Brandi's Blog

Your offspring

2011-08-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, my husband and I dropped off our son for his first day of kindergarten and our daughter for her first day of second grade. They were both so, so ready! Loren, of course did not want us to walk her in, she preferred the drop-off car line at her brand-new school. She has been wearing her backpack around the house for weeks! She loves school and is Ms. Independent!

There was no pushing little Luke out of the nest either, he just jumped right out this morning, on his own. I was amazed at the absolute peace that we all had - definitely beyond my understanding. There was no separation anxiety, no stressful rushing around this morning - just the calm sense of peace and love as we left our children in the care of their precious teachers whom God hand-picked for them.

Instead of anxiety, I was simply filled with the excitement and anticipation of looking toward what is ahead for us in this new chapter of our lives. It's not only brand new for my kids, it's a brand new season for me. It's bitter sweet as I realize my almost 8-year season of being a stay-home-mommy of little ones has now come to an end. At first I felt a little lost, in my strangely quiet house. Once I got settled though, I experienced some wonderful time with God. He is reassuring me how much He adores me and is speaking His great love over me and my children. He loves them more than I do and He has great plans for them - individually. He then lead me to...

Isaiah 44:3-4....

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.

How befitting, considering the overwhelming heat and long-term drought we have experienced here in Texas this summer. It has been a long, HOT one! I now have a new sense of hope for rain to come pouring down on us (literally) and for the Holy Spirit to rain down on my children, my husband and me. How beautifully and perfectly He speaks to me, filling me up completely and satisfying my thirst. Jesus is really all I need. Oh how I love Him!

Remembering To Forget

2011-07-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

Remembering to Forget

by Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth:

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).
Friend To Friend:

As humans, we tend to remember what we need to forget and forget what we need to remember. God, on the other hand, forgets what He promises to forget and remembers what He promises to remember. God said, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17).

Paul tells us one of the secrets to his success as a Christian and in life. "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13,14).

In the Bible, God tells us that He "forgets" our sins and remembers them no more. But how does an omniscient, all-knowing God forget? Let's look at the antonym to get a better understanding.

There are many events in the Bible that begin with the words "God remembered": "God remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1), "He (God) remembered Abraham" (Genesis 19:29), "God remembered Rachel" (Genesis 30:22), "God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exodus 2:24). In each incident, God's remembering meant that He was about to do something - God was about to act.

Therefore, if God's remembering means He is about to act, then God forgetting means that He is not going to act. "For I will forgive their wickedness," He says, "and will remember their sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). He forgets our sins - He is not going to act upon them. Likewise, while we cannot physically forget the details of the wounds of our past, we can choose not to act on them. We can choose to forgive the person who has hurt us and not allow the memory of the offense to control our lives. In that sense, we can forgive and forget.

When Paul talks about forgetting he does not mean that he will or even can wipe an incident from his memory. "Forgetting did not mean obliterating the memory of his past, but was a conscious refusal to let it absorb his attention and impede his progress."(Zondervan NIV Commentary: Volume 2: New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1994), pg. 806.) Paul refused to allow anything from his past control his present. He could tell about it, but without pain, malice, or a hint of revenge.

But it's too hard, you might say. Friend, God will never tell us to do something that He will not give us the power to do. He has instructed us to forgive...so He will give us the power to do so. He has instructed us to leave the past behind ... so He will give us the power to do so. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). "All things" means all things that God has called us to do.

Isaiah wrote, "When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?" (Isaiah 28:24).

I think for many of us, we have been plowing and re-plowing the ground far too long. We've been telling and re-telling what was done and how it was done going over the same ground and stirring up the dirt into a giant dustbowl. But there comes a point when it is time to stop plowing up the ground and start planting seeds - until then, we will never see a harvest.

Today, ask God if there is someone you need to forgive, if there is something you need to "forget," or if there is some ground you need to cease plowing. Then give the memory to God and ask Him to plant good seeds for an incredible harvest!

Let's Pray:
Dear Lord, I've been plowing up the soil of past memories for far too long. Today, I'm going to put away the plow and start planting seeds. When You see me reaching for the plow and going back to rehash old grievances and hurts, I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me quickly. Today, the past is the past and I'm not looking back.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

You Are Secure As The Beloved

2011-06-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

You Are Secure As The Beloved

Deuteronomy 33:12

Hear God's Word for you in Deuteronomy 33:12. "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."

Beloved one, get quiet, listen to this blessing, and hear the voice of love saying good things to you. You can rest in the full truth that you are your Father's beloved. The voice of your loving Father resonates in you in a deep place. He called you his beloved from eternity. Taste deeply of love, of God, and of truth. Know the treasure you are to God. You are a chosen one, a special person, noticed in your uniqueness, eternally valued. You are priceless and irreplaceable, safe in his everlasting embrace, at rest in his non-comparing love.

Increasingly be aware of your belovedness. You are precious in your Father's heart. Hear this so that you live with a stable, settled sense of true belonging. The good things you DO reveal what a beautiful person you ARE. Your real gift is not so much what you can DO as who you ARE.

Be blessed with your heavenly Father providing a safe, secure environment, without having to test him continually, fearfully asking the questions, such as "Are you still with me? Will you still be with me if...? Prove it by..." Be blessed to choose against the accuser's lies about your adequacy, identity, legitimacy, your past, present, and future. Be blessed to know that you can never be rejected or abandoned by your Father. Your loving God never leaves you alone. His love is your companion every step of the way. Be blessed with knowing his heart nurturing belonging, inclusion, and worth. Be blessed with healing of your soul's rejection wounds and the spirit abandonment wound that is deeper.

Your Father calls you to become who you are in totality: spirit, soul, and body. All your life is an opportunity to become who you are, to affirm your own true spiritual nature, to claim your unique truth, and to say "Yes" to the one who calls you the beloved. God's love is the core of your being. Discover more fully who God is and whose child you are. Your legitimacy is settled in him. Trust what he wants you to see and hear.

God has given you great gifts of inner peace, joy of living, sense of well-being, solidness and strength inside, and healing. Share your life in encouragement, hope, and trust. When you are secure, your presence is a joy to those who know you.

Receive and drive a stake in this blessing as the truth that shapes your daily life. Trust the voice of affirmation; it is persistent, strong, and deep. It will never let you go. Synchronize with the voice calling you chosen, and continually align yourself with your belovedness. Don't be pulled out of your center in your belovedness. Be blessed to be attentively present to him to see his fingerprints and feel his closeness.

Be blessed in the life and in the name of the Chosen One (Luke 23:35).

- From "The Father's Business", by Sylvia Gunter

The Purpose Of The Power

2011-06-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

"Many believe His power exists only to help us overcome sin. This understanding stops very short of the Father's intent for us to become witnesses of another world. Doesn't it seem strange that our whole Christian life should be focused on overcoming something that has already been defeated? Sin and its nature have been yanked out by the roots. Many constantly call out to God for more power to live in victory. What more can He do for us? If His death wasn't enough, what else is there? That battle has already been fought and won! Is it possible that the process of constantly bringing up issues dealt with by the blood is what has actually given life to those issues?

Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need power to overcome something if I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness for the miraculous and for the impossible.

Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed. There must be an aspect of the Christian life that is impossible without divine intervention. That keeps us on the edge and puts us in contact with our true calling.

Make no mistake, character is a supreme issue with God. But His approach is much different than ours. His righteousness/character is not built into us by our own efforts. It is developed when we quit striving and learn to abandon ourselves completely to do His will."

- Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth - Bill Johnson,

Face-to-Face With God

2011-03-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

Face-to-Face With God

What happens when God shows up and He is totally other than we expected? What happens when we encounter God? Face-to-face with God, we are always aware of His total "other-ness." He is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine, and he is especially beyond being manageable. How does life change when it runs head-on into an extraordinary God? We get some clues when we study what happened when biblical characters encountered God, worshiped Him, and responded to His strong presence.

When we encounter God, He will disclose a heart not right with Him. When God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, we may try to hide behind the fig leaves of our own righteousness if our hearts are harboring sin or unbelief (Gen 3:7-10). Remember that before our sin, Jesus already went to the cross to enable us to receive the mercy and grace of God.

When we encounter God in worship, we will surrender completely to God to put our "Isaacs" on the altar. Worship precedes surrender. Abraham told his servants, "[The boy and I] will worship and then we will come back to you" (Gen 22:5,9-10). When they reached the place where God directed, Abraham built an altar and prepared the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him on the wood as the sacrifice, and he took the knife to slay his own son. At that moment, Abraham revealed his fear of the Lord. Then God revealed Himself in a new dimension, Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides the Lamb.

When we encounter God in worship, we will have his courage to go against overwhelming odds and see Him do what only He can do in delivering those in rebellion. God said to Gideon, "Have I not sent you? Surely I will be with you" (Judges 6:14,16). In the strength of that promise and at God's instruction, Gideon pared down his initial muster of 32,000 men to 300. Fresh from worshiping God, he confidently told the men, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands" (Judges 7:15). With the unconventional weapons of pitchers, torches, and trumpets, God provided His deliverance which only He could give.

When we encounter Him in our sorrow and broken dreams, He will come to us to open the Scriptures to our hearts. Walking away from their disappointment, two dejected disciples met Jesus unawares (Luke 24:13-32). As they talked with Him, He explained Scriptures they had never understood. Likewise, God will come to us with comfort and understanding in His Word when we think all hope is lost. There are truths in His Word that we will understand only when we bring our great hopelessness to Him.

When we encounter Him in worship, we will be assured of His presence, go in His authority, and make disciples who in turn will repeat the process.
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I am with you always" (Matt 28:17-20).

Did you notice how many of these real people encountered God face-to-face in their desperation? Think of Abraham at the altar with Isaac, Moses at the burning bush and at the Red Sea, Jacob before meeting Esau, Joshua before a walled city, Gideon before a hostile army, Jehoshaphat before three hostile armies, and David in great trials of every kind. Listen to God tell you how He wants to meet you and show you more of Himself, His will, and His ways in your present circumstances. In all your life, look for Him. He is there.

Excerpted from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 35-38. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.

Our part - to rest! His part - to sustain!

2011-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Do you recollect the delicious sense of rest with which you have sometimes gone to bed at night, after a day of great exertion and weariness? How delightful was the sensation of relaxing every muscle and letting your body go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort! The strain of the day had ceased, for a few hours at least, and the work of the day had been laid off. You no longer had to hold up an aching head or a weary back. You trusted yourself to the bed in an absolute confidence, and it held you up, without effort, or strain, or even thought, on your part. You rested!

But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you and landing you on the floor; could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?

Let this analogy teach you what it means to rest in the Lord. Let your souls lie down upon the couch of His sweet will, as your bodies lie down in their beds at night. Relax every strain, and lay off every burden. Let yourself go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe. Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustain you; and He cannot fail.

- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life

The Joy Of His Face

2011-02-04T12:53:00.001-08:00

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted." - Psalm 89:14-16

Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father's delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth - the atmosphere of joy.

- Bill Johnson, Face to Face with God

WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE

2011-01-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE

"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26

If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.

Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).

Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

O Holy Night

2010-12-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Amazing Story of 'O Holy Night'
By Ace Collins

Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by U.S. abolitionists, the song continues to inspire.

The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.

In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.

In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.

Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.

The son of a well-known classical musician, Adam had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.

As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve

Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adam was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.

Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.

Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."

After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."

The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.

In 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.

Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle--hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.

Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.

Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work--requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as much as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery as tell the story of the birth of a Savior--has become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created.

Reprinted from "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas" for educational purposes only, from Zondervan.

O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Peace on earth

2010-12-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

The reality is that there will never be peace in the world until there's peace within nations. And there will never be peace in our nation until there's peace in our communities. There won't be peace in our communities until there's peace in our families. And there won't be peace in our families until there's peace in our individual lives. That won't happen until the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts. Jesus came at Christmas to bring to us three kinds of peace:

Peace with God

The peace of God

Peace with others

"A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!" - Luke 2:11

- Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas

I was hungry and you fed me

2010-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)

34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

I interpret this to mean that when we do this, we are literally serving Jesus! Amazing how He is seen in those in need, and in us, serving them! He is just all over this kind of thing!

The awesome Heartgroup that we are so privileged to be a part of recently prepared and served the evening meal at our local homeless shelter. What an amazing experience - to be serving alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing our time, our food and our hearts. God was there, in the midst.

We are so blessed when we recognize just how much He loves, not only us, but EVERY single human being that He created, on this planet. That includes EVERYONE!! Oh the value He places on His creation. Of course He wants us to love and serve the very people He created! When we value the homeless as human beings and not just outcasts, they feel God valuing them! When they understand how special they are to God, this gives them hope for a new future.

Wow, the healing power of His love is AMAZING!!

Connecting With People

2010-11-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Connecting with People
by Pastor Rob Campbell

Human groupings can be divided three ways: common kinship, common community, and common interest. In the New Testament, the word for these groupings is oikos (see Acts 5:42; 20:20). An oikos is a social system composed of those connected to each other through common ties and tasks.

Reaching people for Christ and enriching the lives of others are best accomplished through one's oikos. How do you connect with these people? Let me give you four principles that you should find helpful.

First, value people. "You cannot make another person feel worthwhile if you secretly feel that the person is a nobody." My friends, anytime you devalue someone, you question God's creation. Each creation of God is highly valued by God--- let us mirror this value to others.

Second, look for common ground. God gave you and me two ears and one mouth for a reason. Simply put, stop jabbering and listen. Consider the following 101% Principle: Find the 1% you agree with and give it 100% of your effort. You cannot find the 1% if you do not employ the power of listening.

Next, seek first to understand and then to be understood. As believers, we are quick to give "answers" without first understanding the heart of the question. Nobody likes a know it all--- so stop trying to impress! Relax, take a deep breath and rid yourself of the expectation to answer all the questions. Begin with understanding and discovering the gifts and abilities of people. Applaud and affirm them--- who doesn't need a lifelong cheerleader?

Finally, to handle yourself...use your head...to handle others...use your heart. Consider the following:

Whose Point of View?

When the other fellow takes a long time, he's slow.

When I take a long time, I'm thorough. When the other fellow doesn't do it, he's lazy.

But when I don't do it, I'm busy.

When the other fellow does something without being told, he's overstepping his bounds.

But when I do it, that's initiative.

When the other fellow overlooks a rule of etiquette, he's rude.

But when I skip a few rules, I'm original. When the other fellow pleases the boss, he's an apple polisher.

But when I please the boss, that's cooperation.

When the other fellow gets ahead, he's getting the breaks.

But when I manage to get ahead, that's just the reward of hard work.

Relational Christianity is all about connecting with people. Pray to God for the wisdom and ability to build His kingdom by employing these principles in reaching your oikos.

Repentance is a gift!

2010-10-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

" This process of perceiving and coming into agreement with God's perspective is called repentance. Most of us usually associate this word with being sorry for our sin, and this is appropriate. Scripture tells us that godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). But being sorry is not repenting. We repent when our sorrow over sin leads us to the place where we receive power from God to change the way we think. We may all be able to change what we think about, but only God can give us a new perspective on reality. In particular, only God can build a paradigm in our thinking in which we live for and from a relationship with Him instead of going through religious motions and being content simply to know about Him.

This is why Jesus began His ministry with the declaration, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2). Christ came to Earth as the culmination and explicit revelation of God's pursuit of mankind. But without receiving the gift of repentance, the very people He preached to, healed, and died for remained blind to this revelation. Through His very declaration He made the gift of repentance available to all who would listen. This is the nature of all of God's commands. He spoke the universe into existence, and when He speaks to us, grace is released in the same way to enable us to accomplish what He has said. Our job is to appropriate that grace through trusting what He has said and stepping out in radical obedience to it."

Bill Johnson - "Face To Face With God"

Before they call, I will answer

2010-10-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles.

They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be?

I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!

Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'

'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'

'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)

Jesus' prayer for us!

2010-09-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

John 17 (The Message)

Jesus' Prayer for His Followers

1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it's time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.

6-12I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world;
They'll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).

13-19Now I'm returning to you.
I'm saying these things in the world's hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn't join the world's ways,
Just as I didn't join the world's ways.
I'm not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I'm consecrating myself for their sakes
So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.

20-23I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me.

24-26Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.

Humble yourself before God

2010-08-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Humble yourself before your God.

We often talk about whether we can trust God, but our concluding question is, Can God trust us? Can He trust us with power, insight, and influence as He did Daniel? Or will our pride get in the way?

C.S. Lewis wrote, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty of themselves ...it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

We can't ignore it; we have to deal with it. Our minds are pre-set on pride.

Daniel 10:12
"Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."

Daniel "set his mind...to humble himself before his God." Every day, Beloved, we've got to wake up, drop to our knees, and push the reset button on our pride-prone minds and program them for humility. God wants to trust us. Can He?

- Beth Moore, Daniel

Life by the Spirit

2010-08-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Galatians 5:16-26
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

We all have evil desires, and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life. The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ's control - we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to his.

John 15
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

We must know him, love him, remember him, and imitate him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law - to love God and our neighbors. In order to accept Christ as Savior, we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God's control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them.

Galations 6:14
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

- commentary from NIV Life Application Study Bible

We're getting in on the best!

2010-07-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a good shot of hope for us, who are in the world but not of the world.......

2 Corinthians 4:7 (The Message)

"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!"

Who are you delighted to see?

2010-07-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Wise words from a wise man......Bobby Arnold:

I'd challenge anyone to spend time star gazing and not come away with a greater awe of and trust in God. He simply lays a bit of Himself out before you.

It is like living the below scripture:

Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

ponder this... who are you delighted to see? who makes you smile, or enjoy the moment a bit more. Likely someone with whom you're very familiar. therefore, the more we know about God, stands to reason the more we'll delight in Him.

and therein lies the call to Christians. the more we delight in Him, the more others will see Him in us. suddenly, every victory or defeat becomes an opportunity for His glory to shine in our daily lives.

makes sense, then, that we constantly and consistently immerse ourselves in opportunities to become more familiar with God. some combination of things: star gazing, reading bible, service, prayer, gathering together, etc...

without a doubt such Delight will change us from the inside out, influencing the very desires of our heart.

The Marriage of the Lamb has come.............WOW!!

2010-07-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Revelation 19
The Sound of Hallelujahs
1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.

4The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,

Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!

5From the Throne came a shout, a command:

Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!

6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:

Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.

9The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"

10I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

11-16Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.

17-18I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"

19-21I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.

The war is on!

2010-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Revelation 12:7-17 (The Message)

7-12War broke out in Heaven. Michael and his Angels fought the Dragon. The Dragon and his Angels fought back, but were no match for Michael. They were cleared out of Heaven, not a sign of them left. The great Dragon—ancient Serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, the one who led the whole earth astray—thrown out, and all his Angels thrown out with him, thrown down to earth. Then I heard a strong voice out of Heaven saying,

Salvation and power are established!
Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The Accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out,
who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb
and the bold word of their witness.
They weren't in love with themselves;
they were willing to die for Christ.
So rejoice, O Heavens, and all who live there,
but doom to earth and sea,
For the Devil's come down on you with both feet;
he's had a great fall;
He's wild and raging with anger;
he hasn't much time and he knows it.

13-17When the Dragon saw he'd been thrown to earth, he went after the Woman who had given birth to the Man-Child. The Woman was given wings of a great eagle to fly to a place in the desert to be kept in safety and comfort for a time and times and half a time, safe and sound from the Serpent. The Serpent vomited a river of water to swamp and drown her, but earth came to her help, swallowing the water the Dragon spewed from its mouth. Helpless with rage, the Dragon raged at the Woman, then went off to make war with the rest of her children, the children who keep God's commands and hold firm to the witness of Jesus."

I've heard many people say they are frightened at the book of Revelation, afraid to study it because it is too "weird". I am studying it, once again now and I agree, it is nothing short of a freaky sci-fi movie. Who knows why God chose to reveal just enough of it to us, much of it through symbolism so that could possibly get our minds around it. It really is a mystery!

But is not a book of fear, for children of God, it is a book of hope. It encourages me when I see spiritual warfare literally happening all around me. Everything from suicide bombings in the beautiful nation of Uganda, which I love, to persecution to conflicts in relationships; I can see it so clearly for what it is. Satan cannot take our salvation so he will stop at nothing to discourage us, distract us, condemn us and accuse us! And the above verse encourages me so much because it tells me why all of this is happening, in our generation. Revelation reassures me that, yes, the enemy is mad, but even still, he is no match for God. God will win! God has already won; we have already won the victory because of Jesus death on the cross. It is finished!! The Babylon in which we live is getting worse and will continue to get worse. But the fact remains that God placed us here, in this generation for a purpose. We can survive and thrive here, as we keep our eyes focused on our King of kings, and what He has for us.

I love how, throughout scripture, God reveals just enough to us. He gives us the exact amount of wisdom that we need to live and then He speaks to us through His living, breathing Word. We are fully equipped and we must continually study His Word and pray without ceasing. That is our ultimate weapon in warfare. Honestly, I have so many things to pray about, I could pray without ceasing and still never cover them all.

God has recently opened my eyes to the great need for prayer. He has reminded me of so many more things I need to be praying for. Why do I try to fight this battle on my own strength? I need God in my every day! I need to pray more than I currently do! It is time for me to exercise my authority as a daughter of the King and fight, fight, fight with my greatest weapon, prayer! There are so many people I love, depending on my prayers!

We truly are warriors. As Rita Springer sings in her song, "Beautiful You"....

"God, who are you that you speak into our shame and you see a warrior. You see a mother on her knees and whisper that she will raise warriors."

My almost 7 year old daughter truly loves Jesus. She has compassion in her heart that comes from the Holy Spirit within her. Who knows what will occur in our world in her generation, all the more reason why we must raise warriors, who love Jesus!

God is good all the time. All the time God is good!

I believe that and I trust Him, no matter what!

God is moving in Uganda!

2010-06-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

During my recent mission trip to Uganda, God opened the door to the opportunity of a lifetime for me to experience a place like no other, a LOVE like no other.

How do I find the words to describe something that forever changed my life?! I simply cannot! I anticipated being used by God to love on the people of Africa. But, what was so surprising was just how much God loved me, through them. It is a culture like no other, a community that is real, people who are genuine, through and through; who instantly love you and accept you, just the way you are. I now feel like I have been accepted into a brand new family there. I admit it was very hard to say good-bye! I’ve never felt so loved, so valued, so appreciated so fully alive - after all, serving others on behalf of Jesus Christ was what we were created to do, furthering His kingdom, right here on earth!

I can honestly say I’ve never encountered such devoted followers of Christ. Even the children blew me away by their spiritual maturity! They live such simple lives as they have none of the “things” that we have to distract us and pull us away from keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. Once they have received Him, He is all they’ve got!! It was amazingly refreshing!!

One thing is for sure, God is at work in Uganda. I saw, first hand, what a difference ICHOOSEYOU is making there! It really is working! It was astonishing to see the kids who are being sponsored through our organization, so full of joy and thriving and learning at Covenant Primary School. Then, to actually go to their huts in their village of Namatala, and see their absolute horrendous living conditions; it just blew me away! Talk about contentment, regardless of your circumstances! Through ICHOOSEYOU, God is giving children who have nothing, a future and a hope! Through ICHOOSEYOU, God is not only feeding children and families every day, He is raising up a new generation of citizens of Uganda who are motivated, educated and solid in their faith in Jesus Christ. I fully believe they have the potential to change the course of history for a land that has been completely hopeless for so long.

In the village of Namatala, among the Karamojong tribe, I saw poverty like I never imagined possible! I saw physical and emotional pain, untimely death, disease, unsanitary living conditions, unclean water, hunger and hopelessness. I saw mothers and children simply trying to survive another day; orphans and widows wondering if they will forever be forgotten. In spite of all of this, I still saw the face of Jesus there. I saw a spark of hope in the smiles of those whom I had the awesome privilege of sharing the Gospel with and leading them in the prayer of salvation. I saw hope in the laughter of the children and in the eyes of so many of their mothers who learned the new skill of sewing from another one of our amazing team members! They were beyond thrilled to realize they had what it took to learn a new trade that could ultimately generate income to feed their starving children. These women felt like they were actually worth something!! We got to tell them and show them that they are beautiful, they are worthy, they are special and God has a plan and a purpose for their lives.

In Uganda, God spoke to me, showing me that these are His people, they are His beloved! He adores them and sees each of them as His precious children. I now believe God took me there and allowed me to experience all of this, first-hand, to break my heart and fill it with compassion for His beautiful Africa. His intention was to fan into flame a new passion within me to continue to love and serve this tribe through communicating to people back home, the magnitude of their needs as well as the obvious success of ICHOOSEYOU and the potential it has to change even more lives.

While you may never be called to actually go to Africa, you can still play an active role in saving a child’s life. Currently, IChooseYou has sponsored 30 children in the Namatala village of 7,000 people (4,000 of those, by the way, are children). There are so many more lives yet to be changed. I am asking you to please prayerfully consider becoming a sponsor of an ICHOOSEYOU kid. Being a sponsor really does matter. As a sponsor, you are literally coming alongside the parent(s) and assisting them in the raising of their child, providing for their child in ways they simply cannot, but wish they could. I can’t even begin to tell you what it was like to meet my little 5-year old ICHOOSEYOU kid, Mudua Irene and her family. The overwhelming gratitude I felt from her and especially from her mother was almost more than I could handle, emotionally. Little Mudua is like a second daughter to me now! Because of my family, she has now been given a chance to get out of that vicious cycle of poverty that is all too familiar to her people. For whatever reason, God has chosen her and placed her in our path and He has a plan for her life!

For just $45 per month, you too can literally change the course of not only the life of a child, but of their entire family and thus be a part of changing the future of an entire village! This volunteer managed organization is small and I can personally assure you that 100% of your money goes directly to these children covering the cost of their schooling, uniforms, food and hygiene provisions for their family each month, 2 medical check-ups each year as well Doctor visits as the need arises. When many of the kids contracted tough cases of Malaria this past year, ICHOOSEYOU made sure they were taken to the local clinic and/or hospital to receive the necessary medication and care. It is amazing how much further our dollar stretches in Uganda as compared to America. To learn more about how you can get involved, please visit www.ichooseyou.net. You can also get more detailed stories of our trip, as it happened by viewing our blog at www.ichooseyou2010.blogspot.com.

What a privileged work this trip was. What an amazing gift from God that I will treasure in my heart as long as I live. Again, the prayers of my family, friends and supporters played a crucial role in this whole experience and so it would not have been possible if it weren’t for you and so I thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I thank you for having compassion for this cause. I thank you for loving me and for believing in me and believing in what I am passionate about. You were just as much a part of this trip as I was. It was truly a team effort. God placed you on my team and what an honor it is to call you my friend!! May God bless you and your family! May He honor your precious heart!

Love in Christ,

Brandi

"For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, God has chosen you to be His own special treasure.” Deuteronomy 7:6

God is alive in Africa

2010-06-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, here is what has been going on in my life lately.........view....

http://ichooseyou2010.blogspot.com/

to see how God is working in Africa!! What a privileged work He calls us to!!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
Ephesians 1:3-6

Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
1 Corinthians 1:7-9

As I sat in my bed this Mother's Day morning, reading my Bible, having had my coffee, my breakfast and various special home-made cards, (handwritten and decorated by my precious little ones)brought to me, I just so "happened" to come across these two beautiful passages of scripture. I realized just how many wonderful gifts I truly have. My wonderful, Godly husband, my two precious children, my family, my friends, my house, my church, my relationship with Jesus, Himself, my hope, my peace......it's all because Jesus has so lavishly given them to me. His grace is all I need and He has graced me with every gift I have! The very gift of being a mother; it is ALL because of Him! I had none of this before I had Him. He is the very best gift I could ever receive. The best part is it is mine, forever and ever and ever!! His love NEVER runs out!!

Receive His gift of grace this Mother's Day and every day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Insecurity is unbelief!

2010-05-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Insecurity is unbelief!

His seal of ownership

2010-04-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

We have great worth

2010-03-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

You have great worth, APART FROM YOUR PERFORMANCE because Jesus Christ gave His life for you and, therefore, imparted great value to you. You are deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted, and complete in Christ!

Children of God

2010-03-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

1 John 3:1 (New International Version)

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

The very idea that I am actually a child of God just astonishes me. The One who set the billions of stars in place also loves me, enough to call me His very child! I am his child, really, His precious, beautiful child! Could I ever fully get my mind around that thought?

God will not leave them thirsty................

2010-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 41:17-20.......(The Message)

"The poor and homeless are desperate for water,
their tongues parched and no water to be found.
But I'm there to be found, I'm there for them,
and I, God of Israel, will not leave them thirsty.
I'll open up rivers for them on the barren hills,
spout fountains in the valleys.
I'll turn the baked-clay badlands into a cool pond,
the waterless waste into splashing creeks.
I'll plant the red cedar in that treeless wasteland,
also acacia, myrtle, and olive.
I'll place the cypress in the desert,
with plenty of oaks and pines.
Everyone will see this. No one can miss it—
unavoidable, indisputable evidence
That I, God, personally did this.
It's created and signed by The Holy of Israel."

Life is too short!

2010-02-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

"As for me, I am tired of talking about what we are going to do. I am sick of talking about helping people, of brainstorming and conferencing about ways we can be radical and make sacrifices. I don't want to merely talk anymore. Life is too short. I don't want to speak about Jesus; I want to know Jesus. I want to be Jesus to people. I don't want to just to write about the Holy Spirit; I want to experience His presence in my life in a profound way."

- Francis Chan, Forgotten God

Urgent Message from Jesus

2010-02-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

John 5:24-27 (The Message)

24"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.

25-27"It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.

Wow, this verse just grabbed me this morning. I love The Message translation of this one, and how twice, it emphasizes the word URGENT. This message from Jesus truly is urgent and I think so often times we forget that. If Jesus said it, then I'm taking it as truth. He thought it was important enough to emphasize the fact that it is time, now, to accept Him and believe in Him. I don't just think He is saying that we will have lasting life in eternity, with Him, at the moment we accept Him. I think He is saying that we will have real and lasting life now.......once in Him, we enter into our REAL life, the one He intended for us all along. The one full of passion for Him because of His amazing love for us; which fuels compassion for others in need......which gives us the courage we need to step out there and really serve them, really! Something that others would label as radical! To stretch ourselves to do what we think we cannot! The Holy Spirit does the serving and the loving through us! How awesome is that?!? He knows we cannot keep His commands on our own strength so, if we allow Him to, He enters into us and does it for us!

Incredible that just by believing Him, He not only equips us but motivates us to do His will, now, while we are on earth, as it is, and will be in Heaven! Doing His will here, is a picture, a preview of what Heaven will be like. Perhaps that is why we feel so "pumped" when we are doing something for God!

What an amazing life! There is nothing on this earth that should not be worth giving up in order to step into this life with Him. We can trust Him, He knows us better than we know ourselves! He is worth it!

The grass truly is greener on the other side with Jesus!!

These verses in John are an invitation for us to enter into this life with Christ and he is saying that all we have to do is BELIEVE!!

Just Stop And Think

2010-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Just Stop And Think.....

"Day in and day out, we find ourselves in the monotony of life; self help books, work, family, friends, cars, house, medications. Most of us are simply trying to life a "normal life." Have you ever found yourself wondering whether or not the goal of life should be normalcy? Now is the time to Stop and Think."

http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_stop.html

- Francis Chan, Crazy Love

"The Awe Factor of God"

2010-02-01T12:12:00.001-08:00

This video shows us how incredibly huge God and His creation really is! In case we ever think that this life is "all about us", this video reminds us that it is truly, all about Him, the wonderful Creator we worship!

http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html

Homeless but not hopeless!!

2010-01-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had the awesome opportunity to serve a meal with my small group from my church to about 40 homeless people at a local homeless shelter. I feel compelled to share my reflections on what took place there. I don't think the magnitude of it hit me until I slept on it! I woke up this morning, absolutely overwhelmed and broken with compassion. After we served, my family and I then got into our nice car and headed over to a restaurant to eat dinner and then stopped at the grocery store to spend some money there and then drove home to our nice little, cozy home. I took a shower in my nice hot shower with awesome water pressure, put on my soft jammies that I got for Christmas and then crawled into my super-comfy bed and rested so comfortably under my fluffy down comforter! I thought about how those people don't get to do that! I mean, where did they go this morning after they got to sleep in the shelter last night? What are they doing right now? Where did the woman with the newborn baby go today? What about the girl expecting a baby?!? I mean seriously, I cannot imagine one day in a homeless person's shoes!

Last night, I saw people, who simply needed to receive mercy. Sure, many of them could have made, and may still be making poor decisions to end up in the state they are in today. But just like me, in many ways, my life was one giant poor decision, until I met Jesus! But Jesus is exactly what they all need and I believe Jesus is what they got last night. They did not receive a spirit of religion or judgment from us, they received regular people just loving them and giving them something they need - FOOD!! It was such a privilege to work alongside some amazing servants of Jesus Christ last night, witnessing such amazing grace in action!

Jesus, He's where it's at and it is my prayer that seeds of love and hope were planted last night and that these people would somehow, turn to the one person who can truly pull them out of their pits, just like He did for me!

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

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.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods. [a]

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced [b] , [c] ;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll. [d]

8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

God is eveywhere

2010-01-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

"We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you. Look into the storm,; that's Christ coming toward you."

- Max Lucado

God's chariot for you

2010-01-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

"We have to be brought to the place where all other refuges fail us before we can say "He only." We say, "He and - something else," "He and my experience," or "He and my church relationships," or "He and my Christian work"; and all that comes after the "and" must be taken away from us or must be proved useless before we can come to the "He only." As long as visible chariots are at hand, the soul will not mount into the invisible ones.

Let us be thankful, then, for every trial that will help to destroy our earthly chariots and that will compel us to take refuge in the chariot of God which stands ready and waiting beside us in every event and circumstance of life. We are told that "God rideth upon the heavens"; and if we would ride with Him there, we need to be brought to the end of all riding upon the earth.

Joseph had a revelation of his future triumphs and reigning, but the chariots that carried him there looked to the eye of sense like dreadful Juggernaut cars of failure and defeat. Slavery and imprisonment are strange chariots to take one to a kingdom, and yet by no other way could Joseph have reached his exaltation. And our exaltation to the spiritual throne that awaits us is often reached by similar chariots.

The great point, then, is to have our eyes opened to see in everything that comes to us a "chariot of God," and to learn how to mount into these chariots. We must recognize each thing that comes to us as being really God's chariot for us and must accept it as from Him. He does not command or originate the thing, perhaps; but the moment we put it into His hands, it becomes His, and He at once turns it into a chariot for us. He makes all things, even bad things, work together for good to all those who trust Him. All He needs is to have it entirely committed to Him.

When your trial comes, then, put it right into the will of God and climb into that will as a little child climbs into its mother's arms. The baby carried in the chariot of its mother's arms rides triumphantly through the hardest places and does not even know they are hard. And how much more we, who are carried in the chariot of the "arms of God:!

Get into your chariot, then. Take each thing that is wrong in your lives as God's chariot for you. No matter who the builder of the wrong may be, whether men or devils, by the time it reaches your side it is God's chariot for you and is meant to carry you to a heavenly place of triumph. Shut out all the second causes and find the Lord in it. Say, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see, not the visible enemy, but Thy unseen chariots of deliverance."

- Hannah Whitall Smith, (1832 - 1911)

He met our greatest need

2009-12-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.

- Author unknown

"For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

Are you afraid to take this step?

2009-12-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

A man was obliged to descend into a deep well by sliding down a fixed rope which was supposed to be of ample length. But to his dismay he came to the end of it before his feet had touched the bottom. He had not the strength to climb up again, and to let go and drop seemed to him but to be dashed to pieces in the depths below. He held on until his strength was utterly exhausted and then dropped, as he thought, to his death. He fell - just three inches - and found himself safe on the rock bottom.

Are you afraid to take this step? Does it seem too sudden, too much like a leap in the dark? Do you not know that the step of faith always "falls on the seeming void, but finds the rock beneath?" If ever you are to enter this glorious land, flowing with milk and honey, you must sooner or later step into the brimming waters, for there is no other path; and to do it now may save you months and even years of disappointment and grief. Hear the word of the Lord -

Joshua 1:9
"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."

- Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life

A lump of clay in the Potter's hands?

2009-12-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Just as the potter, however skillful, cannot make a beautiful vessel out of a lump of clay that is never put into his hands, so neither can God make out of me a vessel unto His honor unless I put myself into His hands. My part is the essential correlation of God's part in the matter of my salvation; and as God is sure to do His part all right, the vital thing for me is to find out what my part is and then do it.

- Hannah Whitall Smith

Do you know who you are?

2009-12-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be sepa rated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16).
I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).
I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1).
I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected.(Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14).
I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)

I belong to God.
Do you know who you are!?

Letting Jesus in...........

2009-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

One of the great depictions of Jesus in the history of art was painted by William Holman Hunt. In his painting The Light of the World, he portrays Jesus knocking at a door. On the frame of the picture he had etched the verse from Revelation 3:20, written to followers in the ancient city of Laodicea. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

The striking thing about Holman's picture is that Jesus is standing outside the door, holding a lamp in His hand. The imagery is clear. If Jesus is on the outside of your life, so is His light. There is no hope of lighting the world around you until you let Him in to light your world.

When Jesus wrote the letter to the Laodicean church, He pictured Himself on the outside of their heart's door because in their affluence and self-made lives, they didn't think they needed Him. In a very real sense they had constructed their world as a non-Jesus world. And, strange as it seems, many of us have done the same thing. We feel we have all we need without Him.

No doubt the Laodiceans were glad to have Him as Savior, attend His church, even serve on committees and boards. But until they needed Him at death's door, they would do life much as they pleased. And so an excluded Jesus stood at the door of their hearts seeking to come in. He is standing at your heart's door seeking to come in with the light for your world gripped firmly in His hand. If you're arguing that Jesus is already "in you," then you have missed the point. He can be resident somewhere in the territory of your life without being the all-controlling center of your heart. He seeks to set up His throne in your heart where decisions, dreams, plans and intentions are forged.

Surrendering fully to Jesus is the key to beginning a life that effectively impacts your world for Him.

- Joseph M. Stowell, The Trouble With Jesus

Letter from Jesus

2009-12-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking
My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily
understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.
I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just
GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which
you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a
couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own
front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such
a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around
town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday
tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can
remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I
actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to
you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up
John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish
list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is
being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from
home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they
tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally.
They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the
cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that
you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It
will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they
don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why
I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them
that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own
life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't
know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it
could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the
holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile
and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas"
that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on
Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and
let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary--
especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard
My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town
who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any
presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few
gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which
believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and
loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian.. Don't do things in secret that
you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are
one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what
I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list
above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in
your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those
whom you love and remember :

I LOVE YOU,

JESUS

(not sure of the author of this, but it's awesome!!)

Merry Christmas!!

,Brandi

Be strong and courageous!

2009-11-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Joshua 1:9 - The Message

"Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

Joshua 1:9 - NIV

"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."

And now I've got __________on the move! (fill in your name)

2009-11-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is what God had to say to Cyrus, the king who God anointed. Why did He anoint Cyrus? Because God had a special task for him to do for Israel. Does God have a special task for you? Has He anointed you to do something in His name, for His glory? Is it something out of your comfort zone, or perhaps way out of the comfort zones of those around you, in your world? Do we really believe that God is who He says He is and that we CAN DO what He says we can do, what He calls us to do? Read on and be blessed, my friends! I've bolded the parts that God has spoken DIRECTLY to my spirit, today!

Isaiah 45 - (The Message)

1-7 God's Message to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he took by the hand
To give the task of taming the nations,
of terrifying their kings—
He gave him free rein,
no restrictions:
"I'll go ahead of you,
clearing and paving the road.
I'll break down bronze city gates,
smash padlocks, kick down barred entrances.
I'll lead you to buried treasures,
secret caches of valuables—
Confirmations that it is, in fact, I, God,
the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
It's because of my dear servant Jacob,
Israel my chosen,
That I've singled you out, called you by name,
and given you this privileged work.
And you don't even know me!
I am God, the only God there is.
Besides me there are no real gods.
I'm the one who armed you for this work,
though you don't even know me,
So that everyone, from east to west, will know
that I have no god-rivals.
I am God, the only God there is.
I form light and create darkness,
I make harmonies and create discords.
I, God, do all these things.

8-10"Open up, heavens, and rain.
Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!
Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;
sprout right living.
I, God, generate all this.
But doom to you who fight your Maker—
you're a pot at odds with the potter!
Does clay talk back to the potter:
'What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!'
Would a sperm say to a father,
'Who gave you permission to use me to make a baby?'
Or a fetus to a mother,
'Why have you cooped me up in this belly?'"

11-13Thus God, The Holy of Israel, Israel's Maker, says:
"Do you question who or what I'm making?
Are you telling me what I can or cannot do?
I made earth,
and I created man and woman to live on it.
I handcrafted the skies
and direct all the constellations in their turnings.
And now I've got Cyrus on the move.
I've rolled out the red carpet before him.
He will build my city.
He will bring home my exiles.
I didn't hire him to do this. I told him.
I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies."

14God says:

"The workers of Egypt, the merchants of Ethiopia,
and those statuesque Sabeans
Will all come over to you—all yours.
Docile in chains, they'll follow you,
Hands folded in reverence, praying before you:
'Amazing! God is with you!
There is no other God—none.'"

Jesus is the good shepherd!

2009-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't light your fire, I don't know what will........................

John 10:7-18 (New International Version)

7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

Worry vs. Faith - Putting up the Shield of Faith

2009-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Think about your current worries. Are you worrying about temporary things or things that won't matter in eternity? Is your worry adding one moment to your life, or might it be shortening your life? Does your worry imply that God doesn't know what you need or that He is unwilling to meet your need? Are you worried more about current reality or about what you think might happen?

Where do you believe God is when you're worried? Worry, by definition, is a lack of faith in God, It is, as one writer has said, "practical atheism." In fact, worry quickly becomes idolatry of the self: I am more concerned about myself than I am about trusting God's purposes. When we are at such a point, we aren't carrying the shield of faith.

If worry is a problem for you, ask God to help you to trust Him. We only trust people or things that prove to be faithful. (Has God proven His faithfulness to you?) The Enemy stakes his battle plan on your worry. It will rob you of faith and cause you to fall victim to him. Take up the shield of faith and stand against this scheme of the Enemy in your life.

Worry:
focuses on circumstances and self and obsesses about what might happen based on our thoughts.

Faith:
focuses on God, trusts what God has and will do based on God's Word

Worry:
elevates the temporary over the eternal, keeps us awake at night

Faith:
sees the eternal despite the temporary, gives us sleep at night

Worry:
is a tool of the Enemy

Faith:
is a gift of God

One of our biggest problems is that we get more focused on our circumstances than on the God who is bigger than our circumstances.

Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

- Chuck Lawless, Putting on the Armor, Equipped And Deployed for Spiritual Warfare

The Voice of Adventure

2009-10-13T20:15:00.001-07:00

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"
Psalm 27:1

Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry for what you don't try, right? You can't fall if you don't take a stand, right? You can't lose your balance if you never climb, right? So don't try it. Take the safe route.

Or you can hear the voice of adventure - God's adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God's impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference. Sure it isn't safe, but what is?

- Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones

I so identify with these words from a very wise Bible teacher. For the last three years, God has brought me in, tightly under his wing and it is there where He has shaped me, molded me, convicted me, healed me, taught me His Word, loved me and prepared me. I am now entering into a new season of my life, where I see Him opening doors for me to walk through. The key to fearlessly walking through them is believing, that He is standing on the other side of those doors, welcoming we into a new place, where He is. He is not opening them and then pushing me through and then taking off. He will stay right there with me in this new "room" I'll be entering. He would never call me to do something and then not stick around and do it with me. Why? Because He does not want me to do these things in my own strength. He is the Good Shepherd and I am simply His sheep! He is calling me to allow Him to do them through me. The time I've spent, over the last three years so tightly hidden under his wings was actually time spent getting rid of "me" and making room for Him. That is the goal of a Christ follower, right? Less of me, more of Him? I realize I'll be getting rid of "me" until the day I die, but I can honestly say there is a lot more of Him in my life than ever before. And, regardless of what season of life I find myself in, I will never, ever leave the safety of living under His wings. I will stay in that place forever!

So now, I am seeing more and more opportunities seemingly "popping up" in my life to serve Him, to speak for Him, to teach about Him, to stand up for Him, to represent Him, to bring Glory to Him, to point the world to Him. Yes, the battle will rage against me at times, His word says it will. I am alert and prepared to fight that battle by putting on the full armor, from the helmet down to the shoes. But, I will not let the fear of leaving the "safety zone" keep me from entering the game. I don't know what lies ahead for me, but God does, after all, He wrote every day of my life in His book. For this reason, I can trust Him to lead me down the right path. God gives us one chance at this life on earth. I choose to live it, trusting God every step of the way. I want to make a difference. I want my life to represent one word - JESUS!

Oh how thankful I am that He rescued me from the dominion of darkness and has brought me into the kingdom of the Son He loves. (Colossians 1:13)

I am so thankful that I even "get to" participate in this kind of life - the adventure of Jesus!

Jesus - the Prince of Peace

2009-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Jesus is the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6) whose sacrificial death bridges the gap between us and God. We can be at peace with God not because we deserve it, but because Jesus is our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). He became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), bore God's wrath against us (Rom. 3:23-26), and now advocates for us with the Father (1 John 2:1). That which puts us at odds with God - our sinfulness - has now been addressed.

No peace exists like the peace God gives us when our relationship with Him is restored. Jesus is that peace, and He makes that peace possible.

- Chuck Lawless, Putting on the Armor

As human beings, we have this huge problem - it's called sin! The ONLY way, the ONLY way, the ONLY way we can be reconciled to God, with His perfect standard, is through accepting the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us on the cross. There is NO OTHER remedy for our sin problem. Make no mistake, the problem exists in every human being ever created. I can't thank God enough for sending His Son as the one and only sacrifice to cover my sin, ultimately making a way for me to be saved from death. Instead, He gives us life and life eternal. What a gift of peace! Thank you God for loving me so much that you would do this for me. Oh but it's not just for me, He is standing at the door, offering His gift of salvation to everyone! It is a free gift, for anyone who will receive it! Wow! Now that's amazing!

Your one and only?

2009-10-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

Genesis 3:15
"....he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

"As God predicted at the fall, the ancient serpent struck Christ's heel, but on the day He ascended, all things were under Christ's feet. Jesus Christ walked the way of humanity so humanity could walk the way of God. How beautiful the feet that brought good news.

The question is not, "Is Jesus the One and Only?" Our vote cannot elect Him to a position He already occupies. The question is this: Has Jesus become your One and Only? Is He transcending all else in your life? Is He beyond compare? Your one and only Savior? Your one and only Deliverer? The one and only Lover of your soul? If so, my dear friend, you are being transformed from glory unto glory like Moses who descended the mount of God with face radiant. You may not see it, but others do. That's God's way. May our lives be obscured by the glory of Christ, hidden in the shadow of His cross. And when all is said and done, may your tenure on this planet be characterized by one simple word - Jesus."

- Beth Moore
Jesus, The One And Only

He Holds Our Hand

2009-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

He holds our hand

My 3-year old son, Luke and I were enjoying ourselves recently, hiking in the dry creek bed near our house. Hiking is one of the many outdoor activities my husband and children and I often enjoy together, living in the “woods” of the beautiful Texas Hill Country. What a blessing this place is! In the creek bed, there is one area covered mostly with small, smooth rocks that is easy to navigate over. As the hike progresses, however, the terrain suddenly changes into very large, rough boulders. Once we come to this stretch of the hike, mommy must hold little Luke’s little hand as we climb over them, to avoid him slipping and injuring a knee, an elbow, or even worse, his head!

Luke loves to pick every flower he sees, for me. He thinks they are all beautiful and that his mommy should have all of them. On this particular day, he was cherishing a dandelion he had picked and was holding it tightly in his hand. Upon reaching the rough boulders, I reached down to grab his hand but I could not get a tight grip on it. Luke had his little hand closed, like a ball around this “weed” he called a flower. I explained to him that in order for mommy to protect him from slipping on the rocks and getting hurt, he must drop the flower and allow me to hold his hand the right way, tightly and securely. So, with some hesitation, he did what I asked and let go of what he thought was important and slipped his small hand into mine. As he watched the flower drop to the ground, in that moment, he realized it was not worth holding onto if it meant risk of injury. It was also in that moment when the Holy Spirit spoke so clearly to my heart. He said, “This is how it is with you. You try to hold onto things that you think are beautiful and important, but I am saying, let go of those things so that I can grab your hand, tightly and securely. The path of life is full of bumpy rocks and boulders and you must allow me to hold onto you as we cross over them, together. Don’t hold so tightly to the things of this world that can get in the way of what I have for you. They are not worth it. My plan is so much better. Drop those things so you can grab onto me!”

Father knows best, doesn’t He? He is standing there, arms outstretched, in our direction. He wants us to grab on and live our life in Him, safely resting in the palm of His hand.

Psalm 73:23-28
"Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."

Open the book!

2009-09-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Psalm 73:23-28

23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.

27 Those who desert him will perish,
for you destroy those who abandon you.
28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

This passage of scripture was exactly what I needed today. I needed God's glorious reassurance in the face of condemnation, His comforting in an often-times uncomfortable world, His strength when I felt defeated. He gave it to me, right here in His word. Amazing how He speaks to us!! What is He trying to say to you? Open the book and you will find out! God only knows what is waiting in there for you!

Grace, Grace and more Grace

2009-09-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

You will never be called upon to give anyone more grace than God has already given you. - Max Lucado - In the Grip of Grace

No safer place than in the will of God!

2009-09-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

There is no safer place than in the will of God!

Proverbs 29:25
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe."

Joshua 1:9
"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."

2 Corinthians 5:7
"We live by faith, not by sight."

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all that you do and He will direct your paths."

Romans 8:31
"If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Psalm 34:7
"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them."

Romans 8:38
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love."

Hebrews 12:2-3 (The Message)
"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"

Romans 8:33
"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies."

Isaiah 43:2
"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you."

John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

Isaiah 58:8-9
"Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply."

Isaiah 58:11
"The Lord will guide you always."

John 15:16
"You 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."

John 16:33
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Isaiah 59:19
"From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along."

Deuteronomy 33:27
"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'

Psalm 91:1-10 (The Message)
"You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
I trust in you and I'm safe!"
That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you're perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God's your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can't get close to you,
harm can't get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they'll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path."

The view from God's perspective, not mans'

2009-09-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew 16:23 (New International Version)
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Matthew 16:23 (New Living Translation)
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Peter didn't understand that Christ's suffering and death were the means by which He would indeed secure the kingdom.

All Satan needs to have momentary victory over a disciple is for us to have in mind the things of men. Satan doesn't have to get us thinking blatantly satanic thoughts to have victory over us. All he needs is to get us looking at life from man's perspective rather than God's. If we surrender our minds to the things of God, we are safe! We don't have to constantly look out for our own best interests, because He's constantly looking out for them. What Peter didn't understand is that what may have seemed best in the short run would have been disastrous in the long run. Had Jesus saved His disciples the anxiety of His betrayal, trials and death, He wouldn't have saved them at all.

On this earth I don't know that we will ever perpetually have in mind the things of God rather than the things of man. If we don't make the deliberate choice to have in mind the things of God when faced with our biggest challenges, most of us will probably default back to our natural instinct - the things of man.

Developing the mind-set of one who is continually taking up his cross and following Christ is the heart of having "in mind the things of God."(Matthew 16:23) rahter than man. Don't forget that the issue that prompted this discourse was the identity of Christ. When we surrender to carrying our crosses and following Him, we identify with Him.

In Christ's invitation I see two other concepts: denying self and taking up the cross daily. Those who accept this invitation are called to deny themselves. I don't believe Christ was talking about the things we typically consider self-denial. The issue here wasn't fasting from food, nor was it denying self a single extra. It wasn't about self-loathing, for Christ commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. I believe the primary issue involved in this kind of self-denial is denying our right to be our own authority.

This passage brings us to the sobering realization that what we might think is our own authority - having in mind the things of men - could easily be transferred to Satan's authority. I've learned the hard way that denying my right to be my own boss is what k eeps me from getting slaughtered by Satan in warfare. Let's face it: this "be-your-own boss" stuff is nothing but a myth.

The key to true "follow-ship" with Christ is the recommitment to take up the cross daily. One reason I am drawn to Luke's version of this invitation over Matthew's is because he included an all-important word - daily.

- Beth Moore, Jesus, the One and Only

Luke 9:23-24
"Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

Galatians 5:24-25
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives."

Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Trust Him to live through you

2009-09-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

"Kept" by Arlene Zimmerman

"The LORD bless you, And keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace."
(Numbers 6:24-26)

Dear Sisters who are precious in Him:
When I first became a believer I felt compelled to overcome sinful 'self'and become spiritual. I did not realize it required much time and failure before I was able to give up self-effort for my growth. The self-life is our most resilient foe. For me to serve God acceptably I had to learn His way of victory over this subtle enemy.
Need produces spiritual hunger. My flesh is irrevocably fallen and God has one plan for it: co-crucifixion. God does not want to improve it and scripture teaches I am dead with Christ, dead to sin and alive to Christ. Not "dying", but dead. (Romans 6:6-7) Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Our part is not production, but reception of our life n Christ. No believer ever fell into maturity, even though we are complete in Christ. I remember as a young Christian, out of love for Jesus I wanted to live for Him. Though well-meaning, as growing believers it is time we go beyond the 'love' motive to the 'life'motive."For me to live is Christ"(Phil 1:21a) Our walk will be a roller coaster if our response to Him is from any other motivation than the response of His life in us. Yielding to Him on any other basis will amount to our trying to live for Him in the self-life. Unacceptable. Only what the Lord does through us is accepted by the Father. Growth takes time and cannot be hurried and He keeps!

I am so thankful scripture teaches we are "kept" by His power. (Psalm 121, Daniel 9:4) There is such security in knowing we are His treasure and He delights to keep us. His love for us is immeasurable. Stop trying to live for Christ and trust Him to live through you (by faith) because the new nature, the Christ-life in you, is the only One God acknowledges. Christ is our life. This is our only ground on which to stand and from this platform we are to count ourselves dead to sin... and alive to God. (Romans 6) We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and until we have done this there is nothing else we can do.

There is a reason for this order : Crucifixion comes before consecration.

(thoughts gleaned from NBtHH)

OT Kept; Keep: Strongs
8104" to hedge about as with thorns, to protect, to
attend to."

NT Keep: Strongs 5083
"to guard from loss or injury by keeping an eye upon,
hold fast"

Watchman Nee:
"Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves
are dealt with by the cross.The blood procures our pardon, the cross
procures deliverance from what we are in Adam. The blood can wash
away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man: I need the cross to
crucify me- the sinner"

Psalm 145:20
The LORD keeps all who love Him,

Psalm 66:8-9
Bless our God, O people, And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip.

I Peter 1:5
We are born again to) an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

"He Loves Us"

2009-08-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

This is for all of you out there who love Jesus as much as I do. This link to the below song/video is INCREDIBLE. Raise your hands, fall on your knees - however you feel lead to worship your King, grab a tissue and enjoy! This is my new favorite song!! I've even included the lyrics for you.

,Brandi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

"He loves us"
by Kim Walker
RingtonesSend "How He Loves" Ringtone to your CellRingtones

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me

Oh how he loves us, so
Oh How he loves us, how he loves us so

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me

And oh, how he loves us so,
Oh how he loves us, how he loves us so

Yeah he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves

We are his portion and he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
So, heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves

Yeah, he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves

"Awake, Deborahs, Awake!"

2009-08-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Jill Austin: "Awake, Deborahs, Awake! Part 1"
by Jill Austin
Oct 28, 2008

The Body of Christ is in a radical transition time due to the global shaking that is happening all over the world. The acceleration and advancement of radical Islam throughout the earth, the new surge of power with the Hamas, and the critical dangers that face Israel every single day will only be won on our knees.
Intimacy with God is the highest purpose for which we were created, but are we REALLY seeking His highest purpose for our lives? If we really understood God's love and heart for us, we'd be making radical choices to be with Him more than any other activity in life! If we had a revelation of His true jealousy to have uninterrupted time with us, we'd turn the world upside down like His disciples did!
But instead, we've been lulled to sleep or are enamored with the trinkets of life while missing the real treasures of God. Many believers are experiencing "Hope deferred makes the heart sick," so they're leaving the Church because they have no passion, no purpose, no power, and no sense of His presence, but they have no secret life in God either! Will it take a crisis to bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus?
What was it about Deborah that caught His gaze? Her uncompromising dedication moved the very heart of God and He changed the very heart of Deborah. She spent SO much time in the temple in prayer and worship that she was dripping with oil. Because of that, she could hear the Lord's voice clearly, operate with keen discernment for the times and seasons she faced as well as her daily decisions with the people, and when the call to battle came, she was absolutely ready!
Deborah was being prepared for battle in the secret place! This is where the true victory lies in communing with Him one-on-one. That is our place of safety and truth!
It is time to stop talking about intimacy with God - it's time to REALLY do it!
Who Was Deborah?
Imagine a teenage girl being elected as Pope and single-handedly tearing down all the walls of division between Catholics and Protestants. Hard to even fathom that possibility isn't it? Now imagine a middle-aged, gray-haired, Jewish housewife and mother being raised up over 3,000 years ago to lead Israel in one of the most improbable military victories of history!
Allow me to introduce to you our unlikely candidate and heroine of the faith: Deborah. I have heard very little being taught about her. I always hear about Gideon, Samuel and some of the other judges, but when I studied Deborah, I fell in love with her. Deborah is very unique and a little controversial because she was a woman who held the highest executive office in the land of Canaan, or Israel, at the time.
An ancient Joan of Arc, Deborah appears in the sacred annals of Israel's history as the nation's fourth judge, the third woman prophetess (after Miriam and Rachel) and a deliverer of God's people. Deborah was in a class of her own; her leadership role was unprecedented and unparalleled! She was a woman who led a nation to victory against all odds. And she did this in a patriarchal era where there was no precedent for women leaders.
Cycles of Israel's Rebellion and Deliverance
The whole book of Judges covered approximately 325 years. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Joshua and the elders died and the 12 tribes of Israel were separated in the land of Canaan. The tragic pattern of the Book of Judges is this: the people went into rebellion - they worshipped other gods and intermarried into pagan tribes.
The Lord brought judgment against them. They cried out to God for deliverance. The Lord would raise up a judge, there would be a battle, Israel would be delivered and peace would be on the land for a season. After the judge died, the people went back to rebellion and the Lord once again brought heavy oppression. This cycle happened six different times!
Gwen Shaw accurately pens in her book, Deborah and Jael:
"Their homes were raided and ransacked, their crops plundered, their maidens raped, their fathers mocked and their sons murdered. People could not walk in the highways anymore. They were locked up in their homes, and some even had to forsake their lands and dwellings because the enemy took possession of them. They lived in caves and dens. Their sheep and goats were stolen from them; their harvests were carried off as soon as they were reaped. They lost their olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and their pomegranates. This left them hungry, destitute, and desperate. They throw God out of their schools, laws, their hearts and lives, claiming they don't need Him. But when they are in trouble, they wonder where He is, and why He didn't save them and prevent tragedy."
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge, and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite kings: Jabin, and his cunning military commander, Sisera (see Judges 4:1-4).
Deborah Captured the Gaze of God
What is astounding is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess, but also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture, but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience - to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this radical prophetess and judge, it expands our theology of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a company of end-time Deborahs. There is great global shaking that has only begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying:
"Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord!"
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (see 2 Chronicles 16:9).
What caught His gaze when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith, or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the otherworldliness of her wisdom, and the richness of her kindness which bred confidence in both men and women?
There are two root words for "consecrate" in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other champions of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies in listening to Him.

Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
Email: info@masterpotter.com

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Anything can happen

2009-08-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Mark 9:23 (NIV)
" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Mark 9:23 (The Message)
Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."

God has been showing me lately that anything is possible with Him. To me, this means a little more than just "I can do all things with God." It means that things I didn't think were possible for me, things I thought I would never do, He is saying I can do. Lately God has been encouraging me to open my mind and my heart to His possibilities. Don't put Him in a box! He wants to do great, even unthinkable things in and through me that I never dreamed of. He wants me to step out of fear and trust Him to show me what I can really do, in Him.

Psalm 77:19 (New Living Translation)

"Your road led through the sea,your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!"

Think about this for a minute..........God already knows everything that will happen. So, if He already knew, in advance, that His chosen people would escape the Egyptian army, by Him parting the Red Sea and them walking right down the middle of it, we can conclude that He always knew that footpath was there. But, did they always know it was there? Do you think they ever dreamed that that would be the path God would lead them down to reach their freedom? Years before this, did they ever look at that sea and think, "One day, God will part this and I will be walking through it on dry land". Of course not!!

I believe it's the same way with us today. There may be a path, a road, a ministry that God wants us to enter into that He has known about forever, but we have just not yet seen it. He has not yet revealed it to us. It may be something that we, in our limited thinking, would never, ever dream of, for ourselves. God is saying, "Think big, because I'm big and anything can happen with me!"

Satisfy the needs of the oppressed

2009-08-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 58:6-12 (New International Version)

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

.......that the God of glory would use us!

2009-08-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Christ's willingness to empower us can overwhelm us. Simon Peter already knew Jesus possessed extraordinary power, but he felt the real impact of Christ's power when that authority worked through his own hands. Suddenly the fisherman fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8)

What blessed condescension that the God of glory would use us! What humility the realization should bring! Isaiah cried, "Woe to me!...I am ruined" (Isaiah 6:5). Peter cried, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). Both men were overwhelmed, not just by what they had done. They were overwhelmed by what they were: sinful men. Do not miss the fact that neither was prepared to receive their call until they confronted their sin.

I've certainly never experienced an encounter like Isaiah's or Peter's, but I have assuredly faced moments of such stark realization of my own sin that I felt unbearable pain. Interestingly, those moments did not come during times of rebellion, but rather, they came during close encounters with God when I drew close enough to get an eyeful of myself.

I will never forget the realizations that brought me to surrender to the crucified life. Suddenly I realized that even if I could cease all sinful behavior, I would continue to battle sin throughout my life because I don't just commit sin. Apart from God, I am sinful. My problem is not just what I do; it's who I am without His nature.

Those realizations were both harrowing and liberating. The surrender resulting from the realization of my own innate unholiness did more to activate the holiness of God in me than anything I've ever experienced. How like God! Even our painful realizations of sinfulness are to mortify us to new life.

- Beth Moore, "Jesus the One and Only"

"The Baffling Call of God"

2009-08-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

"The Baffling Call of God"

(Luke 18:31, 34)
"And all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished...And they (the disciples) understood none of these things."

If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. As we go on in the Christian life it gets simpler, because we are less inclined to say - Now why did God allow this and that? Behind the whole thing lies the compelling of God. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends." A Christian is one who trusts the wits and the wisdom of God, and not his own wits. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

The "Previous" grace of God

2009-07-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

"Before David ever sinned with Bathsheba, God knew what would happen. Just as before God ever created the world, God knew Adam and Eve would sin. God knew death would enter the world through their sin, and in His grace God made provision for man's sin - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had a plan for the redemption of mankind made in their image. Jesus would be the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world! Salvation has always been by grace, because God in all His holiness, righteousness, and justice is also a God of love, a God of grace. Where sin abounded, grace abounded even more. It's lavish, extravagant grace. It is previous grace! So shall we sin that more grace might come? God forbid! Grace is not a license to sin; rahter, it is power not to sin and love that covers it when we do."

- Kay Arthur

After grasping the astonishing concept of "previous grace" through the Bible Study, Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed - A Study of David, I was blown away! Had I ever stopped to think that God knew the sins I would commit, before I committed them. He knew every one and He already had grace in mind before I was ever born. He knew I would follow the rocky, bumpy, frustrating and at times, painful path of rebellion against Him for as long as I did. He prepared His grace for me, in advance of my sin! Is that love or what?!? No other love compares to this love! Nothing and no one could ever love me like this or ever forgive me like this. There is no one like God! I am especially thankful for the "previous grace" of my Heavenly Father!

Praise His Holy name, forever and ever!

Psalm 103 - I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-24T18:53:00.001-07:00

Psalm 103

A David Psalm

1-2 O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don't forget a single blessing!

3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
He heals your diseases—every one.
He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
He renews your youth—you're always young in his presence.

6-18 God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we're made of mud.
Men and women don't live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
God's love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.

19-22 God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over us all. He's the King!
So bless God, you angels,
ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!

We are not at the end of our hope!

2009-07-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (New Living Translation)

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you."

Paul's focus was not on the perishable container but on its priceless contents - God's power dwelling in us. Though we are weak, God uses us to spread His Good News, and He gives us power to do His work. Knowing that the power is His, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily contact with God, our power source. Our responsibility is to let people see God through us. Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope. Our perishable bodies are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life. all our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us. We must ask ourselves, "Could I handle the suffering and opposition that Paul did?" The success syndrome is a great enemy of effective ministry. From an earthly perspective, Paul was not very successful. Like Paul, we must carry out our ministry, looking to God for strength. When opposition, slander, or disappointment threaten to rob you of the victory, remember that no one can destroy what God has accomplished through you.

- Life Application Study Bible (NIV) study notes

2009-07-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 41:8-13

"But you, Israel, are my servant.
You're Jacob, my first choice,
descendants of my good friend Abraham.
I pulled you in from all over the world,
called you in from every dark corner of the earth,
Telling you, 'You're my servant, serving on my side.
I've picked you. I haven't dropped you.'
Don't panic. I'm with you.
There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

"Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you
will end up out in the cold—
real losers.
Those who worked against you
will end up empty-handed—
nothing to show for their lives.
When you go out looking for your old adversaries
you won't find them—
Not a trace of your old enemies,
not even a memory.
That's right. Because I, your God,
have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go.
I'm telling you, 'Don't panic.
I'm right here to help you."

We can totally trust God to protect us. We can trust Him to do the things we would never have the power to do. When those kinds of things are actually done through us, while serving Him, that is the real miracle. We can trust God, period. (end of sentence.) Everything that we need, He provides! He loves us more than we could ever love Him! He is right here to help, we just need to ask!!

,Brandi

A Living Sacrifice

2009-07-08T20:14:00.001-07:00

Romans 12:1-2

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Thirsty anyone?

2009-07-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

(John 4:13-14)
Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."

Our mess - our ministry

2009-06-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

"You cannot amputate your history from your destiny. Transparency is essential to your ministry." - Beth Moore

"Your mess can be your ministry." - Priscilla Shirer

Such wise words from such wise, God-following women.

In preparation for sharing my life story with others, I can see, on paper, just how messed up my life was before Jesus, just how poor my decision making was. Oh how thankful I am that He saved me from myself, that He redeemed me and restored my wasted years. Now, I have a story to tell and God is using my "mess" as my ministry. He can make something beautiful out of the ugliest things. He is amazing. He is Holy. He is my God!

,Amen

No eyes have seen, no ears have heard

2009-06-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

We took a family vacation last weekend down to the coast. My children, (ages 3 and 5) had only been to the ocean once before, in Washington and Oregon where despite it's breathtaking beauty, the water is much too cold for "little Texans" to swim in. It is wonderful to look at, but a little more challenging to fully experience it. Considering that last beach trip had been two years ago, my kids had forgotten or just didn't realize the magnificence of experiencing, in person, one of God's most amazing creations, the ocean!

As we were approaching our destination, getting closer to the edge of dry land, Loren & Luke were getting oh so excited about seeing the bay and different little inlets of sea water. They kept saying, "it's the ocean, it's the ocean!" They were so excited about a very small piece of the actual gulf. They really thought that was where we were going, just to see those smaller inlets of water. It was not until we arrived at our condo, changed into our suits and set out for our first beach adventure that reality struck them. As we made our way over the boardwalk that lead out to the sandy beach, the path lead us up hill and then reached a point at the top where, at that moment, you can finally see the full view of the ocean waves in all their glory. As we walked up, and could hear the roar of the waves crashing, I could see the excitement building in them, although I could tell they still had no idea of truly what they were about to encounter. When we finally reached the full view of the ocean, their faces lit up like nothing I've ever seen. They both went absolutely nuts! They were squealing, "the waves, the waves!" and ran as fast as they could out to them. Nothing else mattered to them except getting to that water, as fast as they could!

At that moment, God spoke to my spirit. You see, my little children were getting so excited over something they thought was the final reward but it was only a preface to the grand plan that was really waiting for them. If they had simply settled for the smaller inlets and bay, they would have missed out on the brilliant beauty that lay just ahead and beyond in the ocean.

We are that way, aren't we? Don't we tend to "settle" for going through the motions of life, for what is most comfortable to us? Wouldn't it be worth it to take a little risk and go all the way, with God. He has a powerful, Holy Spirit-guided, adventure of a life awaiting us, if only we didn't stop, but kept moving toward Him, seeking true intimacy with Him and getting as close to the "real deal" as possible. Then, when we see His power, His glory, in all it's splendor, we can run toward Him, with all our might, just like my little children did, throwing off everything that bogs us down and jump right on in and thoroughly enjoy complete satisfaction that we can only find in His presence!

Job 42:10
"I had only heard about you before,but now I have seen you with my own eyes."

Come forth as gold

2009-06-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Job 23:10
"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

This scripture, taken in context, has profound meaning. Job was tested in a way that is almost incomprehensible to us. He had it all and then God allowed it to all be taken away. Yet, through his tears and through his pain, he was still able to see God's hand in his life and still believe there was purpose behind his suffering. He was still able to praise God, his Father whom he trusted and loved!

We all have either experienced tough times, extremely difficult circumstances or know someone who has. After all, Jesus never said life would be easy. I am so thankful that even though we are put through the fire, it is so that we can come out as pure gold!

1 Peter 1:7
"These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Isaiah 48:10-11
"See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another."

But, take heart because:

Isaiah 61:1-3
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor."

A "kept" woman

2009-06-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

I Am a 'Kept' Woman

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,
But GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go on no longer,
But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong,
But the LORD kept my mouth shut. (Ps. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough,
But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on,
the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall,
HE kept me up.

When I thought I was weak,
HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

- author unknown

Chosen to believe

2009-06-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 43:10 (New Living Translation)

“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
“You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God—
there never has been, and there never will be."

You knit me together in my mother's womb.....

2009-06-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

"There are accidental parents but there are no accidental babies." - Rob Campbell

Psalm 139:13-18

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 [b] me are your thoughts, O 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.

Priorities

2009-06-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

What my priorities should be...
1. Worship the Lord
2. Respect my husband
3. Train my children

What my life might look like any given day???
1. Worship my children
2. Train my husband
3. Respect the Lord

Very wise words from a wise woman and friend, Carrie Rogers. This is something worth pondering!

The Names of God

2009-05-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

THE OLD TESTAMENT NAMES FOR GOD:

ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1
meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6
meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4
a reference to God's divine salvation.

JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13
meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1
meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35
meaning "The Lord who is present"

JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26
meaning "The Lord our healer"

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6
meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14
meaning "The Lord will provide"

JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15
meaning "The Lord our banner"

JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24
meaning "The Lord is peace"

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3
meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

EL-ELYON..............Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14
meaning "The most high God"

EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13
meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1
meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31
meaning "The everlasting God"

Paths

2009-05-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the path I've been walking each morning to get back home after watching the sunrise with God. After my precious hour with Him, I look at that path and think how beautiful it looks to me. I walk away from my "spot in the woods" with my Father inspired and energized. I am reminded that I want Him to guide my path, always. I only want to walk down the road where He leads me. I reflect on the path I tried going down for years and years and how it always ended at one dead-end after another. It was a destructive way of life and I thank God daily that he spared me from so many terrible consequences! But finally, when God put a MAJOR roadblock in that old path and I realized the road I was on would never bring me to the destination I had always dreamed of, I made the best decision of my life and turned the other direction, the right direction and began following Jesus Christ, committing to pursue His purpose for my life. Of course I mess up up along the way, we all do. I am so thankful for His mercy which is new each day. As sure as the sun rises, He promises new mercy and new grace for us every day.

I am so thankful for the "wide path He has made for my feet to keep them from slipping (all the way off)." (2 Samual 22:37) I am thankful that His commands He places on me are not too heavy for His burden is light! He is the light for my path! When I stray away from His commands in disobedience, that is when I feel lost and alone. But thank the Lord, He is our own personal spiritual "GPS system". He will gently call us out and convict us when we begin to go down a wrong path. He loves us that much!

He is our Father, our Creator and He knows which path is best for us. He does not desire for us to stumble and fall, but to fall right into His arms where He will love us, take care of us and turn us facing the right direction, if only we will submit to His authority over our lives. I pray we will have the courage to trust Him, believe and receive His love!

"Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found." (Psalm 119:35)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong." (Hebrews 12:13)

Prayerful lives are powerful lives

2009-05-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

"What victory the enemy has in winning us over to prayerlessness! He would rather we do anything than pray. He'd rather see us serve ourselves into the ground, because he knows we'll eventually grow resentful without prayer. He'd rather see us study the Bible into the wee hours of the morning, because he knows we'll never have deep understanding and power to live what we've learned without prayer. He knows prayerless lives are powerless lives, while prayerful lives are powerful lives!"

"Our strongest motivation will be the Person with Whom we walk. Staying so close to Him through constant communication, we receive a continual supply of strength to walk victoriously - in peace even as we walk through a war zone."

- Beth Moore, Breaking Free

In your strength I can crush an army!

2009-05-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

2 Samuel 22

David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. 2 He sang:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior,
the one who saves me from violence.
4 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.

5 “The waves of death overwhelmed me;
floods of destruction swept over me.
6 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
7 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;
yes, I cried to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry reached his ears.

8 “Then the earth quaked and trembled.
The foundations of the heavens shook;
they quaked because of his anger.
9 Smoke poured from his nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from his mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
10 He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
11 Mounted on a mighty angelic being,[b] he flew,
soaring[c] on the wings of the wind.
12 He shrouded himself in darkness,
veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.
13 A great brightness shone around him,
and burning coals[d] blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot arrows and scattered his enemies;
his lightning flashed, and they were confused.
16 Then at the command of the Lord,
at the blast of his breath,
the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

17 “He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
but the Lord supported me.
20 He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
he restored me because of my innocence.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
23 I have followed all his regulations;
I have never abandoned his decrees.
24 I am blameless before God;
I have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing right.
He has seen my innocence.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
to those with integrity you show integrity.
27 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
28 You rescue the humble,
but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.
29 O Lord, you are my lamp.
The Lord lights up my darkness.
30 In your strength I can crush an army;
with my God I can scale any wall.

31 “God’s way is perfect.
All the Lord’s promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
32 For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid rock?
33 God is my strong fortress,
and he makes my way perfect.
34 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
36 You have given me your shield of victory;
your help[e] has made me great.
37 You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.

38 “I chased my enemies and destroyed them;
I did not stop until they were conquered.
39 I consumed them;
I struck them down so they did not get up;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You have armed me with strength for the battle;
you have subdued my enemies under my feet.
41 You placed my foot on their necks.
I have destroyed all who hated me.
42 They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue.
They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.
43 I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I trampled them[f] in the gutter like dirt.

44 “You gave me victory over my accusers.
You preserved me as the ruler over nations;
people I don’t even know now serve me.
45 Foreign nations cringe before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they submit.
46 They all lose their courage
and come trembling[g] from their strongholds.

47 “The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!
May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!
48 He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
he brings down the nations under me
49 and delivers me from my enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;
you save me from violent opponents.
50 For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
I will sing praises to your name.
51 You give great victories to your king;
you show unfailing love to your anointed,
to David and all his descendants forever.”

Let God pick out our clothes

2009-05-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Colossians 3:12-14 (The Message)
"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic all-purpose garment. Never be without it."

I heard a very challenging sermon on this verse over the weekend. As I examine myself, I claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, yet can I honestly say that I "dress" the way this verse describes, every day? Just as I let my small children pick out their own clothes - their choices don't always match; I admit I'm the same way. When I try to dress myself, I don't always pick out the same clothes that God would pick for me. I settle for the worn out "comfy" outfit that I've kept putting on, time and again, all the while overlooking my closet full of beautiful clothes, especially tailored to fit me perfectly. If only I would reach out and pull them off the hanger and put them on.

I can't attain these "great outfits" on my own because my flesh gets in the way. That is why I must allow God to pick out my clothing of compassion, kindness, humility and most importantly love! It is the "basic all-purpose garment" that I can never be without. Without love, everything else serves no purpose - "like a noisy gong." (1 Corinthians 13:1)

"So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love."
1 Corinthains 13:3

I thank you, God, that your word is sharper than a double-edged sword, exposing me for what I really am. It then gives me right path to take, I just have to choose to take it!

The hidden treasure within

2009-05-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

"We shatter ourselves to bear fruit. The spirituality of Jesus reaches its peak on the cross. He broke his body on the cross to produce abundant fruit of salvation for all humankind.

The life we have from God is our hidden treasure. We who have accepted Jesus have this rich treasure deep within our hearts. It's eternal life; it reveals the character and power of God. How can we make this hidden life flow into the world? When our walls of self are shattered, this life in us pours out.

But when I say the self must be tamed and broken, I'm speaking of a hardened outer self that limits the life within. When we let ourselves be shattered, we bring God's hidden life into the open.

How can we shatter the outer walls that hold the life of God in check? How can we let the life of God flow free? One way is to deny ourselves. As the Lord said, "If you want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

- Joshua Choonmin Kang, Deep Rooted in Christ

David - a man after God's own heart!

2009-05-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about David lately and it has been so wonderful. It's almost a realistic picture of truly one of God's children - the high points and the low points of David's life. The one constant is that David ALWAYS trusted God, always went back to Him, always sought God out in prayer in the "stronghold". He pleaded with God, he wrestled with God. He was truly a man after God's own heart. Oh how I'd love to be as faithful to God as David was. He worshiped God with all of his heart, people even thought he looked foolish doing it, dancing before the Lord and all, but he could have cared less. He just knew He was in love with his Father and he wanted to express that to Him. He loved His Lord!

As many victories as God provided for David, the man still screwed up, still gave into temptation, still sinned terribly, but when he did, he ran straight back into the arms of God in repentence. I believe David was so grateful to God because he knew His grace and forgiveness. He experienced it, first hand, for himself. And to think, David didn't even get to experience the grace and forgiveness of knowing Jesus Christ as his savior. Can you imagine how he would have worshiped then!?!? Wow!! I think his heart might have just exploded right out of his chest!!

God is speaking to David below, through the profit, Nathan. Note that vs. 11-14 are referring to Jesus! And this was written how many years before the birth of Christ?!?! Amazing!!

1 Chronicles 17:7-27 (New Living Translation)
7 “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! 9 And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won’t oppress them as they’ve done in the past, 10 starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will defeat all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, I declare that the Lord will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings! 11 For when you die and join your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong. 12 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for me. And I will secure his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my favor from him as I took it from the one who ruled before you. 14 I will confirm him as king over my house and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.’”

15 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.
David’s Prayer of Thanks
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,

“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great,[a] O Lord God!
18 “What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like. 19 For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known.
20 “O Lord, there is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! 21 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations that stood in their way. 22 You chose Israel to be your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.
23 “And now, O Lord, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. May it be a promise that will last forever. 24 And may your name be established and honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.
25 “O my God, I have been bold enough to pray to you because you have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him—a dynasty of kings! 26 For you are God, O Lord. And you have promised these good things to your servant. 27 And now, it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, so that it will continue forever before you. For when you grant a blessing, O Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”

May we be as grateful to God for His grace, mercy and love as David was. I sure hope I get to meet him in Heaven one day!

The Lord knows

2009-05-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

"The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment."
2 Peter 2:9

"For He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."
Psalm 103:14

"Trust reverses the detours of adversity into highways of destiny." - Beth Moore, Esther

In my study of Esther, I am encouraged that we don't have to be responsible for the "how" in life. We are simply called to a life of trusting God, our Father. He knows how things will all shake out, he knows all!! It really all boils down to trust. Do we really trust God? Do we understand what trust means? Of course, I have failed in this area just like the rest of us, but I believe that God wants us to simply trust him!!He continues to remind me to be obedient, take my rightful place as his daughter and step out of his way so he can make the "how" happen.

Again, I reference my favorite quote from my pastor, Rob Campbell - "The greatest stress reliever of all time is that God is God and we are not!"

Amen!

A hug from God

2009-05-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. Every year, we go out on a dinner date and then come home and watch our wedding video. Keep in mind, we got married in St. Lucia, on the beach at a Sandal's Resort. Needless to say, it was a short and sweet wedding and the video is only about 15 minutes long. The video ends with Tony and I dancing to a song at our "reception" there at the resort.

We decided this year to start a new tradition of watching the video with our children, as a family. They just loved it!! My daughter, Loren, is extremely imaginative and is always asking to try on my wedding dress and "act out" the wedding pictures she sees of mommy and daddy around the house. So, during the video, she put on my wedding dress and had little brother Luke put on Tony's "wedding" suit jacket that he also saved. They pretended like they were the bride and groom and did their wedding "dance." It was so precious to see them so excited to be a part of our wedding day. I can see that they totally "get it" already. Despite our every day short-comings as parents, our children are so secure in their family! They are so secure in our marriage and the love that Tony and I have for each other. At that sweet moment, I felt a huge "hug from God!" He just reminded me that in spite of the mistakes I made in my past, He has gifted me with a wonderful husband and marriage and absolutely beautiful children. I was overwhelmed with the fact that everything good we have, comes from Him, right down to the air we breathe!

Wow, thank you Lord that you love me that much!

2 Corinthians 9:15
"Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!"

We live in the shelter of the Most High

2009-04-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Don't worry about ANYTHING, instead, pray about EVERYTHING!! The Lord is our protector, our shield - nothing can ever separate us from His love and His total protection! As believers in Jesus Christ, we live in the shelter of the Most High!!

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

RAISE THE ROOF!!!

2009-04-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Psalm 32 - (The Message)

1 Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—
you get a fresh start,
your slate's wiped clean.

2 Count yourself lucky—
God holds nothing against you
and you're holding nothing back from him.

3 When I kept it all inside,
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans.

4 The pressure never let up;
all the juices of my life dried up.

5 Then I let it all out;
I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."

Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.

6 These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
we'll be on high ground, untouched.

7 God's my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.

8 Let me give you some good advice;
I'm looking you in the eye
and giving it to you straight:

9 "Don't be ornery like a horse or mule
that needs bit and bridle
to stay on track."

10 God-defiers are always in trouble;
God-affirmers find themselves loved
every time they turn around.

11 Celebrate God.
Sing together—everyone!
All you honest hearts, raise the roof!

I had an opportunity on Friday night to "raise the roof" at my church for a night of worship. It was an incredible 2 hours - pouring our hearts out to God, singing His praises, surrendering our wills (once again) to Him! Surely He was blessed!

I've been studying David lately! What a life! No wonder David was a great worshiper!! God was always faithful to him, no matter what! He is also faithful to us, no matter what!

Praise Him!!

What would you do?

2009-04-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Think about that for a while.................

The ministry of reconciliation

2009-04-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

We Are God’s Ambassadors
"Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

Martha, Martha.................

2009-04-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Luke 10:41-42
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

How precious it is to spend alone time with our Lord and Savior and how even sweeter it is to know that He longs to spend time with us! This hammock hangs in my beautiful backyard and it is a place where I often spend quiet time with God. I find that it is in these times when He will so often speak to me. I've never heard his audible voice but He comes to me in a deep feeling in my spirit and I know that I know it is Him. He comes sometimes in a very authoritative way, letting me know that I MUST be obedient to Him. He comes through His Word when a passage of scripture speaks to my circumstances so loudly and clearly that I know, beyond a doubt that it is no coincidence!

But, this wonderful world of going deeper with God involves action on my part. I've heard it said that it is a miracle in itself that the God of Heaven even speaks to us, individually. Like all the other miracles that Jesus performed in the Bible, they all required some effort on the part of the recipient. He did not just zap them with their miracle. They were almost always commanded by Jesus to take some sort of action, some step toward receiving what He had for them. Like those people, if I did not make the choice to spend one-on-one, quiet time with God, I wonder what I would be missing out on. Actually, I know what I'd be missing out on - sweet fellowship with the one who created the universe and yet knows my name!

The world we live in is absolutely full of distractions. There are things coming at us constantly ranging from jobs to family obligations to hobbies to technology to ministries to our schedules and the "to-do" list goes on. Not that any of these things are bad things, but if we choose to fill every free moment of our lives with the "stuff" of life, we will miss out on the only true meaning of life, the whole reason we are here in the first place. I want to be so intimate with God that every step I take, I ask Him about it first. I want His opinion on absolutely everything. So how can I clearly hear His voice if I, like Martha, busy myself so much with all of this "stuff" that I don't set aside enough time, each day to spend with Jesus? He longs to spend time with me and I believe He is heartbroken when we don't make time for him. If He truly is our "Everything" then why would we not want to give Him our time, our attention, our affection? Remember that teenage boyfriend you could not get enough of? You know, the one your mother, deep down, could not stand because you wanted to spend every waking moment with him and if the two of you weren't together, you were talking on the phone?!?!?

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." This clearly means that if we want to get close to God, we must choose to draw near to Him. I have found this to be impossible without first getting alone with Him. How often, during play-dates with my "mommy" friends, do we try to have "adult conversation" but find ourselves being constantly interrupted and distracted by the voices of our little happy children. We joke and say we only have "half" conversations because we have one eye on each other and the other eye on our kids. A half conversation really is the most we can hope for during these play dates. We don't go into them expecting any more than that. If our time with God takes place amongst other distractions, how can we really give Him our undivided attention? But God wants both of our eyes focused on Him. He wants us at his feet listening, praising, adoring and worshiping Him. He wants to reveal Himself to us in such a mighty way that we will be shocked at just how real and present He feels to us. Sometimes I sense Him wanting to grab our cheeks and turn our faces toward as he says, "Listen to me, my precious child! I've got something awesome for you but you must tune in, in order to get it! So, drop the TV, drop the yacking on the cell phone, drop the e-mails, drop the fiction book, drop the thing that you are so tightly hanging onto. Let go of it long enough for you to grab onto my hand, I want to take you somewhere incredible!!"

In my personal experience, this has involved making sacrifices to make sure I don't give God the short end of the stick. I am in the season of life of pre-school aged children. I have a particularly early rising 3-year old who is up by 6:00 a.m. - regardless of what time he goes to bed. Therefore, I must rise up much earlier than him if I am to get my time in with God. For me, if I don't spend my quiet time at the very start of my day, I won't get it in. As soon as life starts coming at me it is so much harder to grab onto that uninterrupted quality time with God. I also believe He wants our first fruits, the best of us, before we fail and sin later in the day. We can start with a clean slate every morning and ask Him to create in us a clean heart and pour out His new mercies on us that day. We can ask him to fill our day and stay near to us all day. Of course, it is not easy getting up very early and I'll admit, there are some mornings when it just doesn't happen! I mean, in our human flesh, who wouldn't rather stay asleep, all cozy in a warm bed? But the more I consistently stick to it, the more God speaks to me. I find myself not wanting to miss my time because I am so anxious to hear what He has for me that day. It is certainly true that, not every morning involves a grand, huge revelation from God. There are some days when I can just sit back and thank Him for all the ways He has blessed me. I cannot tell you how much better my day goes when I start off praising God for it! I believe that when we start our day with Him, we are inviting Him to stick around with us the rest of the day!

By all means, we can be in His presence anytime, all day, all the time, not just during the one-on-one time. I am learning more and more how to stay with Him all day - just to talk to Him off and on, all day long. He never leaves us!! I believe both ways of being with Him are essential - the bottom line is He wants us - ALL of us!!

I guess it's just like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. But, unlike other things in life worth spending time on, the benefits of spending time in the presence of the King of Kings, our Abba Father, our Daddy is something we simply cannot put a price tag on! Nothing compares to it!!

That's My girl

2009-04-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

This story of her own son, written by Joanna Weaver in her book, "Having A Mary Spirit" touched me so deeply today. God spoke to me through this story and answered a burning question and gave me some much needed confirmation. He has asked me to do something for Him. Something difficult for me. Something way, way out of my comfort zone. Our of fear, I've been telling myself it would be too hard, too weird, too awkward, but God keeps replying: "Obey, I am faithful and you can do ALL things through me!" I hope you will be encouraged by this story as much as I am:

"When baby Joshua joined our family nearly four years ago, he brought more joy than I ever thought possible. Which is saying a lot. At forty years of age and with two nearly grown teenagers, I never expected to be shopping for cribs and colleges at the same time. (Although a friend did point out it could be worse - I could have been shopping for diapers and Depends.)

But more than joy, Joshua brought me a new understanding of God's love that I'd never considered before.

After Josh was born a month early, the doctors immediately knew something wasn't quite right. Eliminating more serious conditions, they diagnosed him with hypotonia. Low muscle tone. Rather than the tight little bundle of baby I was used to holding, Joshua felt more like a rag doll, loose and limp in my arms. He was slow to nurse, slow to roll over, slow to sit up, slow to do many things. Rather than doing movements natural for most babies, Josh's muscles had to be taught, even awakened, through physical therapy. At three-and-a-half years of age, he still has delays in motor skills as well as speech development.

But do you know what? It doesn't matter. I don't bother comparing Josh to other kids because Josh isn't like other kids. Josh is Josh. I don't keep a list of things babies should do at one or two or three years of age. It's all immaterial. Josh will do it when Josh can. And we'll do - and are doing - everything possible to help him. After being an uptight mom the first time around, constantly comparing to see how my kids measured up to others their age, I can't tell you how freeing this has been.

In some ways, these four years with Josh have been the most enjoyable years of my life. Why? Because we celebrate everything! Every little advance is met with great joy and applause. And I've recently realized that loving Josh has taught me a wonderful lesson about how God loves me.

That realization came three years ago in Gold Beach, Oregon. My sister Linda, had some along to watch Josh while I spoke at a women's retreat. When I went back to the hotel room after the first evening session, Linda was so excited.

"You won't believe what Joshua did!"she said dragging me to where he sat playing with some toys. That in itself was a miracle, for Josh had only recently mastered the art of sitting up. But my sister had something new to show me. "Watch this!" Linda cleared the space around him, then took his favorite toy and placed it in front of him, just out of reach. Josh looked at her, then at me. Then with a little smile, he bent forward and stretched out nearly flat to grab the toy that rested beyond his toes. I was amazed. He'd never done that before. But that was only the beginning. There was more to come.

Little by little, grunting and groaning, my sweet boy slowly worked his hands back toward his body. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead as he, still grasping the toy, worked himself back into a sitting position. The whole process took at least thirty seconds, ten times the amount of time another child would have required. But rather than being disappointed, Linda and I whooped and hollered and cried our eyes out.

"Woohoo! That's my boy!" I said, hugging Josh. It was amazing. It was wonderful. It was a milestone, a moment of pure joy I'll never forget. And with it came a revelation from the Lord that has changed my life. As I lay in bed that night still rejoicing over Joshua's accomplishment, I felt God whisper to my spirit"

"That's how I feel, you know.
"What do you mean, Lord?" I asked.
"The joy you feel watching Joshua do something you know is difficult - that's how I feel when I see you stretch beyond what you've tried before. When you believe Me for something that seems impossible...trust Me in the midst of difficulties...do what I ask even though you don't feel able...that's how I feel."

My heart swelled with the thought and caught in my throat. That I could bring that much joy to the Lord had never occurred to me.

With the sounds of waves outside echoing the waves of gratitude in my heart, I wept quietly, mouthing words of praise to the One who knew me so intimately and yet loved me so completely.

It wasn't until I shared the thought with the women the next morning that a fuller revelation of the truth finally hit me. The women nodded and smiled through the story, and many even wept. But I suddenly realized that they could never understand the immensity of it all. Neither could Linda. Not really. No one could.

Why? Because Joshua belongs to me. He BELONGS to me.

That's why God rejoices over our every little step. That's why He tirelessly spends time exercising our faith and stretching us in order to expand our limits. That's why, when we fall, He helps us, picks us up, and encourages us to try again.

He doesn't compare us to anyone else. He doesn't have a list of what Christians should be and do at certain phases of their Christian walk. He accepts us individually and works with us where we are. Yet He constantly challenges us to go beyond what we are. And He throws a great big party whenever we reach a milestone or make a spiritual breakthrough.

Why? Because we belong to Him. We BELONG to Him.

"Woohoo! That's My girl!" He says.

"Did you see that?" He asks, turning to the angels and pointing to earth. Pointing to you and to me.

"That's My girl."

He was beaten for our transgressions

2009-04-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 53 (New Living Translation)

1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.[b]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.[c]
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Thank God it's Good Friday!

2009-04-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's Good Friday again. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. God planned it, before the foundation of the earth that on that day, after He had spent His time on earth in the body of a man, that He would die a horrible death on a cross, for us, His creation. He knew there was no other way. Jesus had to make the choice to do it, that's just the way it had to be! His purpose was to save us, to be our Redeemer from sin. By the way, we are ALL sinners and have ALL fallen short of the glory of God! Regardless of what pride tells us, Pride is a liar! We cannot be made right with God without accepting Jesus sacrifice for us. There is no other way! There is no greater love than this When we truly grasp the magnitude of Jesus love for us, it transforms our lives! It completes us. It brings us out of ignorance, out of darkness and into the marvelous light, a marvelous life. A life that is flowing with power, breath and living water!

Ephesians 3:14-21
"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."

This story below written by Beth Moore just this morning on her LPM blog really moved me. I hope you will be blessed by it:

"Several months ago, Melissa had insisted upon going with me to have a dye test to follow up a suspicious mammogram. (No rumors please. I do not have breast cancer. Because my mother died with it, however, I never get the luxury of drama-less annual check-ups.) We were sitting in the waiting room and a rack was within arms reach offering all manner of brochure on various cancers. Melissa took one out after another and glanced over them, shaking her head. She looked up at me with that classic expression of hers and said, "Life is brutal, man."

I nodded.

We both sat silently for just a moment.

Then she said one of the most profound things I've ever heard.

"He knows it's scary to be us."

Yes, He does. Yes, He does. He does NOT take the fact lightly that we go through medical tests to see if we have a raging cancer. He does NOT take lightly that some of you are secretly fearing that the monster has come back. He does NOT take lightly that some of you are going through the cancer treatments of your own children. I had to pause and put my hand over my mouth on that one. Holding back the tears.

Son of David, have mercy on us! You know it's scary to be us! It's almost too much here, Lord. It's almost too much.

And the thunder crashes in the heavens and the earth grows dark in the middle of the afternoon and a man, beaten to a bloody pulp, cries from a cross between two thieves, "It is finished!"

And death is overcome.

One day, Sweet Darling. ONE DAY. We will trade that hem for the real Him and there will be no more sickness. No more death. No more sadness. We will all be healed.

Bliss."

I pray that you have an incredible, beautiful, powerful, forgiven, redeemed, blessed Easter!

Love,
Brandi

The God Of This City

2009-04-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

"God Of This City"

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You Are

You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no one like our God
There is no one like You God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

You're the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You're the King above all kings
You Are

You're the strength in our weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You Are

For greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
When glory shines from hearts alive
With praise for You and love for You
In this city

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here.

This song has become my new favorites. The lyrics are powerful, telling of a God who is in control of this world, even though we may not see it with our eyes. There are so many things I have been praying for, for quite some time. God has spoken to me and said there are greater things in the works that God is planning. There are things happening in the Heavenlies that we just cannot see. I must wait for Him and He will reveal it all in His perfect timing! I am to trust God, that He knows what He is doing. Even as we speak, He is knocking on the door of people's hearts, He is working through circumstances, He is shaking things up - for HIS glory!!

Habakkuk 2:2-3 is so encouraging in this area of waiting:

"Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed."

May the King of Kings renew strength as you wait upon Him, not upon the thing you are waiting for. Simply wait on God. He will fulfill all of His promises!

The Collision of God and Sin

2009-04-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:24
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree."

The Cross of Jesus is the revelation of God's judgement on sin. Never tolerate martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is, He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.

The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross. Beware of separating God manifest in the flesh from the Son becoming sin. The Incarnation was for the purpose of Redemption. God became incarnate for the purpose of putting away sin; not for the purpose of Self-realization. The Cross is the center of Time and of Eternity, the answer to the enigmas of both.

The Cross is not the cross of a man but the Cross of God, and the Cross of God can never be realized in human experience. The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God. When we get to the Cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the Cross is the gateway.

The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened - but the crash is on the heart of God.

- Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost For His Highest"

Thoughts on Palm Sunday

2009-04-05T16:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some wonderful thoughts on Palm Sunday, written yesterday by my wise and Jesus-loving friend, Jonathon Sawyer:

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday; a day observed by the historic Christian Church for centuries.

As a child, I recall walking into a church and receiving a palm leaf, or something akin to it. At the time, this gift that I received upon entering the sanctuary was void of any meaning except the youthful intrigue of receiving such an odd item prior to a church service.

This evening, as I compose my thoughts about Palm Sunday, I am filled with a reverential awe for the creator of the palm leaf, for "by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him." Colossians 1:16-17

Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, walked the earth and ministered among men who did not perceive his Godhood. Jesus' Jewish disciples were anticipating a Messiah who would restore the throne of King David. The Messiah was expected to conquer their Roman foes and restore the Kingdom of Israel through military might. In this Hebraic context, Jesus was celebrated and hailed with palm branches as the King of Israel. The Palm leaf was a symbol of Jewish victory, and rightfully prophesied a great conquest. Indeed, the Messiah Jesus was among them, but his conquest would be far greater than the greatest of military victories.

"His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him." John 12:16

The King Jesus' conquest would be sealed through his own blood and humility on the cross. His victory would be over sin, death, and Satan. On the cross, Jesus would become sin for sinners. Jesus would willingly endure the just punishment of a Holy and perfectly good God, so that those who trust in him would be credited as the beneficiaries of his sacrificial conquest over evil. Whereas we were once children of darkness, we are now forgiven children of light, and our Father is God, the maker of the palm leaf, and the creator of all things.

Colossians 1:15
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

John 1:10
"He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him."

2 Corinthians 5:21
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

1 Thessalonians 5:5
"For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness."

You were in His Prayers

2009-04-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours ago, as I spent an absolutely glorious morning with God, outside in the fresh morning air, watching the sunrise, I was overwhelmed by what He has done for me! With Easter coming up, the sacrifice of Jesus is all the more real to me. Not that I don't live every day with the realization of what He did for me on the cross, but Easter provides a grand opportunity to celebrate it! It just makes me want to shout from the rooftops the meaning of what He did.

I've never come across such a beautiful illustration of what Jesus did until I read this morning's devotional by Max Lucado from his book, "And the Angels Were Silent." In it he says:

"The final prayer of Jesus was about you. His final pain was for you. His final passion was for you. Before he went to the cross, Jesus went to the garden. And when he spoke with his Father, you were in his prayers....

And God couldn't turn his back on you. He couldn't because he saw you, and one look at you was all it took to convince him. Right there in the middle of a world which isn't fair. He saw you cast into a river of life you didn't request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a body which gets sick and a heart which grows weak....

On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you."

Luke 22:41
"Then Jesus went about a stone's throw away from them. He kneeled down and prayed."

Jesus made the choice to die on the cross for us. He didn't have to go through with it but He understood He was sent to this earth to do His Father's will. And it is the will of God in Heaven that every person on this earth would come to know Him as their personal savior, through the incredible sacrifice of His son. What a treasure, a gift this is for us! I encourage you to not only accept it, but grab hold of it!!

Love in Christ,
Brandi

Seek His face!

2009-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Psalm 43:3-5

"Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
There I will go to the altar of God,
to God—the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!

Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!"

Yes Lord, I will put my trust in you. You are all I need. You are my everything. I will praise you with all I've got to give. Thank you for guiding me with your truth, lighting my path in this dark world. I long for the day when I will see your face and until then, I will choose to constantly seek your face!!

Love,

Your daughter,

Brandi

May God put you together

2009-03-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 13:20-21 (The Message)

"May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes."

He's gonna be worth it!

2009-03-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

"Worth it all"
- by Rita Springer

"I don't understand Your ways
Oh but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it You are pulling me closer
And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing
That the sight of Your face
Is all that I need
I will say to You

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this

You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this"

I believe this too. Everything that we experience on this earth is going to be so worth it when we finally see His face. Oh how I long for that day when I will be in the actual physical presence of my King, forever and ever and ever.

But, for now, I am here on this earth "for such a time as this." He put me here for a reason, in this very generation. It strikes me as utterly amazing that as messed up as this world is, we can still have an incredibly abundant life while we are here in it - simply by realizing our need for Jesus Christ. He loves us enough to give us a complete and satisfying life in Him, despite our ups and downs. He has fulfilled and continues to fulfill every need I've EVER had!

He is my EVERYTHING!

As a young girl, all I ever wanted was for someone to notice me, someone to think I was special, that I was beautiful, that I was the best. I never sought that out from God and I never believed I would ever find that kind of love for myself. I never found the complete and perfect love in a person that I was so desperate for because it does not exist. I was looking in the wrong place. Jesus is the one thing I had been looking for my whole life. He loves me like no human being ever has. You cannot put a price on His kind of love. He's all I've ever wanted and needed, and then some.

His love is radical, special, incredible, irresistable, priceless!!!

The same love He has for me, He has for you too!

John 16:33
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Immeasurable

2009-03-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
Ephesians 3:20

"Jesus, thank you for being even bigger than I think you are. Please forgive me for putting you in a box and not expecting more from you. I am humbled by the fact that you WANT to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine – you even delight in the opportunity to out–do my requests. So, today I will put my trust in you, MY God, and I will wait in hopeful expectation for you to move in my live in a remarkable way. In Jesus Name, Amen."

- Carrie Rogers

He's all I've got in this world!

2009-03-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

When my husband and I were on our cruise a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice the loud music that is always playing in the background on different areas of the ship. I guess it is part of Carnival's culture of fun. Well, one of the songs that I heard twice was one performed by Whitney Houston. As I listened to her beautiful, booming voice belt out these lyrics, I couldn't help but notice that I was singing along, but I was singing her words to Jesus:

"He builds me up,
He gives me love,
More love than I've ever seen.

He's all I've got,
He's all I've got in this world;

But He's all the man I'll ever need."

This absolutely defines my heart for Jesus, the lover of my soul. He is all the man I'll ever need. I am rock solid in my confidence that He is passionately pursuing and totally in love with me. This kind of love has transformed my life. It has also changed the way I view my relationship with my husband. Ironic that this came to my mind at this time, considering the purpose of our cruise was to spend some much needed alone time together and enjoy each other and build up our marriage.

Yes, I absolutely have a wonderful husband and he is a gift from God, to me; a nice added bonus considering many women never experience great marriages while on this earth. You see, Jesus satisfies me completely, heals all of my insecurities, He is my rock, my savior, my redeemer, my restorer, my prince charming, my best friend. He is perfect because He is God and God is Love! If I were to look solely to my earthly husband for these things, I would be setting myself up for disappointment because, my husband is a human being just like me and a sinner, just like me. He treats me beautifully and respects me and is a wonderful father and provider, but He is not God to me. He is a great person, but imperfect, just like me.

You must understand, I spent the first 28 years of my life "looking for perfect love in all the wrong places" - searching for all of those qualities I listed above in whatever man was in my life at the time. Guess what? They all failed me. Those poor guys - they never had a chance to succeed in pleasing me because none of them were God. I was trying to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart with something or someone that would never do the trick.

Finally, now that I live in the realization of who I am in Christ, I have let men "off the hook" - including my husband. Our marriage is so much more secure, so much more relaxed and so much more fun because the pressure is not on him to be my everything.

As Beth Moore puts it, "Yes, we should love our husbands with everything we've got but we must love God first, then we can be healthy enough to love our husbands well."

I never want to be too needy for my husband. If I am, then that is evidence that I am not getting all of my needs met by the only one who can meet every one of them - Jesus Christ!

Psalm 45:10-11
"Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.
For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord."

So when you are hurt, when you are offended, when you are let down - just take it to God - the perfect love of your lifetime. He will meet your deepest needs right there where you stand. Then, you will be free to go a little easier on the people in your life whose imperfections rub you the wrong way. I am still working on this in my life and by no means do I have it all figured out but one thing is for sure, He is especially fond of me!

And guess what? He is especially fond of you too!!!