Writings of an exceptional being

"Look at this GLORY!"

2012-01-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

John 20:30-31

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Purpose of This Book

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

A few posts back I wrote on the begging of the book of John. Since then I have been doing a study of the book of John. This passage stuck me in a particular way. The book of John starts out with what some speculate to be a poetic celebration of who Jesus is, the Logos- the Word. The book then presents many miracles of Jesus as proof of who he was and how powerful he is. This is the climax of the book. Jesus has just risen from the dead, his best miracle yet, for the purpose that you and I may have life.

One of my favorite quotes from a recent missions trip to Ethiopia is, "Look at this Glory!" My friend Shannon was exclaiming over the glory of the sunset over the mountain. Through out the week I contemplated this state more and more. I watched people on the street and thought,"Look at this glory... Look at the glory God has created in His people." I look at the wonders of nature and my mind exclaims,"Look at this glory!" I hear a song and my soul sings,"Hear this glory!" As I have read through the book of John I cannot help but as I look at my Saviors life,"Look at this glory." As I read of His death and resurrection, I think, "Look at this glorious thing that God has done for me." As I think of the plan that he has for my life, "Oh, what glory He has in store for me."

A man unafraid to change the world...Part II

2012-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Acts 3:12-26

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

"I know that you acted in ignorance"

The fact that we sin in ignorance does not excuse our sin. I think of Joseph consoling his brothers by telling them that what "they meant for evil, God meant for good." Yes, God does use our evil hearts to bring about His perfect and good plan; however, that is a testament of His sovereignty not a way to excuse our sin. I often will play the part of the naive girl. I use it as a barrier to protect myself in society; however, if I were to claim ignorance and use it as a crutch to sin, I would still be sinning.
"Repent, therefore,"
I don't think there will ever be to much repentance in my life. Misusing my repentance for evil, yes, but true repentance to my Heavenly Father who I am separated from as a result of my sin, never.
"that your sins may be blotted out"
Our sin can only be blotted out by the blood of Christ. If we had not crucified him, there would be no blood to atone for us. Our greatest sorrow, our greatest comfort and salvation.
"the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord"
Times of refreshing sounds so nice. But please take note this time where we can be refreshed will come from the presence of the Lord. Right now we have a degree of separation from God. Before Jesus, we had almost complete separation from God. Jesus came as God with us. The Holy Spirit is actively involved in our lives today. Yet we don't have complete and utter communion with God. Adam and Eve used to walk with God in the Garden. How refreshing and energizing it sounds to sit and converse with the God of the universe.
"in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed"
God did not create me to bare children not within His plan. God has a good plan for the children in my family and the children that my sisters in Christ have. He has promised that we will be blessed and be a blessing.
"to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness"
All to often I am over whelmed by my sin. Yet my God is here to bless me. The Holy Spirit stirs within my soul to turn me from my sin. My Father has a plan to make me more and more like Jesus. Oh, that my heart would turn away from my wickedness. Bless me Father.

A man unafraid to change the world...

2012-01-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

Acts 3:12-26

English Standard Version (ESV)

I read this passage while in an Ethiopian church. The sermon was in Amharic and the pastor was preaching on Peter healing the lame man. I kept reading and this passage spoke to me. One of the first sermons we hear from Peter and he doesn't sugar coat it. Lt. Dan, our fearless leader in Ethiopia, said something very profound. "Christians today are afraid to change the world." How true it is that I am afraid to step on toes, to speak the truth boldly, to not say things in the most politically correct manner.

"as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?"

All to often I struggle with using my own piety as a way to justify behavior or look good in front of my peers. Peter does something more miraculous than I have ever seen in my life and he is giving glory to God. He uses this as an opportunity to point people to the cross. How often do I fail to point people to the cross?

"you denied the Holy and Righteous One"

Peter denied Jesus three times and his soul suffered for it. Here he uses the same language to show us our denial of Christ. How often do I deny Christ by merely not referring to Him in day to day life?

"you killed the Author of life"

There is a verse in Matthew 27:25 that says, "And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Here once again Peter is reminding us that Jesus blood is on our hands. Not only did we deny/ignore/not give glory, we also actively participated in his death. Our sin actively participates to nail him to a cross or pull out his beard or stick a crown of thorns in his scalp.

"what God foretold...He thus fulfilled"

We do not have a God who doesn't know what is going on. He understands our sin, the cries of our hearts, our anguish and pain. God saw His son crucified and understood the consequences of it. God has a plan for hope and mankind's future.

It is NOT good for us to be... alone

2012-01-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

I recently read a wonderful article on Practical Theology for Women called It isn't good to be alone. I am newly single and I have many friends who are single as well. There is an intense longing the human heart has for companionship. We don't want to be alone.

Genesis 2:18

¹⁸ Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; ^(A)I will make him a helper fit for him.”

We don't want to be alone. God did not design us to be alone. So why does God allow us to be alone? I recently read The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller. It was written based off a series of sermons preached to a church that was 80% single. It is not a book just written for married couples who want to make their lives better or single teenage girl who are dreaming about their future husband. This is a book that discusses marriage from a bible stand point. Within the book it discusses how our modern culture approaches marriage, how we used to view marriage, and the consequences of each view. I encourage those who are single and hurting to read these two resources. Another thing that has been a great comfort to my soul is Psalm 139. Sarah Reeves reads this Psalm with the passion that my heart need to hear it with.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. ¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.
⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.
¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand—
   when I awake, I am still with you.
¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
   Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
   your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
   and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
   I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.

2012-01-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

In our first working day in Ethiopia we visited different people who the MTW project supports in their homes. As Americans we are often given the best seats in the house and are offered food out of their little. Hospitality is extremely important in their culture. This create opportunity for guest to share the gospel and truly be listened too. Ethiopian Orthodox probably will not listen to a fellow Ethiopian who is now a Protestant. I try and kindly reject the food as I will become sick if I eat, but I am still awe struck by the Ethiopian people's hospitality. The first house we visited the woman told us about how she and her son were both HIV+. Her husband had died about 6-7 years ago and since then her neighbors had tried to legally claim the house that she and her husband had owned. Legally the house was decided by the courts to belong to her, but her neighbors would often make life difficult for her. One of the ways they did so is by rejecting her visitors that came to the door that the houses shared. This is especially hard on her as she runs her business out of her home. There are many holes in her roof and along the wall. There were visible cockroaches and we did encounter a rat, but I managed to keep my cool. She was asking the program there that when money becomes available that they help renovate her house. One of the renovations she was asking for was to move the door to her house to a different spot so she didn't have have to share a front door. Another woman we visited was clinically depressed and did not like to drink so she was constantly suffering from dehydration. I had read about her problems from prayer requests shared by the team, but going and meeting her brought the reality of the situation close to my heart. Another woman we visited had a personality that I think filled all of Ethiopia. She was HIV+, in addition she had multiple health problems that caused her a lot of pain. She had an 18 year old son who was not doing anything to help support her. She did find joy in caring for a flower that grew in a pot outside of her house. She said that she would water it twice a day. She would even if she had forgotten to water get up out of her bed to water it. Flowers and nature seemed to be her one joy amidst many struggles. The story may not sound funny as I write it, but our translator was laughing so much that he found it difficult to translate.

The next day we held a clinic and I worked in the pharmacy portion of the clinic. I love attempting to use the Amharic that I have learned, but I appreciate all the translators that help me effectively relay information to the patient about the medication they are receiving.

I still like Ethiopian coffee and discovered I like kolo as well. Kolo is toasted barley, delicious. Kolo, popcorn, and coffee make the perfect mid-afternoon snack!

2012-01-23T04:37:00.000-08:00

37 uFret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not venvious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon wfade like xthe grass
and wither ylike the green herb.
3 zTrust in the Lord, and do good;
adwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.2
4 bDelight yourself in the Lord,
and he will cgive you the desires of your heart.
5 dCommit your way to the Lord;
ztrust in him, and he will act.
6 eHe will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as fthe noonday.
7 gBe still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
hfret not yourself over the one who iprospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 jRefrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
hFret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 kFor the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall linherit the land.
10 In mjust a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at nhis place, he will not be there.
11 But othe meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in pabundant peace.
12 The wicked qplots against the righteous
and rgnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord slaughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his tday is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and ubend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose vway is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their wbows shall be broken.
16 xBetter is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For ythe arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord zupholds the righteous.
18 The Lord aknows the days of the blameless,
and their bheritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in cthe days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the Lord are like dthe glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like esmoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous fis generous and gives;
22 for those blessed by the Lord3 shall ginherit the land,
but those cursed by him hshall be cut off.
23 The isteps of a man are jestablished by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
24 kthough he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord lupholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children mbegging for bread.
26 He is ever nlending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
27 oTurn away from evil and do good;
so shall you pdwell forever.
28 For the Lord qloves justice;
he will not forsake his rsaints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be scut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and pdwell upon it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
31 tThe law of his God is in his heart;
his usteps do not slip.
32 The wicked vwatches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not wabandon him to his power
or let him xbe condemned when he is brought to trial.
34 yWait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on zwhen the wicked are cut off.
35 aI have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like ba green laurel tree.4
36 But he passed away,5 and behold, che was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of dpeace.
38 But etransgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked fshall be cut off.
39 gThe salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in hthe time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and idelivers them;
jhe delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they ktake refuge in him.
Dan Zink brought this psalm to my attention. He said, "Look at the verbs in this psalm." The verbs pertain to our attitudes. Be still: I think I learned and will continue to learn to be still in the midst of chaos in Ethiopia.  Fret not: Anxiety is an addictive set of mind that will tear you up inside. Delight yourself in God: How often do we take the time to delight ourselves in our Heavenly Father. I think the answer will always be not enough. I hope to become like Mary who delighted herself at her Saviors feet. Wait patiently: I am a woman with a plan and it is often get on board the train or get off. This attitude is not very Christ like as it makes no allowance for Christ to step in with his plan that is to prosper me. Refrain from anger: Anger is a check engine light to show us injustice, but I tend to warp the justice it calls for. Forsake wrath: A hard one as I am a lady. Commit your ways to the Lord: I do for a moment, but then the moment passes and I am right back to my agenda. Mark the blameless: As a Presbyterian I think that protestants don't realize the good from looking at the lives of the Saint before us and here with us. We should be using each other like sandpaper. Each of us helping the other to become more and more like our Lord and Savior. Behold the upright: I like to contemplate the life of Christ and wonder at how it looked to His family, disciples, and followers. How would it look today and in my life?
Dan Zink said near the end of our trip, "We came to serve, to learn, and encourage." I did serve, but I feel like I was taught and encouraged in ways that I cannot express fully. We have a great God who surpasses cultures, languages, and diseases in ways that are unimaginable to my mind. 

How To Love God 101

2011-12-05T11:52:00.001-08:00

How To Love God 101

Two stories are told of God and hispeople Israel in Exodus. The first storyis of how God frees his people from slavery. The second is God imparting the Ten Commandments to his people. This shows what may seem to be twoextremes. God first free Israel as aknight would save a princess, but then surrounds Israel with his own laws anddecrees. Do these themes of liberationand covenant contradict each other? Thisis not a story of God freeing his people then setting boundaries for them. Exodus is a story of how God shows his peoplehow to love and have a relationship with him.

In Exodus 19:5-8(English StandardVersion) a covenant is made between God and his people:

5Now therefore,if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be mytreasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6andyou shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the wordsthat you shall speak to the people of Israel."

7So Moses came and called the elders of the people andset before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8 Allthe people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken wewill do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

God is not saying, “Do this or Iwill smite you.” God is offering hisblessing to Israel much like a man proposes to a woman. The woman is free to reject the proposal, butonce she says her wedding vows she is in a contract of how she will show herlove to her husband. “If you… obey myvoice and keep my covenant…” God offers his blessing and “showing steadfast love to thousands ofthose who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:6). “ It takes hard work to not lie, steal, covet,and to not put other things before God. As a jealous God, God wanted to be remembered in his people’s day-to-daylives. The Ten Commandments were likelittle love notes that reminded Israel of him. “In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come toyou and bless you (Exodus 20:24b).” Itis important to remember that following the Ten Commandments would not saveIsrael from their sin. The covenant thatGod made did not promise that, but that following the covenant would improvetheir relationship with God.

As humans we have much experiencewith human relationships. Problems needto be worked out and communication is a key factor that takes effort. Yet as humans relate to different peopledifferently, so Israel could not relate to God the same way the other nationsrelated to their gods. Just a husbandand wife have to show each other how to best relate to each other God showedhis people how to best relate to him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-30T08:32:00.001-08:00

Habakkuk 3:17-19

English Standard Version (ESV)

17Though the fig tree shouldnot blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in thestalls,

18(AH) yetI will rejoice in the LORD;

(AI) I will take joy in the Godof my salvation.

19GOD, the Lord, is my strength;

(AJ) he makes my feet like thedeer’s;

he makes me(AK) tread on my(AL) high places.

This year has been a year of great blessings;however, it takes looking back at years of great difficulty to appreciate themto the fullest.

A few years ago my mother was very sick. Iwatched as she lost 40 pounds in 3 months and did not know why she was so sick. Iwas preparing myself for what would happen to our family if she died. Now I notonly thank God for giving my mother good health, but also for the bond that myfamily has with each other as a result of difficult times. For this I amthankful.

A couples years ago my sister was struggling withinfertility and I was struggling with not ever having a boyfriend. She and Ihad several conversations about how we were waiting for God to provide peoplein our lives. She and her husband were blessed with a beautiful baby boy lastyear. This year I was blessed with a wonderful boyfriend. For this I amthankful.

My family has always been an academic family. Mymother homeschooled all five daughters and ever since I can remember my fatherhas been in school. Learning has always been a huge blessing that my family hasprovided. My learning at Notre Dame is another blessing and my learning at BWMCis yet another blessing. My mother is going to finish her Bachelors thissemester and our family couldn’t be more proud of her. For this I am thankful.

God is good through the good times and the times that war on our hearts. Thanksgiving is a time to recollect the great things God gives us in light of the trials that come our way. For this I am thankful.

2011-04-17T05:52:00.001-07:00

MTW Ethiopia ACT Project from Go Global on Vimeo.

2011-03-28T03:22:00.000-07:00

God has greatly blessed me this past week. I was feeling a little lost, a little rejected, and not sure what was the next step for me. My mother encouraged me to try and do a missions trip. I looked into it and I am, pending approval by the Ethiopian government, going for 9 days to Ethiopia. I will be helping out in a clinic and working with AIDS patients. I feel so excited, so blessed, so encouraged by my Savior.

2011-03-03T03:08:00.000-08:00

““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

How wonderful to know that my Fathers thoughts are not my thoughts. For my mind is broken and bitter. How dear it is to know that His ways are not my ways. For I, like the apostle Paul, do the things that I do not want to do...

Father, guide me in Your ways this day. May the words that I say and my actions reflect who You are in me. Give me peace of mind and calmness of spirit. May my presence bring healing and peace, not calamity and war. Give me forgiveness in my heart and wisdom on what to say. In Jesus Name, Amen.

2011-03-02T09:01:00.001-08:00

2011-03-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

Acts 26:22-23 (English Standard Version)

²² To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ²³ that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."

Paul is testifying in front of King Agrippa and Governor Festus. He has finished recounting of who he was before his conversion, what occurred during his conversion, and about his ministry after his conversion. He told of why the Pharisees wanted to persecute him and how he used to be one of them. How I to wish that I had the passion that Paul has for sharing the gospel. I had coffee with a close friend who I don't get to see very often. In the conversation we discussed how we are both very shy to share our faith. She is thinking about joining a doctorate program for history and I am about start working on my bachelors. We both want to share our faiths, but work and learn in circles where our faith is not widely accepted. We both wish to serve God, but are not sure of the exact path the God would choose for us.

Dear Heavenly Father, give us guidance. May we have hearts that are tuned into Your will. May we follow Your way no matter how hard it is to do. Father, we are so thankful for the tools You have given us and the work our parents did to raise us. Father, we want to continue the legacy of faith that they have instilled in us. Grant us the strength and courage that we need to do Your work as You did with Paul. In Your Sons Name, Amen.

2011-02-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

1. In the hours of pain and sorrow,
When the world brings no relief
When the eye is dim and heavy,
And the heart oppressed with grief
While blessings flee, Savior Lord we trust in Thee!
While blessings flee, Savior Lord we trust in Thee!

2. When the snares of death surround us,
Pride, ambition, love of ease
Mammon with her false allurements,
Words that flatter, smiles that please
Then ere we yield, Savior Lord be Thou our shield
Then ere we yield, Savior Lord be Thou our shield

3. When forsaken in distress,
Poor despised and tempest-tossed
With no anchor here to stay us,
Drifting, sail and rudder lost
Then save us Thou, who trod this earth with weary brow
Then save us Thou, who trod this earth with weary brow

4. Thou the hated and forsaken,
Thou the bearer of the cross
Crowned of thorns and mocked and smitten,
Counting earthly gain but loss
When scorned are we, We joy to be the more like Thee
When scorned are we, We joy to be the more like Thee

5. Thou the Father's best beloved,
Thou the throned and sceptered King
Who but Thee should we adoring,
All our prayers and praises bring?
So blessed are we, Savior Lord in loving Thee
So blessed are we, Savior Lord in loving Thee

2011-02-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

Acts 24:10-16 (New International Version, ©2010)
10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

Here I take comfort in the way that Paul defends himself. I often find myself defending myself escepcially when someone has hurt my pride. I am quick to take offense if someone accuses me. Paul defends himself, but he does not lash out at his accusers. He states his case and trust God and the man that God put in charge to take care of him. I pray that I can do the same. To respectfully stand up for myself, but my pride would melt away. May I look to my almighty Father to provide for me instead of seeking the best thing for myself.

2011-02-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

Acts 23:1-11 (English Standard Version)

Acts 23

1And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." 2And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" 4Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God’s high priest?" 5And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

6Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial." 7And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?" 10And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome."

Paul has just finished giving his testimony to some of the most powerful people in Jerusalem. There is something in this passage that surprises me. Paul is disrespected by the council and is mistreated according to how he should be treated as a Roman citizen and a former Pharisee. Yet Paul apologises for when disrespects there leader accidentally, but we would say with just cause. Many people take the view you disrespect me and I'll disrespect you. This can lead to a lot of problems. Here Paul is admitting he did something wrong when the same injustice has been done over and over again to him within the past few hours. This is a man not concerned with his pride, but truly with spreading the gospel. What a lesson to learn. I work with doctors and other professionals at my work. There are times when I don't think I am being listened too when I call the doctor with a problem. There are times when I don't listen to my fellow nurses. There have been numerous occasions where patients don't listen to me because I have am to young, a woman, just a nurse, have never had this situation happen to me, ect. My response to this is often less than Christ-like. I have wonderful opportunities to learn from doctors and those around me with more experience and knowledge, yet sometimes I pass these by because of my pride and ability to listen to others.

Father, please heal my heart. Give me guidance as I work with people. May I be respectful, kind, and compassionate. Help me to behave in a way that honors You. Give me a humble spirit, but a spirit that seeks to protect those that are in my care. As I switch my work hours help me to deal with the business and confusion with grace and understanding. Be with me Father as I struggle to comprehend Your ways and follow Your commands. Be with me in my loneliness and tiredness. Give me Your strength and love. Amen.

2011-02-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Still processing what Dr. Pronovost is saying here, yet it has made me think about how I practice and what are my checks and controls.

2011-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Acts 21 and 22. In this passage Paul is returning to Jerusalem. He is warned that if He returns to Jerusalem that he will be chained. It comes to pass that he is put in chains. He then is protected from death by him being a Roman citizen. He will go on still imprisoned, but he will write letter after letter that will still be with us today. Amy Carmichael once prayed as a child for blue eyes. When she awoke, she was disappointed to find that she still had brown eyes. These brown eyes would later allow her to be come one of the most effective missionaries in India.

I am a 24 year old woman. I have never had a boyfriend and only had one date ever. This past Valentines day I was feeling a little bit sorry for my self. Through talking to my sister and parents I was encouraged. I have said in the past that God has a great plan for my life. My father encouraged me to go live it. I wonder if God is protecting me right now, by allowing me to be single for a time or for a lifetime. Right now I want to encourage everyone who is called by God to do His work, yet you feel lonely. We have a constant companion in the Holy Spirit who we need if we are in a relationship or not.

Psalm 25:16 (English Standard Version)

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

2011-02-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

Acts 20:18-35 (English Standard Version)

¹⁸And when they came to him, he said to them:

"You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; ²⁰how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, ²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²²And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. ²⁴But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, ²⁷for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. ³²And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and^{BD)" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">}remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

The fist part of this passage Paul talks about his ministry. He has ministered publicly. I find myself comforting myself with saying my actions will eventually point people to God. No, I need to preach His word using words. I need to be bold in my faith like Paul. Paul preached to both Jews and Gentiles. Some people are called to ministry to those already covered by the blood of Christ and others are called to ministry to those who have no idea who God is. My point is that we/I are/am called to ministry. I want my words and actions to mean something. Did I show others the gospel? Did my life reflect what Christ would want from my life? Probably not, but we have a powerful God who loves to take the weak things in this world and use them. May He do so with me. This is why I take comfort in this verse:

²⁴But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

The second part of this passage Paul takes time to warn and guide the Ephesians. Beware of people who would twist God's truth. Beware of doing it yourselves. Don't be materialistic. Provide for yourselves and don't covet. Yet God's grace will still be with you and me as we run the race that God has given us to run.

Dear Father, give me a clear path. Help me train and build me up with Your rightouesness so that I may run the race that You would have me run. Give me strength of will and character so that I will not back down against Your enemines. Give me Your truth so that I will not distorte or twist the truth that You would have me spread. Give me courage to speak the words and behave as You would have me. Mold me into Your character, Father. Keep me from sinning, that I might harm no one. In Your Son's Name, Amen.

2011-02-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

Acts 20:7-12 (English Standard Version)
Eutychus Raised from the Dead 7On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him." 11And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

Within this passage we have an echo of the miracles that Jesus performed while he walked the earth. Here is Paul raising a young man from the dead. Sometimes I feel like this young man. I work night shift, so there are nights, days, weeks where I feel like the walking dead. (On a side note I am trying to decide whether or not to take a day position that has been offered to me, so pray for me.) There has been recent discussion in church concerning the subject of current day miracles. Does God still work through His people and perform the supernatural? Or did this end with Jesus and the Apostles? Does the Holy Spirit still work in us today like He did Paul and Peter? Does God still choose to use us in this way; to perform miracles and signs and wonders in His name? I don't know the answer. I would like to think so. I still believe that God can do the impossible today. Is this the most theologically sound doctrine that I have. Not in the lest. But the same God who revealed Himself to Troas here through Paul is still my Lord and Savior today. Will God use me like He did Paul? I don't know. All I can do wait on the Lord and believe in Him.

Holy Father, as I wait on You, I ask that You would prepare my heart for the work that You would have me do. Give me the strength and courage to carry our Your will. May I trust You in You day by day, moment by moment. Please ease my heart and take away my anxiety. May I have peace with You in my heart and in my mind every moment. Give me grace and love to give to others. Give me compassion for You people. Show me how to best love and serve them. Father, I need You to guide my decisions right now as I have many tough choices to make right now concerning work, love, and how to carry out Your name. Give me the words to lift people up to You and point them to You. Keeping me from sinning Holy Spirit, so that I might do no harm to others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

2011-02-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

Acts 16:13-15 (English Standard Version)

¹³And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

Acts 16:40 (English Standard Version)

⁴⁰So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Lydia might have been to Paul what Mary and Martha were to Jesus. A place of hospitality and rest. A place where people were faithful to the Lord and Paul could enjoy what God had done in the hearts that Paul had ministered to. The gentile version of Mary and Martha. Our hearts need encouragement. Our hearts need spiritual rest. Our bodies need physical rest. Here is one of the few places we see Paul getting that. It is the only woman who was able to provide it to him mentioned in scriptures. As the Lord moved her heart, I pray that He would move mine.

Father, please open up my heart to Your word. Give me people in my life who preach Your truth. May my heart and mind be open to it. Give me strength as I seek to do Your will. May my heart not be won over by other emotions and thoughts. Father, I am seeking and asking for Your truth in my heart. May my actions and words be to lift You up before everyone in my life as a good and powerful. In Your Sons name, Amen.

2011-01-31T08:40:00.000-08:00

Acts 15:36-41 (English Standard Version)

Paul and Barnabas Separate

³⁶And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."³⁷Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹And he went through Syria and Cilicia,strengthening the churches.

Is it wrong that I find comfort in the fact that the Apostle Paul fought with his fellow Christians. Here are two men called to do the same work, but they disagree on who to take with them. I have heard about many people who were called to the mission field and when they get there it's not the people who they are preaching to that they argue with. It's with their fellow missionaries that there is discourse. I find right now in my life that the worst fights are not with people who I try and minister to. It is within the church that I have the most complaints and an augmentative spirit. It is within my own family that I have the least amount of grace.

Father, as I seek to do Your will, may You give me a heart that has grace with everyone in my life. May my heart always be atune to how I should treat people. May I speak words that You would say. May my actions be things that You would do. I know that You can use even the bad things of this world to further Your kingdom. May You use my sin and mistakes to make Your name known. Spirit, give me Your spirit of kindness, gentleness, and self-control; yet give me a spirit that will fight for You and honors You. In Jesus name, Amen.

2011-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

Acts 15:7-11

⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

As christian I often find myself putting on my self this burden. Do this not that. Be perfect, but not to perfect. This is the yoke that Jesus Christ has taken from us. Why do we still burden ourselves with such depravity? No one can live up to God's standards like this, but we try and make it an atainable goal. I find hope in this, "he purified their hearts by faith." All I need to is have faith. So easy, yet so hard. Paul will later echo this same thought when he writes to the Galations. Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." I know I am called to love others. I know I am called to have faith in Christ. May God grow these two things in my heart, that I might be His light to the world.

2011-01-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Acts 13:44-52 (English Standard Version)
44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

This passage speaks to me on two levels. I know that I have a hard heart towards the gospel. I also know that I can use my tongue to tear down others very easily. I often find myself behaving like these Jews did. I don't want to hear the gospel that is preached to me. These men used "women of high standing" to destroy Paul's ministry. I have used my complaining and my tongue to tear down others ministry. I rejected God's word in light of my own gospel. This passage gives me great fear because it shows me what I am. This passage also gives me great hope. Despite my behaving like these Jews, God can still use this situation. I hope that I to can show God's light to the Gentiles. I hope that God can use this sinner to create order out of chaos and bring healing to people's bodies and souls through the gospel.

Father, please pour Your gospel into me. May Your truths fill my life. May I not be a person who rejects Your words. May I not be a person who tears down those whom You have sent to preach the gospel. Guide my tongue as I speak this week. May I be honest and truthful. May I always have Your words on my tongue and may I always be preaching Your gospel.

2011-01-23T23:36:00.000-08:00

Acts 13:2-3 (English Standard Version)
2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

This is the begining of one of the most powerful missionaries story. It begins with a calling from the Holy Spirit. They heard the call while worshiping and fasting. I think this passage speaks to the importance of taking time to open up yourself to hearing the Holy Spirit. I know I live a busy life. I work night shift and I often will choose sleep over extra time in prayer or simply check my devotion off my list so that I can get on with the rest of my day. Some of the best moments of my life have been when I have been taking time with the fellowship of other Christians to listen to God. I love singing and worshiping the Father, but when we come together and worship God together something amazing happens. Because I work night shift I often have schedualing conflicts with my Christian friends who work during the day. I miss the fellowship I can have. I miss the oppritunities for Christ to say,"Here send her."

Dear Father, I ask that You would provide good Christian fellowship for me. Put me in places where I can join in fasting and praying with fellow believers who are seeking out the voice of Your Holy Spirit. Give me strength to focus on You and not on my own problems and tasks. Give my spirit rest in You. May I be close to You Fahter and not push You away. Help me to tell the story Your gospel to the nations. May Your love out pour from my soul into others.

2011-01-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

Acts 9:1-19 (English Standard Version)

Acts 9

The Conversion of Saul

¹But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" ⁵And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." ¹¹And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." ¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." ¹⁷So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; ¹⁹and taking food, he was strengthened.

For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

If only my spiritual life had the work ethic of Paul and the faith of Ananias. Ananias as he is going to the house let God know that he has some fear and teperdation in going to a legal killer of Christians. Yet with faith he continues on the path God had set before him and little does he know that starts one of the biggest missionaries of all times on his way. As I grow older, I can see my sin more and more. I am the greatest of sinners in my eyes. I am judgmental of others, lustful, proud, untrusting in God, and lazy. In Acts I am reading about how different people approch Christianity. Some is brings about their ruin because they are not honest with God. A different Ananias and his wife Sapphira fall down dead. Yet some go to meet their Father in Heaven. Stephen is stoned to death after he gives one of the most passionate and historical case recorded in the New Testament. Here in this passage we find just the beginning of one of the greatest missionaries of all time and my hear longs for the same. That I too would be able to spread the gospel through my own version of tent-making.

Holy Father, give me strength throughout this day as I seek to do Your will. Make my mind stayed on You and no one else. May the words that I speak and the things that I do reflect You and Your son. Bless us as the snow is coming. Please keep people safe in my community. Bless all the LPNs who were put out of work from my hospital. May You give them jobs where they can do well and can accomplish much. May they come to know that You are with them and put their trust in You. Bless me in my relationships with my patients. May You keep them safe and may the care that I give point them to You. Father bless my sisters as they are in school may they do well and not feel overwhelmed. Jesus be with me as I start school. May I be able to make good grades and give me understanding of the material. Lord, I ask that You would give me apportunities to spread Your word and to take a missions trip this year. Amen.

2011-01-11T01:38:00.000-08:00

Acts 4:23-31 (English Standard Version)

The Believers Pray for Boldness

²³When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, ²⁵who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

"'Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed'—

²⁷for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." ³¹And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The apostle after Jesus died and were filled with the Holy Spirit did some awesome things. Miracles were performed the like that had not been seen before. Thousands of people in a single day were converted after hearing Peter speak. People were hearing the testament of Jesus in their own language. With these great happenings came great persecution, yet this is the prayer that is prayed," grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

I find myself hesitating to speak the word of God, but I have to great excuse except that I am a coward and do not rely on the Holy Spirit. Women who rely on the Holy Spirit do great things with their lives and touch many with their words and deeds. I long and desire to touch and serve others as God calls me to, but I find myself lacking heart and just plain ignoring God.

Father, please change my heart. I wish to serve you with the strength that you gave Samson, the courage you gave Stephen, with the faith you gave to Paul. Change my heart that I might not sin against thee. Give me what I need to talk to and change the hearts around me so that they long for you. Give me a soul and mind that longs, seeks, prays after you. Lord give me faith. Jesus give me love. Amen.

2011-01-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Creation reminds us that we live in a broken world. Creation also reminds us that we were not always broken and promises us that we will not always be broken. ~ Pastor O'Neil

O Father, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I thank You for Your Spirit that is able to keep me from falling. May You bless me in my relationships with my family, friends, enemies, and my patients. Father bless me as I seek to love and communicate with the people in my life. Bless me as I seek love from others and as I seek to love others. Amen.

2010-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This is the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”

We knew Christ for a little in this world. Will we know him better in heaven?

2010-12-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Matthew 1:18-25 (English Standard Version)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
²³ "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel"

(which means, God with us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Matthew the first book of the New Testament doesn't start with Mary's story. I always thought it odd that it started with Joseph's story. We don't know a lot about Joseph except that He had his genealogy that could trace back to David as well and this passage her tells us that he was a "just man." Another version puts it as Joseph was "a man of the law." Joseph was honorable in another way that he had decided to divorce Mary quietly. I remember as a child when ever there was someone misbehaving sometimes one of my sisters or I would crow as loud as possible and tattle. At other times we would try and settle the matter quietly among ourselves so that justice was still done, but we weren't disgraced in front of the entire family.

I have always wondered how people visited in a dream would remember what God said to them in the morning, but I don't take into account that our God is all powerful. To me a dream seems so easily ignored in the morning. "Did I really dream that?" Yet here we have a man carried out what God had commanded him to do. Joseph named the baby baby, but I wonder did he fully understand "God with us". Did he understand that now for the first time since the beginning of the world we could have communion with God. Our sin that separated us from God so strongly could be tolerated by this baby called Jesus. He could stand the weight and the sting of our sin while in this world. We could now have communion with God.

2010-12-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

2010-12-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

Psalm 146 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 146

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

¹ Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul! ²I will praise the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free;

⁸ the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The LORD will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

I love this psalm. Growing up I used this passage to strengthen me when I felt alone. I still use it today. As a single woman, I receive a lot of questions about "Why don't you have a boyfriend?" I would love to say that it is because I don't place my trust in princes of this world, yet I find myself comforting myself with this passage after the princes of this world have disappointed me.

There is one prince of this world, nay a king who will never disappoint me. His name is Jesus Christ. He has been given full dominion over this world. I have pledged my life to serve Him. I don't serve Him faithfully as I should, but God is teaching me to day by day.

This past week I had a patient, a woman in her 80's and she asked me if I was married. I said no and expected the round of questions of "why not?" Instead she leaned forward and said with a smile, "Good, wait for the right one." This woman's sweetness brought joy to my heart.

Holy Father, may I put my trust, my hope, my faith in You. May I keep Your faith forever. May I be able to execute justice in Your name. May I be able to give to the needy. Please free me from the chains of sin. Please open my eyes to my sin and I be able to turn from my wicked ways. I wish to praise Your name to the nations. I want to praise you so that I might not turn from Thee. Amen

2010-12-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

James 1:19-27 (English Standard Version)

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

This first paragraph starts by giving us a list of to do and not to do. I like lists a lot, unless I can't keep them. I am a very angry person. I heard Josiah Bancroft describe the type of anger I have as a "nice-angry." I may never raise my voice, but I will give people the silent treatment, I will behave in a passive-aggressive manner towards them, I will manipulate the situation until it looks like I can do nothing wrong. Yet I find God telling me "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." My mother says that anger is a check engine light. It is suppose to tell you when something is unjust; however, you are not suppose to set the car on fire because the light comes on. We are suppose to use that light to find a Godly solution to the injustices.
One of my friends from work and I were recently talking. She said,"Now I'm a religious person, but I don't go to church because I don't like certain things about the church." I was able to finish her thought,"The church is full if hypocrites." We have a church full of hearers, but not doers. We go to church on Sunday, we listen, but we take nothing to heart. There is not action involved. I have done this, I do this. We also don't fully look upon the law as we should. We should be starving for the spiritual food that God gives us in His word, yet we look as devotions, church, bible study as things to check off our spiritual list. Don't we know that real repentance produces change. Don't we realize the way God longs for us to reap spiritual blessings, but we can't because we are not doers of the word.

Father, I am angry. I listen with out hearing or understanding Your law. I do not do the good works You have called me to do. Father, You have provided and put Your word in me. May I use it. May put it into practice. May my life reflect the truth of my heart. May You make my heart long after You. May You put a desire for You in my heart. Father, may You help me stay unstained from the world. May I come before You with clean hands and a clean heart.

2010-12-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

James 1 (English Standard Version)

James 1

Greeting

¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

¹² Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

This is the second to last passage in BibleGateways article Top Five Passages From Our Top Ten Cities. I am breaking James 1 into two parts. James is so eloquent and has so much to say it needs to be digested slowly.

James start out by encouraging his audience. They have meet with hard times and James is encouraging them saying this is an opportunity for God to strengthen you. James then transitions into a related idea of ask God for wisdom. If I am in the midst of a hardship wouldn't it make sense to ask God for wisdom; however, the second part of the paragraph get me. The reason is I am a double minded woman with may doubts. I am constantly questions God's work in my life. Sometimes I am scared to ask for things because what if it is not in His plan to give me this and I will be disappointed again. But James reminds us that we have a God who gives generously. I am reminded of Solomon. A man who's heart was after the things of the world, but He had asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him. Cannot God do the same for me? And so James follows this with reminding us that man is like grass. We are very temporary. If we are so temporary, why do we not ask God for good things while we have the opportunity? James teaches us in the next paragraph that not only is God the giver of God things, but He does not give us bad things. God does not give us the temptations that come our way. We do. Our hearts have the sinful desires, not God's. God will give us a "crown of life" when we are done with this earth if we withstand temptation and rely on God during trials. If we follow our sinful desires and cut ourselves off from God, we will die. The things we desire to do are so toxic to us that we die. God brings us good things. God works in us and makes good thing of us. God puts His truth in us. We are to be like the first fruits of His creation. Sweet and pleasing because the winter has been long and the world has forgotten the taste of God.

2010-11-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

Psalm 91 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 91

My Refuge and My Fortress

¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
¹⁰ no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
¹²On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
¹³You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

¹⁴"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

This Psalm talks about he who "dwells in the shelter of the Most High," and some one who has "made the Lord your dwelling place." This is an idea that seems almost foreign to me. I'm not sure this is an idea that my culture would understand readily. I live in a culture that we go to church on Sunday and maybe attend a bible study or some other church-like function throughout the week. There are few people who I would say that they "dwell" with God on a daily basis. I don't feel I dwell with God on a daily basis. I cannot say that I have made the Lord my refuge. Yet we have all these promises for the person who does as such. God will "be with him," "you will not fear," "you will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked." Great men of God asked that God be with them. Moses refused to go unless God was with him. I am a very fearful person. The promise that I will not fear strikes a chord with me. I will see God making the wicked repay what they have destroyed. I often feel life is so unfair, but God will make sure justice is done. This last part of the Psalm speaks to me and sums up the promise of the Lord well.

I find great comfort in these words. I find great sorrow in these words. I don't hold fast to the Lord in love. I don't know the Lord as I should. I don't call on Him when I am should. Yet the hope is this, that I will hold fast to my Lord, I will know He is God and the significance of that, I will call upon Him who is able to keep me from falling, and He will satisfy me and shoe me His salvation.

Lord, I have a week a head of me full of opportunities to seek You out. I ask that You would open up my heart to You. Give me a mind that thinks first of You. May my pride and sinful behavior become less and less in the site of You. May my heart dwell with You. Father, I don't want to be a visitor or and orphan who never really belongs. I want to know and understand living and being with You. You have created me and understand all my intricate expectationalites. I want to know You. So give me a heart that seeks to know You. May I dwell so strongly in Your presence that the world knows that I am Yours. Father, I pray that as I am working right here I would be open to Your will and that I would minister to the people around me as I seek You. But as I know that this is not the only place You would want me to be, give me grace as I seek to move closer to the goal You have set before me. Amen.

2010-11-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

This holiday is actually all about relationships. Thanksgiving was started when the pilgrims came to Massachusetts. The first year was very difficult with lack of food, lots of sickness, and death. The relationships that they formed with the Wampanoag Indians helped them the next year. Yet they were a people who had already formed a relationship with someone. Many of the settlers came because there was a chance for land, money, or freedom; however, some of the settlers came because they wanted to worship God in freedom. They prized this relationship so much that they were willing to leave their comfortable lives and find a place where they could worship without persecution. I live in a country founded on Christian principles, have a wonderful family that raised me with Christian morals. I am truly blessed.

Hebrews 12:28

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Father, You have blessed me by putting me in a nation where I have freedom to worship You. I can thank You for all the many gifts that You give. My family, my mother's health, being with my dad during his skin cancer treatment, my new nephew, my new home, good friends, my job, my boss, the skills that you have given me. These are all great gifts from You. Father, I wish to take this thanksgiving and share it with the world. As opportunities arise, may I be open to You will. As I look for opportunities to share the gospel, may You be with me. As I hope, dream, and pray to minister on the mission field, would You show me how to minister were ever I am. As I seek to worship and honor You, would You be so present in my life that I cannot do anything apart from You and that would hurt You. Give me strength, give me love, give me good deeds to do so that I may share You to the world. Amen.

2010-11-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah 29:11 (English Standard Version)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

This is one of the most well known verses in the bible. Most people use this verse to say, "See God will bless my life. He wants good things for me." This is true, but not a lot of people can tell you what's around the verse.

Jeremiah 29 (English Standard Version)

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

¹These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. ³The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: ⁴"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ⁸For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, ⁹for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.

¹⁰"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

So I would concur. This verse is talking about how God does want to give us good things. He first's instructs them how to live while they are in exile. He says to multiply and prosper. He tells them don't trust other prophets because they are not from Him. Lastly He tells them that He will fulfill His promise and bring them back to Israel. However this is where I think He starts talking about the true plans full of hope. He says,"you will call upon me and come and pray to me...you will seek me...you seek me with all your heart." I think this is the plan that will truly prosper us. I think God is plan that will give us hope. God gives a relationship with Himself to us as the plan that will bring us good things.

The Israelites probably thought the plan that was going to bless them so much was being returned to the land of Israel, yet this is a temporary thing. The good things that I expect God to bless me with are sometimes temporary as well. But what if I realize as I live out my day that my relationship with God is what will bring me hope and a future.

2010-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

John 17
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

One of the things that God has been bringing to my attention is knowledge of Him is very important. "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." I am praying that God brings knowledge of Him into my life.

Another thing that I have been struggling with is unity with my fellow Christian and unity with God. "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." This must have been important to Christ for Him to pray for it in one of His last prayers. My unity with my fellow Christians must be some thing I strive for.

"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." All to often I find myself shutting out the world. It is so much easier than trying to live as a Christian among them. At other times I find my self going with the flow of the world and not living a sanctified life. I am struggling between two fine lines. A holy, set apart life or a life that buys into the worlds games.

God knows us so well that He realizes that we believe that we could not possible have the same love from Him that He has for His son. "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." The more knowledge of God that we have, will that make us more aware of the love that He has for us. The same love He has for His own son.

Jesus, You prayed for these things. That I would have knowledge of God, that I would have unity with my fellow Christian, that I would be protected from the evil one. You prayed for the same love that the Father gives You, that He would give it to me. I desire to have a heart ofter Yours. That my longings would be the same as Yours. Make me aware and change my heart to believe that I have the same love from the Father. May I be so aware of all these things that my life would look and feel different. Jesus You said that You would be in me. Be in me today and every day. Give me Your Spirit. Give me Your heart for the world. Give me unity with the Father. Amen.

2010-11-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

John 3:16 (English Standard Version)

For God So Loved the World

¹⁶"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I have been listening to a sermon by Josiah Bancroft. He talks about how we as Christians often try and use our own good works to supplement, take the place of, or even ignore God's grace. We would rather not have to test the "belief" that God sent His son in our place. We would rather rely on our own good works to present before the Father to try and distract from our own sin.

We are called to intentionally rely on God. Are we putting our trust in Christ and His righteousness? Do we have fruit that shows we are leaning solely on God is not only carry out the law on our behalf, but to also work in our hearts to make us more like Him? Are we seeking a relationship and not a business transaction with God? "You take care on my sin and I'll try and sin less." It doesn't work.

Father, please show me how to rely on You. Please give me understanding and knowledge of who your are, so that I may become more like You. Change my heart, change who I am. May Your love for me become evident in my life. May Your love for the world, that is a great as You giving Your son for the world, be in my heart and actions. Bless my friend who is struggling with being unable to have children right now. Heal her heart and her spirit. Bless her with many children. Amen

2010-11-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Psalm 46 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 46

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

¹God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
³though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Selah

⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶ The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰ "Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

We are a waring nation made of sheep. We were made to glorify our Father in heaven and enjoy Him. Yet we have strife in our hearts. Yet we war against ourselves, against nature, against each other. Often the source of this strife is my rights, my life, my wanting to be god.

There are many passages that speak of the knowledge of God fixing man made problems. Just knowing God can change a nation, change a life, a heart, a soul. His grace is so sufficient that He not only takes our strife, but He fills us with His peace. He not only can take our anger and self-righteousness and empty the cup completely of our waring spirit, He sends His Holy Spirit to fill us overflowing with all the good things that He desires us to portray. We have a big God. It takes all the resources of the universe to save us. Come take your rest in the Knowledge of God. Be still in Him.

Father, please give me knowledge of You. May I be still in You. May the nations rejoice in You because I have your knowledge and rest in You. Take away my strifeful spirit. Replace my spirit with Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

2010-11-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

As a nurse I often work with people who have chronic problems. Asthma is a disease that a person will have to manage their breathing for life. Diabetes Type I is where the body is unable to produce the right amount of insulin for the body. Crones, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, Gout are all diseases that we have to manage and are unable to cure. Patients are often frustrated when they come to the hospital and we are unable to cure them. These patients will need to manage their disease for the rest of their life.

Sin a disease that is a disease that is worked into our DNA, just like Diabetes Type I. Sin is a disease I often find my self trying to manage, but like my patients often find themselves over whelmed with their disease and it gets out of hand. I then try and check myself into a spiritual hospital. Yet there is a cure. It requires a total transplant. Christ's life for mine. No part of mine may be left behind.

Holy Spirit, please come and take over my life. There are ways and places in my life that I don't even realize that I need you to work in my life. Father you have the power to do that and more. I ask in Your Sons Name, Jesus Christ, that you would work in my life. Amen.

2010-11-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

Once again I am blogging on another passage from Top Passages From Our Top Ten Cities.
Romans 8 (English Standard Version)

Life in the Spirit
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Heirs with Christ
12So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Future Glory
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This passage reminds me of everything I have been learning in Sonship. This passage talks about the difference between the flesh and the spirit, the law and God's righteousness. The waring of our sinful nature with the Holy Spirit is very evident in my life. I think Paul said," I do the things I do not want to do, but the things I want to do I don't." My spirit longs to follow God's commands, to do the work He has given me with a joyful heart; yet my flesh cries out that I seek after what I desire. I recently heard a story about the Holy Spirit:

A woman who was a recent convert to Christianity came to the Pastor and said,"I think that we need to start a place that the prostitutes in this town can come. We can teach them skills so that they can get work and give them a place of refuge. The pastor said,"Sounds great why don't you start that." So she did. A little while later the house for the prostitutes was set up and running well. The woman came to the pastor again and said,"I think we need to start a children after school program. The children are running around and getting into trouble. They need a safe place they can play and learn." The pastor said,"Great, why don't you start that." So she did. A little later she came to the pastor and said,"I think we need to start a soup kitchen for the poor in our community. We have people who are going hungry." The pastor once again said,"Sounds great, Why don't you start that." She did. A missionary asked her,"How did you start all these ministries as such a new Christian?" She asked him,"Haven't you ever heard of the Holy Spirit?"

It's a funny story. Kind of reminds me of the little red hen. Yet this story should be about my own life. I should be working through the Holy Spirit. Allowing my Holy Father to work through me. I am a daughter and heir to the King. Why can't I?

Dear Holy Spirit, come and work through me. Work through me as I work in my job. May my patients see you and not me. Work through me as I do karate. May discipline, strength, and humility that comes from you be evident in my life. May the same love that cannot separate me from the love of God be shown to others in my life. Give me a love that the world has never known that I might show it to them.

Paths of Righteousness

2010-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am returning to the article The Top Five Passages from Our Top Ten Cities, but I felt I needed share my experiences from the Global Missions Conference. Most of the cities had 1 Corinthians, Psalm 23, Romans 8, John 3:16; yet Singapore had a very different set of passages. This passage comes from one on Singapore's list.

Proverbs 2
The Value of Wisdom
1 My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
14who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
15men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

16So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words,
17who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.

20So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

This passage is father addressing his son. He is encouraging his son to follow what he has said so that, "you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God."
The father then goes onto talk about how the wisdom of God is a good thing, pleasant to your soul. How many times have I wished to be watched over by discretion and guarded by understanding? Too many to count has my mouth run away with the unkind or indecent words that I was thinking.
Not only will this protect you from yourself, this wisdom and knowledge of God will protect you from people. These men who are perverse, enjoy doing evil. I sometimes find it difficult to ask people in the work place to stop being perverse. I hate to say that sometimes I join in that kind of talk. I pray the knowledge of God will protect me from joining in anymore; because the next part of the passage talks about a forbidden, adulterous woman. That is not the kind of woman I want to be. She forgets her covenant with God. I wish to share my covenant with God to the world, to my children, and my grandchildren.
My dad recently preached a sermon. One of the things that he said over and over through out the sermon was we must,"intentionally rely on God." This passage in Proverbs refers to path righteousness, paths of life, and paths of darkness. If you go for a walk you have to pay attention to where you are going. You have to look where you are going. If you are just looking at the pretty sky or looking at the pretty tree tops, you are going to stray off the path. What might be unintentional might stray into the intentional of sin. I know that I must intentionally rely on God for my strength by reading His word, praying, joining into fellowship with Him.

In his name the nations will put their hope.

2010-11-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

The verse that was the theme for the week was Matthew 12:21 "In his name the nations will put their hope."

I forgot to mentions that Saturday night we had the pleasure of listen to a song by Shia Linne. His lyrics were amazing and he was so kind to put up the lyrics on a screen so that the "ebonically" challenged could follow him.

I had a chance to visit the Honduras booth and meet Erin Pettengill. She talked about her work in Honduras, the kind of training she got, and some of the stories she has of living in Honduras. I loved meeting her. Someday it would be neat to go visit her in Honduras God willing.

Also on Saturday night I went to the gym. I meet a girl who was also going to the conference and we started talking about our experiences. As we shared parts of our testimony, I just felt my heart filled once again with how awesome is our God. It is so encouraging to share similar experiences with people and see how God is carried you both through.

I think now I can start on Sunday. We had a wonderful breakfast. I meet a woman named Rita who was a former nurse. She talked about how she and her husband, a doctor, had served in different places. She told me how in Haiti she had delivered a baby all by herself and how she had feed AIDS babies in africa because all the nurses had given up on the babies as they were going to die anyway.

Before this weekend I have always shied away from AIDS. It's a scary disease and one that is often mishandled. But this is also one where many of the things that I enjoy about nursing have opportunity to be done. I love teaching people how to manage illnesses. I love teaching about preventing complications. I love helping people get control of their illnesses so they can help others. God is softening my heart towards these people.

Then I went to seminar on Thriving In Ministry Beyond Your Comfort Zone. Two women, both missionaries in South Africa shared part of their testimonies. One of the women felt she wasn't very good with children, but she ended up teaching in them in a school. The other woman spoke of how she started teaching bible at a school in a shanty town. "I heard the words come out of my mouth and listened to myself say, 'Can I teach bible at your school?" Having had some of those experiences where God speaks and I hear Him coming out of my mouth, but I can't stop it I felt akin to this woman.

I then went to a seminar on Engaging the Dragon: Church Planting Contextualized in East Asia. The testimonies of how God is working in a very closed part of the world was powerful. One of the sugestions that spoke to me was to invite international students into your home. Have them over for coffee, your child's play, or family event. They often do not see any of the United States except their apartment where they live and their college campus. In the seminar they said that 1/4 of students who come to the US become Christians white they are here. What power is that and how can we ignore it?

Rev. Joe Novenson closed the convention a reminder that as Christians we have a a stunning identity, we have a stunning cause, and we have a stunning behavior. He used Proverbs 11:30 and he used this story:

An elderly man was returning home from work one day. He was a little over weight and didn't walk very fast. He like to sometimes take a shortcut through a park. It was getting late and the sun was starting to go down. As he is walking through the park he hear's something. He stops and listens. It sounds muffled and like someone is scared and it is coming from some bushes. In a few seconds a few thought enter his mind,'Should I ignore it? Should I go get help? Will it be too late if I go get someone? What can I do? I'm not fit enough to be of any use?' But he hears the muffled, frightened sound again, so through the bushes he plunges. He sees a man raping a woman. The old man jumps on the back of the rapist, yelling in his ear. The rapist so stunned flees the scene. The woman not being able to tell old attacker from a new one starts screaming and backing up into the trees. The old man trying to comfort her says,"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. Are you alright?" The woman then says,"Daddy?" The old man had saved his own daughter.

We are in a world where sin is thrust into our lives and harms us on every side. As we minister to the world we may have the opportunity to hear someone say as we point them to our Heavenly Father,"Daddy?"

Proverbs 11:30 (Today's New International Version)

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and those who win souls are wise.

PCA Global Missions Conference

2010-11-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun at the PCA Global Mission Conference. I reconnected with old friends. I made some new one. I found spiritual rest as we feed each other with our testimonies and the gospel.

We started Friday night and Michael Oh started by sharing some of his testimony and work in Japan. His powerful testimony was the perfect way to start the conference.

Then Dr. Paul Kooistra preached from Ephesians 1:3-14. One of the things that he said spoke to me,"It takes all of the resources of the universe to change us and make us holy...The best is yet to come...because the Holy Spirit has sealed a future for us."

After this I had an opportunity to visit the different exhibits from missionaries around the world. I meet up with Steve McGee who I had meet in Trinidad.

Saturday we heard from Rev. Joe Novenson about: Do You Feel the Gap Between Your Condition and Your Calling? The answer is yes I do. He encouraged us to know God better and then we will be more defined by our calling than our condition.

I then went to a seminar on What You Would Love to Know About Your Missionary Women. There I re-meet Betsy Christiansen. She was the first nurse to help me start an IV.

I then went to a seminar on Medical Mission: The Vision, The Reality. Ted Kuhns compared mercy ministries to a bridesmaid. The church is the bride and Christ is the groom. The role of the bridesmaid is to assist the bride. The primary goal of mission work is to preach the gospel. Some times this is not being done. How this is done properly is to work along side a church and use the medical ministry as an aid to the gospel. The medical ministry may leave after a few weeks, but the relationships and the discipleship the a clinic provided for that church goes on. It is important that there is a church to carry on with those relationships.

Much of this idea was echoed in a later seminar by Keith Bucklen in Making Medicine Serve the Gospel. So much money, so many people are sent on medical missions each year; however, these trips need to be well thought out and planned so that we strategically share the gospel. Problems that can arise are: Medical Missions can take away the business of local doctors, natives may feel like they have to go through a conversion experience to receive/in exchange for medical care, or we preach the gospel and then we leave with no infrastructure to carry on the work started.

Both these men gave me much to think and pray about.

I then bumped into Drew Wilkins and later meet his wife Lindsey. He had been my soccer coach in high school. He told me about the work he was doing with Third Culture Kids(TCK). Before this conversation I did not know what a was. It is a child who has grown up outside of their parents native country. As an army brat, I found that I was so encouraged by their ministry. It was the feelings of not belonging and loneliness that came from moving around and never really belonging that lead me to rely on Christ. I am so excited for their ministry and can't wait to see what God does through them!

That night we were able to hear again Dr. Paul Kooistra on Theology Through Prayer. It was a very convicting sermon on the power of prayer, encouraging people to pray saying,"Prayer is hard work that takes the most time...If you are not praying for missions, then maybe you should reconsider missions."

So that was Friday and Saturday. I will update later on Sunday.

2010 GMC Live - Friday from Seth Wallace on Vimeo.

2010 - GMC Recap - Saturday from Seth Wallace on Vimeo.

2010-11-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Genesis 1

The Beginning

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹²The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²²God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

It is good to meditate on the power of God. I find the creation of the earth a good passage to do that with. Here we can find purpose. Here we find His glory. Here we find His goodness.

2010-11-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Psalm 23 (English Standard Version)
A Psalm of David.
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

This is the second most popular passage in a Bible Gateway article I read last week. This was one of the first Psalms I learned as a child. My favorite Sunday school teacher had us memorize this Psalm and then as a reward he would give us a book of his stories.

This was a psalm of David. David was very familiar with the role of a Shepard. He had grown up as a Shepard. He new what it meant to call God a Shepard and to compare himself to a sheep.
Even though we are silly, stubborn, and can't see past our own desires. Our God still provides for us. He gives us good things despite the fact we don't deserve them.
David also knew what it was like to be near death. His own father-in-law had tried to kill him multiple times. He had fought in many battles. David was no stranger to death. So he could say with confidence that he could,"Fear no evil."
I find this Psalm comforting because, "He leads me in paths of righteousness." I cannot be holy on my own. I cannot live a righteous, let alone a good life. So I trust that God will lead me.
God's "rod and staff" do bring me comfort. I want to know that God will correct my sins, my mistakes. I will fear no evil, because He will save me from doing the wrong I fear so much. He will also save me from the wrongs that others do.
We have a great and powerful God who protects and loves us. He gives us many great gifts that we take for grant.

Dear Heavenly Father, may you lead me in a path of righteousness. May my life show that you have control of your sheep. May I follow you step by step today. May I have to fear no evil, because you are with me. May Your goodness and mercy be shown in every part of my life. Amen.

2010-10-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 13 (English Standard Version)

The Way of Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We often think about this passage being in conjunction with weddings and couples, but Paul was addressing a different group of people when wrote this passage. Paul was addressing the entire church of Corinth, who were being unloving towards one another. If you look at the passage right before this one is talking about how there is a lack of cooperation in the church. The eye is saying to the hand, "I don't need you."

Love is an action. Love is self-sacrificial. Love over comes our sin nature. Later in this passage it discusses how when we where children we did what children do. Our words, our thoughts, our behavior all were child like. When we become men/women we are suppose to put these things behind us. As men and women of God, we are suppose to exemplify love. We are not to be caught up in our own childish ways. I all to often find my self angry in a situation. I would like to think that I would rise above it and still be able to show God's love to the world, yet I find myself more concerned with my childish desires. I wish to be a woman of God; however, the grace and love I wish to bestow on others alludes my grasp. My mind has sought out worldly solutions to my problems.

Dear Lord, may You give me the love I need to be able to show Your love to the world. Father, I need Your guidance as I go through out my day. That my actions could be traced back to You. One of our greatest testimonies is our actions. My actions are childish, seeking my own desires and gratification. Purify my life of everything that is not You, Father God. Give me love. Give me faith. Give me hope. Amen.

2010-10-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Bible Gateway recently came out with an article with the most popular passages from different cities. Some of the these passages surprised me. Psalm 91 and John 17 both made the list. Other passages did not. Psalm 23 was is every city, but Singapore. 1 Corinthians 13 was in every cities list. I have decided to go over each passage for the next week or so. I have fallen out of doing a regular devotion. I am praying God gives me wisdom as I go over these passages and renews my mind as His.

ది ప్రోదిగల్

2010-10-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

2010-06-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

I will obey

Here I am
Stripped of my earthly pride
Because with it I would have died

Here I am
Tired my own strategies
Now I'm ready to believe

No matter the cost
No matter the loss
No thought to my life and doing it my way
No matter the chance I have to take
Here's my all
I will obey

Here I am
Confident in your right
Cause you have already won my life

Here I am
Quiet my anxiety and fear
Cause you are already here

Humbleness

2010-06-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

I recently started taking karate with my sisters. After this latest class, the Sensi was talking to my sisters and I. He told us this:

"I have taken pictures of students when they first start learning the kata. I then will show them later those pictures. Those with out this, those without humbleness don't see a difference in the stances or how they have improved."

Am I humble? Can I see a difference in my walk with Christ? Have I grown in humility towards God? This reminds me of my father. Sometimes at night I will walk past my parents room and I will see my father on his knees praying. It is not often I see people on their knees before the Lord. Am I humbling myself before my God?

James 4:౧౦
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

2010-03-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 11:15
15 As the LORD commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.

Joshua is the man remembered as the one who did as the Lord commanded. The Lord commanded Joshua to go up against Kings of powerful nations. Joshua did it. Joshua was even commanded to put to death one of his own people for taking plunder from one of the forbidden cities. Joshua did it.

Joshua was an aide to Moses. He had the opportunity to be mentored by Moses for over since he was a youth. Joshua was also a warrior. He led the Israelite into battle many times; however, his most famous time is when he followed the Lords instructions in the battle of Jericho.

I wish that God would grant we the faith and courage that He granted Joshua. I pray that I follow closely all the commands of God. May I to have the courage and strength as God uses me.

Psalm 119:74
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.

2010-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 4:7
7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

Recently I have been having a hard time in a number of my relationships. As I am a relational person, this is very hard on me. I read this verse and it spoke to me. What other faith has a god that is so near us? What other god has blessed me time and time again in my life? What god not only excepts me, but covers my many and continually brings me back into reconciliation with God? Who continually re-inspires me? There has been no other god, besides the Living God who has provided miracle after miracle in my life.

Deuteronomy 6:20-25
20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" 21 tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

2010-03-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Psalm 103:17
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

My older sister is about to have a baby. She and her husband had a hard time getting pregnant and there was a lot of sorrow involved for her. One day she and I were talking on the phone. I had mentioned that I was the waiting stage in my life meaning waiting for a boyfriend/husband. She said how she was also waiting for someone. We prayed that day together for who we each were waiting. After we said goodbye and I hung up the phone, God started to put this blessing in my heart. I wrote it down. When my sister announced she was pregnant, God had already given me something to give to her. I pray that this child grows up with the fear of the Lord in his heart and the ability to show the nations of love of God.

2010-02-28T06:25:00.000-08:00

Numbers 18

²⁰ The LORD said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."

God in this passage is telling Aaron about the duties of the Priests and the offering that the Priest receives. More specifically God is telling Aaron how God wants to be steward with the offering that the Israelites bring to God. The best of the land is given as an offering to God. The best wheat, the best wine from the winepress, the perfect lambs, and all the first fruits of the land are given to Aaron and his family as they serve as priests. Yet God wanted Aaron and his family to remember Him in all the ways He supplied their needs. He asked that they eat certain foods as holy and set apart. What an awesome reminder in their day to day lives of how the Lord provides. Oh, that I too would dwell on all the ways my Savior provides and gives an offering for me. May God and Jesus Christ be my inheritance.

2010-02-27T06:22:00.000-08:00

Numbers 15:22-31

²² " 'Now if you unintentionally fail to keep any of these commands the LORD gave Moses- ²³ any of the LORD's commands to you through him, from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come- ²⁴ and if this is done unintentionally without the community being aware of it, then the whole community is to offer a young bull for a burnt offering as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, along with its prescribed grain offering and drink offering, and a male goat for a sin offering. ²⁵ The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have brought to the LORD for their wrong an offering made by fire and a sin offering. ²⁶ The whole Israelite community and the aliens living among them will be forgiven, because all the people were involved in the unintentional wrong.

²⁷ " 'But if just one person sins unintentionally, he must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. ²⁸ The priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven. ²⁹ One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.

³⁰ " 'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people. ³¹ Because he has despised the LORD's word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.' "

In this passage it talks about three types of sin. Unintentional sin that is done by the community. Unintentional sin that is done by and individual. Intentional sin. In this passage God forgives unintentional sin if the right steps are taken once the individuals involved realize their errors. I have found myself in the middle of a situation and suddenly realized that I was saying or doing something wrong; however, I almost on a daily basis find myself faced with a situation and I knowingly do or say the wrong thing. I am reminded of Samuel's words to Saul.

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Do I have the heart of Saul? Am I saying in my heart, "I can just make it up to God later." God, can you place in me the heart of David, who was ready to obey you and worship you at any moment? Give me a whole heart that seeks after you.

Psalm 119:74

⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word

2009-10-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is me. I am so distracted by media... and sleep. Sleep has become a very distracting area of my life as well, but that's another story. I recently heard a Preacher on the radio say something to the effect of this. Like personal trainer uses exercise to help build muscle, strength, and endurance in a client, so does God. God has chosen to use specific things to grow and strengthen us. If we abandon prayer, scripture, and fellowship; how can we grow strong? God has chosen to use these simple things to bring us nigh to Him.

Change me Father, into a woman who follows you with out distraction. Give me strength and motivation to seek after you.

2009-10-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

If you touch my life
What will it be like
If you live in mine
What will it be like
If you enter my life
Will it be you and I
Always you and I

If you hold my hand
Will it comfort me
If you hold me close
Will you understand me
If I let you close
Will you never leave
Always be with me

How do I decide
If you and I are right
Will I be safe
To let you inside
To let you enjoy the beauty
And learn to live with the ugly...in me

If I touch your life
Will I understand you
If I live in your life
Will I hurt you
If I enter your life
Will I love you
Always love you

2009-07-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

John 15:1-17
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Last time I posted I talked about the role of the players in the story: The Father, Jesus Christ, and ourselves. In the first sentence of the next paragraph we have a wonderful promise. This promise is that we will bear much fruit. I like being useful. If I feel useless and unneeded, I feel unloved and unloving. Doing things for and with people is how I show affection. Here I have a calling to bear fruit, to be useful. I am called to remain in Christ and to have His word remain in me. So that I can glorify my Father. How much more useful could I be. My purpose in life is to Glorify GOD!

2009-07-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

John 15:1-17
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Here we have a wonderful passage broken into three paragraphs. The first paragraph discusses our dependency on Christ. He is the only thing that can save us from being cut off and being unable to bear fruit. Without Him we cannot bear fruit. That said there is also a downside to remaining in the vine. We must be pruned. We must have removed anything that is undesired and superfluous. That is the Father's job as the Gardener. This passage defines the role of Christ and the Father. It also defines our role. We are to remain in Christ.

2009-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is my Great Grandmother Beulah... and she is Awesome! ;-)

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,
Come, follow Me!
And we see where Thy footprints falling
Lead us to Thee.

Refrain
Footprints of Jesus,
That make the pathway glow;
We will follow the steps of Jesus
Where'er they go.

Though they lead o'er the cold, dark mountains,
Seeking His sheep;
Or along by Siloam's fountains,
Helping the weak.

Refrain
Footprints of Jesus,
That make the pathway glow;
We will follow the steps of Jesus
Where'er they go.

If they lead through the temple holy,
Preaching the Word;
Or in homes of the poor and lowly,
Serving the Lord.

Refrain
Footprints of Jesus,
That make the pathway glow;
We will follow the steps of Jesus
Where'er they go.

Though, dear Lord, in Thy pathway keeping,
We follow Thee;
Through the gloom of that place of weeping,
Gethsemane!

Refrain
Footprints of Jesus,
That make the pathway glow;
We will follow the steps of Jesus
Where'er they go.

2009-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Every year or so I find a verse that really captures me. It speaks to me were I am at in my life. Past verses have been Galatians 5:6, Matthew 20:28, Deuteronomy 30:6, and Corinthians 13. The latest verse God has used in my life is:

John 15:5

⁵"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

"Apart from me you can do nothing." I am leaning that I must be in Christ every waking moment. Yet I find this hard. I long to bear good fruit, great fruit in Christ. Yet my heart is continually wondering. This verse lends me comfort as I strive to remain in Him. I will bear much fruit if I have faith and remain in Christ. Hallelujah!

To often my focus is on the fruit and not on Christ Himself. I focus on being good, sweet, and nice. When I pursue those things my sin nature appears and I fail. I act in a mean, nasty, and vicious way towards others.

Father, may You live in me from day to day, moment by moment. May You be at that center, may You be the reason of all I say and do. I have complete and unwavering faith in You. And may You produce much fruit in me because of my reliance on You. Amen.

2009-06-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel abandoned by God? Do you wonder if He is there? It might have been brought on by a devastating blow. How could God allow this to happen? Maybe it just happened in the monotony of life. Shouldn't a life with Christ be exciting? Joyful? But we have our won way of answering this dryness, this emptiness. We throw ourselves into doing what should bring us closer to God. What can I do to make God happy with me? Devotion times are lengthened. Prayers are moved to closets. If there is a need at church I am there to fill the missing space. And yet I am still void and I am exhausted. Or... I give up and rebel. It's so much easier. Let my sinful nature take over for a while. Just go on cruise control and enjoy myself for a while. That fills me. Fills me with filth and guilt. Fills me, but does not complete me. Now I am not just empty and yearning for something. Now I am broken and hurting. Two rather bleak options. Aren't you glad that God created a third option? It warms my soul knowing He provided a way.

Galatians 5:6

⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Wow!...How amazing!...Wow?...What does that look like? Faith expressing itself through love?

Luke 7:36-50

³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

⁴⁰Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

⁴¹"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^a]">[a] and the other fifty. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Here we have two very different people with the same problem. There is a Pharisee and a prostitute. One of them hedges themselves with rules and regulations. Man made rules that only push them farther from God. Unable to understand what it means to have faith...and therefore love. Then the other who would not put trust in God. Once again a lack of faith and so there is a miss guided and corrupt love. Yet the one of them has something the other does not. A repented heart and... faith. The result... "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

2009-03-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

I try and live day to day
I try to live a life of change
But I can't seem to be
A holy child by Your design
A perfect life's so far from mine
Will I ever be free

You are one God
You give us one hope
Called us to be Your own
You are one Lord
You give us one faith
Apportioned to me Your grace

I struggle to show humbleness
I don't portray gentlness
I don't feel this bond of peace
Unable to bear patiently
Can't show the love given me
Yet you call me to be part of this unity

You are one God
You give us one hope
Called us to be Your own
You are one Lord
You give us one faith
Apportioned to me Your grace

You've called
To live worthy
Worthy of what I've received
So work over me
In and through me
The power of You in me

You are one God
You give us one hope
Called us to be Your own
You are one Lord
You give us one faith
Apportioned to me Your grace

2009-03-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

So..... I haven't posted in a long time.

Deuteronomy 30:6

⁶ The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

This is a passage that I have been meditating and thinking a lot about. When I was younger I was always waiting and yearning for this magical time in my life where I would change. I thought eventually in my life I would reach this spiritual peak or as a friend put it a "spiritual plateau." A place where I am finally good enough or holy enough to not struggle with a wondering heart. That I would finally get down the basics of being a "good" christian. I don't think I will ever be there. We will constantly struggle with sin in our lives. I don't think I will ever be able to love God perfectly. Yet that is the beauty of it. I unable to even love God, yet He loves me. He loves me so perfectly, tenderly, and overwhelmingly. I am in awe of my Savior and His loving grace for me.

2008-08-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

So much has happened...I don't even know were to begin. Maybe at the beginning.

I've been attending a Latino Church in Annapolis. I started going there to practice my Spanish and helping my friend do Children's Church. This church has given so much to me in the way of hospitality and Christian fellowship.
My friend has a love and passion for ministering to these people that is amazing to watch. She would love to someday start a Orphanage in El Salvador. She and I have joked/dreamed of going together to start this orphanage. She would run the orphanage. I would be the nurse and cook meals for the hundreds of children that we care for.
A few weeks ago a man from a sister church of the Latino church in Annapolis came. He told my friend he had land in El Salvador and would like to give her land to build her orphanage. God is so amazing how He works His will.
Now we both need your prayers.
~Pray for my friend as she explores this. May God show her His path.
~Pray for her as she will need money and support to go.
~Pray that she has the support of her church.
~Pray that her ministry would be effective in El Salvador.
~Pray for me as I'm finishing school. May I finish strong so I can be a good nurse.
~Pray for me as I am searching out God's will. I would love to be a nurse in El Salvador, but God might have something bigger in mind for me. May He direct my path and make it clear.
~Pray for both of us as we make desicions. May we grow in our faith and lean all the more on our Savior.

2008-08-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here I am with my once a month post....I really should try and post more.

Anyway, tomorrow my friend and I are going to sing a song for offertory. We're going to sing "Mighty to Save" by Laura Story. My mom received her CD for her birthday. Since it's now on the ipod she let me take it to my car to listen to. The lyrics have been really blessing me. I think my favorites are "Immortal, Invisible", "Grace", "Bless the Lord", and of course "Mighty to Save".

2008-06-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've have been thinking about the Chronicles of Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis. Lewis gave us a beautiful thing with this Chronicles. One of the reasons I think I am so drawn to these stories is there are so many pictures of Christ and the Christian walk. There are so many lines that Aslan says that speak right to me as if Christ was speaking right to my heart. Lewis merely skims Christ's character, warning us that "He isn't a tame lion", yet he effectively shows some of the characteristics that capture and entrance us about Christ.

I have a private goal with my self to write a poem for each of the books in the chronicles. Here are two that I've written so far.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The end of it all
Better than imagined
The end of it all
The sad, sweet surprise
All new but the same
Feels like the beginning again
Glad to be at
The end of it all

The end of it all
A journey to recollect
The end of it all
A time to reflect
Of character changed
The friendships we've made
The beauty of
The end of it all

The end of it all
The bitter goodbye
The end of it all
Questioning why
Can we come again
Don't want this to end
Don't want it to end
We are here at
The end of it all

The Silver Chair

Can I remember
All that you have said
Can I remember
What I'm suppose to do and when
Can I fail
Will I fail
At all that you have planned
Will all my work
Matter in the end

Will I follow
All that you have said
How do I know
You plan is always the for the best
Will my fear
Will my dread
Hold me back
Will you supply for all that I lack

How do I know
That you are really real
Was it all a fantasy
Can I trust what I feel
I've sensed you
Have touched you
I have been blown away by your breath
If you aren't real
What do I have left

2008-05-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was Beccah's graduation. She is now no longer in High School. Our family couldn't be prouder of her. She has accomplished so much and worked so hard. She is do and will continue to do great things.

Now comes a point of transition. She will be going to Frostburg to pursue a degree Education. She wants to be an English teacher. I think that she will do well at this. She has always had a nack for inspiring people. So here are a few words of wisdom for my sister Beccah.

Dear Beccah,

Out of all the women in the Bible I the one you most remind me of is Ruth. She was a hard worker and fiercely devoted. You have those same qualities. What made Ruth so amazing is not that she had those qualities, but what she did with them. She served the Lord. She served others in the name of the Lord. She was not slowed down by others because she was different. She didn't hesitate to do the work God placed before her. Beccah, I encourage you to follow as whole heartedly after the Lord. Nothing you do will be quite as amazing until God is with you. As you go off to do great things, I urge to walk with the Lord and so serve Him. I love you. My sister and my friend.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

"28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.""

Extravagant Worship

2008-03-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am
Before You
I have come to worship You
Wiped away
My pride my shame
My pain my blame
Set aside to worship You

Majesty
Lord on high
I have come to worship You
My creator
Great Redeemer
Greatest Healer
I'm created to worship You

What can I give
What can I do
In my extravagant worship of You

2008-03-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

I seem to be in a constant state of motion these days. I finished the Maternity section of my nursing classes and today I am about to begin Med-Surg. Josh and Kat are now married. Congratulation! And my sister Beccah caught the bouquet. ;-)

This past Sunday I heard a sermon comparing Mary of Bethany and Judas. The point of the sermon was that Mary wanted to worship Christ. She asked ,"What can I give?" Judas only wanted to know,"What can I get?" I find myself asking all to often," What can I get?" But shouldn't I as a Christian always be asking,"What can I give?"

2008-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

2 Corinthians 6:2

2For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you."^[a] I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

Hallelujah

2008-01-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Listen to this: How to Say Hallelujah with Gusto for Beginners Fans of the Dirge

Psalm 117

1 Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.

2 For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD. ^[a]

Footnotes:

Psalm 117:2 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

2007-12-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

I was recently reading an article about how an athiest views Christians. I believe the he offered two types of Christianity: a "spiritual police force" or a "spiritual banana republic." We are either beating others with accusations of their sin or have an "organized hypocrisy." Neither view is very favorable, and as this article would later on point out this atheist missed something about Christianity.

John Newton was a Captain of a slave ship. God worked on Newton's heart and Newton then went on to be one of the greatest hymn writers we know. I recently watched Amazing Grace and in the film Newton's time working in the slave trade weighs heavily upon him. Watching Newton reminded me of Psalm 32.

1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

That is the kind of pain from sin that drove Newton to write these words.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

2007-12-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

So it's crunch time. This week in school I have two tests and two projects due. This week I caught a bad cold and because I didn't stop I acquired laryngitis. Whenever I get laryngitis I require massive amounts of sleep, so not a whole lot of studying going on. To top it off I can't even talk which makes it hard to communicate. So I have been doing a lot of communicating with God.

It's a good thing that I have been communicating with God because frankly. I'm worried and stressed out. Usually I spaze out on someone at this point, but I've been to sick. I'm worried that I'll that I fail school. I'm worried that I'll disappoint people. That won't be able to live up to expectations. Yet in this I take comfort. In this I find shelter. Here is where I find hope.

Romans 8:35-39

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."^[l] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

"The gospel is not a story of what you must do for God. The gospel is a story of what God has already done for you through Christ Jesus. " ~ Pastor David Wayne

Oh, what amazing grace is this that I can give not only my glory to the cross, but also my failure.

2007-11-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling with a lot of things in my life lately. Something that someone said to me really made me think, "I am so tired of singing a new song every week."

Psalm 98:1a

1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;

Sometimes it is so hard to find a new song, especially when God puts a new trial in my life. I know that others in my life are also going through trials. Both new and old trials and like me they are having a hard time finding a song. So I take comfort in this verse.

Psalm 40:3

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

God is the one who gives us the songs in our lives. He is the one who enables us to praise Him. "It is not by our works, so that no man can boast."

2007-10-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

The Progression of Love
Can I love you
For who you are
Can I share with you
My shame when it is hard
Can I love with you, love with you, give you myself
And still be my self too

I want to love like the Son
Give my all for you
I want to paint the picture of love
Would you please help me too
Cause I don't, I don't love like you

How can you love me
Knowing who you are
How do you see me
When my heart is so hard
You live with me, love with me, gave of yourself for me
You set me free

So I can love like the Son
Give my all for you
I show the colors, the picture of love
Like I was designed too
Cause you love, you love me
You love, you love me
I love you too
Jesus, I love you

2007-10-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Think about our purpose. We were made to worship. We were made to love God. We were made to love others.

2007-10-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Matthew 20:28

28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Father, may I too serve like Your Son. Give me a desire to serve whole heartily. Give me a servants heart. Amen.

2007-09-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tick, tick, tick
I hear the sound of your watch
Near my ear with your arms round me
It remind me of time

It reminds me of time
Time with you
Without you
Time together
Time if laughter
Time if tears
Time past
Time to come
And the time I have
In this quite moment with you

Dub,dub, dub
I hear the pulse of your heart
Near my ear with your arms wrapped around me
It reminds me of life

It reminds me of life
Life with you
without you
Life together
Life of laughter
Life of tears
Life past
Life to come
And the life I have
In this quiet moment with you

tick, tick, tick
It's the little things that draw the picture of you
Dub, dub, dub
It's the soft quiet sounds that make up the music of you
Hush, hush, hush, My dear
It's the little things that make up my love for you

2007-08-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

"You really shouldn't say,"I love you," unless you mean it. But if you mean it you should say it a lot. People forget."

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

2007-08-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Kindness- Be kind and what? I have to be nice to these people. But they're so, so, so... human. They sin and do unkind things to me. You're telling me that I have to be nice to them. Come on.

I find that as I grow older and hopefully wiser that kindness is a choice. As I sit there and process what is being done or said to me that I can choose my reaction. I quickly go over in my head what a great reaction would be. This one is usually unkind and without grace or mercy. Then more slowly I go over what would be a nicer reaction. What the kind thing would be. What Jesus might do. I don't always get it right. Sometimes I choose what would be unkind and sometimes what is closer to kind still isn't the right thing. Yet there is always that choice. I hope and pray that God would work in me and that desire to react unkindly would fade. I pray that God would show me how in every situation I can do what His son would have done in my place.

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

2007-08-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Patience- It's a virtue. Not a virtue that I have in great abundance. Society does not value patience. We want to get what we want five minutes ago. In our fast society we can't wait for good things to come to us; we must ,therefore, go out to find them.

We rush into relationships, yet we are told that "love is patient."

We don't want to deal with the trials that God puts us through, but the bible reads that "we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope..."

We get tired of always doing the same good christian things; however, Paul tells the Galations ,"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

The dictionary defines it as quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; or diligence.

When you show perseverance in a job it shows strength character. The strength of Christ is reflected in your quite waters.

2007-08-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

Funny story. I was trying to post on peace yesterday and I just could not get it done. I kept getting interrupted and people needed help. My cousin had to go to the doctor because she thought that she had broken her arm. It was not a peaceful day; however, that just made me think about God's grace is the only thing that can give me peace. So it was a good thing, just not very peaceful. ;-)

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

2007-08-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Peace- What is peace? The whole world seeks peace in so many different ways. People try and find spiritual peace through meditation and doing good deeds. People seek peace on a national level by trying to fight for peace for others and by trying to stay out of war. We seek peace among friends and family relations. We seek peace and quite from the world. Yet we can't find it.

Christ gives us Spiritual peace. He has done that with his blood on the cross.

Colossians 1:20

20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

God offers us mental peace and peace within our hearts.

Philippians 4:7

7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is nothing that we do. It is all the grace of God which gives us peace. This does not mean we shouldn't try and have peace in our lives.

Psalm 34:14

14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

Hebrews 12:14

14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

If I try and pursue peace apart from God, I will fail. Only God can piece together our lives so that they are complete. God is the only one who can fill our hearts with peace.

Romans 15:13

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

The Forgotten Fruit of the Spirit

2007-08-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Joy- What is joy? It's so close to so many things, but they just seem to miss the mark. Joy is not happiness. Happiness is sadly temporary and joy last longer than that. Joy is not merely contentment, it is more powerful than that. It is not exuberance or delight. Joy is all of these things. Joy is none of these things. What is joy? We are told to count it joy when we go through hard times and trials. Like love joy is often confused as an emotion, but it is not. Joy is a way of life that God calls us to be as Christians. If we were always happy, how superficial and fake would that be? Joy like love is an action, a verb. Something that must be lived out rather than felt for a time before it passes away.

How can you live out joy? Why must you live out joy? Live joyfully by spreading the gospel. It should be something that attracts the attention of both the none believer and the believer. It should draw them in and closer to Christ.

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

2007-08-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

When I say the forgotten fruits of the Spirit I don't mean that we have forgotten them entirely. We can still recite them like any good Sunday School child, but we have forgotten the meaning and power behind these fruits. We have forgotten how to live them.

Love- In our culture love can get you hurt. It is much better to just seek after the physical side of love or a superficial friendship and then you won't get as hurt. To have a Christ like love to open up yourself a world of hurt, yet that kind of love is more powerful than than anything on earth. This is the kind of love that will change the world if we only have the courage to display it. I have heard it said that love is not an emotion, it is an action. As a Christian it is a picture of the sacrificial love Christ has for us and the service Christians have.

Writings of an exceptional being

"Look at this GLORY!"

John 20:30-31

The Purpose of This Book

A man unafraid to change the world...Part II

Acts 3:12-26

A man unafraid to change the world...

Acts 3:12-26

It is NOT good for us to be... alone

Genesis 2:18

Psalm 139

How To Love God 101

Happy Thanksgiving!

Acts 26:22-23 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 25:16 (English Standard Version)

Acts 20:18-35 (English Standard Version)

Acts 16:13-15 (English Standard Version)

Acts 16:40 (English Standard Version)

Acts 15:36-41 (English Standard Version)

Paul and Barnabas Separate

Acts 15:7-11

Acts 9:1-19 (English Standard Version)

Acts 9

The Conversion of Saul

Acts 4:23-31 (English Standard Version)

The Believers Pray for Boldness

Matthew 1:18-25 (English Standard Version)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Psalm 146 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 146

Put Not Your Trust in Princes

James 1:19-27 (English Standard Version)

Hearing and Doing the Word

James 1 (English Standard Version)

James 1

Greeting

Testing of Your Faith

Psalm 91 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 91

My Refuge and My Fortress

Hebrews 12:28

Jeremiah 29:11 (English Standard Version)

Jeremiah 29 (English Standard Version)

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

John 3:16 (English Standard Version)

For God So Loved the World

Psalm 46 (English Standard Version)

Psalm 46

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

Paths of Righteousness

In his name the nations will put their hope.

PCA Global Missions Conference

Genesis 1

The Beginning

1 Corinthians 13 (English Standard Version)

ది ప్రోదిగల్

Humbleness

Numbers 18

20 The LORD said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."

Numbers 15:22-31

John 15:5

Galatians 5:6

Luke 7:36-50

Deuteronomy 30:6

Extravagant Worship

2 Corinthians 6:2

Hallelujah

Psalm 117

Romans 8:35-39

Psalm 98:1a

Psalm 40:3

Matthew 20:28

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

The Forgotten Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

Colossians 1:20

²⁰ The LORD said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."