have been seriously swayed by false teachings and doctrine. Since then, I have thrown several books that I owned into the trash. When I compared what some authors are writing with the Word of God it did not add up. It sounds good on the surface and made me “feel better” for a time. I have since learned that what I read needs to be carefully assessed to see if it lines up with the word of God. There are some mindsets of mine that I am still working on the Lord changing because it was everything that my flesh wanted to hear.

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (Ephesians 4:11-14).

...I will no longer buy books by "famous Christian" authors without careful prayer and research into what they truly believe.

In scripture, we are warned that there will be false doctrine by people who say they are Christians. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). This is why I will no longer buy books by “famous Christian” authors without careful prayer and research into what they truly believe. This can be hard when it seems everyone is in agreement with everything that is out there. If it is mainsteam and tickles the itching ears then it is probably not the full gospel of the Bible.

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths"(2 Timothy 4:3-4).

So how do you know? Pray for discernment. Pray that the Lord would give you a heart like the Bereans in Acts who carefully studied the scriptures to make sure everything Paul was preaching to them was true (Acts 17:11). Carefully and scrupulously compare what you think is true lines up with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If they are teaching the love of God, are they also teaching about the wrath and judgment of God? Are they teaching repentance? Are they teaching that we are saved by faith through grace and not of works? Are the thoughts taken in context with the whole Word of God or is a verse carefully selected to support what the author is saying?

We are living in an age of deception. Be aware of what is going on out there. Pray that you are not deceived! Read and study the Word of God daily.

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith"(1 Timothy 1:3).

To Evangelize or Not

2008-08-14T11:13:00.004-05:00

Leon Brown of Evangelism Team has a great post on evangelism being something that we as Christians pick and choose if we want to do it or not.

Quoting Leon Brown:

"We are all called to share our faith in some capacity; and while everyone may not be open air preaching, everyone is required to "preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).

Inside our churches, however, this does not seem to be the case. It is quite possible that you are one of the few that actively shares your faith. When you request to have people go out with you, only one shows up, or maybe even none. While that is sad, there's good news!

Praise God for that one that showed up, and praise God if you're the only one. You are being obedient to your Maker! What you must not do is be like Martha and complain. Allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify His Church through your obedience (because people see you), and allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify His Church through your edification and encouragement to the people whom reside in your local body. But again, and I cannot stress this enough...never complain about it."

Read full post here.

From: Leon Brown's Blog

Praying the Scriptures

2008-08-13T11:42:00.002-05:00

“Father, grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of yourself. Please, don’t leave me to myself. I am so worldly. My thoughts and feelings are so unspiritual. I scarcely feel any awe or trembling or sense of spiritual beauty or sweetness or glory. Have mercy and by your Spirit awaken in me a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that when I read or hear your wisdom and your revelation I will have ears to hear and eyes to see the wonder of it (Psalm 119:8).”

From: desiringGod (Ministry of John Piper)

Amazed

2008-08-07T10:50:00.001-05:00

Are you amazed anymore?

Open Book

2008-08-03T11:48:00.009-05:00

My daughter recently witnessed me reading my Bible and mentioned that I must really love God because I was always reading my Bible. My heart was warmed to hear that and was glad that I could be some kind of example to her in that manner.

The next week, the lady that helps me clean my house told me that she never knew anybody that had faith like I did. I took that as a great compliment too. Once again, it was great to have encouragement from someone that hardly knows you. To be an example is something I struggle with daily and it was nice to see that some work the Lord was doing was paying off to someone that you least expected to notice.

But little do they know. Little do they know how difficult it is sometimes to concentrate on growing my faith. How hard it is sometimes to wrestle with my flesh and sinful desires and thoughts. They don't really know that I get discouraged and down right overwhelmed. They would probably be surprised to hear my prayers. The ones that are full of whining and complaining. The ones that are full of fear and doubt. The ones that wail to God with loneliness and despair. The ones that you don't want anyone to see the weakness but it shows forth anyway with vengeance because I wear it on my sleeve. The ones where I question my faith all together and wonder if I have any faith at all anymore.

"He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who 'do business in great waters', these see His 'wonders in the deep'. Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God's greatness and loving-kindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did His servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you." --Charles Spurgeon

In the midst of my struggles, if I had remained in the shallow waters I wouldn't have cried out to God. I wouldn't have needed to and thus I wouldn't have received the knowledge that He is pouring upon me now. God's timing is so precise and perfect! Thank goodness that my life is an open book to the Lord. It's all laid out there and He can see every word of it. He can see that although I can struggle at times I am desperately seeking Him. I am trying to learn how to believe and have more faith. Nothing escapes our Lord as He knows the innermost workings of my heart and thoughts (Psalm 94:11). To some that is a scary notion but to me it is comforting because He knows where my heart is and what it is really seeking after. Even so, there is much work to be done. He will melt me with fire to purify me so that I can share in His righteousness.

Remember the Israelites after they had been freed from slavery in Egypt? There was no rejoicing in their freedom. No thankfulness for the God who freed them and was leading them into the Promised Land. The Lord said that they were just wailing on their beds and not crying out to Him. Boy, what a fine pack of people huh? You wouldn't want to be around that group with a ten-foot pole. Oh, but alas -- if you looked closely and probably not very hard -- I'd be right there with them! I'd be the one throwing up my hands and wailing on my bed!

Recently I was reading Matthew 8:26. The disciples are on a boat with Jesus who is sleeping when a sudden storm comes up and fear grips them. I can see them with wide eyes watching the waves and the storm all around them as fear wants to gobble them up. They hurriedly awaken Jesus who asks them,"Why are you fearful, O you of little faith." Jesus then rebukes the wind and the seas and I love what happens next -- there was a great calm. What goes through my head when I read that is boy those disciples were so lucky! All they had to do was go wake up Jesus who was right there on the boat with them! Yet they still had no faith! We are in good company are we not?

In his book Running Scared**, author Edward T. Welch says this, "When we complain, we hold him in contempt. The white lies we tell are against the God of truth. The anger we display is murderous toward others and stands in judgment of God himself. And it is not just what we do that is so serious; it is also what we don't do. We don't love God and neighbor with our whole heart. In our spiritual indifference we can go for days thinking that our personal interests are paramount; that is, we forget God. When there is persistent sin, there is no fear of God (Rom 3:18)."

Through it all the Lord is teaching me to trust in Him and not in my fears and worries and the fruitless opinions of others. My interests for my life are not important. It all boils down to conquering sin. Concentrating on my fear and worry makes me look inward to myself as I feed off the insecurities. After a while it's all I know. And that makes it a lot harder to look up. The Israelites never battled their sin and were never were allowed into the Promised Land. If they were truly pursuing God, then they would have been very concerned about the sin in their life. That is what it is ALL about.

Here is what Welch says about sin, "The reality is that the Spirit convicts of sin. One piece of evidence of kingdom life is that you will see more sin, not less. Outside the kingdom of heaven, there is no concern about sin. That doesn't mean that unbelievers are so bad; it means that they are indifferent to the fact that their sin is against God. They hide the more shameful sins, but they don't do battle with them. When you are brought into the kingdom of light, you both see sin and, for the first time, get in a battle with it. The battle means you are alive."

What I trust in most is what I want to hang onto. But I am letting go.

Slowly. Surely. I am. I will. The work He has started in me will be complete.

And my hope is in my God who works all things for good to those who trust in Him.

Lord, I am an open book. Rewrite the chapters. Make me a best seller for your Kingdom.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them (Col 3:1-7).

**I recommend: Running Scared

Blessed Are The PeaceMAKERS

2008-07-16T14:30:00.005-05:00

Guest Lane Chaplin on Slice of Laodicea posted this on how we are called to be peacemakers and not peacekeepers. Listen to the sermon by Mark Kielar of First Baptist Church of Boynton Beach. It is an absolutely fabulous point on what exactly being a peacemaker is about. I encourage all those who are sharing their faith to take some time to listen to this one hour sermon.

Here is an excerpt from the post Blessed are the PeaceMAKERS (Not the PeaceKEEPERS):

"One of the charges Ingrid is met with often here at Slice as do many of us meet is that we are trouble makers who cause division in the Body. We are told that we should basically be pacifists who allow any and all error into our lives and practice and are scolded for even taking the time and effort to discern what exactly error is. This is propagated largely and very often by those professing the name of Christ who are carnal hypocrites because they wouldn’t hold the same philosophy of wanting others to accept everything regardless if it’s error if they were to see their child about to eat paint chips or chop off their finger by placing it next to a power saw. Since a Christian is defined by the Bible and the Bible says that it’s the one who points out error to make peace instead of lying about the “peace” that is already there which is basically keeping a veneer over false peace, shouldn’t we relinquish our subjective opinions to the authority of God?"

See full post and link to sermon here.

Spiritual Sickness

2008-07-11T11:00:00.006-05:00

Have you noticed lately there seems to be a lot of people that are sick? I think I probably notice it more since I have been one of them. About a month ago, I got really sick. I had all kinds of ultrasounds and tests done, blood drawn, and even nuclear medicine pumped into me that made my organs glow! Thankfully, nothing too serious was found.

But I noticed it. While at the hospital having tests done I saw all the people there. I saw them picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy. I heard about sickness going on in my friends and family. And I wondered. What is going on?

I can see how sickness can make many people think that God is not there. I can see how people can be deceived by the Word of Faith teachers (Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Todd Bentley and others) who say that if you are sick you must not have enough faith. I can see how people can think that God doesn't want anybody sick and that they must have some huge sin in their life that they better deal with. Job's friends told him that. All of his troubles had to have been caused by sin -- there was no other explanation.

My soul searching for several years now as to just what was going on with me did indeed uncover unconfessed sin in my life. I do not doubt that God used this suffering in my life to show me exactly where my heart was -- and it wasn't with Him. God allowed the misery to show me that there is more to life than my circumstances. The bottom line is the reason we do suffer whether it be sickness, persecution or otherwise is because we are living in a sinful, fallen world. There is not one of us who is not a sinner and therefore could be subject to sickness and suffering at anytime. I believe God definitely uses these trials as times of testing, chastening, discipline and to remind us that we are not yet perfected in Him. I am a sinner. Job was a sinner. We are all sinners. God perhaps used sickness in my life to show me that I wasn't so humble after all. I wasn't following Him like it looked like I was. And that was frightening. It still is and I am still learning.

Even now, I am going through a time in my life where I just want to be well again. At times, it has become so consuming that it has stopped me in my tracks and kept me from doing the things that I need to be doing such as evangelizing, praying, being a parent and wife. God specifically showed me that my health was, well, my idol. I was worshiping it and I became extremely fearful. I was leaning on my own understanding about what was happening. I was doing everything to try and make it better for myself without trusting God. My prayers were full of complaining and whining. I went though so many scenarios of what could be wrong with me. Come to find out God doesn't really care so much about the physical....it is the SPIRITUAL that is important to Him. He uses the physical sometimes to shake up the spiritual. He uses the physical to make us trust in Him, to test us, and to discipline us. He uses it for His power and His glory.

We know that sin is not always the cause. Remember the parable about the man who was born blind (John 9)? The disciples asked what sin he or his parents had committed that he was born this way. Jesus answered that it was no sin that had made him blind but so that the works of God could be revealed. This particular man was born blind so that Jesus could heal him while he walked on earth and that God's glory would be seen by all!

Another explanation comes from 2 Corinthians 12. Paul was plagued by a thorn in his side that God put there to keep him from being proud. We don't know what it was (some studies elude that it was an eye problem) but we do know that obviously it bothered him and he pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord answers him in 2 Corinthians 12:9-11, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul goes on to say that he will boast all the more gladly of his weakness so that the power of Christ could rest upon him. Concentrating on my sickness was a weakness for me. I was weak in my own strength. But God used it for good. And, sometimes it is down right hard to boast about it.

Have you ever noticed when you go to a doctor they never ask or seem concerned about what you are eating? They listen to our list of symptoms and then they jot down on their notepad a prescription and then send you out the door. God is not concerned with just giving us something that will make us feel better for a little while. He is not concerned with the symptoms. He is concerned and sent His Son to die for the cause -- our sin.

God is not concerned with just giving us something that will make us feel better for a little while. He is not concerned with the symptoms. He is concerned and sent His Son to die for the cause -- our sin.

So what food are you eating? Are you eating from the vine of life? What is coming out of your heart? Living continually in the sin of this world will make us sick just like eating things that are bad for you can make you sick (*see more on this below). The good news is that God has all ready healed that sickness. He suffered and died on the cross for it! One of the verses in the Bible that is always misinterpreted is 1 Peter 2:24 which says in part "by His stripes you were healed." This does not mean physical healing but a healing from the eternal sting of sin (read the whole verse in context). I do believe God heals in the physical but it is His choice if He wants to or not. I also believe that there is a reason that God does what He does and we should not question it but learn from it. He is a merciful God and full of loving kindness. But sometimes He will crush us to make us righteous.

And so I rejoice in my weakness for when I am weak then I am strong! I rejoice in renewed hope and joy!!

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

*(While God did show me where my heart was during this time I did have some things that were continuing to bother me. I continued to cry out to God for answers and He began to show me things regarding my nutrition and hormones. Our body is a temple for God and do believe that what I was eating has some to do with health issues. The food in this country is certainly not what it was in Bible times (it is highly processed) and I think careful consideration and study in this area is important as well. We are each individuals and I think the key is crying out to God for answers as to what He might be working in our lives whether it be physical or spiritual. Even if you don't find the answers regarding physical matters don't neglect the spiritual. Your eternal life depends on it. If you want more information on some interesting nutritional things that I have discovered please contact me.)

America, Not So Beautiful

2008-06-30T13:10:00.003-05:00

"America, America, God shed His grace on thee...."

America. As the images of my country flash through my mind, it's hard for me to look past the current state that I see America in at this hour. Too far back in the history books are the records of the Pilgrims and the deep religious values, standards and Godly way of life that they brought to this great country. What the Puritans believed in and sought after for their country and family is replaced with broken homes, divorce, immoral lifestyles and a nation trying to please itself instead of a hunger and thirst for God.

If I look close enough, I might still see a glimpse of the amber waves of grain, the sea to shining sea and the freedom this country offers and that countless continue to fight for today. I can calmly rest in the warmth and comfort that living in a free nation affords. I still feel gratitude for the men and women who die fighting to keep this country alive and vibrant and offering hope for the less fortunate. I do love this country that I believe God really did have a plan for.

I wonder though how long it will last. It seems we are breaking the standard of relying on God to get us through.

Our nation is in the midst of deep political, spiritual and physical change. The roots that we established as a free nation, one under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all is not so much under God any more. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center pointed out that 70%, including the majority of Christians, believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life." If we were a nation that truly knew the Word of God then we would know John 14:6 which says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." There is only one way. It's not by Oprah's cultural agenda, it's not by Catholicism, Hinduism, Mormonism or Buddhism. It's only by Jesus Christ.

Because of our desire to embrace other cultures and beliefs and intertwine them with our own we have become a very tolerant nation. Too tolerant of the beliefs that however one chooses to get "to God" must be the right path. We believe Oprah when she says that all paths lead to God. We search for the meaning of life in nature, in the stars, and even on Mars, but we neglect the one true manuscript that dictates our purpose and our direction for this life. We put the Bible on a shelf and let others read us a few verses from it a week. We rationalize that Christianity is burdensome, hypocritical, judgmental and weak so therefore we should embrace other religions so that we keep an "open mind". We cling to anything that will let us continue to live comfortably in our own sin. We scrutinize others actions with disdain but refuse to look upon our inward heart and our own wretchedness.

Has God's grace begun to lift from this nation? The book The Light and the Glory** (Peter Marshall, David Manuel) is an excellent review of the nation's history from God's point of view.

"America, America, God shed His grace on thee...From the very beginning, God did abundantly answer this nineteenth-century prayer we have sung so often. And there is really no way to measure how much the grace which God has poured out on this nation is a direct result of the obedience and sacrifice of those first Franciscan and Dominican missionaries, the Jesuit martyrs, and the earliest generation of nameless Americans who chose the Covenant Way.

Yet even as His grace continued, our hearts grew harder, to the point where we took it so much for granted that we made a joke of it, 'God looks after fools, drunks, and the United States.' In the face of such callous indifference, God could not bless us indefinitely, and now the grace has begun to lift."

As the book alludes to as well, perhaps even social indicators such as the descent of morality, the destruction of the American family, the rebelliousness of our teenagers and high-pregnancy rates are evidence enough to the lifting of God's grace. Even natural disasters seem to be the norm as we watch the fires burn in California, the catastrophic earthquakes and flooding, and the strain upon our nations food and gas supply. Even terrorist attacks perhaps can be attributed to the lifting of God's grace on this nation.

I shudder to see our nation turn even more away from the way of the Lord that our forefathers held so dear. The authors in the book note this,

"For a whole nation to return to the Covenant Way seems impossible. But it is not impossible; it has been done before. And we have the biblical example of Nineveh to prove it....We are not saying that America is at the Nineveh-point--yet. Indeed, our demise could well be a more gradual, drawn-out affair, to allow us as much time as possible to repent. If God continues to lift His grace as He has begun to, it will not be long before we will be in a hell very much of our own making. But whether the end comes with a bang or a whimper, we are nearly at our national Point of No Return, beyond which it will be too late for America to turn back.

Yet such is God's mercy, that He does not even require the whole nation to repent. It is enough if only the Christians, those who truly know Him, will do this. He told us as much in 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I want that for America. I want us as a nation to fall on our face before God and repent of our wicked ways. I want us to surrender ourselves to the will of God and our commitment to bringing the truth of the gospel to the many ears that are headed for destruction. I want to be a servant and guide to those in this nation who are lost, including those who call themselves children of God. I want God to heal this land...to heal those who are not turning from their wicked ways in which the end will be destruction.

Pray with me for God's grace to continue upon this great nation. Pray that His mercy will be steadfast and that more hearts will open to His call.

Help us Father to be light bearers to the people of this land. Burden us with sorrow that moves us to action for this nation.

(**I read The Light and the Glory more than 15 years ago and it made a huge impression on me. I encourage everyone to read it.)

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

Temporary Highs

2008-06-26T11:37:00.003-05:00

List of top ten temporary highs:

10. What kind of car you drive

9. What kind of house you live in

8. Your dreams

7. Your television

6. Your church

5. Your job

4. Your friends/family

3. Your marriage

2. Your kids

And, the number one temporary high....

1. YOUR LIFE

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

Psalm 86

2008-06-22T11:03:00.004-05:00

1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

2008-06-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

There is an old song by dc Talk called I Wish We'd All Been Ready that couldn't emphasize more the importance of doing as the Lord commanded and reaching the lost. The day is coming when it will be too late to share our faith and even though we don't know when the day is, there is a lot of evangelicals who would say the day is approaching. We feel it. We know it.

We also know that the Lord tarries so that more can be saved. He longs for His Kingdom to be filled with people that love Him!

..."There is no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind. I wish we'd all been ready"...

This is why I continue to press on for the faith to let the millions know that the day of judgment is coming, whether we are alive when He returns or not. As it says in Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

..."The Father spoke, the demons dined. How could you have been so blind? There's no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind"....

I don't want anyone to be left behind much less myself which is why I examine myself to make sure that I am remaining in the faith. And, no, I can't do it all. But as laborers for His harvest we are supposed to be reaching out to warn those who are traveling down the wrong path to destruction.

Oh, that day will be here when He will appear in the clouds and all doubt about His existence will be erased forever. All thoughts about turning from our sin when we get around to it will be forever moot. For some it will be more than they can take as they realize that it's too late. As a person who is sharing her faith more and more I don't want anyone that is supposed to hear the gospel to realize it's too late. This is why it is not a waste of my time. Each passing day I get more and more devoted to the cause of spreading the truth of the gospel. Because, unfortunately, the Bible does say that some will be left behind. What a sobering thought! But, oh, how I long for his glorious return!

..."A man and wife asleep in bed, she hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone. I wish we'd all been ready. Two men walking up a hill, one disappears, one is left standing still. I wish we'd all been ready...

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Luke 17:34-36)

You can't help but wonder when you read that verse just what it could mean. Did the person that was taken say all they could to change the other person's mind? Where they praying for that person enough so that the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit could be done in their heart? Did they open their mouth at all and say anything even if it meant losing them as a friend? I think the worse thing would be to look back with tears in my eyes and be thinking that I hadn't done my best to reach them. Even through all my faults and failures I hope that I can still be an example of Christ. I don't want to have to look back and say that I didn't try. What is a waste of time is for me to be a friend but not say anything or be praying for an eternal work of salvation in a person's life. That is a waste of time.

When the Lord returns it will be to establish His kingdom and gather those that are true followers of Him. My heart aches for those who refuse to see. The bad fish will be cast away and left behind. I do not wish for anyone to perish.

Matthew 14:34-50 says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Even then, just proclaiming the gospel is not enough. Since salvation is a supernatural work of God in someones heart then we must be praying as well. Praying that the Lord opens the eyes of the blinded. Praying that those who read a tract or that we may have a conversation with is alerted to the fact that perhaps maybe they aren't quite right with God after all. It was a sobering thought for me but one that changed my life and my focus dramatically. Each day brings more and more urgency to reach those that intellectually have the knowledge of Christ but aren't living it. We must be praying as the Lord says for laborers to be increased for His harvest. But we can not overlook that we can not pray effectively if we are not doing it ourselves!

Are you putting your hand to the plow and not looking back? Are you ready for His return? What if you knew it was tomorrow?

We must labor for the harvest.

We must contend for the faith.

We must be praying for the lost.

...You've been left behind. You've been left behind...

How Old Are Those Dinosaurs Again?

2008-05-24T11:43:00.010-05:00

Check out these videos from The Truth Group:

Compare everything you think you know with the Word of God.

Before 1841 they most likely called "dinosaurs" dragons. Check out these other references to these type creatures in the Bible:

Deuteronomy 32:33
Nehemiah 2:13
Job 30:29
Psalm 44:19
Psalm 74:13-14
Psalm 91:13
Psalm 148:7
Isaiah 13:22
Isaiah 27:1
Isaiah 34:13
Isaiah 35:7
Isaiah 43:20
Isaiah 51:9
Jeremiah 9:11
Jeremiah 10:22
Jeremiah 14:6
Jeremiah 49:33
Jeremiah 51:34
Jeremiah 51:37
Ezekiel 29:3
Micah 1:8
Malachi 1:3

A Christian Stand

2008-05-23T13:58:00.004-05:00

"Or do you not know the the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9)

From The Daily Express:

A CHRISTIAN registrar was bullied and threatened with the sack when she refused to carry out “sinful” homosexual marriages, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Lillian Ladele, 47, asked to be excused from conducting civil partnerships for gay men and women because of her deeply-held religious beliefs.

But she says her town hall bosses gave her an “ultimatum” to perform the ceremonies or face dismissal for gross misconduct, and was treated like a “pariah” by colleagues when she refused.

Yesterday Miss Ladele wept as she told the employment tribunal she was being forced to choose between her Christian beliefs and her £31,000-a-year job at Islington Council in north London which she has held for nearly 16 years.

“I felt harassed and victimised,” she said. “I was being picked on on a daily basis. There was no respect whatsoever for my religious beliefs.

Miss Ladele accused gay colleagues of “stirring up religious hatred”, adding: “I felt like I was being thrown before the lions.

“I hold the orthodox Christian view that marriage is the union of one man and one woman for life and this is the God-ordained place for sexual relations. It creates a problem for any Christian if they are expected to do or condone something that they see as sinful.

“I cannot reconcile my faith with taking an active part in enabling same-sex unions to be formed. I believe this is contrary to God’s instruction that sexual relations belong exclusively between a man and a woman within marriage.”

Miss Ladele, who is claiming discrimination or victimisation on grounds of religion or belief, said 10 other registrars could conduct the ceremonies.

But council chiefs insisted it would “give totally the wrong message” if she was exempted.

Hundreds of gay couples have married at Islington town hall since the law was changed in December 2005 to allow civil partnerships. The case continues.

Can We Judge?

2008-05-21T12:03:00.003-05:00

I posted this before but here's a reminder.

This five-minute video is by Tony Miano. You can read more about his ministry at The Lawman Chronicles.

Also, read this post from End Times Deception on the subject as well.

Why Does God Chasten?

2008-05-18T14:28:00.003-05:00

Quoting D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

"Then take the question of health. I have already reminded you of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter eleven. The apostle teaches quite specifically that there were some people who were sick and ill because God had sent this upon them in order to teach them and train them. "Let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup; For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.' Now this is the method that God often employed, so that those who say that it is never God's will that any of us should be sick or weak are simply denying the Scriptures. But let no one drop into the trap and say: 'Are you teaching that every sickness is a punishment sent by God?' Of course I am not, I am simply saying that God at times uses that method in order to chastise His children. If it is 'for this cause' that many are 'weak and sickly', it is God's action. God allowed that to happen to them, or God may have brought it upon them, for their own good. God's will is more important than the health of a man's body, and if a man will not submit himself and subject himself to the positive teaching of the Word, then God will certainly deal with that man, and He may very well send an illness upon him and lay him aside in order to make him think.

May I remind you that the great Dr. Thomas Chalmers always said that what really brought him, under God, to understand the gospel truly was an illness which confined him to his sick chamber for nearly twelve months. He had been a brilliant 'scientific' and 'intellectual' preacher, but he came out of that sick chamber as a preacher of the gospel, and he thanked God for that visitation. There is a parallel to that in the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, first chapter and ninth verse where he tells us that he had 'the sentence of death' in himself. And then there is the classic statement about the thorn in the flesh in chapter twelve. God did not remove the thorn because He was anxious to teach the apostle to say 'when I am weak then am I strong', and to rejoice in infirmity rather than health in order that God's glory might be promoted. There is no doubt that God allowed this thing, God perhaps even produced it, in order to chastise and train His servant in that particular way."

FROM: Spiritual Depression, Its Causes and Cure

Who We Are In Christ

2008-05-13T12:46:00.004-05:00

In this 11-minute segment Paul Washer addresses who we are vs. what we do.

Father, help me to keep focusing on you and conforming to your image.

It's Not That Hard

2008-04-24T10:47:00.010-05:00

For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

I am amazed at myself sometimes. Sometimes I want go full out and I engage the person who's getting gas next to me at the gas station and hand them a tract. Other times I chicken out as I get ready to hand them a tract I quickly tuck it back away in my car. Oh, what the enemy likes to do with my self-righteousness and fear sometimes! I am reminded of Paul who said in Romans 7:15 "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Ah, it's nice to know that Paul was human too.

I continue to be alarmed at professing Christians who just downright don't witness. I understand though because well I was one of them. No sense of urgency. It's not that I didn't care I just didn't feel it was necessary....well, because everyone I was around was a Christian in this so called Bible Belt? I was surrounded by church goers who knew that you had to be born again to inherit the Kingdom of God, right? I was just going to keep on going to church and hope that people would take notice that I was a God loving church goer! How prideful and selfish I was! That doesn't save people!

It's not just a matter of opening your mouth and saying the right thing at the perfect time. It's more than than. It is preaching the gospel of Christ. It's telling others of his judgment and that we all will stand before Him when we die or when He returns regardless if we believe it or not. As Romans 14:12 says, "So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God." This is what grows my fear of God knowing that I will have to account myself to God! I will be in reverential awe and terrified at the same time!

I will have no excuse for not sharing how our Lord and Savior came down in the flesh to save us all for our sins. There are people who don't know this and there are some who do but are not living it! My hunger, my thirst is to tell others. Even if it's just passing out tracts or leaving them in restrooms, stores, ATM's, grocery carts. It's not HARD! So who cares what people think about you -- it's not about YOU! It's to glorify and edify our Lord. And, I have to tell myself this a lot. Romans 13:14, says "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." My flesh doesn't always want to but my love for my Savior and the countless lost keep me going.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:25-26.

As you read this, if you are not striving to witness on a daily basis ask yourself why? I was reading a very good answer to this question recently from Tony Miano from The LawMan Chronicles. Here is an excerpt from his blog entry: Now That's A Great Question!

"When you ask Christians why they don't share their faith, listen for the personal pronouns they use as they give their answers. They will most likely be in the first person singular form. "I'm afraid I won't be able to answer their questions. I don't want to get into arguments. I don't want to jeopardize the relationships I worked so hard to build. I could lose my job. My wife might leave me. I don't want to look like a Bible thumper. I'm just too nervous around strangers. I don't want to seem judgmental. I live my life in a certain way and then I wait for people to ask me what is different about me.....then I invite them to church." And the list goes on.

The sad truth is this. The reasons Christians give for not sharing their faith with the lost reveals that they care more about themselves than they do about where lost people will spend eternity. The reasons (excuses) Christians give for not sharing their faith have everything to do with their own preservation, and have very little to do with the unbeliever's salvation." Read full blog post here.

All I can say is a big ouch to that -- boy does that hurt my ego. What do we value more? It was and still is a hard question for me. Something I wrestle with every day. But the solution is easy -- I don't trust in myself -- I trust that God will deliver me from the irrational fears and doubts. I pray that he will continue to make me bold as a lion. It's not our strength that does it and if we rely on that we will fail. It is God who opens up the harvest -- not me. Even if I see no one come to repentance like Jeremiah did his whole ministry -- I will press on.

I encourage everyone to open some of the links listed to the right and see what tracts you can purchase. Even if all you can do is leave tracts that someone might read and receive the gospel and truth of God's word it is worth the effort. What if that one person you engaged in conversation or even gave a tract to was forever changed by it?

But even before you begin this journey, there is one important question you must ask yourself. Are you right with God? Are you sincerely seeking after Him with a hatred of sin in your heart? Do you love Him enough to follow His commandments and reject the world and its lust to seek Him earnestly?

Our actions are attributed to what we believe in.

Ask yourself.

Do you really believe in Him enough to reach others?

Interview with Paul Washer

2008-04-06T14:29:00.007-05:00

Please watch this candid interview with the WOTM team and Paul Washer who very touchingly describes what he does and why. Hear what he tells a guy who said that he was living in complete misery and what is happening to the gospel of Christ in America.

Paul Washer: "We are never going to advance the Kingdom of God by being politically correct. And if we love people we are going to tell them the truth even if they hate us."

My Prayer: "My Father in Heaven, continue to give me a loving heart that cares for people's souls more than what they think about me."

Born Again...What does it Mean?

2008-03-31T10:09:00.000-05:00

(Video is 10.5 minutes)

Quotable Quotes

2008-03-26T12:39:00.003-05:00

"For those of you that are in here living a double life–coming here on Sunday but living like the devil during the week, and thinking that no one knows about it–understand that you are absolutely living on borrowed time. God will expose your sin either in this life or when the judgment comes, take your pick, neither one is going to be very pretty. So you might as well just get serious about repentance now and try and–like Nineveh–call on and see if God won’t relent and withdraw His burning anger against your hypocrisy. Because you do not get away with sin – ever!"

Don Green (Grace Community Church)

Piper on Prosperity

2008-03-24T10:02:00.001-05:00

Desiring God

What's Wrong With Our Bibles?

2008-03-06T13:43:00.006-06:00

I recently mentioned in And the Wind Doth Blow that we are to be very careful about the things we are reading in the 21st century. This includes Bibles too. If people say that it doesn't say that in their Bible...it might be true! And for clarification, I am mainly talking about Bibles such as The Message that is a complete man-made version of the word of God. However, I do think some things regarding other versions are worth mentioning.

Let me give you some examples:

The New International Version (NIV) deletes more than 64,000 words or phrases from the Bible and more than 40 COMPLETE verses. Try to find Acts 8:37, Matthew 17:21 or Mark 11:26 in the NIV -- you won't find them. Some of the missing verses are actually in the footnotes. Who looks at the footnotes when looking for a verse in the Bible? I don't and therefore most don't even know a particular verse is even missing. This can lead to confusion and complete misunderstanding of the words of our Lord.

The same missing verses in the NIV are also missing in the New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness "Bible") and is similar to those missing in the New American Standard (NASB). I do not want to use Bibles that portray and mimic false doctrine.

In 1 John 5:7 of the NIV and the JW Bible the very important phrase "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; these three are one" is deleted. No wonder JW's are confused about the Trinity!

The New King James version omits 20,066 words from the authorized King James Bible and has 100,000 word changes.

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is full of changed words and phrases. You can check out those in particular here.).

"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Can you guess what "bible", book, chapter and verse this is? "How well God must like you - you don't hang out at Sin-Saloon, you don't slick along dead-end road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College." I'm sure you are thinking is that in a bible somewhere? Seriously...it is. It is The Message "translation" of Psalm 1:1 which in the KJV says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." The Message is full of New Age darkness.

The word sodomite (homosexual) will not be found in the NIV. That word was "replaced" with male or female prostitutes. Why? Because the chairman of the NIV Old Testament Committee was a homosexual.

Here's what Robert Baker said in a booklet he wrote on this topic in 1997.

"Jesus Christ said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." (John 6:63) Removing or adding to Jesus’ words results in preaching "another gospel," which is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul implies that preaching another gospel leads people to receive "another Jesus" and "another spirit." (II Corinthians 11:4) I Peter 1:23,25 shows that there is a direct correlation between the preaching of the pure Word of God and spiritual regeneration: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, but by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever…and this is the word by which the gospel is preached unto you.

The prophet Amos spoke of a day in which there would be a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. (Amos 8:11) Today, man-centered messages and experiences have largely replaced the expository teaching of the Word of God. Often missing from the Gospel presentation are vital doctrines of the Christian faith, such as the cross, the blood atonement, genuine faith, repentance, sanctification and judgment. Many in the church are busy serving, like Martha, but few are hearing Jesus’ words, as Mary did. (Luke 10:38-42) Deprived of the Bread of Life, many who profess to be Christians have an outward form of godliness but, perhaps unknowingly, do not possess true spiritual life."

I for one do not want to be receiving somebody else's gospel or interpretation of the gospel. God's Word is being more and more destroyed and changed. We must fight to be keepers of the truth of His word. The lovers of sin are changing the words of the Bible so that it will fit their lifestyle.

I am not advocating that we don't use these versions as God's word just cross-reference when possible in your studies.

"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Psalms 12:6-7)

Out With the New, In With the Old

2008-03-05T10:20:00.008-06:00

Lately, I have been throwing away all the "new" and unbiblical ways of thinking and going back to the old. There is nothing that compares with the way the Puritans prayed, studied the Bible and lived their lives compassionately for the Lord.

I came across this Puritan prayer called Resting On God (adapted from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions).

O God, most high, most glorious, the thought of Thine infinite serenity cheers me, for I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed, but Thou art for ever at perfect peace. Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment, they stand fast as the eternal hills. Thy power knows no bond, Thy goodness no stint. Thou bringest order out of confusion, and my defeats are Thy victories: The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

I come to Thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows, to leave every concern entirely to Thee, every sin calling for Christ's precious blood; revive deep spirituality in my heart; let me live near to the great Shepherd, hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls. Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth, from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit. Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities, burning into me by experience the things I know; Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel, that I may bear its reproach, vindicate it, see Jesus as its essence, know in it the power of the Spirit.

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill; unbelief mars my confidence, sin makes me forget Thee. Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots; grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to Thee, that all else is trifling. Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy. Abide in me, gracious God.

Beware The Moses Code

2008-03-04T12:46:00.005-06:00

Excerpt from article on Christian Worldview Network by Ingrid Schlueter on the new movie The Moses Code coming out in April. Here's the trailer which is now the new trailer. They deleted a lot of the parts including one where someone is stating "I am the way, the truth and the light {life}". Think they realized how blasphemous that is?

See trailer here

"Yes, there is a Big Shift underway. The two spheres that were once irreconcilably opposed to one another, (Evangelicalism and New Spirituality) are coming together. The overlap has begun. But millions of evangelical Christians in the pews are distracted. They haven’t researched these issues. They don’t know their Bibles. They accept without question whatever Zondervan or Thomas Nelson put out. They watch the DVD’s their church screens like Rob Bell’s Nooma videos and they don’t catch the language. It is slippery. It is subtle, but the enemy is getting bolder with each passing day. There is a lack of sobriety and vigilance, and now the enemy is walking boldly in the front doors of our churches and Christian colleges.

At bottom, the New Spirituality blasphemers like the producers of The Moses Code are more honest than the emergents when they state openly that they believe they are the way, the truth and the life. At its core, their message is the same as many within the emerging “conversation”. The Bible is not a product of “Divine fiat”, Rob Bell says, “it’s a human product.” (Christianity Today, 11/1/04) The end result? We become God in our own minds. We can make things up as we go. Where does it all end? Rob Bell ends up promoting doctrines of demons---that we are co-creators with God, or rejecting the existence of hell, or the atonement, like Brian McLaren. That’s where it all ends. When you abandon a high view of Holy Scripture, your rebellion will take you places you never dreamed you would go. At some point, God blinds those who willingly believe a lie."

Read full article here.

Tale of Two Doctors

2008-03-03T11:17:00.003-06:00

I went to the chiropractor recently to find relief for aching shoulder, back and persistent allergies.

While the doctor was preparing the paperwork he asked me what I liked to do when I wasn't in pain.

I laughed and said well I like to tell people about the Lord. I could tell he was a little surprised because he was quiet for a few seconds. Then I said, "Bet you haven't had anyone tell you that, huh?"

"No, I sure haven't!"

That opened the door and while he completed his paperwork I briefly discussed how I was reaching out to the lost by street witnessing every chance I got. Then he left the room to go grab some other things.

Then I couldn't believe what happened next.

When he returned he had another doctor with him that works in the office. The first thing he said when he came into the room was, "We want to hear more about your ministry."
I was so surprised!

I proceeded to tell both doctors how I shared my faith with others by taking them through the Law of God and then grace. Both doctors listened very intently, neither of them saying a word, but just nodding in agreement the whole time I was sharing with them.

Then, one of the doctors took my hand and thanked me for what I was doing and told me that he hoped he could help me so that I could continue doing what I was doing. He mentioned that was the reason he did what he did so that he could help others too.

I gave both doctors a Are you Good Enough to Go to Heaven and a Jump or Perish tract.

Then one of the doctors left and I continued to discuss a few more minutes with the other doctor about how people say they are Christians when they really aren't. He said his ex-wife is always calling telling about how she is going to church but that her lifestyle didn't show it. I briefly touched on how using the Law could bring her into the realization of her sin.

Always be prepared to bring up the Gospel of Christ! Non-believers and Christians alike are hungry for the word of God and learning how to do what the Lord commands us in Mark 16:15 "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

Battling Despondency

2008-02-25T09:29:00.004-06:00

Adapted from John Piper's book Battling Unbelief:

"What then is the root of despondency? Lloyd-Jones would agree that it is an oversimplification to say that the single root of despondency is unbelief. But it would be right to say, as Lloyd-Jones does say, "The ultimate cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief." For example, where did the kind of parenting come from that sanctions pouting? Did it come from a strong belief in the Word of God as the best book on parenting? And why do so many people pursue nighttime activities that guarantee fatigue which leads to despondency and irritability and moral vulnerability? Is it owing to a strong belief in God's counsel to get good rest (Psalm 127:2) and a firm trust in his power to work for those who wait for him (Isaiah 64:4; Psalm 37:5)?

And could it be that brain research is in such infancy that even though we know a little bit about how chemicals can produce emotional states, we know almost nothing about the ways emotional and spiritual states may produce healing chemicals? Could anyone disprove the possibility that being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus has no physical effect on the body's production of natural antidepressants? Why should we not assume that the powerful affection of faith in future grace promotes even physical means of mental health? My own conviction is that when we get to heaven we will learn some astonishing things about the profound connection between sound faith and sound minds."

Desiring God

Perfect?

2008-02-21T10:59:00.003-06:00

I Know It All: Why do some Christians think they are so perfect?

Christian: Christians don’t think they are perfect. Usually, when I get asked this question it is because you have some conviction regarding the not-so-perfect condition of your heart. Could that be true?

I Know It All: Well, maybe.

Christian: Do you have a problem with Christians working toward perfection as God commands us in Matthew 5:48 to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect?”

I Know It All: I don’t know. I guess not.

Christian: I can’t go through a day without being convicted about something. As Christians, we are not effortlessly perfecting flawnesness because we have a sinful nature. Instead we are striving for righteousness and holiness as God commands us. We slip up too but the difference is what we do when we slip up. Do we immediately regret and repent or do we just throw it aside with an ‘I won’t do it again’ attitude. The difference is how we react to the sin. We are to have a persevering fight regarding the sin in our lives – and to the eyes of the world it may look like stuck-up perfection – when in reality it is a striving for complete perfection. We are to be conforming to the image of Christ who is perfect. Perfect in Greek means “completed” so we are working toward a completion in Christ.

I Know It All: Well, I guess that makes sense.

Christian: We call ourselves and others to repent not because we know it all but because we know what will happen if we don’t. It is our love and concern that drives us to strive for God’s holiness and compassionately wanting others to do the same. Have you ever told a lie? Stolen anything? Taken God’s name in vain? Been jealous of something someone else had? Then you have sinned against our holy God and you must repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ.

I Know It All: I've tried really hard to just stop doing some things that I know are wrong but it doesn't seem to be working.

Christian: You can't just think that by stopping your actions that you will be saved. We are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, not by our actions. When you put your trust in the Lord then he gives you the desire to want to begin changing. You will then begin to produce the fruit -- which is the righteousness of God -- in your life. If you are truly calling upon his name then he promises to save and deliver you.

Dangers of Postmodernism

2008-02-19T12:57:00.003-06:00

Wow, even the writers of E.R. get it.

I don't know when this show aired but think it is a great example of the dangers of today's postmodern theology.

Prayer Advice

2008-02-15T16:25:00.001-06:00

I was trying to think of something to say along with posting this clip. The subject of prayer has been on my heart quite a lot lately. I just came across this today.

Kiddie Quotes

2008-02-07T16:41:00.001-06:00

Me: "Parker what are you doing?"

Parker: "Oh, just doing what kids do."

Me: (After Beth has been sick for two days). "You must be feeling better! You sure are giggly!"

Beth: "Mom, you know, you can laugh when you are sick!"

Loss of the True Gospel

2008-02-01T16:33:00.000-06:00

Watch this clip (it's only 10 minutes -- don't skip over the videos; we all have a natural tendency to skip viewing the videos and reading bible context; I encourage you to take the time) by Paul Washer about the loss of the true gospel in American churches.

Paul Washer's Ministry: HeartCry Missionary

"I" Witness

2008-01-28T13:01:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in State of Evangelism, I hope to share some of my witnessing encounters. Here is one that I had recently:

Today I was at the grocery store. I was hoping to run into Josh, 19, the grocery sacker that I had been speaking to for several weeks. When I arrived at the check out line there was Josh. He smiled and waved at me.

A few weeks ago I had given Josh a couple of tracts and briefly talked with him about his faith. I asked him if anyone had ever talked to him about it before. He said that his Mom was a Christian and that she had quite frequently. I was going to leave him my name but I couldn’t find one pen to write it down for him.

The following week I saw Josh again. I asked him if he had read the tracts. To my disappointment he said no. Then I asked him if he even still had them. He said that he did. This time I had a pen and gave him some contact information along with a note to read 1 John regarding true Christianity. Then, while he was loading my car with groceries I took Josh through the Law. He was a liar, thief, and he dishonored his parents. Josh is a very quiet person. He seemed very contemplative. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but I knew he was listening.

Before I got in my car I told him to think about what we had talked about and to read the tracts. Then I said, “Josh, ten out of ten people die. I don’t want you to go to hell. Please think about what we discussed.” He said he would.

So today here I was with Josh again. I asked him if he had read the tracts hoping that our last conversation had provoked some thought.

“Yes.”

“You did read them? So, have you repented and put your trust in Christ?”

“Yes.”

“What was it that stood out to you?”

“That sinners go to hell.”

“Josh, do you realize that you have to turn from your sin and that it is not a sinner’s prayer that saves you?”

“Yes.”

Like I said, Josh is very quiet! I was silently rejoicing inside hoping that he was genuine.

As he loaded groceries into my car I asked Josh if he had a church home and a Bible. He said that he kind of jumped around churches so I told him to read his Bible for direction and that I would be praying for him.

Praise God!

Father, help me to remember that I am doing this out of obedience to you and not for myself.

Biblical Truth

2008-01-22T11:32:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 11:30
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise."

Thou Shalt Not Judge?

2008-01-18T10:49:00.000-06:00

Hi all, yes I am still around! I have things churning around in this brain of mine. Not sure yet where the blogging thing is going. I feel changes in the focus coming but am still unsure as to how to direct it yet.

Wanted to post this.

This is why I am now out in the streets telling others about Christ -- my focus is defintely more about this than anything else. I have heard the argument in the video so many times -- "You are being too judgmental". View on.

This five-minute video is by Tony Miano. You can read more about his ministry at The Lawman Chronicles.

Deep Sympathy

2007-12-07T12:22:00.000-06:00

It is with deep sympathy that I tell you that there is a good chance that...

...I may be putting my blog to rest! I was actually thinking that I might keep it up until the end of the year but have decided not to do that either.

I can't believe that I have kept up with it for nearly a year (at the end of the year)!! It has been a joy and pleasure getting to write about what is going on with me and my family and the changes that have taken place within me, particularly, over the past several months. However, most of the time I feel like I have been writing to myself! While this can be good there comes a time when I must branch beyond that "box". I am at a place where I have to stop writing about it and start doing it more frequently.

As some of you have seen in my posts, I have re-evaluated a lot about myself over the past few months. I have stopped straddling the fence, realizing the full extent of following the Lord's commandments, and I have moved into perhaps not greeener -- but deeper pastures. Deeper spritually, deeper in the knowledge and fear of the Lord and a much deeper focus overall.

I have a lot of things going on that I haven't written about yet. Not because I haven't got the time but because I am still learning. Learning that my ways are not the Lord's ways. Learning that I have quite a lot still to learn. Learning the true reason why we are here. With that being said, I feel like my time that I have spent has been good -- but not good enough. Perhaps, I am using too much of the time not doing the other things that the Lord has commanded that we do -- sharing and preaching the gospel of Christ. It is so heavy on my heart that I can not think, concentrate or put my focus on anything else. Part of the reason I started this blog was to do just that.

I also know that I need to continue to build my marriage as pleasing to the Lord and to grow my children up in the knowledge of the Lord. I feel that this as well as other areas has been neglected to some degree and I hope to get my focus back to the requirements of the Lord.

I want to thank those of you who have been faithful readers. It has been wonderful sharing the past year of my life with you.

What is next for me? Well, I have lots of ideas. I even have an idea for another blog but will put that on the back burner for now. I do hope to still write and if any inspirational ideas come to me, well, I guess I will have to stick with e-mail for now. My blog will still be up and I will not delete it for now because I may indeed return.

Merry Christmas!

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:37)

Merry CHRISTmas

2007-12-07T10:18:00.000-06:00

By: Go Fish

State of Evangelism

2007-11-30T15:55:00.000-06:00

Part I -- State of Examination

Part II -- State of Repentance

Part III - State of Evangelism

I was lost and now I’m found.

I was blind but now I see.

When I was in high school and college, I was pretty good about witnessing and sharing Christ with others. During high school, my parents owned a Christian book store so it was fairly easy to be a “witness”. I was always the goody-two-shoes and it didn’t bother me that I was. But, what they didn’t know is that I wasn’t a good person. Nobody is good (Psalm 53:1) except God alone (Luke 18:19). What perhaps they saw in me was a person they wanted to look up to but that’s as far as it went. No effort to change and be like me. Honestly, they probably didn’t want to and shouldn’t have tried to be like me. I wasn’t the person in whom someone’s life should be portrayed as an example. It may have seemed like it was on the surface but I’m pretty sure I was just as lost.

When I look back now, I realize that my heart was there and perhaps some did see a glimpse of the gospel that may have been silently portrayed by me. But I am pretty sure that it didn’t save anyone. Back then I was engulfed in the modern evangelical message that hoped someone saw the love of Christ in me. That they would just turn from their wicked ways because me, a Christian, just happened to live the “Christian life” or was praying for them. I would pray that the Lord would bring someone to me and just ask me what it was that made my life so great. Know what? I never had one person do that. Never. Even to this day no one has ever thought my life was so wonderful that they had to have whatever it was. Why? Because they don’t need it. They are happy with their own lives. Happy living with their own sin because it makes them feel better. And worst of all – they really don’t know what their sin is. They don’t know that our God is a just and righteous judge. And He will judge us for our sins. “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day” (Psalm 7:11)

A.W. Tozer once said, “Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience.”

If only I could turn back time.

If only I could do it all again.

I would tell them they must repent.

As a Christian, our purpose is to glorify God in every thought, word and deed. To love lost people enough to warn them that they are children of wrath who are waiting to be sentenced to eternity in hell for breaking God’s laws. We are to love lost people enough to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that the only hope of avoiding the wrath of God is to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus. Our sole purpose is to proclaim the gospel – to fulfill the great commission.

The video above is alarming, but if it is offensive to you, then you might need to examine your heart and see if you are in the faith. I hope it has served it’s purpose in disclosing that hell is real. And people are going there. I am not on a high-horse. I am not judging and condemning. I am only professing what the Bible says. I have no way of knowing where you stand spiritually with the Lord – but He does.

However, if you are not actively engaged in sharing your faith with lost people or you can’t be bothered by it out of fear, doubt, unbelief, or if you have believed the modern lie that evangelism is only for ministers or those with the gift of speech, then you must look in the mirror and realize that you may be a false convert who has never fully repented and are living in disobedience to His Word as failure to share the gospel. Paul was fully aware that he was not an eloquent speaker and that he was weak and fearful (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) but he did not let that excuse stop him in being obedient.

I took a long hard look at myself as seen in the previous posts listed above. I was in disobedience in quite a few areas. This is why it is out of love and concern that I pour out my heart that bears the truth of the gospel, and his command for all men every where to repent because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31), to you and to strangers on the street. I do it out of obedience. And, because I do not want anyone to spend eternity in hell.

I am reminded of what God said to the prophet Ezekiel when he commanded him to call the people of Israel to repentance. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).

I don’t need much more motivation than that!

Mark 16:15 (the Great Commission) states that we are to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” and that we are to do it all the time “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).

In Isaiah 58:1 we are instructed to lift our voice loudly, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Notice in this verse it says “my people”. We also are to be reminding those who say they are in Christ to examine themselves and make sure they are repenting from sin and that they are in fact in the faith as they so claim.

With the Lord’s help and for His glory, I am now in obedience to Him and am being a witness to Him. From time to time, I hope to share some of the encounters that I have with people on the street. A lot of times I am just handing out tracts or leaving them everywhere. I am in continuous training through God’s Word in how to effectively preach the gospel of Christ.

I know that if I am correctly telling the lost and false converts about their sin, and that they must repent and turn away from their iniquities, that I will be hated, shunned and labeled as judgmental, harsh and unloving (Matt. 5:11-12, Matt. 10:22, Matt 24:9, John 7:7, Luke 6:22). The more I get out there and do it the more I see the hatred for me and for the truth. I have all ready had people who refused to associate with me because of my stand. Nobody is offended when we say that “God is love” or that we know “God will fill the empty hole in their heart.” When the correct method is used, they sometimes get angry, self-righteous and proud. Thus I know the Law is doing its job in revealing that sin is transgression of the Law.

How do you stack up against the Law of God's word (The Ten Commandments)? Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of the value or how long ago it was (time doesn't forgive sin)? Have you taken God's name in vain (said "Oh my G-d")? Have you looked at another person with lust, therefore commiting adultery? Then by your own admission you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer, and adulterer at heart and you are going to have to face God on Judgment Day. Because God is Holy, good, righteous and just He will sentence you to hell as the just punishment for your sins against Him (just like Josh).

Oh, but there is good news! Our righteous and just Creator provided a way out from that terrible wrath. He provided himself. God came to earth in the form of a man, the person of Jesus Christ. He suffered and died a horrible death on the cross, taking upon himself the puishment that we deserve for breaking his law.

What does God require of us? That we repent. It's not praying a prayer asking Jesus into our heart -- that does not save us. We must turn away from the sin and call upon the mercy and forgiveness of God. We must by grace alone, through faith alone, receive and trust in the Lord. Then, and only then, will our sins be forgiven and will we receive the free gift of eternal life.

Will you stand? Will you be in obedience to Him no matter what the cost? Will the Law and the Gospel of Christ proceed from your lips today?

The nets are not full...

Need help with how to witness effectively (and biblically)?

Need to purchase biblical tracts or other evangelism materials?

Want to read how me and others are sharing their faith?

Want to make sure you are not a false convert?

Still Thankful

2007-11-24T14:15:00.000-06:00

With Thanksgiving 2007 now come and gone, I am still thankful!

Thankful that my turkey turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Thankful that we have family to share another Thanksgiving together. Thankful for those who came and enjoyed food, fun and fellowship with us.

I am thankful that the Aggies can beat Texas two years in a row. And, I am thankful that when change happens we can leave the past behind, remembering the good times, while we anticipate new and fresh beginnings.

I am thankful for our soldiers who volunteer to fight for their country and for millions of people that they don't know. I am thankful for their dedication and courage even when there is little applause for their service.

I am thankful that the wrath of God was satisfied on the cross for our sin with the death of his precious son. I am thankful for his faithfulness and his never ending grace and mercy.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Thankful...still.

Always Thankful

2007-11-21T11:08:00.000-06:00

(Reprint of Mark Cahill Newsletter)

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we all have a lot to be thankful for. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4

Do you ever thank God for your family? I have met two different people in the last couple of weeks who were not being raised by their parents. One, a 17 year old, told me that he lived with his brother. His divorced parents live in California. Another guy told me that his Mom died as she was giving birth to him, and his Dad left him when he was 16 years old. He moved away to Canada. So, for the last two years of high school, he bounced around from friend’s homes each week to sleep. He told me that he didn’t like to spend more than a week at a time anywhere because he didn’t want to wear out his welcome. No matter how dysfunctional your family is, and they are all dysfunctional in some way, isn’t it nice to know there is a roof above your head tonight?

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Do you ever thank God for the freedoms that you have to stand up for your belief in the Lord? We are losing those rights here in America and many of our brothers and sisters in other countries have already lost those rights.

Do you ever thank God for persecution? Recently, I was doing a radio show that originated from Toronto. A lady on the station said, “if you would witness the way you do in America up here, you would be torn apart.” I said, “According to Hebrews 11, why would that be such a bad thing?” So many people are concerned about how we look in other’s eyes and it just doesn’t matter when we die. Please the Lord. He judges all things.

“To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.” Psalm 30:12

Do you just thank God when you eat a meal, or do you really THANK Him for that meal? Isn’t it nice to know that you get to choose to fast, when others have to fast because there is no food?

Do you ever thank God that you know there is only one way to heaven and you know what that way is? I had lunch with a Nation of Islam follower named Rodney Muhammed. I met him because he regularly sells newspapers on the same street corner. So I always invite him over to my car to talk. We had lunch one day and he let me know that he believes there are many paths to God. Let’s just say I didn’t agree with that!

“Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.” Psalm 18:49

Do you ever thank God that you can read? I just read where 60% of the world cannot read. This is one reason we are paying for translations of the New Testament into audio of different languages. We do this so we can reach those people for the Lord as well.

“Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 106:1

Do you ever thank God for friends? I met a guy the other day that just cried on my shoulder because he was so lonely.

Do you thank God for the job you have? Do all that you do for the glory of God. When He moves you to another job, great, and if He keeps you in this job for a long time, great. Either way, glorify the Lord.

Do you ever thank God that you don’t have to produce your own tracts to hand out? Isn’t it great that someone else has done that for you? You can find good tracts at:
www.customtractsource.com
www.livingwaters.com
www.chick.com

I received an email from a guy that said, “I stood in front of a book display around 3 or 4 yrs ago and asked the Lord to direct me to a book that would inspire. There was one copy only; and it caught my eye. Evangelism sections are never big.”

Do you ever thank God for that perfect book or sermon you hear at the right time, just when you and your soul need it?

Just received an email from a church where I spoke recently. They said, “PRAISE GOD Testimony: In the past 225 days there have been over 150 evangelism testimonies shared in daily emails from 92 different people.”

This church began collecting stories of the obedience of their people who had been faithfully sharing the Gospel. We should thank God for the people and opportunities He puts in front of us. Faithfully share the Gospel and let Him worry about the results. He does a great job at that. You just need to be faithful.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

An inmate emailed me from a halfway house and said,“I participated in the study for this book while incarcerated at Skyline Correctional in Canyon City, Colorado. Currently I am in a half way house in Denver and providing the clients there with structured bible studies. Currently we are doing the Truth Project DVD study distributed by Focus on the Family out of Colorado Springs.”

Do you ever thank God for inmates? Being incarcerated is a time when many people’s lives finally slow down enough to think about eternal matters.

Do you ever thank God when life is smooth and there seemingly aren’t any problems? I was talking with a Marine named Antoine on the train the other day. He joined the military and four months later was in Afghanistan. He has seen a lot in his short time in the service. I asked him why he joined the service. He said, “My girlfriend was in the second plane that hit the towers on 9/11.” That event sent a ripple effect through his and his family’s life that has gotten him to the point where he is today.

A Russian friend sent this to me: “And of course greatest news came from the women’s prison camp from the Far East of Russia. One lady Tanya who is doing her third sentence for a murder and who used to be a trouble maker violating rules became a Christian after reading your first book! Administration and prisoners alike all see the difference in her life! She is plugged into the small fellowship that the have there. It’s so cool, Mark! I still didn’t give up with an idea of sending your book to every prison camp in Russia so I need more of contact info, which I’ll try to get.”

Can you just imagine that whole scenario taking place? A triple murderer becoming born again in a Russian prison!

By your donations to the ministry, we were able to help pay for the printing of the book into Russian. That testimony above is a direct result of your giving. They have just finished One Heartbeat Away in Russian, and it will be ready to print it in a few weeks. Praise the Lord.

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” Romans 1:8

So let’s end this newsletter the way we should have started it. Is anybody out there thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ in that He died and rose again just for you and me? Is anybody out there excited enough to go tell someone about the great news of what He has done? Let’s be so thankful to the Lord for the redemption of our sins by His blood, that we will not only go tell some, but that we will go tell all the truth of His Gospel.

Until the nets are full,
Mark Cahill (E-Newsletter)

Rescue the Perishing

2007-11-12T16:56:00.000-06:00

By: Billy and Cindy Foote

Are you sharing your faith??

"Have you no desire for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, you can be sure of that."
Charles Spurgeon

Sally Sunshine

2007-11-08T12:22:00.000-06:00

Sally Sunshine had a pretty normal life. Nothing too great and nothing too bad. She was happy with how things were going. Nothing much to worry about and not many fires to put out. She figured that she had a pretty good perspective on life and what she thought the future would hold for her.

The days and weeks that went by were filled with the normal things, work, marriage and an occasional night out on the town.

And so was the life of Sally Sunshine.

On Monday she got up excited for another day at work to get things done. She put on her Jesus shirt and got ready for work. This morning she was out of milk for her coffee. Oh well, she would grab a cup of coffee from 7-11 on her way to work this morning. All in all it was a great day even though she had to work a little later than usual.

On Tuesday, she was a little tired and stole a few more minutes of sleep before she crawled out of bed. She burned her toast for breakfast and still didn’t have any milk. She had forgotten that she had a dentist appointment later this afternoon. She may have to just cancel it – too much work to do. She put on her Jesus shirt and headed to work.

Wednesday was welcomed by a loud thunderstorm and sheets of pouring rain. Great, she thought, it will take me forever to get to work today. She hurriedly put on her Jesus shirt and rushed to get in her car – only to find that she had a flat tire. Terrific, this day just couldn’t get any worse. Her husband was out-of-town again so she called a neighbor to see if she could get some help. Luckily, she was able to get the tire fixed and off to work even though she was quite late. Today, maybe it was the weather, but she felt lonely and tired. All day she just felt miserable. She couldn’t put her finger on it but something was out of place.

Thursday was a terrible day for Sally Sunshine. Nothing seemed to go right. A client called very annoyed with something that wasn’t even her fault. Her boss blamed her too and told her so. She went home exhausted. When she got home she discovered that her dog was not feeling too well. He had thrown up all over the carpet. Her husband called and said that he would be late again and not to wait up. It seemed like he was never home anymore. She wondered what was going on. She wondered what was happening to her normal, happy life.

Friday couldn’t come fast enough. She was so glad it was almost the weekend. She put on her Jesus shirt once again. When she got to work her boss met her at the door. “We need to talk.” Sally went into her office and was horrified to hear that her position with the company may be cut. There was some financial difficulty and she may only have a matter of days left. She could go ahead and take the rest of the day off. They would call her soon and let her know if she would be able to come back. Sally was upset. How could things turn out like this? Nobody cares she thought. Where was this perfect, happy and peaceful life that was promised to her? Sally was sad. Some things are going to have to change. She even thought that she might change her name.

Sally Sunshine went home. When she walked in the door she saw her dog on the floor. He was dead.

Sally slowly took off her Jesus shirt and threw it in the trash. It just wasn’t working. There was no way that he would let this stuff happen to her. She didn’t believe he loved her anymore. She was angry. It just wasn’t fair.

Poor Sally. She was not identifying with Jesus. She didn’t know that Jesus came not to give her a better life but to save her from the wrath to come. To save her from hell.

She was only putting him on hoping for a better life…when he didn’t work for her…she just threw him away.

Poor

poor

Sally.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)

Did You Get My Email?

2007-11-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

I sense it a lot these days.

“Hey, girl I never hear from you.”

This is somebody’s nice way of saying, “Hey, you idiot pick up the phone and give me a call!” And, it’s ok because…..well they are probably right.

I swallow my pride and bite my tongue and don’t say, “And I don’t hear from you either,” because I know that it wouldn’t be true. Not entirely.

My blessing of a friend Michelle and I were discussing this subject the other day. With tears in our eyes we both acknowledged that we always think about calling….but we just didn’t. Because we had so much catching up to do that we would be on the phone all day. Not that I wouldn’t want to stay on the phone all day with my precious friend. But we know that wouldn’t be wise. We’d be stealing employers time, time with our kids or husbands, or plain unwinding time.

So what is my defense….hear me out. Truth be told I can be lazy. But I also know that my intentions are heartfelt and not out of sheer laziness. Why? Well, for me it’s because I’m a writer of sorts and admittedly not the best one but I try. Does it count that I can sit and write you a carefully thought out 30 minute email vs. a 5 minute phone call? It’s like a personal, hand-written letter sent by a super fast horse and carriage. This is one reason I started this blog…a futile attempt at keeping my family and friends up-to-date and involved. Even so, this small attempt at a hand pecked conversation has not developed into what I imagined in that regard at all. But still I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process.

Is there some sort of unspoken taboo about emails that I don’t know about?

Yes, I love technology. I can sit and write something with screaming kids in the background and no one is the wiser…can’t do that on a telephone. It sometimes can be easier to sit and really think about what I want to say before I open my big mouth and say something dumb and destructive. And, man have I done that! I should alertly bridle my tongue. Sometimes I just need to be quiet.

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity (Proverbs 21:23).

The tongue is powerful.

It can hurt.

It can cause pain.

It can destroy.

But it can also bring truth.

Truth can sometimes hurt.

Better is open rebuke than hidden love (Proverbs 27:5). He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue (Proverbs 28:23). A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed - without remedy (Proverbs 29:1). So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction (2 Timothy 4:2).

Sometimes truth is not what I want to read or hear. Sometimes I just don’t want to believe what I read or hear. Sometimes, most times, that is wise.

But it’s not about whether or not I believe it…..it’s if whether or not it is true.

The Bible is truth. Some chose not to believe it. Some pick and chose what parts of it they want to believe. A few have rewritten it to suit themselves. But it doesn’t change the real truth. It is still a guide book. A spoken and written instruction book. The true and untarnished penmanship of God. It’s God’s phone call…his personal email…to us. Will we answer it? Will we delete the words of our Lord and Savior? Will we love His commandments or will we chose to destroy the message with unfruitful lip service?

Don’t get me wrong….I am not watering down the importance of personal, human contact and delightful conversation. I love it and need it. Most of the time there is no excuse not to have a face-to-face talk. The clicking of computer keys can not replace the sound of a friend from far or near. The gentle tone of a concerned or well-wishing friend is hard to get across in written text. I would much rather spend an hour at lunch with a friend than just sending emails back and forth for eternity. But sometimes something worth being said is just as good written as it is spoken. After all, it is still me doing the “talking”!

I wonder where we would be if we didn’t have the written word of the Bible to guide us. What if our eyes and ears had never seen or heard the carefully drafted personal letters written by men who were inspired by God. We’d be blubbering fools…making it up as we went along…drafting our own rules and dictating how we think it should be done. Sadly, some live like this…no written guide…no written law upon their hearts…choosing to toss aside the instructions and go at it themselves.

And I’ve unwisely been there.

So where is the line drawn…the perfect balance between the written and the spoken. I believe there is one. Know that I write with love to all who reads…deliberately constructed with affection and care.

So, don’t forget to check your email (or this blog!).

Happy Birthday Parker!

2007-10-31T08:14:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!

Wow, Parker is 4-years-old today!

Hard to believe he is growing so fast (yet is just recently fitting into size 3 pants!).

My little spook boy is loving life right now. He is enjoying preschool at our church two days a week and is really doing well. He also is in AWANA this year and it is so great to hear his sweet little voice say his verses.

As most boys, he's really into getting dirty, playing with his cars and torturing the cat (poor Nutmeg!)

Here's a few pictures of his 4th birthday party this past weekend at Chuck E Cheese:

Happy Birthday Boo Baby! I Love You!

Hooray, Those Aggies!

2007-10-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

Trey and I went to Nebraska for the Texas A&M game with our great friends Heather and Donovan Wattier. They are from Nebraska and we thank them for their wonderful hospitality, spirit and friendship!

We love Nebraska! The fans are great and they let us bust a few of their tailgate parties! Trey's company headquarters is actually located in Omaha so he has been a few times but this was my first time there. The weather couldn't have been more perfect....in fact, it was guite hot on game day.

Luckily, the Aggies won...their first time there in 52 years! However, I would have much rather beat Texas Tech than Nebraska!

Here's a few pictures of our weekend:

Thanks for the great time and for letting us stay with your family!

We love you guys!

Oh, Those Aggies!

2007-10-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a few pictures of the A&M/Tech game this year. This was Beth's first time at a football game and she had a great time!

Even though the Aggies lost....A&M 7 Texas Tech 35.

Sigh. Luckily, I wasn't there. I was back home enjoying the Spa!

Beth is with her Dad and his brother Chris and Shannon and our nephews Tyler and Addison.

Can You Handle the Truth?

2007-09-29T20:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends --

If I had asked you two years ago if I had died would I have gone to heaven or hell what would you have said? How about one year ago? More than likely you would have said without a doubt I would have gone to heaven. You would have thought there is no way that me a good person who doesn’t say bad words or drink and goes to church would have gone anywhere else. How would you know for sure?

How much would it have mattered to you really?

Would it alarm you if I told you that without a doubt for a time I was not living for the Lord with all my heart? The fact is I am not a good person. “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:2-3).

I was not living the born again life that is required to receive the kingdom of God (John 3:3). I was not consistently repenting of my sins and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who gave me life. I was floating along with good intentions but not really following Him. I was lying, I was putting other things before the Lord, I was an adulterer at heart, and I wasn’t keeping the Sabbath holy. Most of all, I wasn’t fighting to keep these things that the Lord commands we must if we love Him out of my life.

To inherit everlasting life you must fully surrender to the Lord. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) You might think wow that’s great for you….but I’m fine. How do you know you are fine? That’s what I thought too. You might say, “I know in my heart that everything is okay.” How can you trust your heart when the Lord says the heart is deceitfully wicked? Do you think you are a good person? Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain? Have you looked with lust at another person? Is the Lord the most important thing in your life? Have you kept the Sabbath holy? The Bible says all liars will have their part in the lake of fire and that all fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, drunkards, thieves, greedy, slanderers and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

How much does it matter to you? Your eternal salvation and mine matters to me. I care about it greatly and know that it is my duty out of love and concern to speak the truth. Our Lord and Savior cares even more. He wants you to love Him. He wants you with Him for eternity. This is why He died a bloody death on the cross to forgive us of our sins. He forgives anything we have done no matter how large or small. Our choice is whether we are we going to turn away from sin completely and not look back and to put our trust in the Lord. That is the difference between life and death.

Would you sell one of your eyes for a million dollars? I wouldn’t. My sight is precious to me. How much more important then is your soul that looks out of those eyes? Today is the day of true repentance. Today is the day of salvation.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? (Hebrews 12:25)

Have you turned your life over to Him with the full knowledge that you are going to heaven when you die?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Repent. Trust and believe.

Need help regarding true Christianity? Read the book of 1 John in the Bible. Also, if you need some help on where to start with repentance read and pray Psalm 51.

I love and care for each one of you. To Him be the glory.

At the Cross

2007-09-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

By: Hillsong United

End of Summer Countdown

2007-09-02T12:58:00.001-05:00

It was a great summer for the Heaton Family!

Here's a list of our top ten things we did this summer and tribute to the end of summer 2007:

1) We got a new car! Yea, no more mini-vans....EVER! Here's to a brand new, not leased Hyundai Santa Fe (notice the purposely selected AGGIE color)! Gig 'em Aggies!

2) Alas, I found out that I have a SEVERE allergy to dust mites and mountain cedar. So that's what has been bothering me since birth. Who knew! I think dust mites are the worst thing to be allergic to -- you can never totally get rid of it. The allergist recommended no ceiling fans. No ceiling fans in Texas -- they must be crazy! They also recommended dust mite covers for all mattresses, pillows and box springs, washing your sheets 2 or more times a week, vacuuming constantly, nose sprays, antihistamines, no fabric covered furniture, and no carpet. I recommend prayer and giving your allergies to Jesus for healing!

3) Parker informs me that he is not going to eat carrots until he turns 4-years-old. Well, buddy, that is only two months away so get ready boy!

4) As you know we have been discussing the 10 commandments and how important they are to the Lord. This summer we have been addressing lying. Needless to say, Beth now knows the truth about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. The truth will set you free....

5) Beth enjoyed a full summer of swimming lessons. She is a little fish and loves to swim. We worked on endurance this summer and she did quite well. Now Parker will be following in her footsteps and is taking swimming lessons this fall.

6) We took the kids to their first baseball game thanks to our friends thoughtful son who wrote a thank-you story for our family and won tickets to a Frisco Roughrider game. The kids loved the hot dogs and the fireworks -- which made me and Parker hold our ears because they were so loud! Thank you Joshua! We all had a great time!

7) I continued working home loans for my Mom but had a little bit of a change in duty. I am now the loan closer for my Mom's mortgage office and give thanks to the Lord that he provided this opportunity for me to continue working at home. Man, my Mom sure can crack a whip!

8) I thought I was getting quite a tan this summer until Parker tells me that the reason I had purple things on my legs was because I was eating too much purple cabbage!

9) We love spending time with family and the kids were able to spend a little time with Grandma (my Mom), Grammy (Trey's Mom) and Popops and Nana and Papa (my Dad). We love our family!

10) Back-to-School is Cool! Beth enjoyed her first week back in school surprisingly well. She now is in the second grade and we look forward to a great year!

Hope all my friends and family had a great summer!

Beach Kings & Queens

2007-09-01T14:03:00.001-05:00

We went to the beach at Perdido Key, Florida again this year for our vacation and had a really great time. With the longer summer this year, we went a little later than usual so the beaches were pretty quiet as all the Alabama/Florida kids had already started school. We met a lot of families from Texas though!

We were so thrilled that we saw dolphins offshore just about every day. Beth loves dolphins and she was so excited to see them! We watched them swim and jump out of the water from the balcony of our condo. There were quite a lot of them too.

The jellyfish were pretty bad this year. Beth actually got stung and barely got back into the water after that. We also saw several small stringrays that the kids (not ours) kept fishing out of the water. And, one guy caught a sand shark which the kids got to timidly "pet".

One thing we did find this year that we have never found in the five or so years we have been taking the family was sand dollars! We found about six nice ones which was a delight -- mostly small ones but those count too! And of course every night we went crab hunting with our flash lights and were not disappointed.

How Do You Know You Believe?

2007-08-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

State of Repentance

2007-07-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read Part I - State of Examination please go back and read it (again if you need too). This message will not make much sense without Part I.

Part II - State of Repentance
"For Godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation"...
(2 Corinthians 7:10).

I have been a little slow in getting this part written because the Lord has been showing me so much. I am actually astounded and utterly speechless at the things He has been showing me! There is no way I can write about all of it here but I hope that I can touch on some of things that I have learned.

As mentioned in Part I, when I felt that I needed to examine my heart and make sure that my heart was 100% for the Lord, I was actually doing what Paul was reminding the church of Corinth to do -- to examine themselves. "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith, examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you FAIL the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

When I did this, honestly with myself, I knew that I had failed. Why did I fail the test? Because I had sin in my life. I also had past sin that I had not confessed to him and completely repented. I am not talking about what by human definition would be called any major sin. That didn't matter anyway. When I sat quietly before the Lord and searched deep within my heart I knew that I had not been striving with everything in me to be blameless and free from sin. Sure I was going to the Lord with perhaps an acknowledgement that I had maybe sinned (the "I'm sorry" Lord prayers). But this in itself is not enough. This is not what the Lord requires that we do. He wants us broken hearted before Him. I was not making a conscious effort to STOP the sin in my thoughts before it became a reality. In God's eyes all sin is serious -- even the thoughts of sin. The knowledge of this left me broken and trembling before Him. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). I developed a deepened fear of God that swept over me like a tidal wave!

Dictionary.com defines repentance as "deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrong doing, or the like". I was explaining to Beth what true repentance means. I told her to think of it as though sin was a bomb in her hand and in order to get the sin out of her life she had to throw the bomb as far away from her as she could. But it wasn't enough to just throw the bomb. She also had to turn and run away from it as fast as she could or she would risk still being hit or tempted by it. Repentance is not slowly pushing the sin away and saying we are sorry, it is a complete turning away from what can kill us. It is running away from death!

Paul spoke about repentance when he was addressing the church (believers) at Corinth. "For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced" (2 Corinthians 12:20-21).

Be careful! The Lord warns that His believers can be deceived and will fall away (1 Timothy 4:1). Oh, friends, be careful of the snares that can drag us away from the faith.

True salvation begins with repentance.

Salvation is not offered or covered by a sinner's prayer.

For we are not born again in Him if we are harboring sin in any way. "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are; Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:8-10).

If you are not born again, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3).

Oh, how I have been on my face before the Lord asking Him to search the depths of me! I had fallen away from the true heart and complete mind change that the Lord requires of us. I continued to think that I could skirt by, just praying whenever I needed something, or just opening His word in church. It is not the church, the fellowship or its people that grows us up in His truth or that saves us. It is our hearts open before Him, crying out to the only one that can redeem us. It is constantly studying His word so that His truth can be revealed to us. It is true repentance! Please study His word for yourself and see what He will reveal to you.

"...unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).

Praise the Lord for Godly sorrow that I may be found blameless! Praise Him for His goodness and mercy! He is so awesome and faithful!

Part III -- State of Evangelism

When God Ran

2007-07-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

One of my all-time favorite songs.

Oh, that we would run to meet Him!

Come Back To Him.

"I" Witness

2007-07-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well, where have I been? Fishing I guess you could say!

I haven't posted in a while which was not my intention. But I did want to update a little about what has been going on. I had mentioned in my post about Celebrate Freedom that I was going to be doing witnessing and counseling at the event this year. This event took place this weekend and I am attaching what I wrote on another website about the event here. I also am doing it a little backwards since I hoped to write a post on why I am doing this, which is still to come. (The $MDB that I am talking about in this post are gospel tracts....it is a million dollar bill tract with a gospel message on the back. When I refer to the Law I mean the Ten Commandments). Here is the account of my day:

A local Christian radio station hosts Celebrate Freedom every year, which is the largest, free outdoor concert in the nation. It is held at Southfork Ranch (yes, where the tv show Dallas was filmed!). This year it was a two-day event and I decided to go out on Saturday. I had never been and decided that I would sign up to be a decision counselor with the intent of bringing the decision makers through the Law. Funny how things don't turn out quite the way you expected!

While it would usually take me a little over 30 minutes to get there, I got a little turned around and ended up getting there after about an hour and 10 minutes because the traffic was horrible. Then, because it has been raining here for months most of the parking was closed so I had to travel two miles away to find parking. Then I had to wait for a shuttle to take me back to the event. While waiting for this shuttle, which was about an hour wait, it started to pour down rain, with horrible lighting. I almost went back to my car to go home. I had already had enough! But then I remembered why I was doing this and that we are supposed to be like the mailman, delivering the news in rain, sleet, hail, no matter what. So I pressed on. While in line I began handing out $MDB. A few Hispanics were behind me and I passed them all around. Two hours later I finally arrived at the event. I could not believe what I saw....thick mud, everywhere! Everybody was covered in mud from head to toe. I knew I was in for a treat. When it came time to "counsel" I began to make my way through the slush. I waited for people to raise their hands and got ready to charge in. A lady raised her hand so I went over and asked if she raised her hand to accept Christ. She said no, that she was just excited and had raised her hand. I quickly moved away to look for someone else (but in hindsight probably should have stayed with her). Everyone was busy with other counselors, including the Hispanics that I had given the $MDB in the shuttle line! I couldn't believe it. But I did hope that by reading the $MDB that something had been sparked in them. I was so heart broken, but hoped that some hearts had actually been opened. I headed back to wait in the shuttle line again to get back to my car.

In the line again I handed out the rest of my $MDB. This sparked a conversation with a small group that had seen a few of the Way of the Master shows. I told them what I was doing and why I was out there. They listened intently and I think were very encouraged. One fellow who was with his youth group said he was going to go home and look at the websites. He was very excited. So, I gave him half of my stack of "Are you good enough..." tracts and all of my blue/pink optical illusion cards so he could take back to his youth group. On the shuttle bus I sat with Pat who was disappointed with the concerts. He said there was too much talking and not enough music. I gave him a "are you good enough...." tract. He then told me that he was unequally yoked with his wife and that she wasn't a Christian. I felt that, as a female, I shouldn't get involved in a lengthy conversation with him at that point but suggested he read the tract and perhaps leave it laying around for his wife. I hope he did. All in all I passed out about 65 $MDB along with the others that I had given away to the church member. I was disappointed that I hadn't been able to engage in any "earth shattering" conversations but pray that the Lord is working in hearts. Oh, and my shoes and socks were ruined! Pressing on!

Vacation Bible School?

2007-06-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

Today Beth and Parker enjoyed their last day of vacation bible school. It was a wonderful time had by all. I especially enjoyed the peace and quiet that I got for a little bit! Can't believe that, not only has school been out for two weeks, but now vacation bible school is already over too!

I loved attending vacation bible school when I was a kid. We always got pencils. I loved going so I could get a pencil. The bible stories were great. But I wanted a pencil. I also wanted the little bible pencil sharpener that came with it too.

The kids don't get pencils anymore. What happened to the pencils?

Vacation bible school is not like it was when I was a kid. Now that we go to a much larger church I think the whole idea of it is a lot more complicated. My kids don't go to just hear about the Lord, but now they have to be entertained. And they have to make nice with a whole bunch of kids they might not know.

I was a little surprised when Beth told me earlier this week when I picked her up that she was bored. "Are you really bored?" I asked, a little bewildered that she wasn't having the best time of her life. When I probed further, she said that there was a friend in her class that she had known when she attended preschool. This friend had told her that when they were in preschool she really didn't like her and wasn't her friend. I was a little taken aback. Wow, what vacation bible school spirit! I told her that there was no way her friend meant that and besides they hadn't even seen each other in years. I told her that no matter what her friend said to her that she should always be kind in spirit and tell her that she liked her anyway. I also knew that sometimes Beth could be hurtful with her words too and that we were still learning about respect and hurting each other feelings.

So today when I picked her up I asked her how it was. She assured me that it was a fun day. Great, I thought! When we were on our way home Beth mentioned her friend again. "Was she nice to you today?", I asked.

"Well, she told me that she wished I hadn't come to vacation bible school today, and she still wasn't my friend!"

I could feel the steam coming out of my ears! What harsh words for a 7-year-old to hear, at church of all places. I had to control my outbursts of anger, which then turned to complete sympathy for my child. Wow, I don't remember that happening to me in vacation bible school.

It was then that I felt an instant connection to her situation. I felt He was telling me that the trials I feel will be shared by those of the next generation. A gentle reminder that He should be glorified in all situations. It was a admonition that I should be teaching her diligently about these unexpected let downs, and perhaps expecting them myself.

My eyes then fell on my open Bible to the verses that I had just read this morning. "Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously. For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land." (Psalm 35:19,20)

Lord, thank you for not letting our enemies rejoice over us!

I still miss the pencils.

Expectation

2007-05-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you are supposed to be doing something?

It's not a feeling of I'm supposed to going to the grocery store right now or I must take the car in and get the oil changed.

It is something deeper.

Something you feel might take a long time to discover but you know in the end that you will find it. The best way to describe it is like I have jumped off the edge of a pool and I am swimming underwater. I can see the side of the pool clearly but it is taking me a while to get there. I am not out of breath. I am looking in all directions trying to find the best and fastest way to reach the edge. The prospect of reaching the edge excites me. I know when I reach the edge it will not be the end of my journey but the beginning.

For the past few months I've had a yearning for some sort of waiting expectation. It's like a gentle tugging at your heart that there is something out there waiting for you but you can't quite put your finger on it. It is just beyond your grasp but you know it is there. Waiting on you to stumble upon it like a long lost friend who suddenly emerges when you least expect it and says the right thing at exactly the right moment. You don't know if it is something that you are supposed to be doing in place of something else or in addition to it.

Before I got married this was the type of expectation that I had. I knew that I would get married and that and old part of my life would end and a new one would begin. I would leave the protection of the pool and pull myself over the edge with new expectations and challenges ahead of me.

In my newly refocused quest for the Lord, I believe that guarded expectation is preparing me for the eternal work of His kingdom. Perhaps what I search for is the continued blessings that he promises for those who follow Him wholeheartedly. It is a search for that perfection in Him that can only be obtained by seeking and praying for His will to be done.

The thought is always there though that if I am not careful I could risk staying in the pool too long. I would risk leaning on my own understanding of how to reach the edge. I would risk being devoured by the unseen sharks seeking to kill and destroy. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). This is when I must ask myself does this yearning come from the Lord? The enemy is cunning and clever. He wants us to focus our attention on anything that will not uplift and glorify the kingdom of heaven. But then I also must ask myself would the enemy be placing yearning or the possibility of glorious expectation on my heart if he knew it was going to further my development in the quest for the Lord? Probably not!

I often hear stories of those wanting to join a crusade for Christ. They feel a tug to be a missionary, donate money, start a bible study group, or reach out to the unsaved. But then the thought fades and they wonder if it was a 'sign' from the Lord. They think perhaps it is not the right time. If our heart was truly seeking the things of the Lord, why would the Lord not be sending us to further his Kingdom? "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38)

So, this is where I must leave all feelings in check and step out into the conviction of the Lord with sustained faith and prayer. I do so with full knowledge that the progression of my deepening walk with the Lord will lead to fulfillment in Him.

This fulfillment begins by swimming to the edge.

And, in this ongoing journey it is more than just getting to the edge and stopping. It is our calling, our duty to release ourselves from the seemingly comfortable pool.

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:11-14).

Will you step out over the edge?

Hollywood and God

2007-05-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in previous post, movies are full of blasphemy. The Lord really is calling us to a higher place.

Sometimes conviction is hard.

One Way.

Jesus.

You're the only one that I could live for.

Hollywood and God

State of Examination

2007-05-13T16:05:00.001-05:00

(Part I)
I have been in a state of examination.

A state of re-examination of sorts.

Several months ago I began a thorough review of my heart. I felt as though I was missing some pieces and wanted to find out what they were. I began earnestly praying for the Lord to restore me physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I began asking the Lord to reveal to me what, if anything, was hindering my walk with Him. What astonished me the most was the revelation that perhaps I had not been a true believer all of the time...I had fallen away.

The Lord reminded me that those who do not keep his commandments, his law, are headed for eternal destruction. I had been a backslider, lukewarm in my zeal for the Lord. This was a dangerous place to be. "Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will stop to ask how you are? You have rejected me, declares the Lord. You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion"(Jeremiah 15: 5-6).

What are his commandments? What are his laws?

All we have to do is look at the Ten Commandments.

(From Exodus 20)
1) You shall have no other gods before me. (Jesus says that we should love him above anything else including our work and our own family. What are you putting first in your life?)

2) You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (This also means that you should not make up your own god to suit your sins; like one that doesn't judge.)

3) You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. (blasphemy; includes taking his name in vain out of excitement. I was watching Trading Spaces: Family one day and cringed, the whole family said it about 20 times in about five minutes; Hollywood and movies are full of blasphemy.)

4) Keep the Sabbath Day holy. (The Lord strongly convicted me about working on Sunday.)

5) Honor your father and mother. (Do you have misgivings, bitterness, or hatred toward a parent? This is not honor.)

6) You shall not commit murder. (The Lord says if you have hatred in your heart -- now or in the past, you have committed murder in His eyes - 1 John 3:15)

7) You shall not commit adultery. (The Lord says whoever looks on a man/woman to lust has committed adultery with them in their heart - Matt 5:28)

8) You shall not steal. (Like cheating on your taxes or taking things from work no matter how little.)

9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. (In other words, you should not lie); how many fibs, lies or white lies to your kids does it take to be a liar? Just one. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

10) You shall not covet your neighbor's house (jealousy).

I was sitting in church recently when my eyes drifted to a verse several passages away from the one we were reading. The passage was about disobedience.

"But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out"(Deuteronomy 28:15-19).

Something suddenly was alerted in my spirit. I felt the Lord was telling me that I was in disobedience. But to what? I wasn't sure. I thought perhaps I had just made it up in my head. I shrugged it off. A few days later, I was contemplating how to continue my part-time job at the mall and my jump back into the family mortgage business. I had already put in my notice at the mall but they were wanting me to stay. I love working at the mall so I was really torn about what to do. I couldn't imagine why the decision was so difficult for me. I considered staying on and just cutting my work days down to only once or twice a month.

As I was flipping through the Bible I happened upon Jeremiah 17:21-24 "This is what the Lord says; Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. But if you are careful to obey me, declares the Lord, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials." Then verse 27: "But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy...then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses."

A feeling of something I can not describe shot through me. How could I have forgotten? I did not have to read that twice to know without a doubt what severe disobedience I had been in for nearly two years. Most of the days that I worked at the mall were on Sunday. And, if I had continued to work once a month...it would have been on Sunday! My last day at work was scheduled for a Sunday. I immediately called and said I was done.

I was dumbfounded with myself. When the Lord had revealed disobedience I didn't know what my sin was because I had forgotten, ignored and smoothed over the law. I was still going to church on Sundays so it was okay, right? The Lord did not want ME working on Sunday (This is not to suggest that everyone needs to abandon their work on Sundays. This is my personal conviction at this time). I felt that strongly. I was not putting the Lord first which was breaking the First Commandment also.

Sin is transgression of the law. "Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). The Lord says in Matthew 7 that those who do not know him will depart from him! And, if we are sinning the Lord says we do not know him.

"Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3,4).

And then there is this: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). How many times had I read that verse? Hundreds of times? You only have to break one law to transgress all the laws of the Lord.

So where did this leave me? Broken to say the least. In a total state of contrition, confession and repentance. I was in a state of shock, not believing that, me, a strong believer could be so subtly deceived. I realized I had not been seeking him as deep as I should have. I was skimming the surface, dipping my toes in for a feel good moment every now and then. I was completely comfortable with my immaturity.

Examine yourself.

Review the commandments above and ask yourself if there is unconfessed sin in your life. What about sin in your past? If you are not sure ask the Lord to reveal it to you. If your heart is open he will let you know. Yes, we are all sinners. But are we turning away from it? Are we desiring to turn away from it?

(Part II -- State of Repentance -- coming soon!)

Lucky Seven

2007-05-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH!

Today Beth is 7 years old! Wow 7!

I think 7 is the age of a special degree of maturity. Seven says you are no longer the little girl in pig tails but now are growing into a sweet young lady. With the age of seven we leave behind first grade, another soccer season, and another year of AWANA. It makes me sad to see her growing up so fast but leaves me so impressed with her accomplishments.

She is becoming so much more independent but still gets scared during a thunderstorm. She loves to play with her little brother and enjoys to have him tag along with her every where she goes -- once in a while.

She is an excellent reader and has a flair for drawing and art.

She loves to write me special notes and one in particular made my heart smile. It said, "You love God and I love God." Even at 7 she knows what makes her tick!

(Beth and friends having a hoot at her 7th birthday party at Gattitown.)

She is at the age where she is probably going to remember most things. Hopefully, she will remember the trouble that her Mom went through in order to find what she wanted for her birthday - a Webkinz. I searched this whole city for those things! Luckily, I found some in East Texas. Whew! Saved by overnight mail.

With the age of 7 comes talking on the telephone, wanting a telephone of her own, surfing the Internet, and hanging out with friends. What a life!

Here's to more memories my lucky seven!

Happy Birthday Beth! I Love You!

Tagged!

2007-05-04T09:25:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged!

In the blogging world this means that I'm it.

I am now supposed to tell you ten things about myself that you don't know, or might find interesting about me, or a combination of both. Is that right? Anyway, I think this will be a challenge for me. After I tell my interesting tidbits then I am supposed to tag ten other people. That will be the hardest part as none of my friends or family has blogs. What is with that? What is wrong with you people? What scares me more is that I am probably going to have to email some of you to let you know that you are tagged. Hum, wonder if that is breaking the rules.

Well, here goes:

10) When I was growing up I lived on a farm in East Texas. I had to milk the cows before and after school -- well one cow. I would get up at 5 AM to do this. One morning my cow wasn't cooperating. I was frustrated with this cow. So, I bit her on the ear. I'm not kidding. I bit her. You should have seen the look of surprise on my face.

9) I've owned and driven five cars in my life. In about one more month it'll be number six. I think that is a lot. I drove a small Chevy truck when I was in high school. Then a Geo Spectrum (don't ask), a Honda Accord, and lately two Honda Odysseys. Death to the mini-van!

8) I love Sonic. I love it so much I go everyday. I can't start my day unless I have a 99 cent, huge 44 ounce foam cup in my hand. In fact, I've actually thought about writing a blog about my Sonic obsession. You would probably be surprised what I get to drink at Sonic. I'm not going to tell you! Maybe I will write a blog about it. You will just have to find that out later.

7) I absolutely detest unloading the dishwasher. I would rather be doing anything else than that. I can't even get my kids to do it. Guess they hate it too. I think that is going to have to change. I think the long arm of the law is going to have to come down on that one.

6) On the other hand, I absolutely love to load the dishwasher. The thought of all those dirty things getting clean is really a fantastic feeling. Come to think of it, I also like to hear the dishwasher running. And the longer the better. No speed cycles for me. Seriously! SHHH! Don't tell the 'save the water' folks.

5) Like my friend Lisa, I also really love crime shows. I think it must be that investigative journalistic mind that emerges every now and then. Who done it? Law and Order: Criminal Intent is my favorite one. But even more than crime shows I love science fiction best. I was a huge X-Files fan and will watch any and all reruns of it. I also like any kind of good vs. evil movie like all the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Did you know that George Lucas produced Star Wars so young people would seek after God? Luke, stay away from the dark side.

4) And now for something quirky. I have a shoe fetish. No, not that I love to buy shoes. I must be wearing shoes. I never like to go barefoot unless I'm at the beach standing in the sand or I'm in the shower (otherwise, shoes must be on my feet at all times). Preferably with socks.

3) I picked both of my kids names when I was in high school. Yep. No joking. I'm still amazed by it.

2) For some reason, I add numbers together. If I pass a sign with numbers on it like the speed limit or a mile marker I will add the numbers together. Like speed limit 45...4+5=9. Mile marker 192...1+9+2=12. Don't even ask. I can't explain it!

1) I'm so glad that I know there is more required for eternal life than just saying a Christian sinner's prayer. By grace I have repented and I am born again.

And now who to tag. Since most (all of you) don't have a blog, well, you are still going to have to do it. Just answer in the comment section at the end of this post. You can keep it short. Don't be party poopers!

Tag list: (Tag list removed by Editor)