Our Daily Crumb

Jesus Touched the Untouchables

2009-04-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.”Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease. Matthew 8:1-3
I wonder… about the man who felt Jesus’ compassionate touch. He makes one appearance, has one request, and receives one touch. But that one touch changed his life forever….
I wonder about this man because in New Testament times leprosy was the most dreaded disease. The condition rendered the body a mass of ulcers and decay. Fingers would curl and gnarl. Blotches of skin would discolor and stink. Certain types of leprosy would numb nerve endings, leading to a loss of fingers, toes, even a whole foot or hand. Leprosy was death by inches.
The social consequences were as severe as the physical. Considered contagious, the leper was quarantined, banished to a leper colony.
In Scripture the leper is symbolic of the ultimate outcast: infected by a condition he did not seek, rejected by those he knew, avoided by people he did not know, condemned to a future he could not bear…
The touch did not heal the disease, you know. Matthew is careful to mention that it was the pronouncement and not the touch of Christ that cured the condition. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, ‘I will. Be healed!’ And immediately the man was healed from his disease” (Matt. 8:3).The infection was banished by a word from Jesus.
The loneliness, however, was treated by a touch from Jesus.
Jesus touched the untouchables of the world.

From His Name is Jesus© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009) Max Lucado

He did it just for you!

2009-04-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe that I haven't been on for forever, first off, and then also that I missed a chance to talk about one of the best days of the year - Easter!!!! Rather than me trying to wax eloquent though, here's something by Max Lucado that will talk about the God who is the God of Easter... He did it just for you.....

When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. Imprisoned in flesh. Restricted by weary-prone muscles and eyelids. For more than three decades, his once limitless reach would be limited to the stretch of an arm, his speed checked to the pace of human feet.

I wonder, was he ever tempted to reclaim his boundlessness? In the middle of a long trip, did he ever consider transporting himself to the next city? When the rain chilled his bones, was he tempted to change the weather? When the heat parched his lips, did he give thought to popping over to the Caribbean for some refreshment?

If ever he entertained such thoughts, he never gave in to them. Not once. Stop and think about this. Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. With one word he could’ve transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, but he didn’t. With a wave of his hand, he could’ve boomeranged the spit of his accusers back into their faces, but he didn’t. With an arch of his brow, he could’ve paralyzed the hand of the soldier as he braided the crown of thorns. But he didn’t.

Want to know the coolest thing about the coming?

Not that he, in an instant, went from needing nothing to needing air, food, a tub of hot water and salts for his tired feet, and, more than anything, needing somebody—anybody—who was more concerned about where he would spend eternity than where he would spend Friday’s paycheck.

Not that he kept his cool while the dozen best friends he ever had felt the heat and got out of the kitchen. Or that he gave no command to the angels who begged, “Just give the nod, Lord. One word and these demons will be deviled eggs.”

Not that he refused to defend himself when blamed for every sin since Adam. Or that he stood silent as a million guilty verdicts echoed in the tribunal of heaven and the giver of light was left in the chill of a sinner’s night.

Not even that after three days in a dark hole he stepped into the Easter sunrise with a smile and a swagger and a question for lowly Lucifer—“Is that your best punch?”

That was cool, incredibly cool.

But want to know the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?

He did it for you. Just for you.

From
His Name is Jesus
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009) Max Lucado

Just Wearing the Shirt

2009-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

Listen to Audio (right click to save)

I have two adult friends who own Princeton University sweatshirts. Al has one because he put in four challenging years there and graduated from Princeton. I ran into another friend, Dave, at the store one day and he was wearing his Princeton sweatshirt. I said, "I didn't know you went to Princeton, Dave." He informed me that he didn't attend that Ivy League school. He bought the sweatshirt at a discount store for 12 dollars! He said, "Oh, I didn't go there. I just wear the shirt!"

Jesus has a lot of folks like my friend who got his shirt at a discount store; they're just wearing His shirt. In fact, our word for today from the Word of God describes people like that. And frankly, it's pretty unsettling.

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, "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 of you 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!'"

This is a disturbing description, because the people Jesus says He never knew are not people who are only wearing a Jesus shirt. They have like a total Christian wardrobe. They have been Christian leaders, they're experts on Jesus, they've spoken for Jesus and they've done some impressive things in His name. Jesus says those who are truly His, who will end up in heaven, will not be "everyone who says" the right things but those who do His Father's will. Which is spelled out in John 6:40, "My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life." See, it's your total trust in God's Son to rescue you from your sin that gets you into heaven and nothing else. It takes more than a Christian uniform.

There may be someone listening today who says all the right words - maybe even publicly - but you've never surrendered your heart and your will to Jesus Christ. The fact that you have Christianity but you don't have Christ can be concealed until you see the Lord. Could it be that you're just wearing the shirt, but your heart is still lost?

In Luke 6:46, Jesus addresses people who apparently really do belong to Him. But He asks, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Maybe your commitment to Jesus has deteriorated to being pretty much words like "Lord, Lord." My friend, Dave, had not really paid the price that goes with identification with the university. When my friend, Al, wears his shirt, it is backed up by years of sacrifice and work. Could it be that you're proud to wear a Jesus shirt, but you're not paying the price of really living consistently with Jesus first?

But by far the most important question you have to answer and answer correctly is this: "Do I really belong to Jesus? Have I really begun a relationship with Him by grabbing Him in total trust to be my Rescuer from my sin?" You see if it's only a Christian uniform, it won't make it past the throne of God on Judgment Day. You need to be sure. You need to make sure that Jesus Christ rules in your heart.

It may be hard for you to admit, but if you don't really belong to Jesus and you want to, would you tell Him that right now? "Jesus, beginning today, I really am Yours." And if you want to begin this relationship for real, I want to urge you to go visit our website at your first opportunity today. It's YoursForLife.net, and it'll walk you through how to be sure you have begun this relationship and that you truly do belong to Jesus. Or I could send you the free booklet Yours For Life if you just call for it at our toll free number. It's 877-741-1200.

I think the most chilling words Jesus will ever speak are "I never knew you," spoken to people who knew all about Him but didn't know Him. I don't ever want you to hear those words. He doesn't ever want you to hear those words. He comes to you one more time. Please, let Him in.

Laws of the Lighthouse

2009-01-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

The first of the year is known for three things: black-eyed peas, bowl games, and lists. Some don’t eat black-eyed peas. Others hate football. But everybody likes lists.

The Bible certainly has its share of lists. Moses brought one down from the mountain.

There are lists of the gifts of the Spirit. Lists of good fruit and bad. Lists of salutations and greetings. Even the disciples’ boat got into the action as it listed in the stormy Sea of Galilee. (If you smiled at that, then I’ve got a list of puns you’d enjoy.)

But the greatest day of lists is still New Year’s Day. And the number one list is the list I call the Laws of the Lighthouse.

The Laws of the Lighthouse contain more than good ideas, personal preferences, and honest opinions. They are God-given, time-tested truths that define the way you should navigate your life. Observe them and enjoy secure passage. Ignore them and crash against the ragged rocks of reality.

Smart move. The wise captain shifts the direction of his craft according to the signal of the lighthouse. A wise person does the same.

Herewith, then, are the lights I look for and the signals I heed:

– Love God more than you fear hell.
– Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
– Make major decisions in a cemetery.
– When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
– Succeed at home first.
– Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today.
– Pray twice as much as you fret.
– Listen twice as much as you speak.
– Only harbor a grudge when God does.
– Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
– Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
– ‘Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
– God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same.
– When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust his heart.
– Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
– Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness.
– The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
– Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
– Live your liturgy.

To sum it all up:
Approach life like a voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore the vessel. Make friends with the captain. Fish a little. And then get off when you get home.

From
In the Eye of the Storm
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado

Overcoming Life's Monotony

2009-01-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

Week of Jan. 12

Overcoming Life's Monotony

Consider for a moment an average person in an average home who wakes up early in the morning to beat everyone into the shower so that he can get ready and get on the road to get to work on time. He works hard all day and then jumps back into the car to beat the traffic home, so he can sit down to eat and watch television. He sets his alarm and goes to bed so he can begin the whole process all over again. Does this life sound familiar?

In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says that there is nothing new under the sun. There is monotony, he writes, and there is boredom in our lives. But a life lived with God, in fellowship with Him, under His authority, is a life of joy and fulfillment. All humans can live a life of emptiness, boredom, and meaninglessness living without God, or they can experience a life full of joy, excitement, and contentment when they live it with Him.

Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns us saying, "Please, do not go where I went. Please, be forewarned about living your life the wrong way. Learn from my failures, and do not make the mistakes I have made. Live in fellowship with God. Live under the authority of God." He says the temptations we will face in life are not worth the trouble they will cause, and cautions us against falling prey to them. Much of our worldly pursuits in life will bring us nothing but emptiness, misery, and disappointment. A life without God's leading is a life without purpose and meaning.

But thanks to God, there is a better way! A life that is lived in fellowship with God, a life lived under the authority of the Word of God, a life which is lived by the principles given to us in the Word--that life will be meaningful. That sort of life will be purposeful. That life will be joyful and fulfilling. That life will be a blessing to you and to others. Most importantly, that life will be a blessing to God.

The good news is that those who are experiencing a personal relationship with the Son of God will not only find contentment in this life--they will know with all assurance that the day is coming when they will have perfect knowledge, perfect bodies, perfect memories, and perfect stamina. And the reason that they can have this full life is that they know who they are and to Whom they belong. They know their purpose for living and they know their ultimate destination.

Are you experiencing emptiness, drudgery, or monotony? You can change direction, and you can do it today. You can begin a life of meaning, a life full of purpose, a life with the absolute and perfect assurance of your ultimate and eternal destination. If that is your desire, then you can say to the Lord, "Lord, I am tired of living a life of emptiness and monotony. I want to live a life of purpose; I want to live my life for You and for Your Kingdom." And God will answer that prayer--of that you can be sure. In His time, you will begin to live a life full of joy, peace, fulfillment, and contentment. Only God, His truths, His purpose, and His Word can give your life the meaning you have always wanted.

***

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Good or Evil?

2009-01-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

January 21

Calling Good Evil & Evil Good

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20

People can become so warped in their thinking that they don't know the difference between right and wrong.

I was listening to the radio one morning, and they were talking about what scientists want to do with the tissue of aborted babies. They said that some women are thinking about having babies, aborting them, then selling the tissue for research. The scientific community is promoting this propaganda because of the good they say the research will have on the whole of humanity! But what about the whole of humanity that begins in the womb?

People today will play enough tricks on their minds that they will literally approve evil with a good conscience.

Where do you stand on this issue? What is right and what is wrong?

Take some time this morning to read Psalm 139 and ask God to show you His truth.

Guarding against extremes

2009-01-06T03:50:00.001-08:00

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR GUARDING AGAINST EXTREMES
by Charles R. Swindoll

Romans 14:22 NLT

Three suggestions come to mind as I think about living with the risks of grace and putting all this into balanced living.

First, guard against extremes if you want to enjoy the freedom grace provides. Try your best to keep balanced, then enjoy it. No reason to feel guilty. No reason to be afraid. Try this first: Simply give yourself permission to be free. Don't go crazy . . . but neither should you spend time looking over your shoulder worrying about those who "spy out your liberty," and wondering what they will think and say.

Second, treat grace as an undeserved privilege rather than an exclusive right. This will also help you keep a balance. Live gratefully, not arrogantly. Have fun, but don't flaunt. It is all in one's attitude, isn't it? It has nothing to do with financial status or where you live or what clothes you prefer or which car you drive. It has everything to do with attitude.

Third, remember that while grace came to you freely, it cost the Savior His life. It may seem free, but it was terribly expensive when He purchased it for us. And who wouldn't want to be free, since we have been purchased from the horrors of bondage?

Grace is God's universal good news of salvation. The tragedy is that some continue to live lives in a deathlike bog because they have been so turned off by a message that is full of restrictions, demands, negativism, and legalism. You may have been one of those held in bondage, victimized by a system that has stolen your joy and snuffed out your hope. If so, I have some wonderful news. You've gotten very close to the border. There's a flag flying. And on that flag is a cross. And if you come into this camp of grace beneath the cross, you'll never have to be in that awful bog again.

You will be free... free at last.

Reading the Bible

2009-01-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

I got this from my previous pastor's blog, and, well, he makes a great point much more eloquently than I would, so I wanted to share... :)

How long does it take to read the Bible? The answer is 77 hours and 22 minutes. That is the length of the NIV Bible being read out loud by Max McLean. You can purchase it for your I-Pod.

So if Max reads the Bible in 77 hours and 22 minutes - that is a total of 4642 minutes. If you read at Max's pace (which is not fast since it is dramatic and out loud) - it would take 12 minutes and 43 seconds per day for you to read the Bible through this year.

It's just that simple!

2009-01-04T16:41:00.001-08:00

Today's Reading: Genesis 10-12; Matthew 4

Today's Thoughts: It's Just That Simple

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12

The "He" and the "Him" in these verses is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came to earth to save His people, but many of His own people rejected Him. For those who "received Him," Jesus gave them inheritance into the kingdom of God. All they had to do was "believe in His name." There was nothing else to do, not even their best religious works would be good enough to earn salvation. The same is true for us today as we have the Word of God to teach us about Jesus. The Gospel of John was written so that we would believe in Him, a simple message that requires simple faith. But is it really that simple?

The short answer is "yes." It is just that simple. All anyone has to do to be saved and inherit eternal life with God in heaven is to believe in His Son Jesus and the work He did on the cross. If it is that easy, then why doesn't everyone believe? Jesus would compare the faith required of us to the faith of a child. He desires for all of us to have childlike faith. Why? Because children just believe. They trust without proof of purchase. They do not carry baggage from years of pain, mistrust and betrayal. They do not know what it means to be skeptical, cynical or illogical. But we do. We get hardened by the world and its imprints on our lives. And, unfortunately, some have been hurt by Christians themselves. Even those of us who are Christians, who believe in Jesus, walk around without any power to change. Where is the victory that overcomes the world? In everyday life, it is not so easy to believe in a God we cannot see or hear or touch. When the world takes our time and attention, we have an even harder time believing beyond what we are dealing with at the moment.

If you feel overwhelmed with life, take a moment and set your eyes on Jesus. Ask Him to help you believe His promise to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Ask Him to help you believe that He has a future and a hope for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Ask Jesus to fill you with His peace that He promised to leave with you (John 14:27). Stop trying to work it all out for yourself. And if you are having trouble believing, ask the Lord to help you even to believe (Mark 9:23-24). We spend so much time on other things; why not spend some of it with the Lord today?

Our mission is to evangelize the lost and awaken the saved to live empowered lives by the Work of God and His Holy Spirit. Daily Disciples Ministries makes a difference for the kingdom of God by teaching and training believers how to be in God's Word, how to pray and how to walk with Jesus every day, as His daily disciple.
Daily Disciples Ministries, Inc.

Vision for the New Year

2009-01-01T10:42:00.001-08:00

January 1

A Vision for Your Life in the New Year

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18

Helen Keller had vision even though she lost her sight at 19 months of age. A reporter asked Miss Keller, "Is there anything worse than being blind?" "Yes," she said, "It is to have sight and no vision."

Do you have a vision for your life at the threshold of a new year? On New Year's Day, I review the goals for my life. These are spiritual, relational, intellectual, physical, and financial goals. I pray over these and ask for God's will to be done in each one. I hold them in an open hand and ask that God would give me wisdom as to the direction He wants for my life.

I don't want to be a person without vision. I don't want you to be one either.

Begin to think about some goals you would like for your life. Pray and seek the Lord's face as you ponder the future.

Losing Hope

2009-01-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

December 31, 2008

The Night I Lost All Hope

By Elaine Bonds, She Speaks Graduate

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Devotion:

I remember it so well -- the night I lost all hope. I had been hoping that my prodigal son was not lying to me. While I was 99% sure he was, I still clung to the 1% chance he was telling the truth. My heart simply refused to give up that final thread of hope.

As a condition of living in our home again, we asked that our 21-year old son attend a weekly support group meeting. We wanted him back home; his other living choice was not a good one. But we needed to establish boundaries, offering a safe place to live without tolerating or enabling his destructive behavior. We wanted to start rebuilding the trust we had lost. One building block was his Friday night support group meeting. Though our son said he was attending, in my heart I felt something was wrong.

One night I just had to know if he was living up to his commitment. I drove to the place where his meeting was held and my fears were confirmed: he was nowhere to be found. I went right home and waited. When he came home I asked about his meeting. "The meeting was fine. I'm tired and going to bed." I had caught him in a lie!

Hope left me and discouragement came quickly to replace it. I couldn't even confront him -- at least not yet. I needed time to wrestle with the loss of the 1% of hope. It was just a tiny bit of hope. No big loss, right? ... Wrong! That last 1% of hope is what I held onto the tightest. I was so angry and crushed. But then, God spoke. He chose a friend to speak His Words to me the very next day. She had no clue what was happening with our son. She just prayed what God prompted her -- for me to have HOPE! She emailed me her prayer:

"Father, You are the God of all hope. Your Word tells us that those who hope in You will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, and they will walk and not be faint. I pray this for Elaine this morning ... that she will place her HOPE in You and You alone ..."

Reading her prayer, it suddenly became clear to me. My hope had been in my son and in that weekly meeting. The hope I had lost -- that 1% I'd been clinging to -- was human hope. That kind of hope is in limited quantity, and when it runs out, you are left drained, discouraged, disappointed and ...hopeless! Oh, it may masquerade as "hope," but it is completely different from the hope that God provides. God's hope renews and refreshes. It empowers, uplifts, and strengthens. God's hope does not disappoint! There is an unlimited supply of God's hope.

God knew I had been clinging to human hope, and He knew that last 1% of weak, feeble hope would run out. He wanted me to cling to Him, the God of true, lasting, unlimited hope. So, as I wiped my tears, I waited as the winds of God's hope blew my way. My circumstances were still the same, but my heart was now filled with the hope that only God can provide.

Grace

2008-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

December 27-28, 2008

UNDERSTANDING GRACE
by Charles R. Swindoll

John 1:14

What exactly is grace? And is it limited to Jesus' life and ministry? You may be surprised to know that Jesus never used the word itself. He just taught it and, equally important, He lived it. Furthermore, the Bible never gives us a one-statement definition, though grace appears throughout its pages . . . not only the word itself but numerous demonstrations of it. Understanding what grace means requires our going back to an old Hebrew term that meant "to bend, to stoop." By and by, it came to include the idea of "condescending favor."

If you have traveled to London, you have perhaps seen royalty. If so, you may have noticed sophistication, aloofness, distance. On occasion, royalty in England will make the news because someone in the ranks of nobility will stop, kneel down, and touch or bless a commoner. That is grace. There is nothing in the commoner that deserves being noticed or touched or blessed by the royal family. But because of grace in the heart of the queen, there is the desire at that moment to pause, to stoop, to touch, even to bless.

The late pastor and Bible scholar Donald Barnhouse perhaps said it best: "Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace."

To show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it. Receiving God's acceptance by grace always stands in sharp contrast to earning it on the basis of works. Every time the thought of grace appears, there is the idea of its being undeserved. In no way is the recipient getting what he or she deserves. Favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver.

Be still

2008-12-30T04:13:00.001-08:00

"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today... The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." "
Exodus 14:13-14

This is Moses speaking to the Israelites just after they've left their home, albeit their home filled with slavery and suffering, in Egypt. They are marching out into the desert, away from their captors, when the Egyptians decide they want them back and begin to chase. The Israelites are panicked. They are men, women and children, babies and grandparents. The Egyptians behind them are warriors. The Israelites are moving, carrying their possessions. The Egyptians are chasing, with nothing to slow them down. The Israelites are wondering if perhaps they should have "behaved" and just stayed in Egypt. They see no way out. Moses had to be panicking a bit too. He know that God was powerful. They all did. But what could even God do here, with the sea on one side of them and the army on the other? But Moses trusted God.

Wow.

Do I trust like this? Do I grab hold of a promise God's given me and then "be still", knowing that He will keep that promise? Oh, that's hard for me to do!! But think what could happen if I did!

For Moses it involved God parting a sea for the Israelites to walk safely away from the Egyptians. Parting a sea!!! For me I'm guessing He is fully able to see me through the problems of each day....

Be still, hmmm.....

My purpose?

2008-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

I am plugging along, sporadically, but plugging nonetheless, through the Bible, and this past week was reading in Exodus.

"But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Exodus 9:16

That's God talking to Moses. He has just let him know, basically, that the things He's done in Moses' life were for "this very purpose" - to glorify God. He didn't work out Moses being saved by the princess to give him a happy cushy life, or even to spare his mom the suffering of seeing her son killed. He didn't bring Moses to a place of power because he deserved it, or even because he thought he'd do a good job in it. His purpose for Moses' life was not for Moses to feel fulfilled or happy. His purpose for Moses' life was to glorify Himself.

How self centered I am to think that God's purpose for me, for my life, might be something other than that! How many of my prayers ask God to help me feel better, help me stay comfortable, protect those I care about? How much time to do I spend taking care of the me part of my life? How much time and energy, really, do I spend thinking about how God might be glorified through me?

Wow.....

The Arrival

2008-12-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

A good one for Christmas by Max Lucado...

God had entered the world as a baby.

Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold.

The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor.

A more lowly place of birth could not exist.

Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor; perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him—so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds.

Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event puzzles him. But he hasn’t the energy to wrestle with the questions. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes he remembers the name the angel told him to use … Jesus. “We will call him Jesus.”

Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:33)

He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.

She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!

This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds.

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.

Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking.

Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

From
God Came Near
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006) Max Lucado

Fool's Gold

2008-12-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

A neat one from Ron Hutchcraft...

My outreach trips to South Africa have been with some wonderful ministry experiences. We saw African young people coming to Christ. We had the privilege of training South African youth workers to reach lost young people. And we're even training people to reach the lost and the young through radio. One afternoon we were able to sneak away long enough to visit one of the gold mines that helped make South Africa the richest country on that continent. Years ago this was the largest and richest gold mine in the world. Today, an old miner take guys like me, puts a helmet on them, gives them a light, and takes them on tours. It was fascinating to hear him describe how gold was uncovered and then extracted from deep inside the earth. At one point, he asked us to shine our light on one wall of the mine, and it sparkled with this bright, yellow gold! It was amazing - beautiful! The old miner told us, "Don't get too excited." He said, "Real gold is black. It doesn't even look like gold. That stuff that glitters, well, that's just fool's gold.

It's "values clarification time," with the help of our word for today from the Word of God. 1 Timothy 6:8, "If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich (that's the people who go after the stuff that glitters) fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

It's so easy to buy the values of a world that measures worth by success, by how much of the glittery stuff you have - to spend major life-energy going after more house, more car, more wardrobe, more position, more prestige. It's gold - but it's fool's gold. Notice the words God uses to describe the pursuit of more: a trap, foolish desires, harmful desires, ruin and destruction, wandering from the faith, grief. The foolishness of all this is summed up in two words God uses to describe security that is based on earth-stuff "so uncertain." That's what He calls it in 1 Timothy 6:17.

So God reveals the scam - what looks so valuable is so worthless, and the spiritual riches that may look so worthless are so valuable. Like fool's gold and real gold. The chapter goes on to describe the real gold. "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness." Don't look for those on the Dow-Jones, but they are so much more precious than anything you'll find there and certainly a lot more lasting.

God says when you live your life to give instead of get, you will be one of those who "lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:19) or the gold that is really gold.

Take a moment for a priority check - not about what you believe, but about how you're spending your life. Honestly now, is most of the best of your life tied up in going after fool's gold? Do you even have much energy, much time, much resource left to pursue the gold of what will last for eternity like getting to know Jesus better, getting people to heaven with you, showing Jesus' love to people who really need it, absorbing God's Word? It's time to live for what will last.

With whatever years you have left, go where the real gold is. The stuff that glitters is what most of the people around you are going for. But remember, it's just fool's gold.

Joy to the World

2008-12-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a good one from Katherine R. Cottle...

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV)

Devotion:

Uh-oh, my son had begun the dreaded potty dance. He had gotten so engrossed in the beautiful, giant, Christmas ornaments suspended from the shopping mall ceiling that he totally ignored his almost 4 year-old bladder. It was warning him to get to the potty. We were only seconds away from an accident, without a change of clothes.

Doctors had recently given my little son a great big label: Pervasive Developmentally Delayed. Simple translation: he learns differently than most and things that "typically developing" children are able to do easily, he finds challenging. For example, being able to recognize that his body needs to go to the potty and communicating his need to me. I had 20 other things to accomplish in the mall and I was not prepared for this.

Thanks to a mother's ability to quickly maneuver through crowds and leap tall mounds of Christmas presents in a single bound, we made it to the restroom just in time.

Frustration began to overwhelm my heart. I wasn't just overwhelmed by the pressure of the things I had on my to-do list, but also by my son's struggle with being able to recognize and verbally acknowledge his needs. Lord, will he ever be able to tell me what is going on in his head? How are we going to reach him?

As we were washing our hands, he suddenly began to sing with all his heart, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King." Where was this coming from? I wondered. Quieting my frustrated mind, I slowed down to listen. The song was playing over the intercom. I had totally tuned it out.

My beautiful little boy with his great big label had heard what I had not. Women coming out of their stalls smiled and sang with him. I think the angels would have included us in their choir that day.

In that moment I felt the Lord assure me that He had created my son and knew his needs and exactly how to reach him. After all, this is what Christmas is all about. Our loving Father, knowing our need of the gift of salvation, reached the world through Jesus Christ. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let us receive our King!

Dear Lord, Thank you for knowing my needs, sending Your Son and creating a way to reach me. This Christmas, please help me quiet my frustrations and busy to-do list and listen to Your song. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Being Part of God's Plan

2008-12-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt .

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:35-38

Mary has an honored place as being the mother of Jesus. In our Christian circles, we celebrate Mary as a virtuous young woman willfully taking on the responsibility of becoming mother of the Son of God. Still, it's easy to overlook the difficulties Mary faced in accepting this role. She was likely in her mid-teens at the time of the angel's announcement. An unmarried teen pregnancy in Jewish culture at the time would have been quite scandalous. She faced the prospect of being an outcast in her hometown. Further, imagine Mary attempting to explain the circumstances of her pregnancy to her parents and to Joseph, her fiancé. Being part of God's plan was no doubt very difficult for Mary.

One of the characteristics that set Mary apart for her role was her willing obedience. "May it be to me as you have said," was Mary's reply to the angel. This is simply amazing.

We, just like Mary, are part of God's plan to carry His light and love to a needy world. Each of us have been given different roles in His plan, but none are unimportant. It might be difficult to see ourselves as being active participants in what God is doing in the world. It's not always easy to say yes to God. Saying yes can mean facing difficulties and persecution. But, God always provides the means of sustaining us when we choose obedience to His desires for our lives.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, remember Mary as an example of the obedience God desires of us.

Going Deeper:
Put yourself in Mary's position. How do you think you would have responded to the angel's message?
What makes it hard to believe that you are part of God's plan for the world?
What can you do to become more obedient to God?

Family Time: Watch the movie, The Nativity Story with your family. Afterward, use the content above to debrief, noting Mary's obedience and bringing home the concept that God calls us to similar obedience as well.

2008-12-03T10:55:00.001-08:00

"Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thornbush has roses."

-German proverb

Shield of Faith

2008-11-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.
Ephesians 6:16

What is this shield of faith Paul refers to? Remember, as he was writing this letter to the Christians at Ephesus, he was chained to a Roman guard. He had plenty of time to observe Roman armor.

The shield would have been made of wood--a rectangular object about four feet high and two feet wide.

Prior to an actual face-to-face engagement with the enemy, a soldier often would encounter a barrage of flaming arrows coming from all directions. The sole purpose of this was to demoralize and confuse.

Thus, the Roman soldiers would put their shields together to protect themselves from this onslaught of arrows that had been set on fire. They needed their shields above and beyond what their breastplates could provide for protection.

The same goes for us. The devil will direct his flaming arrows toward Christians. They could be arrows of immorality, hatred, pride, envy, covetousness, doubt, worry, or any other kind of sin. They will be delivered primarily in the realm of our thoughts.

He will barrage us with his flaming arrows at strategic times, like when we decide to read the Bible or go to church. Flaming arrows will come our way during times of trial and hardship.

It is during these times that you need to hold up the shield of faith--not the shield of feelings, not the shield of emotions, but the shield of faith. You base your faith on what God has done for you, not on how you feel at a given moment.

Emotions come and go. Sometimes you feel great; and sometimes you don't feel anything. It is then that you learn to use the shield of faith.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.

Prayer diary opportunity

2008-11-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

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Praise and an Untrue Heart

2008-11-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

A hard, but good one from Michael Youssef...

Pride is not the only thing that can keep us from praising God. An untrue heart can squelch both the desire and the ability to develop a life of praise. An untrue heart is a heart that is insincere, hypocritical, or filled with doubt. The writer of Hebrews said:

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).

There are some people who try to honor God with their lips while their hearts are full of anger, bitterness, or envy. However, God knows the status of our hearts and our weaknesses.

We cannot develop a life of praise alone or in our own strength. Instead, we must surrender our intellect, feelings, and will to the Lord. As we do this, God will empower us to develop a habit of praising Him--regardless of our circumstances.

In Genesis 22, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, He was asking him to surrender the object of his love. He was asking Abraham to give up something that meant more to him than anything else.

Did God want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? No. God wanted to be certain that Abraham was willing to surrender everything to Him. Like Abraham, God wants us to surrender to Him. He wants us to praise Him. Praise is a sacrifice that costs us our pride, our plans, and our desires. True praise requires that we place everything on the altar to the Lord.

Don't let pride or an untrue heart keep you from a life of praise. Yield to the Lord, come before Him in humility, and God will give you His strength and power to live a victorious life.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:20).

Learn how praise can make all the difference in your life. Michael Youssef explores this topic in our free resource this month--"Empowered by Praise." Download it today.

Being Ready for Rough Times

2008-11-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

I think everyone's a bit nervous right now... What's happening with our economy? What's going on politically? Are rough times coming? I just got an applicable email from Dr. Charles Stanley. Take a peek!

Being Ready for Rough Times
1 Peter 1:13-14

The apostle Peter knew that hard days lay ahead for his fellow believers. So he reminded them about their security as children of God: they were chosen by Him, born into a living hope, given spiritual protection during this life, and guaranteed eternity in heaven with their Father. Peter then gave them specific ways to prepare for the coming trials. His words, divinely inspired by the Lord, can guide us as well.

His first instruction relates to our minds: What we believe has a direct impact on our response to life's problems. If we trust that God is looking out for us, then we will feel less threatened by hard circumstances. But if we decide we must rely on ourselves, then we are more likely to react poorly to situations beyond our control. A negative attitude--whether from anger, fear, worry, or jealousy--can make a hard time worse. Preparation for the future starts with developing biblical thinking.

A second lesson from Peter is to be "sober in spirit"--in other words, to maintain our balance in the midst of crises (v. 13). That requires resisting quick fixes to problems and refusing to embrace ungodly ideas or philosophies. Our enemy Satan is quick to offer suggestions designed to trip us up or turn us away from God's path. With the Spirit's help, we can learn to stand firm in a crisis and steadfastly follow the Lord.

Our culture is increasingly distancing itself from Jesus Christ and opposing His followers. Are you preparing spiritually for whatever the future holds?

Obey your thirst!

2008-11-10T05:03:00.000-08:00

Another great one, this time by Daniel Darling...

John 4:1-42

It was the final minute of a close basketball game between my high-school and our rival. We were playing at a tournament in a hot gym in a small dusty Illinois town.

My coach called timeout and the waterboy raced out to us players and offered a water bottle.

I cocked my head back and squeezed the bottle. Warm, sulfur-tasting water squirted out into my mouth. We had run out of Gatorade and so all we had was water that tasted like it came from the fish-tank in the school lobby.

But I was so thirsty, I downed half the bottle.

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean parched to the point where you would drink anything?

Well, Jesus was this thirsty when he stopped at a well in Samaria. He had just walked for two days under the hot, sticky Judean sun. Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He was also human. He was looking forward to a tall, soothing glass of water.

But Jesus was also here for another reason. At the other side of the well was a lady who was also thirsty. She had plenty of water available at the well, but she was still thirsty.

Thirsty for approval. Thirsty for satisfaction. Thirsty for something more to her life.

She had sought happiness in a series of relationships that wouldn't satisfy. Sound familiar? Maybe you're there right now. You've bought the lie that says, "If I could just get a guy to look at me" Or "If I could just get that hot girl to go out with me."

But there is no human relationship that will satisfy your deepest longings. God designed you that way. We were created to find fulfillment and joy only in Jesus Christ.

Jesus offered something to this woman at the well. He offered her living water. Water that satisfies. By believing in Jesus Christ, God's Holy Spirit would allow her to have unconditional access to the God of the universe.

Are you thirsty? If so, obey your thirst and discover Jesus' living water.

Think:

Why can't I find satisfaction in life outside of God?

Daniel Darling is an author and pastor with a passion for young people. He is the author of Teen People of the Bible, a 100-day devotional for teens. Visit him at danieldarling.com.

Hearing God in a Noisy World

2008-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. -- Romans 12:2

Some of my friends tease me about my so-called obsession with electronic gadgets. One of my favorite purchases of recent years was my noise-canceling headphones. I use them whenever I'm traveling by airplane. These headphones actually quiet much of the noise generated by the jet engines. The manufacturer suggests that noise cancellation reduces the stress and fatigue associated with air travel. The science behind the noise cancellation is that the headphones have microphones that monitor outside noise, then process those sound waves and generate into the headphones opposite sound waves, which cancel out the unwanted noise. It really, really works! When I use the headphones, and the jet noise is quieted, I am amazed how you can still very clearly hear the voice of someone speaking to you from the next seat.

This noise cancellation technology reminds me that in our relationship with Christ and our interaction with the Scriptures, we have a noise cancellation system. When we study and apply God's Word to our lives; when we passionately pursue Jesus' Lordship daily, the noise of the world is quieted and we can hear Him clearly. Sure, you still know the noise is out there, but the level of the roar is reduced. But, when we ignore these basic disciplines, the noise of the world increases and can become deafening -- and our lives suffer because we no longer hear God's word.

Jesus didn't intend to remove us completely from the noise of the world with its temptations, hurts, injustices and evil. No, rather He intends to protect us in the midst of these dangers -- effectively canceling the world's noise -- to a point where we can hear and respond to God's Word and our lives can be lived joyfully and effectively for Him.

I am insignificant

2008-11-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

I do like writing my own little "crumbs" on here, but there are so many good ones that so many people so much smarter than me have written that I have to share those too!! This is one is by Charles R. Swindoll. Read on!!

Read Job 40:1--5

If you take the time to analyze those words, you'll see that Job has three responses. The first is a response of humility. The second is a response of relief. And the third is a response of surrender. That's all God wanted to hear. And what an important change for Job! Without realizing it, he had become this independent, determined, self-assured apologist defending himself. Without saying so, he'd begun to appear as if he had his arms around the providence of God.

His first response is verse 4, "I am insignificant." Many of those who have been schooled in the fine points of psychology will reject this response. They will say we should be encouraged to realize how important we are, how valuable we are to God, what a significant place we fill in this world. They would counsel, "Don't think or say, 'I am insignificant.' " Before we're tempted to go there, take note that God doesn't reprove Job for saying he is insignificant or unworthy.

We'd put it this way: "I'm a lightweight." Frankly, it's true. It is an appropriate term for Job to use after being asked so many things he couldn't answer and shown so much he didn't understand. In unguarded humility the man admits, "I'm insignificant."

His second statement is, "What can I reply to You?" I see that as an expression of relief. God didn't want answers, He knew the answers. He knows all of them! He wanted Job to acknowledge, "I don't know any of the answers. And if I don't know about those things, as objective as they are, how could I ever fully understand the profound mysteries surrounding my world?" By acknowledging that, quiet relief replaced troubling resistance.

My point here---and this is terribly important: When we are broken and brought to the end of ourselves, it is not for the purpose of gaining more answers to spout off to others. It's to help us acknowledge that the Lord is God, and His plans and reasons are deeper and higher and broader than we can comprehend. Therefore, we are relieved from having to give answers or defend them.

Job's third response is a statement of surrender: "I lay my hand on my mouth," verse 4 concludes. "I dare not say more. I've said enough---actually too much---already."

Can you make these three admissions to God? If not, work on it!

Rest

2008-11-06T16:02:00.000-08:00

Psalms 62:1-2

"My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress. I will never be shaken."

Oh, this is so good to read! This was David talking, a king, in desperate need of rest and quiet, and strength, I am sure, but how fitting for a mom. How fitting for all of us, but for me, right now, feeling in desperate need of rest, this is good. I see the hope of rest in HIM. I see strength when I am out. How good!!!

Biblically correct

2008-11-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

A good one by Charles R. Swindoll...
Read Job 27:1--23
Isn't that closing comment a great line? The wicked man may have more clothes in his closet, but he'll wind up leaving them to us. Remember the materialistic line that is framed around license plates? "He who dies with the most toys wins." The truth is, he who dies with the most toys passes them off to the righteous, and the righteous get to enjoy them! Job has come to realize this priority: wrong will occur, but it will not ultimately triumph. That brings a sense of justice.
There go those great riches! How often have we witnessed or heard about individuals who are loaded financially, but it isn't too many years before it is gone. Those riches were like an eagle---they made themselves wings. Rest assured, God keeps accurate records. He knows what He's about. Furthermore, He knows who is righteous and who is wicked.
It's easy to become confused if you watch too much of the evening news on television. Be very discerning about what you watch and what you read. If the source is not reliable, the information will be skewed. Thankfully, there are still some in our day who think straight and aren't afraid to say so. Their words remind us that evil is evil, that wrong actions will be judged, that even though the wicked may seem to be winning, they will ultimately lose! The nineteenth century American poet and essayist, James Russell Lowell, put it well:
Truth forever on the scaffold Wrong forever on the throne--- Yet that scaffold sways the future And, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above His own.
Stay on the scaffold. Keep thinking straight. Refuse to tolerate wrong! Like Job, keep forming your priorities from the Word of God. Spend less time in the papers or watching TV and more time in the Scriptures. Let God dictate your agenda and help you interpret the events of our times. Become biblically correct rather than politically correct.

The Potter

2008-11-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

"Why am I this way? Why can't I change?"
Most of us have heard that cry from troubled individuals. The first time I heard it, it came from a man who had been an alcoholic for almost a decade. He kept trying to quit; once he stayed sober for eight months, and another time for nearly a year. He always went back to the bottle.
I didn't have an answer for him. I don't think he actually asked for an answer Even if he had received one, it wouldn't have solved his problem.
All of us are les than perfect, and we know it. Probably most of us have things in our personality we've tried to change but have been unsuccessful. We may have mellowed slightly or made some adjustment, but in other areas we just don't seem to win.
Our tendency is to blame God or some other outside force that we're the way we are. Perhaps we were born that way, or our early environment made us that way. How can we change?
When we cry out to God, "Why am I this way?" I wonder if we're asking for information or subtly blaming God for making us the way we are.
We're not the first to question God. Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet, struggled with this issue when he wrote about watching a potter at work. "I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?' declares the LORD. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel'" (Jer 18:3b-6, NIV).
God's sovereignty over us is difficult for us to accept. We want free will, power of choice, and the ability to make decisions in our lives.
I don't know where the line falls between God's sovereignty and our ability to change. But we need to remember that we belong to God and are divine possessions; God created us to be who we are.
What would it be like, I asked God, if I accepted myself as I am, without reservation? What would it be like if I took the very position Jeremiah stresses? If God is the potter, and I am clay in the divine hands, whom am I to complain, or debate about it? But to acknowledge the full sovereignty of God gives us problems. We just can't quite accept that we have no rights.
I thought of what it would feel like to be a young child, feeling hungry, and waiting for food. Would I sit complacently and say, "Oh, I'll get fed," or would I surge forward, push myself to the table, and scream, "Me, me, me"? Probably the latter.
Part of it, I suppose, has to do with trust or maybe with how many times we have gone hungry. We're simply afraid to turn everything over to God. If we fully surrender, what will God do with us? Where will God take us?
I think of the old hymn sung in countless churches even today: "Thou are the potter, I am the clay. Make me and mold me after thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still" ("Have Thine Own Way, Lord," 1902).
I've sung those words, and I've meant them. They're a vow-a promise to God and to myself of total commitment.
I'm quick to make that vow until something happens in my life that I don't like. When I'm treated unfairly or unkindly, I'm a first-class complainer.
If we submit to the total sovereignty of God, we're saying, "It doesn't matter what happens in my life, it's okay. You have the right to do anything you want with me." That's not easy for most of us.
For instance, when I receive business opportunities, I ask God to make each of them happen "if it's your will." How should I react when the answer comes? Typically, if I get a yes I'm joyful and if it's a no, I feel dejected. But I'm not satisfied with that response.
I think of Job who suffered far more trauma than I could imagine happening to me. His wife urged him, "Curse God and die."
Here's his response: "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (2:10, NIV).
That's the attitude I want to have. It's actually a freeing attitude. It's leaving the results in God's hands. They're there anyway, but being a pride-filled human being, that's not easy for me to live with.
When bad things happen to good people-and I'm good people-I don't handle it very well. I don't turn my back on God or deny the faith. No, I pout and moan and tell God, "That's not fair." Then after I've groaned and moaned awhile, I finally hear myself say, "Okay, I'm yours. Whatever you want." It's an eventual surrender.
I want that "eventual surrender" to be an immediate, spontaneous reaction: "I accept your will." As difficult as that is for me, that's how I'm praying.
It's the way Jesus prayed in the garden. "Not my will, but thine be done." I don't think we pray those words unless they're preceded by a deep yearning for something that we think God isn't going to let us have. It may be a marriage partner, a special job, or a sale that will net us a fortune. We pray such a prayer after we tell God what we want, mean it with intensity, and then have it fall apart in front of us.
At such moments, we realize we are clay. The Master Potter shapes and forms us, keeps us on the wheel, trims away the excess, forms us into the vessel that pleases the Potter's experienced eye.
In the midst of that comes the pain and the natural tendency to say, "I'm only human, and I don't like this."
The Master Potter ignores our dissatisfaction and just keeps on working, shaping and reforming, doing what only the Potter does well.
You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me?" Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing?" --ISAIAH 29:16, NIV Great Potter, forgive me for complaining,grumbling,rebelling,and help me submit to whatever you need to do to make me into a vesselthat meets your approval. Amen.
For more from Cec, please visit www.cecilmurphey.com.

No Fear

2008-11-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, I really really enjoy these emailed devotionals. On days when I don't make time to do too much in the way of getting my head on straight, they often hit me right where I need them to. Check this one by Laura MacCorkle out....

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27:5, NIV

"No Fear" was a popular slogan back in the '90s.

I remember seeing auto decals with this inscription everywhere I went. Pickup trucks, sports cars, SUVs ... you name it and you would probably see "No Fear" displayed across the back window in some kind of "edgy" font.

I didn't know exactly (and still don't) what it meant, though. Did "no fear" connote a state of mind, as in living fearlessly? Or was it a marketing gimmick for some product line? Most likely the latter (especially in this day and age).

Now I haven't fully researched it out as of this writing, but if the thought is to live without fear, then I am all for that. And so, apparently, was David in Psalm 27:1-3 ...

The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,
When my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;
Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

Based on these verses, living a life of "no fear" all boils down to who or what is at the center of our lives. And this, in essence, will result in how we live. With fear or with "no fear."

In my life, I've found that the surest - and quickest - way to find out what I'm made of is during a time of crisis or trial. That's when the outside pressures of this world squeeze out what's holding me together on the inside. And it's either a stronghold that sustains or something that just causes me to crumble.

About nine years ago, I faced a time such as this when I was laid off from my job. It was the first time I had ever experienced this in my career, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Employees were let go in three waves, and I knew I was going to be in the final one.

People were upset. They were afraid. And they were angry that their worlds had been disrupted. Their sources of income were gone, and they would now have to figure out what to do next for themselves and their families. They had placed their trust in a company that had decided to unexpectedly shut down and was offering no future for any of its employees.

For some strange reason, though, I did not fully share these sentiments. I didn't know what the road ahead would hold for me, but somehow I knew that the Lord would take care of me and that he would show me what to do next. As someone who struggles with anxiety, this was out of the ordinary for me to immediately have such a peace. Surely, it passed all of my understanding.

Well, when the third round of lay-offs came, sure enough I received my pink slip. The company would officially close at the end of the calendar year, and so I was asked to help shut it down along with the other last handful of employees.

As we began notifying our business contacts of the company's demise and getting rid of files and figuring out what to do with leftover office furniture and computer equipment, news came in that a different company wanted to buy part of our dying company.

And you know what? This "hero" company wanted to employ me and about five other people who had been laid off as well! So, in about a week's time - from being laid off to accepting new jobs - the Lord had taken me from unemployed to employed. How could I have known this was going to happen?

The Lord was surely with me in this "day of trouble" and had kept me "safe in his dwelling." And he is the one who (miraculously) enabled me to live with "no fear."

Opening the Door to Calamity

2008-11-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

A Scripture I've never really picked up on before.... Hmmmm.... Good devotional by Bayless Conley:

In 1 Kings 13:21-25, God provides us with quite an unusual story,

And he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'" So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

Notice that the lion did something very unnatural. The guy disobeyed, the lion killed him, but the lion didn't go after the donkey. The donkey didn't run away, but the lion didn't try to kill the donkey, nor did it drag the guy off to eat him.

And to top it all off, now people start to walk by. Look, people do not walk by wild lions! But here they are: the donkey, the lion, the dead guy, and people are walking by.

What is God up to here? He is giving a snapshot, something He wants indelibly burned into their understanding: Disobedience opens the door to calamity.

If you choose to disobey God, know you have opened your life to calamity!

Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God

A line in the sand

2008-11-01T05:08:00.001-07:00

This was forwarded to me in an email. Take just a moment and quietly watch the whole thing, without preconceptions... Watch. Think. Pray.

Feedback?

2008-10-30T09:51:00.001-07:00

Don't forget to change your clocks back one hour this Sunday!!!

2008-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today's devotional by email really jumped out at me because of the title - "I need rest." My husband is just finishing up a short term missions trip, so I've been going it alone this week. We've been doing fine, but I am definitely feeling that I need rest. It's not going to happen as far as a nap, but it's nice to know that it's available in other ways too. This is written by Gwen Smith. Check it out...

Today's Truth
"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place" (Mark 6:30-32, NIV).

Friend to Friend
I spin plates. Not real plates. Metaphorical plates. I spin lots of plates at the same time and I multi-task, whether it's with small household chores or with big projects. Doesn't matter. This is both a blessing and a curse in my life. Sometimes my attention is divided in too many directions, leaving me harried ... while at other times, I'm energized by the amount of things I can get done in a small window of time. Regardless, there just never seems to be enough hours in the day to get things done or enough hours in the night to give me complete rest.

Being a plate-spinning mom can be a real challenge. When my kids want me, they don't like to wait for me to spin three more plates before I answer them. When they were smaller, they figured out a way to stop me mid-task, no matter what I was doing. They would place their chubby little hands on my cheeks, look me in the eye, and demand my full attention. Then they would deliver their message or question to me. I was their captive audience.

In Mark 6:30-32, we learn that Jesus and His apostles had been busy working for their heavenly Father. In fact, they had worked with such vigor that they hadn't even gotten a decent meal in their belly. (Boy, do I know what that's like!) In response, Jesus invited them to get away with Him so they could find some rest and rejuvenation in His presence. He said, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" (Mark 6:31, NIV). That same invitation is extended to you and me.

God wants you to pause the plate spinning and be His captive audience in this very moment. He wants you to come away with Him to a quiet place: to be still, to gaze into His eyes, to worship Him in Spirit and in truth, to be lost in His glory, and found by His grace - to find rest.

I'd like you to imagine His strong yet gentle hands reaching for your cheeks, lifting your chin, and drawing your eyes to His. He wants you to fix your gaze on His beautiful, blazing, mercy-filled eyes. He wants your full attention. He wants to be your rest.

I co-wrote a song called "Sacred Place" that speaks to this. Please take a moment right now to listen to "Sacred Place" and personally respond to Him.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SACRED PLACE

Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, please forgive me for all of the times I fail to give You my attention. I shake my head at the very thought that You want to lock gazes with someone like me, yet Scripture clearly tells me that You desire to be sought after and found by me. I'm here. You have my full attention, please speak to my heart and help me to be Your captive audience throughout today and everyday. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Now It's Your Turn

Find a solitary place, grab your Bible and read Psalm 103.

Write down your favorite verses from that chapter and journal about what they teach you.

Through the Storm

2008-10-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

We have so many storms in our lives... It's nice to know that we're not alone. This teaching from Greg Laurie is an encouragement!!

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." (Mark 4:35)

In the Gospel of Mark, we find an interesting story in which Jesus invited the disciples, some of whom were seasoned fishermen, to join Him on a little boat trip across the Sea of Galilee. But on the way over, they encountered a radical storm.

Now the question would arise, "Did Jesus know that a storm was coming?" The answer is yes. In fact, you might even say that it was a part of His curriculum that day. It was all part of teaching the disciples to believe what they claimed to believe.

I don't want to make light of what these disciples were experiencing, because I'm sure this was a very harsh storm. Several on board had seen many storms on the Sea of Galilee. So it had to be a very difficult storm for the disciples to be so gripped by fear. According to Mark's Gospel, the waves were breaking over the boat and filling it with water.

The disciples were very afraid, but they didn't have to be. Jesus had made a significant statement they apparently had forgotten about: "Let us go to the other side."

And when God says, "Let us go to the other side," it means you will get to the other side. He didn't say it would be smooth sailing. He didn't say it would be an easy trip. But He did say, "Let us go to the other side."

Often we are gripped by fear and cease to think logically when we forget God's Word to us. That is exactly what happened to the disciples. But Jesus was on board with them, and He was there to see them through.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.

But it is so dark in here!!

2008-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Give me light in the darkness lest I die.
Psalm 13:3

David was in a dark time in his life. His beloved son, Absalom, had turned on him. He had stolen away David's kingdom, turned the people against him, and now sought his father's very life. David was on the run, hiding from his Absalom's hatred and Absalom's henchmen.

Without question, this was the darkest time in David's life. He had no one to blame but himself. His sin with Bathsheba... his failure to properly deal with family problems (Absalom's sister was raped by a half-brother, Amnon; Absalom ended up killing Amnon in response)... and his reluctance to discipline and mentor Absalom all contributed to this horrible time in his life.

WHAT TO DO IN THE DARKNESS?

What do you do when you are in a dark time in life? What do you do when that dark time is due, perhaps in large part, to your own failures? Can you have victory even in the darkness? YES!! But you must do three things that David did in Psalm 3.

1. BELIEVE THE TRUTH (Psalm 3:1-4). There is help for you in God. He will be your shield and the One who will lift your head. He will answer your prayers as you call out to Him. Don't call once and quit just because He does not answer on the first ring. Call and keep calling. He will answer at the proper time. He promised!!

Remember, the devil is a liar. Do not believe his lies. God is for you, not against you. Get your heart right with Him. Confess your sins and seek His face. He will help you and bring light to your darkness.

2. REST IN THE LORD (Psalm 3:5-6). Big problems often steal away our peace. We tend to walk in fear when our enemies and our problems are increasing and surrounding us. Yet in the midst of terrible trouble, David slept peacefully. How? He turned his problems over to the Lord. He cast his burdens on Him.

Peace is your birthright as a child of God. You experience supernatural peace when you get your mind and heart off your troubles and onto the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 says, "And You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Fix your mind on Jesus in the midst of your problems. Lean hard on Him. Think only on that which is true and honorable and right (Phil. 4:8). Put your life in His hands, and trust Him with the results.

3. RELY ON HIS DELIVERANCE (Psalm 3:7-8). Salvation belongs to God. He will deliver you from the darkness as you trust in Him. Wait on His timing. In the last letter Paul ever wrote, he said, "The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever" (2 Tim. 4:18).

I know when you are in the darkness, time moves slowly. A day is like a thousand years.
But take courage, my friend. Your life is not over. God will arise at the proper time... and your enemies will scatter (Ps. 68:1). You can and will have victory in the darkness as you cling to God and His word. David was delivered from Absalom... and you will be delivered too if you simply trust Him.

How do I know? Because He promised... and He cannot lie!!
Love,

Jeff Schreve
Pastor
www.fromhisheart.org
jeff@fromhisheart.org
1-888-811-8203

From His Heart Ministries can be seen on LightSource.com. This is another opportunity to reach people throughout the world with the love of Christ. Tell your friends and check us out.

The Context of Stillness

2008-10-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

A good devotional about a topic that's hard for us moms by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor:

"Be still, and know that I am God"
Psalm 46:10

How many times have you heard this verse? A hundred? A thousand? This snippet of a psalm is a pet verse of mine. It constantly pops into my head when I start getting too busy or stressed out. Ironically, I hadn't taken time to read the whole psalm in months until the other night, and I had no recollection of the verses surrounding my favorite one-liner. Here's a sampling of the other verses in Psalm 46:

"Though the earth gives way..." (vs. 2)

"Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea..." (vs. 2)

"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter..." (vs. 6)

"Be still and know that I am God... I will be exalted in the earth!" (vs. 10)

"The God of Jacob is our fortress." (vs. 11)

I had been picturing an idyllic, Psalm-23-ish passage as the context for my pet verse, but the context is completely different. The psalm is actually the meditation a man holding back fear with faith. In a setting of uncertainty, war, and all-around "trouble" (vs. 1), the psalmist focuses on the peace that comes from being the presence of God -- even though the earth around him threatens to fall apart. The verse holds even more power in this context than in my imagined setting, doesn't it?

I love the Psalms because of their deep meditations on humanity confronted with God's holiness and faithfulness. I can see real men writing the lines, reminding themselves of the bigger context for their troubles. I see men who -- like me -- wondered what would happen next in this life. But every one of them comes to the realization that they serve a God who supersedes their worries and replaces them with worship. These men heard the command to "be still and know" and found that God blew their imaginations.

I often look at the looming election and the financial woes and start getting jittery, wondering about outcomes and impacts. In these times, I slip into this mentality that thinks "being still" and listening to God can only happen in green pastures. But the real context of Psalm 46:10 tells me otherwise. God's amazing peace works most powerfully when the world's craziness reaches a crescendo. Like they say, context is everything.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Look up your favorite one-liners of the Bible today, and read the surrounding passages and chapters. How does the context add to your understanding of the verse? What more does it reveal about living the Christian faith?

The Problem of Laziness

2008-10-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

I love these email devotionals!! This one is from Dr. Charles Stanley...

Proverbs 6:9-11

The book of Proverbs has much to say about people who are lazy. They are regarded as sluggards who do not think beyond today (20:4), who wrongly consider themselves wise (26:16), and who are on a path leading to future poverty.

When people develop a habit of laziness, they tend to offer excuses--such as "I was too tired" or "I ran out of time." They will avoid doing something they don't like, even if it is their responsibility, and instead do only what pleases them. Sadly, individuals who act this way have trouble seeing clearly what they are doing wrong, and they find criticism unreasonable (Prov. 26:16). Though such men and women might think that their self-centeredness slips by unnoticed, it is usually evident to others.

People may fool themselves, but God, who sees poor attitudes and careless ways, is not pleased by shoddy efforts. He has prepared work for us to do and expects it to be handled conscientiously. The Lord knows that the consequences of laziness are serious: at work, there is the possibility of frequent criticism, probation, or even termination; at home, harsh words can add tension to the atmosphere as frustration builds; and in a "trickle-down effect," children may copy their parents' undesirable work habits.

If you are already a disciplined worker but must interact with people who are not, continue to please the Lord with your productiveness. In addition, pray for patience (Gal. 5:22), and be an example of Christ to those around you.

Little white lies?

2008-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

"The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."
Proverbs 12: 19, King James Version

EXPLORATION

"Sarai: There's No Such Thing as a Little White Lie"

"Truth, like the burgeoning of a bulb under the soil, however deeply sown, will make its way to the light."
Ellis Peters

Do I live a truth-filled life?

INSPIRATION

"Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon."
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

For days the family caravan had been trudging over dusty paths, headed toward the "Promised Land" -- Canaan. But as often happens, Abram and Sarai came upon a detour. I wish none of us ever found our paths straying from God's map, but I know that more than once in my own life, I've found myself veering off course, wandering like a lost lamb, hunting desperately for greener pastures, when in fact, God has a beautiful meadow up ahead and I'm too blind and stupid to stay on the road with Him so I strike out on my own. Has this happened to you?

In the case of Sarai and Abram, Genesis 12: 9 & 10 (K.J.V.), tells us that Abram journeyed toward the south. "And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there: for the famine was grievous in the land." Now, you can correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't see any place where God told Abram, "I want you to go to Egypt to 'sojourn.'" In fact, if we take a look at the Hebrew meaning of "sojourn" as used in this situation, I find it enlightening for it shines a spotlight on exactly what was going on. Sojourn means to "turn aside from the road for another purpose." There's more! The word "sojourn" also means to shrink back or fear a strange place. Let's lay out the situation. God called Abram for a single purpose -- to make of him a great nation. At God's instruction, Abram was to leave the comforts of family, home, and land, and travel to Canaan. This was God's bidding. But when trouble popped-up, and in this case it was a famine, Abram became afraid. Evidently, he forgot who was leading him. He convinced himself that he was in charge of solving the food crisis. Aren't we humans a crazy lot? Abram decided he could figure out how to get food better than the Creator of all food! I've often wondered what would have happened if Abram had told God, "I'll keep walking on Your path, I'll fulfill Your purpose, and I'll trust you to provide food for the journey."

Instead, off to Egypt Abram headed. Only now that he had taken things into his own hands, he encountered another obstacle. He was married to a beautiful woman.

Historians tell us that at this time, Sarai was not the age of a teenage beauty queen. She was even better. She was a mature woman who was not only beautiful but who also radiated a dignity and bearing that would have been appealing to the Egyptian Pharaoh for Sarai would have been admired as a goddess. Take that girls! For those of us who find the "teen years" of our life are only a faint memory in the rear view mirror, in Bible times, mid-life and old age often brought admiration and respect borne out of the dignity, strength, and wisdom shown by mature women.

Since Abram had taken things into his own hands, the problem of Sarai's beauty and allurement became his to solve, so he cooked up a real dilly of a story that was partially true.

Abram instructed his wife, "Do not tell anyone who asks that you are my sister, otherwise they will kill me."

I say there was some truth to the story because as we found out, Terah was Abram and Sarai's father. With the threat of her husband's potential murder hanging over her head, Sarai accommodatingly went along with the little white lie and within a short period of time, the story blew up in Abram and Sarai's face.

Even though Abram and Sarai stepped off God's path, He didn't lose track of their whereabouts. God saw exactly what was going on and so He did an interesting thing.

As Abram thought, the princes of Pharaoh saw Sarai and said, "What a knock out. We'll gain favor with the Pharaoh if we bring a beautiful woman like this to him for his pleasure." They were right! The Pharaoh was so thrilled he sent Abram "sheep, oxen, asses, menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels" (Genesis 12: 16, K.J.V.).

In the United States, we have a word for men who get money for selling the favors of their women. They are called pimps. And pardon me, this is what Abram, the father of a Great Nation became when he got off God's path and detoured into Egypt to get food. Abram became a pimp and God didn't like his behavior at all. Since Abram hadn't been paying attention to God's will, God went to see Pharaoh. Genesis 12: 17 (K.J.V.) says "And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife." God stepped in, not to save Abram, but to protect Sarai! One of God's daughters was going to be "used" and God said, "NO!" I love this story because for every one of God's daughters in this world who is being disrespected, the God of the Universe, our Father who art in heaven is watching. To His girls in Kenya and Zimbabwe who are brutalized -- God is watching. He is with you. He will save you. As one of our Transformation Garden sisters from Kenya wrote me last week, "I believe God is faithful." I wept as I read her note because many of us have no idea the pain and suffering our sisters are enduring and as I read of God's intervention to protect Sarai, I asked our God, who used plagues to protect one of His girls, to please use His mighty power to protect His daughters around the world who are suffering at the hands of those who have no respect or concern for God's daughters.

Well, poor Pharaoh! He was taken off guard. He thought he was adding another gorgeous woman to his harem. As the plagues fell, he called Abram and said, "What is this that thou hast done unto me?" I'm glad Pharaoh was astute enough to lay the blame, not on God who was protecting His daughter, but on Abram who had betrayed His Father and his wife, too.

This short story has so many lessons I could write all day but let's just focus on four of them.

1. When God gives you a purpose for your life, follow His path or you might end up in Egypt.

2. There's no such thing as a little lie. Little lies can cause great suffering.

3. Each of us must choose what is right, no matter what threats hang over our heads.

4. Just because we can't see God's solution to the famine in our lives, doesn't mean God's food basket isn't filled to over-flowing waiting for us just around the next corner.

Tomorrow, we're going to leave Egypt and find out what lessons Sarai learned about hospitality and God's gracious love.

"A half-truth is a dangerous thing, especially if you have got hold of the wrong half."
Myron F. Boyd

Offended?

2008-10-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Scripture
"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11 NIV

Thoughts for Today
One key to controlling our temper is to have realistic expectations of others. No one is ever wrong or right all the time. It is wrong to expect others to always be happy and helpful. None of us are "up" all the time. We all have times that we are sick, stressed or just plain tired. And, right or wrong, these things do affect our moods.

We need to remember that other people are affected by these same things. They may have reasons for their seemingly rude behavior and are not just being selfish or thoughtless. We need to avoid getting offended every time people don't respond or act the way we think they should. They might just be having a bad day.

We also need to remember that everyone and everything do not exist for our convenience or purpose. We will control anger better if we do not say things like "I can't stand this ..." or "They better never ..." These statements lock us into emotionalizing rather than thinking.

Consider this...
Learn to align yourself with reality. Don't let everything bother you to the point that you always "lose it" over other people's failures. Show them the same kind of understanding you would like to have on your challenging days.

Prayer
Lord, help me not to expect others to be perfect or to always do things my way. Make me willing to overlook offenses, to see people's hearts and be sensitive to their needs. In Jesus' name ...

These thoughts were drawn from...
Anger: Our Master or Our Servant--Creative Use of a Powerful Emotion by Larry Heath. This study offers a clear explanation of anger, what causes it, and how to recognize when you are sinning with anger. It not only ministers to church members, but serves as a powerful evangelistic tool. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.

Martha

2008-10-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yet another by Max Lucado. His readability and challenges just inspire!

Every church needs a Martha. Change that. Every church needs a hundred Marthas. Sleeves rolled and ready, they keep the pace for the church. Because of Marthas, the church budget gets balanced, the church babies get bounced, and the church building gets built. You don’t appreciate Marthas until a Martha is missing, and then all the Marys and Lazaruses are scrambling around looking for the keys and the thermostats and the overhead projectors.

Marthas are the Energizer bunnies of the church. They keep going and going and going. They store strength like a camel stores water. Since they don’t seek the spotlight, they don’t live off the applause. That’s not to say they don’t need it. They just aren’t addicted to it.

Marthas have a mission. In fact, if Marthas have a weakness, it is their tendency to elevate the mission over the Master. Remember when Martha did that? A younger Martha invites a younger Jesus to come for dinner. Jesus accepts and brings his disciples.

The scene Luke describes has Mary seated and Martha fuming. Martha is angry because Mary is, horror of horrors, sitting at the feet of Jesus. How impractical! How irrelevant! How unnecessary! I mean, who has time to sit and listen when there is bread to be baked, tables to be set, and souls to be saved? So Martha complained, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work? Tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40).

All of a sudden Martha has gone from serving Jesus to making demands of Jesus. The room falls silent. The disciples duck their eyes. Mary flushes red. And Jesus speaks.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).

Apparently Martha got the point, for later we find her serving again.

“Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:2–3 NIV).

Is Mary in the kitchen? No she is worshiping, for that is what she loves to do. But this time Martha doesn’t object. She has learned that there is a place for praise and worship, and that is what Mary is doing. And what is Mary’s part in the dinner? She brings a pint of very expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet, then wipes his feet with her hair. The smell of the perfume fills the house, just like the sound of praise can fill a church.

An earlier Martha would have objected. Such an act was too lavish, too extravagant, too generous. But this mature Martha has learned that just as there is a place in the kingdom of God for sacrificial service, there is also a place for extravagant praise.

Old favorites

2008-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite Bible story?

I remember reading through a big book of Bible stories when I was a kiddo, one with beautiful pictures of all of the stories. I loved reading them, but then, as I grew up, I became less interested in the Bible stories, and more in the world around me now. I didn't really see the connection between the two.

Many Bible stories can reflect modern day scenarios. I think of the classic story of Noah and the ark. Even those who have never set foot in a church often know the jist of this one - God flooded the earth but saved Noah, his family, and two of each animal. There's obviously quite a few details missing from that account, but you know, even with that quick summary, I can see such parallels between this story and something that happens every day, now. It has to do with grace and mercy. Both to Noah and to all of us today, God reaches out his hand of mercy, offering a way out. All that we must do is accept His mercy, His help, and follow His instructions. Build an ark. Follow me.

The Bible stories of your childhood are true, and do have truths to help you today. Find out more by checking out your Bible yourself. Find out more about Bible stories and Theatre Church when CineMeetings & Events brings the first-ever Theatre Church Conference in Silver Spring, MD on October 22 & 23. Let me know what you think...

Slow Fade

2008-10-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I found this clip on Memoirs of a Chaotic Mommy's blog, and needed to share here.... VERY POWERFUL!!!

Any thoughts? I really think about this stuff, about little ones following me, since we homeschool, and those little eyes are watching me 24/7. How humbling to think that they will be copying me!!! How terrifying!!! When I really stop to think about it, it drives me to my knees...

Christian book deals

2008-10-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

This isn't a paid post - I'm just excited about some great reads at great prices and wanted to share!! The following is an excerpt from an email listing off some great deals!!

Fall into autumn with Christian Living Closeouts and save a bundle!

God's Power To Change Your Life
Rick Warren
Retail Price: ~~$16.99~~
CBD Price: $4.99
Buy 10 or more of this product and pay only $3.99 each.
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Find the power you need to make positive changes in your life. Rick Warren shows you how transformation is possible, not by your own strength, but by relying on Jesus' resurrection power. You'll walk through ten challenges with Warren's helpful teaching. Learn to apply God's Word to your life and find victory over your struggles!

Walking the Fence

2008-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Walking the Fence
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. -- Revelation 3:15,16

Everyone at one time or another has tried to keep his balance while walking on a fence. Sometimes we make it and sometimes we fall. When it comes to obedience, far too many Christians try to "walk the fence." They keep one foot in the Spirit while one foot flirts with the world. These are some of the unhappiest people in the world.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "I never saw anybody try to walk on both sides of the street but a drunken man; he tried it, and it was awkward work indeed; but I have seen many people in a moral point of view try to walk on both sides of the street, and I thought there was some kind of intoxication in them."

If God is God and Christ is our Savior, let us give our undivided attention and whole hearts to God. A lukewarm Christian never has the joy of knowing the fullness of God. Obedience is the key to real faith. This is real faith: believing and acting obediently regardless of circumstances.

GOING DEEPER:

Read today's scripture passage and define what it means by being hot, cold and lukewarm.

Are there areas of your life where you are walking the fence? Make a decision today to get off the fence and walk in obedience.

FURTHER READING:
Romans 12:11

Today

2008-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

"We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our window today."

Dale Carnegie

2008-10-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

Your place in God's band

2008-10-04T09:41:00.001-07:00

by Max Lucado

Two of my teenage years were spent carrying a tuba in my high school marching band. My mom wanted me to learn to read music, and the choir was full while the band was a tuba-tooter short, so I signed up. Not necessarily what you would describe as a call from God, but it wasn’t a wasted experience either.

I had a date with a twirler.

I learned to paint white shoe polish on school buses.

And I learned some facts about harmony that I’ll pass on to you.

I marched next to the bass-drum player. What a great sound. Boom. Boom. Boom. Deep, cavernous, thundering.

And at the end of my flank marched the flute section. Oh, how their music soared. Whispering, lifting, rising into the clouds.

Ahead of me, at the front of my line, was our first-chair trumpet. He could raise the spirit. He could raise the flag. He could have raised the roof on the stadium if we’d had one.

The soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet
needs
the steady drum
needs
the soft flute
needs
the brash trumpet.

Get the idea? The operative word is need. They need each other.

By themselves they make music. But together, they make magic.

Now, what I saw two decades ago in the band, I see today in the church. We need each other. Not all of us play the same instrument. Some believers are lofty, and others are solid. Some keep the pace while others lead the band. Not all of us make the same sound. Some are soft, and others are loud. And not all of us have the same ability. But each of us has a place.

Some play the drums (like Martha).

Some play the flute (like Mary).

And others sound the trumpet (like Lazarus).

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were like family to Jesus. After the Lord raised Lazarus from the dead, they decided to give a dinner for Jesus. They decided to honor him by having a party on his behalf (see John 12:2).

They didn’t argue over the best seat. They didn’t resent each other’s abilities. They didn’t try to outdo each other. All three worked together with one purpose. But each one fulfilled that purpose in his or her unique manner. Martha served; she always kept everyone in step. Mary worshiped; she anointed her Lord with an extravagant gift, and its aroma filled the air. Lazarus had a story to tell, and he was ready to tell it.

Three people, each one with a different skill, a different ability. But each one of equal value.

Encouraging Reads Discounted

2008-10-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is too late for this week, but for following ones - here's your chance to save!

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God's Creation Series Book 3: Rocks & Plants
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Present Time Collection DVD
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Great Days with the Great Lives
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Improve the world!

2008-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Anne Frank

This quote is even more meaningful when you consider who said it, and what she did in her life....

Here Am I! Send Me.

2008-09-30T08:54:00.001-07:00

Another great one received through email that I just must share....

Today's Reading: Isaiah 5-6; Ephesians 1

Today's Thoughts: Here am I! Send Me.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." Isaiah 6:8

The prophet, Isaiah, was blessed with an incredible experience... he found himself in the throne room of God. He saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple. He saw glowing celestial beings, or seraphim, around and above the throne. And then, Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord say to him, "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Without hesitation, Isaiah shouted out, "Here am I! Send me." His life would be forever changed.

Isaiah had a tough ministry as a prophet. The people did not want to hear what he had to say. His prophecies foretold of destruction and doom. Why would anyone want to hear such dreadful predictions about their ultimate desolation? Isaiah did not have a glamorous life and he did not die in an honorable manner. Jewish tradition says that he was sawn in half when he was about 90 years old. He answered the call of God but the call on his life brought much pain and suffering. For people today to answer the call of God there must be an awareness and acceptance of the pain and suffering that comes with the call. It is a tough place to live, especially in a world engrossed in comforts and pleasures.

Many Christians today are afraid to say, "Here am I! Send me." They are afraid to surrender and to really take up their cross and follow Jesus. The price is high...very high. When the flame starts getting too hot to handle, they step back and cool off. I know because I have been there. So, why be an "Isaiah" if we do not have to be? We can be saved, live a nice life and wake up in heaven. Why go through all of this other stuff? There is only one reason, one answer, to that question: to have the experience of standing before the throne of God and hearing His voice. To experience His presence in such an intimate way that you feel as though you are melting at His feet. To see His glory and majesty as Isaiah did. Once you have tasted and seen, you will never ask "why" again. The pain and the suffering cannot compare to the glory of the Lord.

But first you must be willing to step out and be sent. Are you ready? Do you want more? If so, then start praying. Read the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah to learn more about their lives and how God called them. You will never know all God has for you until you let go and ask Him to send you out. As Christians, this is our great commission.

He is Waiting in the Midst of the Storm

2008-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Peter knows he is in trouble.

The winds roar down onto the Sea of Galilee like a hawk on a rat. Lightning zigzags across the black sky. The clouds vibrate with thunder. The rain taps, then pops, then slaps against the deck of the boat until everyone aboard is soaked and shaking. Ten-foot waves pick them up and slam them down again with bonejarring force.

These drenched men don’t look like a team of apostles who are only a decade away from changing the world. And you can be sure of one thing. The one with the widest eyes is the one with the biggest biceps—Peter. He’s seen these storms before. He’s seen the wreckage and bloated bodies float to shore. He knows what the fury of wind and wave can do. And he knows that times like this are not times to make a name for yourself; they’re times to get some help.

That is why, when he sees Jesus walking on the water toward the boat, he is the first to say, “Lord, if it’s you … tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)

He is aware of two facts: He’s going down, and Jesus is staying up. And it doesn’t take him too long to decide where he would rather be.

Perhaps a better interpretation of his request would be, “Jeeeeeeeesus. If that is you, then get me out of here!”

“Come on” is the invitation.

And Peter doesn’t have to be told twice. It’s not every day that you walk on water through waves that are taller than you are. But when faced with the alternative of sure death or possible life, Peter knows which one he wants.

The first few steps go well. But a few strides out onto the water, and he forgets to look to the One who got him there in the first place, and down he plunges.

Peter’s response may lack class—it probably wouldn’t get him on the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly or even Sports Illustrated—but it gets him out of some deep water:
“Help me!”

And since Peter would rather swallow pride than water, a hand comes through the rain and pulls him up.

The message is clear.

As long as Jesus is one of many options, he is no option. As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don’t need a burden bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take him or leave him, you might as well leave him, because he won’t be taken half-heartedly.

But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on him, and when there is truly no other name that you can call, then cast all your cares on him, for he is waiting in the midst of the storm.

From
The Applause of Heaven
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) Max Lucado

Where is God?

2008-09-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

"Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:26-27).

My son was only six when our family invested in a quality telescope for star gazing. Star charts and nightly excursions to see the planets and stars became part of our homeschool curriculum. My young son's strong interest in this subject amazed me, especially one night when he asked, "When are we going to see God?" I realized then that he had been expecting to see God in the heavenly night sky through the telescope's lens.

Although my son's idea of finding God in the sky by looking through a telescope was slightly incorrect, the Bible does tell us that Christ's return will be evident to all the world. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:29-30). Even the angels announced to the disciples that Christ would return in the same way he left earth-in the clouds (Acts 1:11).

Christ is returning to earth someday. Although no one knows when that time will come, we need to live expectantly for that moment. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Are you ready for His return? Have you given your life to the Lord? Now is the time to accept Jesus as your Savior! "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).

From Alpha Omega Publications.

Prayer diary

2008-09-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

This is a really neat resource....

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Over 30,000 Christians worldwide use the Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner to integrate their prayer life, personal schedules, and Bible reading and meditation. The 2009 edition helps believers pray and live intentionally with focused intercession and thoughtful examination of their own lives.

Recognizing that God is reconciling all things to himself through Jesus Christ, in 2009 we will pray for God's will to be done on earth - in every dimension of human life and culture - as it is in heaven. We'll explore brokenness and redemption in nation-shaping domains like government, science, family, and art, and be challenged to take action in our communities and across the globe.

Far more than an effective organizer:

Engaging monthly articles highlight God's work of redemption in domains like education, health, business, and family. Introducing a fresh design in 2009 Daily, weekly, and monthly prayer targets unite believers across the world in a powerful prayer network. Stunning illustrations of people from the spotlighted nations let believers pray face-to-face with the world. Captivating stories introduce readers to the realities that people living in crisis face. World maps and country statistics give important information about all the nations to increase awareness and assist in prayer times. Calendar pages are provided in several useful formats. Includes 2009-2011 long-range planner, 2009 month-at-a-glance planners, and a daily calendar designed in a handy week-at-a-glance format. Includes a leading plan for reading the Bible in a year, weekly Scriptures for meditation and memorization, and pages for prayer journaling.

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The 2009 Personal Prayer Diary and Daily Planner unites thousands of Christians Worldwide in vital prayer for nations in crisis,
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Share the Word!

2008-09-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

A neat opportunity from Wycliffe:

Dear Friend, In the midst of the heartbreak and human suffering that plagues Africa, God is doing something marvelous ... The Church is alive-and growing!

Now, millions of new Christians need Scripture in their mother tongue

Help us quench their thirst for God's Word. Wycliffe is translating Scripture for 69 African language communities still waiting for the Word of God in the mother tongue of their people.

Learn how you can help by visiting Word of God for Africa now

To thank you for your interest, I want you to have a unique screen saver of inspirational Bible verses and exclusive artwork representing the power of His Word. Get this spiritually uplifting gift-free.

We may take for granted what millions of new Christians yearn for.

We can read and understand the Bible. But more than 41 million people in Africa still do not have God's Word in their own language.

Our passion is to make the Bible accessible to people in the language they know best. Since its founding in 1942, Wycliffe has helped complete 721 Scripture translations-providing God's Word to more than 80 million people. Literacy programs including HIV/AIDS workshops are a vital part of the work.

Help us speed the work of the Word of God for Africa Project and provide Scripture in languages that speak to the heart of new Christians.

Hope comes to Africa through what you do. Please give as generously as you can today. Thank you! Warmly in Christ, Bob Creson President P.S. Please remember the Word of God for Africa Project in your prayers and consider forwarding this message to a prayer partner. God bless you.

Your gift will have twice the impact on work to speed Scripture to new Christians.

A Matching Grant up to $50,000 has been offered by a ministry friend to translate Scripture in Africa.

Helping now will accomplish twice as much because your generous gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

One

2008-09-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

I received a neat devotional from Proverbs 31 ministries today. Wendy Pope wrote this one....

What difference can one make? In a world of over 6 billion people, what can one do? In Jesus' three years of ministry on this earth, thousands followed Him. Thousands needed Him. Out of the thousands Jesus ministered to, one mattered ...

the one waiting at the pool of Bethesda .

the one leper who was healed.

the one woman at the well.

the one whose son died.

the one who touched the hem of His garment.

the one whose demon was cast out.

the one whose sight was restored.

One matters. One can also make a difference. One has power.

One mattered to us as a ministry when we received a plea through our prayer line. She was about to take her life. She felt she had nothing to live for, no reason, and no hope. We heard her cry, the soul-reaching, heart-breaking cry of one.

At Proverbs 31 Ministries, the cry of one stops our "normal" work day noise and we gather together to pray. As we joined hands and prayed for the cry of this one, the room was filled with God's presence and His love for this one. He answered our prayer for one and, with praise and thanksgiving, she cried out again:

"Lord, Jesus, I give you praise and humble thanks. I was in extreme distress. I screamed out in pain into cyberspace, overwhelmed and gripped in an attack. I was caught in a suicide space falling and planned to die. I was trapped and could not escape this. I was terrified and ashamed, caught in a deep undercurrent of self destructive feelings. There was no way out. The pressures were too much. Then I received an answer to my cries. Help, love and concern flooded into this dark space, people who cared and stayed with me, passing all kinds of lifelines, they prayed for me. Thank you Lord for these dear and true daughters of Yours."

As daughters of Christ, His chosen ones, it is our delightful purpose to reflect Jesus, the One and only, to one at a time.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to think of Jesus sending us into the world to preach the good news. But it doesn't have to be. When we reach out to just one person in Jesus' name, we change the world...

Just think if every one receiving this devotion reached out in Jesus' name today to pray for a hurting soul, help a neighbor, bless a co-worker, encourage a child, mentor a friend, or come alongside a ministry and partner together to reach just one. What a difference we could make!

Distractions

2008-09-18T13:23:00.001-07:00

A great devotional for me today titled "Distractions" in the Mom's Devotional Bible. The scripture to read was Nehemiah 6:3 -

" I sent messengers to them with this reply: " I am carrying on a great project and can not go down. Why should the work stop while I leave and go down to you?"

The devotional author goes on to talk about how Nehemiah had a vision for a God honoring project, and how one distraction after another tempted his focus. She challenges us to be as single minded as Nehemiah, and say no to the distractions in our lives. She specifically mentions the buzzer on the dryer, the phone, and things like that during our quiet time with God. Whoops! Got me on those!!! Can I say no and keep the good work going? A good thing for me to work on.....

Courage

2008-09-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

"Courage is fear that has said its prayers."
-Anonymous

He Can Do The Impossible

2008-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

I had intended that this blog would all be original reflections, but I keep finding really good ones from other people that I just feel compelled to share. This one is by Max Lucado again. Good stuff!!

The kingdom of heaven. Its citizens are drunk on wonder.

Consider the case of Sarai. She is in her golden years, but God promises her a son. She gets excited. She visits the maternity shop and buys a few dresses. She plans her shower and remodels her tent … but no son. She eats a few birthday cakes and blows out a lot of candles … still no son. She goes through a decade of wall calendars … still no son.

So Sarai decides to take matters into her own hands. (“Maybe God needs me to take care of this one.”)

She convinces Abram that time is running out. (“Face it, Abe, you ain’t getting any younger, either.”) She commands her maid, Hagar, to go into Abram’s tent and see if he needs anything. (“And I mean ‘anything’!”) Hagar goes in a maid. She comes out a mom. And the problems begin.

Hagar is haughty. Sarai is jealous. Abram is dizzy from the dilemma. And God calls the baby boy a “wild donkey”—an appropriate name for one born out of stubbornness and destined to kick his way into history.

It isn’t the cozy family Sarai expected. And it isn’t a topic Abram and Sarai bring up very often at dinner.

Finally, fourteen years later, when Abram is pushing a century of years and Sarai ninety … when Abram has stopped listening to Sarai’s advice, and Sarai has stopped giving it … when the wallpaper in the nursery is faded and the baby furniture is several seasons out of date … when the topic of the promised child brings sighs and tears and long looks into a silent sky … God pays them a visit and tells them they had better select a name for their new son.

Abram and Sarai have the same response: laughter. They laugh partly because it is too good to happen and partly because it might. They laugh because they have given up hope, and hope born anew is always funny before it is real.

They laugh at the lunacy of it all.

They laugh because that is what you do when someone says he can do the impossible. They laugh a little at God, and a lot with God—for God is laughing, too. Then, with the smile still on his face, he gets busy doing what he does best—the unbelievable.

He changes a few things—beginning with their names. Abram, the father of one, will now be Abraham, the father of a multitude. Sarai, the barren one, will now be Sarah, the mother.

But their names aren’t the only things God changes. He changes their minds. He changes their faith. He changes the number of their tax deductions. He changes the way they define the word impossible.

Truth for Youth

2008-09-11T13:54:00.001-07:00

National 'Truth for Youth' Week - Order your free Bible online now!

Help to reach 53.8 million youth in America's public schools with "the truth" of God's Word

American Family Association / American Family Radio is partnering with Revival Fires International, the ministry of Evangelist Tim Todd, this week (Sept. 8-12) to place a Truth for Youth Bible into the hands of teenagers who will distribute them to lost students in our public schools. Teenagers are urged to participate in this vital campaign by going to: http://thetruthforyouth.com/tfy_bibles_2008.asp or calling toll free 1-800-733-4737 and ordering a FREE BIBLE for a teenager to distribute at school. Tim Todd has underwritten the costs of making this Bible available free of charge.

During this designated week, in a very effective and unique evangelism outreach, "The Truth For Youth" will be given to all teenagers who commit to give the Bibles to their unsaved friends in school. Limit: One Bible per teenager in each home. Additional copies may be purchased for a special discounted price of only $3.00 each by going to: http://www.thetruthforyouth.com/truth_bible.html#HELPTHECAUSE.

"The Truth For Youth" consists of the entire New Testament in the God's Word version, along with 100 pages of powerful full color comics that are packed with "absolute truths" regarding issues young people are faced with, such as: Evolution, Sexual Purity, Homosexuality, Abortion, Pornography, Drugs, Drunkenness, Peer Pressure, School Violence, Secular Rock Music, Sorcery and Witchcraft. God's wonderful plan of salvation is incorporated into each of the stories.

Request A Free Bible Today
Teenagers are urged to participate in this vital campaign by going to: http://thetruthforyouth.com/tfy_bibles_2008.asp or calling the toll free 1-800-733-4737 and ordering a FREE BIBLE to distribute at school.

In the past six years a partnership with American Family Association in these evangelistic efforts has resulted in more than 300,000 Bibles being given away in school and more than 1900 young people sending decision coupons, emails or letters confirming they have surrendered their hearts to Christ. A total of more than 1.2 million Truth for Youth Bibles have been distributed since the conception of the Truth for Youth Bible for teens.

Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon,
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association

Donate with confidence to AFA
(gifts are tax-deductible)

Tagged for Meme

2008-09-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Angela tagged me about a month ago for a "Quirky Quirks" meme, and I'm finally following through!! Thanks for thinking of me, Angela. Sorry it took so long!!

Apparently, these are the rules:-

Rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged me.
2) Mention the rules.
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.
4) Tag six other blogger´s by linking to them.
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

Here are my quirks (the ones I'm sharing :)):

1. I have a huge exercise/yoga ball right in the middle of my living room, yet I only use it maybe once a week - very stylish piece of home decor!!

2. I am very very addicted to caffeine, and in very specific forms. I need a Diet Pepsi within five minutes of opening my eyes or things are unpleasant. At around noon I switch to Mountain Dew and keep drinking it till supper.

3. I have a thing for clean ears and noses. When my kids were little enough to tolerate it, I loved cleaning them out with Q-tips.

4. I typically have two or three books going at a time, left in various places around the house. This is a quirk that my mom had; it annoyed me and now I do it :).

5. When I was a child, I thought that my job as a grown up would be owning a donut shop. I don't own one, but boy I love to eat those donuts!

6. I do not understand the pull of shopping for many ladies. I like to shop for groceries because I typically go alone, and it's a rarity to be alone, but the actual act of shopping of any sort is just not appealing to me.

So now for the fun part! I must tag 6 people to do the "Quirky Quirks" meme!

I want to know what the following people have to say:

Krista at In the Fury of the Moment

Jennifer at Quiverfull Family

Tony at Seeking things above

Heathen Mom at Heathen Homeschoolers

Melissa at Melissas Homeschool Blog

Roxanna at movingfearlessly designs

Holding Grudges

2008-09-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Alpha Omega Publications yesterday that had some great thoughts about holding grudges and forgiveness... It's so much easier to see it in our kids than in ourselves, isn't it?

For several days, I had been watching my oldest son and daughter interact. Like a pending thunderstorm, something was definitely brewing between them. The conflict began when my exuberant son ruined his sister's art project by running excitedly through the room. Although the damage was unintentional, my son's less-than-sincere apology awakened a vengeful spirit in my daughter's heart. The conflict culminated the following day when my son again raced through the room and ruined another project of my daughter's. Exasperated, my daughter responded by intentionally destroying her brother's history project.

Forgiving others can be difficult for many people, especially when a close friend or family member has wronged you. Are you the type of person who silently waits for an opportunity to get even or relishes the idea of paybacks? "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:17-19).

God sees the wrongs you experience in life. Jesus suffered the greatest injustices when He was on earth and showed us how to respond to them. "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). Can you commit the injustice you are now facing to the Lord? Will you let go of the grudge you are holding and forgive? "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14).

Lord, I know I should forgive the wrong done to me, but something within me wants to hold on to this pain. I realize that keeping this hurt will only make this situation worse. Help me follow Your example and release this pain by forgiving. In Jesus' name, Amen.

He wants to comfort you

2008-09-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Another great read by Max Lucado... I received this today and just had to share. How amazing that HE really does want to comfort me?!?!

My child’s feelings are hurt. I tell her she’s special. My child is injured. I do whatever it takes to make her feel better.

My child is afraid. I won’t go to sleep until she is secure.

I’m not a hero. I’m not a superstar. I’m not unusual. I’m a parent. When a child hurts, a parent does what comes naturally. He helps.

And after I help, I don’t charge a fee. I don’t ask for a favor in return. When my child cries, I don’t tell her to buck up, act tough, and keep a stiff upper lip. Nor do I consult a list and ask her why she is still scraping the same elbow or waking me up again.

I’m not a prophet, nor the son of one, but something tells me that in the whole scheme of things the tender moments described above are infinitely more valuable than anything I do in front of a computer screen or congregation. Something tells me that the moments of comfort I give my child are a small price to pay for the joy of someday seeing my daughter do for her daughter what her dad did for her.

Moments of comfort from a parent. As a father, I can tell you they are the sweetest moments in my day. They come naturally. They come willingly. They come joyfully.

If all of that is true, if I know that one of the privileges of fatherhood is to comfort a child, then why am I so reluctant to let my heavenly Father comfort me?

Why do I think he wouldn’t want to hear about my problems? (“They are puny compared to people starving in India.”)

Why do I think he is too busy for me? (“He’s got a whole universe to worry about.”)

Why do I think he’s tired of hearing the same old stuff?

Why do I think he groans when he sees me coming?

Why do I think he consults his list when I ask for forgiveness and asks, “Don’t you think you’re going to the well a few too many times on this one?”

Why do I think I have to speak a holy language around him that I don’t speak with anyone else?

Why do I not take him seriously when he questions, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

Why don’t I let my Father do for me what I am more than willing to do for my own children?

I’m learning, though. Being a parent is better than a course on theology. Being a father is teaching me that when I am criticized, injured, or afraid, there is a Father who is ready to comfort me. There is a Father who will hold me until I’m better, help me until I can live with the hurt, and who won’t go to sleep when I’m afraid of waking up and seeing the dark.

Ever. And that’s enough.

Are you just swinging the handle?

2008-09-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

I received this email devotional today from Bayless Conley. This soooo fits me right now. I think I have kind of lost my ax head and I'm just randomly swinging away.

As you look at your life today in honesty and transparency, perhaps you would have to say that you have lost that edge, that excitement, that zeal, that spiritual passion you once had.

If indeed you have lost your edge, how can you get it back? Over the next seven days, I will help you understand how to regain your spiritual edge based on 2 Kings 6.

The first principle I want to focus on is based on the man who lost his ax head, as we learn in 2 Kings 6:4-5,

...when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water.

Now, it would have been senseless for him to have kept chopping with a wooden handle with no ax head on it, wouldn't it?! He would make no progress.

And yet that is what a lot of Christians do today. They have lost their cutting edge, and they are just going through the motions, making no progress at all.

They are chopping away with just a wooden handle!

They think, "Well, I know I'm supposed to go to church, so I will go. As long as I keep busy, maybe nobody's going to know the state of my heart." And they will do this not just for weeks or months, but some people have been doing this for years.

No progress, no growth. They are just swinging that handle without an ax head.

If this is you, do not just keep swinging the ax handle. If you are not making progress, admit it. Until you are willing to face up to the fact that you have not been growing, you can never regain your spiritual edge.

I need to SLOW down, find the ax head, take the time to put it back on, focus, and start doing it right!

Forgetting

2008-09-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

"You see, God is either the God of perfect grace... or he is not God. Grace forgets. Period. He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges. If he does, then he isn't perfect love. And if he isn't perfect love, you might as well... go fishing, because both of us are chasing fairy tales.

.. I believe in his loving forgetfulness. And I believe that he has a graciously terrible memory."

Max Lucado, God Came Near

I think that we so often punish ourselves long after God has forgotten. We beat ourselves up for sins that have already been paid for, already forgiven. If we truly believe that God has forgiven and forgotten, how liberated we would be. If we confess each night, each morning truly is a brand new start. I need that new start. How cool.....

Take Every Thought Captive

2008-09-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

by Max Lucado

Today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions.
Today's jealousy is tomorrow's temper tantrum.
Today's bigotry is tomorrow's hate crime.
Today's anger is tomorrow's abuse.
Today's lust is tomorrow's adultery.
Today's greed is tomorrow's embezzlement.
Today's guilt is tomorrow's fear.

Could that be why Paul writes, "Love ... keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Cor. 13:5 NIV)?

Some folks don't know we have an option.

Paul says we do: "We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).

Do you hear some battlefield jargon in that passage--"capture every thought," "make it give up" and "obey Christ"? You get the impression that we are the soldiers and the thoughts are the enemies.

It was for Jesus. Remember the thoughts that came his way courtesy of the mouth of Peter? Jesus had just prophesied his death, burial, and resurrection, but Peter couldn't bear the thought of it. "Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that.... Jesus said to Peter, 'Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don't care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important'" (Matt. 16:22--23).
See the decisiveness of Jesus?

What if you did that? What if you took every thought captive? What if you took the counsel of Solomon: "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life" (Prov. 4:23).

You are not a victim of your thoughts. You have a vote. You have a voice. You can exercise thought prevention. You can also exercise thought permission.

Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God's love? Will standing beneath the downpour of his grace change the way we feel about others?

Paul says absolutely! It's not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We've got to let the good stuff in. It's not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings. The same verb Paul uses for keeps in the phrase "keeps no list of wrongs" is used for think in Philippians 4:8: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (RSV). Thinking conveys the idea of pondering--studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.

Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.

What a challenge, but imagine the difference that it would make in us.... in our families... I will purpose today to really try, with His help, to take every thought captive.

Living as an alien

2008-09-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:11-12:

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (NIV).

Sometimes, we go to great lengths to avoid receiving the "tourist" label when we travel, but it usually doesn't take long before someone asks us where we're from. The way we talk, dress and act are clues that identify us with our home.

This passage reminds us that, as Christians, our citizenship is not of this world. Christ calls us to act in a way that reflects our heavenly citizenship, but sometimes we blend in with the culture so well no one would dream of calling us "tourists".

As Christians, our customs and values should be remarkably different from the world. They should be reflected in our words and actions and displayed in our parenting. Sometimes we'll feel like aliens. Eyebrows may be raised when we say "no" to inappropriate movies or provocative clothes. Maybe someone will be intrigued by your family's "unusual" customs and values.

Shouldn't your family's lifestyle reflect your citizenship?

A neat devotional that I received from Parenting by Design. Really, am I living as an alien? Easy to say, but am I truly implementing it?

How did I get here?

2008-09-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

--Isaiah 41:10

Perhaps today, you are looking at your life and asking, "How did I get here?" Maybe life hasn't turned out the way you planned. Or maybe you're enslaved to your past and you wonder, "What do I do now?"

If this describes you or someone you love today, I want to remind you that God always preserves His own. Remember Joseph's many trials and challenges in the Old Testament? In Genesis 39:2, we read, "The LORD was with Joseph." Now, remember--Joseph wasn't preserved from his circumstances. He was preserved in and through his circumstances.

The fact is we can't change our circumstances. We can't control what happens to us at all times. But you know what? We can change how we respond to the circumstances of life. And that attitude is what God expects us to work on.

You know, God often allows circumstances and winds to blow against us in order to knock the rough edges off of our lives. Kind of like how sandpaper knocks the rough edges off of wood. God uses the circumstances of our lives in order to polish us and make us more like the Master.

For example, perhaps God had to deal with Joseph's pride and ego before He could ultimately use him for His glory. So God allowed him to be sold into slavery and sent into Egypt. But remember this: While Joseph left his father back in Canaan, his heavenly Father went with him to Egypt.

If you find yourself in a difficult circumstance that you never imagined or never dreamed of, claim the promise from the Lord found in today's Scripture: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

When you claim that promise, you can be joyful in any circumstance, knowing that God is protecting you, preserving you, and holding His hand upon you.

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU,
BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTROL HOW YOU RESPOND.

This devotional was emailed to me from Dr. Jack Graham. Wow!!! Very good stuff. A great reminder to a mom who sometimes does wonder "how did I get here?"

Repsonding to Difficulty

2008-09-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

I received this email devotional today from Dr. Charles Stanley - good stuff....

2 Corinthians 4:8

Adversity is never enjoyable, but thankfully, believers are assured that God has a reason for allowing difficulty. And your response to the trial will determine whether it leaves you broken or strengthened.

Romans 5:3-5 states, "We exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint . . . " In order to respond correctly and benefit the way this verse describes, let's consider how the Lord works in suffering.

First, He controls the burdens so they aren't too heavy to bear. He limits them because His goal is not to destroy you but to build your character. Second, He designs the difficulty according to your personality, character, and areas that need growth. Therefore, trials are tailor-made in order to grow you to be more like Christ. Third, difficulties are progressive. As God matures you, the intensity may seem to increase. This is similar to weight training: at the beginning, an athlete trains with light barbells, but as his muscles become stronger, he chooses heavier weights. Similarly, as your walk with Christ progresses, obstacles that once seemed overbearing will impede you less. This is a sign of growth. In fact, a prayer journal is a great way to watch God's progress in your life.

In the midst of your pain, see your trial as a privilege--God is revealing His ways and refining you. Thank Him for trusting you with this situation. Then, ask how to respond, and walk obediently before Him.

Hard to love like this

2008-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

"Spread love everywhere you go... let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."
Mother Teresa

I realize that this is not something that can be carried out in constant practical application . People are ultimately in charge of their own feelings and all, and you can't "make" everyone happy, but what a neat ideal to kind of keep in the side of your mind....

God notices

2008-08-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

I received this email devotional today and it is so appropriate and encouraging for a worn out cranky mommy like me. God notices the noses and bottoms I wipe, the toys I pick up, the meals I prepare, the prayers I cry out. He notices.

GOD NOTICES
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Esther 6:1--14

Never fails, does it? Things are not as they seem. And about the time you think they cannot get worse, they do. This was certainly true for Mordecai at a pivotal point in the story of Esther.

When all seems lost, it isn't. Mordecai could have despaired at the situation in Persia. The king was a Gentile. He had no interest in the Jews. Furthermore his closest confidant was Haman, who shamelessly hated the Jews. Esther was in the palace, but when the king found out she was a Jew, her life might be over in an instant. When all seems lost, it isn't.

When no one seems to notice, they do. Remember Mordecai's courageous decision earlier when he heard of a conspiracy between two of the doorkeepers of the palace, who were plotting to kill the king? When Mordecai heard of that conspiracy, he told his adopted daughter Esther about it. And she, being the queen, alerted the king.

Esther had told the king that the information had come from Mordecai, yet no one ever rewarded him for his great act. It seemed as though no one noticed or remembered. So Mordecai went on living his life unnoticed, unrewarded, and unappreciated---until this pivotal night.

I love the first three words of 6:1, "During that night." That's the way it is with God. At the eleventh hour, He steps in and does the unexpected. When no one seems to notice and no one seems to care, He notices and He cares "during that night."

Learn a lesson from Mordecai today, will you? Through all that happens to him, Mordecai never becomes a man of vengeance. He never tries to get back at Haman, even when he has the opportunity, even when he has Haman in a very vulnerable spot. He doesn't kick him in the face when he has a chance to. He doesn't even speak against the man. Let me challenge you to guard your heart as Mordecai did.

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. (Hebrews 6:10)

I love those words, "God is not unjust so as to forget." When no one else notices, mark it down, God notices. When no one else remembers, God records it so it won't be forgotten.

Bold faith?

2008-08-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Christianity an international crime? Witnessing, reading your Bible — punishable by imprisonment ... even death?

Christianity is under fire more seriously than ever in our lifetime. We are seeing worldwide persecution of Christians as part of the radical Muslim mission to “take the world for Islam” — by purging Christianity from the face of the earth.

Now, The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at the U.N. has made a bold move — pushing a sinister, anti-Christian resolution called “Combating Defamation of Religions.” It clearly endorses what’s taking place in many Muslim countries — where those who even speak out about Islam are severely punished with imprisonment and even death.

I read this today and I've got to say, it scares me a bit. I enjoy the freedoms that we have in this country, that we are allowed to share our faith without fear of reprisal. I agree that we need to allow others to believe in, express, and share their varying faiths as well, but this seems to go completely against the whole idea of religious tolerance. How bold will I be if and when things like this do become real law? How bold will my children be?

Prayer

2008-08-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time praying sometimes. My big issue is that I get distracted too easily. My to do list creeps into my mind as I try to sit before God. My phone rings. My kids call my name. Before I know it I'm not praying any more. I received this email devotional today, and it's a little long to be considered a "crumb," but is good food for thought. Look it over. Chew on it. Pray today....

I've read dozens of books on prayer, and I've learned a few things. But most of what I know about prayer, I've learned from the Prayer Expert. Since Jesus invented it and taught it, who would know more about prayer?

Twenty-three times the Gospels refer to Jesus praying, which means he prayed frequently, often silently and sometimes secretly. He prayed for himself and his mission, and he also prayed for his followers, for the sick, for Jerusalem, for the world, and for those in need. In short, he faithfully practiced the very thing he invented.

Luke's Gospel relates how he taught his followers to pray. It reads: "As He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "LORD, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." And he said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven...'" (Lk 11:1-2a, NKJV).

The model that follows is what we call the Lord's Prayer. The disciples may have meant they wanted Jesus to teach them a formulaic prayer. John the Baptist apparently gave his followers a model, and so did other religious leaders. In modern denominations, some congregations pray the Lord's Prayer at virtually every service. Others don't feel the need to repeat it literally, but take it as an example of the kind of praying we're to do.

What's noteworthy is that the disciples went to the Prayer Expert. After all, they had followed him, observed him in action, and decided they liked what they saw.

It's often helpful to consult the expert. When I first realized I needed a computer in 1983, I didn't know anything about them. So Paul Price, an early hacker-expert, helped me get started. Within a few days, he taught me everything I needed to know. Since then, whenever I've decided to upgrade, I've gone to an expert for advice and instruction.

When it comes to prayer, there is really only one Expert, and whatever we know about prayer (if it's accurate information) comes from him.

After all the years of praying seriously, I still don't think of myself as an expert. I'm still learning. I'm not trying to devise the perfect seven words that unlock the whole universe. I'm trying to learn more about God, about me, and about how to open myself in prayer.

My attitude toward prayer has changed drastically over the years. Back in the early days after my conversion, if anyone had asked, I would have told them that prayer was simply talking with God. In fact, I think I said that a few times. Yet as I look back, I realize those early attempts were mostly begging sessions. I worked hard at convincing God to hear me and give me what I asked for. Without realizing it, I was trying to sell God on responding to me.

That's not where I am now. Asking is still a big part of prayer, but I've also learned other aspects, such as fellowship and praise.

I still wonder about how to pray specifically for particular needs. For instance, I have two good friends that I'll call Mike and John. I don't know how to pray for Mike. At age thirty-five, he's still trying to resolve identity issues that he talked about seven years ago. I don't like the catchall, "God, bless Mike," and I don't want to recite a list of ten things I think Mike needs right now. So how do I pray?

John, an ordained minister and former pastor, is one of the neediest people I know. If anyone yearns to be loved and valued for himself, that's John. How do I pray for him? Should I enumerate his needs one by one? Do I pick out one and stay with it until God answers before I move on to the second? How do I know which is most important?

I've committed myself to pray for both of these men daily. Mike knows that; I'm not sure John does. I'm not praying so they'll know. I'm praying because I genuinely care about both of them. Even so, I don't know how to pray effectively for them.

It's also frustrating that, after years of holding them up to God, I can't see any change. I wonder how many times I've paused in praying for those two men and said, "God, I just don't know how to pray." I'm not aware of their real needs-I see only outward behavior and character flaws.
How, Lord? How do I pray?

A few mornings ago, I walked through the woods with Mike on my mind. I had spoken to him on the phone the night before for nearly twenty minutes. I tried to focus my prayers for him but felt confused. I paused to lean against a black oak. "God, I don't have the slightest idea how to pray for Mike. Show me."

For several seconds, silence surrounded me. Then I heard myself saying, "Lord, won't you wrap your arms around Mike so that he'll know he's loved? Today, make him aware that you're with him and that you care deeply."

Simple stuff. Nothing profound or brilliant. But it came from my heart-something the Prayer Expert has taught me.

I could cite a variety of examples of what I've learned from the Prayer Expert. I'm still not sure I get it right, and I have a lot more to learn. It's like the lessons Paul Price gave me when I operated my first computer. I made mistakes even after he explained what I was supposed to do. But I kept at it. Now I can handle increasingly sophisticated computers. Even so, I know very little.

The best lesson I learned was to go to the expert when I have a problem.

The expert knows.

And the Prayer Expert not only knows how, but patiently works with me and teaches me. The Prayer Expert loves me and cares about my growth.

When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, "LORD, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray." So Jesus told them, "Pray in this way...." --LUKE 11:1-2a, CEV

Prayer Expert,

it sounds so simple to ask you to teach me to pray.

It gets complicated when I put it into practice.

Help me to keep praying,

to keep asking you for help,

and most of all,

to love you and those for whom I pray.

Amen.

For more from Cec, please visit www.cecilmurphey.com.

Heaven

2008-08-20T05:41:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you're so caught up in the here and now that things like heaven seem like a far, far off thought. I believe in heaven, but I don't really put too much time into thinking about it. Now dominates my brain. I suppose that changes as people age, as life slows down a bit. It seems like I more often hear the aged talking about it than the young. But you know, if I really did think about it, if I really stopped and realized, on a daily basis, that it is a real place, and is my final destination, where I will spend the VAST majority of my time, how would that impact decisions that I make now? What things would increase in importance? Which would decrease? Truly, what would happen if I lived like heaven was a real place everyday?

If You Like Disneyland, You Won't Believe Heaven
This devotional was written by Dan Johnson

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2

Walt Disney started talking about building a park for his employees and their families in a 1948 memo. What started as a discussion to build Mickey Mouse Park ended with the 1955 Grand Opening of Disneyland. Built on 160 acres of orange groves around Anaheim, Disneyland cost 17 million dollars to build. Opening day, July 17, 1955, was a gala affair with over 28,000 guests. The ceremonies were broadcast live on ABC with Art Linkletter as one of the hosts and celebrities like Ronald Reagan.

I was 36 years old when I first visited Disneyland, by then a 45-year-old theme park. With a child's excitement, I wondered the streets wide-eyed knowing that this was the "happiest place on earth" and so well-managed that they pressure-washed the streets each night. At nightfall, as I sat with my wife and small children along the parade route, music began wafting through the trees. I fought back tears as the lights came on and the parade began to come to life. It had taken a long time, but we had made it to Disneyland and it was better than expected.

If you think Disneyland is something, a man-made amusement park in crowded Southern California, try the Bible's description of Heaven. There's too much detail to mention, but let's just say that it is a place of such enormity and grandeur that comparisons fail completely. In Revelation chapters 21 and 22, Heaven is described as a real city, 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles in size ( 2,250,000 square miles). This city is surrounded with walls made of precious jewels and the street that runs down the center is made of gold. This city is the one Jesus Christ has been working on since His resurrection 2,000 years ago.

God's building projects are beyond our ability to fathom. The Hubble telescope has released photos from galaxies 12 billion light-years away from earth. And the earth is just a speck in the universe that God has made for us NOW. Imagine what lies ahead.

In that city there are no lockers, because it's perfectly safe. In that city, which the Bible says will be on this earth, there are no tears, except maybe tears of joy. The music will be angelic and the light will come from the Main Attraction. At Disneyland, Mickey Mouse rules. In the coming Kingdom, Jesus Christ is the Star of the Show. This would be a really good time to plan your trip.

Brillante Weblog

2008-08-19T13:03:00.001-07:00

Back on August 13 I was given this award, and unfortunately life has gotten a bit crazy, and I never passed it on to seven others. There are so many blogs that I enjoy that it's been hard to choose!!! I decided, however, that I needed to limit myself to just 7, so I didn't go crazy. If I missed you on this list, don't feel bad - there are just so many good reads out there!!!!
So here I go with my seven nominees:

Sound of a Soft Breath - a spritually challenging read

Motherhood...Unscripted - a down to earth read from a mom of three, two of whom have special needs

Money Saving Mom - a crazy good money saving mom!

Memoirs of a Chaotic Mommy - self explanatory title :)

Pink Clover - breast cancer awareness - great cause!

Work at Home Mom Revolution - a jam packed resource for working at home

Official Chosen Fate - a fun to read mommy blog

Now for the rules (almost forgot these):

1. Put the logo on my blog
2. Add the link to the person who awarded me
3. Nominate at least 7 (or more) others for this award
4. Add links to those 7 on my blog and
5. Leave a message for my nominees on their blogs

Congrats winners!! Thanks for sharing your hearts!

Can you help spread some crumbs?

2008-08-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

I received this email, and just wanted to share the need, and the request, with you. What a simple but meaningful way to say thank you to those that literally risk their lives for us.

Campus Crusade for Christ's Military Ministry recently received the following note:
"I am a chaplain in the Army preparing to deploy with my infantry battalion of approximately 800 soldiers. I have no Bibles or resources as I have just taken over this battalion. They just returned from Iraq this past November and are already returning again ... Whatever you can do to help in resources would be greatly appreciated."

As this chaplain's note highlights, there remains a tremendous need for God's Word, especially as more troops deploy. We continue to receive requests for an average of 15,000 to 20,000 Rapid Deployment Kits per month--each one containing a pocket-sized New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, a daily devotional and a booklet that clearly shares the Gospel. Learn how you can help place these Bible and devotional kits into the hands of our troops.

Thank you for your support and prayers for our troops.

Would you like a bouquet?

2008-08-18T03:55:00.000-07:00

When I miss a few days here sharing daily crumbs, it's probably because I haven't been eating... Although I was very spiritually hungry this weekend, and even very cranky because I wasn't eating, just like a cranky hungry toddler I didn't stop and think what the problem was. I just whined, and fussed, and carried on. So this morning I'm taking a moment to eat, and look what was delivered to me, a devotional email that speaks to my heart today. I'll be printing this out to share with my husband as well. We both could use this reminder right now...

Hand Delivered Bouquets
by Max Lucado

Through Christ, God has accepted you. Think about what this means. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you.

Rejections are like speed bumps on the road. They come with the journey. You’re going to get cut, dished, dropped, and kicked around. You cannot keep people from rejecting you. But you can keep rejections from enraging you. How? By letting his acceptance compensate for their rejection.

Think of it this way. Suppose you dwell in a high-rise apartment. On the window sill of your room is a solitary daisy. This morning you picked the daisy and pinned it on your lapel. Since you have only one plant, this is a big event and a special daisy.

But as soon as you’re out the door, people start picking petals off your daisy. Someone snags your subway seat. Petal picked. You’re blamed for the bad report of a coworker. Three petals. The promotion is given to someone with less experience but USC water polo looks. More petals. By the end of the day, you’re down to one. Woe be to the soul who dares to draw near it. You’re only one petal-snatching away from a blowup.

What if the scenario was altered slightly? Let’s add one character. The kind man in the apartment next door runs a flower shop on the corner. Every night on the way home he stops at your place with a fresh, undeserved, yet irresistible bouquet. These are not leftover flowers. They are top-of-the-line arrangements. You don’t know why he thinks so highly of you, but you aren’t complaining. Because of him, your apartment has a sweet fragrance, and your step has a happy bounce. Let someone mess with your flower, and you’ve got a basketful to replace it!

The difference is huge. And the interpretation is obvious.

God will load your world with flowers. He hand-delivers a bouquet to your door every day. Open it! Take them! Then, when rejections come, you won’t be left short-petaled.

God can help you get rid of your anger. He made galaxies no one has ever seen and dug canyons we have yet to find. “The LORD … heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:2–3 NIV). Do you think among those diseases might be the affliction of anger?

Do you think God could heal your angry heart?

Do you want him to? This is not a trick question. He asks the same question of you that he asked of the invalid: “Do you want to be well?” (John 5:6). Not everyone does. You may be addicted to anger. You may be a rage junkie. Anger may be part of your identity. But if you want him to, he can change your identity. Do you want him to do so?

Do you have a better option? Like moving to a rejection-free zone? If so, enjoy your life on your desert island.

Take the flowers. Receive from him so you can love or at least put up with others.

Collusion or Collision?

2008-08-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

I am sorry that once again, the daily crumbs have been coming much less than daily. I hope that you're doing better than I am with finding quiet time to think about the things that are really important...

This devotional by Adrian Rogers was emailed to me, and the title didn't catch me, so it sat in my inbox, but then I read it. Wow!!! We are getting bombarded right now, it seems. I guess we need to cut the whining and up the prayers. I know it, now I need to do it!

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16

A farmer and his farmhand went duck hunting. The farmer said to his friend, "You're always talking about fighting with the devil. I'm not a Christian, and I never have to fight with the devil."

The farmhand answered, "Boss, if you and I shot two ducks, one was wounded and one was dead, which one would you go after first?" He said, "Well, I guess the wounded duck."

He said, "That's right. The devil knows you're a dead duck."

If the devil doesn't bother you, it's because he doesn't have to bother you since you and he are traveling in the same direction. If you turned around, you'd have a collision with him. Right now, you are in collusion with him.

Are you a child of God? Then, praise Him that He has given you the power over Satan and placed you on the pathway to see Him face to face!

Thanks!!

2008-08-13T17:56:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to Quiverfull Family for selecting me for this award. It's an honor, and I hope that it can draw a few folks to my blog - not for me, but so they can be fed some of the spiritual crumbs that I'm sharing. Thanks :).

Eternal instants

2008-08-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Eternal instants have dotted history.

It was an eternal instant when the Creator smiled and said, "It is good." ... It was a moment without time when Noah pushed open the rain-soaked hatch and breathed in the clean air....

Eternal instants. You've had them. We all have.

Sharing a porch swing on a summer evening with your grandchild.

Seeing HER face in the glow of a candle....

Such moments are necessary because they remind us that everything is ok. The King is still on the throne and life is still worth living. Eternal instants remind us that love is still the greatest posession and the future is nothing to fear.

The next time an instant in your life begins to be eternal, let it. Put your head back on the pillow and soak it in. Resist the urge to cut it short. Don't interrupt the silence or shatter the solemnity. You are, in a very special way, on holy ground.

Again, from Max Lucado's God Came Near. This has become SOOO hard for me since I had kids. I am always on the go, rarely stopping to just be, to just listen, to just soak it in. I have a feeling that I've missed many many eternal instants. Today, at least today, I purpose to catch them, so I need to go and do that!

Get out of my way!!!

2008-08-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

This devotional, written by Leslie Snyder, hit the nail on the head for me this week. People, pretty much all of them, are just frustrating me!!! I know, in my head, that when this happens it's because I'm trying to pack too much in, putting my to do list in front of everything else.... That's in my head, in some logical, tucked away corner. Most of me just wants to holler "get out of my way!!"

But....

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:23

Have you ever felt like this? Today, I want to scream! Not so much out of anger, but more out of frustration. People are in my way this week. That may sound a bit absurd, but today it feels true. I have a list of tasks to accomplish and people just keep getting in the way. I wish I could say these were divine interruptions, you know, opportunities to help someone, share an encouraging word or something a little more redeemable. But they aren't. These interruptions are just the normal, end of the week traffic backups, road closures, petty inconveniences, and unexpected bills that just rub you the wrong way, the way a small pebble stuck in your shoe during a day-long hike starts as an inconvenience and ends as a major pain.

I suspect you have experienced a day or two like this as well. I sure don't "feel" very holy today, very Christ-like or redeemed. I just feel very human. Honestly, it's days like today that my first thought is to shut down the computer, pack up my stuff and answer the call of one airline's catch phrase, "Wanna get away?" Yes! Yes! How soon can I go?

But, then, after having a chance to regain some composure and perspective, my thoughts return back home. Yes, people get in the way, but isn't that the way it's supposed to be? God created us to live in community, not isolation. We are meant to rub shoulders with each other, to need each other, to work alongside each other, whether we like, or even know, those around us. We are a communal people and like it or not, we share this earth with a few billion other people. And so, we're bound to have days like these.

And so, today we travel together as a fellow humans, friends along this messy journey of life, of faith, of sin and redemption. And as we travel, may we all remember the truth of Scripture that many of us learned as the Golden Rule from Matthew 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."

Captive thoughts

2008-08-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

You know, it's easy, well, at least easier, to keep our outside looking good than our inside. We can only do it so long however, before we're found out. If our inside isn't under control, eventually the outside will be in trouble.

Today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions.Today’s jealousy is tomorrow’s temper tantrum.Today’s bigotry is tomorrow’s hate crime.Today’s anger is tomorrow’s abuse.Today’s lust is tomorrow’s adultery.Today’s greed is tomorrow’s embezzlement.Today’s guilt is tomorrow’s fear.

Could that be why Paul writes, “Love … keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5 NIV)?
Some folks don’t know we have an option.

Paul says we do: “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
Do you hear some battlefield jargon in that passage—“capture every thought,” “make it give up” and “obey Christ”? You get the impression that we are the soldiers and the thoughts are the enemies.

It was for Jesus. Remember the thoughts that came his way courtesy of the mouth of Peter? Jesus had just prophesied his death, burial, and resurrection, but Peter couldn’t bear the thought of it. “Peter took Jesus aside and told him not to talk like that.… Jesus said to Peter, ‘Go away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don’t care about the things of God, but only about the things people think are important’” (Matt. 16:22–23). See the decisiveness of Jesus?

What if you did that? What if you took every thought captive? What if you took the counsel of Solomon: “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” (Prov. 4:23).

You are not a victim of your thoughts. You have a vote. You have a voice. You can exercise thought prevention. You can also exercise thought permission.

Change the thoughts, and you change the person. If today’s thoughts are tomorrow’s actions, what happens when we fill our minds with thoughts of God’s love? Will standing beneath the downpour of his grace change the way we feel about others?

Paul says absolutely! It’s not enough to keep the bad stuff out. We’ve got to let the good stuff in. It’s not enough to keep no list of wrongs. We have to cultivate a list of blessings. The same verb Paul uses for keeps in the phrase “keeps no list of wrongs” is used for think in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (RSV). Thinking conveys the idea of pondering—studying and focusing, allowing what is viewed to have an impact on us.

Rather than store up the sour, store up the sweet.

From A Love Worth Giving© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

His Wing Shelters You

2008-08-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

This was a great one to read. Sometimes I don't feel so sheltered...

“He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers.”
(Psalm 91:4)

My college friends and I barely escaped a West Texas storm before it pummeled the park where we were spending a Saturday afternoon. As we were leaving, my buddy brought the car to a sudden stop and gestured to a tender sight on the ground. A mother bird sat exposed to the rain, her wing extended over her baby who had fallen out of the nest. The fierce storm prohibited her from returning to the tree, so she covered her child until the wind passed.

From how many winds is God protecting you? His wing, at this moment, shields you. A slanderous critic heading toward your desk is interrupted by a phone call. A burglar en route to your house has a flat tire. A drunk driver runs out of gas before your car passes his. God, your guardian, protects you from

“every trap” (Ps. 91:3);
“the fatal plague” (Ps. 91:3);
“the plague that stalks in darkness” (Ps. 91:6);
“the terrors of the night…the dangers of the day” (Ps. 91:5).
One translation boldly promises: “Nothing bad will happen to you” (Ps. 91:10 NCV).

“Then why does it?” someone erupts. “Explain my job transfer. Or the bum who called himself my dad. Or the death of our child.” If God is our guardian, why do bad things happen to us?

Have they? Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have different definitions for the word bad.

God views your life the way you view a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story…he wrote it. His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear.

God uses struggles to toughen our spiritual skin.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2–4)

Trust him. “But when I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Ps. 56:3). Join with Isaiah, who resolved, “I will trust in him and not be afraid” (Isa. 12:2).

God is directing your steps and delighting in every detail of your life (Ps. 37:23–24). In fact, that’s his car pulling over to the side of the road. That’s God opening the door. And that’s you climbing into the passenger seat.

There now, don’t you feel safer knowing he is in control?

From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

He really is sheltering me!! I am truly thankful!!

Envy

2008-08-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

This isn't one of those "big," glaring sins that we think about very much. We pat ourselves on the back for all of the sins that we aren't doing, but this is a sneaky one that crawls under the radar, and can be devestating. We so much need to cling to God's way of looking at things, and toss aside comparing anything of ours to anything of the world's. Easier said than done...

Imagine a man who is happily married to a woman whose physical and emotional companionship he values and cherishes. He is successful in his profession. His children are well-behaved and accomplished. He is satisfied with his life until he attends his twentieth college reunion.

This is where he makes a crucial mistake. He tells himself that many of his former classmates have achieved a higher social and professional status than he. He also mistakenly believes that they are married to more educated and more attractive wives, and that they seem to have more money and to have traveled more often than he has.

A sense of failure begins to grow in his heart. Once a happy man, he is now wrongly focused on his circumstances. He loses his peace and contentment to envy and jealousy.

Proverbs 14:30 states, "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." King Ahab of Israel had everything. But he wanted a vineyard that was close to his palace. When Naboth refused to sell, Ahab pouted and sulked until his wicked wife, Jezebel, plotted to kill Naboth and to take his field to satisfy the envy of King Ahab.

There are people who have everything and are still envious for more. Even a godly man like King David coveted what another man had. As a result of his actions, he committed adultery and murder, and lost his peace by harming his fellowship with God.

Envy always leads to strife and a loss of peace. Are you longing for what you cannot have? Look to Jesus. Only He can satisfy the desires of your heart. He alone brings peace and contentment to your life.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Don't be tempted to toss in the towel and give up the race. Shore up your confidence in God today.

By Passionately Proclaiming Uncompromising Truth, Leading The Way is revolutionizing lives at home and around the world. Discover more at www.leadingtheway.org.

His Will, Not Mine

2008-08-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

I received this in an email today, and it is just a great reminder. God is so much bigger (and better) than me. Certainly His will is as well.

He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." (Matthew 26:39)

There are some people who teach that we should never pray, "Not my will, but Yours be done," because it supposedly voids what you have just prayed for.

What nonsense. If Jesus prayed this, certainly we should follow His example.

He gave us the same pattern in the Lord's Prayer when He said, "May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). I never need to be afraid to say, "Lord, Your will be done."

Then there are those who say that we should only pray for something once; otherwise, we are demonstrating a lack of faith.

Yet Jesus taught His disciples, "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9). We give up far too easily sometimes.

We won't always know the will of God in every situation. Then there are times when we will know the will of God, but we won't like it. Finally, there are times when we will know the will of God, but we don't understand it.

I like what the late D. L. Moody said, "Spread out your petition before God, and then say, 'Thy will, not mine, be done.' " Moody concluded, "The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me."

Have you found that to be true? We must never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.

Holy

2008-08-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Wow - I'm doing poorly with this daily thing!!! Doesn't seem like it should be this hard...

But I did read today... I read in my Mom's Devotional Bible a passage from Isaiah, chapter 6 verses 1-6.

Verse 5 says "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

In this passage Isaiah is coming face to face with God's holiness. He is realizing how far he is from holy.

The Mom's Bible devotional author went on to talk about how we kind of have lost sight of what holy is. We talk about God as our Father, our Savior, and we talk of embracing Him. All of these are true and good, but we also need to remember how very Holy He is. We need to be humbled, and to realize that His grace towards us is really just that, amazing lavish grace from a holy, Holy God.

God Believes in You - really...

2008-08-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

The tale involves a wealthy father and a willful son. The boy prematurely takes his inheritance and moves to Las Vegas and there wastes the money on slot machines and call girls. As fast as you can say “blackjack,” he is broke. Too proud to go home, he gets a job sweeping horse stables at the racetrack. When he finds himself tasting some of their oats and thinking, H’m, a dash of salt and this wouldn’t be too bad, he realizes enough is enough. It’s time to go home. The gardener at his father’s house does better than this. So off he goes, rehearsing his repentance speech every step of the way.

But the father has other ideas. He “had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

We don’t expect such a response. We expect crossed arms and a furrowed brow. At best a guarded handshake. At least a stern lecture. But the father gives none of these. Instead he gives gifts. “Bring out the best robe … a ring … sandals.… And bring the fatted calf … and let us eat and be merry” (Luke 15:11–23 NKJV). Robe, sandals, calf, and … Did you see it? A ring.
Before the boy has a chance to wash his hands, he has a ring to put on his finger. In Christ’s day rings were more than gifts; they were symbols of delegated sovereignty. The bearer of the ring could speak on behalf of the giver. It was used to press a seal into soft wax to validate a transaction. The one who wore the ring conducted business in the name of the one who gave it.

Would you have done this? Would you have given this prodigal son power-of-attorney privileges over your affairs? Would you have entrusted him with a credit card? Would you have given him this ring?

Before you start questioning the wisdom of the father, remember, in this story you are the boy. When you came home to God, you were given authority to conduct business in your heavenly Father’s name.

When you speak truth, you are God’s ambassador.

As you steward the money he gives, you are his business manager.

When you declare forgiveness, you are his priest.

As you stir the healing of the body or the soul, you are his physician.

And when you pray, he listens to you as a father listens to a son. You have a voice in the household of God. He has given you his ring.

God believes in you. And, I wonder, could you take some of the belief that he has in you and share it with someone else?

You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?

Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.

From A Love Worth Giving by Max Lucado

My plans

2008-08-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

Okay - already off the daily plan - how does that happen so quickly!?! But each morning is a fresh start! I believe that's the reason for sunrises, to remind us of that....

I found this devotional today. For me, an oldest child and well, one who's used to being the planner, the organizer, the bossy one, this is hard! If I have a plan, I don't like it to be interrupted. My plans are usually pretty good. Slow down, back up, rethink. If there's a conflict in plans, who would probably be right? Hmmmm. Good reminder!!

Plans Interrupted
by Laure MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV

Have you ever had your plans interrupted?

This can either make you cranky or make you grateful. In my case, it's usually both. Cranky at first. And then eventually grateful after days, weeks, months or even years later when I finally see that God's plans were so much better than mine.

Just this past weekend, my plans were interrupted. I had been planning a day-cation for a while and was going to take my mom to visit my hometown's "friendly" rival city that's just a short drive away. We'd never before explored its downtown area and had heard great things about it. And so we thought it would be a fun place to visit on a Saturday.

But the plans had to be scrapped as a result of a minor family emergency. In this case, I was grateful that I could alter my course and help out. And I know it was the right thing to do to set aside these prior plans.

Other times in my life, I haven't been so quick to be grateful when God has interrupted my plans. At the time, my plans seemed right and logical. But they were plans that, had they gone through, would have just been awful. In hindsight, I see how the Lord has saved me from myself time and time again and how he truly knows what is best for my life.

Before he was one of the greatest apostles in the Bible, Paul also had his plans interrupted. Now his plans would arguably have had more disastrous consequences than mine, but he believed he was doing the right thing and was set on seeing them through. That is, until God interrupted.

In Acts 9, Paul was still known as Saul. He was an enemy of believers ("the Way") and was focused on persecuting anyone who called himself a Christian. He had heard that many had fled to Damascus, so he secured letters of arrest from the high priest and headed off in pursuit of them.

But on the road, God intervened and interrupted Saul's plans. The conversion was radical and news-making. Saul was blind for three days, and then his sight was restored through Anaias, who God told that Saul was his "chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel (Acts 9:15)."

When the scales fell from Saul's eyes, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later, he became known as the apostle Paul and was perhaps the greatest of all Christian missionaries. He also wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament!

Can you imagine what type of effect his conversion must have had on the believers he had been seeking to persecute? Or how about the Gentiles to whom he ministered for years afterward? And then who knows how many countless readers of the Word from yesterday up until today-how about you and me? - have been blessed by Paul's testimony and his inspired writings?

These are God's amazing plans at work, my friend. And thankfully, oh so thankfully, he interrupts ours.

Intersecting Faith & Life: How did you respond the last time God interrupted your plans? Have you thanked him for saving you from your plans? Or how about from the plans you don't even know about-the ones of those who have meant you harm that God has interrupted? We will never know this side of heaven all that God has done and is doing in our lives. Let's thank him for his perfect plans for us!

The cure for heart hardening

2008-07-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34
The Bible

I read a devotional today that used 1 Chronicles 16:7-36, which is titled "David's Psalm of Thanks," as a basis for talking about our hearts becoming hard. I know that for me, as a mom, well, as a wife, friend, daughter, and sister too, it's very easy for my heart to lose its softness. I can easily get caught up in my lists of all that I have to get done, and forget to feel, to care, to be thankful. Just as with our physical bodies being in great danger when our arteries are hardened, or when our hearts are not working properly, our spiritual and emotional pieces of us can be in danger if we let our hearts grow hard. Does this make sense? And really the only way to "cure" this drifting toward hard heartedness is to consistently spend time with the one who made this heart, to spend time in worship and in thankfulness, realizing that even when I am totally out of control, He has it all in control. He is good.

Not exactly daily...

2008-07-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, my intent when I started this blog was to give moms like me, or just anyone like me, small bite size pieces of truth to chew on, crumbs of inspiration if you will. :) Unfortunately life has gotten busier and busier and the lack of inspiration on here kind of parallels the lack of inspiring moments in my own life. It seems like lately the days whizz by without me taking a moment to close my eyes to lift them up, or to really be thankful for them. Soooo, I apologize. I am going to purpose to make this blog my morning accountability stop for my personal quiet time. Let's see how that goes tomorrow morning - hopefully I'll see you here!

More to this life

2008-07-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

This song is just so powerful. How can you live life without believing this????

Funeral celebration

2008-07-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

You live one final breath from your own funeral.

Which, from God’s perspective, is nothing to grieve. He responds to these grave facts with this great news: “The day you die is better than the day you are born” (Eccles. 7:1). Now there is a twist. Heaven enjoys a maternity-ward reaction to funerals. Angels watch body burials the same way grandparents monitor delivery-room doors. “He’ll be coming through any minute!” They can’t wait to see the new arrival. While we’re driving hearses and wearing black, they’re hanging pink and blue streamers and passing out cigars. We don’t grieve when babies enter the world. The hosts of heaven don’t weep when we leave it.

Oh, but many of us weep at the thought of death. Do you? Do you dread your death? And is your dread of death robbing your joy of life?

Jesus came to “deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Heb. 2:15).

Your death may surprise you and sadden others, but heaven knows no untimely death: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Ps. 139:16).

Dread of death ends when you know heaven is your true home. In all my air travels I’ve never seen one passenger weep when the plane landed. Never. No one clings to the armrests and begs, “Don’t make me leave. Don’t make me leave. Let me stay and eat more peanuts.” We’re willing to exit because the plane has no permanent mailing address. Nor does this world. “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Phil. 3:20).

Why don’t you do this: give God your death. Imagine your last breath, envision your final minutes, and offer them to him. Deliberately. Regularly. “Lord, I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. I entrust you with my departure from earth.” With Christ as your friend and heaven as your home, the day of death becomes sweeter than the day of birth.

From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

What a difference a change in perspective makes!! And who has the better, more accurate perspective? The God who is over all, or me, in the middle of it all?

Compassion

2008-07-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

This is such a neat ministry. We've been sponsoring a child for years, and it's been a blessing to us, and to her, and real tangible way to teach our kids how to reach out with compassion.

2008-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

From Dr. Jack Graham - good reminder, encouragement and challenge...

Does your life feel like it's falling apart at times? Maybe even today it seems as if the world is crumbling around you.

If so, let's take a moment to think about the life and living hope that we have because of Jesus, the chief Cornerstone.

Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we've been set free from our past, fully and freely forgiven. Now, we've been given a life of purpose and significance.

In this life, we are no longer alone or isolated or living independently of God. We have been loved unconditionally and accepted into God's family. Which means we should live without fear of the future because we have this hope in Christ! He is sufficient for every hurt, for every habit, for every challenge and test in life.

But we must first choose to build our lives on the Rock. Our Scripture for today reminds us, "For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame'" (1 Peter 2:6).

Though rejected by others, if Jesus is the Cornerstone set in your life, there is consistence, strength, and significance.

Maybe you are wondering today why your life doesn't seem to fit together... why things aren't working out the way you had planned. If you're trying to build your life without Jesus, the Cornerstone, everything will ultimately fall apart.

As the old hymn says, "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." Jesus is the solid Rock. So learn to consistently build your life upon Him... not on the things of this world!

PRAY AND ASK GOD'S GUIDANCE TODAY FOR THE CHALLENGES IN YOUR LIFE.

Held

2008-07-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been a while since I've heard this song, and this video clip has some pictures that just tear at your heart. Listen to the words though... In the middle of this crazy screwed up world, God is holding out His arms to hold you, to hold you tight and cry with you... This is what it means to be held....

Who's in charge?

2008-07-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

"Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it can not explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."

Sir Isaac Newton

This is spoken by the man who first discovered gravity, a very very wise man. Why is it now that you can't be smart and believe this stuff? Why is there only one acceptable way of thinking in our schools in this regard?

God is in charge, and will be whether we agree that to be the case or not. Someday we will all realize that...

Sir Isaac Newton

2008-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

Sir Isaac Newton... What do you think of? The apple on the head and gravity, right?

I just read a really good article all about him, tons of info about all of the other things that he discovered, and worked on, in his life. He really was a brilliant man.

Here's a quote from Newton that surprised me:

"This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being... This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of his dominion he is wont to be called Lord God..., or Universal Ruler.."

Why wasn't that take included in my science textbooks?

What happened?

2008-07-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

"How have we grown so deaf? How have we grown so immune to awesomeness? Why are we so reluctant to be staggered or thunderstruck?

Perhaps the frequency of miracles blinds us to their beauty. After all, what spice is there in a springtime or a tree blossom? Don't the seasons come every year? Aren't there countless seashells just like this one?

Bored, we say Ho-hum and replace the remarkable with the regular, the unbelievable with the anticipated. Science and statistics wave their unmagic wand across the face of life, squelching the oohs and aahs and replacing them with formulas and figures.

Would you like to see Jesus? Do you dare be an eyewitness of His Majesty? Then rediscover amazement.

The next time you hear a baby laugh or see an ocean wave, take note. Pause and listen as His majesty whispers ever so gently, "I'm here."

Max Lucado, God Came Near

Often hear of our need for childlike faith. Again, it fits here. How often do my kids pull me aside to look at something that amazes them, and I barely glance as I do "important stuff"? How much I have I missed? Subtly, I've allowed the "grown up world" to rob me of amazement. I've allowed my life to become a series of to do lists. Yikes! Today I put on my list to play with my kids, blow bubbles, be amazed!

The ropes

2008-07-11T02:57:00.000-07:00

"..The ropes used to tie his hands and the soldiers used to lead him to the cross were unnecessary. They were incidental. Had they not been there, had there been no trial, no Pilate and no crowd, the very same crucifixion would have occurred. Had Jesus been forced to nail himself to the cross, he would have done it. For it was not the soldiers that killed him, nor the screams of the mob: it was his devotion to us."

Max Lucado, God Came Near

Wow. I am so undeserving of that kind of devotion, that kind of love. And when I know of a love like this, that desires to be freely given, how selfish I am to not share it with everyone I meet! There is a special Someone who loved you enough to give everything for you!!!

Pits

2008-07-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from Christianity.com's daily email devotional:

When people dig a pit for somebody else, they end up falling into it themselves. In fact, Proverbs 26:27 says it most directly,
"Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him."

Pretty plain, isn't it? If you are asking God to get you out of a pit, you need to take time to consider if it is a pit of your own construction. If you have done something to get someone else in trouble--even if you think you are justified in doing it because that person has hurt you--you need to repent. Until there is repentance, God will not intervene.

God is not going to get you out of your pit while you have a shovel in your hand.

How many of the times in my life when I feel the most alone, and well, in the pits, is that very pit of my own making? I do need to stop and think on this. I do need to repent more often, to really admit that I have done something wrong and ask forgiveness. It 's not a natural thing, or an easy thing, but then again, the right things seldom are.