Monday, October 31, 2011

All Hallow's Eve

A quote by Warren Wiersbe; The words "thank" and "think" come from the same root word. If we would think more we would thank more.

The meaning of the word hallow means to make holy,consecrate,sanctify, which is what we are to do today with all the souls that have gone before us. Remember (think of) in ways that bring good feelings to us for all that they left behind, their legacy. In the quote stated above, how much more thankful would we find ourselves being if we just thought of those folks more often. Not just the immediate ones that physically affected out lives, but those that we read about in history or the Bible. Learning how they lived there lives and living ours in that same kind of manner would make us better people. Even better Christians. So today as you think about your life and the decisions you have to make, be thankful for those that made decisions to lead you in the direction that you are living, or make some changes form the folks that you choose to follow!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Winter Already!

I am a nut for loving the snow and winter months, this I know!! I am told this every time I tell people I can't wait for the snow season.  I can never remember though being excited about a snow fall at the end of October.  This is great!  I am hearing 2-6 and 4-8, and 6-10 inches by the nights end tomorrow (Saturday) night.  Watching football games in the cold is one thing, even the parade while it is 35 degrees.  Yet tomorrow night as the snow falls, the marching bands may or may not be performing, and trick or treating may not take place.  One thing that will be certain though is that the winter season is upon us.  All the leaves have not even changed and fallen yet!!  One awesome thing though that this season reminds me of.  The gathering of friends and families to celebrate the holidays.  Yet more important than that is the season of celebrating the birth of the Son of God.  As we sit nestled in our warm houses and maybe even in the arms of our loved ones, remember too the season of Jesus coming to earth to love each of us in that same manner.  He will wrap His arms around you in the coldest of days and nights to shelter you.  It is hard to believe the season is already here, but it is a great feeling to yearn for this kind of love all the time.  And for some reason this time of year you seem to get it more frequent than the rest of the year.  Give lots, and take some as it is offered to you.  That is the arms of Jesus wrapping you in His graceful loving embrace saying that it is going to be alright!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Quick Gospel

Luke 2:52

New International Version (NIV)
52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Thought:
So a new perspective was brought to my attention when I was reading a devotional about this text.  It pin pointed the fact that as Jesus was left in the temple as a young boy for three days, he studied the word and wisdoms of many temple and synagogue leaders.  So, it is not like Jesus was instantly blessed with his understanding of His father's Words.  No, no he had to study them too and learn to understand them.  In doing so Jesus grew into the person we read about in the New Testament.  So, just as Jesus was made in Man/God's image as we were too that makes him as human as we are in our lack of understanding. 

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this word and teaching us that we too can learn to understand your Word, as you very own Son had to do the same.  Amen.


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tuned in Tuesday

Leeland has the stage this week with their song " Pure bride". Enjoy it, as well as the week that you are blessed with ahead of you!


Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday thoughts!

Esther 4:14b

New International Version (NIV)
And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

So I have been in a lot of conversations with many of my great mentors over the last couple of days and weeks.  The conversations have been over what to do when God ask us to do something that we might not be comfortable with.  What if God puts it on your heart to reach a generation, or a group that you feel you are totally disconnected with?  What would you do, how would you handle it?  It's not like you can hide it from God.  Do you really think that God did not know where Adam was when He called for Adam in the Garden?  Of course he did, He needed to make sure Adam knew that God knew about it.  What was the first thing Adam chose to do too?  He cowarded from God, stuttering and stammering I am right here God!!!  So what gives us the thought that when God tells us to act, WE feel more comfortable by not acting?  In a time when her entire ethnic group is about to be annihilated Mordecai tells Esther, that maybe, just maybe she was put into that particular situation for a time to help, save and release them.  So no matter what we are comfortable doing, when God speaks to us and puts it on our hearts.  Maybe we too were put there for just such a moment as that...

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Quick Gospel

Psalm 90:12

New International Version (NIV)

12 Teach us to number our days,
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Thought:
One thing that I am studying and discussing in seminary right now is Life predestined or not by God.  points of the bible indicate that all of our days are numbered so we should live each one as if it might be the last.  How do you feel about it?  Do you think that all we say, do, go, live is all preplanned for each of us? Do you think that the thought you just had...was something that God put into your mind or do you think that you just thought it up yourself?  Interesting thing is that if we believe that life is predestined that what about the bad stuff that happens in our lives.  Do we think that our ever loving, grace giving God is behind the premature deaths or negatives that occur in our lives too?  If God is the giver of good blessings when life is good, who is the giver of the dark times during the bad times in life?  Or are they the results of our free will? Tough on to handle and discuss, any thoughts?

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, you give us life in the image of yourself.  You bless us in times of need.  You teach us in times of need.  In your image may we learn to be your mirror of understanding all about life in this world.  Amen.
  

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuned in Tuesday

Third Day states the truth in this weeks song "You are beautiful, my sweet,sweet song" Each day is a new song that we get to sing about. How will your sound?


Monday, October 17, 2011

Quick Gospel

Revelation 3:20

New International Version (NIV)
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Thought:
He is standing at the door knocking with food in his hands to share with you.  Are you going to let Him in so you can enjoy the meal?  The food He is sharing are the words for us to get nurishment from.  Can we even hear Him knocking in this world?  He gives us the choice as to whether or not we let Him in, but again can we be quite enough to even hear the knock?  Opportunity is presenting itself, will you open the door?

Prayer:
Father, keep our mouths shut and our ears open to hear your knock, so that we can let you in.  Amen.
 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Friday Thought

For some reason we just seem to not be able to get along with each other.  Not just the believers vs. the un-believers.. No, no I am talking about the believers vs. the believers.  My church feels this way, as opposed to how your church feels towards a certain topic.  It becomes my question to the readers.  Are we not told to be as one in John.  Would that not mean that all denominations, all congregations, all clergy and layperson be in that same class?  Why is it that we allow oourselves to get so caught up in the rights and wrongs of what others are doing and we pull ourselves away from where God wants us to be.  One change at a time can make big changes in the end.  We can never feel like the one thing that we do is never enough.  It will always be enough.  It will set the course on a different path, it will cause a domino effect to make a differene to just one someone else and that will cause it to effect another and so on.  So from the many Christian denominations that work at ripping each other apart, let us stand in unity and welcome those that we are called to reach.  Let us not stand and negotiate which one is right and wrong.  If we want the world of the unreached to really see what Jesus' life represents then this is how we are going to need to work.  So others do not see us as bickering battle grounds with in ourselves.  Surely we can change...because something has to.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Quick Gospel

Deuteronomy 8:3

New International Version (NIV)
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD

Thought:
Studying Process Theology in seminary right now.  Process Theology is a contemporary style of reading, learning, and teaching the Word of God.  It surprises me though about how many people do their own form of Process Theology without even knowing it.  We consume lots of food in our lives on a daily basis and most of it as unhealthy as it is is probably processed food.  Made for us to have easy consumption to fill our bellies up and say we are full.  It makes life easy!  However, most of us also consume God in that exact manner too.  We tend to take what is easy for us to get or understand and that is what we build our relationship on with God, the easy stuff!  Why, because that is the generation we live in, make it easy for me to consume and get, because I do not have a lot of time to spend on this!!  Listen folks, we NEED to spend time in the organic world of Jesus Christ.  The real deal so to speak when we go and come to Him.  If we just consume the easy stuff when the hard stuff comes our way we won't know how to eat.  Make sure you are not approaching life with the processed food spirit.  Yes, it may be easier and fun...at first.  Remember in the Gospel Jesus tells the disciples that they are not ready for the meat of the Word, so therefore he keeps feeding them the milk as a mother to an infant.  We need to grow up in this world, so we can grow up in the Word.  Stop making life easy for yourself in your understanding, because when you go to teach others about it, it is nothing more then recycled processed theology.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, in the spiritual realm let me be the one that consumes all the organic food.  Getting the good stuff for my body and mind, not just consuming what is easy to get and pass on.  I am hungry for this, let me not fall short of what you are teaching me.  Amen!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuned in Tuesday

Robbie Seay Band "Shine Your Light on Us" takes center stage this week. Playing this one for Ben Nynaker who will be greatly missed by all.
God Bless, and have a great week.


Monday, October 10, 2011

Lesson learned

Weekend lesson learned:

Start being more proactive instead of reactive!!

Do something to prevent it instead of reacting to something that already happened.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Quick Gospel

Jeremiah 50:6

New International Version (NIV)

 6 “My people have been lost sheep;
   their shepherds have led them astray
Thought:
Exactly who is it that you are following?  Are they leading you in the right direction?

Prayer:
Creator God, give us eyes to see, and ears to hear those that are leading, and those that are following.  Amen.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tuned in Tuesday

Mercy Me has center stage this week with "No more No less".  Take heed in the fact that we are humans walking in this world with nothing more or nothing less then what God blesses us with. It is only in that realization that we can acknowledge the gifts that we have in the Kingdom of God.

"We all just long to go home..."

Hope you enjoy this and have a great and blessed week.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Quick Gospel

Matthew 15:10-11

New International Version (NIV)

 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Thought:
So be careful what and who you listen to.  It may very well turn around and come out of your own mouth eventually!!  That hurts to think about how it will affect those around you when you speak doesn't it? So when you are out and about, pay attention to what you are saying and realize all those ears that are around you to hear those words.  Also pay attention to the words that you are letting into your ears too.  The words from friends, music, television..., they too will corrupt you and fill your heart, then that is all you will know to speak.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, guard my ears from the worlds words, guide my tongue to protect what I say to others as they listen to me.  Amen.