Sharing God's love, His Word, and my faith as I grow and learn. Whether you are already walking with God or just curious about what it is that we Christians believe, I hope that you will find what you're looking for. Please feel free to ask questions or leave any comments you may have. Below my most recent posts are links to Christian news. All videos are from YouTube and may not work on a device that is mobile.
May our Father bless you with peace and joy
With good health and good cheer
May you feel the warmth of his arms around you
As he holds you near
May the sky above you brightly shine
Warm sunshine on your face
May he fill your heart and soul
With his amazing grace
May the Father's love fill your heart
May you pass it on to others too
And as you journey through this life
May his blessings follow you.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.-Isaiah 7:14 (Emmanuel means God with us.)
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.:"
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and live of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and laying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."-Luke 1:16-32
So rejoice, rejoice! Our Emmanuel has come! The child born of Mary grew up to be a king indeed, and his kingdom endures forever. Through him we have peace and joy, no matter our circumstances, because he lives in our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit. Even today he gives sight to the blind, and heals our troubled souls. Through his cleansing sacrifice we can stand clean and atoned before our great and holy Father who loves us beyond measure.
I want to wish each and every one of you a very, very Merry Christmas. May the joy of our Father fill your heart, and I pray that he will bless you as always. :)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. -2 Corinthians 2:14-15
What a privilege it is to be able to bring the love of God to others. As the verse says, we ought to be a pleasant aroma to all those we cross paths with. May we make the most of every opportunity; not to preach, not to tell people where they are going wrong, because trust me- they already know. What they need to know is that our Father is all forgiving, merciful, and loves each of us as individuals. No matter what we've done, no matter where we are in our lives, he is there for us the moment we seek him with our whole hearts.
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.-2 Corinthians 4:1
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.- 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
We are nothing but jars of clay; bodies that are easily broken, but for as long as we last we are vessels that can be used for God's purpose. I thank God for the honor of having him live inside of me in the form of the Holy Spirit, who guides us and comforts us.
I thank God my Father for radically changing my life. I was surely blind, but he opened my eyes to see. I was once despondent, not sure why I was here; but now I know. I'm here to spread this very great love of God, even if it is only in my very small ways. He changed my heart, and when my heart changed, so did my life. What words can express my gratitude? He has made me a new creation; an offer he makes to each of us.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them...
-2 Corinthians 5:17-19
I am so thankful that God has forgiven the sins of my past and given me a new life!
I feel like David did when he wrote:
I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave, you spared me from going down into the pit. sing to the Lord you saints of his; praise his holy mane. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.- Psalm 30:1-5 (emphasis mine)
There has been a discernible escalation in rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against Israel in recent years, especially in 2012. In 2008, when Israel was left with little choice but to launch “Operation Cast Lead,” rocket fire had reached an all-time high of 1,159 attacks from Hamas and all the other terrorist organizations in Gaza. But in the aftermath of Israel’s operation in late 2008 and early 2009, rocket attacks plummeted in 2010 to 103 in all. Since that time there has been a steady rise: 375 attacks in 2011 and 797 attacks in 2012 (up to November 13). According to the IDF, during Nov. 10-14 there were 217 rocket attacks.- “News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” (November 7-13, 2012), Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center,http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/article/20423
No nation should stand by and let itself be continually attacked. In addition to the rockets launched from Gaza, how many car bombs have been exploded? How many buses have been blown up? How many suicide bombers have taken out innocents? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells it best:
Weapons and weapon launching sites are being stored in Gaza neighborhoods. The IDF faces great challenges in targeting terrorists in urban areas while avoiding harm to non-combatants.
A song for the brave soldiers. May God carry them
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"Rahem" is translated here as mercy, but I've also heard it translated as "have compassion."
I pray God will have mercy and compassion on our brothers and sisters in Israel. The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.- Psalm 27:1-3
The IDF has dispersed warning leaflets above several locations in the Gaza Strip. This video is from Thursday, Nov. 15, over Khan Yunis.
The Arabic leaflet reads: "Important announcement for the residents of the Gaza Strip: For your own safety, take responsibility for yourselves and avoid being present in the vicinity of Hamas operatives and facilities and those of other terror organizations that pose a risk to your safety. Hamas is once again dragging the region to violence and bloodshed. The IDF is determined to defend the residents of the State of Israel. This announcement is valid until quiet is restored to the region. Israel Defense Forces Command."
Father, I lift up your holy land to you in prayer. Please send peace among the people, comfort those who mourn loved ones lost, and above all, let your will be done.
For some time now, I've been feeling a little discouraged. I'm not a woman of money; it seems that all I have to give are little things.
Like last Sunday after church; I was walking to my car when I saw a familiar looking young homeless man.
He started into his spiel: "ma'am do you have any change...." when he suddenly smiled and said, "Hey! I know you. You help me out at Fast Trip all the time." (I do stop there just about every day.)
So I introduced myself, and asked his name. "Nick," I said, "I have just a little bit of change. But can I pray for you?" When he agreed, I asked him what he needed prayer for. "My health," he said, and so I took his hand, which was very swollen. I prayed that God would grant him health, protect him, and draw him close and hold him. I gave him all the change I had and when his eyes met mine, I saw tears in his.
To him, I think it was a big thing.
I just so badly want to serve my Savior!
Well. These past two Sundays my pastor has been preaching about these little things. God sees them.
They matter.
What may seem like a small thing to us might be a big thing to someone else.
A little thing can change a life.
My mother told me this story:
She has an acquaintance who was in difficult circumstances. This woman was extremely angry at my mom's church for something that had happened twenty years ago. My mom got the idea to give her a prayer shawl.
This is a shawl that's prayed over toward the one who will receive it with every stitch that creates it. So when it was finished, she took it to her......and it touched the woman deeply. My mom talked to her about how sorry she was about what had happened and that she hoped this would be a step toward forgiveness.
In fact, it turned out that her father had stipulated in his will that $25,0000. be donated from his estate to the church and this woman was going to fight the bequest.
But the prayer shawl softened this woman's heart. My mother has been part of a ministry (through the church the woman was angry at) that builds houses in Mexico for many years. Imagine the shock and amazement when the Mexico house building ministry received the check with a letter stating why they were receiving it.
Way to go, Mom. Now that's listening to the Holy Spirit and being obedient.
Father, some of these little things only you see. Help us to keep doing them simply to bring honor to where it belongs- to You. Please put people in all of our paths that we might do some small act of good that reflects back to you.
your website truely inspired me - I am doing a small talk in my school about being not of this world and instead living this world for god and you have really helped me to grasp some ideas! I would love to hear your views on 'conforming to the patterns of this world!' Thanks - x
Let me answer in two parts- first about living in the world without being of it and then about no longer conforming to the patterns of this world.
When we become believers, we are changed. We continue to live in this world, but we are no longer of it. When we turn our lives over to God, accepting Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, we come alive spiritually and become a son or daughter of God. This is only the beginning of a brand new life! Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
-Matthew 16:24-26
In other words, our old selves with our old desires are set aside in order to seek God's will for our lives instead. Instead of living our lives to satisfy ourselves, we live our lives to satisfy our Father and that is when we find peace and happiness beyond anything this world could ever offer. After all, he is the one who sees the future and knows the best path for our lives.
It's the Holy Spirit within us that is able to ascertain God's will and we understand his word through new eyes. As Jesus said, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also..."-John 15:19-20 Surely our Lord was persecuted, even unto death; the very death that saves our souls. So when others laugh at us or mock our faith, don't take offense and do what Jesus said: But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven....-Matthew 5:44
As our souls are transformed, so must be our ways of thinking and living. No longer should we conform to this world, because If we continue to conform to this world, we will be just like everyone else and have no testimony; and without a change in our lives we can't show others what God has done for us.
As it says in Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.-Colossians 3:12-15
So we live in this world as lights that shine in the darkness, and this world is dark indeed.
Have you ever been in a pitch black room, feeling along for a light switch and unable to find one? It doesn't take long to start feeling panicky. But then a friend comes and throws on the lights and we can see everything around us. The switch may have been right in front of us the whole time, but it took someone who knew where it was to turn it on. This is what we should be like; one who floods the room with the light that is our Father and his love. People are lonely, hurting, and grasping for any straw of love. These are the people we are called to help. Simple acts or words of kindness go a long way in a hurting heart. When in doubt, ask what our Savior would do. He always loved the down and out, even when the religious people of his day looked down on him for "eating with the sinners." If we stay in our tight little circle of believers, how do we reach the lost? This calls for wisdom. I wouldn't advise going to a kegger and preaching! But that girl that no one ever talks to...you could look her in the the eye, smile and strike up a conversation. When a homeless person asks for money, give if you feel led, but always ask if you can pray with or for them. Sometimes instead of giving money I pass on by (if I'm in my car) and come back with a sack lunch and offer prayer then. When we keep an active prayer life, the Spirit will direct us to those he'd have us minister to. This world is all about me, myself and I. What can I get? But walking with God means asking instead: what can I give? I hope I've answered your questions and that your talk at school goes well! Anyone else out there with questions, I welcome them and will always do my best to answer them. Wishing you lots of blessings.
Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."-Matthew 22:37-40
Unfortunately, many stereotype us as a bunch of judgemental people that shake their fingers in the faces of sinners telling them to repent or they'll be condemned. They see us as tediously ramming the gospel down their throats, arguing about fine points of doctrine. They imagine us as sour people who don't have any fun. Some think that Christianity means following a bunch of archaic rules. Some think we see them as bad people and that we turn up our noses at them.
But...we are all sinners, saved by grace! How can we shake our fingers at people who are the same as ourselves? The only difference is that we have received the wonderful gift of grace. As we grow in the Lord, our lives begin to change because we want to please him. From faith comes good works.
As for sour? We should be full of peace and joy through the Spirit. We should light up every room we walk into. What good does it do to argue? Our greatest testimony is not our words. It's our life and the way we live it. We should shine the light that is within us wherever we go. We should be the people that others want to be around.
And as Christians, we shouldn't judge the world:
Do not judge, of you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.-Matthew 7:1-2
As Christians, our first and foremost calling is to love. How much more people will want to come unto a loving Father than a misperception of God as an angry, judgemental tyrant. Jesus, who is God in the flesh, said:
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."-John 13:34
Our lives are the greatest testimony of what we believe. When we interact with people, our guiding principle should always be to treat them as Jesus did. When people see us living this way, it will attract them like moths to a flame. This world is full of lost, hurting, lonely people, so let's love them into the kingdom and break the stereotype that the world has!
Father, I pray that the lost and hurting world we live in will see the love that you've put in our hearts and come to you.
How wonderful it is to be home! I've been caring for my ill family member in her home since her discharge from the hospital in September. She's regained the ability now to walk, so here I am. It's a great joy to sit again in front of my computer and speak with all of you. I'm sure many of you have been in this situation; as we enter our middle years, our parents and others are entering into their final ones, and we must care for them as they cared for us. I thank my Father for the strength of spirit that it takes to hang in day after day and often sleepless night.
Here's some of what I've learned:
When I come to the end of what I think I can do, One who is stronger lifts me up.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.- Isaiah 40:29:31
How do we have strength in him? How does he make us soar?
I find it in prayer. When we seek him with all our hearts, he fills us. When we pour out our sorrow, I know he hears. His peace floods my heart, and I know it is Him. This is the same for all of us.
We find it in his written word. It tells us how much he loves us:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!- 1John 3:1
We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.- 1John:4:16
And one of my all time favorites:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."(Psalm 44:22) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.-Romans 8:35-39
His love and grace is more than enough. Even in the most difficult of circumstances, he is there, in the midst of the storm to keep my head above the water. And because of this, I have no fear of the days to come. As he carries me now, he will carry me then.
And he loves you, too, no matter what you may be going through; whether you have strayed or walk with him daily, he is always as close as a prayer.
Ever stumble and fall flat on your face? Does it sometimes seem like everything that can go wrong does? It happens to us all sometimes. The danger comes when the enemy whispers in your ear, "Now you've blown it...God surely won't forgive you this time....you may as well give up." Or, "When you became a Christian, life was supposed to be a breeze. But everything seems to be going wrong instead. Better to try something else to make life better..."
But we know from God's word that those are lies. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel walked away from God many, many times, but every time they repented they were forgiven. God's nature is unchangable. He's the same today as yesterday and will be tomorrow. And hard times? We're going to have them. But God doesn't cause the trouble. He's the one who helps us through it. Jesus said it well: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."- John 17:33 (emphasis mine)
So if trouble in this life is to be expected, how do we get through it? Today in church my Pastor gave us four ideas:
1. Don't walk away from God when things get tough. Persevere. Lean into him instead of away.
2. Don't put your securities into this life. Build up instead your treasure in heaven for where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be.
3. Respond to suffering in this life with praise and thanksgiving. WHAT?!
No matter what trial you're going through you can praise God for something. I praise him for forgiving me no matter how many times I fall. I praise him because no matter how much pain I have now, in heaven I'll be given a perfect body that will never experience pain again. I praise God for loving me though I don't deserve it. I praise God that he's promised that I'll have an eternal life that will be beyond imagination.
Kinda like that!
4. Recognize where your life is off kilter with God and repent of it, if that's the problem.
Peace comes from our relationship with God despite our circumstances. I've learned a lot about that lately; check out some of my past posts. Several times over the past year I've come very close to losing a friend that I love dearly, but I can say that out of these trials I know that I'm closer to God because of it. It's been an agonizing time for me, but God truly carried me through it. Perseverance has made me stronger.
If the trouble comes as a consequence of wrongdoing, just get up, dust yourself off, and tell him you're sorry. He created us; he knows we're not perfect and loves us anyway. Remember the story of the lost sheep? Jesus told it this way:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."- Luke 15:4-7
In our Christian walk it's important to examine our hearts and keep them right with God. It's so easy to go astray and wander off like a lost sheep. But how wonderful to know that he will put us around his shoulders, carry us home and rejoice! It's an honor to serve a faithful and loving Father.
May our lives be pleasing to him, may we keep the faith through the storms of this life, and rest in the arms of the one who holds the universe in his hands.
Wishing you blessings as always, and-
many thanks to my Pastor who was the inspiration for this post.
I hope you like the little fishes!
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