Be careful ...

Judges 1:28 "And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out"

Judges 2:7 "So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua , and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel"

Judges 2:10 "When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel"

Judges 2: 11-12 "Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger"

Disobedience to God's commands ALWAYS has consequences. In Judges we see a cycle of Rebellion, Retribution, Repentance and Restoration over and over and over again. We see God's mercies time and time again. He brings deliverance for a sinful people over and over and over again. The Canaanites stayed in the land, they "dwelt" among them. They influenced them, their thoughts and their ways. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU ALLOW TO HAVE INFLUENCE OVER YOU. God calls His people to come out and be separate, to be set apart, to be holy.

vs 7 is so awesome and vs 10 is so sad. You and I have the chance to be the Joshua of our generation so that the people of our time can be influenced in a way where they are led to God and live a lifestyle of following after Him. Let us influence those in our lives and in our generation in a way so that they will pass on that truth to the future generations so they will not forget what God once did for us.

The Bible is full of hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. If we would only meditate on the Word of God and allow Him to speak to us on a daily basis He would speak to us more often than we expect. He will be our guide every moment. I am loving reading through Judges and I never thought I would. It has been so long since I read Judges but God is speaking to me through every page. I encourage you to discipline yourself to read God's word. He has something to say to you. Are you ready to listen?

-Lisa

L . O . V . E

Hey guys ..wanted to encourage you all to be strong and stay strong ..I know we are all very busy and in different places in our lives ..some of us might not see each other or interact with each other as often as we used to but lets keep our heads up and try and communicate and pray for one other as often as we can ..after all, it is Christ and His love that unites us and that bond, no matter what, can never be broken!! ..love you guys!

-Lisa

encouragement.

           Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for 50, Aristotle  for 40, and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ's three year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from him.
           Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in hymns, symphonies, and oratories they composed in his praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble carpenter of Nazareth.

                                                                                                                         -Stephen F. Olford.

yeaaaaaaaah boy

New Song

Psalm 40:3

"He put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord"

the song I wrote to God this morning in my time with Him ...wanted to share:

Your heart is for me

Your eyes look on me

And I am undone

You see me for who I am

Tainted and scarred

Deeply wounded and ashamed

Yet Your love is constant

Through the countless times I've failed

All the times I've fallen

I can't look at You Lord

I don't know how to face You

You gently remind me

There's still a long way to go

Your heart is for the broken

Your wounds were for the weak

You always knew that I would fall

Still Your heart was set on me

I keep running back to You

You choose to love and always give

Knowing I'd often be unfaithful

You care for me the same

Your heart is for me

Always for me

When all else fails

When all else is falling

You are there

You remain

When I stumble

In the midst of my sin

Your heart is for me

Your grace, to catch me

Your compassion, it draws me

Your forgiveness, it covers my shame

Your mercy clothes me in humility

Your heart is for me ...yet again

-LM 11/11/11

At times, all else may fail but there is one thing that remains...

A love that never [fails]...that never 

[gives up]...that never [runs out]

Beautiful Things

Just a short video I made in my backyard displaying some of God's beautiful creations.
He really does make beautiful things :)

Watch in HD!

-There may be a copyright error so just click that youtube sign [↑] on the video box

Dr. Fink

Just because we receive a sign doesn't necessarily mean that what we had intended in our heart is the direction we should go. Many times God can give us a sign in order to prove our self control in that area. God is always concerned whether we are obedient to what He wants in regards to work...school...ministry and relationships. What is the will of God in your work...school...ministry...and relationships? We are farmers by nature *2 tim 2*, and so farmers gravitate towards those decisions and areas that are producing growth, but Satan knows this nature of ours and often times throws things in our way to get us going away from God's will. See, God has a perfect will.. there is the good, the greater, the best, and the blessed decision. The blessed decision is the decision that Lord had planned out for you way before He even created you. God is still able to make a crooked path straight, so despite poor decision-making, it is not too late for the Lord to turn things around. If we choose to be disobedient to the will of God in regards to work, school, ministry and most importantly, relationships, we will be cutting short of the wonderful pleasure that we have in Him and the work of His kingdom. Seek His will through the Word, His people, and His invisible spirit.

Enough Said

11 And do this knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therfore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

--Romans 13

God, my time grows shorter with each day. Let me not waste it on the worthless trappings of this world.

Grace

Lately I've been struggling with the concept of grace.

The fact that nothing we do or don't do can separate us from it.

There is no way you can drift so far away from it.

There is no way you can out-sin it.

All we can do is accept it, for what it is it's a blessing.

It's deeper than that it's a testament.

We are made new from the day we professed his name.

Even those days that we make his name an open shame.

At the end of the day it's your shell you blame.

Cuz God sees Jesus, believe me your appearance changed.

Sometimes the things I do I know I'm a disgrace.

But every time I check if I left-wait no I'm still there, I'm still caught up in his embrace.

This is grace.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him.

For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we shall live with him.

Sin has lost its power, death has lost its sting.

Break Free- Committed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8cRgDOYUxY&NR=1

This is my favorite a Capella group from The Sing-off...they kept their identity in Christ past the very last moment, when they won. Be committed.

Danny's Still playing