Live Like You Were Dying

The month of November at church we did a series "Live Like You Were Dying". We had devotionals, it was the focus of Sunday School and Pastor did his sermons on the topic as well. It's a fantastic series, and I would recommend it to anyone.

It really makes you reflect...if I had only 30 days to live...what would I do?

I realized I wouldn't care to go sight-seeing, I wouldn't want to go around the world (or just the country) and see beautiful sights, I wouldn't try daring things such as jumping out of an airplane, I wouldn't even care to go to the ocean one last time. Though I don't fault those who would WANT to do those things, I can't take those experiences with me anyways, so to me....what would be the point???

So what WOULD I want to do? What I should be doing now. Spending time with those I love. Telling everyone I can about Jesus. About His Saving Grace. About how very easy it is to receive salvation. About the truth in Him. It's hard to do. Suprisingly harder when it's people that are close to you. I have dear friends and family whom I have not actually TALKED to about Jesus. What do I have to be afraid of? They aren't rejecting ME...they're rejecting HIM. I have to have faith in knowing that I cannot save them, but I MUST make sure they KNOW.

Funny how the world gets in the way of these things.
This has been a weird week for me. I haven't let it get me down. I WON'T let it get me down. I can't please everyone, and as much as I would LOVE to get along with everyone...this week has shown that that will probably never happen. No matter what my intentions are...other's intentions may be different. So all I can do is live my life with no regrets, express apologies and ask forgiveness where necessary, and forgive others who have wronged me so badly and hurt me so deeply that they will never understand. That's hard to do. That's what I am working on now. Please pray for me for this. I want to be all the Lord would have me to be...and I don't want to get in His way.


Thanks for listening. :)

Sweet Little Jesus Boy

Sweet Little Jesus Boy is another of the songs on the Casting Crowns Christmas cd. Though other artists have sung the song, this may be the first time I have heard it. Atleast the first time I have LISTENED to it. It got me thinking. The chorus of the song goes:


Didn't know You'd come to save us all
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind we did not see
We didn't know who You were

It's funny how much the world has changed, isn't it? When Jesus was born, they didn't know who He was, they didn't realize He was our SAVIOR. And then you look at today. Today people don't WANT to know who Jesus is. They don't WANT to call Him SAVIOR. It's not that we ARE blind so much as we WANT to be blind. People don't WANT to know Jesus. Don't want to own up to their sins. Don't want to admit that they cannot save themselves. Don't want to admit that they need HIM. Well, I NEED HIM. I can't do it without HIM. If you don't know Him, I wish you would. People seem to think that salvation is so difficult. It's not. It's so SIMPLE. We MAKE it so difficult. I'm not perfect and I certainly don't have all the answers. But there is one answer I DO have. It's JESUS. Say His name aloud. JESUS. It's the most beautiful name to ever grace your lips. Saying it aloud makes it all the more real that He is SO CLOSE YOU CAN FEEL HIM!

If you haven't heard the song...here are the lyrics. Read them. Then listen to it. It's a beautiful, beautiful song.

Sweet Little Jesus Boy:

Sweet little Jesus boy, born in a manger
Sweet little Holy child, we didn't know who You were
Long time ago it seems You were born
Born in a manager Lord, sweet little Jesus boy

Didn't know you'd come to save us all
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind we did not see
We didn't know who You were

You have shown us how
And we are trying
Master You have shown us how
Even as You were dying
This world treats You mean Lord
Treats me mean too
But that's how things are done down here
We didn't know it was You

Didn't know You'd come to save us all
To take our sins away
Our eyes were blind we did not see
We didn't know who You were

Will We Be Sleeping???

I heard this song today. It's actually on Casting Crowns Christmas album. I've heard it alot before. I thought of the election when I heard it this morning. I thought of where we already are as a nation. I thought of where we're headed. I truly think that we WILL be sleeping. I think we're going to miss it. Our country is literally going to Hell before our very eyes. Sins are no longer seen as sins. Christ is no longer present, for we have squeezed Him out of our lives. People are no longer turning to Him. Soon, there'll be nothing left. We'll become another nation that God sees as not worth saving. And I have to say....after looking around....I don't blame Him if He does. But you know what? I don't WANT to miss it. I don't want our country to miss it. If we'd all just open our eyes...

"While You Were Sleeping" - Casting Crowns

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

The Weight has been Lifted!

Pastor's message on Sunday took a weight of my shoulders that I'm not even sure I knew was there. He spoke on witnessing, and on what is expected of us as Christians to witness. You know what??? We don't have to save people. We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to debate theology. We don't have to tell them our church doctrine. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS!

WHAT A RELIEF!

I didn't realize how much I am afraid to talk to people about Christ. I didn't realize the fear I had in someone asking a question I can't answer. I didn't realize the fear I had in not knowing all the answers. I don't have to.

Romans Road
The ABCs

These are important. If someone wants to debate theology, I'm most definately not the one to do it! But I can tell them about Christ and what he did for all of us. It's really simple. It's amazingly simple.

I hope that I will become stronger about talking to people in my life who are unsaved, knowing I don't have to save them. It's not our job to save people. It IS our job to tell them about Christ. God will work on their heart from there.

AMEN to that!

Love Song

I've heard this song so many times I couldn't even begin to count, but today I heard it, and I just had to sit still and listen intently. It's such a beautiful song. We will NEVER understand the price Christ paid for us, but He loves us so much He WOULD do it again...and again...and again...I wish people could see how much He loves them...even those that think they're unloveable...even those that don't believe...It's SOOOO easy!

For jut a few seconds, read these words...truly thinking about what they mean.

Third Day "Love Song"

I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give anything
I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
How may times has he broken that promise
It can never be done
I've never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give anything
I would give my life away.

(Bridge)
I know that you don't understand
the fullness of My love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don't realize
how much that I gave you
But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.

There Will Be a Day

I heard this song on air1 this week and I LOVE IT! Absolutely LOVE IT. I wanted to share (sorry about the way the lyrics are on the page, I copied and pasted. :)

There Will Be A Day - Jeremy Camp:

Try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that trys to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more,
we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

(Chorus)

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace He brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing

Air1.com

I just want to share my radio station, www.air1.com. It's an awesome Christian alternative rock station and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it today (as I do every day). People are calling in with prayer requests, praying for one another, the station and listeners are praying for all these people in need...and isn't that what it's all about? There's no judgment on this station....just the Word and the news of Christ and His Salvation! It's AWESOME!

Give it a listen if you can. :)

Be Still...

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.”

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

Some of the most powerful words I have ever heard. All worries can wash away because He IS God.

Please sit back, and allow these words to penetrate your heart with all their meaning.

Nothing is sweeter than when the Lord speaks to your heart...

While We Were Still Sinners

I was reading a verse the other night that caught my attention in a way that it hadn't before. Maybe it's silly of me...because it's been there the whole time...but sometimes you read something, or hear it, so many times that you don't even realize what it means anymore....

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
-Romans 5:8 (NIV)

"While we were still sinners..."

How many people do we talk to about coming to church that say something such as "Yes, I really should start going again...", "If I get (insert bad habit, etc. here) taken care of, I'll start going to church again..." and on and on and on. Too many people in our world today think they need to be pefect walking through those church doors. I have to wonder why. Have we, as Christians, made them feel so unwelcome that they feel so judged walking into the church? If so, then we need to re-evaluate ourselves. We most certainly are not perfect. Not even a little bit. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He doesn't expect us to be perfect. He doesn't expect us to be clean. He just expects us to come to Him. HE will make us perfect. HE will make us clean. We just have to trust Him...and believe...

Read Me!

Malachi 3:3 says:

"He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Thanks Jaclyn for this email forward! :)

Verse of the Day

1 Peter 3:18
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,”

I don't think I need to elaborate. Christ died for YOU. Period.

Verse of the Day

After making my earlier post, Answered Prayer, I read my BibleGateway verse of the day:

Colossians 1:9
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

When you pray, seek God's will. Then you KNOW your prayers are answered.

Verse of the Day

Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith

Grace, it's a wonderful marvelous thing. How awesome to know that God's glorious grace covers me, washes over me, and SAVES me from the evil sins that reside in all of our lives.

-and this not from yourselves

Praise God that I cannot save myself....for if I could...I would surely fail.

it is the gift of God

It is a GIFT. We just have to accept the gift. How? Through FAITH.

— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

So many people rely on the fact that they are a "good person" to get them to heaven. Not true. This verse tells the truth very clearly. We cannot save ourselves. The Lord can save us, and it doesn't matter how much bad or good we have done, we ALL need salvation and we cannot EARN it. It's a GIFT given to us and we must ACCEPT it. Once you figure that out...it's so easy. It's so easy. Just accept it, accept HIM. Make your life worth more....more than anything this world can offer.

Verses of the Day...

On my iGoogle page...I have BibleGateway's verse of the day. They actually give 3 verses...(not sure why)....but I love them! Here are today's.

Psalm 19:14
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

***Maybe God is telling me I shouldn't call people dumb. :) People aren't dumb...some people are dumb. ;) Kidding! (Well, sort of.) I believe the words you speak are a reflection of your heart...and I always want people to see God's light in me by the words I speak.

2 Samuel 7:22
“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

***God is awesome. Above everything in this world. He is AMAZING. If you don't know Him...I wish you would.

Romans 12:2
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

***This world is an awful, horrible, evil place...so deceptive....but when you accept Christ you are transformed...you are made new. Inside and out. The world tests you...but knowing that God is greater than this awful place...knowing that His will is greater than this...it somehow makes it all worth it.

My Lord, my God...you are amazing. I praise you for your Holiness, God. Thank you that this world is not my home....because if all I had was this evil place to look to, and nothing more, I don't think I could continue, God. Thank you for saving me with your amazing Grace. May I give you my All, Lord.

Slow Fade

I love Casting Crowns. They are by far the most awesome group in Christian music (and of course any other kind of music!). Where alot of Christian music is "feel good" music (which is still fine), Casting Crowns calls out not only the sinner...but the Christian. They keep the Christian on track. They constantly make a Christian re-evaluate themselves. The song "Slow Fade" was stuck in my head yesterday. Sin will envelope you before you realize it if you are not careful.

Slow Fade

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself awayP
eople never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Experience It for Yourself

Pastor spoke this week from 1 Peter...and pointed out something that I had never even considered before.

1 Peter 1:12 says:

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

You'd have to read the entire chapter to get the idea of the verse itself...but the emphasis on the last line....that is a very important line.

Peter is speaking of salvation. Angels do not know what it is to experience salvation. To feel that conviction, that calling of your heart, that desire to know Him. That feeling that no matter what happens...you KNOW what's going to happen. That feeling that your life is about MORE. More than anything this world can offer. Pastor pointed out that angels are not witnesses because they cannot testify as to what God did for them through salvation. They reside in Heaven. They worship God. But they have not experienced SALVATION.

I have. I could explain the feeling to you. I could explain it to this day, for I remember that day like no other. I cannot tell you the date, but the date doesn't matter to me. That change in my heart and in my life...that's what matters to me. I could explain to you how my heart was thumping so hard in my chest that I thought it would burst. That I felt that if I didn't walk up to that altar that very moment that something amazing was going to pass me by. That going to that altar released so much from me that I didn't know I was carrying, and gave me something that I cannot put into words. I completely let go....

But if you haven't experienced that then you just won't understand.

If you don't understand...then I pray that someday you will. Then it will all make sense.

Prayer & Tears

It's a good thing, a great thing, a FANTASTIC thing!!! It's not a bad thing. Some people see it as a weakness. I say I AM WEAK. God gives me strength...I give myself nothing. I pray and I cry. I pray and I don't. Crying is certainly NOT a weakness. It's an emotion. I may cry while talking to God...for the blessings He has given me...to seek comfort during a time of trial...to pray for those that need salvation. I may hear a song that touches my heart...Holy Ground is one...and I may cry. I may stop whatever I am doing and sit in the presence of God. And cry. Does that make me a "lost" person...a"tortured soul"...??? Absolutely not. It's crying that brings to light the joy in a world filled with so much pain. There's more to life than THIS. And for that I am thankful.

So to you who feel that crying and praying is a person who is tortured, lost and in pain...

You are wrong!

Inexperience doesn't make you right.

Praise the Lord that He is above all of this!!!

Emily...

I miss her. I miss her so much. My heart breaks when I hear someone speak her name. It's been so long...and yet not long enough. I still remember all to well the feelings and the hurt and the pain...even today I cannot reflect too much because it hurts so badly. But she's a beautiful angel now. Above anything in this world...she is dwelling with God and someday I know I will be with her...

I explain to Maleah what the tree in the backyard is for. She has a big sister who is watching over her. Someday she'll understand....

God has a plan above anything we can expect or plan for ourselves. Don't ask 'why' when something happens...because it will all be revealed in God's time. And you can find comfort in that. I have. I didn't want the loss. I didn't ask for it. I only expected it in my own fearful mind. But it happened. And I trust God in the "why"...so there's no need to ask.

I praise Him for all the blessings and the hardships. I heard a quote this weekend:

"Without a test you have no testimony."

God has put me through a test...and because I have trusted Him I now have a testimony...and can help others in need.

Thank you Lord for that blessing.

Sin is not Justifiable

I was reading a news story about a man who was convicted of a 4th degree felony. That got me thinking of how we rate crimes depending on how bad we think they are. There's 1st degree murder, 2nd degree....there's manslaughter, there's involuntary manslaughter. A man who kills his wife is punished more harshly than a woman who murders her husband....we GRADE everything. I may have cheated on my spouse...but that's not AS BAD as someone who commits murder...so atleast I'm not AS BAD as that person...etc, etc, etc.

That got me thinking about sin. Sin is the same in God's eyes no matter what it is. My lying is just as bad as someone else's adultery. God doesn't RATE sin.

James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

That's a hard concept for us to wrap our minds around. I heard an analogy once that I thought was fantastic...and it really put it into perspective for me.

If you take a box of crayons and look at it from the front, some are totally worn down, some have been used a bit, and some not at all. They all look different. BUT if you take that same box, and hold it and look down at the crayons, they all look the same.

That is how God sees sin, it's all the same. Don't go through life thinking "I may have done [this], but "So & So" did [this much worse thing] because then you are justifying your sin through comparison. It doesn't work that way. Sin is not justifiable. Not by a long shot. So just don't try to do it!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness:

1. compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
2. the act of excusing a mistake or offense

No one deserves forgiveness, but everyone should be given it. Not forgiving someone only hurts yourself. Without offering forgiveness to those that have hurt us, we are not willing to experience the ultimate forgiveness that God allows us through the death of Christ on the cross. WE put Christ there. WE nailed his hands and feet to that cross. WE killed him. Through our sins. But what do we find? Forgiveness. Because we are loved by God that much. So then why is it that when someone hurts us, wrongs us, that we cannot extend that same unfailing forgiveness to them? Maybe you think they don't deserve forgiveness. But neither do you. Neither do ANY of us. We all need it. No matter what we've done. Through forgiveness we can begin to feel the unfailing love that God has for each and every one of us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And let me also leave this verse:

Matthew 7:3-4
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Dare we refuse to forgive someone for the very thing that we have done to them??? THAT is a hypocrite.