Glory Days

I matured pretty early spiritually and emotionally in life. Through different circumstances I learned to heavily rely on God and in this I developed a strong dependence and thirst for Him. I did not have the typical teenage rebellion, nor did I want it. I knew what was out there, I chose not to enter into it. I don't feel that this was accomplished by my strength, but by the sanctification and carrying power of the Lord. At the age of 14 I taught Sunday School non-stop up until I was 19 and I loved every minute of it. I quit because I went off to Calvary Chapel Bible College. I was not a typical teenager. I know I had a deep walk with the Lord and there are times I'm very jealous of that child I once was.

It seems that as I've gotten older that intensity, that earnest relationship I once had with the Lord yoyos more frequently than I'd like. Distractions come in and I find it harder and harder to say no to the small things that eat up my time and draw me away from the sweet presence of the Lord. Sometimes instead of dealing with the here and now I find myself still patting myself on the back for all the things I DID. It's like the old quarterback that keeps re-living the game winning touch down fifteen years after it happened because he's too afraid to take stock of his dead-end life in its current situation. He's still a star, a hero in his own mind because at one point in time he did one great thing, but the rest of his life has passed him by and he's stuck with nothing now.

This is not were God wants us to reside. It's not about what we did for God, but about living fresh in the moment with Him now and being obedient to His guidance day by day. He will call us to things outside of our comfort zone and just because you did something that one time that doesn't exclude you from completing the work He sets before you. Though it is a tempting excuse that many of us use from time to time. However, if God we're done with using us here on earth we would be gone, but obviously He still wants to use us because were here. So learning; growing; and serving God, our brothers and sisters, and the world around us is not something we retire from. Daily He has always and will always give us His strength to do what He wills and desires if we in obedience heed His call. The job is done when He calls us home, for the glory of the Lord stop living in the glory days of the past and start new say,"here I am Lord, what do You will for me now."

Lamentations 3:22-23
22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Speaking Out

If you know me you know there's one thing I can't stand and that's being lied to and people who incessantly lie to manipulate or get ahead. Another pet-peeve I have is double standards. It's injustice when you slant things one way, you jump on someone's back for one thing, but you don't hold someone else to the same standards just because you're trying to sway public opinion (Katie Couric). And yes I'm talking about Biden's idiotic FDR/depression statement, if you're going to make a point at least fact check so you can sound somewhat intelligent. I decided to post some articles here so there's another side to the story if anyone's willing to listen and think beyond the propaganda. Thank you for your time and investigation.

In regards to Biden's statements during VP debate
http://minx.cc/?post=274757

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/and_now_the_mother_of_all_bide.html

Biden's ridiculousness with Katie Couric
http://www.anncoulter.com/

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs

http://hennessysview.com/2008/09/15/franklin-raines-criminal-enterprise-and-barack-obama-his-accomplice/

Obama and Ayers Connection
http://www.barackbook.com/Profiles/WilliamAyers.htm

Hope

I watched the Harvest Crusade today and was deeply touched. This year was different than most, because only weeks ago Greg Laurie lost his oldest son, Christopher Laurie suddenly and tragically in a car accident. Most men would find that a good reason to take a year off from doing their normal routine, but you can see that Greg has a passion in his heart for that Lord. It seems that in the tide of this tragic circumstance in his life it has only deepened his resolve to preach the gospel more earnestly. They showed a very touching tribute to Christopher Laurie right before Greg gave his message and the first thing Greg said was, "That's my boy." It made me cry hearing him say that and still does just writing it down. Oh the pain and sorrow that family has suffered through and what they're still going to go through. They know that their sorrow is only for a time and they will have eternity together, they are praising God for His sweet salvation and that Christopher accepted Christ as is his savior.


Here is an article on Greg's reflection on the sudden loss of his son.
http://www.harvest.org/chris/articles/you-choose-dad.html

Lyrical Corner 8-27-2008

SPOTLIGHT CAEDMON'S CALL

"Valley's Fill First"

This is the valley that I'm walking through
And if feels like forever
since I've been close to you
My friends up above me don't
understand why i struggle like i do
My shadow's my only,only companion
and at night he leaves too

Down in the valley, dying of thirst Down in the valley, it seems that I'm at my worst My consolation is that you baptize this earth When I'm down in the valley, valleys fill first

Down in this wasteland I miss the
mountaintop view
But it's here in this valley that
I'm surrounded by you
Though I'm not here by my will
it's where your view is the most clear
So I'll stay in this valley it takes 40 years

Down in the valley, dying of thirst Down in the valley, it seems that I'm at my worst My consolation is that you baptize this earth When I'm down in the valley, valleys fill first

And it's like that long Saturday
your death and the rising day
When no one wrote a word,
wondered is this the end
But you were down there in the
well, saving those that fell
Bringing them to the mountain again

A Good Tree Bears Good Fruit

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Matthew 7:17-23

"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

One night I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I was thinking about what my next topic would be to blog about. In my mind I heard, "a good tree bears good fruit." In the above scripture Jesus likens man to a tree and our deeds to the fruit being produced by that tree. A good healthy tree will produce good healthy fruit, but a diseased tree will only produce fruit that is toxic to the body and unfit for consumption. You cannot call a tree that produces diseased fruit "good" nor can you call a tree that produces healthy fruit "bad." There is only one way to know if a tree truly is good or bad and that is by the fruit it produces... "Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
When I was a child we had an orange tree in our back yard that had a rough year, it didn't yield a very good crop at all. What oranges did grow weren't very good. I remember my grandparents and my father talking it over and they decided to give it one more year. Throughout the year they would water it, nurture it, watch it and see what it yielded. If it gave a good crop they would keep it assuming it had just a bad year, but if it had another bad year they knew the tree was no longer good for fruit and needed to be chopped down. At the end of the year the crop seemed to be the same or worse than the year before so my dad chopped it down.
We as people have a little more time than the orange tree to prove ourselves "good" or "bad." God is very gracious in His dealings with us as flawed man...

2Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,* not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

-and-

Romans 2:4
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?


However, we also know that God is just and true to His word. We know that "fruit" is a metaphor for the deeds in a persons life, so what deeds does God classify as bad fruit? For this I found Galatians 5:19-21. Notice it states in verse 21 "that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." Meaning that those who make a continual pattern of behavior, those who constantly produce "bad fruit" "will not inherit the kingdom of God" or as Matthew 7:19 puts it "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." I also feel that 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 delves into this as well. Romans also tells us that we have a sense within ourselves of what is right and good and what is wrong. This we know the minute we feel our rights encroached upon.


Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness[unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence ], 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.



What is the fruit that God finds "good" and sweet and healthy to the body, those deeds listed in Gal. 5:22-23. We also find what good fruit looks like in 1 Corinthians 13 (look it up). Jesus also said in Matthew 22, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 22:37,39-40) Good fruit is characterized by love and how it is exemplified in your life. First of all do your actions honor God and second of all do your actions bless and show love to others? Then that my friend is good fruit right there. If not, we must look within ourselves and do some pruning or God will do it for us.


Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

My final thought is this...
1John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.


It's sort of a side bar but I feel it's important. I guess I've seen some bad fruit and I wanted to point it out. To me it seems to go against the very fundamental principals of doctrine and it leaves me scratching my head in wonder that anyone can fall for it's debase nature. Todd Bentley is not a prophet or an apostle (or whatever he's calling himself) from God. If you don't know who he is look him up on you-tube. From what I've observed he physically abuses people under the guise of the movement of the holy spirit and manipulates people into thinking he's got some sort of "new message" about an angel (read 2 Corinthians 11:14). All I can tell you is love is gentle and love is kind, it is peaceful and is self-controlled and none of these things are contained within the way that this man is practicing his ministry. Know the word of God and be diligent to seek after Him and Him alone and He will protect you from stumbling.


1Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I Want to See Jesus Lifted High

Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Psalm 31:19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!

1 Samuel 15:22 So Samuel said: "Has the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams.

I don't know if the verses above make much sense to those reading this as they do to me, but they fit somehow in my mind with what I'm trying to say. For awhile now I've felt God speak to me that there is a blessing in obedience, not that we should obey to obtain a blessing for ourselves, but maybe more of a power in laying our lives down and picking up His will for our lives. If we would choose to center ourselves to do the will of the Father we would see great and mighty things happen right before our eyes. If we would lay down our rights and turn our backs on the sins that so easily beset us (ensnare us) we could be active participants in the unbelievable, inconceivable miraculous work of God here on this earth. Not that the work would be ours to do, but His through us as we enter into surrender and submission to His Will and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

He has created us for "good works" that we should "walk in them." Sometimes I feel like so many christians feel like they've been given a "get out of hell free" card or a "license to sin," and although you are forgiven and you're salvation may be sure ( it is between you and God) there is no power. If we would just, correction I feel like if I would just press forward, fight the good fight knowing it's not easy, and do what honors God at every opportunity I believe I will see things that I never could have dreamed of. Here's my question to you...are you with me? Are you willing to lay it all down for the sake of the cross? Are you willing to be submissive to the calling of the Father, the Son and the voice the the Holy Spirit and surrender what is asked of you? Or are you willing to miss out on seeing what no eye has seen before and hearing what no ear has heard before? It's up to all of us in every choice we make daily. My same old same old doing things my way or a brand new world of amazement doing things God's way.

Lyrical Corner 7-24-2008

I love this song! I think it's such an amazing commentary of the christian church today. Derek says so much, so poetically and melodically with this song. It seems we as humans want to quickly run to the promises that God has for us without thinking of the cost that may be required of us or what the promises truly mean. Some may not want to give their hearts wholly over to the love of their bridegroom for all eternity, but still dabble in their sin that so easily ensnares them. They truly have no grasp of how exhilarating, how wild and amazing His love can truly be. They have no gratitude for the cost that was paid to clothe us in that wedding dress and to place that priceless ring upon our finger. It seems that constant search for blessings without responsibility. There are some words that may offend others, but I think they are poignant to the language of the song. If you cannot overlook it, I'm sorry. Try not to strain at a gnat to avoid the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

SPOTLIGHT DEREK WEBB
"Wedding Dress"

If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I’d ever need?
Or is there more I’m looking for

And should I read between the lines
And look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want?

[Chorus]
‘Cause I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
And I run down the aisle, I run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
But I put you on just like a ring of gold
And I run down the aisle
I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child?
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
And with the other in your side
‘Cause I am so easily satisfied
By the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

[Chorus x2]

Because money cannot buy
A husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Small labor of love=Big Dream

My post this evening is not of the normal nature of my blog, but I'm beaming with pride for my uncle and I cannot help but share my exuberance with whomever may find them self reading this. Earlier this summer he and his wife and their two small children set out on a cross-country road trip to deliver a very special project he has poured himself into for not just the last 6 months, 16 hours a day, 5 days a week, but it is also something he has been tinkering with for over 20 years and that is building small wood replicas of buildings and skyscrapers. Which he has delivered to the skyscraper museum in New York. Here is an article that tells in more detail his story and a little of his journey.

http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_270/skyscrapermaven.html

The one funny thing to me is that he mentions the nuts and bolts that he used for his cities when he was a child. But he doesn't mention they are the very nuts and bolts my father (his 11 year older brother) had told him not to touch after he had set them aside from taking parts off of a car. When he says his cities were unlike any anyone has ever seen he is only telling what is true to the stories I have only been told my whole life.

Lyrical Corner 7-3-2008

SPOTLIGHT Nichole Nordeman
Fool For You

Verse 1

There are times when faith and common sense do not align,
when hardcore evidence of you is hard to find,
and I am silenced in the face of argumenative debate,
it's a long hill it's a lonely climb.

Cause they want proof,
They want proof of all these mysteries I claim,
Cause only fools would want to chant a dead man's name.
Maybe it's true.

Chorus
I would be a fool for you all because you asked me to.
A simpleton who's seeming naive,
I do believe You came and made Yourself a fool for me.

Verse 2
I admit that in my darkest hours I've asked what if,
What if we created some kind of man made faith like this,
Out of good intention or emotional invention,
and after life is through there will be no You.

Cause they want proof of all these miracles I claim,
Cause only fools believe that men can walk on waves.
Maybe it's true.

Chorus
I would be a fool for you all because you asked me to.
A simpleton who's seeming naive,
I do believe You came and made Yourself a fool for me.

BRIDGE
Unaware of popularity,
and unconcerned with dignity,
You made me free.
That's proof enough for me.

Chorus (Modified)

I would be a fool for You,
Only if You asked me to,
A simpleton who's only thinking of,
The cause of love.

I will speak Jesus name,
and if that makes me crazy,
they can call me crazed,
I'm happy to be seemingly naive,
I do believe You came and
made Yourself a fool for me.

Plank and Speck

Originally written Sunday May 20th, 2007

HEAD GAMES

I think it's a human pursuit to avoid conviction. To distract ourselves form listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit evoking change and repentance. It's almost like if I can focus on someone else's sin and make it worse than my own, I'll be fine. Why do we wallow and sit in our sin when we could focus on Jesus and be set free. If you bring others sins to light you can distract others from your own sins. Problem is the One who matters sees it all and you're only heaping sin upon sin.

Matthew 7:1-5
1. Judge not, that you be not judged, 2. For with what judgment (condemnation) you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3. And why do you look at the speck in you brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in you own eye? 4. Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye"; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5. Hypocrite! First remove the plank from you own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Sometimes after we remove the sin or fault from our own lives we see that our brother doesn't even have a speck in their eye. It was our own plank impeding our vision. Chances are the person you're trying to judge is fully aware of their own sin and needs no help in bringing it to light. They're probably even aware of the sin you're trying to cover up and hide from. If we say we do not sin we are liars. It is hard to deal with someone who feels it is their duty to point out all your flaws as if they have none them self. And will not allow anyone to hold them accountable.

1 Peter 2:1-3
1. Therefore laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2. as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3. if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

I almost feel that verses 1 and 3 should be swapped. If you have experienced God's graciousness you should want to lay aside these sins that ensnare you and search after the pure milk of His Word.

Precious Grace

God struck me with this scripture the other day.

Hebrews 10:28-31

28. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30. For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."

31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Which reminded me of another passage of scripture.

Romans 6:1-2,4,15
1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

2. Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

4. Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

15. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but grace? Certainly not!

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price; there fore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Grace is not free. Yes it is free for us to receive, when we chose through faith to accept that we are separated from God in our sins seeking repentance and the forgiveness Christ shed His blood to give us. Yet grace was not uncostly for God or Christ in the slightest.


John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Could you imagine sacrificing your one and only son, or your one and only family member for the greater good of many?

Romans 5:6-8
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Matthew 20:28
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

I have yet to see a small priced ransom. Most ransoms are set to reflect the value of what is being held hostage. God saw us as so precious He was willing to pay in full the cost of His only Son to redeem us from our sins and the wages of those sins which is DEATH-(Romans 6:23). I'd say we were in pretty deep considering the circumstances. If we were up a creek with no paddle when judged by the law and God has a "worse punishment" for those who have "insulted the spirit of grace," I would say it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God. I guess what I'm saying is if it has been your practice to sin and say, "it's okay, God will forgive me, there's grace," think twice because you just might be counting "the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing" and verse 30 isn't far behind.

For the Sake of the Cross

An interesting thought came to me the other day. I've been dwelling on it quite a bit lately. "How willing am I to lose friends for Christ? even 'christian' friends?" I mean there were plenty of people who knew the ins and outs of scripture like the back of their hands back in Jesus' day. When enough people were watching they could clean themselves up pretty good, they knew how to act holy and what prayers to pray. And yet, when it came down to it Jesus Himself saw their deeds and called them white-washed tombs. He didn't want to have anything to do with them. He also says in Revelation He wishes christians would either be hot or cold rather than lukewarm. And again He said you cannot serve two masters you will hate one or the other, you cannot serve God and your belly, or better put the lust of your flesh (Tina paraphrased). I could go on and on. My point is this God wants all, not some! I'm getting tired of people who know better thinking they can get away with giving some as if it were all as if God's not going to notice. If Acts 5:1-10 has taught us anything it's that this line of thinking will only get you into trouble. To paraphrase Proverbs 6:27; Can you take fire into your bosom and not get burned. God shows no partiality. Back to my original quandary, I expect in life to lose some people as friends who don't share my same beliefs, but what about those who say they believe as I do, but their lives are completely opposed to what they speak. I don't know but I feel those days aren't too far away for me. I do know that It's good to remember "never the righteous man (or woman) forsaken."