Tear-jerker

If you've got the time to read it all, this is a heartwarming story about a coach who didn't give up, and a church motivated to show love. It's worth it.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Somewhere between home and the football field, Christian Swain's driver's side window short-circuited. This had better not be an omen, he thought. He'd waited his whole life -- all 33 years -- to be a high school head football coach, and he didn't want his first season to be a clunker. He kept pressing the electric buttons inside his beat-up gold '99 Ford Taurus, but the window stayed stuck wide open. As he turned onto Interstate 5, the wind stung his face. Good thing it was summer.

He drove onto campus and parked next to a stadium with no stands. The school -- Roosevelt High in north Portland -- was a notorious bottom-feeder located in the poorest part of the city. It had no cheerleaders, no marching band, no press box and, as far as Swain could tell, no quarterbacks. But still three months away from opening night, the coach had reason to believe he could pull this off. He had grown up just east of campus, on the wrong side of the bridge himself, and he knew if these kids were anything like him -- hungry, a little nuts and searching for a better life -- he could win a game. Maybe even two.

When the school hired him last January as campus monitor -- i.e., to keep peace in the hallways -- Swain was curious to know why the team had just gone 0-9. At that time, he had just applied for the head-coaching job and was desperate to read the pulse of the school. From his career as an undersized middle linebacker at nearby Lincoln High in the mid-'90s, he remembered Roosevelt as having tough, reputable teams. Built in 1923, the school resembled an East Coast prep academy complete with a picturesque bell tower. He had always seen potential there. Little did he know the place was rotting from the inside out.

Continued...

Change Blindness

In visual perception, change blindness is the phenomenon that occurs when a person viewing a visual scene apparently fails to detect large changes in the scene. For change blindness to occur, the change in the scene typically has to coincide with some visual disruption such as a saccade (eye movement) or a brief obscuration of the observed scene or image. When looking at still images, a viewer can experience change blindness if part of the image changes.

Here are 10 examples. See if you can find what changes in all 10. I got them all except the sail boat one. I can't figure that one out. http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~rensink/flicker/download/

For more info see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_blindness

*EDIT: Nevermind! I managed to get the sailboat one. :-)

Big Numbers

http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/12/big-numbers.html

What a talent!

I can barely get a goblet to make a noise, let alone play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy!


To facebook readers, facebook does not import html, so you'll have to go to my blog for the video.

God is ALWAYS good.

Powerful powerful powerful video demonstrating right thinking in the middle of great trial of life. This pastor just found out he has a brain tumor and needs surgery. He recorded this video for his church before he went.

http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/blog/hvpastor/?p=363

Non-interventionist

Ron Paul gets to ask some questions about our foreign policy decisions in light of Obama's decision to increase troop levels in Afghanistan.



If you're on facebook and can't see the clip, go here: http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/12/non-interventionist.html

Obedient walk

Actress Sandra Bullock says meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy, who she portrays in The Blind Side, showed her there really are some Christians who "walk the walk."

Read the rest of the article here:

















And since facebook doesn't import html, here's the link: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=792418

Optogenetics

Easy to read article about precise two way communication between brain and machines. Really interesting stuff. It would enable things like a prosthetic limb user to be able to move the prosthesis and feel what it was touching.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/mf_optigenetics/all/1

Empty Words

Slow Down

An excellent article to make you think about what you take for granted.Pearls Before Breakfast
Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.

By Gene Weingarten
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 8, 2007; Page W10

HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play...

Faith and Knowledge - Functional Opposites??

Greg Koukl, from Stand to Reason, wrote an article in his newsletter this month addressing the word "Faith" and it's Biblical meaning. I've posted his introduction below with a link to the newsletter. It's an excellent article and well worth your time.
In an odd sort of way, Christians have abetted atheists in their efforts to cast doubt and even derision on believers. Here’s how.

Atheists have tremendous confidence that science will continue its record of silencing superstition. As knowledge waxes, foolishness wanes. Consequently, there’s no need for sticking God in the so-called “gaps.” Science will fill them soon enough.

Atheists are buoyed in their confidence by what they consider an inverse relationship between knowledge and faith. The more you have of the first, the less you need of the second.

Faith is merely a filler for ignorance. As knowledge increases, silly superstitious beliefs are discarded. As science marches forward, ignorance will eventually disappear and faith will simply dry up.

Simply put, faith and knowledge are functional opposites. The only place for faith, then, is in the shadows of ignorance.

Ironically, this same perspective has been promoted by Christians themselves. “If I know that God exists,” they challenge, “or that Jesus rose from the dead, or that Heaven is real, then where is room for faith?” Note the same inverse relationship between knowledge and faith held by atheists: Faith and knowledge are functional opposites.

This view is obviously false if you pause to think about it. The opposite of knowledge is not faith, but ignorance. And the opposite of faith is not knowledge, but unbelief. It’s certainly possible to have knowledgeable faith and ignorant unbelief.

More importantly, the knowledge vs. faith equation is not what the Bible teaches. In fact, Scripture affirms just the opposite. In this month’s Solid Ground, I lay out the case that biblical faith is based on knowledge, not contrary to it. Once you see the textual evidence, I think you’ll agree that faith and knowledge are compatible, shoring up our confidence in the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Link to newsletter:
http://www.str.org/site/DocServer/11-12_SG_2009.pdf?docID=4181

E=mc^2

Here's an excellent and understandable article explaining E=mc^2 and what that means for renewable energy sources. It's a little long, but well worth it.By William Tucker

Understanding E = mc2

Ed. note: A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hearing William Tucker speak at a conference in Washington, DC. His explanation of E = mc2 was the best I had ever heard. Even better, Tucker explained how Einstein's equation applied to renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro. His lecture was a revelation. It showed that the limits of renewable energy have nothing to do with politics or research dollars, but rather with simple mathematics. During a later exchange of emails with Tucker, I praised his lecture and suggested he write an article that explained E = mc2 and its corollary, E = mv2.

To my delight, he informed me that he'd already written such an essay and he agreed that we could publish it in Energy Tribune.

I love this essay. And I'm proud that Tucker has allowed us to run it.

-Robert Bryce
http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=2469

Economy

I think I've posted this before, but I just ran across it again today. I had to repost it. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Pre-birth

Stunning pictures from the book "A Child Is Born".

If you're on facebook, here's the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/gallery/2009/sep/30/unborn-children-health-pictures?picture=353625255

Are learning the Biblical languages important?

Westminster Seminary professor Elizabeth Groves on why learning the biblical languages is so important:

What would you change?

A friend of mine sent me an email a few days ago that really got me thinking.

None of us who attend a church would claim to have found the perfect denomination (or non-denomination) right? I mean, as long as it's made up of the people it's going to have room for growth. So that's where the question starts. Here's what I was asked:What do you believe are the key areas of [your church's] doctrine or culture which need the most biblical clarification among the general membership? In your opinion, what doctrines or practices seem to be most widely misunderstood (from a biblical standpoint), and yet strongly held?

In other words, if you could hand a typical member a one-page tract that would gently challenge their thinking from the Scriptures in a few key areas, what would you hope to see addressed in the tract?So, let me pose that question to you, my reader. Is there any thing you would address?

Or maybe you've found the perfect church.

I'd love to get lots of feedback in the comments, but most of all I want to challenge you to think positively critical. I want to challenge our sense of complacency in church attendance. Think about how you could make your church better. Because that's where it starts.

Or maybe you think we shouldn't ask these kinds of questions. I'd love to hear from you guys too. Let me know why you think what you think.

Peace

Does believing in Sovereignty really matter?

I found comfort in this article this morning. Hopefully you will also. Remember, if you're reading this in facebook, the HTML formatting doesn't import well, so it may be easier to read here: http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/09/does-believing-in-sovereignty-really.html

10 Reasons Why Believing in the Sovereignty of God Matters

September 16, 2009
By John Piper

Read this article on our website.

What we mean by the sovereignty of God is captured in paragraph 3.2 of The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The dozens of biblical passages used to support this paragraph are found in the online version.

3.2 We believe that God upholds and governs all things—from galaxies to subatomic particles, from the forces of nature to the movements of nations, and from the public plans of politicians to the secret acts of solitary persons—all in accord with His eternal, all-wise purposes to glorify Himself, yet in such a way that He never sins, nor ever condemns a person unjustly; but that His ordaining and governing all things is compatible with the moral accountability of all persons created in His image.

Why does it matter whether we believe this? Ten reasons.

1. The good news of God’s substituting his Son for us on the cross depends on it.

“Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27­–28)

2. The perseverance of the saints in the fear of God depends on it.

“I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jeremiah 32:40)

3. Progress in holiness now, and the final perfecting of the saints in the end, depends on it.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

“But you have come to Mount Zion . . . and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.” (Hebrews 12:22–23)

4. The assurance of God’s final triumph over all natural and supernatural evil depends on it.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9­–10)

5. The comfort that there is a wise and loving purpose in all our calamities and loses, and that God will work all things together for our good, depends on it.

“Though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. . . . Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?” (Lamentations 3:32–38)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

6. The hope that God will give life to the spiritually dead depends on it.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4–5)

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

7. Well-grounded expectation of answered prayer depends on it.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” (Romans 10:1)

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. . . . For the promise is for . . . everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:38–39)

8. Boldness in the face of seeming hopeless defeat depends on it.

“Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” (2 Samuel 10:12)

“Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him.” (2 Chronicles 32:7)

9. Seeing and savoring the revelation of the fullness of God’s glory depends on it.

“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ . . . What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power . . . [acted] in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy?” (Romans 9:20–23)

10. Praise that matches the fullness of God’s power, wisdom, and grace depends on it.

“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. . . . We will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 115:3, 18)

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” (Psalm 96:4)

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is an anchor for the troubled soul, a hope for the praying heart, a stability for fragile faith, a confidence in pursuing the lost, a guarantee of Christ’s atonement, a high mystery to keep us humble, and a solid ground for all praise. And oh so much more. O Lord, turn this truth for the triumph of your saving and sanctifying grace.

Confident and comforted with you,

Pastor John

Responsibility, Inability, and Grace

If you're reading this in facebook and the chart doesn't make sense, read it on my blog here: http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/09/responsibility-inability-and-grace.html

Responsibility, Inability and Grace

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me..." - John 6:37

John Hendryx

The truth of God's word is honored not in holding exclusively to one truth to the exclusion of another truth, but in believing the whole counsel of God. The Bible plainly teaches that man is responsible to repent and believe the gospel just as it plainly teaches that he is morally unwilling and unable to do so. These two seemingly contradictory assertions can be reconciled when we understand that even the very desire for faith, by which we believe in Christ who justifies sinners, belongs to us, not by nature but by a gift of grace, that is, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit amending our will and turning it from unbelief to faith and from godlessness to godliness. The Apostle Paul says, "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And again, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).

Furthermore some teach that God has mercy upon us when, apart from his regenerative grace, we believe, will and desire, but do not confess that it is by the work and inspiration of the Holy Spirit within us that we even have the faith, the will, or the desire to do all these things; If we make the assistance of grace depend on our humility or obedience but don't agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, we then contradict the Scripture which says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10).

The following chart shows that the Bible clearly teaches both man's responsibility to believe the gospel and his inability to do so. The third column helps us to understand how those whom God has set his affection on infallibly come to faith, in spite of this inability and, most of all, how this gives all glory to God in the work of salvation: Augustine once said, "God bids us do what we cannot, that we may know what we ought to seek from him."

(This chart is loosely based on a chart by Lamar McKinney)

The Responsibility of Man	The Inability of Man	Monergistic Grace of God
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28	No man can come to me, . . . John 6:44a	. . . except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44b
...whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16	...men loved the darkness rather than the Light...and will not come into the light... John 3:20, 21	.."But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:21 Note: there are, indeed, those who come to the light -- namely those whose deeds are the work of God. "Wrought in God" means worked by God. Apart from this gracious work of God all men hate the light of God and will not come to him lest their evil be exposed.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Isa 55:6	There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Rom 3:11	. . . I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. Rom 10:20b
This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ... 1 John 3:23	"...the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Romans 8:7 you do not hear, because you are not of God. John 8:47	"...and these whom He called, He also justified; Rom 8:30 ...and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13:48
God...commandeth all men every where to repent. Acts 17:30	...the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him John 14:7	"...if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Tim 2:25
. . . whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Rev 22:17b	So then it is not of him that willeth, . . . Rom 9:16a	Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,. . . Ps 110:3a
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isa 45:22	. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3a	. . . The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest . . . see that Just One, . . .. Acts 22:14
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12	But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor 2:14	But as many as received him, . . . were born, not of . . the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13
. . . if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, . . . ROM 10:9	. . . no man can say that Jesus is Lord . . . 1 Cor 12:3b	. . . but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Cor 12:3b
. . . make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, . . ? Ezek 18:31	The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: . . . Jer 17:9	A new heart also will I give you, . . . and I will take away the stony heart . . . Ezek 36:26
"If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matt 19:21	"Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matt 19:23	"Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 25b-26

"God knoweth we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he requireth no more than he giveth, and giveth what he requireth, and accepteth what he giveth." - Richard Sibbes

The Altar Call

An excellent brief video outlining the concept of the altar call, the decisions for Christ, and the historical church. It's a relatively new concept and a damaging one. However, it's so embedded in evangelical Christianity that many of you are questioning if you should even watch this video based on what I just wrote.

If you're reading this on facebook, it doesn't import video's from my blog, so here's the link:
http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/09/altar-call.html

Healthcare Truths

If you're reading this on facebook please go here: http://lrknapp99.blogspot.com/2009/08/if-youre-reading-this-on-facebook.html to read it on my blog so all the links are available. Thanks!

August 26, 2009

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Make no mistake: there's a strong, unrelenting push to destroy what remains of private health care in this country.

And now congressional leaders are attempting to overcome their scheme's plunging approval numbers by manipulating Ted Kennedy's death to create support for a “legacy” health care bill.

Our representatives and senators are eager to get back to Washington and away from the tremendous grassroots opposition to health control.

Which means it's time for us to turn up the heat.

Click here to get contact information to write, call, and fax Congress to express your outrage at their plans to finish taking over what remains of private health care. And be sure to sign our "Stop the Government Health Care Scheme" petition.

Health control propagandists claim that we are defending the status quo of a "failed" private sector by opposing their latest scheme.

However, their bill cements the status quo in health care: continuing (and expanding) government intrusion.

Protectionist regulations have decimated competition in health insurance at the local level, and the vast, complex tax code has subsidized employer-provided high cost health care. The FDA, in the name of consumer protection, has restricted the supply of drugs from home and abroad. And individuals are barred from shopping across state lines for health insurance.

Watch this YouTube video to see a ER physician describe how the government obstructs the supply of health services.

Does any of that really sound like the free market at work to you?

Government-manipulated health care is bankrupting this country. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are drowning in tens of trillions of dollars worth of unfunded liabilities and red ink, yet the response from Congress is to propose more 1,000+ page bills that will move our health care system perilously close to other nations' statist care.

You know as well as I that this unfair plan is doomed to be a fiscal nightmare comparable to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and that Congress-created HMOs are notorious for denying care to control spiraling costs.

Our nation has seen enough big government schemes, especially in medicine. President Obama is right about one thing: it's time to take action.

It's time to let the free market work.

Click here for contact information for the House and Senate in order to demand real reform. In addition to contacting your representative and senators, be sure to campaign hard for health freedom at your local townhall meeting.

Urge your representative to fight to allow individuals to shop across state lines for insurance, curb the authority of the FDA to prevent Americans from going outside the country for cheaper medications, and enable individuals to purchase their own health insurance without being taxed for doing so.

Tell Congress to give Americans control over their health care by giving them control over their health care dollar via tax credits and deductions similar to those outlined in Congressman Ron Paul's Comprehensive Health Care Reform Act (HR 1495).

Ask your congressman to protect privacy rights by allowing patients and physicians to opt-out of any government-mandated or funded system of electronic health care records, and to repeal the federal law creating an "unique patient identifier" by adopting the policies contained in Congressman Ron Paul's Protect Patients and Physicians Privacy Act (HR 2630).

In the meantime, we can push for reform of our respective state's competition-destroying mandates on private insurers. These simple, common-sense reforms would immediately alleviate the costs of health care without adding to the exploding national debt.

And if you are able, please donate to Campaign for Liberty today so that we can educate Americans on a true free market health care system and defeat this latest health control scheme.

Don't let the proponents of Obamacare sell you on the notion that we need the government to save us from the mess that government made. Click here to demand that Congress support legitimate health care reform!

In Liberty,

John Tate

President

P.S. Campaign for Liberty is committed to fighting this health control scheme and Congress' other attempts to further shred our Constitution, but we can't do it without your continued support. Please contribute to Campaign for Liberty today to ensure we can not only defeat big government's plans for our lives, but also champion the principles of freedom, peace, and prosperity.

Jesus is All the World To Me.

Is he? Is he really? I was reading the "Kaeb Family" blog this morning and she had posted this story. It really touched my heart. What a great challenge as we start this week!


“The state-run convalescent hospital is not a pleasant place. It is large, understaffed, and overfilled with senile and helpless and lonely people who are waiting to die. On the brightest of days it seems dark inside, and it smells of sickness and stale urine. I went there once or twice a week for four years, but I never wanted to go there, and I always left with a sense of relief. It is not the kind of place one gets used to.

“On this particular day I was walking in a hallway that I had not visited before, looking in vain for a few who were alive enough to receive a flower and a few words of encouragement. This hallway seemed to contain some of the worst cases, strapped onto carts or into wheelchairs and looking completely helpless.

“As I neared the end of this hallway, I saw an old woman strapped up in a wheelchair. Her face was an absolute horror. The empty stare and white pupils of her eyes told me that she was blind. The large hearing aid over one ear told me that she was almost deaf. One side of her face was being eaten by cancer. There was a discolored and running sore covering part of one cheek, and it had pushed her nose to one side, dropped one eye, and distorted her jaw so that what should have been the corner of her mouth was the bottom of her mouth. As a consequence, she drooled constantly. I was told later that when new nurses arrived, the supervisors would send them to feed this woman, thinking that if they could stand this sight they could stand anything in the building. I also learned later that this woman was eighty-nine years old and that she had been here, bedridden, blind, nearly deaf, and alone, for twenty-five years. This was Mabel.

“I don’t know why I spoke to her—she looked less likely to respond than most of the people I saw in that hallway. But I put a flower in her hand and said, ‘Here is a flower for you Happy Mother’s Day.’ She held the flower up to her face and tried to smell it, and then she spoke. And much to my surprise, her words, although somewhat garbled because of her deformity, were obviously produced by a clear mind. She said, ‘Thank you. It’s lovely. But can I give it to someone else? I can’t see it, you know, I’m blind.’

“I said, ‘Of course,’ and I pushed her in her chair back down the hallway to a place where I thought I could find some alert patients. I found one, and I stopped the chair. Mabel held out the flower and said, ‘Here, this is from Jesus.’

“That was when it began to dawn on me that this was not an ordinary human being. Later I wheeled her back to her room and learned more about her history. She had grown up on a small farm that she managed with only her mother until her mother died. Then she ran the farm alone until 1950 when her blindness and sickness sent her to the convalescent hospital. For twenty-five years she got weaker and sicker, with constant headaches, backaches, and stomach aches, and then the cancer came too. Her three roommates were all human vegetables who screamed occasionally but never talked. They often soiled their bedclothes, and because the hospital was understaffed, especially on Sundays when I usually visited, the stench was often overpowering.

Mabel and I became friends over the next few weeks, and I went to see her once or twice a week for the next three years. Her first words to me were usually an offer of hard candy from a tissue box near her bed. Some days I would read to her from the Bible, and often when I would pause she would continue reciting the passage from memory, word-for-word. On other days I would take a book of hymns and sing with her, and she would know all the words of the old songs. For Mabel, these were not merely exercises in memory. She would often stop in mid-hymn and make a brief comment about lyrics she considered particularly relevant to her own situation. I never heard her speak of loneliness or pain except in the stress she placed on certain lines in certain hymns.

“It was not many weeks before I turned from a sense that I was being helpful to a sense of wonder, and I would go to her with a pen and paper to write down the things she would say. . . .

“During one hectic week of final exams I was frustrated because my mind seemed to be pulled in ten directions at once with all of the things that I had to think about. The question occurred to me, ‘What does Mabel have to think about—hour after hour, day after day, week after week, not even able to know if it’s day or night?’ So I went to her and asked, ‘Mabel, what do you think about when you lie here?’

“And she said, ‘I think about my Jesus.’

“I sat there, and thought for a moment about the difficulty, for me, of thinking about Jesus for even five minutes, and I asked, ‘What do you think about Jesus?’ She replied slowly and deliberately as I wrote . . .:

I think about how good he’s been to me. He’s been awfully good to me in my life, you know. . . . I’m one of those kind who’s mostly satisfied. . . . Lots of folks wouldn’t care much for what I think. Lots of folks would think I’m kind of old fashioned. But I don’t care. I’d rather have Jesus. He’s all the world to me.

And then Mabel began to sing an old hymn:
Jesus is all the world to me,
My life, my joy, my all.
He is my strength from day to day,
Without him I would fall.
When I am sad, to him I go,
No other one can cheer me so.
When I am sad He makes me glad.
He’s my friend.

This is not fiction. Incredible as it may seem, a human being really lived like this. I know. I knew her. How could she do it? Seconds ticked and minutes crawled, and so did days and weeks and months and years of pain without human company and without an explanation of why it was all happening—and she lay there and sang hymns. How could she do it? “The answer, I think, is that Mabel had something that you and I don’t have much of. She had power. Lying there in that bed, unable to move, unable to see, unable to hear, unable to talk to anyone, she had incredible power.

Here was an ordinary human being who received supernatural power to do extraordinary things. Her entire life consisted of following Jesus as best she could in her situation: patient endurance of suffering, solitude, prayer, meditation on Scripture, worship, fellowship when it was possible, giving when she had a flower or a piece of candy to offer. Imagine being in her condition and saying, “I think about how good he’s been to me. He’s been awfully good to me in my life, you know. . . . I’m one of those kind who’s mostly satisfied.” This is the Twenty-third Psalm come to life: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Audit the Federal Reserve

Please take a few minutes to look through the following website. It lays out the case for giving the Congress the authority to audit the Federal Reserve. Right now, there are trillions of dollars of our tax-payer money that we don't know where it went or how it was spent because the Fed is an independent entity from our elected government. That independence is, in some respects, a good thing. It keeps monetary policy from being controlled by politics (somewhat). However, when the Fed refuses to give a full account of what they're doing and how they're distributing our money, it's time to look a little deeper. Not mention I think their monetary policy has been disastrously horrible the last several decades.

http://www.auditthefed.com/

by the breath of His mouth

Psalms 33:6
By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.



We serve an awesome mighty God. Ponder on the fact that all that was discussed in that video was made by the breath of our all mighty God!

I stand humbled and amazed.

p.s. For those of you reading this in facebook, I put a link to the video in the comments.

The church

Before I get into this post, I want to point you to the Schroeder's blog here: http://jkschroeder.blogspot.com/ They also have a caring bridge site here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jordanschroeder
They're great ways to stay updated on current prayer needs.


I recently received a thought-provoking email from a friend. What could we do we do well as a denomination? What could we improve on? Do you agree with the author?I thought I would share some of these thoughts by Kim Riddlebarger. I think he hits on some great points that get us thinking about the church, its purpose, and what is really important. This is not an entire article, but rather a few excerpts.

--

"Like water running downhill, [lowest common denominator churches] have taken the line of least resistance. They settle for the lowest point so as to be most attractive to all. Sadly, all these same churches now look alike and sound alike. They are no longer divided by doctrine or their histories. The only real difference among them is in the programs they offer....The focus of the church of the lowest common denominator is me. The sermon is about problems I face. The music is music I like. The church service is designed to entertain me. That explains why they all look and sound so much alike. Somehow, God got lost in all the talk about my felt needs. The theology of the church of the lowest common denominator is utterly man-centered. It is all about me—or at least that's how I am made to feel....

The solution is to take the focus off me, and put it back where it belongs, on God. Instead of the church of the lowest common denominator, a...church should be the church of the highest common denominator. But what does a church of the highest common denominator look like? It looks like this—it is a church where the theology, worship and evangelism is God-centered, not man-centered.

In a God-centered church of the highest common denominator, God is the evangelist, not the minister, and where every member is an ambassador of Christ. Instead of adopting an unbiblical “seeker” philosophy, in which the church “dumbs-down” its worship service, supposedly, to reach non-Christians...Christians are to take very seriously what the Bible says about “seekers.” They don't exist! According to Paul “there is no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:11). Rather, our confidence is in the God who seeks sinners!

How does God seek sinners? He seeks them through his preached word (Romans 10:14)! Therefore, a growing...church is a word-centered church. A church of the highest common denominator is a church where the word of God is preached....It is a place where the promises that God makes in his word are trusted and diligently sought....the minister is not an entertainer but a preacher....not a motivator, but a man of prayer. He is not a manager, but a student of God's word. The members of such a church likewise attend to the word. They read it, they learn it, and they teach it to their children.

[It] is a church where the law is preached in all its terror, the gospel in all its sweetness, and where the Christian life is centered in gratitude for all that God has done for us in Christ. The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper will be prominent, since these are holy signs and seals for us to see, and which confirm in our hearts the faith produced by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the word. These are the “techniques” God uses to move sinners to repentance and to confirm the saints in the joy and comfort of their salvation. Programs are fine as they serve and support the preached word and sacraments. But they can never replace them. Why? Programs are about me. Word and sacrament are about God."

Prayer for the Schroeders

This is a call to prayer. Below is a picture of Jordan & Katelyn Schroeder and their two little girls. The email is from Jordan's sister and explains the need for prayer. Katelyn had the following verse posted to her facebook account this morning:Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.Will you join me in praying that verse into their life today?


















From: Lindsey Getz
Subject: Jordan
To:
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 4:19 PM

Jordan & Katelyn ended up meeting with the doctor today. She told them Jordan has Stage 4 cancer because the cancer is not just in his pelvis but has moved to his lungs (as shown on the PET scan). Chemotherapy is still a treatment option, but the doctor thinks his cancer is incurable (and gives him two years to live). They meet again with the doctors tomorrow to go over all of the results, determine next steps, etc.

Our God is a big God...so keep praying for a miracle of healing. Please keep our family in your prayers...especially Jordan & Katelyn and their two girls (Jaycee & Arawen) as they face the difficulties ahead.

Linds

Amazing...Grace

This video touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. The Lord brought to my mind a picture of me in the bottom of a slave ship called SIN, and Christ, to show His mercy and grace, reached down into the filthy stinking bowels of that ship and pulled me out. But He didn't stop at just pulling me out of this filth. He immediately put the most beautiful white robe over my shoulders and declared me righteous before the Creator God of the Universe.

It is here I stand, the only place I could stand - beneath this robe of righteousness - trusting in God's promise of sanctification. God forgive me when my flesh pulls me back toward the filth of that ship.

John Newton, the author of the song in the video said this: "I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be. Yet I can truly say, I am not what I once was."

And to that I say Amen.

May God use this video to touch you like it touched me.

Paul's authority

Here is an excerpt from a sermon by John Macarthur. He's talking about Paul's authority and therefore the scripture's authority. There are a couple of links at the bottom.So Paul says, "I'm a divinely appointed apostle." Now, I want to just take a minute, because I think this is so extremely important. I hope you realize that the message of the apostles is the inspired Word of God as we have it in the New Testament, and that we are to be subject and submissive to the word of the apostles. They are the authority that speak in the behalf of Jesus Christ. And this is extremely important.

I met a man at that conference at Forest Home who said to me, after I had spoken about the apostle Paul and given some information about the things that Paul said regarding sin, he said, "Well," he said, "of course, you have to remember that not everything Paul said is relevant." And he said, "Of course," he says, "I just don't buy everything he said." Well, at that point, you see, you're doing exactly what the false teachers did in Galatia. You're stating that Paul has no right to speak authoritatively. And Paul says, "Wait a minute. I'm an apostle. I have been commissioned to speak authoritatively for Christ. These aren't my words. They're his."

So Paul insists, then, that he has credentials to speak because he is an apostle by title, and his apostleship was not conferred humanly, but it was conferred by God through Christ. The very God who raised Jesus from the dead gave him his right to speak. He is no secondhand apostle. In Galatians 1:11, look what he says. "I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." He's saying, "What I'm telling you no one ever taught me. I got it straight from Christ Himself." And that, beloved, is what an apostle is.

And so Paul states his authority through his title and through the manner in which he was chosen. Thirdly, he states his authority through his association. He says, "And all the brethren who are with me, unto the churches of Galatia." And this is kind of an inference rather than a direct statement. But you'll notice, while calling himself an apostle, he calls the rest of those with him brethren. He's distinguishing himself clearly from the others.

He is happy to associate with them. He unashamedly adds them to the list to...really, he says, "They're writing along with me. They agree with what I'm going to say." But at the same time he gives himself the title apostle and gives them the title brothers, showing that there is a great difference. Now, let me say that this is so very important, people. There is a tremendous difference between the brethren and the apostles. I hope you understand that.

So Paul establishes his authority as an apostle. Let me add a footnote, because I think it's important. The modern radical theologian, like would be illustrated by the young man that I mentioned, who said that you don't always believe what Paul said. This man says this, and you need to watch this. The radical modern theologian says that the apostles were just, now watch it, they were just first century witnesses to Jesus Christ. And they wrote what they thought as they witnessed the Christ event.

We are 20th century witnesses, and our witness of Christ as we look at Him active in the world today and as we look over history in the past, our witness is just as good, and some say it's better, because we have more information. In other words, they are equalizing us with the apostles. C.H. Dodd, who has done some very serious and helpful writing in many areas of Biblical commentary, says this, "Sometimes I think Paul is wrong, and I have ventured to say so." Now, that is a typical radical modern liberal view, that the apostles were just witnesses. They wrote their own thoughts. And you and I are witnesses of the Christ event. We can write what we want. So the Bible may or may not be that significant.

But Paul would deny that with every breath in his body. He was called of God, not by man or men, by Jesus Christ, God the Father, and he is set apart from the brethren in the churches. He is not what they are. He is an apostle. He is a special messenger, chosen by God. And what the apostles said was what Christ really wanted to be said through them.

In John 13:20, talking about these disciples and apostles, Jesus said, listen to this tremendous statement, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me. And he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me." He says, "I'm going to send you out, and whoever receives you is receiving me. You go in my place." In John 14:26, He said to the apostles, "The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, shall teach you all things, bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you." Did you get that?

A lot of people want to apply that verse to all the Christians who live today. Well, you could in a secondary and a very general sense, but that verse was meant for the apostles. "He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you," means, "I'll give you the information you need to write the New Testament. They had a very special and a very unique place. And so we reject the radical, modern, liberal view that they're just a few guys who had an opportunity to see these things, they wrote what they thought and our testimony is just as good.

Another interesting view is the Catholic view. The Catholic theologian says that the church wrote the Bible, and that these guys were just officials of the church. And you know what's so significant about that? They say the church wrote the Bible, and these guys were just officials of the church, which means that the church, any time it wants, can add to the Bible. And that's why, in the Catholic church, tradition is equal to Scripture. Because, since the church wrote the Bible, anything the church wants to say can be added to the Bible.

It doesn't say Paul was an apostle of the church. Paul was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. They received their authority not from the organization but from God Himself. It's divine. It's not ecclesiastical and it's not human. It's divine. It was God who accredited him. Now, listen, beloved, we find something very important here, and that is this. It is the question of Biblical authority. Our lives are to be subject to Jesus Christ as He speaks through His apostles. And what He says through Paul is really authoritative as if Jesus said it.

I remember a man who was really a strange kind of a guy. And he was the same guy that I think I told you about, sold everything and got ready for the Lord to come in a certain year. And he always carried a red-letter Bible. And I don't like red-letter Bibles. In fact, I don't like them at all. But anyway, he always carried red-letter Bibles. You know why I don't like a red-letter Bible? Why do you think that what Jesus said is any more important than what Paul said? Why should that be in red? Every bit of it was written by God Himself. Well, this guy said to me, he said, "I only believe the part in red." That's exactly what he said.

Listen, the part in black, written by Paul or Peter or James or John or Jude or the writer of Hebrews, that is just as important as if Jesus said it. Why? Because He did say it, through them. Biblical authority, our lives are to be subject to Jesus Christ speaking through His apostles. The proper authority is not vested in human opinion. It's not even vested in the consensus of the church. It's vested in apostolic authority. And when the early church got together, they studied the apostles' doctrine. You know, I make no apology for believing everything Paul said. I make no apology. Paul does not write as one commissioned by the church. He speaks for Jesus Christ. So his authority is established.Here's the transcript of the entire sermon, and here's the audio link.

Audit the Fed - the senate version

http://www.ronpaul.com/2009-07-16/audit-the-fed-bill-now-has-13-co-sponsors-in-the-senate/

Check it out.

Joy?

James 1:2-4
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

What's your heart response when "encountering various trials"? Do you praise God for the endurance producing nature of the trial? Do you cling to the promise of a "perfect result". Do you lean forward expectantly to coming one step closer to being complete in Christ - lacking nothing?

Our flesh wants to run from trials - hide - avoid - squirm out from under them. Our natural inclination is to see trials as negative obstacles to our comfort. The fewer trials we encounter the better.

Too often that mindset leads us down un-Biblical paths. It leads us to the path of conformity for comfort's sake. It leads us to compromise truth. It leads us to compromise love. It leads us to compromise the Gospel.

Let us heed the words of Ephesians 5:20(always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God...)in all things, but let us be especially mindful to be thankful for the trials.

We serve a Sovereign God who is in complete control, and He is good. Let that thought never be far from our minds.

Peace

Who has bewitched you?

Galatians 3:1-4
1. You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified ?
2. This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith ?
3. Are you so foolish ? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh ?
4. Did you suffer so many things in vain -if indeed it was in vain ?

How many of us would dare to stand and say, "It was through a work I worked that brought me to salvation."? Hopefully none of us.

Yet how many of us fall into the trap of thinking we can be perfected by the flesh? Do we think that by looking a certain way, talking a certain way, or praying a certain way that we can be perfected by that? Do we lose sight of the glorious grace of Christ that drug us out of the filth of sin and instead begin trusting again in the works of our flesh?

Paul used extremely strong language in confronting the Galatians about this problem. Have you confronted your heart about this?

Our receiving of the Spirit to salvation is completely a work of Christ and our sanctification toward perfection is also completely a work of Christ. Let us, today, fall before him in Worshipful gratitude for bestowing on us, and working in us, a gift we do not deserve.

Ephesians 2:8-10
8. For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ;
9. not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

"I'll check for my test results one more time before I leave", I thought to myself as I clicked on the website for the 3rd time that day.

This is what came up.

Current Request Status
Official test results will be mailed by CTS subject to licensor approval
Request Date:	1/2/2009
Request Status:	Closed
Special:
Exam Location:	PEORIA
Overall Exam Results	Pass
Deficiency
Exam Name Exam Date Grade Fundamentals of Eng. 4/24/2009 Endorsed Princ. and Practice 4/24/2009 Pass

What that screens says is that I passed my Professional Engineering Exam and am now a licensed engineer in the state of IL!

All praise and glory go to God. I was less-than confident of a positive outcome. The test was much harder than I anticipated.

I still get a little giddy looking at that word "pass".

Big thanks to those of you who were praying for me back in April as I went to sit for this exam.

God Bless!

Can Government do a better job with Health Care?

Listen to the man. He has very informed and well researched opinions. This is a subject that's worth having an opinion over.

Burning Cash

The amount of our money the government has spent on this financial crisis is mind blowing.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/06/bailout-costs-vs-big-historical-events/

Audit The Fed

The Federal Reserve has loaned out and given away Trillions of dollars of tax-payers money in the last several months. This has been done quietly and without much media coverage. They have very little oversight and even less transparency in their dealings. And they are not required to disclose who they give this money too. After watching this video, please sign this petition to encourage your representative to support the "Audit the Fed" bill that's working it's way through Congress.



Ron Paul introduced this bill to Congress in February with the following speech: Madame Speaker,

I rise to introduce the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has presided over the near-complete destruction of the United States dollar. Since 1913 the dollar has lost over 95% of its purchasing power, aided and abetted by the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy. How long will we as a Congress stand idly by while hard-working Americans see their savings eaten away by inflation? Only big-spending politicians and politically favored bankers benefit from inflation.

Serious discussion of proposals to oversee the Federal Reserve is long overdue. I have been a longtime proponent of more effective oversight and auditing of the Fed, but I was far from the first Congressman to advocate these types of proposals. Esteemed former members of the Banking Committee such as Chairmen Wright Patman and Henry B. Gonzales were outspoken critics of the Fed and its lack of transparency.

Since its inception, the Federal Reserve has always operated in the shadows, without sufficient scrutiny or oversight of its operations. While the conventional excuse is that this is intended to reduce the Fed’s susceptibility to political pressures, the reality is that the Fed acts as a foil for the government. Whenever you question the Fed about the strength of the dollar, they will refer you to the Treasury, and vice versa. The Federal Reserve has, on the one hand, many of the privileges of government agencies, while retaining benefits of private organizations, such as being insulated from Freedom of Information Act requests.

The Federal Reserve can enter into agreements with foreign central banks and foreign governments, and the GAO is prohibited from auditing or even seeing these agreements. Why should a government-established agency, whose police force has federal law enforcement powers, and whose notes have legal tender status in this country, be allowed to enter into agreements with foreign powers and foreign banking institutions with no oversight? Particularly when hundreds of billions of dollars of currency swaps have been announced and implemented, the Fed’s negotiations with the European Central Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, and other institutions should face increased scrutiny, most especially because of their significant effect on foreign policy. If the State Department were able to do this, it would be characterized as a rogue agency and brought to heel, and if a private individual did this he might face prosecution under the Logan Act, yet the Fed avoids both fates.

More importantly, the Fed’s funding facilities and its agreements with the Treasury should be reviewed. The Treasury’s supplementary financing accounts that fund Fed facilities allow the Treasury to funnel money to Wall Street without GAO or Congressional oversight. Additional funding facilities, such as the Primary Dealer Credit Facility and the Term Securities Lending Facility, allow the Fed to keep financial asset prices artificially inflated and subsidize poorly performing financial firms.

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act would eliminate restrictions on GAO audits of the Federal Reserve and open Fed operations to enhanced scrutiny. We hear officials constantly lauding the benefits of transparency and especially bemoaning the opacity of the Fed, its monetary policy, and its funding facilities. By opening all Fed operations to a GAO audit and calling for such an audit to be completed by the end of 2010, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act would achieve much-needed transparency of the Federal Reserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. More Info

Learning 'bout Lazarus

I have heard the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead so many times I though there was nothing left to learn.

Last night I told/read the story to my 4th grade class at VBS. It's amazing how much more you can get out of a story when you have to teach it. I can't say I really "learned" anything new, but the story just came alive to me in ways it hadn't before. I experienced the story more than I ever have. I felt the pain of the mourners. I saw their confused looks as Christ called a command to a dead man in a dark cave. I saw the incredulity as Lazarus, bound in grave clothes, came staggering out. I sensed their hesitation when Christ commanded someone to unwrap him. Would've I have been the first to move help Lazarus out of his wrappings?

Praise God for the truth of His Word!

2 Years of Wedded Bliss!

It was two year ago today that I watched Heidi walk down the aisle and took her to be my wife! She's been more of a blessing to me than I ever could have imagined. I praise God that He brought her into my life and placed in each of us a love for the other. As I think back over the past two years, I know that my prideful stubborn self could not have achieved the beauty our time together has shown. All glory and praise to God our father for placing in us a supernatural love and patience toward each other. Not that it's been a perfect love or a perfect patience, but, thank God, He's refining us more every day. I look forward to many wonderful years together as we grow towards our Savior's likeness.

I love you Heidi Knapp.

Beautiful Mind

Stephen Wiltshire has been called the "Human Camera." In this short excerpt from the film Beautiful Minds: A Voyage into the Brain, Wiltshire takes a helicopter journey over Rome and then draws a panoramic view of what he saw, entirely from memory.



Psalm 139:14 - I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Preaching

I recently read an article by John Piper explaining what he means by the word "Preaching". Here are several quotes that struck me.-The preacher's job is to minimize his own opinions and deliver the truth of God. Every sermon should explain the Bible and then apply it to people's lives.
-The preacher should do that in a way that enables you to see that the points he is making actually come from the Bible. If you can't see that they come from the Bible, your faith will end up resting on a man and not on God's word.

-Preaching is also exultation. This means that the preacher does not just explain what's in the Bible, and the people do not simply try understand what he explains. Rather, the preacher and the people exult over what is in the Bible as it is being explained and applied.
-Preaching does not come after worship in the order of the service. Preaching is worship. The preacher worships—exults—over the word, trying his best to draw you into a worshipful response by the power of the Holy Spirit.

-I standing vigilantly on the precipice of eternity speaking to people who this week could go over the edge whether they are ready to or not. I will be called to account for what I said there.

-That's what I mean by preaching.

Landscaping

This is what my wonderful wife did Wednesday, on her day off. It makes our house look so much more "homey". :-)

Building Feat

Life has an interesting slide show on the construction of the Empire State Building.

Things above

Colossians 3:1-4 NASB
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

We had our young couples Bible study last night on Colossians 3. I was drawn to the commands in verses 1 and 2. Keep seeking the things above...Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.

Our thought processes drive our motives, and our motives drive our actions. How often do we get caught up in horizontal earthly thoughts and end up making decisions with the wrong heart motives?

Christ never once lost his eternal perspective. His thoughts were always focused on the Father. He never once acted out of earthly/fleshly motive.

As I see how far short I fall from this standard, I'm drawn to verses 3 and 4. My life is hidden with Christ and when, in the last days, he is revealed in glory, I will be there with him!

What an awesome promise to come right after such a high calling. Let's remember that it is only Christ who can work out such a high calling in our hearts and give him all the glory honor and praise for any and all our spiritual successes.

Kids!

They say the darndest things!

Plug for Alan

My friend Alan recently started back to graduate school to get a master's degree in social work in order to work with troubled children and families. As a result, he will not be able to keep his full-time job, but work part-time instead for the next two years. In an effort to try to supplement some income, he has started his own business that he can manage during his free time. A part of his business is hosting an online store for exclusive Amway Global products along with many regular name brand products from partner stores such as ACE Hardware, Barnes & Noble, Dell, and Office Depot.

He is looking for people that would have interest in setting up an online shopping account for his store (no cost) and consider purchasing some of the products. There is a wide variety of products to choose from. Some that you might shop for on a regular basis, such as snack bars, juice, bottled water, laundry detergent, tissue paper, skin care, etc... and others that might be just for special occasion shopping like wedding and baby gifts.

If you are interested in checking out the store, you can go to www.quixtar.com and browse it. If you like what you see or have any questions, drop Alan an email at alan_banwart@yahoo.com and tell him you would like a free online account. Alan also mentioned that if anyone sets up an account and place an order by the end of the month, they will be placed in a drawing to receive a $50 gift certificate to the store. Thank you for considering this opportunity.

Just Do Something

Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will Get your copy

About the book... Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God's will don't work. It's time to try something new: Give up. Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through. Too often, he writes, God's people tinker around with churches, jobs, and relationships, worrying that they haven't found God's perfect will for their lives. Or—even worse—they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction. But God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed his plan for our lives: to love him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like. No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just do something. At 128 pages, it is a concise treatment on a topic of interest to us all.

What people are saying... "God told me that He wants you to read this book. Actually, that is one of the many mistaken notions about God's will that Kevin DeYoung wants to correct." --Collin Hansen, Editor at Large, Christianity Today "The truth is that God is more committed to showing you His will than you are to discovering it. This book shows that discovering God's will happens not as we 'let go and let God,' but as we trust God and get going." --Tullian Tchividjian, Pastor, New City Church “DeYoung explains so well what Oswald Chambers wrote a century ago, ‘Trust God and do the next thing.’ Sadly our wrongheaded search for the elusive ‘will of God’ often prevents us from doing both. This book will help correct that problem.” --Gerald L. Sittser, Professor of Theology, Whitworth University Get your copy