BACK FROM AFRICA!!!!

I hope to be able to share the details of this incredibly exciting trip to Diepsloot, just outside Johannesburg, South Africa! There is just SOOOOO much to process and spit out! We saw over 400 people give their life to the Lord this past week. We saw a Wednesday morning church service that had 32 people answer the altar call at the end of the service. I have never witnessed some of the things I saw this week.....and I thank God that I got to see them!!

Stay posted for details!!

God is good
All the time

The rumors are false!!

I have not died or fallen off of the face of the earth nor have I been sucked into a swirling vortex!! I am living a life that is moving a million miles an hour!! Full time employment, full time student, wife and two kids........my time runs a little (A WHOLE LOT!!!) thin!! Of course in the world of no excuses that does not fly!! So my buddy Stacey called me out on my lack of execution on the blog yesterday......so here I am! I hope to post some of the cool things that have went on recently in my life!....but for now I will keep slinging some poetry at you!

BEAUTIFUL FEET

O how beautiful are the feet
That have on mountains trod
The foot soldiers of Christ
Messengers from God

Blessed be the ones who come
Delivering God’s Word
For if no one comes to preach it
Then no one will have heard

But who is there to preach
If no one is ever sent
Now put your faith in action
And be blessed because you went

Faith comes by the hearing of the
Word of God they’ve received
How can they call on Him
In Whom they have not believed

Blessed are they who bring the Peace
And share with all the Good News
Sharing the story of salvation through Him
To all, both the Greeks and the Jews

Therefore in that day
My people shall know My name
That I am He who speaks
'Behold, it is I; Our God reigns

We must keep handing out invitations
To the banquet we will see
And never forget the beautiful feet of my Savior
That He had pierced for me

<><

Romans 10:12-15
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Isaiah 52:6,7
6 Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: 'Behold, it is I.' " 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

God has me SO busy in this world because He is SO busy in mine!!

Stay blessed!!

IF YOU CAN READ THIS PLEASE PRAY!!

For today I will just post my pastor's blog (pbcvoice.blogspot.com) on here since this is what I would have been putting on here anyway!!


If You Can Read This Please PRAY!
This past weekend we found that some missionary friends were going through some serious health issues. Due to their place of ministry I will withhold names and location but the people of PBC know of whom I am speaking.The wife had to have an emergency appendectomy this past weekend. Today I have found out that she has some type of infection. Not sure if this is due to the surgery or if the appendix had actually ruptured and wasn't treated properly.The couple is searching for a way to get good medical treatment. I don't have any particulars as to where they plan on going. More than likely will have to fly out of country. Please pray that God will enable them to find the medical care they need. Please pray for their funds during this process as I am sure that it will push them to their limits.One other note: The wife is pregnant so we ask that you pray for the unborn child as well during all of this.The God we serve is faithful to bring healing to this lady. He is Jehovah-Rophe.As soon as I find out more, I will do my best to update everyone on her status. Until them keep this family in your prayers.Pray - Pray - Pray!Thanks.

Just enjoying the ride!!

I'm so glad that I am not the one having to hold on to the wheel and drive. Allowing God to be the pilot in my life, allows me the opportunity to enjoy this life in a way that would otherwise be impossible! I am still unemployed (though I don't think I am for long) and this is causing no stress in my life. I know that the God who created me and the rest of this universe is the One who is in charge here. As long as I let go of my control and submit all of my life to Him, He will provide!!

Example: I am about to go to a job which will require me to drive and my truck is (badly) in need of some repairs. I do not have the means to get it done, but it really needs to happen and happen quickly! Friday, instead of worrying about me and my situation, I was very blessed to get to go with my pastor to a family's home where, by the time we left, the daughter had excepted Christ! What a blessed day!! On my way back to town from such a spirit growing experience, I had a man call me and tell me he was going to present me with some employment options today to see what would fit my situation best. Later that evening, I had someone (who didn't know the scope of what I needed) hand me a $400 check for truck repairs because they felt lead to do so! This morning I got the quote for my repairs. The quote was $391.26. In light of my obedience and submission to Him, He provided for me and DID NOT NEED MY HELP!! Our total submission and full obedience to Him is our greatest form of worship ever! I gave me to Him and He took care of EVERYTHING else! Who would want to try to sort this life out for themselves and fight this fight alone? NOT ME!!

He has been teaching me to be still and wait upon the Lord for nearly a year. 10 months ago God reavealed to me His direction for my life. He defined it more clearly for me in March. I had my pastor discuss with me the other day that God brings every member of the body (church) in for a reason. He said he was trying to figure out the reason God brought me there. We decided to pray about it. When I prayed, the info given me in March immediately came flooding back to me. Now because of the nature of what it is; I will not share what it is. I will wait (and trust completely) upon the Lord, and when it is time, He will reaveal it to my pastor. Now my pastor has been given a little insight on it by God.......which is Who will give him the rest! It will be so awesome to watch God continue to unfold His plans in front of me! I must always remember to be still and wait upon the Lord.

So of course for me, this all lead to a poem. Here it is with the verses of inspiration!

Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint

Be Still and Never Faint

Be still and wait upon the Lord
And your strength He shall renew
This flows from who He is
Unconnected to what you do

Rest in Him and enjoy your drink
From His ever flowing fount
Showing patience in His perfect timing
And on the wings of eagles you’ll mount

It’s a marathon not a sprint
So delight yourself in the Son
Never shall you grow weary
No matter how far you run

He has a plan for our lives
Yes the sinner and the saint
So when you walk with Him
Walk with Him and never faint

<><

Stay blessed!!

News Update

I would like to share that as of Monday I am officially unemployed. Yesterday I interviewed with a guy who is a real class act! I didn't know that they still make them like him! Join with me in prayer about this union and how God wants it to fit together. I firmly believe that God has moved mightily in this situation to put us together, now we are leaving the details up to Him! All praise to mu God who answers prayers even if it isn't the way that seems right to us....because His plans are MUCH bigger and MUCH better than anything we could plan for ourselves!

Thank you, Abba!!
scot

more poetry

I would like to share that Jessica Jessup has set up a page on facebook called Psaulms (the name is explained in the info tab) and it contains poetry and devotionals. She is posting some of my stuff on there. Please feel free to check it out and become a fan if you like!!

on to the poetry:

It's all about taking up your cross DAILY to follow hard after Him!!

Take up your cross -
My child and follow me -
Not just on occasion -
No it must be daily -

To gain the whole world -
But lose your soul still -
Not worth it, Die to yourself -
Submit all of you to His will

Here's another one:

His Strength

I can do ALL things through
The strength Christ provides
Because it is in my heart
That my Savior resides

Since He has already conquered this world
As well as death, hell, and the grave
I can march on under His banner
In light of His Victory, standing brave

Whether I’m staring at the mouths of lions
Or having to be thrown in the fire
I shall walk in the Light of this world
Until the day He moves me higher
<><

Daily Bread

Did Jesus pray for God to provide for Him a weeks worth of bread? Nope! Just His daily bread. If you're anything like me, it's tough to only see "the daily bread"! We want that reassurance of knowing that there is a reserve in case of an unforeseen emergency. Where God is standing, looking at our lives, there is no such thing as an unforeseen emergency. We panic while He says trust in Me and I WILL provide for you! So pray for me as I try to accept the fact that God is providing daily bread, which is hard for me though it IS His plan, and quit getting in God's way with all my "great" ideas. In Him lies all my faith and love!

Daily Bread

Give us this day our daily bread -
And the Peace that comes from You -
Lean not on your own understanding -
Acknowledge Him in all you do -

Now cast upon Him all your worries -
All your fears, your pain, your doubt -
Commit your life to worship Him -
And allow your King to work it out -

Holy Spirit/ God's Will

This is a poem about the Holy Spirit as our guide to do God's Will!

Thy Will

Not my will but Thine be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
I’ll send for you a Comforter
You said as You left to Your chosen eleven

He comes to teach and convict us
As well as to guide
He’s that burning desire
That indwelling Fire, living inside

He shows us the path
That Abba would have us to take
Not the one marked self-serving
On that path it is Him we forsake

On the Creator’s path
Not always smooth, it’ll be rough
But by clinging to His will
Says He is always enough

By living life in His presence
You lean on Him for each and every need
Worship Him with your song, your dance
And your life, in word and also in deed

Africa

In response to preparing to go to Africa again this year I have a little piece to share that starts with last year's trip through to this one. Enjoy!

Africa

It is the continent in which
Parts of my heart will forever remain
Squatter camps and the Lion Park
I remember beautiful lightning and rain

I went there so God could use me
To reach people, their lives to change
Instead mine was forever altered
Now it can never be the same

To share the Gospel with those in need
A distributor of Hope and Love
Telling the story of the sacrifice
Made for all of us by God above

Entering into the stronghold of darkness
Defeating it with the Light
Inviting my new brothers and sisters to Victory
For He’s already won the fight

To look into eyes so empty
In great need of the cleansing blood
Only to see them brighten so
Hope and Love like a rushing flood

I count each of the days until
I return to collect my scattered heart
My bags are packed full of Good News
Patiently waiting until I depart

Forever grateful that God was so kind
To allow me to come and join Him
To share his Hope, Grace, Love, and Mercy
And to get to love Him by loving them

Thank you, Abba
Siyabonga (One who is grateful)

Could it really be happening to me???

Today I got to register for my classes at Liberty University! I want you to know that it is an answer to prayers! I asked God to allow me to go to Liberty, and He has answered!! Now as I prayed about this, I said I would go for whatever He wanted me to (assuming that the degree in religion I had planned was His plan as well!!) and He is opening the doors for me to go. Now here's the surprising part, He picked a different degree course for me. He picked Psychology with a Christian Counseling Specialization as my major. A curveball from what I thought, but His will nonetheless. I am so excited to get to go! I have completely embraced His choice of majors for me, because I know it is part of His plan for my life.......which will supercede anything I would have picked for me anyway!

So I ask everyone to join me in a prayer of praise for God's goodness, and seeking Him for His continued help as I finish up the financial aid process!

Thank you Father, I am not worthy!!

prayer

here is a devotional on prayer. Oh, and don't be afraid to "break the glass" when there's not an emergency! Enjoy!

Broken Glass

In case of emergency, break glass. How many of us have seen that phrase printed somewhere? We usually find it on a boxed-in area containing a fire alarm or fire extinguisher. Outside of a mischievous moment here and there, none of us would think about breaking that glass unless there was a real emergency. We are content to function normally without breaking the glass. In that same spirit, most folks do not give a second thought to their spare tire until they hear that ominous sound that only can be made by a flat tire. Unfortunately, most Christians function in the same manner with God.

We don’t have the time to spend in regular prayer with God, but fully expect Him to have time for us when we are finally calling out to Him due to our perilous situation. God is seeking a relationship with us. A relationship requires regular maintenance; not a sporadic, needy, greedy request. Think about it like this: what if you only ate whenever you could find time to invest in prayer first? I believe that Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig would be headed for the unemployment line. In much the same way as our physical bodies would be starving at that point, our spiritual lives are starving for that time with our Creator.

We were created to worship and spend time with our Maker, not chase dollars and sinful self-fulfillment. At what moment do we stop to realize that as we stomp through our day not bothering to give God a second thought or just a moment of prayer, He is still blessing us beyond what we will ever deserve? For a moment of reflection, consider this: what if God only blessed us when we deserved it? How short and miserable our lives would be. Fortunately, for all of the undeserving sinners in the world, (that’s everyone who breathes) God treats us far better than we earn. He gives us life, salvation, family, friends, and everything else that has true value. The only thing He is searching for from us is a small slice of our time spent getting familiar with who He is through His word and speaking and listening to Him in prayer. That doesn’t sound like a very even relationship. He gives, gives, gives, and sometimes receives while we receive, receive, receive, and rarely give. I have heard it stated that inadequate time spent with God is not a time management issue-it is a lack of love issue. You will never be able to love Him back like He loves you, but don’t stop trying. He’s earned your time…have you earned His blessings?

Go ahead, break down and invest some of your life in prayer without it just being a “spare tire” plea for mercy. Don’t mistake prayer for your turn to step up and give God a divine “to do” list. Prayer is sharing all of you with Him, while listening to what He has to say to you. So today I say: dare to be different! Break the glass when there is no emergency. You would make His day if you did. And besides, He’s already made yours!

The lady in this picture is a hero of mine. I do not know her name, but I know her story. Our mission team met her when we were in Ukraine in late June/ early July this summer. She is someone who has been a christian for over forty years. Now that's quite an accomplishment even in this country. Not everyone can say they have followed Christ for forty plus years. But what makes her even more remarkable is the fact that she has done it in Ukraine the whole time. In 1991 Ukraine gained its independence from Russia. Up until that point, Ukraine had been an eastern bloc nation for the Soviet Union. Under the communist regime, Jesus was not welcome there, but he was welcome in this lady's heart! She has had to run from the militia on numerous occasions. She has had to jump trains to get away from them. In this picture you see her leaning on a cane. The cane was a "gift" from the militia due to one of her run ins with them. They ran over her and broke her back because of her being a christian. Even still, she is leaning on this cane as she is listening to the traditional Ukrainian hymns that some of the church members are playing and singing outside the church. They tried to break her body but they couldn't break her love for God! We live in a country where there is no opposition to our christianity (until emporer obama's terror regime is finished with us), yet we are still afraid to proclaim the name of our Almighty Creator! Why? Nobody is going to run over us and break our back for saying YES! I love Jesus! So why are we so timid and afraid? Jesus loved us enough to give His life for ours, yet MOST of us can't even give him a minute! Now, the "funny" part about that is when this life is over and we must stand before God in Judgement; then everyone will be ready to wave the Jesus banner! But it will be too late! People have this crazy idea that giving their life to God means they have given up on life. That everything is over. All fun and enjoyment in life is all but gone. Nothing could be farther from the truth! There is a song I have been listening to on a new (to me) cd by a group called Big Daddy Weave that says to be held so tight (in the arms of God) I have never felt so free! That is the truth my friends! There is a freedom in the grace of God that can not be found ANY where else! Now does it mean that you will live a life that is a bed of roses? No. Look at the lady in the picture. Her life was not a bed of roses, but she wouldn't trade away anything that she went through in the name of God. When she walked into the room, she lit the room up! The joy that flowed from this beautiful person was astounding. Knowing her story, and then to see her and hear her speak, absolutely uplifting. God doesn't tell us that a life lived in Him and for Him is an assurance that our life will never have a bump in the road again, but that it would have far more meaning than it ever could have otherwise.

The sad fact is that most of us are not strong enough for something so easy! I think about the salmon when I say this. We have all seen pictures of the salmon fighting and struggling and giving every ounce of effort in their bodies to get upstream. Even though at the end of this fight they must still lay their lives down right there, they give everything they have to accomplish this mission. It is what their whole life is about. The days they will spend swimming upstream, only to get to their destination and die. The christian life can be like this. We can give everything we have for the cause of Christ, but still have to lay our lives down once we reach the goal we were fighting for. But just like the salmon, their life doesn't matter until they swim upstream and spawn. Ourlives won't matter if we live them selfishly for ourselves instead of comitting them fully to the cause of Christ.

How many of us are strong enough to swim upstream when the whole world is washing away, downstream? How many of us have what it takes to give up selfish pursuits and commit our entire being to the One who has already given His life for ours?

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Can you be strong enough for Him.......through Him?

Words I heard

Lord burn me up with Your unquenchable fire
The Spirit of Your heart, Your overwhelming desire
Flooding the world with the Love in Your Word
Until You come back or until all have heard

How many times have we heard people say I'm not called to missions? That tells me a few things:
1. They are not reading their Bible for themselves.
2. They do not have the walk with God that they should
3. They do not value the sacrifice of Jesus Christ enough to go and tell EVERYONE

Matthew 9:37 says:
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

AND

Matthew 9:38 says:
38 "Therefore pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Ok. let's call it what it really is; some people can't go elsewhere on mission (health, home/ work situations, etc.) and some won't go (usually citing that they're not called to that particular endeavor), but the truth is that there is more to it than just leaving to go and share the Gospel. Let's take a look at some other options:

1. Take care of the children of the ones who can/ will go.
An example of that in my life is my mother. Due to her health, she would virtually be detrimental to the mission team in the field. But her contribution is, when my wife and I partake in a mission, local or foreign, she will take care of our children. This is invaluable to us, as we know that are children are safe while we're gone. In our church there are numerous examples of this. When we send out a mission team, usually there are married couples on the team. This is only possible because there are people that will step up and take care of their children while they're gone. VERY IMPORTANT!!

2. You can financially support the mission team members.
Let's face it, there is nothing free in this world, especially traveling. As most of us have heard, there is such a thing as offering beyond our tithing. This offering can definitely go to support those who will go. If you can't/ won't go to tell everyone that Jesus loved them enough to die for them because there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, then support someone who is going to do this.

3. Make your life a mission for God.
All of us, whether we do any sort of organized and/ or corporate type of mission or not, need to make it a point to show the love of God to those around us. What does that entail? Living out your new life in Christ before a watching world is a great place to start! If you think about Jesus' ministry, He demonstrated His love for those around Him at all times! Take for example the time that he fed the 5,000. That is the only one of His miracles recorded in all four of the Gospel's. It starts with Him preaching and sharing God's Word (doing the work of His Father!)with those in attendance which we have known many to do. But then as it got late and He sensed the need that was present in the crowd for food, He switched gears immediately from evangelist to Provider. How many preachers, how many of us in general would have followed the same path as the disciples did? We can't possibly feed them all so we must send them all away. It's not fair if we can help some and not the others, so let's send them all away. But Jesus, making a point to make His entire life a mission for God, decided to seek God's help in showing the entire crowd the true love of God. He never saw it as an impossibility, instead He saw it as an opportunity. So following the example set by Christ, not only do we need to share the Gospel with those around us, but also look to meet their needs when they are made known to us. Just as Christ did, prayer on the subject should be step one. But then ACTION is the next step. There will be people in your life that you can share the Gospel with a thousand and one times and never reach them, but by demonstrating the love of Christ to them, you can tear down walls that would otherwise not come down. For some of the places that our church goes on mission trips, this fact has been proven to us over and over again. From our Alaskan mission team going out on the ice in Alaska to help the natives with their fishing (bait, giving them fish, etc) to our Ukrainian mission team doing eyeglass clinics, we use service to reach some otherwise very unreachable people. Since I have not gone to Alaska yet and I have been to Ukraine to see the eyeglass clinics, I will tell you what I saw there. I saw people that were born into and raised up under communism. People that are so distant and that refuse to open their hearts and minds to the Gospel in any regular situation; but not in this situation. I'll explain "eyeglass clinic" real quick; the missionary (Bruce MacDonald) that we work with there, arranges a location (often times a church) where people get to come in and have a free eye exam and then recieve a free pair of glasses. The eye glasses are donated by different churches and individuals and given to all who come. Now to you and I in America that's not that big of a deal. To those in a place where health care is more of a luxury item, this is priceless. While they wait to see the doctor, we go around and share the Gospel with them. When their exam is complete, we use the New Testament in Russian as their "test" to see if their glasses are working for them. Now because there is a service attached to this message and not just idol words, there is a HUGE response. We are able to have their attention as God's Word is being shared and then we also provide a service as well. We have watched God work some absolute miracles in these settings (remember: it is not us working, instead it is us being available for God to work throught us!) including this past year when we met a medical student there who had been born into the very idolatrous religion of Hinduism. Exodous 20:3 tells us "You shall have no other gods before Me" so we know that it's not right; but it is all consuming religion/ lifestyle so they rarely if ever leave Hinduism. But this young man came to the eyeglass clinic looking to receive an eye exam and a pair of eyeglasse, and he left with a brand new knowledge of Jesus Christ. This man was open to hear what was being shared while at the eyglass clinic and ended up accepting Christ as his personal Savior. That's how service and sharing can go hand in hand. If you need to find people in need, just look ANYWHERE around you. The needs are as varied as the faces you're looking in. Look for opportunities to serve and share; don't wait for opportunity to come and punch you in the face to get your attention! The King of Glory came as a servant to show us how to serve others and share the Gospel with them simultaneously. By doing so we are making our lives a mission for God.

....and I saved the most important for last

4. Pray!
As we see in Matthew 9:38, Jesus Himself is saying for us to pray for more laborers. We also HAVE to pray for the laborers that we have! No man can accomplish God's task on his own. Each and every one of us must rely on the strength that comes from God through prayer and the prayer of others. In James 5:16 it tells us very specifically to pray for one another. When Jesus was in His final hours before going to the cross, where was He? He was praying for the disciples. Intercession is imperative! God is looking for those will step up and take on the burden of praying for all of those who need it! We can all step up and fill that position. Will we? We can pray for God to share His heart with us. But can we?

2 Chronicles 7:14 says
14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

It is the job (mission) of all believers to not just say "woo hoo I'm saved and going to Heaven" and leave it at that. We are to intercede for everyone. We are to intercede constantly. We are to pray without ceasing. Remember, prayer does not have to be a formal thing. You can pray anywhere at any time and He will hear you! You do not have to be in church at the altar to pray and have it heard. Just seek the Father and you will find Him!

Don't think that you're not called to be on mission with God. Christ gave Himself for all of us, now we must give ourselves to Him to get His word out! As we learned Sunday, in Corinthians 12 we find out that the body of Christ is like our own bodies. It's made up of many parts, each with their own function (you can't have an eye that hears or an ear that smells) and even though the functions are different they are all important! The body of Christ has many parts each with our own function; now we must go do our parts!

hodge podge

It really does seem like it is taking a month to catch up from being gone to Ukraine. It felt like my sleep was never going to be right again (thank you Advil PM). My heart has not recovered from leaving all of the children in Ukraine behind yet. I am trying to prepare to go see all the African babies in Diepsloot again, but I can't get my head and heart out of Ukraine. During this time I am also trying to register for school (pray for me that this works out!!) so I can be a full time student, full time employee, full time husband, full time dad, and full time follower of Jesus Christ trying to take His love and His message of hope to the world. I don't know how many of you remember the old commercial that said this is your brain and showed an egg and then said this is your brain on drugs and cracked the egg and poured the egg into a hot skillet. My brain is feeling like that little scrambled egg only with no narcotics to get me there. I feel like I am under attack from the enemy on all fronts and he's using every available tactic. My wife and I are going through a VERY difficult season right now in a lot of respects, but our marriage and relationship are doing better than they have since.....
Weird how that can happen. When my wife was lead to Christ by my uncle, he showed her a triangle and said that the point at the top was God and the two bottom points are my wife and I. He traced his fingers up the sides of the triangle and said as these two points (my wife and I) get closer and closer to the top point (God) the closer they come to each other. It is now 9 years since he shared that with her (he has gone on to be with God) and we are now starting to live out this seemingly very simple principle. We have had times in our lives where the surrounding circumstances have been much better but our relationship was terrible. We were not striving to get closer to God and thus we were not getting closer to each other. One of the leadingcauses of divorce is money problems. I believe it is number two actually (second only to marriage which is the leading cause of divorce). Too many families are split by money issues these days. Now that is only one of the ways we are being attacked by the enemy but it's a big one. Yet when by the world's standards we should be drifting apart, we're coming closer to each other and closer to God even though the pressure is DEFINITELY on! For that, all praise goes to God! I can tell you it is truly not of us! Thank you, Jesus!

Hopefully soon I will return to normal, but until then, may God's blessings pour down on you like rain!

More Than Conquerors

Ever notice that it seems like when we leave work for a week it takes us a month to catch up! I apologize for my delinquency in posting. We should be back in the saddle on Monday. I am looking forward to sharing about our trip to Ukraine starting then! Until then, here is a newer poem:



More Than Conquerors

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
We’re in His command
On all of God’s promises
In Victory we’ll stand

If anyone is in Christ
They’re a new creation
Old things have passed away
Standing firm on a new foundation

We’re marching through this life
With our King victorious
Till we leave behind this old house
For one so glorious

Traded in the house on sand
For one built upon the Rock
And until I see my Jesus
I am never going to stop

Not wanting to condemn the world
But to save it through His Son
That by His grace and not my works
My new life has begun

I’ll fight the fight
I’ll run the race
I’ll live in Victory
Until I see Your face

We are more than conquerors
With the Savior King
We are more than conquerors
His praises we’ll sing
We are more than conquerors
With Jesus above
We are more than conquerors
Because of His love



Thank you Jesus for making us more than conquerors!! True victory in Jesus!

What's in a name?

Apparently for the little children that I met in Ukraine last week....it was their hearts! It only took a few moments of remembering their names and they acted as if their world was now complete. How simple a task; how great the result! I thought I was headed there to show them the love of Jesus; instead they showed me what love Jesus must have for all of us. Their love was unconditional and overflowing! From the kids at VBS to the kids in the hospitals, they have had an everlasting effect on me. The next time I post I will go into more detail about the children. I just had to share something about these beautiful creatures that I was blessed to make the acquaintance of.

MAY GOD KEEP THEM ALL SAFE IN HIS HANDS!!

Thank You, Abba!

Appreciation

I just wanted to take a few moments and express some appreciation. I'm appreciative of the fact that God allowed me a front row seat as 4 people had their hearts and lives changed forever. I'm appreciative of the fact that I go to a church that allows more forms of worship than the traditional 3 hymns before the sermon. All forms of worship are encouraged....THANKFULLY!!

I write worship poetry. At no time in my life (I grew up in church) have I ever attended a church that had that as part of it's corporate worship time....and why? David was a man after God's own heart, whose specialty was song and poetry (ever read the book of Psalms?). So why do we not see more forms of worship in our churches today since we as the church are supposed to reflect the heart of God to a watching world? How did the people worship in Daivid's time? Song, dance, and poetry are just a few of those ways. Do we see those types of worship in most churches today? NO!

Poetry - no
Dance - absolutely not
Songs - yes.....with restrictions

Now here's a good question; what kind of music is acceptable to God? Is it your traditional hymns? Is it your modern praise and worship music? Now about the spontaneous song of praise that flows from the heart of someone who has a real intimate knowledge of and love for God. Well, while the first two choices are both excellent choices, it's the third one that really reaches the heart of God. You style of music doesn't matter, it's the heart that sings the song that matters! There's where the real worship comes from. So in my case, there's no music attached as I offer up this form of worship to my Wonderful, Loving Heavenly Father!

More Than Conquerors

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
We’re in His command
On all of God’s promises
In Victory we’ll stand

If anyone is in Christ
They’re a new creation
Old things have passed away
Standing firm on a new foundation

We’re marching through this life
With our King victorious
Till we leave behind this old house
For one so glorious

Traded in the house on sand
For one built upon the Rock
And until I see my Jesus
I am never going to stop

Not wanting to condemn the world
But to save it through His Son
That by His grace and not my works
My new life has begun

I’ll fight the fight
I’ll run the race
I’ll live in Victory
Until I see Your face

We are more than conquerors
With the Savior King
We are more than conquerors
His praises we’ll sing
We are more than conquerors
With Jesus above
We are more than conquerors
Because of His love

UKRAINE

As the day approaches that we leave for Ukraine, I can't help but to get in mission mode. Today I am sharing a poem that is born out of the heart of missions. Until you go, you may never understand this. If you've gone before, this will probably put the picture of a child you've seen on the mission field in your head. I know for me, there are numerous faces that come to mind when I read this:

Window to the World

A loving hug, a tender touch
They ask so little, they give so much
Ever looking, seeking God’s love
The kind that comes from the Father above

You see their hurt, you see their pain
You see their joy when you know their name
You see the darkness, their misery
You see without Him, their lives are empty

Go and tell all the nations
Tell them they were bought, He paid the price
Making disciples, teaching His word
Sharing the Good News of His sacrifice

They live without love, without a home
They live in this world, but they’re all alone
They feel forsaken, no hope for them
They can know His love if they’re told about Him

For God so loved the world He sent His Son for you and me
Not that anyone would perish but worship Him for eternity
Jesus loves them all, every boy and every girl
You can see their need for Him in their eyes, their windows to the world

The eyes are the window to the soul, so our society deems
They’re the soul’s window to the world is how it really seems
The world stands there looking in, to decide what you’re about
But it’s the broken heart, the searching soul, that’s really looking out

They’re all His little children, each and every one
To love Him is to love them, just as He has done
Jesus died for us, finally providing us our worth
He did this while we were yet sinners, even before our birth

You’re forever blessed with a broken heart, at home and while away
Though your body may be forced to leave, your heart will always stay
Pieces of your heart, forever scattered, like chaff thrown in the wind
So happy to get home, but never complete, till you return again

Once you go you will never be the same. Thank God for that! If you start to feel like they will just take from you, you could never be more wrong. They will give to you more than you will ever give to them!

The Great Physician

Today I have a praise report!

My brother's mother-in-law was hospitalized last week with a sinus infection, pneumonia, and a stroke. Today she WALKS out of the hospital! Yes I said she is walking out of the hospital today.

Now who has ever heard of someone in their sixties, entering the hospital already taxing their body fighting pneumonia and a sinus infection, to see them WALK out of the hospital a week after having a stroke? I never have seen somebody beat those odds in grand fashion like that! Never!

How did this happen? A miracle of modern medicine maybe? NO! The healing hand of Jehovah-Rapha or Rophe (Hebrew name for the God who heals us)! All thanks, all praise, and all glory goes to our Creator who heard the cries of many on this woman's behalf.

She will tell you herself that she is getting a second lease on life and will not waste it. This stroke could have very easily killed her. God saw fit to spare her. Why? We don't know yet, but His purpose for her will be revealed in His time. This is a woman that walked with God at one point in her life,only to walk away from Him.

When we walk away from God, He will do WHATEVER it takes to get us back! He is more concerned with our end result, with the building of our character, and most of all with our relationship with Him. God will do anything it takes to have that relationship with you (remember: He sacrificed His own Son so we could be in fellowship with Him)!

What does the statement (WHATEVER) look like in action? In her case, her left side may not regain full motor function, but her life was spared so she could regain the fellowship with God she once had. He is not limited to just affecting our health. He may affect the health of those around us (kids, parents, spouse, etc), he may cause us to lose our job, it could be a car accident, an accidental pregnancy, a natural disaster, an act of violence, or ANYTHING else it takes to get our attention! If you walk away from Him because of some form of hidden sin (only from man, not from God), He will put the spotlight on that sin for you.

Now you may be thinking; would God really cause me to lose my job resulting in the loss of my home and many other possessions? Yes! Would God allow my daughter to have an accident on her jet ski and be hospitalized, never making a full recovery? Yes! Would God allow my mistress to become pregnant which would just rip my family apart? Yes! In all of these situations and many more like them, God is allowing something that looks bad to us as humans to happen. But in any one of these situations, the affected persons may need just that to get their attention, to bring them back into the right fellowship with God, or to get help with a problem or an addiction that they may have never otherwise allowed to be fixed. It may be a parent that is no longer setting that Godly example for their children and/ or spouse. It may be a person in ministry, that if they're not doing right by God, they may be destroying the very people they are charged with helping. It may be somebody that is carrying the "christian" banner and the devil's baby at the same time. He will remove whatever idol or "god" you put before Him. Check the ten commandments, He warned us already!

I have a devo that is dedicated to this subject. I will leave you with that, today. But remember, if you're not living the way God says you should, and you know it, repent today! If He has not brought judgement against you yet, thank Him heavily as you get your life back on track, but know this; if you continue walking away from the Lord, He WILL do whatever it takes to get you back.

None Before Me

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This is a rather familiar phrase, easily recognizable from the Ten Commandments. Most of our children have heard it and can give you a brief synopsis of its meaning. Yet how deep does that answer go?

In Ukraine (Summer 2008) I heard two ladies giving a testimony about their lives. These are two very godly women that had a story to share. Each one had a story very different from the other; yet the message that the Holy Spirit was giving me from the two was the same. One tells how her husband had a very successful job making more than enough money and how they lived very well. She knew God, just not very well. She had been babied in her early years by her dad and then her husband took over that position. She had full faith in her husband, his job and his relationship with Christ, but little regard for her own relationship. God decided to increase His efforts to draw her near; so in one evening, she lost her husband and his job. All the things that she had faith in disappeared instantly. She now had a husband that was incapacitated; his person, his job, and his faith were removed from her all in the span of a couple of hours. The result though, was that she did (eventually) gain that personal relationship with Christ that she needed to have all along the way. The whole time I was hearing her share this, the Holy Spirit kept saying there shall be no other gods before me. Fortunately they are both serving the Lord now in full time ministry.

The second lady shared the story of her life and how it was dominated for so many years by her mother. She had spent a lifetime worshipping her mother and having the kind of relationship with her mother that should have been focused on God the Father. As she would share the little bits of her faith with her mom that she could, she was met with laughter and ridicule. This would cause her faith to shrink and her relationship with God to suffer greatly. God had plans to use this woman to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. But before she could share with people her relationship with Christ and how they could have one, hers needed to grow exponentially. Unfortunately for her, because of her priorities being out of alignment, God took her mother. This was very difficult for her to swallow. Honestly, she spent more than a year being mad at God. With the drawing power of the Holy Spirit though, she did come into an incredible relationship with God. God was then able to use her to reach a lost world. She has an awesome burden for the lost and Christ-like love for children. Once again, as I heard her story unfold, the Holy Spirit kept reminding me that there shall be no other gods before me.

Now, what do you have in your life that is being that “god that is before God”? Do you have a souped up muscle car that you take to car shows that sometimes fall on Sundays? Do you play softball for teams that have you away from church on Sundays? Do you have a boat that you take fishing on Sundays because you can’t get out there on Saturdays, or worse yet, Saturday is just not enough. Do you take your little princess to pageants that happen to only fall on Sunday? Dog Shows? Sports of any type (played or watched)? Do you have anything that causes you to put your relationship with God in second place? When God gives us a command, He means it! When He says no other gods before me, when He says don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together…He means it! As He continues to draw you back to Him, He will remove whatever we put in His way. He does not do this to punish us, but because he is most concerned with our character and has our long term benefit in mind.

We must learn to prioritize.; God said to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, not keep it selfishly for ourselves!

He will do anything, removing any person, place or object of affection to have a deeper, more personal relationship with the people He created. We were created to worship the King and not our things!

heart, life, or both

When we hear the Good News of the Gospel and choose to respond to it, should we give our heart to Christ, our life to Christ, OR BOTH? The answer is both!

Some people give their hearts to the Lord but they decide to keep the lifestyle for themselves. They show up in church and say YES I am a Christian, but their lifestyle reflects that of someone who has never given their lives to Christ. This causes people outside of the church to view the church as a den of hypocrites. They want to know why is he/ she living the same way I am, but he/ she is going to Heaven and I’m going to hell? This “religion thing” must be bogus and made up. Remember, we as the church body, represent Jesus to the world. How well are we representing Him?

Some people give their lives to the Lord, but they decide to keep their heart for themselves. They attend all church functions, their on committees, they sing, they teach, they go on mission trips, and sometimes they even preach. They may even have the “Jesus fish” on the back of their car next to their Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven bumper sticker. But they have a fence around their heart, so they can feed it whatever they want to. Pride, anger, lust, envy, gossip, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, and worldly ways are some of the dangerous things that can be fed to the heart that is kept away from God, even though the life has been given to Him. Even though their life looks so religious, it may still be in trouble. Remember, religious people had Jesus put to death so they could go back to watching for the Messiah. Talk about not seeing the forest because of all those trees in the way….wow!

For me personally, I want to be a full moon for God. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun to the whole earth, I too, want to reflect the Light of the Son to the whole earth. The Christians described above, can be anything from a waning moon, to a half moon, or worst of all a new moon. Now I have had times where I was nothing more than a new moon for Christ, but I pray He will eventually use me as a full moon.

The best example I’ve heard is: if you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you. Just as an apple tree would be convicted of being an apple tree by the fruit it bears, we too would be convicted or found “innocent” of being a Christian, by the fruits we bear. Unfortunately, I believe the day where we will be put on trial for being a Christian in America is not that far away! We are to be in this world, but not of this world. We are to be a people that is set apart! Are you set apart or just camouflaged in with the rest of the world? Do you look and sound like the world, or have you given your everything to your Creator?

The hope of this world does not lie in the lost, it lies within the people of God! We are their only hope of coming to know God personally. We are the ones charged with praying for this world. A true change can only come about when we pray and allow God to work! Repentance means a change in direction, so if we are going to see a change in the direction of the lives of those around us and in our country, we (God’s people) must first repent and seek God.

I am including some verses that go with today’s entry, but I am also posting (see below) a piece that I have posted before, that I think goes with today’s entry.

Matthew 5:10-12
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

2 Timothy 2:12
12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.If we deny him, he will deny us.

John 15:20
20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

1 Thessalonians 4:7,8
7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

It says right there in His Word that His people are to repent and pray. It says we are to live holy lives.Not my words but His! Are we hearing Him?
Selah