Long Eternity to Enjoy Ourselves - Tozer

Trials and Pain: Long Eternity to Enjoy Ourselves

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.... And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
--1 John 2:15,17

Any appeal to the public in the name of Christ that rises no higher than an invitation to tranquillity must be recognized as mere humanism with a few words of Jesus thrown in to make it appear Christian....

Christ calls men to carry a cross; we call them to have fun in His name. He calls them to forsake the world; we assure them that if they but accept Jesus the world is their oyster. He calls them to suffer; we call them to enjoy all the bourgeois comforts modern civilization affords. He calls them to self-abnegation and death; we call them to spread themselves like green bay trees or perchance even to become stars in a pitiful fifth-rate religious zodiac. He calls them to holiness; we call them to a cheap and tawdry happiness that would have been rejected with scorn by the least of the Stoic philosophers....

We can afford to suffer now; we'll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves. And our enjoyment will be valid and pure, for it will come in the right way at the right time.
Born After Midnight, pp. 141-142

"Lord, may I be faithful to call people to that which is important to You, at whatever cost. Thank You that 'we can afford to suffer now; we'll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves.' Amen."

source: http://lmi.gospelcom.net/tozer.php3

Crummy Church Signs

Ok everyone, I need some input here.

Check out this site and report back with your favorite sign!
http://www.crummychurchsigns.com

I think this is my favorite!

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?

I stumbled upon this and thought it worth sharing. It is also worth noting that this was penned over 100 years ago. If Spurgeon had this to say of the church back then I can imagine his opinion of the church today. I am sure he would not think that the situation is any better by far!

This is actual a pretty harsh look at the methods of the modern day church. I would be inclined to dismiss it as 'not for today' but considering the source and the state of the church and it's witness to the world I think it would be a good idea to listen closely to what a proven fruitful preacher from day passed has to say.

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Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon(1834-1892)

An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough. So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

source: http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/amusement.htm

How Much Is Your Sin Going to Cost Me? - Ted Haggard

I guess since it is my birthday I should have some words of wisdom for everyone. While I do not have any word of wisdom I will pass on some words of wisdom that is a title to a sermon tape that I received a couple months ago. I have been thinking of that sermon and the title ever since the middle of last week.

The title of that message was “How Much Is Your Sin Going to Cost Me?” And if you haven’t guessed it was by Ted Haggard. Now I am definitely not going to start slamming Ted and calling him a hypocrite and all that. Far from it. I think this should be a wake up call to the Christian community to be able to show compassion, understanding, and forgiveness to a person in sin while standing firm against sin. But those are words of wisdom for another day.

Today I think we need to see these words of wisdom from Ted himself. “How much is your sin going to cost me?” Where “me” is all the people that your life has directly and indirectly touched. Just imagine the fallout from this hidden sin in Ted’s life. His family, ministry, the cause of Christ, the political movements he was a part of. People he has never seen or spoken to have been discouraged, disheartened, and “given occasion to blaspheme” the name of Christ.

Let’s now hold the mirror up to ourselves. What is the hidden sin in your life that if it came to light would not only destroy your testimony, but cause the unbelievers around your to say “Ah Ha, I new he/she was a phony” and the believers around you to question or stumble in their faith? Confess it to someone that will hold you accountable, Repent of it, and stop it. Do all that you can do to rid yourself of it because if you do not, God will for you. As a Christian, His plan for you is that you become more like Christ. If He has to expose your sin to everyone around you then that is what he will do. Not to humiliate you but to humble and perfect you. Do not let that happen though. Humble yourself, don’t make God do it.

The Crane Game - ONLINE!

I stumble across this on my geek site wanderings. You know those 'Crane Games' that you play at the exits of Walmart and other places? Here is one you can play for free over the internet.

Here is a link to watch my best try:
click here!

Give it a try for yourself: http://www.rocktheskillcrane.com/play.php
hint: use big numbers...

Happy Reformation Day

I did not know till today that not only is today Halloween but it also is Reformation Day.

On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church doors.

One thing that troubles me is about the Church here is the USA is that we have lost our church history. The quote "those who ignore history, are condemned to repeat it" does not only apply to nations but also to the Church. We must know where we came from so we and future generation can learn from our history. Our faith stands on the shoulders of men and movments in the past and if we forget those we will lose our purpose and direction.

After Joshua brought the Israel across the Jordan into the promise land he told then to set up a memorial of 12 stones to be a sign among them "...so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off ' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever." (Joshua 4:6-7)

We need these memorials too so that we do not forget the things that God has done for us. Let today be one if thoses days.

Here is a hymn that he is most well know for:

A mighty fortress is our God
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.


sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm

Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy

Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, However harmless it may appear to be.

Whatever engages my attention when I should be meditating on God and things eternal does injury to my soul.

Let the cares of life crowd out the Scriptures from my mind and I have suffered loss where I can least afford it.

Let me accept anything else instead of the Scriptures and I have been cheated and robbed to my eternal confusion.

(Author Unknown)

A Call to Christian Jihad

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(Romans 12:1-2)

In these times we live in we are always hearing about calls to Jihad on the US, Israel, the west, and so on. Muslim Clerics calling on ‘the faithful’ to sacrifice their bodies to wage Holy War against the infidel.

Christians too have a call to ‘Holy War’ given 2000 years ago by one of their greatest Apostles. This Apostle (Paul) not only called us to this, he did it himself. He did not call us the kill ourselves in the process of killing people that don’t believe the way we do but to do something infinitely more difficult and impactful. He called us to be a living sacrifice. The quote “Better to live for the truth than die for a lie” comes to mind.

These people are willing to kill themselves and others for the promise of ‘heaven”. We with the promise of Heaven in hand, must, and should, live for the truth. We must live what we say we believe.

Romans 12:1-2 is a call to Christian Jihad. Not to kill ourselves and others for entrance to heaven, but to live and give our lives to build and further the Kingdom of God around us and to save unbelievers from the ‘wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

You Are a Freedom Rocker!

You're stuck in the 70s - for better or worse Crazy hair, pot soaked clothes, and tons of groupies Your kind showed the world how to rock Is that freedom rock?... Well turn it up man!

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

I love that one commercial... "Is that Freedom Rock dude? Well then turn it up!"

p.s. Darrell, I picked cowbell as my favorite instrument just for you!

You a Slacker?

You Are 28% Slacker

You have a few slacker tendencies, but overall you tend not to slack. You know how to relax when the time is right, but you aren't lazy!

Are You a Slacker?

The Pastor Did a Good Job...

Every time I hear someone say, or want to say myself, that the pastor or worship team did a "good job" or something like that it always gives me a queasy feeling inside.

My innards always say to me that they are not there for your critique. If that is the only thing you walked away with that you missed something.
Should not it be more like “WOW, that sermon really spoke to me” or “WOW, I really felt the presents of God during worship”?

Is it just me or does anyone else get that feeling?

MEN’S RULES!

Most of you have probably seen these before but sometimes it is just good to review.
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We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules! Please note these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

1. Saturday = Sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Don't cut your hair ever. Long hair is always more attractive than short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that married women always cut their hair.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints Do Not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. We don't remember dates. Mark anniversaries on a calendar. Remind us frequently beforehand.

1. Most guys own three pairs of shoes - tops. What makes you think we'd be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?

1. "Yes" and "No" are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Check your oil! Please.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. We refuse to answer.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions, and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like the Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. We are not mind readers and we never will be. Our lack of mind-reading ability is not proof of how little we care about you.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to - expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really!

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as navel lint, the shotgun formation, fishing, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. NO! No, you really do have too many shoes.

1. It is neither in your best interest or ours to take the quiz together. And, no, it doesn't matter which quiz.

1. I'm in shape. Round is a shape.

Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know I have to sleep on the couch tonight. But did you know we really don't mind that? It's like camping.

"Pandering Prophets"

Darrell over at the The Dawg Howse found this one but I thought it worth while to post on it too. His post and my reply says it all so I will not comment any further here.

Here is the link: Joel Osteen Is At It Again.

Fire the Plumber!

Sometimes at work after lunch I take a walk to get some fresh air and some natural light (I work in the basement). Yesterday was one of those days I did. Right as I walked back in the front door of the building my cell phone rang and the ladies that work the front door said “Call your wife you have a leak in the basement!” It was my wife calling on the cell phone to tell me the same.

(note) We have been putting in a bathroom in our basement and a week ago I finally got a working sink installed.

My wife said that there was water on the floor around the sink. One of the guys at work had talked her through shutting off the main water value to the house so the leak was stopped for the moment.

After some questioning of my wife to get a idea of the magnitude of the problem I decided to take off work early and go see what the problem was. To make a long story short I found that the "plumber" had not screwed the hot & cold water hoses on tight enough to the sink faucet.

I think my wife actually caught the “plumber” in action NOT getting the hoses tight enough!



After a few turns with a crescent wrench the problem was solved. I need to have a talk with the "plumber"!

Blessed or Cursed?

My continued trek through Deuteronomy, chapter 11

Is God’s blessing on your life? Do not say “Yes, I’m a Christian, of course” to soon. God’s chosen people the Israelites had some conditions to God blessing on their life. Just because they had been unconditionally given the Promise Land they did not automatically have God’s blessing (favor) on their lives. Read this:

Deuteronomy 11:8-28
Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; (9) And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

(10) For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: (11) But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: (12) A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.

(13) And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. (15) And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.

(16) Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; (17) And then the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

(18) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. (19) And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (20) And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: (21) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

(22) For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; (23) Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. (24) Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. (25) There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.

(26) Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; (27) A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: (28) And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Are you constantly struggling? Nothing ever seems to go “your way”? Every time you get some extra money something breaks? Constants strife in your family or relationships? You do everything right but you constantly fail? A one hour project takes all day?

In this passage I see no middle ground, if you are not blessed then you are cursed. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse…” The lack of the blessing is the curse.

So I ask again, is God’s blessing on your life? If you have the signs of the curse let’s look at the cause of the blessing.

“Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day”

“And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul”

“For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him”

God wants your obedience. Do you reward your children for being disobedience? This ain’t rocket science folks! No need to send me a love gift so that I can send you a 7 part CD series on this.

Don’t live your life under a curse. Choose the Blessing of God on your life.

Sunday is the First Day of the Week

Sunday is the First Day of the Week, not the last!

I read Deuteronomy 10 this morning. Here is part of it.

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, (13) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

(14) Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. (15) Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

(16) Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more
stiffnecked. (17) For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: (18) He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

(19) Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt. (20) Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. (21) He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

(22) Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.

What is your idea of God?
What is God like?
Does He care about you?
What does He require of you?
Where is God in your life?
Is He really first?
How does this affect the way you live your life?
How does this affect how you interact with other?

Is Sunday the first day of your week?

Deliverance Comes By Deliverers

Another Tozer Devotional...
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Revival: Deliverance Comes By Deliverers

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.
--Exodus 3:9-10

Yes, if evangelical Christianity is to stay alive it must have men again--the right kind of men. It must repudiate the weaklings who dare not speak out, and it must seek in prayer and much humility the coming again of men of the stuff of which prophets and martyrs are made. God will hear the cries of His people as He heard the cries of Israel in Egypt, and He will send deliverance by sending deliverers.
It is His way.

And when the deliverers come--reformers, revivalists, prophets--they will be men of God and men of courage. They will have God on their side because they are careful to stay on God's side. They will be coworkers with Christ and instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Such men will be baptized with the Spirit indeed and through
their labors He will baptize others and send the long-delayed revival. This World: Playground or Battleground?, 20.

"Lord, send those men to the church soon. Raise up a mighty army even among young people today who will become that kind of men. We need a great movement of the Spirit of God that would bring the much-needed revival. Amen."

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source: http://lmi.gospelcom.net/

A Growing Hunger After God

September 14
A Growing Hunger After God

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
--Psalm 42:1-2a

In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct "interpretations" of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.

This is the only real harbinger of revival which I have been able to detect anywhere on the religious horizon. It may be the cloud the size of a man's hand for which a few saints here and there have been looking. It can result in a resurrection of life for many souls and a recapture of that radiant wonder which should accompany faith in Christ, that wonder which has all but fled the Church of God in our day. The pursuit of God, 7.

"O Father, may their numbers increase more and more--those who 'are athirst for God, and [who] will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.' Amen."

source: http://lmi.gospelcom.net/

milk for free?

If this was a problem in Tozer's time it has become an epidemic in modern times and almost considered a 'legalism' by some.

August 29

Evangelism: Salvation Apart from Obedience

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

Therefore, I must be frank in my feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circles--the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior and we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as Lord as long as we want to!...

I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught in my early Christian experience and it certainly needs a lot of modifying and a great many qualifiers to save us from being in error.

"We are saved by accepting Christ as our Savior; we are sanctified by accepting Christ as our Lord; we may do the first without doing the second!"

The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred Scriptures. Peter makes it plain that we are "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit for obedience" (1 Peter 1:2).
I Call It Heresy, 1-2.

"Lord, as I rejoice in the free gift of salvation, by grace through faith, remind me regularly that it is a salvation unto good works, that we're saved to serve. Amen."

source : http://lmi.gospelcom.net/

It reminds me of today's relationships. "Men" tell their girlfriends "I love you, I love you" but they do not want to get married.

Remember the saying "Why buy the cow when I can have the milk for free?"

Are we trying to say this of God Grace? Is this what we are saying when we live in continual disobedience to God's word and claim "No worries, I am saved"?

To me that is a fearful place to be...

Church Of God Grill

I heard a reference to this on the radio today:

When I lived in Atlanta, several years ago, I noticed in the Yellow Pages, in the listing of restaurants, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused my curiosity and I dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, "Hello! Church of God Grill!" I asked how his restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and he told me: "Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that's Church of God Grill." This incident is not unlike many churches, denominations, and individuals who over time, have drifted away from their original purpose. -- Charles Paul Conn
[Borrowed from Swindoll's "Dropping Your Guard," p. 53 -Holwick]

Have you drifted away from God's purpose? Are we in the church just teaching, preaching, and doing the things that are 'popular'? Are we thinking that if we get a good turnout that we are doing God's will?

If souls are not saved and lifes are not changed we are just serving chicken dinners.

Obituary - Someone Else

The speaker at my "Cross Trainers" group read this this week. I thought I would post it for everyone.

Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else. Someone's passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person's share of the work.

Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone's list, "Let Someone Else do it." Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; "Someone Else can work with that group." It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference.

Someone Else was a wonderful person; sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do.

Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? When you are asked to help this year, remember - we can't depend on Someone Else anymore.

~ Author Unknown

What Could Really Be That Important !?!?

What could really be that important that it can not wait?

Lately I have been looking at things we have and things we do and wondering if they are really that important from an eternal perspective. Unless this person pictured is sharing Christ with a person about to commit suicide or something then it can probably wait.

Some Thoughts:
How much of the chaos of life do we create our self?
Do we just go, go, go all the time because we are afraid that if we stop we might have to really deal will something?
Is busy-ness our ‘drug’ to keep from dealing with issues?
Do we think if we juggle many issues we can avoid really have to deal with any of them?
If one starts to hit to close to home we can just switch gears and ‘work’ on a different problem..

Dumber than Jonah…
At least when Jonah was running from God he had a destination! Are we, by our busy-ness, running (to nowhere) from God? It’s time for all us to slow down and let God speak to us before a ‘great fish’ swallows us up.

MAN IT'S HOT!

Temperature could hit 100 degrees today

I hope you all are staying cool!

Church of Rote

I was reading my daily Tozer devotional email today. It is included below. I got to the line "They want people to help them celebrate the rote and finally join in the rot" and was not sure what 'Rote" meant so I looked it up:

Rote (American Heritage Dictionary):

1. A memorizing process using routine or repetition, often without full attention or comprehension: learn by rote.
2. Mechanical routine.

Is that not the condition of the church? We do so much in the church out of obligation and routine without an understanding of why we do it or the significance or purpose of the thing that we are doing. After a few generations of doing the routine without understanding, it just becomes another religious duty that we faithfully do because "that's the way it has always been done". Then, without understanding of it's significance or purpose, we loose heart and become tired and weary of it.

How many of you can recite the Lord Prayer without even hearing the words? How many of you have a good answer for your kids when they ask "why do we go to church?" or "Why do we sing at church?" or any of those other questions that our young children have not been trained not to ask yet...

It's like when you are training for a new job and you ask the person why you do something and they say "I'm not sure, that's the way we have always done it". Even if it is the "correct way" of doing it, if you do not know why, then you are missing something. So then, as Tozer so eloquently put it, we ask the newcomers to "celebrate the rote and finally join in the rot".

No wonder so many have become "inoculated" to the church.

July 20

The Church: The Dry Rot of Nonexpectation

"...but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."...Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
--Acts 6:4,7

The church is afflicted by dry rot. This is best explained when the psychology of nonexpectation takes over and spiritual rigidity sets in, which is an inability to visualize anything better, a lack of desire for improvement.

There are many who respond by arguing, "I know lots of evangelical churches that would like to grow, and they do their best to get the crowds in. They want to grow and have contests to make their Sunday school larger." That is true, but they are trying to get people to come and share their rut. They want people to help them celebrate the rote and finally join in the rot. Because the Holy Spirit is not
given a chance to work in our services, nobody is repenting, nobody is seeking God, nobody is spending a day in quiet waiting on God with open Bible seeking to mend his or her ways. Nobody is doing it-- we just want more people. But more people for what? More people to come and repeat our dead services without feeling, without meaning, without wonder, without surprise? More people to join us in the bondage to the rote? For the most part, spiritual rigidity that cannot bend is too weak to know just how weak it is. Rut, Rot or Revival: The Condition of the Church, 8,9.

"Lord, not more people, but more of You. Let me wait upon You, keep me faithful, send Your Holy Spirit. If You then send growth as well, I'll thank You and see it as an added blessing. Amen."

It's time to quit playing church, Church!

Men Are Just Happier People

Men Are Just Happier People?

What do you expect from such simple creatures?

Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.

LORD REND THE HEAVENS

I found this in my internet wanderings. Very applicable to today...

---

LORD REND THE HEAVENS
TEXT: “O, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!”
(Isaiah 64:1)

THOUGHT: When Isaiah the prophet prayed these words God’s ancient people were in bad shape. In the previous chapter (63:15), they had asked the Lord to “look down from heaven”; but now their cry is “Come down!” (v.1). They had reached the point of desperation.

If we read the signs of the times aright, we are also in a mess. Dr. Carl Henry wonders if God will bring judgment upon America in this decade (Romans 1:24). He writes, “Our massacre of a million fetuses a year; our deliberate flight from the monogamous family; our normalizing of fornication and other sexual perversions, our programming of self-indulgence above social and familial concerns—all represent a quantum leap in moral deterioration…”

1. We Need A Divine Intervention
“Oh, that You would rend the heavens!…(and) come down” (v.1). This intervention is described as fire melting the mountains, boiling the waters, and burning the brushwood; quite plainly, an extra-ordinary display of divine power—a supernatural Mt. St. Helen’s! When that volcano erupted, the world took notice. We must have a volcanic “spiritual happening” in the church of Jesus Christ, if modern man is to be impacted.

2. We Need A Divine Revelation
“O, that You would…come down…To make your name known” (vv. 1,2). To quote Carl Henry again, “The dull technological edge of American Christianity desperately needs sharpening.” We have lost the sense of God’s presence, we have lost the sign of God’s power, and we have lost the scope of God’s purpose. We need a divine revelation as the Holy Spirit makes the Book come alive with Pentecostal authority and relevance.

3. We Need A Divine Visitation
“Oh, that You would…come down…That the nations (would) tremble at Your presence!” (vv. 1-2).
When God visited His people in Egypt, Pharoah and his subjects had to acknowledge the divine presence. When God visited His people on the day of Pentecost, unbelievers cried out, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). What would be our response if God were to visit us in our time? Can it be said of us, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of God’s power” (Psalm 110:3, KJV)?

THRUST:
Descend upon us gracious Lord,
With your reviving power,
And search us, cleanse us by Your Word –
To match this present hour.
S.F.O.

By Stephen Olford
Source: http://www.olford.org/CC_Content_Page/1,,PTID314886CHID671694CIID,00.html

APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

This is pretty good. Since my daughter is only six I should not need this for a while...

---


APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

NOTE: THIS APPLICATION WILL BE REJECTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED
BY A COMPLETE FINANCIAL STATEMENT, WORK HISTORY, LINEAGE,
AND CURRENT MEDICAL REPORT FROM YOUR DOCTOR.

1. NAME_________________________________DATE OF BIRTH___/___/___
2. HEIGHT __________________WEIGHT ___________IQ______GPA_______
3. SOCIAL SECURITY# ______________ DRIVERS LIC#_______________
4. BOY SCOUT RANK___________________________
5. HOME ADDRESS ______________ CITY/STATE ____________ZIP_______
6. DO YOU HAVE ONE MALE AND ONE FEMALE PARENT? ______________
IF NO, PLEASE EXPLAIN___________________________________
7. NUMBER OF YEARS PARENTS MARRIED? _________
8. DO YOU OWN A VAN? ________________MOTORCYCLE?____________
TRUCK WITH OVERSIZED TIRES? ___________WATERBED? ____________
DO YOU HAVE AN EARRING? ____NOSE RING? ____
BELLY BUTTON RING__
9. WHAT DOES DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER MEAN TO YOU?
__________________________________________
10. WHAT DOES LATE MEAN TO YOU? _____________________________
11. WHAT DOES ABSTINENCE MEAN TO YOU?________________________
12. CHURCH YOU ATTEND? ________________________
13. WHEN WOULD BE THE BEST TIME TO INTERVIEW YOUR
FATHER?_______ MOTHER?___________ PRIEST/PASTOR? __________
14. ANSWER BY FILLING IN THE BLANK. PLEASE ANSWER FREELY, ALL
ANSWERS ARE CONFIDENTIAL (THAT MEANS I WON'T TELL ANYONE)
A. IF I WERE SHOT, THE LAST PLACE ON MY BODY I WOULD WANT
WOUNDED IS THE ________________
B. A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE ______________
C. THE ONE THING I HOPE THIS APPLICATION DOESN'T ASK IS
____________________________________________________

15. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE IF YOU GROW UP?________________
I CERTIFY THAT ALL OF THE INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE
AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF
DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, TORTURE, CRUCIFIXION, ELECTROCUTION,
CHINESE WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, AND HILLARY CLINTON
KISS TORTURE.
_________________________________
SIGNATURE (THAT MEANS YOU SIGN YOUR NAME)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST. PLEASE ALLOW FOUR TO SIX
YEARS FOR PROCESSING. YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED IN WRITING IF
YOU ARE APPROVED. PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR WRITE (AS IT WILL
CAUSE YOU INJURY)



Happy Anniversary Kelly!

My wonderful wife's (and mine) anniversary is today. She has been stuck with me for 5 years now and I have had the priviledge of having her for the same.

I am looking forward to the next 5 (and more) years with her!

We made it back!

Sorry for being AWOL. We lived through the Disney trip. The end on the world did not come and hurricane Alberto did not get us.

We had a great time!

Here is a link to some more pictures...

http://flickr.com/photos/seansco/sets/72157594173973953/show/

The Rapture—Coming 06.06.06

See you all in Heaven tomorrow...

Check this link: http://www.leftbehind.com/

I only post this for two reasons.

The first reason is that I am very upset. Our family is (was?) leaving for FLA to go to Disney on Wed of this week (6/7/06). After all that money spent on hotels and plane tickets I find out that the rapture is happening the day before we leave...
... story of my life...

Second reason is this: There are actually people believing that this IS happening on the 6th. A friend my father-in-law was trying to buy a generator from him because they believe the end of the world is happening on 06/06/06. The real bad thing is I think they heard this in church.

BTW... Here is a good link on the Rapture: Our Blessed Hope

Well anyway... if I don't see you all in Heaven tomorrow and will post some pictures of our vacation when I get back sometime late next week.

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matt 24:42

Happy Belated Memorial Day

Happy belated Memorial Day. Here are some pictures from our long weekend from the Lake of the Osarks.

We did a lot of boating, swiming, and fishing. My son caught the only fish. Down below is a picture.

Don't tell Kelly I posted this picture of her on the intertube!

Here is a picture of me and the kids before we lost Maddie...

Illinois...

For all us Illinoisans...

Jeff Foxworthy on Illinois:

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Illinois.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, you might live in Illinois.

If someone in a store offers you assistance & they don't work there, you might live in Illinois.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Illinois.

If you have ever worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live in Illinois.

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, you might live in Illinois.

If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Illinois.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE Illinoisan WHEN:
1. Vacation means going north or south on I55 for the weekend.
2. You measure distance in hours.
3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
4. You often switch from heat to AC in the same day and back again.
5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).
7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car and know how to use them.
9. You design your kids Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
11. You know all 5 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, road construction, & It's Hot.
12. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.
13. Down south means Missouri to you.
14. A brat is something you eat.
15. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole shed.
16. You go out to a tailgate party every Friday.
17. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
18. You find 0 degrees a "little chilly".
19. You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Illinois friends. (What's not to understand???)

The DaVinci Code

Holy Grail? The Last Supper? The DaVinci Code? Gospel of Judas? Canonicity of Scripture? Gnosticism? Mary Magdalen? Dan Brown?

What is this stuff and why should I care?

On May 19th, Sony Pictures is going to release the long awaited movie The DaVinci Code. It is based on the best selling book of the same name by Dan Brown. This Ron Howard film will be staring Tom Hanks and you bet that this film will be a block buster.

Here is a summary of Brown’s novel;

“The central event of the novel is the murder of a Louvre curator, found in the pose of Leonardo’s celebrated “Vitruvian man”—a figure inscribed in both a circle and a square—which sets in motion an ingenious plot involving numerological symbolism, verbal puzzles and an alternative version of Christianity, wrapped around the legend of the Holy Grail. Brown posits that Leonardo is at the center of a secret society that has maintained a secret from biblical times, namely that Mary Magdalene, far from being a prostitute, was the rightful wife of Jesus; Mary and Jesus had a child and heirs; and finally, the heirs, whose existence threatened church dogma, were protected by a clandestine priory that counted Leonardo among its members. The novel also contends that the Holy Grail, contrary to most ideas that it was the chalice Jesus used as He introduced the ordinance of communion, was actually the pregnant Mary Magdalene, the lost vessel of Jesus’ blood. Thus, the figure sitting on Jesus’ right in Leonardo’s “Last Supper,” generally taken to be the effeminate apostle John, was actually Mary Magdalene. Since there is no object on the table that could be a grail or chalice, Brown contends that Mary symbolizes the actual grail, which is a metaphor for the sacred feminine and a form of goddess worship suppressed by Christianity.”

Too preposterous to even warrant a response, right? Wrong! People have been talking about this book, and with the movie coming out it is going to be a topic of conversations everywhere.

If our attitude towards this book is that it is ‘to preposterous to even warrant a response’ then we are going to become what the usual dogmatic, narrow-minded Christian stereotype portrays. So what do we do? Buy and read the book? Go see the movie? Wouldn’t that be supporting the whole thing?

Let me say this: I have seen 2 people in my office (of only 60 employees) with this book already. People are going to be talking and if I can not talk intelligently about this book, or if I refuse to participate in the conversations about this book, then I will be missing opportunities to show the obvious lies and inaccuracies of the book and the coming movie. I will miss opportunities to share the truth and reliability of the Bible, about Jesus, and salvation.

We need to look at this as a great opportunity to share Jesus in a nation where that freedom is slowly being taken away. For more detailed responses to questions raised in the book I suggest this book: The DaVinci Deception by Edwin Lutzer.

Great Preachers -- Tozer again

This is todays devotional from Tozer. I would not have posted this here but this, I believe, is related to what Darrell posted a couple days ago: Give it a look see...

--

May 5

Preaching: Great Preachers

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty.
--1 Corinthians 1:26-27

I'm against the idea of putting the "big preachers" on tape and
playing them back to the congregations that feel they are being
starved by listening to "little preachers."

Fallacy, brethren--a thousand times, fallacy!

If we could have the Apostle Paul on tape recordings and let him
stand here and preach, he could do no more for you than the Holy
Ghost can do, with The Book and the human conscience....

Oh, brethren, I would not detract from God's great men, but I can
safely say that that's not what the church needs.

The church needs to listen to the inner voice and do something
about it! The Tozer Pulpit, Volume 1, 108-109.

"Lord, we're inundated today with 'big preachers.' And while we
appreciate their gifts and ministries, I pray today for all of
my brothers who are 'little preachers.' Help them not to be
discouraged by their seeming smallness but to be faithful
servants of Yours, declaring with great passion the message of
the Book, in the power of the Holy Spirit. That's what the
church needs! Amen."
--

National Day of Prayer

The Nation Day of Prayer is tomorrow, Thursday, May 4th.

Please take part both corporately with fellow believers, and privately in your prayer closet.
Let us not just talk about it, not just think about it, not just tell others about it, not just ask others to do it, but let us ourselves JUST DO IT!

For more information on this event check out the web site.

http://www.ndptf.org/

Happy Birthday Greyson!

My son's birthday was this weekend.

Happy birthday Son!

I saw it happen on his face...

I saw it happen on his face...

I saw it happen. I was sitting beside the guy and I saw on his face when it happened...

It was ‘eureka’ moment for him...

On Thursday nights we have been going over to a friend’s bible study. Last Thursday there was a new family there that they had invited. As we walked through Mark chapter 2 it became apparent that the night was not about Mark chapter 2. It was about this man that the Lord had brought here so that someone could explain to him the Gospel.

I saw it happen on his face, the moment he realized the full implications (if anyone really could) of Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

It was truly a glorious moment. I wished I could hear the angels rejoicing in Heaven at that moment.

That is what all this life is about. That is why we are still here on this earth. To reach into the gates of Hell and pull out sinners destined for eternal damnation. All else is just hay, wood, and stubble…

Good job to my friend for being bold and inviting a perfect stranger to his Bible study.

Thank you Lord for loving us even when we didn’t want anything to do with You.

For everyone else, there's Mastercard...

For everyone else, there's Mastercard...
Read that slogan again. It says a lot. A whole lot. Those five words strip away a lot of fluff. They speak to the heart of a debt-reliant culture. How reliant? Wrap your brain around these figures:

http://www.mdmproofing.com/iym/brokethink.shtml

This is a real good article. It is kind of off the regular topic here but then again not really. The lust of the eyes and the pride of life are certainly a contributor to this. Anyway this is a good website if you are looking at getting a handle on the finances...

Serious about really getting your finances in shape? Ready to begin relying on a financial plan, rather than blind luck or a momentary whim? Are you dedicated to dumping all debt?If so, then put your mental body armor on, because you're about to be an outcast.

http://www.mdmproofing.com/iym/brokethink.shtml

BECAUSE I AM A CHRISTIAN...

Someting I found...

I am the salt of the earth (Mat_5:13)
I am the light of the world (Mat_5:14)
I am a child of God (Joh_1:12)
I am Christ's friend (Joh_15:15)
I am chosen by Christ (Joh_15:16)
I am God's gift to Christ (Joh_17:24)
I am made right in God's sight by faith (Rom_5:1)
I am at peace with God (Rom_5:1)
I am in the place of highest privilege (Rom_5:2)
I am confidently and joyfully looking forward to becoming all God has in mind for me (Rom_5:2)
I am rejoicing in troubles, for through them God is building me up and making me strong (Rom_5:3-5)
I am reconciled to God (Rom_5:10)
I am a receiver of God's grace that far supersedes my worst sin (Rom_5:20)
I am dead to sin and alive to God (Rom_6:11)
I am a recipient of eternal life through Jesus Christ (Rom_6:23)
I am free of condemnation (Rom_8:1)
I am free from the vicious cycle of sin and death (Rom_8:2)
I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom_8:14-15; Gal_3:26; Gal_4:6)
I share in Christ's inheritance (Rom_8:17)
I am protected. Who can ever be against me? (Rom_8:31)
I am inseparable from God's love (Rom_8:35)
I am more than a conqueror through Christ (Rom_8:37)
I am God's dwelling place. His Spirit and life dwells in me (1Co_3:16;1Co_6:19)
I am united to the Lord (1Co_6:17)
I am a member of Christ's Body - the church (1Co_12:27; Eph_5:30)
I am adequate for anything because my adequacy comes from God (2Co_3:5)
I am a saint (Eph_1:1)
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph_1:3)
I am forgiven of all my sins (Eph_1:7)
I am God's workmanship - His handiwork (Eph_2:10)
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's family (Eph_2:19)
I am righteous and holy (Eph_4:24)
I am a citizen of heaven (Eph_2:6)
I am strong in the Lord to fight off all of Satan's attacks (Eph_6:10-17)
I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phi_4:13)
I am filled with God's power that works mightily in me (Col_1:29)
I am complete in Christ, filled with God, possessor of everything (Col_2:10)
I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved (Col_3:12;1Th_1:4)
I am a son/daughter of light and not of darkness (1Th_5:5)
I am adequate, complete, equipped for every good work (2Ti_3:17)
I am able to come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy and grace (Heb_4:16)
I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1Jo_3:1-2)
I am loved (Rev_1:5 ; Rom_5:8)
I am victorious (Rev_21:7)

Lord of the Rings Character Test

Ok, TNT had the first two
Lord of the Rings movies on Sunday after noon and evenings. So I have found this. Take the test, who are you? Post your results!

Eomer If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Eomer, Man of Rohan, heir to the throne, nephew of Theoden and brother of Eowyn. In the movie, I am played by Karl Urban. Who would you be? Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test with Perseus Web Survey Software

Men Who Do Not Pray

Another Tozer devotional...
http://lmi.gospelcom.net/tozer.php3?date=04-09-06
Prayer: Men Who Do Not Pray

Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. --Acts 6:3

Let us watch that we do not slide imperceptibly to a state where the women do the praying and the men run the churches. Men who do not pray have no right to direct church affairs. We believe in the leadership of men within the spiritual community of the saints, but that leadership should be won by spiritual worth.

Leadership requires vision, and whence will vision come except from hours spent in the presence of God in humble and fervent prayer? All things else being equal, a praying woman will know the will of God for the church far better than a prayerless man.

We do not here advocate the turning of the churches over to the women, but we do advocate a recognition of proper spiritual qualifications for leadership among the men if they are to continue to decide the direction the churches shall take. The accident of being a man is not enough. Spiritual manhood alone qualifies. We Travel an Appointed Way, 16.

"Lord, don't ever let me have leadership that I don't deserve. Don't ever let me become careless in prayer. Don't ever let me rely on the women to pray while I lead. Amen."

Theory without practice is sterile

"Practice without Theory is blind, Theory without practice is sterile"
-- Karl Marx

I think the quote describes most of the Christians today. There are mainly 2 types.

Practice without Theory:
There are the Christian's that are always doing for God. They follow all the rules that someone has set. It might be their church, their favorite Christian author or TBN TV program host. They have crosses, pictures of Jesus, and angel figurines everywhere. They usually sound good when they talk. Things they do are usually good but they really have no idea why they do the things they do. They know that Jesus is the one to follow but if someone asked them how they know Jesus is the one the best they can come up with is that "Jesus changed my life" or "the bible says so".
I have heard this described a "Foke Theology". They follow their beliefs but their beliefs have no firm base. The eliefs could be correct or not. The thing is that they can not tell you why they do or believe it. "That's just the why I was taught" or "that is the way my parents taught me."

I use to work for a company that sold medical software. I was in charge of converting the old system's data to our new system. In the process of learning how the old system worked so that I could better convert the data to our new system, I would sit down with the people and have them show me how they did things on the old system. I was always asking people why they did things the way they did. Most of the time the answer was 'this is how the person before me did it'. They knew the right thing to do but somewhere along the way the 'reason' was lost. This has happened in the life of many Christian’s.

Theory without practice:
Then there are the ones that know all there is to know about God, Jesus, and the Bible. They quote scripture, have all the answers in Bible study, if you have a problem they can quote 10 scriptures that explains what you need to do. They tell you how they can not get through one day without God but their life, attitude, and actions speak the opposite. They usually are the complainers, the ones who do not tithe, their spouse can not stand them and their children are rebellious and without Christ. They get road rage when driving to church and are rude to the waitress at lunch after church.
They are usually the ones that the non-believer won't come to your church because they know them and say something like 'if that is what it is to be a Christian I don't want any part of it.'

So what is the point to all this rambling?

Church, we got to get with it. We got to not only know what it is to be a Christian, but why those thing make Christianity different than other religions and spiritualities. We need to know the Bible and the doctrines that make Christianity what it is. We need to know them well enough to have confidence in them during our trials and be able to explain them to others when they have trials.

At the same time we got to walk the walk. The world, our children, families, and co-workers see Christianity and Jesus through us. When they picture a Christian in their mind they see us. Their idea of God comes from us. I think sometimes we are doing more harm for the cause of Christ than good.

Jesus Walked on Ice, Study Says

I am really speechless on this one. It amazes me what people will say and believe to explain away the miracles in the Bible.

Here is the latest...

A frozen patch floating on the surface of the small lake would have been difficult to distinguish from the unfrozen water surrounding it. The unfrozen water was comprised of the plumes resulting from salty springs situated along the lake's western shore in Tabgha -- an area where many archeological findings related to Jesus have been documented.

Here is a link to the article: Jesus Walked on Ice, Study Says

In the interest of objectivity, I have my own far-fetch idea of how Jesus actually walked on water. I think the picture on this post explains it.

So who do you think is right, them or me?

Here is the account of the incident in Matthew: Matthew 14:17-34

Humm, I think the guys that were there had it figured out:

Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. - Matthew 14:33

Resistance is Futile...

Yah know, I have never been a Apple/Mac fan but there are things that are just plain wrong.

First they put Intel chips in them, now this...
Apple unveils software to permit Windows use

Seems kind of sacreligious...

The only good thing about all this is that all those hard core Apple people are finally silenced!

George Washington - Praying Warror

Just one more about George...

If someone painted a picture of your prayer life what would it look like?

I am afraid mine would not even look as if I was praying. I think we have taken the verse 'pray without ceasing' as a license to not 'stop and pray'. We fire a few requests and maybe even a praise or two off in the shower or drive to work like we forward off a half read funny email.

We need to stop and travail before God in our prayers. If the subject of our prayers are not things we agonize over then we need to either get serious about them or find something worth praying about.

from below: “We never thought a man could be a soldier & a Christian”

Would someone be convinced that you are a true Christian by the fervency of your prayers? Something to think about.

Below is a excerpt from the diary of Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden that inspired this panting.

The Prayer at Valley Forge

"I was riding with Mr. Potts near to the Valley Forge where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution, when Mr. Potts said, 'Do you see that woods & that plain? There laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods (pointing to a close in view) I heard a plaintive sound as of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods. To my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying. I went home & told my wife. We never thought a man could be a soldier & a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington. We thought it was the cause of God & America could prevail."
- Source: Eyewitness testimony of Isaac Potts, a Valley Forge resident who shared the following story with the Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden (1770-1851), who then recorded it in his "Diary and Remembrances."

George Washington's Inaugural Address of 1789

You all will have to thank my son for this post. We are working on a school project about George Washington.

These early Statesman humble me and make me fear for our nation. They were unashamed of their faith and aware that they were servants of the people and of God.

On April 30, 1789, George Washington delivered his famous Inaugural Address to both Houses of Congress. He had just taken the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, with his hand upon a Bible opened to Deuteronomy, Chapter 28:

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
(Deuteronomy 28:1-2 KJV)

Here is a exerp from his inaugural address:
"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and whose providential aides can supply every human defect; that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes; and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow citizens at large, less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished, in the system of their United government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage ... We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered as deeply, perhaps finally, staked on the experiment...

May God raise up some more God fearing Statesman. Not politicians, but statesman.


Full inaugural address: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/inaugtxt.html

The Reproach of Egypt

The Reproach of Egypt

(1) So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel. {Joshua 5:1 NKJV}

So many of us in the Christian church have come out of Egypt, decided to quit wondering in the wilderness, we have let Jesus lead us across the Jordan, and here we are. We are on the edge of the Promise Land but something is just not right.

(2) At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time."
(3) So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. {Joshua 5:2-3 NKJV}

What is the problem? We have not let ourselves be consecrated by Jesus. There is that thing (or things) that we have brought with us from Egypt. "The Reproach of Egypt" is still with us. We all know what it is for us. That thing that we will not let go of from the world. Now before we can be used in battle for the promise land we let the Lord remove this 'reproach' from us.

(8) So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed.
(9) Then the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. {Joshua 5:8-9 NKJV}

So what will happen when you let the Lord remove 'The Reproach of Egypt' from you? First it will hurt. Second, it will take some time to heal the hurt. But then, guess what will happen?

(13) And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
(14) So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
(15) Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so. {Joshua 5:13-15 NKJV}

The Commander of the army of the LORD will show up Himself and fight the battles for you. Jericho’s wall will fall down at your shout!