Big Christmas

Well, it's Thursday morning and I'm off to Lester, IA to get together with my mothers side of the family for Christmas. It's going to be a big one. Last year we were missing a few and we had 115. This past year has seen some marriages and births, so we should have even more.

My mom, dad, and I will be on the road for around 9 hrs each way, so prayers would be appreciated.

God bless.

Great Grandkids

Grandkids + Spouses

FAITH TO WAIT

By Dr. James MacDonald

“They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” Isaiah 40:31

I used to find it hard to get the significance out of the Christmas story because I was always focused on the individual participants: the shepherds, the wise men, Mary, and the others. But I came to understand that really there is nothing significant about any of those common, ordinary people. Their significance is in their proximity to Jesus Christ.

It’s no different today. There’s nothing significant about you or me. We’re not important in any way except as we align ourselves with Jesus Christ the Lord in the building of His kingdom. That is where our joy and fulfillment is found in this life.

Read More Here:

Everything That Can Go Wrong Listed

FULLERTON, CA—A worldwide consortium of scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers is nearing the completion of the ambitious, decade-long project of cataloging everything that can go wrong, project leader Dr. Thomas R. Kress announced at a press conference Tuesday.

"We are mere weeks from finishing one of the most thorough and provocative scientific surveys of our time," Kress said. "The catalog of every possible unfortunate scenario will complete the work of the ancient Phoenicians and the early Christian theologians. Soon, every hazardous possibility will be known to man."

"And listed," Kress added.

Kress, a professor emeritus of mathematics and statistics at California State University and the author of several works on probability, would not say how many scenarios of error, peril, and misfortune exist. However, the list is widely believed to include hundreds of trillions of potential scenarios, from "cement truck with soft brakes cutting swath of destruction across quiet suburban subdivision" to "snagging shirt cuff on door latch."

"You know that thing when you don't invite an annoying friend to your party, and then, on the night of the party, an acquaintance from work brings that friend as a date?" said Project Awry researcher Hideko Manabe of Kyoto University. "That's on the list."

Manabe added: "I believe it's right after 'neglecting the maintenance of reactor cooling system, leading to core meltdown.'"

The November 2003 issue of Scientific American included an excerpt from the inventory, which read in part, "Knocking a cup of coffee off a counter with a light jerk of the wrist; breaking a tooth while comically pretending to bite down on the Great Pyramid of Giza; lowering lifeboats into the water when they are only filled to half capacity; tripping on cable and falling to floor with broken ankle while angrily storming off set of 24; building shanty on hillside instead of floodplain in anticipation of monsoon season, then getting buried in erosion-triggered mudslide anyway."

So numerous are the conceivable disastrous scenarios that processing them requires two gymnasium-sized supercomputers, one at the University of Pittsburgh and the other at Moscow State University. According to Kress, the supercomputers process and cross-reference all of these potential "wrongs" 24 hours a day, at a rate of 6 trillion calculations per second.
During a recent tour of the facilities at the University of Pittsburgh, the scenarios were projected onto a large screen as they were processed.

"Accidentally breaking off hand of Infant Of Prague statuette while gently trying to clean it with cotton swab and soapy water," the projection screen read. "Briefs get wedged in area between bureau drawers and base unit, making it difficult to dislodge them; sleeping with neck twisted awkwardly, resulting in headache; absent-mindedly discarding bus ticket with tissue; placing fingers too close to prongs while plugging in night-light, resulting in mild electrical shock."
Once the list is completed, the long task of codifying and categorizing everything that can go wrong will be undertaken. While some have questioned the list's utility, Popular Science writer Brian Dyce said it could have widespread applications.

"Within a decade, laypeople might be able to log onto the Internet or go to their public library and consult volumes listing the myriad things that could go wrong," Dyce said. "It could prove a very valuable research tool or preventative stopgap. For example, if you're shopping for a car, you can prepare yourself by boning up on the 98,627 bad things that could happen during the purchasing process. This project could have deep repercussions on the way people make decisions, and also the amount of time they spend locked in their bedrooms."

Word of God

The following excerpt was taken from a newsletter I received today. I would love to get your opinion on this. Many forget, or have never learned, that the Bible is not just a theological book. It has a self-contained, supernatural power. The Epistle to the Hebrews records, "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (4:12, KJV).Do you think the Bible has a supernatural power? What do you think the writer means by "self-contained"?

I guess I've never looked at the book as having any supernatural power. When Hebrews 4:12 says "The word of God...", I didn't think that meant the physical book , but rather the words God has spoken or inspired. I realize that the Bible is an inspired book...and I do believe there is power in the words...but is there power in the book?

Can you tell I'm kind of thinking out loud here? :-) Maybe I'm misunderstanding the author. I'd love to hear how you read it and what your thoughts are on it.

Reason for Christmas

Many men throughout world history have wanted to become gods, but there has been only one God who wanted to become a Man.

Consider for a moment what it meant for our Lord Jesus to come to earth as a man to secure the salvation of mankind. The King of heaven left His throne and took a stable for a nursery. The very Son of God was hunted by a tyrant king and became an infant exile in Egypt. The owner of heaven and earth was born into poverty and lived without earthly wealth and luxury. The source of all wisdom and knowledge was treated as the greatest of fools.

Holy and without blemish, young Messiah was assaulted by every temptation Satan could thrust on Him, yet He resisted each one to its fullest force. The King of creation willingly subjected Himself to all of what it means to be human-pain, hunger, thirst, sorrow, physical exhaustion, the full range of human emotions-yet did so without sinning.

In an unfathomable act of selfless, sacrificial love, God left heaven's glory to die in sinners' stead. He offered mercy to a people who deserved only His wrath. He stooped to accomplish that which we not only could not do, but also would not do. In love, the God of the universe stepped from eternity to intervene in human history and save those wholly unable to save themselves.

In a word, the lesson we learn from Christmas is love. Christ's love (love that was manifest in His coming, in His life, and in His death) is a love that sacrificed. In the Advent of Jesus Christ, we see a love that sought, not its own needs, but the needs of others. We see a love that considered, not what it would lose, but what others would gain. We see a love that so emptied self that others would be filled; a love that so humbled self that others would be lifted up.

The Christ of Christmas gave to the very end, ultimately forfeiting His own life, so that sinners would find salvation. That's what happened when God became a Man-and that's what Christmas is all about.

Entire Article can be found here.

Satire

Santa Signs Legislation To Help Special-Wants Children
December 14, 2005 Issue 41•50

NORTH POLE—Kristofer Kringle, an international toy distributor popularly known as "Santa Claus," approved elf-penned legislation Monday that grants greater benefits to often-neglected "special wants" children. "Old policies failed to reward the world's children for dreaming big, but no longer—children with special or unusual wants shall see them all fulfilled on Christmas morning," Kringle said, in an announcement met with strong support from parents of the developmentally entitled. "My children were all born with special wants," said Glenda Froman, mother of three. "After years of whiny suffering, they'll finally have their wish: Xbox 360s in every room, matching ponies, and a rocket-powered bicycle they're allowed to fly inside the house."

Spiritual Handoff

In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 1:3-7
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

People go to great lengths in order to ensure that property and wealth are bequeathed to favored family members or charities. Some people tragically spend so much time preparing for material possessions to be passed down after death that they overlook what their life could impart now.

The Christian’s most vital asset is faith. While belief involves personal choices, our children and friends can receive from us an inheritance of righteous principles and a model for godly living.

A faith worth passing down is based on biblical truth and the confident conviction that God is who He says and will do all He promises. That is to say, we ourselves must experience a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to share it with others. We cannot hand down principles we have only read or heard about from someone else — it simply will not work.

A question we should ask ourselves is, Am I comfortable dying with the faith I have lived by? Many people pick and choose religious philosophies to guide their life but discover in their final hours the fallacy of a self-centered perspective. A faith worth passing down can face the end of life with the knowledge that we are eternally secure in the living God, whose Son died at Calvary for our sins.

A faith legacy is the greatest wealth we can bequeath to those who come after us. Unlike money, a good example cannot be squandered. We can begin now to touch future generations by passing our faith on to those around us.

Are you thankful for what has been handed to you? Are you being careful to hand it down to those who look up to you and respect you?

Choking

Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, ... choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

"Cares of this world"...what are they?

Are they the same for you as they are for me? Some of them probably are. Some of them probably aren't.

Think of something that you care for. It can be anything. Has that thing ever took precedence over your relationship with God? Has that thing ever robbed you of your desire to dig deeper into God's Word?

Picture that thing, in your mind, choking you. Maybe it's just choking you a little bit. Maybe you can still take shallow breaths. Maybe this thing just barely has it's hands on your throat. It doesn't matter. God's design is for you to be able to take deep full breaths of His Word-- of Him.

I know I can think of lots of little things in my life that, while not bad in and of themselves, have a tendency to choke out my desire for communion with God. In fact, some of these things are often considered good things, but taken in too great of quantities, can have negative side effects.
Too often I get caught up in the little things in life. I using the term "little" here to mean: Anything that's of no eternal consequence. We are here for one purpose--to glorify God. We're not here to make more money. We're not here to get married. We're not here to go to church, to get a good job, to go to school, or to become famous. I'm not saying all those things are bad, they're just not our purpose.

Let us strive to put our God at the top of our list. Everyday, all day.

The Forgiveness of God

Last night I was reading in my daily devotional, (My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers) and November 19-21 really struck me. I was going to try and paraphrase it here, but I'm afraid I won't do it justice, so I'll type the 20th verbatim and fill in thoughts from the others. Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is uncounscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enourmous cost to God that made all of this ours.

Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost of God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive--He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God's forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.

Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held in a vice, constrained by the love of God.The love of God means Calvary--Nothing less. The only basis for which God can forgive is the Cross of Christ.

Do you ever forget the price? Do you ever let the thought that you "deserve" it creep into your mind? Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the Word of God and makes the Cross unnecessary. God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. Our part in realizing the tremendous meaning of the death of Christ is the conviction of sin. Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the mercy of God. Jesus hates the sin in people, and Calvary is the measure of His hatred.

Come alongside

I was going to write some stuff that's been on my heart lately, but I found this article on Crosswalk, and it struck a chord with me. The last part of the article talks about vulnerability. It's so true. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

As you read, don't just think about how others can serve you...think about how you can change to better meet the needs of others.

God bless

Coming Alongside Single Christians
Wendy Widder
Author

God understands humanity. He knows that we are so very weak, in spite of our best efforts to be strong. God has showered us with promises that ought to be enough to send us anywhere, to do any job. But the truth is, we don’t. We freeze in fear. Thankfully, God in His mercy doesn’t zap us for our timid resistance. Instead, in His compassion, He dispenses grace beyond what we even thought to ask.

God’s grace is like manna. You remember the small loaves of bread God supplied for the Israelites morning after desert morning. Do you remember how He supplied it? Just what they needed, just for the day. God didn’t let them stockpile manna in the pantry. Every morning, the wanderers awoke to little loaves outside their tents. If they tried to store it up, it rotted. If they didn’t bother to gather any, they went hungry.

God always provides the sustenance to press on through the wilderness. Somehow, in my wilderness experiences, He manages to give grace that lets me take another step. If I look at the miles stretching across the sand, I am engulfed in fear. There is no way I can make it. But if I look at the loaf in front of my foot, I can take the next step. There’s manna for the moment. And there will be manna for tomorrow’s moments, too. When I get there, He’ll provide.

Singles often wander in the wilderness of broken relationships, with fear as their companion. Having been deeply wounded by the rejection of someone they loved, they greatly fear future relationships. It’s hard to even think about getting close to anyone in a dating relationship again. There are no guarantees about how things will turn out, so facing the risks can be a Herculean effort. Fortunately, for those who muster the guts, there are guarantees of grace loaves at their feet.

One of the greatest sources of manna in my life comes from people around me. While everyone needs encouragement, singles especially need people who will walk with them. Regardless of the road – relationships, careers, habits, involvements – as a single adult, I don’t have the built-in support system provided by a spouse. I don’t have a constant someone to recognize the difficulties I face and help me find my way through them. It’s a matter of survival for me to have friends who can lend faithful support and encouragement. Like fearful Moses needed Aaron, I need constant encouragements beside me, friends who see the things that make me afraid and help me move right through them. They are friends who become what Isaiah might call “pools of water” in the desert (Isaiah 41:18).

There was a time in my life when I wasn’t willing to let people walk so closely with me. In fact, when I was in college, I nearly lost a dear friend who was frustrated with my lack of vulnerability. I wouldn’t even let the people closest to me see where I struggled, much less ask for any help.

Somewhere along the way, I learned better. I look around at several key friends now and can only imagine how horrible it would be to walk tough roads without them. They have been “gifts of Aaron” to me when I perhaps would have shrunken back from divine direction. Friends like this don’t lurk behind every corner, but they are worth looking for. They are worth every ounce of vulnerability I can squeeze out, because they are the ones who push me forward when I cower in fear from the risks of relationships, new ventures, and changes.

Lay Hold of the Promises of Scripture

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Read that verse a few times. Read it slowly. Put the emphasis on different words as you read it.

There were a few things that stuck out to me. First off, God is a God of hope. He is a God of confident expectation, and he can fill us with all joy and peace.(I believe the word "all" is one of the most missed words in the Bible.)

There is a qualifier though. There is an "our part". Our part comes in our belief that we can abound in our confident expectation through the power of the Holy Ghost. Notice we don't believe we can abound in our own strength, but only through the Holy Ghost can we have all joy and peace.

This is a promise people. A promise from God. Do you doubt it? Do you read that and think, "yeah, but I'll never be able to do that. I'm too weak. My faith isn't strong enough."? If you think like that, stop. That's satan whispering in your ear. Lay hold on the promises of God firmly. Know that the Bible is true and that when God makes a promise it is beyond any earthly promise you could ever imagine.

This is what Strongs Concordance says about peace:
Peace: of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.

Would your attitude change today if you remembered and thought on the promise that your salvation is assured through Christ, and that you have nothing to fear here on earth? If the Holy Ghost is present and working in your life, then you can lay hold on that promise.

Let us press toward the mark of the prize brothers and sisters.

Yep...I'm an engineer

You Are 85% Left Brained, 15% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Fight!

2 Corinthians 10:4-5. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (KJV).

We're in a war. It's a spiritual war, and the stakes are for eternity. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, says that our weapons are not carnal.(carnal is something that's governed by human nature as opposed to the Holy Spirit) If we're fighting our spiritual battles with our own will power, we're not even using weapons. They're certainly not the weapons that can pull down strong holds, cast down imaginations, and things which exalt themselves against God. By ourselves and with our own will, we certainly can't bring every thought we have into captivity to obedience to Christ.

It is only through God. If we're going to fight a spiritual battle, we need spiritual weapons.Eph 6:14-18 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--God has given us these seven (I'm sure you could think of more) weapons with which to fight our battles. If these are used as God intended, we should never lose a battle.1. Truth: I've heard a lot of people say this is the Word of God. While the Word of God is certainly truth, I don't think that's the meaning Paul had in mind when he wrote that. The word of God is refered to later in the passage as the sword of the Spirit. I think the truth Paul meant here is more akin to honesty. In order to be affective on the spiritual battlefield we must first and foremost be honest with ourselves. We must be willing to acknowledge our faults if we are to effectively overcome. Who among us has not, at some point, rationalized or justified, a sin we've committed? Who has not struggled, at some point, with being truly honest with themselves about why they are struggling with a particular sin? Let's set aside our pretenses and gird our waist in truth, for until you are willing to do that, you will never come openly to God and let him equip you fully for the battle.

2. Righteousness: According to Strongs Biblical Concordance--integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting. This is the piece of armor which guards our hearts. While I believe our whole Christian life is a refining process to make us more righteous (Romans 8:28-29), it is only through Jesus Christ, and His imputed righteousness, that we can truly ever lay claim to the promises of God.

3. Gospel: The glad tidings of salvation through Jesus Christ. I think it's significant here that it says "...preparation of the gospel...". We are to prepare ourselves with the gospel of peace. We are to have our face in God's Word, reading about the life of Jesus. If our life is about the emulation of Jesus, don't you think we should know as much about Him and His teachings as we can?

4. Faith: the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

5. Salvation: I think it's interesting that this is equated to our helmet. I know one of the ways that satan tries to get at me is by whispering doubts in my ear. In other words, he tries to get in my head by saying things like, "God can't really love you. You didn't repent right. God can only forgive so much. God's mercy can't really endure forever." You can fill in your own I'm sure. The truth is, the believer has been promised salvation. We have God's promises in a faithfully preserved book called the Bible, and we need to rest in those promises.

6. Word of God: The Bible. Our only offensive weapon in this war for our souls. Jesus beautifully modeled how to use this weapon effectively against satan in Matthew 4.

7. Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit: It's significant that it says "in the Spirit". James 5:16 says this: "...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." But wait, Isaiah 64:6 says, "...And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;" Romans 4:24-25 beautifully reconciles those two scriptures. "but also for us. [Righteousness] shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification." The person who prays "in the Spirit" is the one who has accepted Jesus' blood as an atonement for their sin. To them has been imputed the cloak of righteousness, so that when they come before God, God see's Jesus Christ and His righteousness and not our own filthy rags.Let's use these spiritual weapons effectively and strive to take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ! I pray that everyone of us may someday stand before the throne and say what Paul said in his second letter to Timothy. 2Ti 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

50,000 strong

As a celebration of just passing 50,000 hits on my blog since April 24th(that's when I started keeping track), I'd like to sincerely thank everyone who regularly reads my posts and especially those who comment. Your thoughts and suggestions have helped me to grow in my walk with the Lord in ways many of you will never know.

Thanks for your accountability. God bless you all

Hold My Hand

I don't want to turn this blog into a Bill Bright news letter, but this touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I felt compelled to share it. It's a wonderful reminder of how our Heavenly Father cares for us.

The Father's Heart

All glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling (Jude 24, NLT).

Dear friends:
Our two sons, Zac and Brad, are both grown now and both are serving the Lord in full-time ministry. Experiences with them as children taught us many things about how our heavenly Father views us.

Many years ago, my wife Vonette and I were walking down a shallow stream in Yosemite National Park with our sons, who were very small at the time. Because the rocks were slippery, I was holding our five-year-old son, Brad, by the hand. Suddenly Brad slipped, and his feet went out from under him. I held him firmly until he regained his balance. As we continued on our walk, Brad looked up at me and said, "Daddy, I'm sure glad you saved me from falling."

At that moment I was reminded how my heavenly Father has kept me from falling on many occasions. We walked in silence for a few minutes. Then Brad gazed up into my face again and said, "Daddy, I'm glad you're holding my hand." This time tears came to my eyes as I said to my Father in Heaven, "I'm so glad you hold me by the hand; I'm so prone to fall." I am reminded of the words from Jude 24, above.

My two sons mean more to me than I could ever begin to put into words. On another day when they were small, as I was preparing a message, Zac suddenly appeared with a stack of books and sat down across the table from me. I sensed the warmth of his love, even though he didn't want to interrupt my study. My heart melted, and I broke the silence: "Zac," I said, "I want you to know how much it means to me that you have come to sit with me."

He replied, "Daddy, that's the reason I've come -- I just want to be with you."

Suddenly, for the first time in my life, I really understood how the great heart of our loving Father longs for fellowship with man. If I delight in my sons and long to be with them and tell them that I love them and care for them, surely God's delight in us is infinitely greater because His capacity for love is so much greater.

Let us return His love, with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

Weakness Or Power?

I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need (Philippians 4:13, NLT).



Dear friends:

Do you sometimes feel weak and inadequate, seemingly impotent against the powerful forces of life swirling all around you?

Well, in ourselves, we are weak and inadequate. However, over the years as I have better come to know our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, I have become increasingly aware of that glorious promise that all the supernatural resources of deity are available to every believer, everywhere, and at any time!

In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). To Him God has given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).

And He lives within us in all His resurrection love and power!

That is the reason the Apostle Paul would dare to say, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13, NIV).

One of the most important lessons that any believer must learn is that we are no longer ordinary, mediocre human beings, but when we receive Christ, we link our lives up with the life of the infinite, creator God and all His unlimited, supernatural resources are available to us to live Godly lives and to be fruitful witnesses.

I look back over the years and see unbelievably exciting, remarkable and unprecedented events that have taken place in my life. This includes: the privilege of standing before the largest crowds in the history, secular or religious: proclaiming the gospel to 2 to 3 million people each night in Seoul, Korea during the Here's Life Korea World Evangelization Crusade; and speaking on nationwide TV to a minimum of 100-250 million viewers embracing the whole of the former Soviet Union on Easter day 1990.

You may say that this is only because I am Bill Bright. But Bill Bright was just a ranch teenager in Oklahoma, then an ordinary businessman in California until Jesus got hold of me, called me, empowered and equipped me by His Holy Spirit, and gave me a job to do.

Jesus said, "You will receive power..." (Acts 1:8, NIV); "I have given you authority to ... overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:19, NIV); and "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12, NIV).

If you have received Christ and are filled with His Holy Spirit, you are no longer weak and inadequate. Within you is the power behind the whole universe -- God's power -- just waiting to be released, by faith, in your life and in your world!

Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

-------
The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 839 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.7 billion people in 228 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to "Touch, Teach and Train" a group of 5 million new house churches around the world 24/7/365 at http://www.globalpastorsnetwork.org

Copyright (c) 2003, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at http://www.ccci.org. See http://www.campuscrusade.org for Bill Bright's own materials.

Peoria Invite

I just got this from Megan Kieser. She asked me to post it on here. Please read and respond appropriately.Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Greetings in our Lord’s name!  Over the past few weeks there has been some discussion among the brethren in the Peoria Young Group about how we can help unify our young groups as a whole.  Prayer was definitely the most important thing we came up with!  UNCEASING PRAYER is going to be required.  Through much prayer, meditation and discussion we’ve decided something else that might help unify our young groups further is fellowshipping together more.  To make things run a little smoother the Peoria Young Group has decided to host an invite.  It is our wish that your entire young group prayerfully considers joining us the weekend of May 6 and 7.  Enclosed is a tentative schedule for the weekend.  May God bless you give this prayerful consideration!
 
In planning a large invite such as we are; the Peoria Young Group is going to need the cooperation of everyone attending.  Some of the things we are requesting from those attending the following:

1) Even if you’re deciding to NOT join us this weekend, we ask and plead that you keep us in your prayers.
 
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Philippians 4:6
 
 
2) Number of those attending.
 
I know it is quite some time before this takes place and schedules change, but we need numbers so we can plan for accommodations and food.
 
3) Shirt sizes of everyone attending.
 
Sounds funny, I know.  Brother Jon Ringger from our Bluffton congregation has been willing to make t-shirts for us so anyone wanting a shirt should give their names and sizes ahead of time, since we aren’t going to be ordering many extras.  They will be $10.
 
4) When your group is attending.
 
As stated below, there will be accommodations available for anyone to come Friday if they so chose.  But, if you do you MUST let us know so we can have places ready.
 
 
I believe this is about all of now.  Once again, PLEASE keep this weekend in your prayers, even if you don’t wish to join us.  Pray that each one of us is willing to serve God and each other in all that we do.
 
 
By His Grace,
The Peoria Young Group
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Friday, May 5- There will be homes available for our brothers and sisters traveling from farther away.  Just let us know and there will be places to stay
 
SATURDAY, MAY 6
12:00-1:00- Sign-in in the church basement.  Split into groups for work projects.
1:00- 4:00- Work projects.
4:00- 4:45- Freshen up if needed.
5:00- 6:00- Supper.
6:00- 6:45- Singing.
6:45- 7:45- Speaker.
7:45- 8:15- Practice for singing Sunday.
7:45- ?- If it’s nice we’re considering a bonfire.
Everyone will then return to hosts homes for the night.
 
SUNDAY, MAY 7
9:45-1:30 Church.
1:30- We will sing the songs practiced on Saturday evening after afternoon church
There will be a snack available following the singing.  Everyone is free to stick around as long as they want to.
 
SIDE NOTES
We don’t know yet what the work projects will be.  Most likely we will do some cleaning at the church and fellowship hall and quite possibly at some older brothers and sisters houses.  We also in the past have gone to our home on Skyline Drive to clean, sing, and fellowship with our residents there.  As the date gets closer we will know for sure where our services are needed most. 
 
For further information or questions that need answering please feel free to contact:
Contact me, and I'll get you in touch with the right people.

1 John 4:7-21

I read 1 John 4 this morning. This was the first chapter my grandpa shared with me after I started repenting.

He first pointed out verse 17: "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world."

He asked me, "Can you imagine anything greater than to have boldness in the day of judgment?"

I couldn't then, and I can't now. I can't think of anything I would desire more than to be able to stand on judgment day, not quivering and doubtful, but bold.

Grandpa then pointed out the preceding verses in 1 John that give us the key to boldness. "15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

Love is the key. Love that stems from a confession of Christ as our Lord and King.

Then later on in the chapter, John gives us more wisdom on loving God. "20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

So how am I doing on loving my brothers? I'm not speaking of the warm fuzzy feeling love. This is the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love. How am I doing at being patient with my brother? Am I kind to all my brothers? Do I think no evil of them?Dear God, give me the strength and the grace to show more love toward my brethren and therein deepen my love for thee. In Jesus' name, Amen

Trust

Trust: To have or place confidence in; depend on: To expect with assurance: To believe: To grant discretion to confidently

Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (13:15, KJV). That kind of radical trust pleases the Lord. While we may not look forward to adversity, we know when we get through it we will be a better servant for the Lord, and ultimately isn't that your goal?

Trusting God, Job went through his problems, and came out the other side. We can always count on God to see us through to the other side. We cannot see the other side with our physical eyes, but we can see it with our spiritual eyes -- with the eye of faith."The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, KJV).As with Job, God allows us to be tested, although He is not the author of evil, which is Satan's job description. When trials come our way, as they do in a fallen world, let us echo Peter:"6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" (1 Peter 1:6-7, KJV).

Pray...and Believe

I wish, as children grow into adults, that they wouldn't lose the trust that comes so easy as a child.

A Little Girl's Prayer
by: Author Unknown, Helen Roseveare

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but inspite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator) and no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly witht reacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates.

"And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.

As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed,"send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby'll be dead, so please send it this afternoon." While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen"? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hotwater bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the... could itreally be? I grasped it and pulled it out - yes! A brand-new, rubberhot water bottle! I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!

Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months! Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before - in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

"Before they call, I will answer!" Isaiah 65:24

Faith

I was reading this morning in Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest", and the message really struck me. "We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him".I love that thought, abandoned devotion.

Jesus Christ provides us with some really powerful promises. With Christ we can stand faultless before God's throne, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified.

Often times we talk of us making sacrifices for the name of Christ. Chambers' says this: "How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!"So often I lose this perspective. How easy is it for us, as humans, to begin to look at our Christian walk as us doing God a favor? We begin to look at ourselves as something, when in truth we are wretched. How easy is it for us to think we somehow deserved the gifts that are ours through Christ? How easy is it for us to pat ourselves on the back when we have a good spritual day? It is so easy for me to think I'm doing good spiritually, or I'm doing bad spiritually, when all I can do is obey and let God do the rest. We begin to lose sight of whole reason we are able to do even one good thing. We begin to lose sight of the terrible sacrifice that Christ paid out of love for us, when all we deserved was death. Our lives should be full of endless praise resulting from complete belief and a rememberance of who Christ is and what He did. "We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ--not a "prayer meeting" Jesus Christ, or a "book" Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself."Are you prepared to give it?


To those of you who haven't ever read Steve's blog, I would strongly recommend that you go to his sight and read the Tuesday Nov. 15th post about his book. Then follow the link and start at chapter one. Our testimonies are one of the most powerful gifts God has given us for evangelism. This is an amazing one.

Patience my good man, patience

This guy won't be so quick to honk next time eh? :) I love it!


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Thankfulness

If you would've asked me yesterday if I considered thanksgiving (the action, not the holiday) a sacrifice, I would've told you I didn't. Today, well, that's changed. Last night brother Don Sauder, from our church in Roanoke, spoke to the Washington congregation about God's goodness and God's faithfulness. One of the scriptures he mentioned was Psalm 116.


Ps 116:17
I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.Thanksgiving does not come naturally to the heart of man. It is our inclination to think we deserve everything we have and more.

We don't. We don't deserve an ounce of it. If we got what we deserved from our almighty, righteous, infinitely holy God, we'd all be damned. And yet God chose to give us the most...the most...I can't even think of a superlative to describe the gift God chose to give us. The gift of salvation. Yet how often do we struggle with being truly thankful because of some earthly, physical situation we find ourselves in? In my case, all too often. Psalm 107:22 says this:And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.Declare his works with rejoicing. Period. Notice it doesn't say, "Declare his works which seem good to you with rejoicing." It doesn't say, "Declare his works which you understand with rejoicing." It says, "Declare his works with rejoicing." That means all his works.

Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi, drives this point home by repetition.Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.Thanksgiving requires us to sacrifice our flesh on the altar of obedience. Let us rejoice with thanksgiving today! Let's strive to give our Saviour as much praise as we can muster from our flesh, for He is worthy.Re 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Rigg Design

I just went and checked out Riggalicious Design. It's Jon Ringers website for his graphics design business. He's got a pretty cool layout. You can check out his stuff and buy t-shirts that he's designed. I put a link to it on my side bar. Check it out.

Glory to God!

1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Context: Paul has been writing to the church in Corinth about the eating of meat offered to idols. Verse 31 is where he begins to wrap it up. To paraphrase, it's as if he's thinking: "Look people, I'm really not all that concerned about whether you actually eat it or not. The physical act of eating isn't what's important here. If you eat, praise God for it. If you drink, praise God for it. Actually, whatever you do...praise God for it!" If you can't do it and praise God, then don't do it."

This principle can extend far beyond what we eat. It's as if Paul realized this while writing the letter. He wrote "eat" and "drink". Then he was like, "You know what? Just do everything for the glory of God. Then we wouldn't be having this problem."

There is a great challenge to the Christian in that word "whatsoever". That word opens the statement up to our entire lives. Every breathe we take. Everything we do. Do I bring glory to God with everything I do? Do I exist solely for Him and His glory? How many things that I do during my day would I feel foolish giving God the glory for? I think one of the more difficult aspects of this is the fact that in order to be effective in this we need to be completely, brutally honest with ourselves as we ponder our decisions and our motives. Filter everything through the perfectness of the Word.

Re 21:23
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Glory is what emanates from God like heat from fire, and we, as Christians exist for that. We are to reflect God's magnificent light to everyone around us through total obedience to His Word.

Jas 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Lord help me to draw nigh unto Thee. Cleanse my actions and purify my motives. Help me to have Thee as my singleness of mind.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

Weekend Update

I'd like to congratulate two wonderful friends on announcing their engagement this weekend. Vince Francesi from Bluffton, IN to Brooke Huber from Sabetha, KS. I wish them God's richest blessings as they move foward in life together. They are wonderfully committed Christians and I have the deepest respect for them both. I have no doubt that they will strive to keep Christ at the center of their relationship and bring Glory and Honor to Him.







Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. ;)
I had a question this weekend that I'm going to try and make time to study this week. I thought of it when the elder was speaking during some testimonies I went to this weekend.Biblically, what is the purpose of a church?I have heard many reasons for why people need a church and why church's exist, but I couldn't think of any scripture pertaining to this. If anyone has any insite I'd love to hear it! I'm looking specifically for what the Bible has to say about it, but I'd love to hear opinions/personal stories also.

Rest for the Weary

There is rest in communion with our Father.Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;I left work an hour early last night and refreshed my soul in prayer. I recognized that my personal devotion time has been waning as of late, crowded out by a busy calendar.
This must change.
While my life is blessed to be filled with blessings such as christian friendships, bible studies, etc., there is no substitute for personal time with our Creator. I've learned that sometimes even "good things" can become idols if they crowd out the amount of time we spend in communion with Christ.Lord, forgive me for letting the busy-ness of life press on our relationship. Thank you for showing mercy to a rag like me. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.
In Jesus' name,
amen

Weary

Have you ever felt worn out? Have you ever felt the burden of disobedience? I have. King David did.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful...

Psalms 6:1-9 1 O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. 2 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. 3 My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? 4 Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? 6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. *side note: when the word "LORD" is in all capital letters it refers to Jehovah, "the existing One", the proper name of the one true God. When the word "Lord" has just the first letter capititalized it's refering to God's position as ruler and master.1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Notice in 1 John, God doesn't just forgive us. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It's important to note here that we don't cleanse ourselves. God, and God alone, cleanses us. Let us examine our lives today in the mirror of God's perfect and holy Word.


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Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm Lyrics
I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will life my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Reconcile!

The Word of God is inerrant and infallible if it's taken literally, contextually, and historically. If you don't study the word with these three guidelines it can become muddy very quickly. So, with that in mind, I would love to hear thoughts on these two scriptures. How can we strive to fulfill the directives of both of these? Both of these scriptures are to be taken literally. They are not allegories for some other message. Historically they are very similar, so that leaves contextually. How does the context play into these two verses to alter their intent for the hearer?


Matthew 5:13-16
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 6:1-4
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.So what's the difference in the context? What's the underlying theme here? Isn't it ultimately about motives? If you're living your Christian life in the open for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God, then you are being the Christian light and example that Matthew 5 is calling you to be. However, if you're living your Christian life out in the open for the purpose of having glory of men, then you have your reward. It's not the physical aspect of someone seeing you do the good deed. If you drop a check in the donation box at church and someone see's you from across the room, it's not going to negate the blessing of the donation if your heart is pure in it's charity. However, if you put the donation in and hope someone does see you then missed it regardless of whether you we're physically seen or not. Christ knows your heart! He knows your motives and your desires. He was not necessarily condemning the pharisee's for the act of trumpet blowing he was condemning them because they did it "that they may have glory of men." Their motives were not Godly. When Jesus says "let not thy left hand know what thy right doeth". It's not a mandate to be as secretive as possible about your good deeds. It's a call to not seek out mans praise but rather to seek out God's praise!

These passages are not about the physical act of being seen, they are about your motives in doing the good works. Where are you laying up treasure? For that is where your heart will be.

A Biblical Examination of Individualized Guidance (among other things)

This is a long one folks. I had a comment left on my last post that I decided to make into another post because I would love everyone’s thoughts on the issues he's brought up.
Here’s the comment:

“When in the bible does it say we are to only have one wife? When did the practice of poligamy go from being ok to sin?IF it was (old testament) ok to have multiple wives (as many of the patriarchs did), how can there be just one "the one"? Or did that change too? And Luke, I think God can issue a blanket rule (thou shalt not kill) and then order one specific servant (or group of servants) to act contrary to that blanket rule. After all, did not God order the Israeli army to kill ALL of their enemies multiple times?Ok, having said that, and if the above is correct, and it may very well not be, then I think one has to admit that there may be circumstances where God wants (tells) me to do something he specifically told you not to do. So, its not just interpreting the scripture correctly, but also what God tells us as individuals. Or am I wrong and it is only Genesis to the Book of Revelations?Oh, one more thing. “For whatsoever is not of Faith is sin. If you don't know if it's right or wrong...and you do it anyway...it's wrong.”Can you sin from a lack of action? If so, then if you are uncertain as to what you should do, maybe by not doing it your committing a sin? Or not? And I am sure that you’re about ready to ban me, but I do like to challenge a line a thought. The responses are helpful for me to attain a deeper understanding of God’s will. Luke, I admit you’re more knowledgeable (and wise) then I am, and I am very interested to read your reactions to the above. I am enjoying this conversation immensely.”

The only reason I'm going to ban you is if you keep saying I'm wiser than you. :) When you feel like praising, praise God, not me. I don't share your sentiment about me being wiser than anyone.

Polygamy:
God has never been please with polygamy as far as I can tell. The Bible says that God’s original intention was for one man to be married to only one woman, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). Mankind quickly perverted the concept of marriage to allow for multiple wives (Gen 4:19). The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of polygamy until the New Testament (1Tim 3:2), but that does not mean God approved of polygamy before.

We see in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, that the kings were not supposed to have multiple wives. Ultimately the case can be made from Genesis 2:23-24, I Timothy 3:2 & 12 and Titus 3:12 that nobody should have multiple wives. Although the New Testament passages relate to elders and deacons we can apply it to all Christians men because these are worthy standards for all men and we should all seek to be Holy as God is Holy (I Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons then they are holy for all. Is that a fair conclusion to draw? We should strive to live just as holy of lives as our leaders right? God doesn't have different standards for some than others. We are all called to be holy.

Extra-Biblical Guidance:
As far as God issuing a blanket rule (anything in His Word) and then telling some of us to act contrary to it...I don't agree with that at all. God will NEVER ask us to act in a manner contrary to His written word...EVER. Your example of God saying "Thou shalt not kill" and then ordering the Israelites to war, I'll agree is a tough issue, and I don't have a great answer as to why God would order people killed. One difference that comes to mind is that in the Old Testament the Israelites were God's chosen people. God never commanded one Israelite to kill another. The law was written for the Israelites. When Christ died on the cross and the Jews were not accepting, God opened the door for all men. We all became grafted into the children of Israel.

Another thought on God revealing things that are outside of the Word. I do believe God can reveal things to people. If God could specifically talk to people in the Bible He still can today. However, I feel that the concept of individual guidance and revelation is grossly overused in the Christian church today. I think we can learn some things about personal individual guidance or revelation that’s extra-Biblical. The Bible has many examples of this, but even in the context of the Bible this instances were rare considering the Bible covers a history of about 4,000 years. The cases are exceptional. There is no hint that day-to-day decisions—big or small—were made by getting special directions from God. God’s specialized directives in Acts, for example, are limited to only 14 from
the time of Pentecost. Remember: A handful of incidents do not constitute a model. You can’t build a biblical model of anything by citing irregular and exceptional events as support. It’s a mistake to take the exception and make a rule out of it.

Secondly, personalized guidance in the Bible is an intrusion. It is not being sought after. There is no evidence the Apostles were “waiting on the Lord” seeking special guidance. Instead, God surprised them with it. We’re not told to seek specialized, supernatural guidance from God. If this is the way we’re supposed to make decisions, then why doesn’t the Bible explicitly teach us this important skill?

Thirdly, personalized guidance in the Bible is supernatural and, therefore, clear. In Acts, the majority (five) were visions, three were from an angel, four times the Spirit spoke, one seems to have been a prophecy, one was the voice of Jesus. Why is it clear? God expects it to be obeyed, and you can’t obey a command that’s not clear.

• 1 Corinthians 14:8: “If the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?”


• Paul blinded on Damascus road: “Rueben, I’m not sure, but I think God may be trying to tell me something.”

There is no evidence that these were inner urges and intuitions. Personalized guidance generally goes against wisdom (not against the Word), that’s why there needs to be a special intrusion. Personalized guidance becomes God’s moral will, a command that must be obeyed by the person to whom it was revealed. What about Acts 6:6-7? “And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.” There’s no doubt that God gave special direction in this case, as He occasionally did. However, there’s nothing about this passage that implies it’s an exception to the pattern I’ve described. We simply don’t know the manner God communicated this prohibition, but it must have been clear (see above) and therefore probably verbal “having been forbidden.”

In sum, the biblical characteristics of special guidance are that they are rare, intrusive
(unsought), supernatural in character, and clear.

A lot of this is from
“Decision Making and the Will of God” ©2000 Gregory Koukl

And Finally!! (told you this was long didn’t I?)

The Sin of Inaction:
I think Sarah hit the nail on the head on this one in the following comment. She said, “One more thought “can you sin from lack of action?” Yes. “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17”
I also think of Ephesians 5:15-16 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Let’s not be lethargic in our Christian walk! Let walk circumspectly (diligently), while we strive for the mark!

Moral and Wise Principles for Choosing a Wife

I found this handout to be very interesting. When I go to make a decision, I know I always find it helpful if I have an outline of the scriptures that pertain to a certain topic. I always want God’s heart in my decision. I want to let Godly principles and Godly obedience dictate my decisions.

Let me know your thoughts on this one. Do you agree with all the points? What’s your reaction to stuff like this?

This was an appendix at the end of the notes for the talk “Decision Making and the Will of God”. I actually hesitated publishing this, but I really would like your feedback. Let me know what you think.

Moral and Wisdom Principles for Choosing a Wife
“Decision Making and the Will of God” ©2000 Gregory Koukl
Stand to Reason, 1-800-2-REASON or www.str.org

Here is an example of how I applied the wisdom model to the issue of choosing a
wife. It’s a list of guidelines from Scripture one needs to consider when choosing a bride (women will need to make a few adjustment concerning husbands, but you get the idea). In addition to the moral consideration of choosing someone who is a committed Christian (2 Corinthians 6:14-18), men should also ask the following questions. Is she:

• Someone you can endeavor to love as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25)?


• Already beginning to show respect for you as the head of your relationship (Ephesians 5:33)?


• Showing a willingness to be subject to your leadership (Ephesians 5:24)?


• Someone you, as a husband, can be subject to in the fear of the Lord (there is a type of submission that works both ways: Ephesians 5:21)?


• Someone you can joyfully fulfill your sexual responsibilities to (1 Corinthians 7:3-5, Proverbs 5:15-20)?


• Someone you can live in peace with (1 Corinthians 7:15)?


• Someone you can provide for adequately (1 Timothy 5:8)?


• Someone who allows you to exercise your spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10)?


• Prudent (Proverbs 19:14)?


• Not contentious or vexing (Proverbs 21:9, 25:24, 27:15, 21:19)?


• Someone who will be an industrious, contributing member of the household, fulfilling domestic duties, hospitable and kind, with a positive outlook on life, and possesses strength and dignity (Proverbs 31:13-27)?


• Someone who fears the Lord (Proverbs 31:30)?


• Chaste and respectful (1 Peter 3:2)?


• Kindhearted, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead (1 Peter 3:8-9)?


• Someone you are happy to be with (1 Corinthians 7:40)?


• Committed to the priority of fulfilling her God-given role and responsibilities as a wife?


• An excellent woman (Proverbs 30:10)?

A New Spiritual Morning

Every morning is a new spiritual morning. Every morning we have the opportunity to live this day for Christ. Every morning we have the opportunity to renew our dedication to our Savior. Every morning is full of new opportunities in Christ!

So, how did you look at this morning?




Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Notice David doesn't pose it as a question. It's not "will we rejoice...?" It's a statement of "we will rejoice and be glad in it." He assumes that, if you're on the same side as the Creator of the universe, you wouldn't want to do anything but be rejoice and be glad!

When I started writing this post this morning I didn't know what I was going to write. I needed this message myself. I'm thankful that the Word of God has the power and authority to change my attitude. If you're struggling with an attitude or a motive you'd like to change, bring the Word of God to bear upon it. Do you believe it has the authority to change your behavior?

The sun has risen on a new day in your life. Are you going to spend today focused on "you" or focused on The Creator? Don't get me wrong. I know sometimes circumstances in our lives seem weighty, but the Lords been teaching me a lot about perspective lately. Let us remember that, if we know Jesus personally, we are children of the KING!! We serve a God that is omniscient! Let us trust Him implicitly with the outcomes of our decisions.

Nano Car?

First off: If you're interested in the discussion we had on Relationships a few days ago, there are still a few comments being added that are interesting.











I find this stuff amazing and interesting, but then again...I'm an engineer...and a nerd...so there's a good chance you won't find it amazing at all.

A car that's 3-4 nanometers across. That's .000000003 meters, or .000003 millimeters. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide.
The nanocar consists of a chassis and axles made of well-defined organic groups with pivoting suspension and freely rotating axles. The wheels are buckyballs, spheres of pure carbon containing 60 atoms apiece.

The article can be found by clicking the title of this post.

Ted

The minister that gave the talk on relationships commented on my post about it. His name's Ted. Check it out.

Here's the website of AC Counseling Services. It's got a lot of good material. It should be worth your time to browse around a little.

Also the College Weekend Audio files are posted on a couple of different web sites. Now you can actually hear the talk that the notes go with. :) Enjoy!1. Scott Wettstein
2. Bluffton Y.G.

BOO!

I'm not sure why I find it so funny when people get scared, but I do. If you want to save the movie to your HD right click here


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Godly Relationships

Here are the notes from Ted Witzig Jr's talk on "How Should I Relate To Members of the Opposite Sex?" If you want them as a .pdf for easier viewing just send me an email. I'll get them to you right away.

One of my favorite quotes of the day was "Scriptural/Spiritual Knowledge is not necessarily spiritual growth." In order to have growth you must have application to your life. We need to APPLY our knowledge!

Update: I posted these notes last night right before I went to bed, so I didn't take the time to comment on them. There are some slides here that he clarified in his talk which helps them make a lot more sense.

On Page 3 on the slide titled "Two Become One:" the first one is one person plus one person equals one new person. The second one is a half a person plus a half a person equals a whole person. The third one is one complete person plus one complete person join to form two complete people within a binding circle of one Godly marriage.

Also on Page 3 on the slide titled "Types of Relationship Patterns" he clarified what the letters 'A', 'H', and 'M' stood for. The 'A' signifies two people propping each other up. If one falls the other falls. They can't help each other through tough times. They don't have a complete identity in Christ. The 'H' signifies two people who stay too distant during their marriage. They can both stand on their own as long as they're on level ground...and nothing pushes them...but they can't really help the other up if they stumble. The 'M' signifies two people who can stand in Christ by themselves, but yet are inseparable at the base. If one half of the 'M' stumbles the other has sure footing to help lift it up.

On the fourth page on the slide titled "Ambiguity Adds Confusion", the last question is "Who is responsible for making sure that a relationship doesn't get overly close? The guy? The girl?". The answer to that question is, "You are." You are both completely and seperately responsible.

If anyone has any other questions about this handout feel free to either leave a comment or write me an email. I'll do my best to expound/clarify it for you, or I'll find someone who can.


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Monday Business

Ok, first off, the weekend was great. U of I in Champaign hosted College Weekend Fall '05. The topic was "Relationships". Wow. That pretty much sums it up. The topics of the 5 speakers were as follows:Relationship With Christ
Relationships With Your Family
Relationships With Fellow Christians
Relationships With the Opposite Gender
Relationships With the UnsavedI, unfortunately, didn't get to hear the last one, but the rest of them were wonderful, applicable, and Biblical bible studies. The one that hit me the hardest was "Relationships With the Opposite Gender". I'm going to go through our handout on that and make a post in the future...I might just scan in the handout and let you read/study it for yourself. It gave some really applicable guidelines to think about when relating with the other gender.(Stephanie, Katie, Steve: It was right along the lines of our discussion of that a few weeks ago!)

Underlining the whole day, however, was the first topic. If you're not working on that first one yet, the rest of them can not be where they should be.

After we left U of I we went to a cookout at Jeff Weigands and played volleyball and had a singing around a campfire. I kept 5 guys at my place Sat. night. 4 of us stayed up until 4:00 talking about relationships and marriage. Yeah, that's WAY to late. We were dragging the next morning, but it was worth it. Good bonding times for sure.

The lovely couple

Here they are folks. Michelle Bahr from Detroit Michigan is engaged to Aaron Stoller from...Latty?, Ohio.
I love Michelle's grin on this one. :)

Shining

Ashley Drayer's TN Pic
posted by Luke

Ashley Drayer just sent me this picture. She took it when she was in TN awhile ago. When I first opened it, I half expected to see Jesus. It's what I picture as the light that knocked Saul off his horse.

Wow! Limited Edition!

Now Available for Ordering
First Edition PEZ MP3 Player
115 sold so far.
PEZ Pal Boy character.
512 mb (holds around 120 songs)
USB 2.0
Plays MP3, WMA, WMA w/DRM
Compatible with Mac OS X
Compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP
Compatible with subscription services like Rhapsody To Go
Uses 1 AAA battery
Plug and Play
Drag and Drop
Can be used as a USB drive to store data files
Repeat play or Random Play
Store music in nested directories
Comes pre-loaded with great indie music
Lanyard hook
Comes with earbud headphones and USB cable
Limited run 1st edition
Both the packaging and player marked as 1st Edition.

There ya go Brooke. I know you want it. ;) Click the title of my blog to go check out the webpage. As my grandma says, "What won't they think of next?"

And here's a cool landscape picture just because I like these. :) This is of Mirror Lake in Yosemite according to the website. Beautiful, just beautiful.

Walking With God

"The true test of a person's spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening."

That's a quote from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest". That thought really got me thinking. How easy is it to say spiritual things when we're going through something extraordinary? How hard is it to think on those same spiritual things as we go about our mundane existence? How easy is it to say "I'm praying for you."? How hard is it to actually remember to pray? How easy is it to say "I'm blessed." at church? How hard is it to live a life of gratitude to our Father?

God is not impressed with lip service. He wants our hearts. That doesn't mean we can't say those things, but along with saying them we should live them!

What is our attitude toward the ordinary things of life when we're not under the spotlight?

As James MacDonald says, "Gratitude is the attitude that determines our altitude!"

Charity

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4.Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.8 Charity never faileth:...*deep breathe*

Charity...Agape. The Greek word is used 106 times in the new testament. It's translated as love 86 times. The word "love" in our vernacular has been water down. Would you agree?

Out of all the times we hear the word "love" during the day, how many times do you think it's meant like it is in 1 Corinthians 13? How many times do I think of it that way when I say it?

The bible holds some amazingly awesome promises for those who learn to love. In 1 John 4 it says this about perfect love: 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.When you read that "herein" word, did you go back and double check to see "where"-in? That "herein" word is refering to dwelling in God through love. And then, what is the promise that is given to us? We will have boldness in the day of judgement!!! Wow! Can you imagine. What a promise!

But the promises don't stop there. They aren't just for the next life. The Word also says that perfect love casteth out fear! We have nothing to fear. If you're going through life fearful, ask yourself why? If you're living with the Spirit in your heart as a converted believer/follower of Christ you have NOTHING to fear...NOTHING!

So when Satan tries to make your life seem dark...when he tries to darken your sky and block your light...remind him that you have NOTHING to fear in this life or the next. We're children of the KING! We are tapped into a power, through Christ's sacrifice, that extends even beyond Satans seemingly long arm.

You could really take the word Charity and replace it with the name of Christ in 1 Corithians 13...it would do a wonderful job describing our savior! Maybe that's why without it your life will profit you nothing. Even if you do a myriad of good deeds.