true of all of us not just preachers

"Some preachers ought to put more fire into their sermons
or more sermons into the fire." - Vance Havner

And Can It Be Charles Wesley

And can it be that I should gain An interest in the Savior's blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain-For me, who Him to death pursued?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?'Tis mystery all: th'Immortal dies:Who can explore His strange design?In vain the firstborn seraph triesTo sound the depths of love divine.'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,Let angel minds inquire no more.'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;Let angel minds inquire no more.He left His Father's throne above So free, so infinite His grace-Emptied Himself of all but love,And bled for Adam's helpless race:'Tis mercy all, immense and free,For O my God, it found out me!'Tis mercy all, immense and free,For O my God, it found out me!Long my imprisoned spirit lay,Fast bound in sin and nature's night;Thine eye diffused a quickening ray-I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;My chains fell off, my heart was free,I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.My chains fell off, my heart was free,I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.Still the small inward voice I hear,That whispers all my sins forgiven;Still the atoning blood is near,That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.I feel the life His wounds impart;I feel the Savior in my heart.I feel the life His wounds impart;I feel the Savior in my heart.No condemnation now I dread;Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;Alive in Him, my living Head,And clothed in righteousness divine,Bold I approach th'eternal throne,And claim the crown, through Christ my own.Bold I approach th'eternal throne,And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

please note that Wesley, in a time of revival under the anointing of the Holy Spirit wrote,
"That thou, my God, shouldst die for me." Now a days most of the time it is intentionally changed to "Thou my King would die for me" well the original wording was "my God" not my "King" and even though our little minds can not wrap around that concept that is truly what makes it amazing love and it shows the depth of the evil of our sin and the depth of the goodness of Our God. so leave it "my God" and sing it, "my God." !!

why this waste???

Why this waste?? The disciples "high-sounding" well-thought-out question.
She is pouring out a substance too valuable on You Jesus
She is using way too much, it is filling the whole house
She is being inappropriate and creating a distraction with her
OVER THE TOP worship of you
She is not doing all things in "decency and order"
and Jesus said, basically, my translation
Oh Shut Up! You don't know what she is doing but I am about to label
it with a label that I used at no other time
She is doing a "good" thing and since no one is "good" but God alone
She is doing a God thing and you don't get it so
Shut Up

Why this waste ... Lord when David Brainerd and Oswald Chambers and Jim Eliot and countless others die so young... Why this waste... God is doing a sovereign and a good thing
because God is sovereign and God is good Period.

the righteous will live by faith

regarding the previous post i believe the grace and mercy of God gave me part of the answer and the way out of the vicious cycle this morning
First came conviction directly from the Holy Spirit that when i give "the look of contempt" and when I grumble and mumble, I am 'in league with' the accuser of the brethren. me and satan are working on a project together when i do that... and that is enough to make me repent
and then
a chapter in a book on the 'blood of Jesus' was made alive to my spirit
"the just/the righteous shall live by faith"
We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus
It is finished
a done deal
a place of abiding that we stand in
a foundation to launch from
right now, because of the blood of Jesus,
I am righteous, right with God, and from that place
I live by faith
so instead of doing satan's work for him, i stop
and i look at others the same way God looks at me,
as righteous by the blood of the lamb
and the Son of Righteousness will arise in my life with healing in His wings
for everyone around me, my wife, my family, my job whatever
thank you Lord, Praise You for the blood of Jesus.

repetitve

so the Love Dare book has brought out into the light the 3 things that i have been needing
to "put off" for years now
1 giving the "look of contempt"
2 mumbling and grumbling
3 not trusting my wife with information, due to ways in the past she has handled information

i am sort of "stuck" there, asking God to rid me of these things so that I/ we can move on

not short or sweet

I have decided not to "shorten" or compact my thoughts on the end times. Instead they will be presented just as long as they need to be to be my "complete" thought on the issue

Just a word about being used by evil without knowing it, beware of any thought or action that leads to a curbing of someone else's freedom in Christ. Beware of any thought or action that is not led by God


Jer 1:9
Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Jer 1:10
"See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."

Jeremiah had words to say from God that would pluck up and break down and destroy and overthrow and build and plant, but the MOST IMPORTANT part is he was not allowed to choose the words he was being given were God's words and He would choose when and how and what to say.... Oh to just be "a voice" for the Lord God!!!!

Goals are nice, but

but sometimes they don't all get accomplished and that is ok to
Had a great time on the men's retreat, a blessed time, with plenty
of fellowship and plenty of quiet time with God. Got to put the Paul
Washer CD in my assistant Pastor's hand. Didn't get to lower
the page count on my end times paper, but i have a person with
a totally different opinion on my Zune, so it will be good if I take the
time to listen to and consider what they are saying and why.
I get so "sure" about my position that I refer to other positions
as the "lie", not a very good way to encourage dialogue.
Very good teaching about speaking in tongues this morning in
Sunday School class, by Robert Morris, straight-forward and
Biblically sound. Eye opening to have him point out this verse,
1 Corinthians 14:39
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy,
and do not forbid to speak in tongues.

so how could you wrongly interpret, "do not forbid to speak in tongues"
???? Scary how easy it is to push aside the word of God...

prayer appreciated

going on a men's retreat this weekend
and i have a goals, time with God
sharing an amazing Paul Washer sermon,
and squeezing 14 pages of end times thoughts into
just 4 or 5 pages.

My Utmost ...

Grab your copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" and
go somewhere quiet and invite the Holy Spirit to
speak thru Oswald on the dates 10/31 and 11/1.

The truth that leads to this sentence is "wonderful"
in the Biblical sense, of "beyond comprehension."

"He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, and says - "Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart. "

repent

repentance, true revival begins with it,
i spent my quiet time this morning reading the 4 gospel accounts of the crufixion, what God did next was a true gift from Him
as i began to pray for my family
a spirit of repentance came over me and i deeply repented with tears for failing to be a true and good reflection of our True and Good God, for my wife and for each child, individually, slowly, i repented; incidents came back to my memory and repentance and tears flowed and then a desire to pray for my wife's dad came over me
and the prayer was broken and compassionate, that just as Abraham interceded for Lot and the angels, literally pulled him out of his evil surroundings, that same prayer rose up in me, not so much from evil surroundings as from hell and death, it was a truly blessed time a gift from God's perfecting love

pain, sorrow

just a link to a writing that adds another facet to the diamond of seeking to understand our loving God, His sovereignty, and our pain and sorrow.

http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Read/ASliceofInfinity/TodaysSlice.aspx?aid=8861

offend

Matthew 17:27 "However, so that we do not offend them (cause them to stumble) , go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."

I needed the truth in this verse this morning. Jesus explains to Peter very clearly that He should not have to pay the "temple tax", but then He gives instructions on how Peter can get the money and pay for the both of them. In explaining why He is doing this Jesus says a very profound thing, "so that we do not cause them to stumble." Sometimes in the Christian life it is not about being "right" it is about "considering your brother above yourself" doing a thing just so that they do not stumble in their walk with God. So here you are walking in freedom to be and do as God leads, but then He "shortens the leash", not because what you are doing is wrong, but because what you are doing will cause another one "to stumble." Do you love them and Him enough to put aside your "freedom" for "love's sake?"

too big

this is too big for one meal, so i suggest you snack and come back to it and just enjoy it little by little

Part 1:

Oswald Chambers Oct 11th

AFTER GOD'S SILENCE - WHAT?
"When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days in the same place where he was." John 11:6
Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? God's silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvellous understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you said - "I asked God to give me bread, and He gave me a stone." He did not, and to-day you find He gave you the bread of life.
A wonderful thing about God's silence is that the contagion of His stillness gets into you and you become perfectly confident - "I know God has heard me." His silence is the proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy - silence.

If we can grasp what he is saying here we will be a light in the deep darkness coming upon the face of the earth, we will perservere in the faith and remain steadfast in our trust. We will bring great Joy to His heart and glory to His Name!!! what else is there, really ??

Part 2

eugene peterson on anger
Anger is a most useful diagnostic tool. When anger erupts in us it is a signal that something is wrong. Something isn't working right. There is evil or incompetence or stupidity lurking about. Anger is our sixth sense for sniffing out wrong in the neighborhood. What anger fails to do, though, is to tell us whether the wrong is outside or inside us. We usually begin by assuming that the wrong is outside us- our spouse, or our child, or God has done something wrong, and we are angry. But when we track the anger carefully, we often find it leads to wrong within us- wrong information, inadequate understanding, underdeveloped heart.


Part 3

Matthew chapter 12 was where God met with me this morning. Turns out my love for being right, for being the one with the right answer/ information "condemns the innocent" Matthew 12:7. I deliver the right words in the wrong way... a beautiful present hidden in a box covered with manure. Matthew 12:36 says the words we are warned not to speak are not "bad" words they are "careless or useless" words. Words that originate in my heart not the heart of God.

Make me God to be the "meekest man on earth" a bond-servant, doing and saying what You, the Lord, would have me to do and say.

Part 4

A good prayer for others
"Lord, meet _________ where he/she is and take them on to the next step in Your Plan for their life, unhindered by any work of satan in Jesus' Name. amen.

how to get thru

found this gem at the end of a sermon by a person battling cancer

I want to close with a poem that I like very much from the British poet Minnie Louise Haskins, born in 1875. King George VI made this very famous in his Christmas broadcast of 1939--you realize that's at the beginning of World War II--in which he quoted Minnie Louise Haskins's poem:
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"

verses rarely "preached"

add to the list of verses rarely preached on
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. "
Isaiah 48:10

eugene Peterson wisdom on marriage

We learn soon that love does not develop when we impose our will on the other, but only when we enter into sensitive responsiveness to the will of the other.

oswald truth

selection from todays oswald masterpiece, only a fool would add anything of their own

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings round us. Never! God engineers circumstances and whatever they may be like we have to see that we face them while abiding continually with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. The honour of Jesus Christ is at stake in your bodily life. Are you remaining loyal to the Son of God in the things which beset His life in you?
Do you continue to go with Jesus? The way lies through Gethsemane, through the city gate, outside the camp; the way lies alone, and the way lies until there is no trace of a footstep left, only the voice, "Follow Me."

human all too human

that is the title of an amazing sermon and also it is the way i feel today. In helping my wife prepare for a ladies conference i worked on 12 of the "Names of God" for posters for a prayer room. People prayed for the names of the ladies attending the conference and what Name of God to match up with them. Jehovah M'Kaddesh ending up having just two names out of the 90 or so attendees. God said, this Name was special
because with it comes a priestly call. A call
to apply the blood of Jesus, and its power to set you apart,
to all of your relationships and dealings with this world.
As one who is set apart for God’s purpose, you are in a
position to intercede for His purposes to be accomplished.
It is a far greater, deeper, wider, call than anyone could ever
explain....
One of the ladies this name was "for" was a person i have been very critical of and at times even "against"... so i felt the weight of conviction to repent of being used by the enemy who was trying to thwart the plans of God for her life, and found a willing partner in me... No More, I repented before God and prayed a blessing on her life.
The official number, that God accepts in our lives, of people that we can be critical of and against is......... ZERO!!!.

news to pray about

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/nov/05/politics.alqaida

Please understand

Please understand my passion for the proper understanding of the end times and the role of the church in the end times. I see it as being of utmost importance. I see it as actors who are training to play the role of a soldier in a movie, they know no one is going to get hurt and the war isn't real. Now compared to them how do you think a real Navy Seal, or Marine, or Green Beret, trains. No comparison. The church will be a much different place if we all have the vision of having to walk thru the horrific challenges of a world where all believer's in God are hounded persecuted and killed. So much of what we do centers around entertainment and "play", this needs to change. Part of that change may come when the truth of the church walking thru the tribulation time with faith and trust toward God, begins to be accepted and taught.
Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. People get ready!!

the whole truth

ok, i'm a little angry because i think that many "teachers" are hiding or holding back the truth in order to make their own view seem right

1 thes 4 is used by many to prove the rapture of the church before the tribulation and that proof hinges on the word translated "meet" in the new testament.

that word meet occurs only 4 times from what i can gather from strongs


Mat 25:1
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet 529 the bridegroom .
Mat 25:6
And at midnight there was a cry made , Behold , the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet 529 him .
Act 28:15
And from thence , when the brethren heard of us , they came to meet 529 us as far as Appii forum , and The three taverns : whom when Paul saw , he thanked God , and took courage .
1Th 4:17
Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds , to meet 529 the Lord in the air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord .

so in each occurence it is people coming out from a place, a wedding feast, rome, the earth, meeting the person and then returning with that person to where they were.... please selah
stop consider,
so keeping the word "meet" with its true and only meaning all the other times it is used
We meet Christ in the air and then return to earth to watch him win the battle of armaggedon and start the millenial reign. This would be in keeping with the one and only second coming of Christ. This would mean there is no "secret" "approaching" 1/2 way down for a rapture before the start of the tribulation. All the twists and turns necessary to make for a rapture before the tribulation period is bad interpretation of the Bible at best...and at worst it is an evil money-making ear tickling man pleasing "peace, peace" where there is no peace
Rise up Church, prepare for your very important role as a light unto the world for the duration of the tribulation.

something to chew on

Art Katz one sentence referring to those who have died to self, died to attempts to use their natural abilities to advance the kingdom of God, died to the approval of man.

"The word success is not in their vocabulary, only the word glory!"

no desire to prove anything or see any special result, just, "God receive all the glory"
"

need to vent

so what's the b-i-g d-e-a-l ? what does it matter what a person believes about the end times?
you believe in pre-trib rapture, i believe the church will go thru the tribulation period, oh well no big deal.........yuk
i am about to vent and will make no effort to correct or coral my passion on this subject, beware..

the pre-trib rapture view, speaks of a church too fragile, too wimpy, to experience the tribulation period... a church so lacking in love that it waves bye-bye to the millions who will have to walk thru the tribulation period, because they are "God's favorites" and shouldn't have to endure such a bad bad time ... a church not filled with power from on High that could shine as a light during such a bad bad time... that could, even in dying as martyrs be a city on a hill, that others would see and understand, that the love that is willing to lay down its life for others is a picture of the God who wants to heal, save, and love them
the pre-trib rapture view caters to a selfish, non-loving heart and when it proves to be a lie, yes i said A LIE, many who had their Heart set on "getting out before it gets bad bad" will FALL AWAY, their love will grown cold, their agape love will grow cold, it is almost too much to imagine... who is sufficient for these things, who can cry out against the selfish heart that is being nurtured and cuddled and promoted in these days IN THE CHURCH
God help us
can't we see that the whole tenor of the New Testament, the Theme, the major issue is Love, love that is willing for its very life to be 'given up' in order to see others come to know the God who is love, so shouldn't the church be willing, expecting, preparing, to be the same type of suffering servant that the Lord of the church demonstrated by His Life on this earth...
A pure, spotless bride. Show me any other thing that will change the current church into a pure spotless bride??? beeeepppp time's up, the only answer is tribulation,
the martyrs cry out under the altar in revelation and the answer given them is their number is not yet full... give that some thought and so will i

meanwhile thanks for letting me "go off" i feel better

part 3 end times

Daniel 11:31 describes the anti-christ desecrating the sanctuary see also matt 24:15 and then comes this verse
Daniel 11:32 "By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 11:33 Those who have insight amont the people will give understanding to the many : yet they will fall by sword and by flame , by captivity and by plunder for many days."

so there is the church alive and well, being a strong witness to the power of God, and yet being willing to "lay down their lives", in the second half of the tribulation... and really seriously, where else would you want the church to be, when the world will be in such a time of upheaval and terror. Wake up, the church was created to be a witness "for such a time as this", not to be raptured out and placed on the sidelines.. leaving the "work" to a bunch of 3 year old believers, who came to the Lord after the rapture
it is just so wrong and self centered to "want out" when the real work has just begun

psalm 102:14

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. psalm 102:14
with much gratitude to Art Katz
this is "the verse" that speaks of the church, truly loving the Jew in the midst of the terrible persecution of the end times

oh God reveal your truth to your church
rip the veil of selfishness that wants to "leave" before it gets "bad"

part one of who knows how many

i need to get my thoughts on the end times down on paper, and so i will 'blog' them here i can't imagine i will finish in one sitting but maybe God will surprise me...
The lie of the church being raptured before the tribulation, is a thing that I see as being so destructive and evil that i feel i need to actively fight against it. Jesus is our forerunner, if they have done these things to the master, they will also do them to the servant... and if we truly learn to love, if we truly learn to lay down our lives for others... we will understand that it is God's loving plan that we be on the earth during the tribulation living the true deep christian life that will then be an undeniable witness to the Jew, who seeing our love and willingness to lay down our lives, will fall in love with our God.

There is a "spirit of the elder brother" among us that says we in "the church" who have been faithful "all these years" should not have to celebrate and anticipate, and joy in the festival of the last days that sees this "prodigal son" returning to the Father.

There is a gross down-playing of Grace, a subtle lifting up of man, of "what i am doing",
ALL THINGS are from Him, to Him, through Him. Grace says "to hell with your flesh it is of no use to God, it is in fact an abomination to Him" beware of a "little leaven" a little "i turned to Jesus", you did no such thing, His love and mercy ripped the veil from your eyes, His sacrifice cleared the way for you to return to God, His Spirit drew you back to Him
This lessening of grace and lifting up of man is at the root of the lie of being raptured out of the world before the tribulation. We "the church" have turned to God, we are not like the hebrews of the old testament, we have seen Him and turned to Him, we are not stubborn and obstinate like they were, we we we we we, be aware of how many songs we sing that start with 'i will' 'i have' 'i am' the songs of heaven sound like this "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" in fact the lamb of God imagery is used in Revelation 10 times as much as the "lion of Judah", we are followers of the lamb and we obtain victory the same way He did, by the laying down of our lives for the brethren. All Glory Be To God.

He has not destined us for wrath, no kidding, but His wrath is not something that can be realized in 3 1/2 years, or 7 years or any number of years. Because it is HIS wrath it is eternal, like His love, like HIM. The wrath we are saved from is eternal. 1 Thes. 5:9 is the verse that many use to "prove" their point of a "left behind" way of thinking.
lets look at that verse and see the lie
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation thru our Lord Jesus Christ.

the wrath is eternal because the salvation is eternal, or do you believe that the "salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ" is only for a 7 year period of time, of course not it is insane, no one would say that, but they will twist the first part of the verse and say that this is speaking of the tribulation period ridiculous, self-centered, self-preserving, a LIE.

Jesus, died that we might have life.
Paul, the writer of the verses that many use to prove the LIE, experienced incredible tribulations and was constantly preparing the church for the same. There is no hint in his writings that persecution is something we should be saved from, but taken thru. The prophets understood it in the old testament and the writers understood it in the new testament.
Fire purges, purifies, is needed. "purify the sons of levi" is the final cry of the old testament and the cry for a pure spotless bride is thru-out revelation.
The blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death.
REvelation 13:7 "It was given to him (the end times beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him." Ever heard a message on that verse?, but even in times like that the saints are overcomers because the eternal plan has not changed from Jesus to the church, a life layed down for others cannot be defeated, what can man do to me, what can seperate me from His love ?tribulation, tribulation, tribulation NO NO NO. Death NO
Oh God give us a revelation of Your love, your plans for the times of the end, for the glory of Your Name.

devastation versus pruning

we have a 3 foot wide spot of unmanageable grass between the road and the sidewalk in the empty lot (side yard) next to our house. Unmanageable because it is partially on a slope and partially not, filled with rocks large and small and whatever rolls off the road. It typically grows out of control and i could care less, but to soothe the neighbors i fired up the weed eater and "went for it" this past week.
Only this was no "trim" i was out to devastate this piece of real estate, and be done with it for this year! I succeeded. Safety glasses on dirt and rocks flying willy nilly i completed my task and nothing was left standing and most were down to the roots
which leads to these thoughts
right now, the body of Christ as individuals and corporately is experiencing the loving hand of pruning, drawing us away from the self life to a life lived in trust and faith on God and God alone, not my fleshly ability, No Flesh Shall Glory In His Presence, (principle #1 of all true ministry)
Pruning is completely different from devastation
devastation is the cross, and we are called to
"love not our lives unto death", to expect "suffering" to welcome the
"refining fire", to trust the God who is a "consuming fire" to come to a sober expectation that
in order for the bride to be pure and spotless, a deep cleansing consuming work must MUST be done....
So fellow travelers, seek to be most pliable (sp) under the pruning hand of God, willingly lovingly trusting Him, confessing your faults to one another and being healed, loving, laying down your life,
because....
the pruning is almost over and the devastation will come

truth from steve

"end times" discussion at church and some truth and wisdom
deep and wide came from my friend steve
"This country refuses to be uncomfortable"

if we can plumb the depth of that we will probably have
the name of the stronghold that sits over this country
God have mercy

we do have the authority of God to break this stronghold
over our lives. We defeat it, the same way all of the enemy is
defeated, we take up the grace, to pick up the grace, to live out
the opposite kind of life. So if the stronghold is selfishness, we
live out self-lessness by the power of God and all the glory goes
to Him. If the stronghold is "false security" we live out 'risk-filled faith'.
Willingly DOING Hebrews 10:32-34

dynamic tension of relationship

there is a theme running thru things i read lately and coming from people i respect

beware of rules and formulas and anything that substitutes itself for the
dangerous, risky, death to self, life that looks something like this

out of a place of knowing that i am loved, i choose to do the work of abiding in His Presence,
i choose to wait for His voice, I choose to wait until i see what "Papa" is doing in any given
situation, before i act,

relationship with Him

so freeing, in the yoke,
it makes no sense
the world would say freedom is not found in a yoke
and they would be wrong again!!

thank you daddy

i was looking for a place to turn in my "parenting card" and quit yesterday
there is no harder job,
if we truly understand it, it will drive us to our knees seeking wisdom and
understanding very very often

my youngest, the one in the picture was in charge of my "teaching time" yesterday
something was occuring which caused him to scream, to make his need known,
i believe his sister was blocking his exit from the table
my "cup" was running low, and so i quickly and in anger, scooped him up and over
her and plopped him down on the floor ( i try to keep this blog open and honest)

his response was my lesson, in complete purity and innocence, he said, "thank you, daddy"
and went on his merry way, totally overlooking the fact that the "service" had been
performed in anger and not gently

O God help us, help us, when we wrongly think that something has come to us
that is too harsh too overwhelming, too much for us to handle, help us O God, to
look up and with all innoncency and trusting love, say "Thank you, Daddy"

a book i am reading uses one of the main characters to refer to God as "Papa"
i like it, i think it would benefit me and soften and make more intimate my interactions
with God, if ... from my heart... i can say "Papa"

the touchstone

"Drugery is the touchstone of character."
thanks oswald
touchstone, the ultimate test,
do you go about your daily tasks with the attitude
"for me to live is Christ", aware of what His will
is for you in the moment, cherishing silence, valuing
speech, realizing every moment has eternal consequences
living above the average
seeing the eternal in the commonplace

all the difference

Psalm 11 turns on this verse
and so may it cause some of our
days to turn also

Psa 11:4
The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

truth

talking with a young boy yesterday about his love of math
which he followed up with by stating he was second in his class and had beaten 6th graders in a quiz, to which i responded
"If you love something it is easy to spend time learning it", then........drumroll.........wham!!
i realized i had just said a very smart thing that definitely applies to our spiritual lives

so help us God to fall more in love with You and spending time with You and becoming more
like You will be "easy and light"

stripped

"You are not at liberty to take offense at being stripped"...of stuff
God to Art Katz when a man whom he had helped and given much to, stole a whole whole lot of stuff from him as he was leaving the community.

the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy

Revelation 19:10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

the more i listen to "truth" the more this verse makes sense
prayerfully i offer this

the testimony of Jesus, His true and good witness, was His life, Laid down in death, willing to pass thru death, loving others more than Himself, Loving and doing the will of God NO MATTER WHAT THE COST...
so the spirit of prophecy
the underlying motive and loving reason behind our prophecy needs to be a heart that is willing and even "loves" to lay down our lives and no matter what the cost DO THE WILL OF GOD.
Putting aside our temporary stuff for the absolute beauty and glory of the kingdom that is to come!!
amen Come Lord Jesus in our lives
be the Lord of my eating, drinking and thinking and doing

Oswald, and a rant

Chew on this by Oswald from today's reading
do not go fast
chew on it
"A conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." Acts 24:16
God's commands are given to the life of His Son in us, consequently to the human nature in which His Son has been formed, His commands are difficult, but immediately we obey they become divinely easy.
....................
such a deep and amazing truth, God give us a conscience void of offence toward you and toward men!!
.......................
the rant
the lie of "God will rapture you out before the tribulation and persecution"
has succeeded in creating a fat, lazy, self-centered, stain filled, bride--- that has nothing in common with the pure spotless bride that MUST come out of persecution and fire, the fire that purifies, the suffering that makes us like Christ, it MUST come it MUST be recieved with the grace to walk thru it, trusting in the God who we cannot see, who does NOT come thru for us in the time of our choosing, the bride
'who loved not their lives unto the death ' Revelation 12:11
Oh God have mercy on us, on Your Church, help us Lord to speak the truth in love.

abiding in Him

a foundation
that must not be forgotten
or overlooked
"abide in Me"

wait for it

an encouragement to keep on keepin' on
keep praying and seeking God
keep asking for more of Him and less of you
keep choosing to walk in His Spirit

hab 2:3 "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

just a word on the "appointed time" of God, borrowing from Art Katz
God's time waits for His Church to come into its fullness
so it isn't so much a "day and an hour" as a time when the conditions
that He waits for are fulfilled
so lets grow up church and seek and live for His Glory

Judges = majority of church

Somewhere around chapter 13 in Judges, when the repetitive failure cycle
was starting all over again, i "got" this
Judges - the story of a people who had forgotten the blessing and responsibility of their
call to "be a blessing" to all the earth and because of this...
their prayers were no higher, no grander, than, "deliver us from our enemies!"
They lost sight of their true call, the lost sight of God's love for them and for all people
and their prayers never reached any higher than for temporary relief

superficial christianity, with many false conversions resembles this pattern
bless me, heal me, save me, give me gifts,
few are they who cry out
You are a Righteous Judge, All Your Ways are true and good, Glorify Your Name,
Purify the sons of Levi, shake what can be shaken, and start with Your Church

can't be done

the hatred for sin that God has
the grief that God has when we choose to turn from His ways
the lack of understanding of the depth of mercy being shown
to us everyday
the availability of the POWER of God for our lives, in the form
of the Holy Spirit
what is your mind occupied with??

finally the most amazing picture of grace i have seen in a long time
we are in the wheelchair, the Holy Spirit is doing the work and
in the end we get to hear the cheers and raise our hands for the work that HE HAS DONE

thank you God for grace and mercy
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

simplicity

salvation is by faith in what Jesus did
from that beginning we proceed by a total
reliance on the indwelling Spirit of Christ
simple

the truth

a little context before a very important quote
the message had to do with "the truth of our condition"
the truth of the condition of a church that values expediency and programs
and formula over the painful, humbling, embarrassing act of "waiting on the
Lord"
(I have actually heard people try to make that "waiting" out to be a synonym
for "serving/doing".. that is a bunch of crap, look up the strongs' concordance
and just consider the whole of scripture and you will see it is a bunch of crap)
sorry, back to the main point
here is the quote
"You'll never wait unless you have His glory foremost.
There is an itch to do, to be seen, to be heard, if your glory is still hanging around."

it is unfortunately impossible to convey the weight of that statement, but if you
ever wonder why so so so so so so much is lacking from the church, this is one of the root causes,

i'll just add that the strong feeling that the love of God is going to force us into "community" is growing in my spirit, ..community,.... by which i mean 'true church' where we are "in" each others lives in ways that are far far far more close than our, "everybody go back to your own houses" way of living... i hope we can thank God for it when it happens... it is only in that type of a setting where we can ever hope to become a pure spotless bride, NOTHING that calls itself church at this time could ever accomplish that

a quote

from Reggie, a guy in art katz' ministry

"WE want to get God off the hook,
(when tragedies or judgements happen)
but in so doing we take Him off the throne."

lessons in the Divine Perogative

with thanks to Art Katz ministry
Ever wonder about the interaction between the woman and Jesus that led to this verse..?


Mat 15:27
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

Jesus wanted to bless this woman, but He also desired an acknowledgement from her that God has the perogative, the right, to be sovereign, to make sovereign choices...typically humans will choose to question God's choice, God's right to choose, this woman took the humble path and stated it as "truth Lord:", and the result of her humility and recognition was a healing for her daughter.... Shall not the judge of all the earth do right.... don't waste time and effort "judging God",

visit this when you have time

Feb 19th , 2008 entry at this blog
http://hoperestoredproject.blogspot.com/
this propetic woman of God who is a friend
of ours has walked thru a hard time and
it has served to make her even sharper and
more true, you will be blessed by the wisdom
and truth in this blog ... and if you ever need
wise counsel or ministry,, i would be glad
to put you in touch with her

IF by amy carmichael

busy person?
only got a minute for a devotional each day?
Starting in Chapter 2, this book has basically
a one sentence word of conviction from the Spirit
of God, that you can then chew on (and repent of)
for that whole day
comparing our love to the Love of God and giving
us opportunity to repent of falling short

a brief biography of amy

(December 16, 1867–January 18, 1951) was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough and authored many books about the missionary work there.

not said here is her suffering from neuralgia making her weak and in pain often
not said here is her suffering a tragic fall and being bedridden for most of the last
20 years of her life
not said here is out of such a life, God can truly bring life and depth, that He could
never "mine" out of a 'blessed with divine health' life....

just what God allows

to say...just what God allows
to think...just what God allows
to eat...just what God allows
to wear...just what God allows
to buy...just what God allows
to pray...just what God thinks
to love...just as God loves
holiness

what is the 10th commandment doing there?
ponder it...
9 very good rules for living, outward involving action
and obedience... and then the 10th... a pulling back
of the veil of your heart... what is in there? is it contentment?
is it thankfulness? is it overflowing gratitude?
or do you covet?

books and music

books and music speak to different people at different
times in different ways, so it is no big deal if you
don't agree, but i highly recommend this book
A Serious Call to A Devout and Holy Life
by William Law
we can live this life moment by moment
chapter one was filled with challenging thoughts
and wisdom
moment by moment IN the Love of God
moment by moment LED by His Spirit

prayer

Lord, sovereign and good, all-powerful, nurturing, forgiving,
help us today, to pick up the grace that You provide for us
to live Your life thru us. Help us to see those around us as
You see them, help us to grab hold of any "teachable moments,"
help us to prepare our hearts and lives for the "difficult times"
that are to come. Let the peace of God guard our hearts and
minds. Thank You for Your amazing mercy toward us.
In Jesus Name amen.

the classics

so every now and then i hear the 'modern' voices that preach a 'pretty good christianity' that is ok with 'falls' and seems to down play the possibility of living a life that truly pleases God, hating sin and being conformed and transformed into the image of His Son.... ah but then i go back to the classics and people like Oswald Chambers encourage me on and call me up higher and set the bar higher than i could ever reach on my own and so trusting God to fill up what is lacking and disciplining my mind to stay focused on Him and His truth... i press on

the burden of the Lord

pasted from my hotmail
go to this link, read the journal
look at the pictures
and let the burden of the Lord
become your burden

new journal entry for Isaac Lieser's CaringBridge site was posted at 06:31 PM on 01/19/2008.
Read the latest update now by using this link: www.caringbridge.org/visit/isaaclieserTell Someone About CaringBridge

a man with a nature like ours

Jam 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Jam 5:17
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Jam 5:18
Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

i find, as others have found, just quoting the book of James with absolutely
no commentary is convicting enough!!

the tree of...

i wonder if the tree of the knowledge of good and evil had fruit that was very
low to the ground and easy to pick
and i wonder if the tree of life had fruit that was "giraffe height" and you had
to climb and really "want it" in order to get it
it just seems much easier to judge, complain, put down, than it is to lay down
your life and see if there is any way God could use you to bring life to a situation

Lord of What??

He's not Lord of my words...
He's not Lord of what I do...
He's not Lord of my thoughts...
He's not Lord of what I eat...
wake up call
If He's not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all

the good news
He can be, moment by moment allow Him