Can't get it out of my mind.

  My mind this week, has been rather occupied with the moving and combining of services into our Young Auditorium, due to the loss of heat in our Sanctuary, and cooler weather. I'm reading in Luke 16, and seeking wisdom as to what I should write about, but all I keep thinking about are the comments that have been made this week, concerning the move out of the sanctuary. While the sanctuary is beautiful, neither it nor the organ are supposed to be the main focus of worship. Maybe that is why God in his wisdom, had Jesus born in a stable or barn as we would call it today. Maybe God wanted the focus to be on His Son, not where He was born. While we may build mangers and stables for Christmas, we don't dwell on them, but rather on the Christ Child.
   In our New Testament Challenge, if you have been reading at least one chapter a day, and have been reading the Books in their order, than you have read passages at least three times, (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27), where Jesus says, "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all mind" Matthew 22:37.
   Based on Old Testament references of worship, and the fact that Jesus was born in a stable, I don't believe God cares about our style of music, the instruments we use, nor the appearence of the room we use. He only seems to care that we really and truly worship Him.
   Maybe that's why the pipes failed when they did, as we were unaware of the rusted piping under the insulation. It's been said that God is never surprised by what happens. He knew about the pipes. I'm sure it will please Him for all of us to worship Him together this weekend. It makes us put into perspective "what" or rather "who" is really important. May God truly bless you this weekend!

Mike

A beautiful mystery

John 8 ... the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought before Jesus by the Pharisees.

The story that some say is "heretical" because it wasn't found in the earliest manuscripts of scriptures.  However, I looked up some articles about it and they have a lot of evidence to suggest that it is legitimate... and also perhaps written by Luke, not John.  Gotta love it!  But most believe that this really happened because it was something Jesus would have done...

Every time I read it I am amazed by the new things I see.  Here is what I saw this time:

Pharisees are always plotting.  Plotting to get Jesus cornered and to say something heretical that will get him punished.  So I picture them pinning this woman down because of her reputation and stalking her until she was "caught in the act" so that she could be brought before Jesus.  I mean how else was she caught in the act by the right people at the right time!  I mean, it could have happened another way, but I saw it this way when I was reading it... and what I thought was:

Aren't they tired of always trying to pick a fight and be right?

Jesus never flinched.  He didn't rip them a new one for being so arrogant and selfish... He just performed a beautiful mystery for me as the reader.  All we know is that he wrote on the ground... something... and it made the Pharisees question Him more.  And eventually made them walk away from the whole accusation.  And changed that woman's life I bet.

This story is just oozing with beautiful mystery.  How can a God be so creative and act/be so good?  How can He teach us so much just by writing something on the ground and I don't even know what it is??

Because my God is bold, creative, loving, patient and gentle.  And it is the most confusing, influencing, comforting truth ever.

Pam

Jumping Ship

John 6:53-71

"So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.  But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”

 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus

Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?  The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”

Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus said, “I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil.”  He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him."

 _____________________________________

When I don't understand what God is doing it is so much easier to simply jump ship. I admit that if I were one of the 12 and suddenly everyone was leaving, in my humanness I would seriously consider jumping ship in fact, I have considered it more times than I would care to admit. When it seems like everything is falling apart, changing, uncertain...I would rather be safe than follow Jesus. .

To make matters even worse, Jesus says, and one of you is the devil. Not only does everyone think Jesus is crazy for the things he is saying and doing but now, to the few faithful that chose to stay with Him, he tells them that one is the devil. When I have chosen to stay in the trenches, through the transitions and hear Jesus say, you know what, "it's you who needs to be growing deeper, who needs to be more committed, who needs to practice being fully surrendered instead of preaching it to others". OUCH.... I didn't want to stay for this! But, He's right, all the time and I need to hear that. For I am and will always be a work in progress.

In the end I decide to stay and follow, even when it doesn't make sense, even when I don't understand, even when it seems like it is totally falling apart.  In this passage God challenged me to think of all the times that jumping ship looked so much better, easier, more desirable.  

Today, I am challenged by those first disciples, who didn't know all that we do, yet they were more committed and willing to risk it all than I have been, how about you?

Aimee

Amazing!

It's amazing how God works to bring his message to us!

Yesterday I was blown away by Pastor Paul's  sermon, "Why Are You Looking for Jesus?".  How clearly he expressed that we need to seek Jesus to "totally, unconditionaly surrender to him...so that all issues out of the Master's will and grace."  And then I finally understood the true meaning of incarnation when he explained, "His life becomes your life, His will becomes your will, your hands and feet and voice are His hands and feet and voice."  And then the ultimate:  "He who has seen me, has seen the father--He who sees you, will see me."  Thank you, Paul!!  
(If you weren't there, check out Paul's March 25 sermon online.)

So, as if that weren't good enough.  I went to our women's small group, (WGIF) where we are studying Hosea.  We checked out a reference, 1John 14:7-21 and I volunteered to read.  Verse after verse spoke of God's love for us and our love for others.  It was very convicting as it ended with, "We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he is given us this command:  Whoever loves God must also love his brother."  (vs 19-21 NIV)

Yes, Sunday was quite an amazing day as God spoke through a faithful servant and His word.

Thank you, Lord.  Help me keep your command to love each day as I encounter my sisters and brothers--your daughters and sons.  Amen.
Linda

Peter's Warning

I've spent the last week finishing the book of Mark and reading through 1 Peter. The life of Peter grabbed me at the end of Mark and so that was the next place I started reading. Peter is so passionate in his love for Christ, he's an all in kind of guy. He can never imagine denying Christ, even once. But it happens, 3 times before the rooster crows twice, just as Jesus said it would. Denying Christ hit me hard this week; maybe not in the same way it hit Peter. I didn't deny knowing Jesus, being a Christian or even working for a church, but I denied Him in other ways.

In 1 Peter 2:11 it says, "Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents and foreigners' to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls." Peter warns us because he's lived with worldly desires. He's chosen the "safety of this world, this body" over following Jesus. Just as I've chosen FaceBook, Internet, games, tv, sleep, shopping, and other things, over spending time with Jesus. This life is temporary, but the decisions we make in it are not. Choosing worldly desires will have eternal consequences for all of us, as will choosing to follow Christ in spite of those temptations. Today, my desire for more of Christ is stronger than my worldly desires. So strong in fact that the one thing constantly tempting me away from Christ was simply deactivated because it is better to cut it off than to miss out on knowing and loving Christ more.

As we move one week closer to the cross, closer to the promise of new life, I challenge all of us to remember Peter's warning. Let's overcome the worldly desires that will wage war on our souls, and with a stronger, deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ.

Aimee

Good morning, Jesus!

Let this day be YOUR day,

Let my body be your body.

Let my will be your will.

Let my mind be your mind.

Let my eyes and ears be your eyes and ears.

Let my hands and feet be your hands and feet.

Let me fully be captive to you.

On Calvary I died with you.

Now, resurrected Lord, let my life be yours today.

Thank you!

　

The Word

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.  What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."  John 1:1-5

One of my favorite passages.  

Mainly because it requires you to look deeper into the word "Word".  The word is "Logos" in Greek--and the word means, or can mean, lots of things.  I looked it up again, and one of the meanings given said "the cause of all the world's life..."

Insert that sentence into that poem "In the beginning was the cause of all the world's life..." 

But when you look at the other definitions to see it also means "Jesus", and you realize it pretty fast by the end of this quick poem that it is talking about a person.  Jesus.  

I like John's version of the Christmas story.  The cliff's notes version!

Before time began (which can make your mind go crazy thinking about all this means), "the cause of all the world's life" aka Jesus "was".  It/He existed.  It/He was already set in place.  Redemption was before it was even needed.   

That's how much God loves us.  Not only did Jesus redeem us when He actually came to earth, but He did it before earth even existed.  

And not only that, but this Jesus was the cause of life--the way to bring us out of death.  Life was meant to find life in Jesus.  

It really makes your mind spin.  And wonder.  And experience God.  

Pam

Gift Giving; Gift Receiving. How good does it get? Luke 11:11-13

Lord, please speak. I want to hear your voice. Yet again, I was surprised by what I heard this morning. Totally amazed yet again.

What do you ask God for?  You can ask God for anything. So, what do you ask?

Health?

Prosperity?

Success?

So what does Jesus say?  He so brings it to such simple terms.

Moms, Dads, what would you give your child?  Would you give your child a plate full of nails when he/she is hungry? In the midst of all I am not, I want to give my two children good things – not extravagant, not embarrassing, not sadistic – something to say I love you and you mean SO MUCH to me. I love you!!!!

A quick digression: when I was 12 or 13, I got a toy car wash. It was nice but. . . It was geared for a kid 7-9 years old. I loved the person who gave it to me but it just didn’t seem appropriate. What was the dear person thinking with giving something so . . . so . . .                         (you fill in the blank). What were they thinking?

So what does Jesus tell us Father gives us?

Himself.

He doesn’t give us things; he gives us Himself – the Holy Spirit.

Do I want His Holy Spirit – God himself – more than I want health, prosperity or success? Will I ask him for himself?

Honestly, sometimes I want stuff more than him or I want enough of him so that he will want to give me stuff.  He knows I need him more than anything else and love me so much that he wants me to have what’s best for me. And that’s him and a relationship with him.

God give me yourself. Give me your Holy Spirit.

God give us yourself.  Give us your Holy Spirit.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”      Luke 11:11-13       NIV

"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"        Luke 11:11-13 The Message

Do you Trust the Truth?

Ananias and Sapphira Die (Acts 5:1-11)

 ¹ But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land.² He kept back part of the money for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and gave it to the apostles.³ Peter said, "Ananias, why did you let Satan rule your thoughts to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep for yourself part of the money you received for the land?⁴ Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the money any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to us!"^5-6 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Some young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried it out, and buried it. And everyone who heard about this was filled with fear.  ⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened.⁸ Peter said to her, "Tell me, was the money you got for your field this much?"  Sapphira answered, "Yes, that was the price."  ⁹ Peter said to her, "Why did you and your husband agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."¹⁰ At that moment Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.¹¹ The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with fear.

Ananias and Sapphira represent just how much humans do not trust the truth. They sold a piece of property and gave half the money to the church. They lied to Peter and the apostles, claiming that the land sold for the amount they gave. Their sin was not holding back some of the money for themselves; it was in misrepresenting the truth. Their deceit resulted in their deaths.

Aren’t we lucky that God doesn’t strike people dead for lying today? I’m not so sure He doesn’t. It seems to me that the wages of deceit is still death. Maybe not death of the body, but death is occurring in marriages, careers, faith, intimacy, trust, peace, credibility and self-respect. But perhaps the most tragic death that occurs from deceit is our witness. 

Dishonesty can affect and infect every aspect of your life. So here’s a question for you to ponder today…In what areas of your life do you need to clear up deceitfulness? Then ask the Holy Spirit to point out any deceitfulness in your life and pray for the courage to remove it from your life.

Are you serious about your christianity?

   In Luke chapter 3, we find John the baptist addressing the crowds coming out to be baptized by him. What he said to them wasn't exactly the welcoming words I would have expected to hear. He says, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
   John wanted to make sure they understood, that their decision wasn't just to get saved, and then go on with their lives, but that there needed to be a change in their lives reflecting their repentance. We call that "fruit". The evidence of a life given to Jesus.
   He also goes on to say, "And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'. For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." That would be like saying, "I have Asbury, or I'm a United Methodist". The only thing that will matter to God is are we bearing fruit? Do we really want God's gift of Jesus Christ? Do we really understand His love for us, that He would give us His Son to pay the price for our sins? Do we really understand that God LOVES HIS OWN SON so much, that God requires us to live differently, bear fruit, after we except Jesus, God's gift of salvation. It's not a game. We can't afford to play "church". It doesn't matter to God if we are Methodists, Traditionalists, Contemporary, and etc. Are our preferences of the music, or the design of the worship space more important than whether we are reaching the lost and the spiritually hungry for Jesus? Are we being relevant to those we claim we want to reach, or just making ourselves comfortable? He's not concerned about the types of instruments we use during worship, nor what the room looks like. What He does want is real worship from our heart. He wants to see that we care more about those who need Him. He wants to see us bear fruit in our lives 7 days a week.
    Do others see Christ in our lives 7 days a week? Is exalting Jesus our motivation in life? Are we looking for those who need Him?
    I find myself being challenged to make a difference for God's Kingdom. How about you?

Mike

Is Jesus just a nice idea?

Mike and I have been apart of the Couples on Christ small group for the. last 8 weeks and We have just finished the study, "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman. This blog post will be based on that study because God used it to grab me in a BIG way last Sunday and I still cannot let go. In the last DVD clip of the study Kyle tells the following story,

let's say my wife and I plan to go out of town for a month and ask a young couple to house sit for us. We leave them a binder of everything they need to know while we are gone. It includes, when to water the plants, what day the trash goes out, how to care for our pets, etc. and upon returning from our trip we pull up to the house and it becomes obvious that the trash was never put out. We look into the backyard and we see a pet cemetery. Before we can get inside he couple greets us in the driveway with joy and smiles. They are holding the binder we left and are quick to show us all of the pages they have highlighted, they can even recite word for word some of the directions. They realize very quickly that we are not impressed with their knowledge. It doesn't matter how well they know the directions if they never actually followed them.

Is the word of God like that today? Do we pride ourselves in reading, underlining, highlighting even memorizing......but what about living it out? The basis of this small group study was to spend time recognizing the difference between a fan of Jesus (someone who simply likes the concept, may even underline, highlight and memorize the concepts) and a follower of Jesus, (someone willing to risk it all to live for Christ).

In Matthew 7:13-14 we are told that the path is narrow and only a few will take it. V14 "But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." Am I, are you, one of the few? Or do we simply have a few nice concepts committed to memory and a book with underlines and highlights?

Aimee

Extravagant, Embarrassing, Extreme, Effervescent LOVE Luke 7:36-50

How much love does it take to act so extravagantly, so extremely, so . . . ?

Have I allowed myself to be loved that much?

Read Luke 7:36 - 50

Now read it again. Don’t read what below until you read it again.

As you read, try to feel the love. (Have you read it twice???)

How much love does it take to walk into a party uninvited – into the presence of people who despise me, who mock me, who want to humiliate me?

How much love does it take to cry so hard that I can wash someone’s feet?

How much love does it take to buy some incredibly expensive perfume?

How much love does it take to touch someone who, by all the social mores of the culture, you have absolutely no right touching?

Not her love; Jesus’ love.

Jesus drove her crazy with his over-the-top love. He had to in order to make her act so crazily.

Did they have some sort of interaction before this encounter?

What had he said to her?

How had he treated her?

How had he touched her?

Her extravagant act had to have been a response to a love that she had never experienced in her life?  WHAT LOVE HAD SHE BEEN GIVEN?

Whatever that love is – however that love is expressed, she receives it.

She cherishes it.

She embraces that love close to her and it squeezes out in an extravagant way.

That was then; this is now.

As I have pondered this passage in hearing Jesus talk to me through the New Testament Challenge, he says that we have been loved in the same way this woman has been loved.

Not maybe - we have been loved that much. WHAT LOVE WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN!

Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Effervescent love. Extreme love. Extravagant love. Embarrassing love. Jesus’ love.

Does Jesus drive me crazy with his over-the-top love?

Whatever that love is – however that love is expressed, am I receiving it?

Am I cherishing it?

Am I embracing that love close to me and is it squeezing out in an extravagant way?

Before she leaves, Jesus tells her, “you are forgiven” and, “go in peace.”  Walk through this day in the peace of such amazing love.

Why don’t we read it one more time and soak up the love?

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[c] and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Attitude Card

So this post was supposed to be up yesterday.... but I forgot AGAIN.  You'd think having a post on a consistent day would keep you remembering.  I apologize.

I was coerced to blog anyway amidst my shame.  Thanks roommate!

God knew that I would learn something of value to post here after an intense new game I learned to play last night...

Ok, ok, so not so intense... but a game that came into existence the same year I did and clearly is the reason why all those who played it have good, Christian morals and values ingrained in them...

Generosity!  

"An exciting, action-filled game uniquely designed to reinforce Christian values through real-life situational play.  A thrilling challenge for the whole family."

Here's a link if you want to be enlightened about the game...

Two things I would like to comment on about the description of this game before I move on:  "action-filled game" ... for sure!  You got to go head to head in throwing down the "help your neighbor" card before anyone else to help pay for "real-life situational plays" of the other players ... which brings me to my next comment: "real-life situations" ...  purchasing TRAINED FLEAS for $2000 will hopefully never be a real-life situation for me in the future... but it was last night.  I don't know what you all did in the 80's but I hope you weren't throwing down G's for trained fleas (you like that rhyme??!)

So anyway, the best part about the game was that every time you helped your neighbor pay for something, had the opportunity to tithe, give to church or a charity... you had to draw an "attitude card" which decided what kind of heart you were giving your money away with... basically a right or wrong attitude, but some of the cards worded it differently.  If your attitude was RIGHT you got to put the money you were giving away in your "heavenly treasure chest" that you were "storing up".  If you had a WRONG attitude, you had to give your money to the bank and it was gone from your sight for good.  You end up winning the game if you have the most money in your "heavenly treasure chest".  You want the right attitude cards.

I wish God could throw down an attitude card every once in awhile to keep myself in check.  Or maybe even people who I love and who love me to throw it down when I need it... which I do have so I am blessed indeed to have accountability in my life!  

But I was reading Philippians 1 this morning... and I kept reminiscing about the attitude card.  Why?

Paul writes this letter in jail.  BAM!  God threw down at attitude card for me!  If I was able to give Paul an attitude card when he wrote this, he would get the right attitude card.  He is so honored to be in jail because he knows that the gospel was spreading and people were becoming confident in the Lord.  He would rather be in jail if it meant the gospel was increasing in the land.  

He is encouraging the Philippians to ONLY live their lives "in a manner worth of the gospel of Christ.  A life standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.  For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation.  And this is God's doing.  For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well--since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have." Philippians 1:27-30

Basically, this is what it means to live your life with the right attitude card.

I mean you read in Philippians 2 to have "the same attitude of Jesus" and what that looks like... but here is a charge to the church in Philippi to not ever give up!  Because it is a blessing for you to even know who Jesus is!!  So it is an honor to suffer for Him!  

Would I follow Jesus if I didn't live in the easiest country to be a Christian?  Or, if Christianity wasn't the popular faith to have?  And to think, that I have to throw down the bad attitude card all the time.  I don't even really suffer!  MAN.

And Paul has the right attitude card of the century!  In jail!

I am convicted.  What kind of attitude card to you get as you live a life for Christ?

Pam

God didn’t speak to me today as I was reading.
Was God really silent?
   Was I just deaf?
   God did speak in a group that met today.
God did speak through a loved one who went out of her way for me.

Why do I think that God has to speak
every time I decide to try to listen?

I guess God wonders why I don’t listen to Him
every time God speaks to me.

O The Blood

Luke 23:26-49

O the blood of Jesus washes me. Praise the Lord. How often do you think about what Jesus went through for you? Is it once a month, every other month, or maybe it’s every day but when you think of it do you thank Him? Do you remember that He suffered for you, bled for you, wept for you or do you look at it as a clean and simple “He paid my sins”.

So many times Christians say well Jesus saved my sins now I need to continue on with the rest of my life. I am thankful for the past but now it’s the future. I beg you friends not to ever forget the past but instead praise the name of Jesus for what he did. Do not ever forget the pain, suffering, anguish, and heartache that He went through to allow us eternity with Him. The lessons that we can learn from the crucifixion story are lessons that are of the utmost importance. What a Savior we have. We must live in the future but we must also respect the past. What Jesus did should never be watered down or adjusted so people feel comfortable with hearing it. Jesus suffered and died for you! He went through all of that for a purpose and a reason and it was definitely not to be forgotten.

“What a sacrifice, that saved my life” Please listen to this song.

The savior of the world was beaten and bruised for me. Thank you Jesus! He was mocked and abused for me. Thank you Jesus! He wore a crown of thorns for me. Thank you Lord! Sweating and Bleeding He carried a heavy cross for me. Thank you Lord Jesus!  He endured all the pain that a human can endure for me. Thank you Jesus! He did not order the heavens to save Him but instead hung on that cross for me. Oh thank you dear Jesus. He set the ultimate example for me by asking His father to forgive His killers because they did not know what they were doing. Thank you Lord! He rose again conquering all death for me. Praise the Holy name of Jesus! Amen.  

Are you a taker? (Colossians 1)

     God provides salvation for anyone who will take it. God doesn’t require that we know hidden secrets or certain inside information to accept Christ’s message of love and enjoy eternal life.

     When God chose to reveal himself, he did so through a human body. The tongue that called forth the dead was a human one. The hand that touched the leper had dirt under its nails. The feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. And his tears came from a heart as broken as yours or mine has ever been.

     So, people came to him. They came at night; they touched him as he walked down the street; they followed him around the sea; the invited him into their homes and placed there children at his feet. Why? Because he was unlike anyone they had ever known. There were those who revered him. But there was not one person who considered him too holy or too divine. Not one person who was reluctant to approach him for fear of being rejected. Remember. It’s man who creates the distance. It is Jesus who builds the bridge. 

  Today pray that God will spark new love for him in your heart. Don’t let this day pass without finding a way of telling someone else about the Good New of God’s love.

Ginger