1 Peter 2:15
15It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you.

This verse really hit home when I read it during bible study. There are sooooo many predjiduces against the Christian faith. If we were not so full of hypocrosy, deciet, jealousy, and unkind speech; the world would not have any amo to hit us with. So an encouragement to my brothers and sisters in Christ, live your lives as Christ as God would will you to.

The Last Word or Lack Of

Matthew 26:31-36a
³¹Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
" 'I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'^{[c] 32}But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

³³Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."

³⁴"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."

³⁵But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

³⁶Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane.


Why doesn't Jesus continue to argue with Peter? He know that Peter will betray Him, yet Jesus doesn't feel the need to win. He doesn't have to have the last word. When we argue, do we have to have the last word? Why is this? Are we trusting God will take are of the situation? Here Jesus gives us a good example of how to avoid fights. By not having to win. As humans this is a massive blow to our ego, yet to be like Jesus to love like Jesus we must not fight with others. "But they are wrong and if I only talk a little more they will see that I am right." Did Jesus have to convince Peter of his mistakes. No, Peter found out all in God's time.

Lord, may I not fight with my sisters today. May I not have to win with my words. Instead, may I lovingly encourage others toward You. In Jesus Name, Amen

Sick

I recently read about a church who doesn't want their church members to go to doctors and hospitals when they or their children are sick. They feel like this is not placing your trust in God's healing powers. Because of this belief, many of their members have died of diseases that are simple and very curable if given the right treatment.

I disagree with this churches point of view on this. I believe that God gave us the doctors, nurses, hospitals, and medicine that we might us them to His glory. One of Jesus's disciples was a doctor. Yes, when ever you are sick we need to trust God to heal you; however, God sometimes works through men.

At the end

At The End

The road is tough

And very rough

Are you willing

To go to the place

Where you will receive my grace

The way is daring

The load hard bearing

Few the journey even dare to start

Fewer still are those that will be part

Of the glorious end

At the end

Tears and suffering are condemned

Loads that are heavy will be transformed

To crowns with jewels adorned

We will be together with friends

At the end

The way is long

The hardship strong

But rest on me for strength

Keep the goal in sight

And you’ll find light

Keep on sharing

Keep on caring

Though it seems that it’ll never end

You never know what is around the bend

Maybe the end

I wrote this a loooonnnng time ago so don't be too jugmentle.

Hebrews 11:1

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

A friend of mine was recently talking about faith. One of the things he said really struck a chord with me. "Faith isn't saying I'm going to think this real head and then think it is going to happen," he said. "If that is faith what are you putting your faith in?"

That is a good point. There are a million(just an estimente) bible verses about faith. Some commanding us to have faith and other verses telling us we have lost our faith. There are even some verses about faith and mustard...seeds. But what is faith? How do get and jold on to our faith?

Romans 10:17

¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

Keep youself imersed in the Bible and keep up your walk with God. Pray and preach the gospel. Basicly, live the life God has desighned us to live.

I will be going on missions trip to Mexico next summer, for the whole summer. I am going with Mission to the World, the PCA's missionary base. I am excited about the trip; however, I hate raising the money for the trip. This usually invovles me asking people for money. I hate to do that, so I need ideas for raising the money. Please let me know some of your ideas so I can start raising the money. I will need around( this is not a solid number yet, but an estimente) $2500.

Voiceless

Voiceless
Unable to speak my pain, my sorrow
Unable to tell of this burden
Trying to deny this rage
Because I cannot express it
Others can tell everything
They lay out for the world to hear and listen
All and nothing
Some were not given the gift of speak
Yet the can talk or express
I am bound by choice
The choice my own
And yet not made by me
Unwilling to divulge the chaos in
Afraid of what will happen if I did
To bring it before judging eyes
Or worse, bring that same pain to others
To have them feel this same anguish
So voiceless I remain
Voiceless I wander through this life maze
Unable to cry for help
Drowning in the words I cannot speak
Yet You are here
In You I find a voice
You hear and understand
What I feel and say
The hate and anger
The pain and shame
You attend to my words
To confide in man
Oh the frailty
Is insufficient
You however
Are the one I can place my trust in
In You I find peace

Read Habakuk. It is a great book. Through it I've learned a lot. One of the things I've learn is that man is evil and corrupt. Now you might be saying," No, duh", but hear me out. All men are corrupt even those who may seem good. No one is better and no one is worse.

The second thing I have learned is God works all things to His glory. We may not understqnd it; however, God is perfect and the good and the bad things have a purpose in His awsome plan.

Another things I've learned is that every thing will be made right someday. God's plan is that the whole earth will be made right.
¹⁴ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea.

This will make everything right. This will correct every wrong in the universe.

Finaly, praise the Lord. Give Him the praise He is worthy of. Concentrate your mind and heart on His glory and power and all other things will be taken care of.

Pretty neat that you can get all that from one short book.

I stand in a desert
Sourounded by sand, dust, and heat
I am covered with the grit and grim around me
I feel unclean
Both outside and inside
My throat burns with my tears
The heat dries my tears before
They can reach my dried out lips
Alone with my sin and sorrow
You find me
You wrap me in Your arms
And You take my hand in Yours
As I feel Your fingers entwin with mine
Your peace seeps through
My heart, my soul, and my body
You hold me awhile
And then You speak
Your words hold power
And I listen

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to Me. ⁷And My peace , which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, My Daughter, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the My of peace will be with you.

²⁸"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

And Know this My child:
¹⁴ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea.

Yes, Lord.

⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

Creation

Genesis 1:1

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Do You Cry Madonna

Did You Cry Madonna

Did you cry Madonna
Cause your son was virgin born
Did you cry when he came
Did you cry Madonna
When your son was born
Did you cry with shame
Did you cry

Did you cry Madonna
When you fled to Egypt
Your son the world already hate
Did you cry

Did you cry Madonna
When your son meet His doom
Did you when He died that died that day
Did you cry Madonna
When you came to the tomb
Did you cry with joy that day
Did you cry

Do you cry Madonna
As they worship you with love
As they hold you above your son
Above your son
Do you cry

When I was going on a missions trip to Mexico, one of the things that really broke my heart was the peoples worship of saints. It had never really struck me just how much people honor the saints above God or Jesus. Seeing that made me realize just how easy it is for idolatry to enter our lives.

Battle Cry

I am a military child.(or in other word an army brat) When 9/11 happened, I felt it very deeply. So many people died, many of whom were not Christians. It tore me apart and made me realise just how many people need to hear God's name. You and I are called to help spread "the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." I want to do just that. I heard this song and it reminds me what I fight for. I am part of an army and I will fight for those that don't know our Lord and Savior. Will you join me?

Battle Cry

C#m7

Sounds like thunder

The earth is shaking

E F# C#m7

A generation is marching strong

C#m7 B/D# E

We will not be stopped

F# C#m7

Our voices will be heard

C#m6 C#m7 (B C# B C#)

Let the nations hear our song

C#m7 E F#7

Oh…. oh, this is our war cry

C#m7 E F#7

Oh… oh, this is out battle cry

Feel the tremble

Heaven’s raging

Hear the sound of a holy roar

He will not be stopped

His voice will be heard

This generation is the Lord’s

”sound off” section-- C#m7 B/D# E F#7 A B

Philipians 4:2
²I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.

My sisters and I don't always get along with eachother.( A huge understament, but you get the picture) We fight about the silliest things and can be quite catty at times. This is not a good thing. As Christians we to be instruments of peace. These two women have gone down in history as women who's fighting was bringing disorder in the Church. I don't want to be known for that. I want to be known for my love and peace in Christ.

Romans 14:19

¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

The Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will Fill the Earth

¹⁴ For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea.
In Habakkuk, the phrophet is laying his complaints before the Lord.

Habakkuk: Lord, the nation of Israel is evil. They don't follow You or respect You. They are disgusting in Your and my sight.

God: I know. That is why I am going to smite them. I will send down the Babylonians and the Babylonians will send my justice.

Habakkuk: But Lord, the Babylonians zre even more evil than Your people. Why wipe out a little evil with a whole lot of evil?

God: Listen and write down what I am saying to you so that whoever reads it can be warned. Man as a whole is evil. He corrupt in every part. But I will make every thing right. How, you ask? It will be made when:

¹⁴For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.

Cool, huh? Today I was overwhelmed with some of the problems life sometimes throughs at you. I friend is having boyfriend troubles and she needed someone to talk to. I came home from Church and I was immeditly told that a close friend was in a car crash and that he had a severe head trauma.

God's Rest

Matthew 11:28
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 (The Message)
28"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Just so you know, I don't usaly use The Message. I don't think is close enough to God's actual word. I just like how this is phrased. It gives you a knew way to think about it.

Do you ever seem "burned out on religion"? Why do we get tired of bearing our crosses? Why do we start to sit back and not take on active part in our faith? We have a race to run. We have a set time that we must finish our work. God dosen't need us to complete His plan; however He chooses to use us.

2 Thessalonians 3:13

¹³But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Holy Father, may we fight the good fight. May You light a fire in our lives that dosen't burn out or fade. May it grow brighter and brighter day by day. May we find great joy in doing your work. Amen.

What am I?

What am I
Another bottle that you drink from
What am I
One more buzz
What am I
A new thrill for the moment

No, I am a woman
Not to be treated about lightly
I am strong
And will not be taken advantage of
I am delicate
And need to cared for
I am a woman
And you must treat me as one

What am I
Some one who is a slave to your desires
What am I
A person to serve you how you say
What am I
Another release for you anger

No, I am a woman
And I earned the right of your respect

Beauty From Pain

(I like this picture. The girl kind of looks like me... only prettier.)

Beauty From Pain
The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I’m alive
But I feel like I died
And all that’s left is to accept that it’s over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I’m slipping away

After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I’ve cried my last
There’ll be beauty from pain
Thought it won’t be today
Someday I’ll hope again
And there’ll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though I can’t understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday

Here I am
At the edge of me
Trying to hold
To what I can't see
I forgot how to hope
This nights been so long
I cling to your promise there will be a dawn

by Superchic[k]

What Will Matter?

I wrote this when I was feeling very philosophical and Ecclesiastes-ish.

What will be left in the end
What will we hold on to
Thinking it will matter
What will we put ourselves through
For our ambitions, goals, and desires
Whatt will we do to make sure
We get what we want
Yet forget what we need
What will our lives say about us
When we can no longer defend them
What good work or great deed
Will make us considered heroic
Does it matter
Will it matter
When we are no longer here
To nominate our names for history
Who is our past was truly great
Was it the rulers of the times
Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro missed it
They may go down in history
But they will nver be considered good, great men
Mother Teresa and Ghandi were closer
Serving others through peace and kindness
Yet the only man to achieve true greatness
Was Jesus Christ
Who made the biggest sacrifice of all
So waht must we do to find this greatness
The answer lies with the only man who made it
Follow Jesus all the days of your life
And He will make you a guiding light

Lonliness

A friend of mine once asked another friend to look up some verses on lonliness. The word lonly isn't found very often in the Bible; however, there are verses that can bring great comfort to those how may feel alone or cut-off from the rest of the world. As humans we often under estimate the power we have to make others feel special and loved. Reach out to those who may not be feeling well today.

Psalm 68:5-6a
5A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God makes a home for the lonely;

Hebrews 15:5b-6
because God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you." ⁶So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"

Genesis 28:15
¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, .... I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Matthew 28:20
...Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The First Dance

When I get married I am going to show my husband this poem.


The First Dance
I'll never forget the night we shared that dance.
It was the most special night,
And everything was perfect.

It was my first dance,
And it was with you, the girl of my dreams.
I was so nervous and excited - The night was
incredible.


Not only did you show me how to dance,
But also everything it means -
The closeness, the warmth, the embrace.
The loving gaze and the slow, passionate kiss.


As we danced, I forgot about everything else -
My nervousness had faded,
The rest of the world ceased to exist.
I had died and gone to heaven -
I was actually dancing with the girl of my dreams.
I'll never forget our first dance...
Jeremy Howell The First Dance
I'll never forget the night we shared that dance.
It was the most special night,
And everything was perfect.

It was my first dance,
And it was with you, the girl of my dreams.
I was so nervous and excited - The night was
incredible.


Not only did you show me how to dance,
But also everything it means -
The closeness, the warmth, the embrace.
The loving gaze and the slow, passionate kiss.


As we danced, I forgot about everything else -
My nervousness had faded,
The rest of the world ceased to exist.
I had died and gone to heaven -
I was actually dancing with the girl of my dreams.
I'll never forget our first dance...
Jeremy Howell