Friday, July 20, 2007
Indescribable
I just got home from a family vacation to Yosemite and the surrounding areas. The only words I can use to describe what I saw is breath-taking or awe-inspiring, but what it truly is is indescribable. God's creativity, His absolute power is wonderfully amazing and all together captivating. I wonder as I see things such as these how people could think these things happened "by accident", how they couldn't believe there was an all powerful and sovereign Lord and creator behind it all. Here are just a few snapshots of God's art:
Sunday, July 08, 2007
How Great Is Our God in ALL the Earth
This past week I had the privilege of spending a week in El Porvenir, Mexico spreading the love and name of Jesus Christ! From the times of sweet worship and edifying teaching to the serving that the Lord called us to do, God was magnified. Twenty one students from Compass alongside three leaders joined up with 14 others from a few churches down to Casa de Paz (House of Peace), a Christian run orphanage. It was awesome to see how God not only stretched each one of us in different ways whether physically or spiritually, but also how He proved His greatness to each and every one of us.
One specific experience that really magnified His greatness to me was at the local outreach we had. On our way to the location we lost half of the drinks we had needed (we had brought just enough for 150 people and that is one drink each), so one of the Pastors on the trip headed back to pick up some water. I had instructed the students helping me that we should only give ONE drink to each person, after thinking for about two seconds Matthew 10:42 came to mind, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward". It was at that moment that I realized what a small view of God I had! I needed to trust that the Lord would provide and prove Himself faithful, as He ALWAYS has. And He did. About thirty minutes prior to the end of the outreach, one of the students explained concern for lack of water. My response was, "We won't run out!". He looked at me like I was crazy, and again repeated His question, and I again repeated my response. It was at that moment that He too had realized that God provides for His people and that He did! We had plenty of water, the spout seemed to never dry up, it was incredible.
God has blessed us with so many blessings from the roofs over our heads to the water that we bathe in. We so often take the small and large for granted. My prayer is that your eyes too would be opened to the reality of life, that as Christians our calling is to be a missionary EVERYWHERE we go. We are to magnify His great name among ALL nations and ALL people, and where better to start then right outside your front door, or even in your house! And always remember how great our God truly is!!!
SOME PICS...
One specific experience that really magnified His greatness to me was at the local outreach we had. On our way to the location we lost half of the drinks we had needed (we had brought just enough for 150 people and that is one drink each), so one of the Pastors on the trip headed back to pick up some water. I had instructed the students helping me that we should only give ONE drink to each person, after thinking for about two seconds Matthew 10:42 came to mind, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward". It was at that moment that I realized what a small view of God I had! I needed to trust that the Lord would provide and prove Himself faithful, as He ALWAYS has. And He did. About thirty minutes prior to the end of the outreach, one of the students explained concern for lack of water. My response was, "We won't run out!". He looked at me like I was crazy, and again repeated His question, and I again repeated my response. It was at that moment that He too had realized that God provides for His people and that He did! We had plenty of water, the spout seemed to never dry up, it was incredible.
God has blessed us with so many blessings from the roofs over our heads to the water that we bathe in. We so often take the small and large for granted. My prayer is that your eyes too would be opened to the reality of life, that as Christians our calling is to be a missionary EVERYWHERE we go. We are to magnify His great name among ALL nations and ALL people, and where better to start then right outside your front door, or even in your house! And always remember how great our God truly is!!!
SOME PICS...
Saturday, June 23, 2007
A Prayer from the Heart
As I have been reading through the bible this year I have come across many passages that motivate and inspire me to draw nearer to our Lord and convict deep within to be a more obedient and faithful follower. Yesterday was another one of those moments as I read the latter half of 1 Chronicles 16. Below is David's Psalm of prayer in the chapter:
8 "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
12 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
13 O descendants of Israel his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
15 He remembers [b] his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
18 "To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."
19 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
20 they [c] wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 He allowed no man to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
22 "Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,
29 ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.
Bring an offering and come before him;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his [d] holiness.
30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing,
they will sing for joy before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise."
36 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."
The prayer begins with thanks to our Lord. It is so easy to bypass this part of prayer as we call on the Lord for things we may need, comfort in a trial, or as we intercede for others, but we cannot fail to give thanks to God for all He has done, is doing and will do in the future! It isn't difficult to come up with a handful of reasons on a daily basis to give thanks. Do it today!
Verse 11 tells us to "seek His face always"! In every moment of life, in every decision, in every triumph and in every trial we must seek Him, His wisdom and His faithfulness. Immediately after it tells us to remember the wonderful acts He has done! Again give thanks to our Lord.
The next few verses remind us of His never-changing character and His faithfulness as He keeps His promises. The covenants He made with man were never broken and the future acts He has promised won't be either.
Verse 23 tells us to proclaim His salvation day after day! That means as Matthew reminds us we need to be fulfilling the great commission on a daily and regular basis. It isn't an option friends, it is a command from the Lord. For as the next verses remind us He is good and He is MOST worthy of praise and should be feared as well! Verse 30 in fact tells us to "tremble" before Him.
And what better way to end then with a praise to the Lord. " Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever." May we always remember He is good all the time.
Let our prayers be times of thanksgiving, rejoicing, praising, glorifying, asking and waiting and may the God that has been faithful until now be faithful FOREVER!
8 "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.
12 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
13 O descendants of Israel his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.
14 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
15 He remembers [b] his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
18 "To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."
19 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,
20 they [c] wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 He allowed no man to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
22 "Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."
23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.
28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,
29 ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.
Bring an offering and come before him;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his [d] holiness.
30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing,
they will sing for joy before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise."
36 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."
The prayer begins with thanks to our Lord. It is so easy to bypass this part of prayer as we call on the Lord for things we may need, comfort in a trial, or as we intercede for others, but we cannot fail to give thanks to God for all He has done, is doing and will do in the future! It isn't difficult to come up with a handful of reasons on a daily basis to give thanks. Do it today!
Verse 11 tells us to "seek His face always"! In every moment of life, in every decision, in every triumph and in every trial we must seek Him, His wisdom and His faithfulness. Immediately after it tells us to remember the wonderful acts He has done! Again give thanks to our Lord.
The next few verses remind us of His never-changing character and His faithfulness as He keeps His promises. The covenants He made with man were never broken and the future acts He has promised won't be either.
Verse 23 tells us to proclaim His salvation day after day! That means as Matthew reminds us we need to be fulfilling the great commission on a daily and regular basis. It isn't an option friends, it is a command from the Lord. For as the next verses remind us He is good and He is MOST worthy of praise and should be feared as well! Verse 30 in fact tells us to "tremble" before Him.
And what better way to end then with a praise to the Lord. " Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever." May we always remember He is good all the time.
Let our prayers be times of thanksgiving, rejoicing, praising, glorifying, asking and waiting and may the God that has been faithful until now be faithful FOREVER!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Good Friends are Hard to Find
This past weekend I, as Lauren's maid of honor, was able to throw her a "last night out" type of bachelorette party. From the shopping, great chats, pool time, fun, and more importantly prayer over her we had it made me realize more then ever how much she means to me. Christ instructs us throughout scripture on the necessity of making Godly and glorifying relationships. Among the filth of the world is hard to come across people, friends in fact that truly do lift you up, encourage you, and more importantly set an example for you in deed and mind of how to glorify and love the Lord better. Lauren is that for me! I have had the privilege of not only watching her come to know the Lord, but watching Him sanctify her over the past four almost five years of her life. It has been such an amazing thing to watch as a best friend and it has spurred me on to strive to live a holy life. Her passion to honor Him in every area of her life motivates me and others to strive for that as well.
Friends, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, are important assets in our growing walk with the Lord. The body of Christ works together as a whole to glorify and honor our Lord and Savior and without each other we would fail miserably. We need each other. Where one may be weak another is strong and vice versa. It is through these God-ordained friendships that we are able to see the hand of God move. He has used Lauren and my friendship over the years to get through many trials and challenge one another to grow in Him. I thank God each and every day for her as it says in Philemon 4-7, "I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." I pray that as she enters this next season of her life that she will only get to know our Savior better and learn to serve Him more whole-heartdly as she desires to live a pure and blameless life before Him.
Although we will be separated by distance and our relationship will change dramatically I am confident that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it! And being confident that God brought us together as friends, I know we will be that into eternity!
More pics click to the left: MYPHOTOS :)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Biblical Womanhood
Recently I read an amazing book called Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney which I highly recommend, and soon after completed her and her daughter's novel Girl Talk which was the same ideas conveyed to a younger audience. Through the process of reading both of these books I have come to a serious revelation, one that takes humility to admit, but must be understood, we, I included, never "achieve" biblical womanhood, it is rather a continual process in which as Christ sanctifies us we become more and more a woman of the Lord. It isn't until we enter into everlasting with Him that we will be made complete. James 1:4 reminds us that, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Just because we will never reach the peak of biblical womanhood doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it, rather it should motivate us to live holy and annointed lives, set apart for the glory of our Heavenly Father.
After looking at a handful of verses throughout scripture the following list barely touches on the qualities of a biblical woman:
-noble character
-trustworthy
-self-controlled
-serving
-hardworking
-provider
-takes care of family
-takes care of oneself
-strong
-shows dignity
-wise
-faithful
-not lazy
-respectful
-respected...by husband, children, and others both Christians and non-Christians
-homemaker
-giving
-charitable
-takes care of home
-has respectable husband
-skilled
-crafty
-joyful
-trusts the Lord with the future
-hopes
-prays
-instructs biblically
-good family under the Lord
-fears the Lord
-gains eternal and earthly blessings
-faithful to husbands and kids
-has good kids
-servant
-does good deeds
-hospitable
-helpful
-devoted to serving the Lord
-reverent
-not compromising to the world's standards
-not of the world
-pure
-kind
-submissive
-teaching and teachable
-loves family
-not slanderous, but edifies others
-gentle and quiet spirit
-humble
(Proverbs 31:10-31, 1 Timothy 5:9-10, Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6)
And of course the list could go on. You may read that and be discouraged as seeing so many things you fail at, but do not be discouraged but rather encouraged knowing that as Romans promises, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Continue on faithful servant, in following the Lord's leading, reading His Word, meditating on His thoughts, praying without ceasing, and desiring to glorify Him in all you do, and you will continue to mold into a woman after God's own heart...not in your own strength, but in His alone that He may receive all the glory.
So what is a biblical woman? In short she is:
A woman who fears the Lord, whose heart is motivated to and desires to serve the Lord and others, glorifying Him in everything. This woman is self-controlled in all areas, faithful, pure in deed and thought, loving, wise, teachable, instructing, hardworking, humble, family-oriented, a servant, wellkept, hospitable, giving, blameless, holy, joyful, and praised by others.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30
After looking at a handful of verses throughout scripture the following list barely touches on the qualities of a biblical woman:
-noble character
-trustworthy
-self-controlled
-serving
-hardworking
-provider
-takes care of family
-takes care of oneself
-strong
-shows dignity
-wise
-faithful
-not lazy
-respectful
-respected...by husband, children, and others both Christians and non-Christians
-homemaker
-giving
-charitable
-takes care of home
-has respectable husband
-skilled
-crafty
-joyful
-trusts the Lord with the future
-hopes
-prays
-instructs biblically
-good family under the Lord
-fears the Lord
-gains eternal and earthly blessings
-faithful to husbands and kids
-has good kids
-servant
-does good deeds
-hospitable
-helpful
-devoted to serving the Lord
-reverent
-not compromising to the world's standards
-not of the world
-pure
-kind
-submissive
-teaching and teachable
-loves family
-not slanderous, but edifies others
-gentle and quiet spirit
-humble
(Proverbs 31:10-31, 1 Timothy 5:9-10, Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6)
And of course the list could go on. You may read that and be discouraged as seeing so many things you fail at, but do not be discouraged but rather encouraged knowing that as Romans promises, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Continue on faithful servant, in following the Lord's leading, reading His Word, meditating on His thoughts, praying without ceasing, and desiring to glorify Him in all you do, and you will continue to mold into a woman after God's own heart...not in your own strength, but in His alone that He may receive all the glory.
So what is a biblical woman? In short she is:
A woman who fears the Lord, whose heart is motivated to and desires to serve the Lord and others, glorifying Him in everything. This woman is self-controlled in all areas, faithful, pure in deed and thought, loving, wise, teachable, instructing, hardworking, humble, family-oriented, a servant, wellkept, hospitable, giving, blameless, holy, joyful, and praised by others.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
