And He Said ...

"If you love Me, keep My commandments." ~ John 14:15

...But I can't do that ... it would be awkward.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
People will be offended if I say that.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
People won't like me.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
My friends will think I'm judgmental.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."
(Insert other excuse here.)
"IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."


It doesn't matter what we say, what excuse we devise to try and get out of things. In the end, when God asks us why we did not do something, His word will stand. If we love Him, we HAVE to do what He told us to do. We can't be afraid of what others think. We have to step out of the box and be not of this world!

The Word of God speaks!! -- James 1

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless

VBS

Blood of Christ

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be sef-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has reaceived a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God: whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies-in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Chris. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Learning to love the community of Christ again takes effort, heart of servitude and God's grace. It's definitely not easy but the hope and faith that God will restore and rebuild His love in my church is much more than the hatred and bitterness that is going on. Let the blood of Christ run through our vein so we may love each other the way He loved us.

Let's Go Get Some Invisible Things!

 II Corinthians 4: 18

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things 

which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.








we outttttttttt

For Such a Time

Esther 4: 3-4, 13-16

³ In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish.

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

How do we react when we see people's needs? How do we respond?

When Esther found out that her people were grieving, she "writhed in great anguish."

She wasn't merely concerned; she saw and she responded.

After hearing the news of Haman's plot to destroy the Jews, she prepared to confront the king by praying and fasting and she asked all the people to do the same. Esther knew how to make decisions.

Guard your heart, just don't follow it...

Proverbs 4:23- Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.


Jeremiah 17:9- The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

A daring believer

Open the flood gates of heaven.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said. Matthew 14:22-29

We probably read this so many times at sunday school, sunday service, vbs, retreat, conference, qts and even in group discussion. In our head, we know this story back and forth (thats what we reason)

Forgetting what Jesus had done with the loaves of bread and fish, the disciples terrified and where the heck did ghost come from anyways.

The best part of this story is when Peter having conversation with Jesus through the storm. He did not say things like save me oh Lord(well later on yes) or go ahead calm the storm or God do what you always do and will watch it from the side line. Peter said "tell me.."

Is Peter challenging Jesus? haha Peter's confidence in Jesus blew my mind.. i guess God knew and have faith in Peter.

What a daring man and Jesus said come.

Science Confirms the Bible

Science Confirms the Bible

THE BIBLE (2,000–3,000 years ago)	SCIENCE THEN	SCIENCE NOW
The earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22).	The earth was a flat disk.	The earth is a sphere.
Innumerable stars (Jeremiah 33:22).	Only 1,100 stars.	Innumerable stars.
Free float of earth in space (Job 26:7).	Earth sat on a large animal.	Free float of earth in space.
Creation made of invisible elements (Hebrews11:3).	Science was ignorant on the subject.	Creation made of invisible elements (atoms).
Each star is different (1 Corinthians 15:41).	All stars were the same.	Each star is different.
Light moves (Job 38:19,20).	Light was fixed in place.	Light moves.
Air has weight (Job 28:25).	Air was weightless.	Air has weight.
Winds blow in cyclones (Ecclesiastes 1:6).	Winds blew straight.	Winds blow in cyclones.
Blood is the source of life and health (Leviticus 17:11).	Sick people must be bled.	Blood is the source of life and health.
Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains (2 Samuel 22:16; Jonah 2:6).	The ocean floor was flat.	Ocean floor contains deep valleys and mountains.
Ocean contains springs (Job 38:16).	Ocean fed only by rivers and rain.	Ocean contains springs.
When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water (Leviticus 15:13).	Hands washed in still water.	When dealing with disease, hands should be washed under running water.

Psalm 25:16-17

dont you dare forget

via Anna Srigiri

Prayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6nHLg1Y7-M

Hope you guys are blessed by this video ....it reminded me that God sees our pain even if no one else ever does ..and that He is always God no matter what life throws at us ..so be encouraged

on my own blog I spoke about prayer this morning ...here's a passage on Intercession by E. M. Bounds:

The men who have thus communed with God and who have sought after Him with their whole hearts have always risen to consecrated eminence, and no man has ever risen to this eminence whose flames of holy desire have not all been dead to the world and all aglow for God and heaven. Nor have they ever risen to the heights of the higher spiritual experiences unless prayer and the spirit of prayer have been conspicuous and controlling factors in their lives.

The entire consecration of many of Gods children stands out distinctly like towering mountain peaks. Why is this? How did they ascend to these heights? What brought them so near to God? What made them so Christ-like? The answer is easy -- prayer. They prayed much, prayed long, and drank deeper and deeper still. They asked, they sought, and they knocked, till heaven opened its richest inner treasures of grace to them. Prayer was the Jacobs Ladder by which they scaled those holy and blessed heights, and the way by which the angels of God came down to and ministered to them.

The men of spiritual mould and might always value prayer. They took time to be alone with God. Their praying was no hurried performance. They had many serious wants to be relieved, and many weighty pleas they had to offer. Many large supplies they must secure. They had to do much silent waiting before God, and much patient iteration and reiteration to utter to Him. Prayer was the only channel through which supplies came, and was the only way to utter pleas. The only acceptable waiting before God of which they knew anything was prayer. They valued praying. It was more precious to them than all jewels, more excellent than any good, more to be valued than the greatest good of earth. They esteemed it, valued it, prized it, and did it. They pressed it to its farthest limits, tested its greatest results, and secured its most glorious patrimony. To them prayer was the one great thing to be appreciated and used.

I hope each and every one of us is pushed to pray this week ...Pray without ceasing!! One thing I encourage us to do if we are struggling in prayer (and this works for me) is to help play a worship song while you're praying so you can focus (my mind gets distracted easily and this helps me focus) and also to just started speaking with God as you would with a friend instead of just going to Him with requests (which is fine but make a habit of talking with God as with a friend, that is what He is!!! a friend!) ..have a conversation ..let it be natural ..not rehearsed or planned out ..remember Jesus in the garden? He was talking with God but really just pouring out His heart ..share what's on your heart and as your desires line up with His desires you'll automatically start praying for the things you should!! just try it and you'll see :)

LIFE...

Here's something to think about:


We often think about things or events as a result of something 
right? Life happens, death happens, good things happen, bad things 
happen, but all these things are a consequence of something. 


When Lazarus died, and Jesus told Martha, her brother would rise again, she said 
in John 11:24 : "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection in the last day." 
She had the same mentality as most of us humans.  She believed Lazarus 
would rise again as a consequence of something.  As a consequence of when 
eternity comes, then only then would he rise.  But Jesus went on destroy that 
notion.  Notice what he says in verse 25, "Jesus said unto her, "I am the 
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live..."


What is Jesus saying?  Basically, it's not that Jesus has the ability to go 
get life somewhere and give it to Lazarus, or he could find some way to resurrect him.  
Jesus is saying, He himself is the resurrection, and He himself is life.  
Those things abide in Him. It's a subtle yet great difference. There's no caveat attached to 
life or death with Him.  Death couldn't defeat Jesus, because He is life itself.  

Psalm 103:1-5

Hey guys this passage has been on my heart lately, especially the last verse and the idea of our youth or our zeal being renewed, so I wanted to share it:

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Extraordinary Commoner

Extraordinary circumstances call for unusual decisions- choices made against the prevailing messages of our day- against the decision to be content with an apathetic, unfruitful lifestyle.

Common choices lead to common mistakes, leading to common regrets. "Common", meaning people's usual decision to be content with things as they are.

When Paul said that he had learned how to be content, he understood that he was not in control of his circumstances, but he also understood that he could control his response. He chose to express joy in the face of possible death.

His choices were exceptional and uncommon.

His life was extraordinary.

rainbows are cool

LIVE

Ezekiel 16:6 :: And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood,
I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou 
wast in thy blood, Live.

Word

Don't Forget.....ever

Jesus Loves Me

One of the basic truths we learn as kids...That Jesus loves You. Just wanted to post some of the lyrics from You Love Me Anyway by Sidewalk Prophets.

"I am the thorn in your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas' kiss
But You love me anyway
See now I am the man who yelled out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then I turned away with a smile on my face
With this sin in my heart, tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night I still call out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway
Oh God, how You love me
Yes You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life
That I've ever known
Yes You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me"

Humbled... again

Isaiah 5:15-16

People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

Sometimes when I don't notice it, I manage to lose myself and lose control of my pride. It's amazing though, how God manages to put you back in your place. It's amazing how He humbles you and how He Himself is exalted in the process. It reminds me of King Nebuchadnezzar and how he was humbled to the point where he had lost everything that he had, even his sanity (Daniel 4:28-33). When God finally returned his understanding back to him, he realized that he had put himself before God and had forgotten all the things that God had done for him. After that old Neb worshiped God and said those famous words,

"For His dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom [is] from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And [among] the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'"

 God's always up there showing us who's boss, it only matters if we take note and worship Him for who He is.

Bible Study

IBF was awesome there were many new things I learned, one of the workshops was taken by Mike Attwood called How to Study the Bible-Rightly Dividing God's Word. There was a couple of basics of the Bible he told us we need to master. They include 7 Kingdom Parables, 7 Dispensations, 7 Churches of Asia Minor, 7 Covenants, 7 Signs in John's Gospel, 7 Feasts, and 5 Levitical Offerings. I was really encouraged and want to start learning and mastering these few basics, right now I am starting the 5 offerings, and I want to encourage you to start mastering the basics.

"Learn" To Be Content

Your not born being content because its something you have to learn to be.
The Bible says “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
(Phillippians 4:11)

Because he holds fast to me in love...

Psalm 91
¹⁴"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. ¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him ¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Through the good and the bad I find myself holding fast ....see, it doesn't matter what we are going through ..what matters is who we are holding on to ...and that person is Jesus ..

so long as we are holding on to Him, things will turn out more than ok in the end ...why? because He is constant, we can count on Him ...situations come and go, seasons change but He is the same always ...

we learn to hold fast in love ...and we learn that He delivers us ...we feel the security that comes from His protection ..we know whom we love, serve and worship and because of this we are confident ..We know that when we call to our God we have received an answer, it's a matter of figuring out what that answer is ..He has promised to be with us through trouble, to rescue and honor us ...all this because we hold fast to Him in love ...doesn't this make you want to love God all the more??

Signs

Worship Beyond the Pews

A Worship- Hungry Heart

People on a plane and people on a pew have a lot in common:

All are on a journey. Most are well-behaved and presentable. Some
doze, and others gaze out the window. For many, the mark of a good
flight and the mark of a good worship assembly are the same. “Nice,”
we like to say. “It was a nice flight" or "It was a nice worship service.”
A few, however, are not content with nice. They long for something
more. The boy who just passed me did. I heard him before I saw him. I
was already in my seat when he asked, “Will they really let me meet
the pilot?” The question floated into the cockpit, causing the pilot
to lean out.
“Well, come on in.”
With a nod from his mom, the youngster entered the cockpit’s world of
controls and gauges and emerged minutes later with eyes wide. “Wow!”
he exclaimed. “I’m so glad to be on this plane!”
No one else’s face showed such wonder. I studied the faces of the
other passengers but found no such enthusiasm. I mostly saw
contentment: travelers content to be on the plane, content to be
closer to their destination, content to be out of the airport,
content to sit and stare and say little.
Do you see why I say that people on a plane and people on a pew have
a lot in common? Enter a church sanctuary and look at the faces.
Content to be there. Content to sit and look straight ahead and leave
when the service is over. “Seek and you will find,” Jesus promised
(Matt. 7:7). And since a nice service is what we seek, a nice service
is usually what we find.
A few, however, seek more. A few come with the childlike enthusiasm
of the boy. And those few leave as he did, wide-eyed with the wonder
of having stood in the presence of the pilot himself.
_______________________________________- Max Lucado

Our faces, then, are not covered,

We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like him

2 Corinthians 3:18

God desires to take our faces, this exposed and memorable part of our bodies, and uses them to reflect his goodness.

Take heart, children of God- come, let us worship and bow down

let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker

For He, yes He- is our God

and we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.

Worship changes the face of the worshiper...until all who look upon her face see the unmistakable radiance of one who has seen God.