Community of Hope

Have you ever won the wrong race? Climbed the wrong ladder to success? Get back on track...

2009-06-15T10:43:00.003-06:00

The journey continues over @ Finding God In The Midst

You can’t plan to be courageous but you can choose to be.

2009-06-14T00:04:00.000-06:00

May you live your life with the intention to do whatever God asks, whenever God asks it.

honestly we all need it at some point...

2009-06-13T07:43:00.003-06:00

Been rebuked lately? We all need someone to watch our back, who has our best interests at heart, but who also isn't afraid to get into our faces.

So who's got your back?

Welcome home.

2009-06-12T00:07:00.002-06:00

Chill-out - enjoy yourselves and stop worrying. Laugh and forgive! There can be no laughter without forgiveness.

When we break it hurts. But enduring years of never being put back together hurts even more. That's why I believe in 2nd chances. Mike Foster

Eyes that see & ears that hear...

2009-06-11T00:37:00.003-06:00

We must be open to the possibility of God’s addressing us in whatever way he chooses, or else we may walk right past a burning bush. Dallas Willard

Do It Now!!

2009-06-10T00:47:00.001-06:00

I'm waving the White Flag...

2009-06-09T00:28:00.004-06:00

James 3:13-16
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

2009-06-08T00:53:00.008-06:00

Lord of all things, whose wondrous gifts to us include the shining symbols known as words, grant that I may use their mighty power only for good.

Help me to pass on small fragments of Your wisdom, truth and love. Teach me to touch the unseen, lonely heart with laughter, or the quick release of tears.

Let me portray the courage that endures defiant in the face of pain or death; the kindness and the gentleness of those who fight against the anger of the world; the beauty hidden in the smallest things; the mystery, the wonder of it all...

Open my ears, my eyes, unlock my heart; speak through me, Lord, if it be Your will. Amen.

Are you starving to hear God's voice?

2009-06-07T00:25:00.002-06:00

People will drift from one end of the country to the other, roam to the north, wander to the east. They'll go anywhere, listen to anyone, hoping to hear God's Word—but they won't hear it.

Tanks for what you gave...

2009-06-06T10:11:00.002-06:00

On the 65th anniversary of D-Day, some words of General Patton on prayer are important in recalling the sacrifice & who actually gave the victory...

"Our glorious march from the Normandy Beach across France to where we stand, before and beyond the Siegfried Line, with the wreckage of the German Army behind us should convince the most skeptical soldier that God has ridden with our banner. Pestilence and famine have not touched us. We have continued in unity of purpose. We have had no quitters; and our leadership has been masterful. The Third Army has no roster of Retreats. None of Defeats. We have no memory of a lost battle to hand on to our children from this great campaign.

But we are not stopping at the Siegfried Line. Tough days may be ahead of us before we eat our rations in the Chancellery of the Deutsches Reich.

... now to intensify our faith in prayer, not alone with ourselves, but with every believing man, Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or Christian in the ranks of the Third United States Army.

Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight; and if the world goes from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers. 'Hands lifted up,' said Bosuet, 'smash more battalions than hands that strike.' Gideon of Bible fame was least in his father's house. He came from Israel's smallest tribe. But he was a mighty man of valor. His strength lay not in his military might, but in his recognition of God's proper claims upon his life. He reduced his Army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred men lest the people of Israel would think that their valor had saved them. We have no intention to reduce our vast striking force. But we must urge, instruct, and indoctrinate every fighting man to pray as well as fight. In Gideon's day, and in our own, spiritually alert minorities carry the burdens and bring the victories.

Urge all of your men to pray, not alone in church, but everywhere. Pray when driving. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle. Pray for the defeat of our wicked enemy whose banner is injustice and whose good is oppression. Pray for victory. Pray for our Army, and Pray for Peace.

We must march together, all out for God. The soldier who 'cracks up' does not need sympathy or comfort as much as he needs strength. We are not trying to make the best of these days. It is our job to make the most of them. Now is not the time to follow God from 'afar off.' This Army needs the assurance and the faith that God is with us. With prayer, we cannot fail.

Be assured that this message on prayer has the approval, the encouragement, and the enthusiastic support of the Third United States Army Commander.

With every good wish to each of you for a very Happy Christmas, and my personal congratulations for your splendid and courageous work since landing on the beach, I am." James H. O'Neill, on behalf of General General George Smith Patton, Third Army Commander

THE JESUS WAY

2009-06-05T11:24:00.001-06:00

To follow Jesus implies that we enter into a way of life that is given character and shape and direction by the one who calls us. To follow Jesus means picking up rhythms and ways of doing things that are often unsaid but always derivative from Jesus, formed by the influence of Jesus. To follow Jesus means that we can't separate what Jesus is saying from what Jesus is doing and the way that he is doing it. Eugene Peterson

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

2009-06-04T00:13:00.006-06:00

...regardless of the cost.

2009-06-03T00:10:00.002-06:00

I would say that neither manifestation, nor teaching transforms character. Charismatics flail at the dead horse of experience, evangelicals at teaching, but neither leads to transformation spiritually. The only thing that transforms us spiritually is the action of following Christ. You seek to follow, you fail and you learn. But in order to engage in following, you have to have a clear understanding of life in the kingdom of God; that you are accepted by the grace of God in Jesus and that lays the foundation for as much true doctrine as you can manage and as much manifestation of the Spirit as you can stand. Dallas Willard

Matthew 16:24-26
Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Incubate your dreams in the prayer womb

2009-06-02T00:03:00.003-06:00

Do you have a sense of profound dependence upon God? What is He up to in your life?

Is life grating on you?

2009-06-01T00:51:00.002-06:00

Life is never quite as smooth as we'd like it to be.

What is the first thought & emotion that you experience when things begin to fall apart?

Is it panic?
Or,
'Oh, no, not again!'?
What about,
'I guess I'm really on my own this time! God has forgotten me!'?

What truth does God want you to know in the midst of whatever challenge your're facing?

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Hebrews 13:5-6
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

“These people who have been turning the world upside down. . .”

2009-05-31T00:59:00.000-06:00

The Father said, "Listen closely...My Son's mission was not to get you to heaven & keep you moral & happy till you get there. He came to get heaven into you & bring more of heaven into others by the way you relate. That's your joy. That's your hope." Larry Crabb

That'll turn the world upside down one community at a time!

Tomorrow after the service - munch & mow!!

2009-05-30T00:10:00.004-06:00

Not that we'll get the yard looking quite this good, but at least we'll stop losing the kids in the tall grass!!

Bring some grub for others & maybe a softball game will break out after we're done...

Regardless of your lot in life, you can build something beautiful on it. Zig Ziglar

battle fatigue

2009-05-29T08:52:00.001-06:00

Both the Scriptures and the history of the church teach that if the Holy Spirit is working, the whole man will be involved and there will be much cost to the Christian. The more the Holy Spirit works, the more Christians will be used in battle, and the more they are used, the more there will be personal cost and tiredness. It is quite the opposite of what we might first think. People often cry out for the work of the Holy Spirit and yet forget that when the Holy Spirit works, there is always tremendous cost to the people of God, weariness and tears and battles. Francis Schaeffer

So that's what life is all about?!

2009-05-28T00:33:00.004-06:00

Climbing the ladder to success- yes, now I've got it!

The definition of Materialism is, rich = happy; To be RICH is to be HAPPY.

I think Jesus has some thoughts on that. Despite what you may have been told, there are more important things than how you look on paper.

What you cling to ends up rotting in your hands.

Matthew 5:3-12
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

sometimes a fantasy

2009-05-27T00:06:00.003-06:00

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

When am I gonna take control get a hold of my emotions
Why does it only seem to hit me in the middle of the night
You told me there's a number I can always dial for assistance
I don't want to deal with outside action
Only you can give me satisfaction

It's just a fantasy
It's not the real thing
It's just a fantasy
It's not the real thing
But sometimes a fantasy
Is all you need (Billy Joel)

Fantasies take our eyes off of Jesus, the author & perfector of our faith. Mark Laaser has some helpful questions on how to take fantasies captive for Christ. Writes Laaser,

"My belief is that every fantasy I've ever heard contains a message about the pain deep inside our soul. The pain really needs Christ to heal it, but we don't know that so we "invent" images that we think will be healing."

Take your own "fantasy inventory." Listen to what your soul is saying you really long for. With God's help you will be easily able to see what pain the fantasy is trying to heal.

Lord, what is this fantasy trying to tell me about the pain in my soul?

Stick with following God - He never said it would be easy though...

2009-05-26T00:15:00.006-06:00

Daniel 6:7-22
"For the next thirty days no one is to pray to any god or mortal except you, O king. Anyone who disobeys will be thrown into the lions' den..." King Darius signed the decree.

When Daniel learned that the decree had been signed and posted, he continued to pray just as he had always done. His house had windows in the upstairs that opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he knelt there in prayer, thanking and praising his God.

The conspirators came and found him praying, asking God for help. They went straight to the king and reminded him of the royal decree that he had signed. "Did you not," they said, "sign a decree forbidding anyone to pray to any god or man except you for the next thirty days? And anyone caught doing it would be thrown into the lions' den?"

"Absolutely," said the king. "Written in stone, like all the laws of the Medes and Persians."

Then they said, "Daniel, one of the Jewish exiles, ignores you, O king, and defies your decree. Three times a day he prays."

At this, the king was very upset and tried his best to get Daniel out of the fix he'd put him in. He worked at it the whole day long....

The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions' den. But he said to Daniel, "Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this."

A stone slab was placed over the opening of the den. The king sealed the cover with his signet ring and the signet rings of all his nobles, fixing Daniel's fate. The king then went back to his palace. He refused supper. He couldn't sleep. He spent the night fasting.

At daybreak the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. As he approached the den, he called out anxiously, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so loyally, saved you from the lions?"

"O king, live forever!" said Daniel. "My God sent his angel, who closed the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me. I've been found innocent before God and also before you, O king. I've done nothing to harm you."

Finding the will of God; experiencing the will of God. What is the difference for you?

2009-05-25T00:46:00.003-06:00

The will of God can sometimes feel a little prickly. Hang in the battle.

Hebrews 12:25
See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.

When you don't know where you're going...

2009-05-24T00:36:00.002-06:00

any road will get you there. Look for the Father's Path...

God our Father
we honor all you are and don’t want to make you into a thing
we want what you want; educate our wants to be more like your wants
provide us with what we need to live our normal earthly life as your children
forgive our blunders as we forgive the blunders of others
show us the way of this grace life
keep us from caving in to the unreality and illusion of evil
everything will eventually be seen in the light of your awesome character, Amen.

still climbing & sailing after all these years

2009-05-23T00:46:00.005-06:00

In 1419 it was believed that the unchartered oceans of the world teemed with monsters, that their storms made them too violent to navigate, and that inescapable fogs would envelope wayward ships. In the face of all these dangers Prince Henry of Portugal offered a bold reply,

“You cannot find a peril so great that the hope of reward will not be greater.”

Philippians 3:12-21
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven!

Walk this way, talk this way

2009-05-22T00:26:00.000-06:00

Lost your way?! Ask for help, it's good for the soul...

Isaiah 30:19-21
He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit...

2009-05-21T00:24:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 19:17
Mercy to the needy is a loan to God, and God pays back those loans in full.

Let the Holy Spirit clean you out from the inside...

2009-05-20T08:06:00.002-06:00

John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Krystaal this Sunday @ 330!!

2009-05-19T11:44:00.002-06:00

Krystaal is playing @ 330 PM on Sunday as a part of the kick-off for Jamal's group at Hope. They have an incredible story of God's grace in their lives & it is apparent in the music.

Watch a promotional video for Krystaal & the World Peace Tour.

If I was a pastor, and I used to be, I would be clamoring to have these guys come to my church. They are the sweetest spirited men you will ever meet. What a powerful, powerful story and a life of miracles that God has brought to these precious brothers. Rev. Norm Maclaren

Fear is poison

2009-05-18T10:53:00.002-06:00

The antidote is perfect love...

Joshua 1
I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

The days are long but the years are short.

2009-05-17T00:08:00.003-06:00

Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Make it count.

"God, I give you thanks that I have life, and that my life is filled with touches of your love. Help me to discover my identity. Let me understand how best to use the gifts You have so lovingly lavished upon me in preparation for our journey together."

You May Never Know Jesus Is All You Need, Until Jesus Is All You Have

2009-05-16T00:05:00.004-06:00

Jesus is the only essential for us. We all need to be stripped down to Christ alone. Don't fear the exposure & let go of your attachments... release hopeless despair.

"I can choose peace instead of this..."

Isaiah 55:1-3
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live."

Skating the Smooth Ice Surface...

2009-05-15T00:48:00.005-06:00

Sailing the Wine Dark Sea is a book about the Greek contributions to western life. The author, Thomas Cahill cites six lessons the Greeks offer us:

How to fight
How to feel
How to party
How to rule
How to think and
How to see.

Ironically the Stanley Cup playoffs offer these very same lessons afresh every year!

2009-05-14T00:52:00.003-06:00

Luke 18:16-17
Jesus said, "Let these children alone. Don't get between them and me. These children are the kingdom's pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in."

Are you willing to pay the price?

2009-05-13T00:54:00.001-06:00

Luke 14:33
Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.

2009-05-12T00:44:00.003-06:00

Pressure to succeed has more to do with self-promotion than building God’s kingdom. Take the cookie cutter, throw it away & live adventurously where God has placed you.

Jesus, thank You for giving me a new opportunity to serve You. Forgive me of the areas in my heart where I have allowed fear & self-interest to guide my actions.

Philippians 3:12-21
I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Shattered Dreams- Finding Beauty in the Broken

2009-05-11T00:21:00.003-06:00

What Big Lies You Have.

There really are only two languages spoken - TRUTH & lies. Which will you listen to?

John 14:1-7
"Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."

Thomas said, "Master, we have no idea where you're going. How do you expect us to know the road?"

Jesus said, "I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!"

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T00:51:00.002-06:00

Proverbs 31:30-31
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

The answer to 'How?' is always "YES!"

2009-05-09T00:56:00.006-06:00

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans. Dietrich Bonheoffer

Respond to God’s leading- make that your focus of life. Give your ‘yes’ to Jesus. Don't take control back by from God by asking 'How? When?'

The answer to 'when?' is 'NOW!'

Ready or not, here I am!

Trust does not form as a result of a casual acquaintance.

2009-05-08T00:18:00.006-06:00

The average worrier is 92% inefficient…only 8% of what we worry about ever comes true.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. Corrie Ten Boom

Please God help me replace my worry with trust.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When God sends us tribulations he expects us to tribulate.

2009-05-07T00:20:00.002-06:00

James 1:2-12
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

Shekelback

2009-05-06T00:20:00.004-06:00

Another 'homerun' cartoon from the Naked Pastor! I saw the cartoon shortly after reading Scot McKnight's 'Spiritual Eroticism' at Out of Ur yesterday where he writes, "for many, Sunday services have become the experience of courtly love. Some folks love church, and what they mean by "loving church" is that they love the experience they get when they go to church."

If you are a parent whose kids range in ages from tots to teens it certainly is challenging trying to get everyone in your family to have a memorable experience that will get them excited enough to come back the following Sunday. But since when did THAT become the goal?!

Deuteronomy 7:6
Do this because you are a people set apart as holy to God, your God. God, your God, chose you out of all the people on Earth for himself as a cherished, personal treasure.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God can make something out of nothing.

2009-05-05T00:36:00.006-06:00

Don’t sit on the sidelines. Launch out into the deep. Do you trust Jesus?

Take my heart, loving Father as I put it into your hands. I put my broken heart in your care.

1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Thank God for my pessimism. I’ve been such a better person since I lost hope.

2009-05-04T00:30:00.004-06:00

Let your failures & challenges strip you down to utter & sheer dependence on God alone. Trust Him that you will one day again ascend to the heights. Losing to Gain!

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet

I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

Spiritual brat syndrome

2009-05-03T01:17:00.004-06:00

There are many times when we so desperately want to hear God say 'Yes' to our plans that we fail to hear His 'no'.

The fact is, to hear God say 'no' is still to hear His voice, to know that the shepherd is still leading us & that we are the beloved. Otherwise we will get frustrated, irritated, bitter & cynical & drift away from the very one who loves us so. We'll act like spoiled little brats...

God's 'no' is really a 'YES' that He is speaking to us, that we are listening, & that we are willing to OBEY!

Acts 16:6-10
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Some assignments are harder than others...

2009-05-02T00:11:00.004-06:00

We are not the center of the universe. God is not circling around us....We are actually in orbit around God and His purposes. Learning that reality makes for some very unexpected adventures. Have you surrendered no matter how challenging the task is that God has asked?

God will not have His work made manifest by cowards. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ezekiel 2:7-15
They won't listen to you because they won't listen to me. They are, as I said, a hard case, hardened in their sin. But I'll make you as hard in your way as they are in theirs. I'll make your face as hard as rock, harder than granite. Don't let them intimidate you. Don't be afraid of them, even though they're a bunch of rebels."

Then he said, "Son of man, get all these words that I'm giving you inside you. Listen to them obediently. Make them your own. And now go. Go to the exiles, your people, and speak. Tell them, 'This is the Message of God, the Master.' Speak your piece, whether they listen or not."

Then the Spirit picked me up. Behind me I heard a great commotion—"Blessed be the Glory of God in his Sanctuary!"—the wings of the living creatures beating against each other, the whirling wheels, the rumble of a great earthquake.

The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I went bitterly and angrily. I didn't want to go. But God had me in his grip. I arrived among the exiles who lived near the Kebar River at Tel Aviv. I came to where they were living and sat there for seven days, appalled.

Is it better to be unaware or fearful? Trust God with your eyes open. Now that's better.

2009-05-01T00:40:00.004-06:00

The flawless love of Christ will not let you down. Just ask Armin about Costa Rica...

2 Timothy 1:7
God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.

What temptation is following you?!

2009-04-30T00:21:00.004-06:00

Luke 4:1-13
Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.

The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: "Since you're God's Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread."

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to really live."

For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, "They're yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they're yours, the whole works."

Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, "If you are God's Son, jump. It's written, isn't it, that 'he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone'?"

"Yes," said Jesus, "and it's also written, 'Don't you dare tempt the Lord your God.'"

That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.

God can heal a broken heart but He has to have all the pieces...

2009-04-29T00:07:00.002-06:00

Dear Jesus, help me to tell the truth about my journey, which shame and sadness once held captive. Give me the courage to speak, however traumatic the effort, however halting the words. Grant me the trembling grace to get through it, however many tears it takes to punctuate it.

Thank You for the community that forms around the sharing of each of our stories. Transform the teller in the telling and the listener in the listening. Create community, Lord, one story at a time, and mature our community into the fullness of the body of Christ. Make my life and my story nothing more than or less than a testimony of God’s transforming love. In Jesus name, Amen.

LORD God, change me however you must, so that I will be ready for any assignment you have for me.

2009-04-28T10:21:00.003-06:00

At the edge of expectation - might as well jump!!

Ephesians 1:18-19
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.

Armor of God revisited...

2009-04-27T00:53:00.002-06:00

These were just too good not to share since we'd just gone through Ephesians 6 a month ago! It takes less than six-minutes to watch them all & it's worth it.

The gang down at Living Spring obviously love God, love people & have a lot of fun doing it!

Is your strength coming from your own efforts? Or is it coming from the one & only true Source? Let go. Be authentic.

You have nothing to prove and no one to impress.

Whodathunkit!?

2009-04-26T00:12:00.005-06:00

Who would have believed this wild ride we've been on?!

What was that all about?
When we just don’t know what God is up to… cling to faith like a child.

In the words of Bryan Adams,

The closer it gets the further it seems
It's always one step out of reach
On the edge of a dream
The harder it gets the harder it feels
It never turns out like it seems
We've been waitin' for this chance to be free
We’re out there- dream on...

Romans 8:15-17
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!

From ashes to flames...

2009-04-25T00:52:00.005-06:00

Matthew 12:20
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

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

When we just don’t know what God is up to… we need to learn to rest in His Spirit so the flow of love & grace will impact us. The more we strive in our power, the more we seek to remain self-sufficient, the more we try to light our own fire- the worse our predicament will become. Return to the King.

In His rest is strength...power....FIRE!

Joel 2:3, 11-12
Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— Nothing escapes them.

The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?
"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

Untended fires soon become just a pile of ashes

2009-04-24T08:30:00.005-06:00

Even our legendary raging Men's Retreat fire goes out throughout the cold dark night unless some brave soul keeps it stoked.

Is there a relationship you need to rekindle?

Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ.

Each of us is as close to God as we choose to be. Oswald Sanders

finding the beauty in the broken

2009-04-23T09:04:00.002-06:00

Do you want to know God? Then learn to understand the weaknesses and imperfections of others. But how can you understand the weaknesses of others unless you understand your own? And how can you see the meaning of your own limitations until you have received mercy from God, by which you know yourself and Him? It is not sufficient to forgive others: we must forgive them with humility and compassion. If we forgive them without humility, our forgiveness is a mockery: it presupposes that we are better than they...

We overcome the evil in the world by the charity and compassion of God, and in so doing we drive all evil out of our own hearts. Thomas Merton

How would you complete this sentence:

2009-04-22T08:25:00.002-06:00

The Christian life is about __?

We were not created to be successful [even spiritually successful!] but to be obedient. Mother Teresa

Who are we?

2009-04-21T00:26:00.006-06:00

We are a band of brothers and sisters — a motley crew of the shattered and battered, the bruised and broken, the downtrodden yet somehow hopeful, the wounded yet healed, wandering but not lost, pressured on all sides yet able to bounce back, patiently waiting on the Lord & thanking Him for holding us tightly through it all. He is CENTRAL to all our lives...

'You guys don’t know what you’re doing but I’m going to give you a little blessing here.' says the Father.

Psalm 13:5-6
I've thrown myself headlong into your arms— I'm celebrating your rescue. I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers.

What really and truly matters to you?

2009-04-20T07:54:00.002-06:00

Why?

John 14.27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Drop all your own agendas and make Jesus the only cause

2009-04-19T18:19:00.001-06:00

Is Jesus alive & resurrected in your life? Who makes your judgments? Does He call all the shots?

When one door shuts another door of hope can open...

2009-04-18T00:37:00.005-06:00

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Broken hearts can still burn.

2009-04-17T07:33:00.001-06:00

Proverbs 18:14
A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?

Its not that we decide to do nothing, we decide to listen. And then we learn that in the process of listening is a big part of what we should be doing.

Let God's message knock you out!

2009-04-16T14:26:00.003-06:00

What God showed me over time is that my identity was not what others had done to me, nor was it even what I had done to myself. God helped me embrace my true identity as his loved child. Miroslav Volf

Sometimes it takes a fistful of HOPE to clear our senses!

Titus 2:11-14
God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone! We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.

My kids are always reminding me...

2009-04-15T00:23:00.000-06:00

James 1:19
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Tonight @ 730...

2009-04-14T00:42:00.002-06:00

Hiding our vulnerability is what separates us from God. Trying to hide our vulnerability is trying to mask who we really are - a reflection of God. Come into community & be known for the captivating woman you already are.

1 Peter 3:3-4
Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

Live the resurrection life

2009-04-13T10:48:00.003-06:00

Hebrews 13:5-6
Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote,

God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?

Did you get that? He will 'NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER' leave!

2009-04-12T00:24:00.001-06:00

Will the real Jesus please stand up?

2009-04-11T00:22:00.001-06:00

The Cross of Christ

2009-04-10T08:10:00.001-06:00

I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing around his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world, but each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hand and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. The cross of Christ… is God’s only self justification in such a world as ours. John Stott (Thanks Frank)

The one & only Papa...

2009-04-09T12:46:00.002-06:00

My favorite Ernest Hemingway quote is like a maxim for my own life:

Wearing underwear is as formal as I ever hope to get. EH

Good on you son, I am proud of you.

‘immortality, or the lack of it’

2009-04-08T08:56:00.006-06:00

Lately I've been thinking of Ernest Hemingway a lot. Perhaps it was his nicknme 'Papa' that rekindled an interest for me, as Hemingway was quite unlike other 'Papa' characters I'm fond of, such as in The Shack or the kid's book, Does God Know How to Tie Shoes? (the youngster Katrina asks, "Does God ever cry, Papa?").

Hemingway in many ways stands as the complete model of self-sufficiency, and when he could no longer make the world bend to his desires he committed suicide by literally blowing his brains out with a shotgun. Perhaps his breaking down old body convinced him he would never be able to return to past glory...

In 1944 he shot & killed a young German soldier in WWII & claimed his belt buckle that Hemingway wore for the rest of his life. It was inscribed with Got Mit Uns, (God Is With Us) & also had an eagle & a swastika on it. I found it strange that Hemingway wore the buckle right up to & including the day he died especially considering that he had rebelled against much of his Christian upbringing (or should I instead say, 'religious upbringing'?!).

The final chapter of Hemingway's life is tragic. He had seen a lot of killing during his days, had participated in some of it, & had seen many relationships become estranged. Hemingway was married four times & divorced three times, & considering a fourth! He wrote to a friend late in life commenting on his fourth wife, "I wish I could leave her, I really do, but I'm too old now to afford a fourth divorce and the hell Mary would put me through." Ouch!!

“Lord help me grow up before I grow old.”

Our suffering can lead any of us into bitterness & cynicism if we let it. The alternative is to look at it like regular trips to 'God's Gym' where we allow Him to build perseverance, character, hope & love into our life. A young man who cannot cry is a savage & an old man who cannot laugh is a fool. May our end not be as tragic as Ernest's...

1 Corinthians 15:54-57
... the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Jesus Way

2009-04-07T09:01:00.002-06:00

As the great Canadian poet Bruce Cockburn wrote so many years ago, "nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight -- Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight."

Thankfully Jesus has taken care of it for us.

John 1:3-5
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

"Can someone please get me a pillow?"

2009-04-06T10:35:00.002-06:00

God is more interested in our maturity than in our convenience and comfort.

Luke 22:39-46
Leaving there, he (Jesus) went, as he so often did, to Mount Olives. The disciples followed him. When they arrived at the place, he said, "Pray that you don't give in to temptation."

He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.

He got up from prayer, went back to the disciples and found them asleep, drugged by grief. He said, "What business do you have sleeping? Get up. Pray so you won't give in to temptation."

The Final Chapter

2009-04-05T16:44:00.001-06:00

Ephesians 6:23-24
Good-bye, friends. Love mixed with faith be yours from God the Father and from the Master, Jesus Christ. Pure grace and nothing but grace be with all who love our Master, Jesus Christ.

Learn to live on grace & grace alone.

God really does love you

2009-04-04T10:24:00.002-06:00

Love is always about giving up control, and people are trained to think of taking control—even of God. In my experience, most people would sooner be afraid and in control than in love and out of control. Richard Rohr

God is calling us to pray for one another like never before.

2009-04-03T00:04:00.003-06:00

There are all kinds of detours & dead ends in life. What looks pointless, like being in prison might seem for Paul, can actually be the fodder for good & God's work in our lives. Faith or fear...

Ephesians 6:19-20
And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.

We all need a prayer shield

2009-04-02T00:53:00.003-06:00

OR ELSE!

Ephesians 6:18
In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Fell deeds awake

2009-04-01T00:34:00.003-06:00

Revelation 19:11-21
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

you will be shot at...

2009-03-31T00:13:00.006-06:00

R U RDY?!

Ephesians 6:16
... take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

... start walking

2009-03-30T00:07:00.003-06:00

...to work, to school, to play, to the beach, at the mall, wherever...

Ephesians 6:15
... with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

There’s Another Way To Fight.

2009-03-29T00:01:00.004-06:00

Potluck tomorrow after the service...

2009-03-28T00:47:00.003-06:00

The menu may not be quite this exotic but we always have fresh bread for sure! We'll have to sort out who could qualify as 'foreigners', though.

Deuteronomy 14:3,21
Don't eat anything abominable...
Because you are a people holy to God, your God, don't eat anything that you find dead. You can, though, give it to a foreigner in your neighborhood for a meal or sell it to a foreigner.

How do you fight?

2009-03-27T00:38:00.001-06:00

The Gates of Hell will not overcome the Church!!!

2009-03-26T00:50:00.003-06:00

The key to change . . . is to let go of fear. Rosanne Cash

Where real strength comes from

2009-03-25T07:58:00.000-06:00

Enter the battle...

2009-03-24T08:33:00.000-06:00

Love changes everything...

2009-03-23T00:52:00.002-06:00

When God's love bursts into our life all of our relationships are forever changed. Last week Terry helped us see how in Ephesians 5, marriage is different in the light of God's love. We are to 'submit to one another out of reverence for Christ'.

Paul goes on to show in Ephesians 6 that parenting & even being parented looks and feels different for a Christ follower. These injunctions harken back to the last words spoken to the Israelites in OT times - Malachi 4:6 - 'He will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents.'

Too many hurts & wounds are carried deep within each of our souls because of ungodly parenting. Allow God's love to heal your past & give you a fresh start from this day forward.

Ephesians 5:1-2
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. "Honor your father and mother" is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, "so you will live well and have a long life." Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.

Times change...

2009-03-22T00:21:00.002-06:00

What do you need to be happy?
Who in your life helps you tend to the garden of your soul?

Philippians 1:6
There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

"God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me."

2009-03-21T01:22:00.001-06:00

What will you believe about God - can you trust Him or not?

Isaiah 40:28-31
Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?
God doesn't come and go. God lasts.
He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
they walk and don't lag behind.

Who defines what a failure is in your life?

2009-03-20T00:08:00.002-06:00

Chill-out- enjoy yourselves and stop worrying. Be a church that has fun. The world often believes that one has to sin to enjoy yourself. This is a lie. Lets live with much laughter and forgiveness. There can be no laughter without forgiveness. Forgive your neighbor. Forgive yourself. Live with a love that cannot fail.

Mark 12:30-31
Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."

"rest for the weary"

2009-03-19T23:49:00.003-06:00

Matthew 11:28-30
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

The unforced rhythms of grace... I feel like I'm just barely scratching the surface of that reality... but it is a real reality... an actual realm...

Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

"...into this grace in which we now stand."

Faith today is treated as something that only should make us different, not that actually does or can make us different. In reality we vainly struggle against the evils of this world, waiting to die and go to heaven. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that the essence of faith is entirely a mental and inward thing. Dallas Willard

Lord help me to surrender to your grace, where my striving ends & real peace begins. I know it exists- your word says that. I want to stand there... and lay there... and just be there where hope is truly alive! Amen.

words that build up or words that really hurt?

2009-03-18T11:53:00.000-06:00

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

How many things in an ordinary week of your life do you ask God about?

2009-03-17T09:00:00.002-06:00

Psalm 69:3
I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Living on the Edge of Whatever Happens

2009-03-16T09:26:00.005-06:00

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike.
And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless.
We find that after years of struggle
that we do not take a trip;
a trip takes us. John Steinbeck

Steinbeck's quote reminds me of an old Jackson Browne song Running On Empty, and specifically this line,

I dont know when that road turned onto the road I'm on

Ever wondered that about your journey?
Is there a bend in the road that you're resisting?
A hill to climb?
A desert to enter?

Whatever your situation, look to God in humility!

Daniel 10:12-13
'Relax, Daniel,' he continued, 'don't be afraid. From the moment you decided to humble yourself to receive understanding, your prayer was heard, and I set out to come to you. '

Luke 18:1
Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.

Letters from prison -

2009-03-15T00:25:00.003-06:00

Some people think marriage is a prison...

Today Terry will speak on Ephesians 5:21-33,

Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They're really doing themselves a favor—since they're already "one" in marriage.

No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That's how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become "one flesh." This is a huge mystery, and I don't pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

When it comes to relationships and especially marriage there is a veritable minefield of hurts:

A skeptic is someone who is reluctant to believe love is real;
a cynic is someone who refuses to believe love is real.
A skeptic is someone who once believed it and was disappointed and hurt;
a cynic is someone who once believed it and was deceived and devastated.
Deep inside all skeptics and most cynics is a deep abiding ache to believe in love again, but to do so without the fear of being disappointed, hurt, deceived or devastated.

Allow God's truth to soothe your own cynical or skeptical heart on the way to wholeness.

2009-03-14T00:20:00.004-06:00

It takes a lifetime to just begin to understand the truth. It's a long journey, and one that is filled with adventure. To not go is to become mostly bored, and resigned to finding entertainment as stimulus to ease the soul ache. DJ Chuang

At a certain point in your life — probably when too much of it has gone by — you will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are — especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals. And you will say to yourself, 'But I am this person.' And in that statement there will be a kind of love. Phoebe in Wonderland

We aren't the rules we follow or the rules we break.
We aren't defined by our successes or our failures.
Jesus defines us...

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

What about your own personal experience of stress?

2009-03-13T00:30:00.002-06:00

While in jail Paul penned these words,

Philippians 4:4-14
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

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

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

Is it possible that you & I could actually live in that type of reality?

Are you willing to trust that these words are from the Father to you?

The only way to live...

2009-03-12T00:01:00.004-06:00

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

letters & papers from prison

2009-03-11T00:07:00.003-06:00

Armin sent me this peom by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote it shortly before his death in a Nazi prison plotting against Hitler. When God calls a man or woman He bids them to come & die - for real. It just takes a little longer for some of us to realize - we're all on Death Row...

Who Am I?
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!

1 Peter 1:2-7
... on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.

I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

2009-03-10T01:45:00.003-06:00

I love that ad - reminds me of this quote:

Life is not a journey to the grave
With the intention of
Arriving safely in a pretty
And well preserved body,
But rather to skid in broadside,
Thoroughly used up,
Totally worn out,
And loudly proclaiming,

WOW !!!! What a ride!

2 Timothy 4:6
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.

Relax, it's just Monday...

2009-03-09T00:29:00.002-06:00

Does the 'day of the week' dictate your happiness level?

Oh no - it’s Monday. Tuesday, blah blah blah day; Wednesday is hump day, Thursday filler, TGIF, now I'm working for the weekend, Saturday party hearty until late & Sunday is the dread before Monday shows up once again!

Colossians 3:22-25
Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

Spring forward....

2009-03-08T00:01:00.002-07:00

Yes, getting up for today's service @ 1030 AM may feel like a harsh start-up because we lost an hour last night...

Perhaps Paul anticipates this in Ephesians 5:14,
This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."