"You are God’s unique steward, and the gift He has given you to give away is more than simply your money or your time. It is your deepest self – your love, your passion, your unique expression of His gospel in the world. And if you do not find a way to unleash that gift and release it to the world, no one will." --Michael D. Warden

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought as now the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rung so long the unbroken song
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair, I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of Peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men."

I found another blogger who has just blown me away with the depth and blessing in his message. He is talking to guy about women, but women should read this too. He has put into words what I have attempted many time, but have never succeded.

The Roof Guys wrote this:

Imperishable Beauty

"Do not let your adorning be external-- the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." 1 Peter 3:3-4

After a string of 5 sons, my parents had a little girl. Abigail Joy is 8 now, and she is the delight of the Wold family.

Abigail is all girl. She has always delighted in putting on dresses, necklaces, and having her hair done. She loves it. At age 5 and 6, she was eager to run up to me, with a smile all over her face and say "look at my dress!" or "Momma did my hair!" However, now at a very mature 8, she simply will walk by me in that special way that communicates to me that I need to behold something amazing. I think the Lord made her this way, and I want to communicate to her that her big bro thinks that she is gorgeous.

Thankfully, Mom has been faithful to teach Abigail this verse from Peter through application. She often reminds her that what is important is to be beautiful "on the inside." For an 8 year old, one of the most practical ways to carry this out is to serve! She loves to serve our whole family! She delights to be Mom's helper. And she delights to serve me! Every time Mom makes pizza, I can expect to have a separate small pizza that was made for me by Abigail. Often when I get home tired from work, Abigail will pull up a chair behind me and massage my shoulders.

The joy that Abigail has in serving is a response to Mom showing her that to be beautiful on the inside is to be TRULY beautiful! As a man in my sister's life, I have the responsibility to affirm this. I want to communicate to Abigail that when she serves, I see her to be truly lovely. Yes, I get excited about the dress, but I ought to be twice as excited about her servants spirit.

As a brother, my job is to confirm to Abigail that to be adorned by a "gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" is to be truly beautiful. Why? Because I am agreeing with God!

Imagine what Abigail would think if Mom told her that being a servant of others is what it means to be truly beautiful. Now imagine that Abigail pursued acts of service, but my brothers and I never showed any gratefulness, or honor to her for her labors of love. However, every time that she gets dressed up, we get excited and treat her like a princess. What is she going to think?! There well be a great contradiction between what she has been told is true, and what she has experienced to be true.

Guys, we live in a world that does not agree with God on what is precious and beautiful. What is precious in the world's sight is the outward cup! But that outward cup is going to perish with this world! Our eternal father has told us to value imperishable beauty.

Christian women hear this message a lot. They are exhorted in the church to this end. Today, I am concerned about us guys. Please listen and hear me out on this.

We have a responsibility to have our minds conformed to the mind of God. If God tells us that something is actually beautiful, than it is actually beautiful. God doesn't care about your subjective opinion of what is precious. He cares that you value what He values.

We as men must value true feminine beauty. We must! This is one of the greatest ways we can serve our sisters in Christ! In the Church, today, single women are asking this question "I know what scripture says about beauty. However, what I see single men value is quiet different." How sad is this! God is looking down from heaven and seeing imperishable beauty in the church today, and it delights Him! He sees the joyful mother at home with the sick children, and He behold beauty. He sees the single women in the soup kitchen, and He beholds beauty. He sees an elderly women at the end of her life teaching and instructing younger wives to love their husbands, and He sees true beauty.

God is not blind to their outward appearance, He is consumed with imperishable beauty. Men, we have the temptation to be consumed with the outward appearance and blind to imperishable beauty! This is an affront against God. It causes discouragement and tempts Godly women to despair.

The body of Christ is a place where women need to feel truly precious because they are ransomed by the blood of Christ, and because they have laid down the world's value system and are serving their Savior and loving their church with a gentle and quiet spirit.

We ought to be quick to notice this. Men, we need to have heavenly vision. Women in the church ought to turn our heads when they are obeying God. They ought to win our honor, gratitude and respect when they are following Peter's admonition.

Tomorrow we'll talk about some practical ways that we can cultivate this mindset.

Dear Djanator,

Happy Birthday. You are now sixteen. You have grown so much since I first met you. Not only have you grown taller, you have grown spiritualy as well.

DJ there are a few things that seprate the men from the boys. They are not to be taken lightly, but to be considered and strive to be like them.

1. One of the most atractive things in the world is a Godly young man. A man who seeks after the Lord with all his heart is someone to be admired. I pray that you will continue to grow in your relationship with our Lord.

2. A servant is something the world thinks very little of, but that Jesus calls us to be. DJ you have great oppritunity to serve your family, friends, and everyone you come in contact with. Don't miss use this gift.

3.One of the great boundarys between manhood and boys is how they treat others. I know many men who never grew up, but this does not mean they aren't men. Showing respect for others is key to maturity. This does not mean that you have to give up being funny and having a good time with your friends. Some of the most attractive guys I know have the ability to keep their boyish funfilled ways while showing me they are men with the way they treat others.

4. Never compromise your standerds. Hold fast to the word of God and uphold what it says. Lead others in following God. Everything in this life will let you down except what God gives you in His word. Hold to it.

5.Be a leader in the faith. Like I said before, there are one of the most attractive things is a man who loves the Lord and leads others with his faith. It is also one of the most inspiring and hopeful things in the world. Strive to be a leader in our faith. This doesn't mean you have to always be in the spotlight. There are many men whom I know may not at first look like a leader of our faith, but if you take a closer look they bring others closer to Christ on a daily basis. Be that kind of man.

These are though things to do Djanator, but all things are possible with God. I see Him doing great things with you. Happy Birthday.

In Christ,
--Rie

Is it right to laugh at sin?

Is it right to laugh at sin?

How often do laugh at sin? How often when watching a movie or tv do we laugh at someone who is gay or person who has hemmed themselves into a corner because they lied? Are these suppose to be funny?

"These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren."
Proverbs 6:16-19
Sing_a_Song_of_Sixpence said this:
"the Bible says that the LORD hates these sins, and that they are an abomination to Him. He is perfect, and I think that it's safe to say a perfect God hates all sin... So my question is this: since the perfect God hates all sin, is it biblical for us to laugh at any sin? "

I ask you the same question. Is it wrong for us laugh at sin? It defiantly gives us something to think about.

Come in and know me better man!

Matthew 2:1-2

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."


I was listening to A Christmas Carol a radio play. One of the lines really spoke to me:

"Mortal, we spirits of Christmas don't live on only the one day of the year. We live the entire three-hundred and sixty-five...so is it true of the babe born in Bethlahem. He doesn't not live in the hearts of men just one day of the years, but in all the days of the year. You have chosen not to seek him in your heart."

How narrow is our is our understanding of our Savior. We should not celabrate Him just once a year or once a week. We must continualy seek Him in our hearts and always bring His cheer and goodwill to all men.

Mystery

I'm sorry I havn't posted in a while, but it was finals week at college.

Proverbs 30:18-19

¹⁸ "There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:

¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a maiden.

This is an amazing passage. One of my friends at college and I were talking about science. ( I was heading toward studing for my Bio final and he was coming from taking his Chem final.) He said the he found it fascinating that we could break down substances into molecules and atom, but still not know what makes the atoms keep moving. That we don't know everything about something as simple as water. He said he half joking and half not that he thought it was magic. I thought about it for a while. (I need to do that with really big concepts.) It kind of is magic the way God has made the world. There are things on this earth that we will never understand, that we don't have the ability to understand.

This may frustrate some people, but think about it. What if we lived in a world like Myst, the computer game. (Sorry if you havn't played it, but bear with me.) We would soon conquor all the puzzles and pieces on the earth. Having something always out of our grasp just beyond our reach is kind of cool. It adds to the mystery and the spice of life.

So my parting words to you are keep the magic, explore, and enjoy the mystery God has given us.

Common Sense

My sisters and I were recently listening to a history tape on the Revelutionary War. Near the beggining of the Revelutionary War Thomas Paine wrote a phamplate called "Common Sense." It woke up the American people to the war. One of my favorite parts was a quote from it.

"Government by kings was first introduced into the world by the Heathens, from whom the children of Israel copied the custom. It was the most prosperous invention the Devil ever set on foot for the promotion of idolatry. The Heathens paid divine honors to their deceased kings, and the Christian world hath improved on the plan by doing the same to their living ones. How impious is the title of sacred majesty applied to a worm, who in the midst of his splendor is crumbling into dust!"

America's founding fathers helped found this country using the principles of Christianity.(and they did it on purpose) They saw that man is fickle and fallen. They knew that they could not have a system of gonverment that relied to much on one man. A system that did that would soon become corrupt. Our founding fathers put so many checks and balances in our system that it would be nearly impossible to get anything done. They hoped that this would only allow only good laws to get passed, but I think they also realized that a group of men can become just as corrupt as one man. Sometimes even more corrupt than one man can.

Heavenly Father, please bless our country with men who's hearts are following after You. May be become a truly godly nation in Your eyes. Amen.

http://www.promiseofgod.com/teach/
This is how it happened...I just finished the household chores for the
night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front
of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise,
Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas treee placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are
you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat, and I
saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was
the eager, boisterous soul we all know.

He then answered me with a simple statement.

"TEACH THE CHILDREN!"

I was puzzled; what did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with
one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the
tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said,

"Teach the children! Teach them
the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has
forgotten."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a
FIR TREE and placed it
before the mantle.

"Teach the children that the pure green color of the
stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting
hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of
man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant
STAR.

"Teach the children
that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a
Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His
promise."


He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE.

"Teach the
children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the
world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who
displaces the darkness."



Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on
the tree.

"Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature
of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of
affection."


He then pulled from his bag an ornament of himself.

"Teach the children
that I, Santa Claus symbolize the generosity and good will we feel
during the month of December."


He then brought out a
HOLLY LEAF.

"Teach the children that the holly
plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by
our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him."


Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said,


"Teach the children that
God so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON..." "Thanks be to
God for his unspeakable gift.


"Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy BABE and
presented HIM with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give
gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on
the tree.

"Teach the children
that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the
staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is
the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."



He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL.


"Teach the children that it
was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth.
The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good
will toward men.

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out
a BELL.

"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the
sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell
symbolizes guidance and return."


Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that
the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said,

"Remember, teach the children
the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am
but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship HIM,
our LORD, our GOD."

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

I love Charlie Brown Christmas. I don't know any other secular movie that presents the gospel. Every time I hear Linus repeat the Christmas story I get all choked up.

Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie brown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucy Van Pelt: You know, Santa Claus, and ho-ho-ho, and mistletoe... and presents for pretty girls...

I saw Chronicles of Narnia!!! It was totally wicked! Go see it! Go see it tonight, right now!

Matthew 1:23
23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

The name Immanuel really didn't hit home for me until last Christmas. I had grown up all my life in church and I had managed to miss one of Christmases ascpects.

Think about it. God with us. We once had total and unhindered communion with God, but when mankind fell that communion was broken. We were left completly and totally sperated from God. But God in His love looked down and decided that He would not let us be alone in this broken and distorted world. He decided to open up a passage way between us and Him. He sent His son to build a bridge between God and the sinners like me. Now I can once again have communion with God through Jesus Christ, His son.

How awesome and inspiring is God's love. That He would send His son down to open up the pathway between Him and us.

"Next to the word of God, music has the most power to move the human soul" ~Martin Luther


I love using music to praise my Savior. Music has the power to make people cry, laugh, or become angery. Music has the power to evoke great emotion, but it effect different people in different ways. A song that may get me choked up and almost cry might make another person merly thoughtful. (a.k.a. How Beautiful by Twila Paris. That song gets to me so bad.)

Take time to praise our Heavenly Father and His Son. It's Christmas.

Psalm 150

Let All Things Praise the LORD

¹ Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

² Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

³ Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
⁴ Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
⁵ Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

Pray for me

This Sunday my boss' wife asked if she could come to church with me. She is a devout Hindu so I was kind of shocked. She came and I think she liked it. My Pastor preached a very different Christmas sermon. He preached on the "Promises of Christmas."

Revelation 12:1-5

¹A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ²She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. ⁴His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. ⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

This was one of the portions of scriptures my pastor used during his sermon. I think my friend understood this a bit more than anything else that was said. So my point is...even though my pastor didn't preach a traditional, run of the mill Christmas sermon, it worked because this was something my friend could understand. Neat how God works those things out.

Heavenly Father, thank you that my friend is starting to show an interested in You. May she come to know you and may You bless me so that I may effectively witness to her. Amen

1. Seven things to do before I die:
Get married
Have kids
Write a book
Make a cd of songs I've written
Write a song that makes the top 100
Travel the world
Learn to Dance

2.Seven things I cannot do:
Touch my tounge to my nose
Stop humming when I'm board or have a song stuck in my head (Drives my family nuts)
Be perfect
Save my self from sin
Do anything with out God
Stop gringing my teeth in my sleep when I'm stressed (This also drives my family nuts)
Braid my own hair (I can't reach back that far for that long and I can't see what I'm doing)

3. Seven things that attract me to a guy:
Hot!!!!
On fire for the Lord
Likes kids
Likes protecting me
Thinks that I'm talented, beautiful, and gifted (Self-centered little beast, aren't I)
Has a servant's heart
Has gifts that compliment mine

4.Seven things I say most often:
I'm confused
What?!!
It is still not illagle to put your dishes into the dish washer
Get out of the kitchen!! I'm cook'in here!
Sucks to be you
Okay
I don't know

5.Seven books (or series) I love:
Bible
Lord of the Rings
The Seer and the Sword
The Chronicles of Narnia
Mere Christianity
The blog series (I like reading peoples blogs. Go figure.)
Anything by Brian Jaques

6.Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would watch over and over if I had the time):
Pride and Prejudice
Lord of the Rings (All three, baby)
The Bourne Identity
The Princesses Bride
Much Ado About Nothing
Bride and Prejudice (Not to be confused with Pride and Prejudice)
The Taming of the Shrew

7.Seven people I want to join in, too:
Jordan
Tally Times
Jollyblogger
a practice in belief
Big Red
Grandmother of many (I'm one of the grandchildren :D)
Haven't a clue ( Don't know who else to ask)

You are Eliza Bennett from Pride and
Prejudice! Yay, you! Perhaps the
brightest and best character in all of English
literature, you are intelligent, lively,
lovely-- in short, you are the best of company.
Your only foibles are that you stick with your
first impressions... and your family is quite
intolerable.


Which Jane Austen Character Are You?
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I uasualy don't post this kind of thing unless it has to do with the bible or is some how usefull in our daily walk with Christ, but I'M ELIZABETH BENNETT!!!! How cool is that!