A River Runs Through It

Good Teamwork is a Dance

2011-10-31T21:27:00.001-07:00

You are on the spotlight the second you clock in.

Timing is everything.

Everyone and every little detail plays an important role.

Relaying information and communicating with coworkers well is critical --otherwise you step on each others toes.

Need for focus on tasks at hand.

The day eventually comes to an end and you clock out.

Humility

2011-05-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

This is what we need.

Who is worthy of anything?

Everything is given unto us --nothing at all belongs to us not even our lives.

All the glory and honer and praise belongs to God this is what we were created for: to bring Him honor.

Let us be God centered.

Jesus being perfect and blameless, God in the flesh, humbled himself before mankind that we might live.

He knows us to the core, nothing we do can be hidden.

Therefore be honest to God, daily.

Let us turn back to Jesus' feet. And his goodness will never part from you. Like a mother hen with her chicks under her wings. Everyone is very valuable in the kingdom of God.

Let us, let ourselves, learn to follow His ways, always.

Knowing that there still is a small amount of time before we will pass away from this rusty earth.

:)

A river runs through Heaven called Grace.

Humility: Giving glory to God :: Camouflage: Valiant soldier fighting for an excellent cause

A Few Things To Keep In Mind From This Previous Prayer Meeting

2011-02-28T23:53:00.000-08:00

Fight (the spiritual fight) with all you've got (heart, mind, strength, soul and with the armor of God).

Giving God all the glory even when times get real rough.

Knowing that He will never leave you or forsake you unless you forsake Him.

God protected us and took care of us since we were but a single cell until now.

He would like us to live our lives according to His will.

Not going astray, but walking upright in the path He cleared for us.

Also, being that light and salt He wants us to be in this dead and flavorless world (life to a world that leads to dead ends).

Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

I pledge alligence...

2011-02-26T18:33:00.001-08:00

hmmm, here's a pic someone emailed me. I thought it was worth sharing its from the San Diego Union Tribune cartoons...

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him

2011-02-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

by Russell Kelfer

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him
"In all thy ways, acknowledge Him,”
‘Tis not some passing phrase.
It means we count as perfect,

His Word, His Will, His Ways.
It means we trust His Word to be
Our total, perfect guide;
That ne'er e'er will we add to it,

Nor claim one word denied.
It means we trust His will to be
Divinely error free;
That yet whate'er He brings to pass

I know 'tis best for me!
It means we trust His matchless ways
In e'en those trying hours,
To be no less than perfect ways

(Though so much higher than ours!)
"In all thy ways, acknowledge Him,”
That's God's unchanging Word,
And what it means is throw yourself

On Jesus Christ as Lord!
With love, He will surround you,
'Till all life's days are through;
He'll take control, He'll flood your soul,

He'll do what's best for you!
"In all thy ways, acknowledge Him,”
And from life's stress be freed;
For if the Son shall set you free,

Ye shall be free indeed!

©Russell Kelfer. All rights reserved.

The Reason For the Season

2010-12-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Holiday season can get busy. Very busy. Especially for people who always want everything to be perfect. Perfection on Earth is impossible the only thing that ever was perfect on Earth is Jesus himself. The fact that He sacrificed His life to human kind that we might be perfected through Him. That is the most beautiful part of this season. May God all remind each and everyone that. Also, know that if you are having a rough time right now there is someone who cares deeply and who died in your place that you might have eternal life. And He is waiting that you might speak to Him this very moment. That through Him you can be redeemed and transformed into a new person. Just open your heart and ask.

Hand Symphony

2010-12-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Here's to raising Hands Only CPR Awarness...
http://handsonlycpr.org/symphony/?id=3
Check out this site its pretty cool.

Grits lyrics - Ooh Ahh

2010-11-19T02:29:00.000-08:00

Grits lyrics - Ooh Ahh

Somebody Bigger Lyrics

2010-08-20T02:06:00.000-07:00

Sang By "Gotta Have Gospel"
It reminds me of a psalm...

Somebody Bigger
by Jeff Majors
Written by Jeff Majors
Who made the mountains
Who made the trees
Who made the rivers flowing to the sea
And who hung the moon in the starry sky
Somebody bigger than you and I
Who makes the flowers bloom in the spring
And who writes the songs for the birds to sing
And who sends the rain when the earth gets dry
Somebody bigger than you and I
Somebody bigger
We've got to answer
Somebody bigger than you and I
Who made the babies who gave them life
And who gives them dreams
Guides them through the night
And who drives our footsteps along this way
Somebody bigger than you

Live Life to the Fullest

2010-08-19T02:36:00.000-07:00

Life is to short to live it in vanity.
Live life all for the glory of God.
Let everything you do be a testomony of your love for God.
Let nothing stand in the way of the everlasting heavenly Father above.
Never give up on Him, 'cause He never gives up on you.
Lay up all your treasures in Heaven. For where your treasures are that is where your heart will be also.
Food for the stomach and the stomach for food.
So is the body for God. Our bodies are His temples.
Live life all for Gods' glory.
Then you will find life all the worthwhile.

Morality Review

2010-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

"Woe to those who call bad, good and good, bad."

Lord help us to see what is good and what is bad clearly. No excuses.

Help us to be a Holy people because you are Holy.

Spend Time With God

2010-07-28T01:38:00.001-07:00

Sing. Pray. Seek. Ask. Tell God everything ...He wants to hear us. No matter how loud or silly you sound; a sincere, persistant, honest heart is beautiful.

When The Going Gets Tough

2010-04-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

We all know the saying "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Truth is, no one is tough. It is only by the power of the Lord that we are strengthened and renewed day by day.

When every part of you screams not to do what is the right thing, there's something in you that urges you to make the right decision. And you want to do what is right. This is God's fingerprint in you, your conscience.

Somehow, that is not enough. People are weak in general and we go right when we should go left and left when when should go straight. We are very limited in all areas of life.

Therefore it is good pray that you might be full of the Holy Spirit. That your life will be driven by the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to splash and/or swim in water, but a whole other to be swept away in the water.

Jesus did not leave us orphans in this world, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. May we only pay closer attention and be more sensitive to the spirit that we will be pushed to do the right thing always. That we might bear fruit in the midst of the storms of this world. That we might find peace in the eye of the hurricane of this world.

Even when something as little as going to church becomes a chore, rather than complaining and asking questions, it is better to set aside "self" and go. Regardless. With an open heart.

To search God on a continuous basis is food for the soul.

Sometimes sacrificing what we want to do for what we should do (haha actually most of the time especially when our vision is deviated inward) is extremely difficult. It seems like a loss in the short run, but in the long run it is a great investment that you will be rewarded for.

When you see something that is not right, rather than stepping aside and turning a blind eye, it is better to speak up and stand up for what is right. Lord, help us to know when to speak up and when to be quite. When living with someone whomever they may be: parents, husband, wife, kids, roommate.. becomes unbearable. Remember that if Jesus could put up with you and still love you enough to die in your place, then you should be able to do the same. There are many examples. Go ahead and think of your own.

Overall, life is too short to waste it on what doesn't matter in the long run. There comes a point in life when all choices made propel you in the direction they opened for you then there is no turning back. This is why making good choices is so important.

May we be able to seek first the Kingdom of God that our eyes will be opened to see just how everything falls into place when we put our priorities straight and seek His Kingdom before ourselves. May God give us the strength and wisdom to carry-on with no regrets. May we continuously be filled with the Holy Spirit.

...now studying Romans 12 and 1 Cor 12, 13

Picture Story

2010-04-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in my room wasting time taking pictures... Knowing my picture taking skills, I have to admit they're pretty neat.

Is this the light you're talking about?

Let me get the light for you...

Sorry, the chair needs to be fixed in the right position...

Oops! Forgot to close the door!

True Killing time isn't quite the best way to live life,but sometimes its relaxing to slow down a bit.
:)

Church Notes Update

2010-01-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to stick to my new years resolutions for reading all of the Bible in one year and I picked up a second book to go with it "The Purpose Driven Life." So those have been keeping me pretty busy. I have been slacking off when it come to taking notes in church, they are not as thourough as usual. But here are a couple of tid bits I Do have.

Saturday:
A gal I was sitting next to said; "You know... While I was taking communion I had an epiphany. Back in the day when they would make a covenant they would take an animal like a lamb and say 'Be it to me as I do to this lamb if I break the covnant with you.' Then the lamb was slain, killed. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain for us when God made a new covenant with us."

So then this means we probably should obey God who sent his son to be a sacrifice for our sins. God wasn't playing around when he made a new covnant with us. He really wants to show us how much the new covenant means to Him. May God help us all be faithful on our part!

Sunday:
We are to grow deep roots in the word; like the seeds that sprouted in good soil. Not like the seeds that sprouted on the rocks then quickly shrivled away when the sun beat down on them, or like the ones that sprouted along the weeds and thorns, or like the ones that were snatched by the birds before they even reached the ground on the wayside.

So if you see that your prayer isn't answered right away or that it isn't answered at all don't give up on the Word. If your life gets busy, make sure you proritize enough to set aside time to spend quality time with the Word. Don't let the cares of the world get to you because the cares of the world are very puny in the hands of God. And sometimes we miss the signs, words, truth, point, etc. alltogether. Our answered prayers might be sitting in front of us and we may be unbelieving. Remember when God answered the people praying for Peter who was on death row in prison and God sent His angel to set him free and when Peter was knocking on the door the girl who finally answered couldn't believe her eyes and shut the door again. (1st corinth?) It could be right under our nose and we don't even see it. Watch then and pray and spend time in the Truth that you will know what is hidden from the wise and revealed to the babes.

2009-12-16T23:58:00.000-08:00

Psalms 73,75,77,36
James 4:13-17, 5:13-17
1 Peter 1:13-17

Song numbers 596, 600

...details to follow

2009-11-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 1 peter 5:5

Thought of the day

2009-11-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Once you stop fighting Holiness and start desiring Holiness instead, your life gets turned right side up. Leaving your old self and putting on holiness can be a painful, but wonderful process; like getting slivers out of your skin. Then you have to keep watch and be careful not to get any more slivers.

Prayer Meeting Update

2009-11-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks I haven't been so good at keeping notes, but I will write whatever notes I do have and will try my best to remember what was spoken in a nutshell.

Acts 1
2 Samuel 7
1 Corinthians 12, 13
2 Thessalonians 2
John 14

Love the Lord with all of your heart, all your mind, all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Loveless acts are worthless before God. God is a God of love. This means you do all things our of Love if Christ is in you and there is no greater love then that He lay His life down for us while we were yet still dead in our sins. Let us pick up our crosses and follow Him daily. Salvation without a cross is false. Now we understand in part...

God is looking for the fruit of the spirit to be evident in us. In the end the fruit is all that really gives evidence to how good the plant really is. The plant's stem and roots support the plant like the bible and the holy spirit can support a person. The plant receives watering, but in the end everything doesn't matter as much as the fruit. The whole plant will be thrown away (think wheat) but only the fruit will remain. Similarly, we will be known by our fruit. What did we do with the cross? With the Bible? With the Salvation God gave us through Christ, Jesus? Did we invest in the kingdom of heaven or did we seek to enrich our lives on Earth? What did we do with the love and the gifts God has given us? This will be evident in the last day and will help the Lord separate the good wheat from the bad wheat.

If back in the bible times they said they were living in the last hour, than we must be living in the last minute!

song #'s: 529, 498, 499, 368, 371, 137

Faith. Faith like Daniel in the den of roaring loins. Faith like the holy saints who cry out... "I fought a good fight" Paul and/or Daniel could both say that.

Faith without songs, but rather more repentance.

Let us have first faith.

Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb.

by faith, prayer, holy spirit.... Though the rode is narrow indeed. Jesus cannot be stopped

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%207,%2010&version=NIV values church of Holy Spirit. He who has ears hear. Only victorious souls will have right to eat from the fruit in heaven.

In the beginning there was the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God.
Jesus came and died, Mark 6, and rose again!

Psalms 91, 1 thes 1, 2 timothy

Cannot love self and God. In the end times, people will be lovers of selves more.

Kingdom of Heaven is here. The Earth is fading away. The Lord is coming, let us be ready. We don't know the day or the hour. Wash up every chance.

The word of God makes us revived spiritually even if we're dead. Faith causes rivers of water to flow from the heart/soul. How can some have the Holy Spirit for many years but still lack in faith? a life fully. Let Holy Spirit have its way in you. School of wisdom to learn more. "I love your souls" That you might be able to look up. The Lord came with water and hurried through pews to give us water.

Body of Church needs Jesus' blood to be blemish free and Holy Spirit to fly.

1 Cor 3:6

there was enemy but crushed. Cancel self that Jesus might take over. Let yourself decrease that God might increase. wake up. Water fountains encompass u tonight. Where did you put Jesus? Not enough to set Him aside, need power too.

song #:769

Talents

2009-10-13T19:44:00.001-07:00

A small step forward is better than no step at all.

May God's Grace fall upon us all, Amen.

Scriptures of highlight from prayer meeting

2009-10-12T12:15:00.001-07:00

Friday 9 OCT 2009
Subject: Godly Character
Matthew 5
Isaiah 1

Saturday 10 OCT 2009
Subject: Communion
John 13 (I think)
Matthew (?)
Mark & Luke
Seems like all the gospels say it differently ya?
Question of the day: Did Judas (the betrayer) take part in communion then betray or did he not take part and betray before communion?

Sunday 11 OCT 2009
Subject: Sound doctrine, Grace, Godly Character
Timothy
Titus

Final thoughts:
We don't realize how big the spiritual warfare is because we cannot see it. We are definitely living in times that are hard pressed on every side...
Our greatest weapon is to keep our eyes on Jesus.
More on Spiritual Warfare in Ephesians and Isaiah

Prayer Meeting Notes

2009-10-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

10/3/2009 Saturday
Subject: Faith/ Faithfulness

Proverbs 27
-Flesh even desires to have some kind of encounter with God, the Holy Spirit desires it much more.
-True humility should start in the heart and then trickle outwards; if you dress in raggedy clothes it doesn't mean you now have humility.
-If you think you did anything praiseworthy, put yourself next to Jesus. Anything humble? Put yourself next to Jesus. Anything loving? Put yourself next to Jesus. Anything merciful? Put yourself next to Jesus.
-Matthew 25(parable of the talents)
-Quote from apostle Paul 2 Corinthians 12:10 "I am weak then I am strong"
-Search 1st the kingdom of heaven! Then everything else will fall into place.
-He who is in us is greater than He who is in the world.
-Need more faith! Why not? Lord can do it.
-Small plants>Something growing>Shadow>changed: more details down below.
-Abraham a man full of faith, never questioned God when God said all this land that I show you will be yours.
-Blessing even if need to wait for something to happen we can rejoice because we know it will indeed happen.
-By faith we can move mountains.
-There is a small value in flowery sermons, but a great value in sermons that speak the truth.
-Time to learn the word and live it!
-We are constantly reminded by God sa ne pocaim si sa ne indreptum si sa ne trazim (to repent, straighten up, and wake up) What then? Should we be proud of this? Not at all for this means we are still babes in the spirit. God want us to grow and bear fruit.
-Only God can help us, but we have to be willing to be helped and to put one foot in front of the other.
-Let us see the affects and power of the Holy Spirit not just talk. Let us see what God has in mind for us.
-Cine se cinseste si implineste cuvintul Domnului, Domnul se poate foloseste de El.
-Whomever consecrates/repents and obeys the Lord, God can use.
-Galations: Credita v Mindrie (aka faith vs pride) they might look the same at first but they lead to two very different results (Faith is taking pride in God and believing Him who is the creator of all things, whereas selfish pride says that it is taking the credit which belongs to God and this always leads to destruction. It is like trying to catch the wind. We are but His creation!)

*There were some lucrari (prophecy or word of knowledge I'm not quite sure which one it would translate to be) in which we were told that we need to humble ourselves to the ground and... ...also to stay filled with the Holy Spirit that we might immediately recognize a false prophet/teacher when we hear one. I have them recorded...
*Also I saw a vision of a garden with several rows of seeds that have barely begun to sprout and there was an enemy that kept trying to block the sun from the tiny plants. These plants were us. We are like babes in Spirit. We prayed and prayed and then I felt urged to pray that only God can help! And we cried out to the Lord and the plants started to bud, but a snake some parasites appeared and it was such a struggle! We prayed and then I realized that we were in the bottom of a very deep cliff and I was looking up from the bottom of the dirt and saw that we were completely covered. I then saw a large knife and so I prayed more, but realized the knife was actually cutting an opening that we might receive some light.
*Sora Maria Dusciuc came a bit later and she had a vision that there were Angels that would go around and fight off evil dark spirits with their swords and they were able to push back the enemy for us, but there was a long struggle. And those who prayed out of their whole heart with faith had the most victory. When the Angels used their swords a light would break through and cause the darkness to fall back.

Also we sang song #414 that really stuck in my mind... and another one that I thought was very appropriate unfortunately I forgot where it is so I will try to find it.

414
Suferinta lui Isus Mantuire ne-a adus.
Mantuire, vindecare si cu tatal impacare
De pacat si-avem iertare, prin Isus.
Iata, Fiul Celui sfant, E-ntristat pan' la mormant;
Lacrimi vars in gradina, sa primim a Lui lumina.
Plange-n Ghetsimani, suspina Domnul sfant.
Iata-L, dus pe la preoti, Si batjocorit de toti.
Osandit este la moarte cu cei rai sai aiba parte,
Dar El mila inca-mparte pentru toti.
Ducand crucea sus pe deal, cade jos, se scoala iar-.
Trupul Lui e numai sange, Inima la multi le-o frange
Si femei si mama-L plange, da-n zadar.
Suferinta Lui e grea, pe crucea din Golgota;
Chinuit striga: "Mi-e sete!" Ei I-au dat otet cu fiere.
Vai, ce grea-i a Lui durere, vai, ce grea!
Insa tot intre talhar a gasit al milei har
Si Isus i-a spus cu grai: "Azi vei fi cu Mine-n rai!"
"O, Tu, Doamne, mila ai de-un talhar?"
"Dar Eu am mila de toti, de talhare, de pacatosi,
De toti cei ce vin la Mine Si se leapada de sine;
Dar Eu mila am de tine si de toti."

-We prayed for rugatiune de cause (aka prayer requests) I realized that as I was praying for other people God had healed my back which I was contemplating making a Dr. apt asap because it was hurting so bad. I felt a warmth and than a relief on my back. God is good, and worthy of All praise. May God continue to help us all walk by faith not by sight and in humility and grace.

GBU all!

**my desire for anyone who reads this to repent and follow Jesus: the Word of God: Who was and is and is to come, while there still is time! He is very merciful, don't wait until He draws the line.

I strongly encourage you all to meditate on His word day and night and to pray without ceasing even in your dreams. It is high time to take God seriously, that we might rejoice when we see Him face to face -whether when He comes back or when we die. Nothing He says is in vain all things He says does indeed happen.

Prayer Meeting Notes

2009-10-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

Holy Spirit

-Not of this world
-Need not to be grieved
-May God keep it within us by the renewing of His blood
Are you walking in Spirit or in flesh? What sets you apart from the world?

The trouble with people is that we want to know all things without making an effort to learn all things

Remember the ark in 2 Samuel 6 and how King David made haste and moved it how He thought it should be moved leading to the death of Uzzah... As opposed to 1 Chronicles 15 Seems like David finally read Deuteronomy 10:8 Numbers 8 there are many other references in the old testament concerning the ark. God gave specific instructions that only the sons of Levi can move it on carried on their shoulders. We need to have rivna with inteleptiune aka acts with wisdom. (I love how Deuteronomy 11:16-25 says to constantly put the word of God all around us and speak and remind each other about it all the time that we might have victory wherever we go.)

Ephesians 2...
We are made alive in Christ. Alive? Than this means that we were once dead without Christ. Can you love a dead man? Can a dead man say "I am tired of being dead, I think I'm going to come back to life." No! It is by Grace of God and His might love and power that we are mad e alive and new in Christ. That's how much God love's you. He took the initiative to make you alive. Then we can understand that the Holy Spirit desires us to be full of life and whole before God. Be full of Spirit!
Need to be under control of the Holy Spirit 24/7 otherwise we lead ourselves to destruction again and die. We need to pray continually and walk in the Spirit continually in order to grow in the Spirit. Feeding our bodies with much spiritual food letting go of our fleshy desires that our the Spirit in us will grow stronger.

Ephesians 1:15-17 ...I pray for you as Paul prayed for you... May Holy Spirit give you duh de descoperi si revelatie ca sa cunost pe Domnul (May Holy Spirit give you a spirit of discovery wisdom and revelation that you will come to know the Lord to really really know Him) Not in theory, but in a very real way.

Hospital employee vs Christ, Jesus' follower

2009-09-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

There are parallels between running a race and prayer and I also believe there are similarities between working at the hospital and being a follower of Christ... Please keep in mind that God of the entire Universe is the ultimate Boss and giver of the law so if people make a rule contrary to God's law we should not obey. Like Shadrack, Mishak and Abbednigo, and the fiery furnace.

-Need for respect for all coworkers and to patients
-Need for humility in being corrected
-Need to make an effort to stay awake and alert even when exhausted
making all efforts to provide the best care
-Need to be honest
-Have good communication
-Constructive feedback
-Never assume anything
-Ask for help when needed
-Have a good, positive, "I Can" attitude
-Look for ways you can improve
-Look for opportunities to encourage
-Be "all-ears"
-Pay close attention to detail
-Be careful not to get sick yourself
-Need to follow up
-Don't make promises you cannot keep
-Be an encouragement
-Be a builder and not a destroyer
-Ask questions that are relevant
-Need to look past each others' differences and work together as a team
-We can cut, break, open but only God can heal
-A relationship of trust is built
-Need to watch and take care of our health after we get healed and to continue
to follow up with our Doctor
-Need to see others greater than yourself
-Need to follow the regulations and practices of hospital... the rules have been thought over many times and are there for a reason.

Forgiveness + Unconditional Love + Grace of God = A Sound Mind

2009-08-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

Obeying God; sometimes it feels like its pointless because I mess up anyways and the time goes by too fast that I can never make up for my mistakes. -->that by the way is not a godly thought.

If obeying God becomes too difficult then better to check in with my relationship with God because Obeying God should come easy and naturally.

We obey because we love Him not try and prove ourselves or anything of such.

I am so glad we don't have to be perfect people to get into Heaven.

Nonetheless Love and Obedience go hand in hand.

"Like when a child is trying so hard to do something right, and the father see's the effort child is making and smiles; God smiles when we make an effort to do something right before Him." --Mama.

Lord help us all to be honest in all our efforts to bless and honor your Name.

New Job Update

2009-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

In the last three weeks or so, I have seen God's mercy extended to me very much. I have received a job as a CNA in the acute pediatrics unit at the hospital. I could sincerely say that it is a blessing directly from God. There is a lesson to learn from all this too.

I never expected to be a caregiver, never did I in a million years think that is what I would be doing after HS. Little by little God is easing me into learning to be a spiritual warrior. I've had the privilege to meet people as 103 years old and as young as 3 days old, not to mention the families of the patients!

The world is riddled with sick individuals both physically and spiritually.

The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Matthew 9:37

Fourth of July

2009-07-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Yay! I went to Silver Falls! I've been wanting to go check it out for the longest time. Unfortunately we only stayed half of one day. Must go back again for a camping trip in the future.

It was the perfect way to spend fourth of July...

Here are some pics I took with my cell phone:

Mom and Dad at 1st half of hiking trip, I adore this picture of them.

There I am, my sis took that one, kind of cheesy, but wtvr I like cheese.

The next one is my nephew Luca inside the cave behind silver falls; sporting his army outfit. Cave was actually gigantic compared to the one I've seen at Multnomah Falls. Luca is crunched down -military style.

The one on the left is my mom, niece, and on the right my bro-in-law strolling along. Unfortunately my sister, Lavina, choose to stay behind to watch our stuff... too bad she missed out! I guess this means we'll have to go back to make up for it!

on the right is Bro-in-law and Niece -who got an excellent view of the 275ft waterfall drop-off...

This one taken behind the waterfall, which explains the bad lighting.

I snagged a pic of my parents again, they were like little kids, totally in awe and wonder and they really enjoyed themselves.

We even saw a lizard on the hike, it was about 5-6 inches long we almost caught it but it quickly hid underneath some rocks! Bummer.

We decided to take a little break. Bettie and Doris (Nelson's sister) were not too far away taking pictures... while I was busy with my own pictures. We totally looked like tourists... it was great :)

I named this one: Picture attack!

Get taste of Silver Falls!

There we are again, plugging along; nicole, Dad, Mom... Doris and Bettie are towards the back if you look carefully you can see them.

Here are a couple of shots Bettie and I took right before we turned around and headed back.

We saw 1/10 waterfalls then we went back to Lavinia who had barb-que ready. We had a yummy dinner of steak, hot dogs, potatoe salad, mom's apple cake/pie. We rode our bikes, played with water guns, and went for walks.

This concludes the summary of my trip to Silver Falls.
:)

2009-07-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

John 8:36
"So if the Son has set you free, you will be free indeed."

1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Everything Lifehouse

Obedience

2009-07-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

To love is to obey even if you don't understand why. Submitting even if everything else screams not to.

If someone asks you to do something and it is biblically appropriate then by all means do it, you'll be glad you did. ...Especially if the person who asks is your own parents.

I'm still learning to love and obey my parents; and I thank God that they are God-fearing people. I often forget it, but I am very blessed to have them. They have done nothing but good to me.

"Children obey your parents, in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6:1

I pray that I am a blessing for them as well.

No one is perfect, but we are perfected through Christ, Jesus.
( Romans 5 )

Scripture Reading of the Day

2009-06-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 4 (New International Version)

Treasures in Jars of Clay
" 1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"[a]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."[b]With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So 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."

My First 1/2 Marathon

2009-06-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Learning to praise God in the wonderful beautiful awesome sunny days full of life and fun, music, food, friends, laughter, health and good times.....

and praising Him in the days that seem to drag on and wear me out, nothing goes my way, and when I am sick and tired and hungry.

And in the days that seem uneventful, and boring; I praise God, who is most worthy of praise!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall guide your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6
Not my will Lord, but your will be done.
Rejoice in the Lord Always and again I say rejoice!

"I just can't stop praising the Lord, I just can't stop praising the Lord."
It was like a broken record playing over and over in my head. A song I heard in worship at church about a week previously.

That is what I thought about during my first 1/2 marathon I ran last weekend.

We arrived a bit late due to heavy traffic. The first 20 min were used for warming up. Approaching 25 and 30 minutes I was feeling great and was on a role. Nothing could stop me. I decided it would be good to pace myself though I didn't want to burn myself out so early in the race.

(The hardest part to do any good thing, is simply getting out of bed to do it. But once you begin and start getting the hang of it, its the best thing in the world.)

Good thing I did too because it wasn't until passing mile 6 and 7 I was starting to feel a little bit tense and sore in my feet and back. I also had developed a terrible side ache that just came and went every so often. I was very grateful for the hydrating drinks they offered every 2 miles!

(Sometimes slowing down and checking the scene, rechecking goals, replenishing yourself with water that is, the Holy Spirit (through prayer, worship, fellowship, bible study) is very important. Even when it seem that everything seems to be screaming no!)

I was getting pretty stiff around mile ten and figured I only have two more miles to kill so I might as well get them over with. I started running faster, I think this helped especially when we were going down the hills because my muscles could shake out the soreness.

("The harder you work the faster we'll get there," is true, but sometimes it is possible to be running with the wrong source of strength (our preconceptions about the way things work vs Gods ordained plan) so even though its okay to start running faster earlier than usual but its necessary to be willing to accept correction and to stay in check with the body that is the church and the Word that is the bible)

Psalms 55:22 Cast your cares unto the Lord and He shall sustain you, He will never ever let the righteous fall, let the righteous fall.

I passed the 12 mile mark and through the rainbow of balloons I went. Only to find out a 1/2 marathon is actually 13.2 miles!

(When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Praise God for Jesus! Jesus did it all for us, how could we not do it for Him?)

Not giving up, I sped up. I could almost taste victory at the finish line.
(Jesus overcame death for us. Therefore, we know we can be overcomers if we follow in His footsteps.)

Whew! I could finally see it! I ran, ran, ran. Right through the finish chute.
( 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.)

With a time of 2hrs 39min -not exactly fast, but I made it without stopping without backing out, what a great feeling it is to stick it out and complete a task, a goal, follow through with a commitment.

(Anything that is easy is not worth fighting for, but what is hard and does not come by often is very valuable and worth the effort.)

I was greeted with cheers a medal and jamba juice. Every finisher's name was mentioned and I believe I heard my name called too.

(May my name be written in the book of Life too! Not because of what I did, but because of what I allowed Jesus to do in me and through me. That His name might be glorified.)

Exhausted I walked around; too sore to sit, too sore to move, to breath, to do anything! I felt like my legs were just this one giant bruise. And it was great. Great because I accomplished the race.

(In heaven, there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more sorrow; but everything will be made new)

Praise God! The Lord gives, the Lord takes, the Lord is All-together worthy, All-knowing, All-powerful, Just, Merciful, Omnipotent, glorious, perfect, Praise God!

Here are some pics I think you can still view them

Other Pics

2009-06-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show off with my niece and nephew. I am so blessed to be their auntie...

Garden Pics from last year

2009-06-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

When I see their faces, I see what an awful daughter I can be! LOL they are so cute!

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes

2009-06-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I believe my Dad plants more tomatoes now then He did when we we're all at home. Thankfully, God has given me the grace to just shake my head and smile. It takes a lot of work to tend to them all. He never asks for help, but is very grateful when I choose to help. I used to resent humbling myself to helping my parents do chores that I just see as pointless. Especially when we don't exactly need 10 rows of tomatoes... and then some.

I was contemplating throwing the gardening tools down and walking away. But I kept remembering how much patients God has with me; so I, of all people, should have patients with other people. Doesn't matter if they deserve it or not, God is holy so let us be holy. Also, God ordained my Dad and Mom as my parents so if God says Yes. I should say Yes. I am so thankful that God knows all my thoughts, and better still even more than I do. May He continue to reveal to me what is good and what is bad in me, that I might be changed, transformed.

Anyhow, I realize that there are quite a few lessons to learn from obeying and respecting my parents even when everything seems upside down and all around. Even if I have to break or change my plans, it is worth the long term reward, in addition everyone ends up happy.

I like what my Mom said, "We make plans, and God helps us oversee them that they might happen." -If it is his will that is.

Help us all, Lord, to grow in unity; entire nations to be as One in the Spirit. Singing praises forever together with You.

One of the things I love about God is that He is forever full of Life. So we need to trust and obey His word. Amen.

Scriptures of Note

2009-06-08T01:07:00.000-07:00

Psalms 90, 91
Jeremiah 17:7-17
Luke 13
Romans 12:1-10
1 Corinthians 15:50-58

... The little time I've come to know God is insufficient. Just when I think I have God all figured out, I find that there is yet more to it. Lord, help me to never stop seeking you and teach me to Love and fear you with all that I am. Teach all your children to stay under your wings, in your presence, in your light; let your light overflow in us. Let me always have oil in my lamp and to always keep watch! Help me Lord in all my ways. I cannot do anything without you, Lord; you sustain me.

In addition Here's a little something I found very helpful, and would like to share it with whomever wants to see it... Unfortunately I couldn't download the video, but here is the link to it (them)...open and you'll see how fast you'll start memorizing bible scripture!

Oh, and here is another one that's good.

conviction vs preference

2009-06-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

What and who is top-notch priority in my life?
How do I spend my time the most?
What are my motives for the things I do?
Would I feel comfortable writing down on legal paper everything I said and thought?
How long will it take for me to let go of my preferences and follow convictions?
Teach me oh Lord to discern between all other thoughts and Godly thoughts.
Help me to hear your voice loud and clear, through all the white noise of this world! To glorify you rather than shame your name and who you are. To bear much fruit and multiply the good talents you've given me. God forbid that I just sit on my talent and bury it in fear that I will lose it. Teach me how to loose the world in order to gain you. Forbid also that my words and actions are out of line with my heart and you too. Lord, only you can help! You are the way, the truth and the life!

On Strike Against My Spending

2009-04-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

I am currently trying to say "NO!" to spending my money on things I don't need other than my car and cellphone. Whew! Seems that when I try and set limits for myself I am tempted to break them even more. Probably because I am actually more aware of my spending habits now. Well, I pray that I can do this for awhile.

Scriptures of the Week

2009-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

(NKJ)

2 Peter 1:5-11
Fruitful Growth in the Faith
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverence, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was purged form his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diliggent o make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you aundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12:1-2
The Race of Faith
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jeff Johnson lyrics to Ruin Me

2009-03-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Intro
Woe to me I am unclean
A sinner found in Your presence
I see you seated on Your throne
Exalted, Your Glory surrounds You

Pre-chorus
Now the plans that I have made
Fail to compare when I see your glory

Chorus
Ruin my life the plans I have made
Ruin desires for my own selfish gain
Destroy the idols that have taken Your place
'Till its You alone I live for,
You alone I live for. (repeat)

Bridge
Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty
Holy is the Lord!

Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty
Holy is the Lord!

Repeat chorus
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jeff_johnson/ruin_me.html

Our God is an awesome God/ Making Melody

2009-03-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

Our God is an awesome God:

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz

Our God is an awesome God

There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists

Our God is an awesome God

The Lord wasn't joking
When He kicked 'em out of Eden
And it wasn't for no reason
That He shed His blood
His return is very close
So you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God

Chorus:
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wisdom power and love
Our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night

Our God is an awesome God

He spoke into the darkness
And created the light

Our God is an awesome God

Judgment and wrath
He poured out on the Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that you have not
Too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God

chorus (3x)

Our God is an awesome God (4x)

(Micheal W. Smith: http://artists.letssingit.com/michael-w-smith-lyrics-our-god-is-an-awesome-god-5fjptw4 )

[More Love, Faith, Hope and Power... more of You in my life]

Making Melody:

I'm making melody
In my heart to You
I'm making melody
In my heart to You
Pouring out Your praise
With everything within

I'm making melody
In my heart to You
I'm making melody
In my heart to You
Yours will always be
The song I love to sing

[Chorus;]
How can hearts
Not love Your name
How can souls
Not sing Your praise
Jesus, You put music in my soul

I'm making melody
In my heart to You
I'm making melody
In my heart to You
Pouring out Your praise
With everything within

I'm making melody
In my heart to You
I'm making melody
In my heart to You
Yours will always be
The song I love to sing

[Chorus;]
How can hearts
Not love Your name
How can souls
Not sing Your praise
Jesus, You put music in my soul

Jesus, You put music in my soul

[Chorus;]
How can hearts
Not love Your name
How can souls
Not sing Your praise
Jesus, You put music in my soul

(Phillips Craig and Dean: http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/phillips_craig_dean/making_melody-lyrics-445816.html)

Yep.

Thankful

2009-02-26T00:29:00.000-08:00

Today I met someone who really, really, really, realllly wished he could walk again. I tried my best to encourage him. Reminded him that things could always be worse and that something good could potentially come out of it all. I also recommended a watching a testamony about a young man who was born born without legs or arms, "Life Without Limbs". His eyes lit up, and said he'd be interested to see it. Changing the subject, I tried doing a little range of motion on his stiff, paralyzed legs -gladly he accepted. I could only think of how I take my health for granted so many times.

I met a 96 year old woman who was so anxious about everything... why I need to get her up for breakfast, why the laundry didn't get back already, why, why, why. I took me nearly an hour just to get her out of her room. When she was out she was like a changed woman she was all singing along the whole hallway all the rest of the day. Hmmm. I started out judging that she was going to be a tough cookie all set in her ways. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find she was the sweetest and most darling cookie I ever met. My sin of judging her was significantly greater than her anxiety. I am thankful for the great grace that God has bestowed upon me through Jesus. Jesus has all the right to judge me harshly, yet He is waiting so lonnnnnng and patiently for me (22.5 yrs now)to turn around. Yet I am so quick to judge.

Another woman, bed-bound and confuesed, always had the nicest things to say. Very pleasant as she was, she would hardly stop asking for assistance with everything imaginable. I was blown away when she asked me to fill her bird feeder outside with the seed. Just to be clear, my job description DOES NOT say that I am to go outside of the facility and attend to the birds! I thought she was kidding, when she pointed and, low and behold, there was birdseed on the other side of her room. I said I would if I got the chance. 2:10pm came around and I had actually ended my last rounds early for once so I figured I might as well.

...Walking out along the muddy little trail, in my crocs, birdseed in hand. I felt both foolish for not taking my jacket and not asking someone else to do it. I continued. I approached the birdfeeder at the end of the trail and took a minute to figure out how the seed goes inside. Yes, I thought, this is it. I lifted up the rooftop and was about to pour, when the birdfeeder got unhooked from the hook and started to fall. Luckily, I caught it just in time and was able to steadily pour the seed. I then used a stick and put it back on the hook. Looking up, I noticed the resident in her room, sitting up as high as she possibly could, clapping her hands. Her face said it all. I gave her a thumbs up and smiled back. Returning to give her back the extra seed, she said I could keep it and she offered to give me some books. I politely refused and waved as I said I'd see her another time.

Sometimes it can be so hard to sacrifice time for others when nothing seems to make sense. That is why I am so thankful for the truth, the rock, the solid ground I could turn to; the Holy Bible. "Do not withhold good from those to whom its due." Proverbs 3

May God help us to remember to take up our cross and walk with Him daily. Living to please Him, rather than ourselves.

Peace be with you

Looking Back

2009-02-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

Whew! I feel like I've done more in these last two weeks than in the last two months -combined!

I really enjoyed that my 1st-born niece, Bianca, was in town. She's as tall as I am and I find that quite amazing. I guess nieces can't forever be cute little toddlers after all. The first week Bianca was out and about reuniting with old friends. Then for the second week we might as well been joined at the hip; went everywhere together. Unfortunately, we couldn't get all our plans met, but we managed to get more done than I thought. We did manage to go shopping, Starbucks trips (for meeting purposes), visit family and friends (We got most of them anyways...), and finally to crabbing at Newport beach with our cousins on Saturday-definitely the highlight.

Originally we planned on going inner tubing at Mt. Hood, but last minute realized it wasn't in our best interest. Being that many of us were sick and the weather man predicted the roads would be really icy Saturday morning and we all agreed that my little "yota" probably wouldn't do well.

At the beach, we only caught four crabs, and we spent a lot of the day window shopping, and drawing in the sand with sticks. Also, we ate some good clam chowder and yummy cheese/bread/salami appetizers. Turns out I love goat cheese, something I used to hate. Was a load of fun, I am very grateful we ended up with sunshine, we were worried it was going to rain. It had rained most of the ride there and back, but it was sunny while we were there. I think God was smiling down on us. We got there about 11am and stayed until about 8pm

The night before our beach trip, I babysat three hyper kids Friday night, whose parents were out of town. There was three of us, and there were always at least two people with the kids. We took turns going home and coming back. Unfortunatelyj, my babysitting skills were a little rusty. With a 5,3, and 1-year-old I forgot how draining it could get. Luckily between the two of us there we were able to settle things down and get them all fed, bathed, and in bed, by eight o'clock. I guess it turned out to be a little early because they all started to wake up, one by one, again at 11 that night; I left when the third gal arrived and when they started to settle back down again at 12am.

In between, all the days for the last two weeks I did at least five loads of laundry, went to bible study, prayer meeting, church, and even managed to work four days.

On my drive home Friday night, I passed by at least two churches with crosses glowing in the night. Then I turned on the CD player to find that it was a sermon on Gods' grace.

"What? You think the Cross represents our kids who don't listen/obey us? Or that it represents our terrible financial or situational circumstances? No. Jesus' Cross represents being Salt, Light, and standing up for Justice, Truth, Love and the Holy Bible through it all. That we might be overcomers. This is a good time to come to the cross at Jesus' feet and reflect on our lives, and ask for forgiveness and grace of God to cover us inside and out."

...this really spoke to me because I felt like I wanted to give up. If I can't even get kids to listen to me, how can I ever get adults to listen? Then I realized that only Gods' grace and mercy can do that. My job is simply to walk in His footsteps.

I am so little, and He is so Big; who am I to think that I actually can make an impact equal to His in the dirt. Rather, I should follow Him that I might lead the way through Him.

God, Help me to see your footsteps more clearly, that I can be a light for you.

Some more books I've been reading

2009-01-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan (edited with an intro and notes by Roger Sharrock)
Very vivid story about Christians' adventurous walk from the city of destruction to the Celestial City. Including, but not limited to just Christian, the many different trials and struggles and how the pilgrim(s) were able to overcome them. To my delight part two is about his wife, Christianas', pilgrimage to the Celestial City and her trials and struggles and how she and her fellow pilgrim companions were able to overcome them. I give it a 4.75 star rating. The only complain I have is that because it was written in the late 1600's the dialougue is a little difficult to understand at times.

Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro
This book helped me find an effective way to absoarb the bible. To look take a closer look at the characters' story and to learn from ALL the folks in the bible :) Also introduced the S.O.A.P. method of reading the bible and journaling at the same time, which I really appreciate. In addition, the author answers several questions like Why give Mary, and not Martha all the credit? What does man have to do if God did pretty much everything already? How can I apply the bible to my life? I really enjoyed reading this book; it took me a while to read like the one above, and I think that was fine because it gave me time to maul over the information.

Jesus, the Man Who Loved Women by Bruce Marchiano
I know, I know, sounds a little cheesy.
I decided to read this book knowing that as a woman, I must first find confidence in my lord and saviour, Jesus Christ, before I start tring to look for a "saviour" in the men in my life. Knowing fully that All have fallen short of the glory of God and no one is perfect, how can I ever love anyone if I can't get past their flaws? How can I be the "Helper" God has called me to be if I can't even love my own Father and Mother unconditionally? Jesus got past my flaws and loved ME unconditionally; he came from all his glory and splendor from above, humbled himself lived on this planet and went into the depths of hell for me that I might have a chance to eternal life. Wow. ..so that makes Him all the more worthy of all our praise. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow and all fears doubts are gone :)
I enjoyed this book because it gives a very raw picture of what the scene "might have looked and sounded like" when Jesus healed and spoke with different women in the bible like Mary Magdalen, the old widow with the two mites for offering, the woman with an infirmity that was healed, the woman who was bleeding for 12 years, and more. I give it a 4.25 star rating because while I felt encouraged and might have cried a little :) it seems a little overly-dramatic at times. One thing I enjoyed a lot was that each chapter begins with a verse centered on the theme of that chapter.

Murder, By Family by Kent Whitaker
A true tradgedy of a lad who tried to murder his entire family, and how his Fathers' survival managed to change his life. The book unravels the journey of the Father being able to forgive his son and build a closer relationship with him. A miraculous event if you ask me! I'm still in the first half of this book, but so far I find it to be very inspirational. 5 stars. Sometimes, the book seems to drone on, but then again it is still just the first half. I love hearing true recent stories of how God worked in people's lives to turn them around. Remindes me that God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Our Daily Bread Discovery Series Resources Catalog by Radio Bible Class Ministries
A 32-page booklet small enough to fit in my purse and read on my breaks at work. Each page includes a personalized topic ranging from creation, the church, and how to live in the Christian life. A very practicle little book. 5 stars. you can get your own free copy at www.discoveryseries.org/catalog

about time

2009-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

I've been unable to do much anything online for the last three months. Fortunately, I was able to get it updated and it seems to be running a trillion times faster and more effeciently now. I'm crossing my fingers; hope it stays this way!

sorry

2008-10-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

I no longer have a reliable computer at home so that's why I haven't been able to update my blog as much. I hope to get my problem fixed soon. Let me know if you hear about any good sales on laptops!

Just a thought

2008-09-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

Interesting how what I think of as important questions seem to fade away when I am in the presence of someone I respect... esp the Holy Spirt of God.

I have a list of questions I was going to post before I posted my last post, but now I don't see the point. They seem almost irrelevant. Though good to remember and think about -that I may be a witness of His good works- not a priority. Priority is letting my life be a harmonious song of glory to Him. Turning away from the selfishness, pride, greed, lust, and evil I used to cling to and looking to Him to renew and be my strength, my life.

Nevertheless, here they are:

*What did God do for me and my family?
*Would I leave everything behind in order to walk with God?
*How does my life, my relationships, -or lack thereof, reflect my relationship with God?
*How important do I see the things of the world versus the things of Heaven?
*Am I a doer as well as a believer?
*Am I ready for judgement day?
*What will happen to me when I die?

Monday Night, Prayer Meeting, Woodstock

2008-09-15T23:47:00.000-07:00

what I got from it:
Songs: 561, 92, 77, 301, 303, 23, 213 (check out Cintati Lui Dumnezeu or Sing unto the Lord for translation)

Tired? No way. No time to be tired. Time to keep seeking, knocking, persisting, waiting, praying, giving him all the praise and glory He deserves so much. No self-seeking/worry, just keeping watch and trusting in Him. Let us have a heart after Him, that we can be vessels and extentions of his arms and legs that we may live because He lives. It cannot be the other way around because He created us, thus we need unity in spirit, that his spirit is the center of our lives. I am His servant and He is my God. Praise God!

He may have left the world, but he promised that where there are 2 or 3 gathered in one accord, the Lord is there with them in spirit. Let us take this to heart, and let it show through our actions. Lord is with (and in) those who call on him; who love Him with all their heart, mind, body, strength.

-Mathew 5 (being the salty city; not losing flavor)
-Luke 5 (waiting, and doing His will...casting the net only when he says so, --his timing is perfect.)
-On Jesus' first miracle; His mom on Earth told the people to do as He says, and they did, then their vats were filled beyond their expectations. Lord has many plans for us that are beyond our expectations and are fullfilling. Let us be serious about it and work the way He wills and be in harmony with Him that He may have His way
John 17 on Lord's Intense hour of prayer for the people, and God's will to be done.

When lord is present, He will make known what needs to be prayed for.

(On KPDQ after prayer meeting; "Not because of WHO you are, but because of WHOSE you are."; "Not depending on OUR strength, but depending on the strength that is IN THE LORD"; "Be watchful" -Galations 3-; "We are more than conquerors by/through Him." ; "Three enemies every believer faces are the world, the flesh, and the devil(who is ready to devour/hinder us at any time we stray off the narrow path)." "Devil is NOT a God, Know that he and all his 'flunkies' are literally dying to cause us to fall. That is why its so important not to listen to his false advertisement. Let us stick to what is true and stay constantly alert, setting a guard over all our heart and mind in God that is the rock, lest we lose gain the world and lose our soul."; James ch.4 1-4: ;on Paul, "Be careful when you stand, lest you fall -regardless of whatever you might have accomplished remember that He gives you your daily strength." "The first thing to do every day is to hide in the rock which is Christ, and the word, that we will not rely on our own limited strength, but His rather." "Let us humble ourselves; pray that we wrestle with His righteousness, just as Jacob did, and that He wins.") *God Bless KPDQ and all who listen to it.

Acknowlege Him in all your ways, and all shall be added unto you (proverbs 3). Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. He is my strength and source of my Life. Praise be His name through thick and thin.

City Bible Church notes

2008-09-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

All things are possible with God.

Don't assume things/ decisions that other people make.
Bring(being giving/nurturing)>Faith>Confidence>in God
Faith in action (on tithing). Whether its less or more, its up to you. Bible clearly lays out and says 10% of all firstfruits (I believe this can also refer to time, knowledge, wisdom, labor, etc)

Malachi 3:10; 2 Corinthians 8,9

Sow, pray, rebuke
pray, pray, pray

Giving heart, generosity so important. Let us not be greedy selfish people, letting evil devour what can be. By not givign we hurt ourselves more than anyone else.
.....
Connected vs Disconnected
Life giving connections
Secure future, fullfuil purpose, fruitfulness
God has provided all connection points. However, you may have a disconnected point that affects the entire circuit.

Ephesians (will be reading all 6 chapters of the book in next 8 weeks)

7 Vital Connections

-Christ Connection: Need growing connection with Him and know for sure you will spend eternal life with Him. Will have more prayer/insight.

-Purpose Connection: Knowing that GOd elected you to live for a reason! Not doubleminded. To say, I will follow you God, all the days of my life.

-Power Connection: Deutomous (Spelling?), strength, power, 1-1 relationship with Heavenly Father, so much more available to us, but we don't know or even want to access it.

-Leadership Connection: Need to be connected to good leadership. 2 Corinth 1. There is authority in mentoring, challanging, growing, respect, and obedience (The scriptures say that the Holy Spirit is thee divine mentor). Important to have access to a good leader(s?) as well.

-Church Connection: Has to be growing so that your spiritual maturity can grow. Do you ever do ANYTHING for God? If not, you are losing on a good opportunity. To belong to a church is to connect to its ministries (like DNA) and be a vital connector as well. Taking a position in the body of Christ.

-Relationship Connection: Need to understand where your relationships are. How many people can you call anytime of night. Who will hold you accountable for your actions?

-Holy Spirit Connection: Walk in, Meditate on, Pray in, being sensitive to, etc. on a daily basis. Abiding in Spirit and truth, and truth and Spirit in us on a daily basis.

Friday Night, Prayer Meeting notes:

2008-09-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Law and Grace
Jesus is fullfilling of law. Why is that needed, why not leave it the way it was? What's the big deal? The law lets us know our sin; therefore we can all find ourselves guilty of at least one of the laws. For all have fallen short.

(Luke ch? -on woman who was caught in the middle of adultry and was about to be executed, and Jesus said that whoever is blameless let Him through a stone first, and not one person could say they were blameless. Then Jesus, the only pure and blameless person that ever walked this earth, drew a line in the ground and said to her go and sin no more.)

...That is true grace. That Jesus would descend from the heavens and walk on this Earth for our sakes, even through the humility he went through, He followed through with it, then ascended back to the heavens and in his place sent the Holy Spirit, that we can know Him as a personal saviour. If he was merciful, we should be all the more mercyful unto others as well.

But more importantly always, always pray so that we can have the grace and power to also go away from our old selves and sin no more. That we can live to grow spiritually in Christ and not in our own fleshy selves.

Psalm 100

(think swan)

Songs we sang (will translate to english soon)
# 90, 104

Ephesians 4 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204&version=50 )

Bible is nurturing, but important to pray before and after reading each docterine. Not to be taken like any old book, need to be wise with it, and to pray about what we don't understand. Seeking Holy Spirit for guidance. And ultimately obeying the word of God.

Anything other than that, leads to different interpretations of the word. Interpretations that apease the carnal flesh more than the Holy Spirit. The human body cannot accept the written truth of God, because its soley inspired by the holy spirit, and we desire to make it fit our desires. The truth twisted, is no truth at all.

If we live in unholy lives, open the bible and say, "Oh, what more does the bible have to say?" It is not enough. Need to have genuine desire, holiness, perseverance, (and obedience).

Scripture not written by power of people, but by power of the spirit of God.

Many religious sects trid to hide and dispose of scriptures for hundreds of years. Because some things were contradictory to all the docterines they've been teaching up to that point. Many people gave their lives as sacrifices for the bible to be made known and given out. Its God's will that nearly anyone can gain access to a bible if they wanted to nowadays.

Lord, I want to know and understand your word -aka your will. The only thing on earth that doesn't change is the word of God. That is the rock, we -I- need to live by. That we all plant our foundations into that rock. Not only to hear the word of God, but to do it.

Everyone guilty of sin,
John 8 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208;&version=50; )

Law and Grace
Not a man spoke, but God then you put head, heart and not say anything. Jesus didnt throw. That's grace. If He didn't, then truely, truely we shouldn't even think about throwing stones much less throw them. May God have mercey on us all.

Song #772

Hear it, read it, do it.

on sin

2008-09-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

1 Cor 6 (last half, especially)

Being that the only way to show that your love/faith is true is by showing it through your actions, that's why it is very important to not only hear, but obey the word of God.

Fasting, Revisited

2008-09-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

All Fasting has its rewards, but the sweetest kind of fasting is the kind where you "rend your heart and not your garment."

2 chronicles 29 perfectly parallels with our bodies as temples of God. Verse five says, "And said: "Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary." (Tip: lookup consecrate yourselves, and/or fasting on BibleGateway.com)

Now looking at the word "defile" we can see that the bible clearly states what it means by rendering your hearts and not garments. Malachi, 1:12-14 says

12 "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible (despicable).' 13 And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty.
"When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. 14 "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations."

Lets be 100% real with God, for He is truely, infinately, worthy of genuine hearts.

Fasting out of love and desire (aka passion?) to get to know Him more. To build a personal relationship with God. Praying so much that you don't even desire to eat for hours at a time. Loving to dive deep into the word in study and prayer so much that you don't even think about drinking coffee, tea, juice, or maybe even water. Being in love with and meditating all day on the good words that the Lord, God has provided for us. So much that not eating and/or drinking just comes naturally.

*Remember those allnighter studies?

Learning to see the world through a heavenly perspective. Loving to lend a hand/put a high value on all the people God made with his own hands, and put such a high value on them.

So much, that He would send his only son to carry the biggest burden that has ever been carried. Ever. That through Him, we might be redeemed.

Building a relationship, giving thanks to the redeemer who lives, and still loves and forgives all those who call upon him. To forgive because he first forgave us.

However much I long for Him and be real with Him, that's how much more He will reveal himself to me -and then some.
***
God's mercy endures forever, he does not force us to do anything, but he calls us, beckoning us, knocking at our consciousness day and night. Let's welcome Him, and not be afraid.

He is like a perfect father/gentleman who desires to adopt a child, from the former father. It requires trust, but lets welcome the abundant, rich, LIFE He has in mind for us.

He wants to teach us so many things, but we have to be teachable. Going to God for all things rather than our former father, the world.

Paster Paul Shepherd in "A Word For Those Who had Enough," (enduring truth) refered to Elijah, 1 kings ch 17-19*, during his peak, as prophet of God, Jezebel swore that she would have him killed. So Elijah left everything and everyone and was running for his life, ended up far in the dessert and said that he was no better than his ancestors and prayed that he might die. He was just drained of all strength... so he fell asleep, then he awoke to an angel cooking fresh bread cakes for him and told him to eat and drink the water he had too. He slept some more, and then the angel awoke him and fed him once more, strengthing him. Rejuvinating his spirit.

Truely the word and spirit of God are the bread and water for the soul.

May our lives, Praise God, forevermore

...furthermore, I've been opening to the part in the bible where Jesus said that food is entered the by mouth and is eliminated, but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles a man because it comes from the heart. All day today has been a learning process for me, and I have the Father>Son>Holy Spirit to thank for that.

I would like to write more, but I must end this sooner or later : )

God be with you, all. Amen!

Church Notes

2008-08-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

Went to City Bible Church at the 11pm service; here are my notes:
(I plan on citing all the verses, but here is what I have so far, GBU!)

Rom 4:(29?)
We need faith, to live as we are called.
In addition, we need to learn to really, Really trust in the Lord. To build a trust instinct with our heavenly Father, God, almighty. Need to learn to go to him for all things. To trust in the Lord and not lean onto our own understanding. To put our focus on Him (God and all his fullness), on the truth! To have a genuine listening, obedient spirit(else we be following something that will only leave you empty handed in the end.)
Need to learn to say YES to God.
Let it be so, in favor, in passion, breakthrough, and promises...
promises are made with simplicity/ clarity so that we can be strong in faith, gain endurance, and so that ALL might unmistakably understand.
2 corinthians 1:20, together evident of "yes".
Have a "Yes" attitude.
2 peter 1:4
Promises can be made real. Focus. Focus.(on God! and all His Fullness!)
"Standing on the promises of God," (old written prayer turned hymn)
Steps of a good man. Grab promise and hold onto it.
Standing on the promises of God
(The Promiser)
One who promises, needs to keep their promise! A pledge needs to be kept. It honors God. (Its about time the human race starts honoring He that is true. We've gone many different astray-leading ways for too long! Let us be careful about making promises that we know we might not keep. Let us be real because He is real.)
(The listener; whether they know it or not)
Has the right to expect the fullfillment of the promise. God gives us a true hope. He cannot fail. He is a gaurantee. Nothing can stand in the way of His promise. If God says believe it, then by all means lets believe! Nothing can limit God! Build on the foundation of the Lord. Amen!
(God, the promiser)
By his promises, we can say that He is definitly,
-trustworthy
-Never lying or stretches the truth
-Faithful (He was, even unto death!)
-Able to Fulfill.
*Isaiah 55:11, 46:11, Joshua 23:14 (not one word has failed. Doesn't matter how we might feel at given times, we can rest assured that not one word God has spoken has failed. Truely there is power in words!)
-Same Yesterday, today, and tomorrow
*Heb 2:16, 10:23;Psalms 1:19
-All powerful (By Him, Through Him, For Him all things exhist; everything else fades away)
-Put yourself back onto the promises. Be stubborn when it come to Gods ways reflecting in your life. Mary Jesus' mother on Earth, could have said Huh? WHat? Can you explain to me how I could have a child, when I have never been with a man? But no, she said: "Be it unto me," bowed down to the ground and said, "According to you my God." (Not many people are willing to do that, we could learn a lot from this woman. By accepting God's will -letting go of whatever other plans she had, she was able to witness Jesus' up close and personal. God is a personal God, and wants to be our one and only. Let us say, Yes Lord! For He is indeed worthy of ALL our love and praise!) Ah, Lord God. Just do it.
There is no promise to hard to keep for him. He made a binding covenant, and followed through with it. (Word was God and God became word/flesh)Covenant cannot be broken. The promise, promise of ultimate victory (God said so from the beginning), "though Devil will strike our heal, we will bruise Devils' head." (what is more important head or heal?), God's promise of amazing blessings (Deut 8:28), Divine presence (exodus 43:14), God will be with you always (Math 28, Heb 13:5),Commitment He will always love you! Have doubt? Go back to the word, while there is still time. Promise for healing. Promise of peace during a storm. Divine protection, abundant provision, No good thing withheld. Dont let your sickness get to your prayer life (1-1 time with God) Gods' wisdom/knowledge, holy spirit help. Sufficient Grace (2 Cor 12) Forget about your issues; trust him. For everything under the sun, there is a purpose. Bless y'all! Glory in the highest! Amen.

Let us be holy because He is Holy! Keeping all things that aren't helpful away from our lives and bodies. Let us be a living, nurturing, holy people because He is holy! Let us not degrade any of his truth. Let his reality become our reality, that we may live in truth. Saying NO to things that lead to destruction and stains. Even one tiny, tiny, stain can ruin a whole outfit. Like a black tuxedo with a splash of bleach. Let us abide in him and him in us so that one day we can behold Him in all his glory and splendor and not be ashamed. There is no room for shame and guilt in heaven. So let us live like we were called and use the precious time that He gave us, well. That His glory will reflect in us. That we will be pure in his sight.

May the spirit/truth of God be within you all today, tomorrow and always.
Amen!

waiting

2008-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 40:29-31, 30:15-16,18, 31:1-3, 41:6, 44:24-28, 45:15, 32:9-15

Hebrews 3:7-19, 4:1-11,16
James 5:7-12
1 Peter 1:22-2:3

Psalms 118
I will go into more detail later

Meanwhile, here's an excellent site with many good words and references...

http://www.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2406769/k.9C2C/Search_Content/apps/s/search.asp

"Love them anyway"

2008-08-24T00:45:00.000-07:00

While at work today I found myself thinking about this quote:

A quote found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta; so true and helpful to remember especially when you find yourself in a situation where it would otherwise be hard love someone. Life is too short to allow room for darkness.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa
http://prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm

Remembering the Alamo

2008-07-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

As part of my sign language midterm, I am to talk about "My Vacation" or trip. The trip I choose to talk about is my most recent trip that took place last Fall, in San Antonio, and the different things I did there. I went to six flags, the riverwalk, and oh yeah ...I visited the Alamo.

Sadly, I didn't know much about it at the time, and never gave it much thought.

But as I'm house-sitting my cousin's home and dog, I noticed that they had the dvd "The Alamo," so I figured I might as well, but first I went online to learn a more about the background.

Wow.

I can't believe I didn't know this; yeah I know I'm a little slow...

Here's some information that I found...

1724
The Alamo was first named Misión San Antonio de Valero and was originally intended to serve as a home to missionaries and their converts in this region.

1826
John Quincy Adams offers Mexico $1,000,000 for Texas, but its turned down.

1827
The Texas y Coahuila state constitution recognizes slavery, but prohibits the importation of slaves after November 1827. Soon after, the law bans the slave trade and frees the slaves of owners who die without heirs.

1829
-September 15: Mexican president Vicente Guerrero frees all slaves, but Texans obtain an exemption from the national slave emancipation decree.
-Santa Anna becomes a national hero when he defeats Spanish forces at Tampico.
-Rebel leader Anastacio Bustamante stages a coup against President Guerrero. The Plan of Jalapa removes Guerrero and institutes a Centralist administration. The change of power means leaders in Mexico City become more suspicious of the U.S., and of Anglo colonists in Texas.

1830
United States president Andrew Jackson unsuccessfully offers $5 million to purchase Texas.

April 6: The Mexican Congress passes the Law of 1830. It prohibits settlement in Texas by immigrants from the U.S.; establishes military installations in Anglo colonies of Central and East Texas; forbids the importation of slaves; and cancels all colonization contracts still outstanding. The law will be repealed in 1833.

1836
March 1: Twenty-two men from Gonzales join the Alamo.

March 6: A bloody Mexican attack on the Alamo begins before dawn, and the Mexican forces slaughter all inside except for the women, children, and Travis' slave, Joe. Mexican losses number around 600.

March 20: Mexicans capture a Texan force retreating from Goliad, led by James W. Fannin, near Coleto Creek.

March 27: Santa Anna orders the execution of Fannin and 350 men at Goliad.

April 21: The Texan army defeats and captures Santa Anna at San Jacinto, and secures independence for Texas.

May 14: Santa Anna signs the Treaty of Velasco. It ceases hostilities and withdraws Mexican troops south of the Rio Grande.

September: Texans approve their new Constitution of the Republic of Texas. Sam Houston is elected president.

1848
The U.S. and Mexico sign the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo to end the war. Mexico accepts the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of Texas and gives up California and the province of New Mexico. The U.S. agrees to pay Mexico $15 million and to assume claims of American citizens against the Mexican government.

(Though no amount of money can repay the price of the land that was lost, let alone the number of deaths; any effort for mercy is better than no effort at all.)

Today, this site is commemorated for the immense role it played in the Texas Revolution, and was renamed the Alamo by the Spanish soldiers in memory of their hometown in Coahuila.

http://www.historicsanantonio.com/pointsOfInterest/TheAlamoinSanAntonioTX.cfm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/timeline/index.html

After Watching the movie, it just sorta dawned on me on how committed these people were to their country, even to the point of death. Clearly the people fighting for the cause of the Alamo knew they were outnumbered by the Mexican army, and that they would lose their lives, but they fought until the end; and by the grace of God they prevailed nonetheless, their lives did not go to waste.

...May we all receive grace for being committed to the things that are of our heavenly Father, that we may fight a good fight, and not die in vain.

What would the United States be without Texas?

Chapters I've been Reading

2008-07-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

Psalms 139
Proverbs 3
Mark 4, 8, 9
John 14, 15, 16
Ephesians 6
__________________________________________________
Psalm 139
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

(I love this passage, it is so descriptive and beautifully written. So true too.)

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]

Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.[c] 21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

(May our Father in heaven always teach us to live faithfully and truthfully, full of love and life and joy. May God shine his light on us that all the shadows of doubt, fear, and sin be chased away from our lives. Like nasty cochroaches under a flashlight.)
___________________________________________________
Proverbs 3
Guidance for the Young

(So much good stuff in here, all rolled into one chapter.)

My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life, And peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct[a] your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh,[b] And strength[c] to your bones. 9 Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. 13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; 14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; 20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes—Keep sound wisdom and discretion; 22 So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. 23 Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. 25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; 26 For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “ Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.

(whether it's bringing a word of encouragement to the grandma next door or sending some food to a starving soul.)

30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm. 31Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; 32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, But His secret counsel is with the upright. 33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just. 34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. 35 The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

(We cannot afford to be enemies of God the Father, he is the source of our life!)
____________________________________________________
Mark 4

(Many times I find myself blindsided by the things of the world, that I cannot even see the truth if it was laid out in front of me. Let us take away our attention from the things of this world, including our own flesh, and focus on the things of the spirit, starting with Jesus and the cross.)

The Parable of the Sower
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them,[b] “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Purpose of Parables
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘ Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’”[c]

The Parable of the Sower Explained
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

(Let us take to heart the truth as it is written; let it become part of who we are and what we do. Let us bear fruit.)

Light Under a Basket
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[d] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
____________________________________________________
...end of Mark 8

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
(Daily; sounds tough, but with Him all things are possible)
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

(Leave no room for shame of God in our hearts and deeds)

beginning of Mark 9...

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.”
__________________________________________________
John 14

The Way, the Truth, and the Life
1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions;[a] if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Father Revealed
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The Answered Prayer
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises Another Helper
15 “If you love Me, keep[d] My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Indwelling of the Father and the Son
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

The Gift of His Peace
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said,[e] ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. 29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
___________________________________________________
John 15

The True Vine
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’[c]

The Coming Rejection
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
__________________________________________________
John 16

1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you[a] because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when the[b] time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit
5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.[c]

Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” 17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.” 19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. 23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World
25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” 29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[d] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
__________________________________________________
Ephesians 6

Children and Parents
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”[a]4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also[b] is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

A Gracious Greeting
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. 23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Faithfullness

2008-07-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

First, I should let you know that well, whatever, just read.

Nothing personal, just something I've been thinking/learning about these past couple of days.

I'm not going to go into specifics, but this has been a very trying week for me.

I've been dwelling on the thought of faith and what it means to be faithful. Does it really matter if I follow the word the way I am convicted to? Doesn't Jesus accept me regardless, especially since nothing I do can add or take away from Him?

For a couple of days kept coming back to John 1:42, "....now when Jesus looked at Him, he said 'You are Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas,' (which is translated A Stone.)

Today at the evening prayer meeting, we opened to Luke ch. 8 where Jesus quiets the storm, and the part that really spoke to me was when he said, (verse 25) "Where is your faith?"

Instead of trusting in God, they were consumed with fear.

While on this topic, I would like to add that while cleaning today I was conviced that my faith was strong enough if I should have to give my life for Christ.

That was a laugh. Just after thinking about my faith, I stood up and scraped my back on the edge of a counter and Wow, did that hurt! Needless to say, I needed to ask God for forgiveness right then and there -which I didn't, but after getting over myself I finally came to my senses. I know this is a lame example of fear and lack of faith, but bear with me.

We talked about how we complained when we thought summer should've been here in early June, and it was still cold. Then summer came and we complain that its too hot. Instead of complaining, we should be thankful that there are changes in seasons! Who are we to order God around with different things, like ungrateful children?

-I think we got off topic because truthfully, it was very warm in church. But think about it, in the middle east the temperature rises up to about the same as Arizona in the summer...and back in the day, they didn't have air conditioning, and so they preached for pure love of God.

I believe that by always giving thanks, it is possible to remain faithful regardless of the circumstances.

We talked about how even though Jesus appeared to His disciples after his resurection, Jesus marveled at their lack of faith.

Luke 24:38-43 "And He said to them 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.' When He said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled He said to them, 'Have you any food here?' So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.

These were the disciples that followed Him everywhere! He was always with them, but they even struggled with faith! Sounds to me a lot like people in today's day and age. The Holy Spirit is calling, beckoning us, but because of our lack of faith nothing can be done. May God help us to pay attention nonstop.

Let us be faithful because He is faithful.

We also opened Genesis 22 where God asks Abraham to sacrifice, his son, Isaac. Abraham gathered things for an alter and his son said (vs 7), ...“Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

(I don't know of any human being asked such a thing before, How could He answer His son that question?)

Abraham's response was simply, (8) “...My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

To think that back in the day they didn't have the Holy bible with all its goodness. They only had it partly and whatever the Lord spoke to them from time to time. Sometimes they would go years, without ever hearing any word from God.

Abraham had great faith, I don't understand how, but He did.

Needless to say, God stopped Abraham and sent a ram along for the offering instead; Abraham then gave God an offering of thanks.

We can learn a lot for this guy. He thanked God even though He just went through a really tough trial in his life. Really there were many other trials, but this was most likely the hardest one of all.

Had it been me, i probably would have questioned God, or my hearing.

Even so, you would think that nowadays people would be full of faith considering we have the whole bible and the Holy Spirit at our grasps.

Lord forgive us for ever doubting you!

May we pray in faith, fully! May we remain faithful to what is truth, always. Lest what we say and do is in vain.

To answer my above questions, Yes! It is important to do what the bible teaches, the way that I am led and convicted! Even if that means to do my tithing, to have foot washing before communion, or covering my head when I pray, or wearing modest clothes on a daily basis. Or bless when I would rather cuss at someone/something. Or stand up for a soul or a cause when everyone else isn't.

And no, whatever I do can never add or take away from God, but what I do, or don't do will most definitely have an affect on me and possibly others too.

Rather than leaving room for being charged guilty, I would rather have a clear concious knowing that I did everything I knew I could do, right.

pride in disguise

2008-07-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Just a thought,

We can be proud of being humble just as well as we can obtain pride through rebellion.

There is a fine line indeed, and it all comes from the heart's intentions. That is why it is better not to look at anyone, including self, rather just look the father up above. And treat people the same way you would treat Christ Jesus.

So blessed

2008-07-04T23:40:00.001-07:00

I believe we are more blessed than we think we are. It is a blessing to have a heart that seeks forgiveness and repentance. Also a blessing to desire to seek the truth. A blessing to understand what is false and have strength to stick to what is right even though it sometimes hurts. A blessing that I can love my family and friends unconditionally. A blessing that I've always had the things I need. A blessing that I grew up in a believing family. A blessing that I have two arms and two legs that work. A blessing that my senses are in tact. A blessing that I woke up alive this morning. A blessing that God loves me and put a neverending joy in my heart..wow..I am so blessed! How could I ask for more? I already know that each day of mine is in his hands. What better God do I want to invest my love and days in, there is none like Him. So this is why when someone says to me GBU, I say, "He has! May He continue to bless you too."

In Romanian we say, "His peace be with you." And in the new testiment, Paul, always ended with, "May the Grace of God be with you." Either way, I would like to know what the language in heaven sounds like. I'm sure that there are more words to describe the many divine blessings God gives us. My words, are not sufficient to describe who God is. Nor is my understanding is great enough to grasp the almighty Lord, God and His justice and grace for His people.

No Eye has seen nor ear has heard.... (verse?)
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

Berry picking

2008-07-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today, i was raspberry picking in my yard. While filling my rather big basket. I began thinking about several things...

At first I didn't possibly think I could fill up my basket with only so many raspberry bushes. I kind of smirked at the thought. Later, I filled it up halfway, and my hopes came higher, then I worked harder and before I could believe it I filled up the basket and then discovered strawberries and blueberries in the front yard.

Like many other things in life, it was totally an act of faith.

Faithfully picking raspberries until I had room for no more, then I had more surprises than I anticipated.

Just like running a race, or praying.

Why is it so hard to be nice all the time?

If nice guys finish last, that means they always have the last say; right?

Faithfulness and patience go hand in hand. Being nice takes patience, loyalty, faith but it definetly is worth it in the end.

Trust and obey His way.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do in life is to wait upon the Lord. But we should because He first waited upon us.

Waiting is an act of faith.

and it goes hand in hand with patience hope and love.

prayer and fasting

2008-06-20T02:57:00.000-07:00

I found that it teaches more than self control; it teaches me how much I really need to depend on God for my daily bread and water, (word and spirit).
One of the hardest things to do in life is to deny myself and pick up my cross and follow Him; daily.
So easy I look at Myself and try to do things according to My prefrences... and fail to recognize that I am His creation and He made me a certain way that only He knows how I can function properly and most effeciently.
Its a time for remembering that the we need not rely on the things that do not last. That the things that mattter most are the things that cannot be seen.
As far as How to fast, I am not sure exactly what is considered a fast... I always thought that if Jesus could fast 40 days without food or water in the wilderness. Then why can't I fast one, two, or even three days?
Then I heard about people who fast from certain foods only like caffeine, meat, and dairy. Or fast only half a day. I don't know, I guess it all counts, but shouldn't we commit to fasting 100% for 24hrs?
I feel silly, I guess God is looking into the heart not what goes into the body. Whatever fasting/praying we give Him with a sincere heart, He recieves. But I still don't understand...why then, did people like John and Jesus and many more fast with no drink or water? Shouldn't we do the same?
...For those who not much is asked of them, not much is expected from them; but from those who much is asked, much is expected...there I go again, answering my own question! :-P I would still like to read your thoughts on Fasting

I would like to share some responses I got back from sermon index...

Limey153Not too shy to talkJoined: 2005/8/3Posts: 23Berkshire, England
Re: Fasting and Praying

If ever there was a time for prayer and fasting it is now, and I believe it is extremely important. However, just as important as the fast itself is the reason why we fast. Are we fasting because we feel that this is something that Christians are supposed to do once in a while, or are we so heart-broken for the lost and our own wretched state that we simply must fast and pray.Regarding partial fasts (fasting from a particular food, caffeine etc), I don't to condemn this as wrong since there may be genuine reason for a person doing a partial fast (medical reasons perhaps), but I would question why a person only pursues a partial fast? What real harm will it do any of us to miss out food all together for a day or two?Anybody considering a fast really must be 100% wanting to seek God and a fast is showing God our willingness to pursue his will above our own. For me personnally I would not do a partial fast since I have no good reason for not doing a full fast, if I were to do a partial fast it would only be because I am too lazy to give up food completely for any length of time.
2008/6/23 10:34

MiccahHome away from homeJoined: 2007/9/13Posts: 424Wisconsin
Re:

Fasting and Prayer = Biblical. Do it. Do it for the Lord and only for the Lord. Don't become like the pharisee.Some many good books on this (in addition to the Bible). Check them out
_________________Christiaan"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10)
2008/6/20 10:17

wtaQuite a regularJoined: 2007/4/8Posts: 46Canadian in America (Bremerton, WA) "A stranger in a strange land..."
Re: Fasting and Praying

I thank the Lord that He has taught me how vital prayer and fasting is to a deep, humble yet powerful life. I have fasted on average 1 out of every two days for the last eight years. I have had many times where I've been led to take breaks but this has been the habit I've developed by His leading. Scripture is not clear on how often and in what ways we should fast but there are several places for reference that helps. Daniel's view towards fasting is a very good reference, King David's experiences are also good but one issue of extreme importance is that Jesus taught we are not effective in spiritual warfare unless we practice prayer AND fasting.I have learned much from a modern group of missionaries who practice fasting in a typical 1 out of every two days format and their testimony (coupled with strict obedience to the word of God and souls winning) was very motivating to me as so I picked up the challenge from them. I have a friend who is a member of that missionary group and the stories of God moving in their midst is truly amazing as they have seen an authentic revival in the regions they work in. My personal testimony is filled with dreams, visions, revelations, signs and wonders, healings, deliverance and authority over satanic forces and the like. I have also personally led and discipled too many converts to count. I will leave it to say that continual prayer and fasting has helped me to "daily pick up my cross" by denying and mastering my flesh(as best as possible as my flesh is always at war with His Spirit within me). My advice to all my brothers and sisters is, commit to a time of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord's heart on the issue of prayer and fasting and He will be faithful to reveal to you how He would have you proceed.I don't usually talk about this publically but I have felt led by His Spirit of Love and Humility to offer this testimony. May the Lord receive all the glory for truly these things would be impossible except He do them through me. Feel free to log onto my discipleship training website www.oomuse.com/teachings.htm for more on this as I have a downloadable mp3 teaching available for free. You can also pm me if that is better for you. My teaching ministry is called Ooraneeous Muse(To Think Heavenly Thoughts) MinistriesAll for souls,Bro. William Thomas Anderson
_________________Aggressive Christianity Discipleship Training... www.oomuse.com/teachings.htm
2008/6/20 6:19

enidHome away from homeJoined: 2006/5/22Posts: 1315Nottingham, England
Re: Fasting and Praying

Although fasting is not a popular subject, it is a necessary discipline designed to make the stomach the servant, not the master.I don't say this as my own thought, but it is something I have read, and scripture tells us in Philippians 3v19 about those whose god is their belly.Also, Isaiah 58 tells us of God's chosen fast and the reasons to undertake one. Like to loose the bonds of wickedness. Wouldn't that be wonderful?Also, as most know, fasting is not an option, but is expected, along with prayer and giving, Matt 6.There is a book by Arthur Wallis called God's Chosen Fast.It mentions 3 different types of fasting in it. The absolute fast, the normal fast, and the partial fast.I could mention other things, but I won't be tedious.God bless.

Truth

2008-06-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

God defines what is true. I pray that I will remain standing firm on the rock of truth. How easily I run to the sand! Let Him find me waiting on the rock where He left me. Because of His words, I am alive today. His words are what makes the world go 'round. Amazing, isn't it? Praise God, for He is a merciful, all-knowing God!

Words we say have much power to build or destroy. Let every word that we say build! May the Holy Spirit convict us to say only what is the truth; and correct us when we are wrong. Forever, amin!

Humility, Sacrifice and Patience

2008-05-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

I need to practice this more. I find that it is so easy for me to loose my patience over things that are rather insignificant. A lot of times I should stop and ask myself; will this matter much ten years from now? I think we could all learn a lesson from the way Jesus lived. Even though he did loose His patience at times, He was always a man of few words. Meaning, he only said what was necessary. For example "My Fathers' house is a house of prayer, but you turned it into a den of thieves!" And "Did you not know I was in my Fathers' house?" He always relied on the Holy Spirit to lead him.

Many times I fall back into the old me leading me and I always end up saying things I regret. Thankfully I have been blessed with one more day to make amends with the people I might have hurt along the way. Learning to sacrifice our time, money, love, wtvr and to have patience and humility while doing it is one of the hardest lesson for me to learn. I started fighting with this around age two and it continues to be a wrestling match to this day. That is one of the main reasons' I think we need the Holy Spirit. To have the humility, strength, and wisdom, to overcome my pride and take hold of what is good and true despite the fact that everything else is telling me to destroy everything in sight. Jesus came to fulfill the prophesies in order to build his kingdom not destroy it.

Also, while I'm on this subject... I believe that the hardest of the spiritual battles Jesus had to deal with was the one when He was praying in a place called Gethesmane (Mathew 26:36) and trying to stay strong on his decision to take on the worlds' sin and lay himself down as a sacrifice for the sinful people of this world. He was praying so hard that his sweat turned into drops of blood! (Luke 22:44) The devil was really trying to convince him it wasn't worth it! That was probably the hardest decision ever recorded to make. Nevertheless, He said, "...let your will be done."

We truly don't deserve such sacrifice from a man who knew no sin.
...And can you imagine what He felt like after hours of spiritual warfare in prayer to find his closest friends sleeping? Then to be taken away and be ruthlessly beaten beyond measure, ridiculed, and hung on the cross that he dragged himself? And the only words He said were, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Truely, Jesus was given the most bitter cup to swallow, and heavest burden to bear. He literally went through Hell for us.

Let us rejoice that Jesus defeated death for us, but let us also make Jesus' sacrifice(s) worth it by laying down our lives for other people as well; putting away our selfish pride and ambitions and seeking to love others as we love ourselves. By calling upon the Holy Spirit (aka Everlasting water) to fill us up on a day to day basis. And educating ourselves by reading the scripture on a day to day basis (aka daily bread)... let us live like the word calls us to live.

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38)
"For whoever desires to save his life will loose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:24)
"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."

-->Basically in all things, give all the glory to God. And pray lest you fall into temptation, or pride stabs you when you least expect it. Also, sacrifice your time, energy, wtvr to others just like you would to Jesus... Or rather like Jesus did for us.

Bubblewrap mania, baby!

2008-05-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

BUBBLEWRAP

Get in the bubble maniac zone, its the best!

Who you talking to?

2008-05-23T00:12:00.000-07:00

Funny. I kept stuggling with some thoughts today and I was reading the bible and psalms 53:3 caught my attention "...there is none that doeth good. No, not one." And Again I opened to Mark 10:18 "...and Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God."

That was a good reminder to me that not a single person that ever lived was perfect except God alone. Jesus said so himself. How much patience God has with us? I will never fully comprehend. However, If God can put up with the entire world then surely I could put up with people who are less then perfect; as it is said EVERYONE is guilty of this!

>less than perfect = innconsistance with good decision making.

As far as "good decisions," please refer back to the bible -for all things.

May God give us the grace to change the things we can, trust God to change the things we can't, and knowledge to know the difference...

...and to be in sinc with the Holy Spirit.

Being less than perfect is a blessing in disguise because it is a type of evidence that God is a God that gives us freedom of choice. He doesn't force us to do anything against our will. May God also give us a nudge in the right direction and open our senses that we may come to know Him more! The more I know the more I want to know. Amen! God IS neverending!

***(July 12, 2008)
I would like to add to this. For anyone expecting to find that all christians are good; they will only find themselves to be dissapointed. Lord, knows ALL have fallen short to sin. (check this website out: thewayofthemaster.com)

...So if you go to church and you start looking at the people, and see that they are hypicritcal in this way or that or that he said this and she said that, tough luck. We all go to church because we need God; and if you're expecting to see examples from people then you must keep God in mind first and foremost.

We can learn a lesson from the physical body from this. Whatever you put your attention on that's probably where you'll end up going or doing, unless something intervenes.
Don't wait for God to intervene (through sickness, and other things leading you to rethink your life), put your attention on Him, and never the world.
Sure we can learn from each other, we can learn a lot from listening to other people (believing and nonbelieving); but always make sure to remain in prayer, fasting, and meditation on the word. Lord knows we can easily blow away in the wind. Let Him be your rock and refuge.

Holding on to resentment is not good for the soul.

on my walk with Jesus...

2008-05-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

"Stop telling God how big your storm is, start telling your storm how big your God is... "

I love this quote because its very true. Too often I put my God in a little box, and He can work much better when we are willing to put our full trust in Him.

God can do all things, but when we lack faith we often fail to see the truth, and God defines Truth, so even if he did a miracle we would be too blind to see that it was God who did it.

I also want to share this verse from Isaiah 6:9

"And He said, 'Go, and tell this people: keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing but do not perceive'."

No one can ever understand and know something like God does because He created us and we are made from him, through him, and for him... so that everything brings him glory. Whenever I think I know something, I probably don't. That doesn't mean I'm dumb, it just means that I can never stop learning and growing. That just makes me realize how awesome God is and that He really is never ending. Praise God!

...and I want to add this since it kind of goes with what I just said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgQcw3dvlsw&feature=related (Awe and wonder)

Baby food...

2008-05-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

I love how God says only what we need to hear. No more, no less. May our minds and ears always be alert to hear Him when He speaks. For if we arn't willing to hear him, His words are in vain.

God would speak to us more, but first we need to recieve his words and good thoughts to us before we can recieve any more. Like a baby learning to eat solid foods...

Sometimes, I am frustrated and wish God would just spell it out to me, but how else would I ever learn to walk in the Lords footsteps.

*Somewhere in Heaven by Randy Alcorn, I read that people cannot be dragged into heaven, they are called to go. May God give me the Grace to learn to run into the gates of Heaven!

Loving the Lord

2008-05-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

We love Him because He first loved us. He defines love. Isn't that awesome?

Sharing My Daily Thoughts

2008-05-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

So I published a document entitled, "Daily Thoughts," that I figured I might as well share. The doc is really like a rewind to the posts before my posts... Hope that makes sense. Anyways, feel free to read!

First time blogger

2008-04-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to start posting blogs. Right now, I'm still thumbing my way through getting to know my gmail account more, so I will be posting more detailed messages soon and hopefully more pictures too...