Ever prayed from inside your sin?

From inside the fish Jonah prayed... "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry." - Jonah 2:1-2

Have you or me for that matter, ever prayed from "inside your sin"? Why was Jonah in the belly of a whale? 'Cause he sinned. Easy enough. Have we ever sinned? Of course, if you said no there, please start over and be honest. Jonah disobeyed God. God had told him to go to Ninivah and tell the people that He was going to destroy their city if they didn't stop all their sins. What did Jonah do instead, head the opposite direction. Sounds kinda like when my kids were at "that age", you know you tell them to eat their cereal and they pour it all over the floor, or you tell them to get dressed and they take everything they have off and look at you with that "what 'cha going to do about it" look. Jonah, in essence, gave God that "what 'cha going to do about it" look.

So Jonah ended up in the inside of a whale. This was the outcome of his sin, the destination from the road he choose. If he had obeyed God, things would have been much different. If he had just stayed where he was and ignored God, I believe, it would have been a little better, still disobeying God, but not thumping his nose at God, as he now was. We have all heard the stories of how it was, more then likely inside that whale, and how God had to have prepared that fish to swallow Jonah, as whales aren't built normally to do that kind of thing. But that is not the main focus here, the main focus is that Jonah messed up, and found himself, because of his sin, in a bad situation.

Did you know that God hears a sinners prayer? When a sinner, one who is far from God, prayers God hears them. Why would God, who is perfect in every way, even be slightly interested in what a person who does not obey Him, does not love Him, has not shown an interest at all in Him, take the time to listen? God is disgusted by sin, He cannot come into contact in any way with it. When His son Jesus, was on the cross and had "the sins of the world" on Him, God the father, had to turn His head, because He could not even look at His son, because of the presence of sin. YET, God hears us when we, in sin, call on Him.

So, God will come into the presence of sin, just because we called out to Him. Jonah was in the whale, because of his sin, and called out to God, and God listened. What was so important that God would listen to this man who was in the middle of sin, and surrounded by sin because of his disobedience? Jonah, basically said, "I'm sorry".

Every "sinners prayer" that was ever prayed, was prayed from inside someone's sin. God hears them all, yet do you realize what it takes for Him to be even that close to sin? He does not do it alone, Jesus, who overpowered death, hell, and the grave, and took ALL sin on Him when He died, basically "filter's" out the sin, so that His Father can bare it.

Back in the old testament, there were all kinds of things, sacrifices, laws, rules, that had to be done in order to make ones self clean enough for God to contact someone personally. Looking at the rules, and regulations, it is a wonder anyone "knew God" at all. I think most Jews followed these rules, out of pride for their heritage more then there love for God. BUT Jesus Christ became the sacrifice, so that we have direct contact with God, the Father, on His throne, listening to US>

When we fail, when we goof up, make a mistake, when we turn our backs on God on purpose, when we doubt, when we SIN, all we have to do is call on His name, from inside our sin. Without Jesus' work on the cross, how would this have been possible? It wouldn't. Now, thanks to Jesus Christ, there is no priests needed, to take our side, there is no sacrifice to be made, there is no "Holy of Holys" that the high priest must enter and make our cases' before God, and ask for forgiveness. WE, while still covered, drowning in our sin, can come before God in His throne room, with Jesus Christ standing there representing us, and ask for forgiveness. AND GOD hears us, why, not because of who we are. but because of who God is, and what His Son did on the cross.

I look forward to the day when God the father, can look directly at me, without having to use His son as a filter, to filter out the sin, it seems I always have somewhere in my life. I have doubt, I have depression, I have emotions that come into my life everyday, that are not of God. One day, when I am in front of His throne, He will look directly into my sin free eyes and say: "Enter in, thou good and faithful servant" And I will look directly at Him, see His face and praise His name as I enter into the place He has made for me.
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Jonah, was basically dead inside that whale. If he couldn't get out, that was it for him. That is why he uses the term, "from the depths of the grave, I called for help, and you listened to my cry"

Have you ever been so far from the Lord, if felt like you were in the belly of a whale? There was no way out, there was nothing you could do, but die. You had no idea how to get out of this mess that your choices had gotten yourself into. Sometimes God allows us to get there, so that we have no other alternative but to call upon Him, from inside our sin. When we get to that point, we HAVE no choice but to trust Him, and then it is "God Time". He shows us what He is capable of, and hopefully, we never lose faith in Him again.

God always hears us when we call upon Him, especially when we are deep inside of our sin. Try it out, give Him a shout, and see what happens. He will never let you down, never forsake you, never leave you stranded, He wants to hear from you, regardless of where your are.

What a Character.

"Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness"- Yousup Karsh (Canadian Photographer)


Psalm 105:17-19

New Living Translation (NLT)

Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the LORD tested Joseph’s character.

Character, yes I have been called one, many times, I am not sure if that is good or not:) But what is Character? Websters has several definitions, but this one stuck me the most:" one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual "

Yes, we are all different characters in this world. We are made up of different opinions, we have gone through different things, raised by different characters......these have all helped form who we are, our character. You can have good Characteristics of bad. People can respect you or not, depending upon your character. But when the "Rubber hits the Road" and your character is revealed, where are you, usually in a dark, trying, serious place. God tested Joseph by letting him go through some pretty bad things. When does character show up? When there is trouble. A high school football player may be OK, not great during his high school days, a college may or may not give him a scholarship, but then something happens during a game, two players of the same position got hurt, and now there was no one except this kid to take the field. This so-so high school player shows the coaches he can really play, he has "Character" on the field. No one saw it during high school, because he did not get that many chances to play. But, wow, look at him now. The shyest quietest private of the unit, the one no one knows very well, because he keeps to himself, doesn't cuss, doesn't drink, you know "the Kid"? Well during an ambush, he risks his life for other men, he saves 3 guys that are shot and have no way out, he shows his Character when the pressure is on, the darkness is all around. Now, the whole unit shows respect for "The Kid" because he showed his true character.

Are you a man of Character? Good or Bad we all show the world and our families, our self, and God our true character. I used to be real good at having more then one character. There was the one I used around my folks, the one I used at church, the one I used at work, the one I used around my wife and kids.........You see, I was not really any of these characters, I was living many lies, trying to make everyone what I thought they wanted me to be. It took years, but I found out God only cares about the character I really am, bad parts and all, He loves ME> He is slowly, in His way, showing me that I do have Character, and he is unveiling what it is like. I am enjoying it, but at the same time it is scarey. For the first time in my life I am discovering Who I am in God. Who God made me to be. God has given me such a heart for the lost. I look at someone on the street and I see someone who may not know the Lord Jesus Christ and may not have a reason for joy because they don't know their destination after this world. I, over the last few years, care about people much more then I ever have before. I used to consider myself a friendly person, I could carry own a conversation with just about anyone on just about any topic. But it was just a conversation, now I want to learn more about them, I want to know their thoughts, their dreams,their fears, what they think about Jesus, the "After life", things like that. I don't want to get into a argument about religion, I just want to let them know, I care. You know the funny part? I REALLY do care. God has put this characteristic into me, it has always been a part of me,but lately it has become a larger part of me.

Yes I still have some of those not so great Characteristics also, like most of us, but God is showing me where they are, and patiently removing them as I allow Him to. What is Character made of? I think Wisdom, Faith, Common Sense, and not being Selfish and especially having good morals, are the most important attributes of Character. This is my list, you can make up your own if you want.

Have you ever heard of an actor who is trying to develop their Character? They are playing a Character on a TV show, in a Movie or some other form of the Arts. Maybe the character or the whole production is new. The Characters have not been established, so they have to establish them. Ever watch a early episode of a TV show you really like, one that has been own for years? The acting seems lousy, the characters are all so shallow, it just seems not nearly as good as the current season. Why? Because the actors have developed the characters, they have given them "Back Stories" the writers have written stories that make the characters deeper. The whole story line of the show is deeper, you have invested hours of your life studying these stories and characters.

That is how it works in real life, too. As we grow our Character comes out. Experiences form us, our family, friends, enemies, relationships, co workers, jobs, different parts of the country/world we live in, ALL form our character.

But, just like Joseph, God, and the World for that matter, will test our character.

It's fun to be A Character, I have been "goofy", fun, a joker, all my life. Telling jokes that most of the time are "so-so" but once in a while I find a pretty good one. Many years ago I had a date, (Yeah, really) I use humor especially when I am nervous, and I was nervous, my date was very pretty and I felt a little intimidated). Anyway I started singing this goofy song I had heard on a cartoon, (I was still in college, so watching cartoons was still allowed, right? Now that I am in my 50's, it is allowed again? right?) I don't remember the song something about a funny looking vulture who would sing about bringing back a worm to the nest, when all his brothers brought back small animals and such. Two or three years later I saw my date from that night again, (I had dropped out of school). We talked and reminisced, and she told me how much my "goofiness" had put her at ease that night. She said I showed her who I was, when most guys she went out with tried to put on a act of how "cool" they were. I must admit right here, I never was or will be "Cool". Goofy, yes, bad joke teller? Yes, but never cool.

See, Character, it comes in many forms, BUT it is what makes us who we are. It is what others see when they get to know us. It is what our kids see as they grow up, it is what the Lord see's in us, as we live for Him, or not.

What would your co workers say, your friends, your family members.....if asked about your character? But more importantly what does God say about it? If it is in His will to test your character, how will it end up?

How do we get good Character? Here's a good start:

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Check on your character, ask God to help you see it, ask Him to make it more like Joseph's, or King David, or Jesus' or His. Be of Good Character.

Caution: You may not like this one.....

Mark 16:15
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone."

I am more then likely going to make a few people, maybe a lot of people, mad at me with this one. I recently saw some comments on Facebook that did not sit well with me. Someone was commenting "what happened to the alters in our churches?" I have also heard people complain that today's churches do not have choirs anymore and that is a shame, we miss the choirs. Some complain that there is not enough toilets in the ladies room, or the pews are to hard, or the pastor makes way to much money............These things matter not. Remember the "Great Commission"? You know the above verse? Does it say: " Go to your local church and complain that there is not an alter or choir anymore? " No the word of God says: "Go Into all the world and preach the Good news to everyone". Why are we hung up on the fact that there is not an alter at the front of the church? What, you can't knell at the front of the Stage, (Platform?,it is a stage, sorry) or at the front pew? Most people do not accept Christ at a church alter anymore. They are attracted to Jesus Christ because WE as Christians reflect HIM> We are to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel", not have them come to our church and hear a great sermon,. If they do come, fantastic, I think that is wonderful, but it is not all about how many times WE go to the "alter" to rededicate our lives to Jesus. And I don't think a pastor can make enough money, if a church can pay them millions then fantastic, they are worth every penny.

Our "Jobs" as Christians, is to tell people about Jesus Christ, and how He can change our lives. NOT to go to the alter and praise the Lord every Sunday, although this is good, it helps us, we are refilled, but refilled for what purpose, to feel better about ourselves? We are filled and refilled for one purpose: To "Go into all the world and Preach the Good News to EVERYONE". God filled us with His Holy Spirit for a reason and it is not all about us. Our Mission is our workplace, the super market, the ball game, our neighbors, on the golf course, at the coffee house, .....it is not, just about the Church House. There are millions and millions of people who need to hear about Jesus, BUT they will never enter a church, they will however come into contact with us. A alter at the front of the church will not do them any good. An alter, just because that is the way we always done it, will not help your co-worker who is thinking about suicide because of their awful life. The Church is supposed to be a filling station for us to go out and spread what we have through Jesus Christ. Has it become a place where we say "Me and my house, and no more"?

My pastor this last week challenged us to talk to people who are different then us. People who are gay, believe in abortion, even, yes even Democrats Liberals!!! They are people in need of Jesus Christ. People who voted for Obama, people who differ in every way from us. Those that will never enter the door of a church need Jesus. They will never knell at the alter that is not in front of our church. They will never hear the choir that does not sing in our service. I have no problem with alters or choirs or soft seats, or large bathrooms. I do however have trouble with calling not having these things in our churches almost a sin. I believe this almost on the order of Idolatry. Where is your focus? On the fact that there is not a alter, or on the millions of souls that need Jesus? Did Jesus perform ANY miracles in the Synagogue? How much time did He spend there? Jesus was with the "People", He was everywhere. He was where they were living, not where they were not.

Who cares about alters in our churches? Who cares about choirs? Who cares about how many "Stalls" the bathrooms have? Who cares about how soft the pews are? But mainly who cares about the souls that are going to hell, unless we tell them about Jesus? The souls that work with us, live next door, are parents of our children's friends, the ones we play softball with, golf with? How will they ever know unless we tell them? We are to busy worrying about the fact that our church took out the alters, so that there is more room for praising Jesus, that we have forgotten our reason for being here in the first place.

If I made you mad, then good. Think about what I said, put your priorities in order, and focus on "The Great Commission."


GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOOD NEWS To EVERYONE.

Not go to church and talk to your buddies about the football games, and get blessed, and then ignore all your neighbors, co workers, unsaved friends, relatives, .....,..God wants us to share with others what He has done for us. Complaining about the lack of alters in our churches, I don't think, fits into that plan.

This is my heart, and I am not apologizing for it. God has placed it there, and He is always right. Once again: If I upset you,then good, I feel you need to be upset, God is calling us to action, and it is time the Church woke up and realized that. The world is waiting.

Man it's Dark, Hey it' really bright.

Genesis 1:2

New Living Translation (NLT)
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

I was reading a devotional the other day and this verse was used. The author, then went on to say that look: "God started with darkness". He then went on to show examples from history how God has always started with Darkness then he establishes the light. The first week, as God created everything, first there was darkness then light, the "first day" and so forth. See, before God comes into a situation there is darkness. God comes along and the first thing He does it establish the light. Darkness cannot contain the same space as God. You see, HE IS LIGHT>

What do we think of when we think of darkness? Sin, thieves, robbery, depression, idolatry of every kind, all things bad. So these things cannot be in the same space as God, He , just by His presence brings light, and the darkness must flee.

Got any "darkness" in your life? Ever watch the sunrise? I mean really watch it? When I was in the Navy years ago, I remember two things about being at sea.( Well, two good things:)) First the sunsets were fantastic. The horizon was as far as you could see, and when the sun set, it was gone, just like that, there one second gone the next. The same thing happened at sunrise, darkness, wham ,then light. Why, because there was nothing on the horizon except water, as far as you could see, water. No buildings, no mountains, no anything but water. This is how God is, all we see and feel is darkness then wham, light because He has showed up. God never goes where He is not asked, so if we are in darkness, and like it, or depend upon it, He will not come, thereby continuing the darkness in our lives. But by asking God to show up, the light comes, darkness flees, the devil who IS darkness, has to go. Then, and only then, can we fellowship with God, and listen to His will for our lives. If we are surrounded by darkness, how are we going to listen to God's voice. He hears us, but the darkness is like a blanket on top of us, and we have a hard time hearing anything but our own cries, moans, excuses and pleadings. You know that "We are a victim, mentality"

Many like living in the darkness, they feel comfortable. Maybe they used to live in the light, but had their expectations way to high, and got hurt. Maybe they expected to have everything they wanted and it doesn't work like that, so they left, feeling unfulfilled. These people have no one but themselves to blame for what they feel. God never promised us we would have a good life, but actually told us we would be persecuted for following Him. I was raised as a PK (Preachers Kid), I know that feeling. I tried to fake it for years, that is what I thought I saw in those in the church including my Dad. It took years before I saw the truth, that it is not fake, Jesus does care for me, and love me. I lived many years in the Darkness, not wanting to be in the light. I liked Christian friends, Christian music, Christian works, making fun of non believers even though I was just like them. I didn't understand God's love for me, and I didn't care. I could pretend to be "HOLY" and do just fine, thank you.

Then I joined the Navy, I was free of any Christians, I could do whatever I wanted. I did too. Now, 30 something years later, I have come full circle. I have found out God LOVES ME, He cares for ME, He scolds me when I am selfish, He praises me when I do right. He carries me when I am to tired to continue, He talks to me when I am lonely. What happened? I realized I was tired of the darkness, and asked Jesus to come into it with me. And as soon as He did, there went the darkness, and I have been in the light ever since.

Does darkness cover your world? Does it seem that there is something missing? Does it seem there is nothing that can fill that hole in your heart, soul, life? Remember, whenever Jesus enters a space, darkness has to flee. It is like any physical law we have here on earth, gravity, force, .....any reaction will have the opposite reaction...Jesus presence repels darkness. All we have to do is invite Jesus to show up in our lives, and "Wham" darkness is gone. Yes, the darkness will try to come back if we get a little lazy in our relationship with Him, but just say prayer, talk to Him, visit with Him, share ALL your feeling with Him, and He will show up, and darkness will flee.

Darkness was first in everything God did. Darkness was first before Jesus accomplished any miracle. We live in a dark world, one full of sin some of which we would not believe, BUT Jesus is enough for it all. He died, so that we might live, and I might add, live in the LIGHT, not the dark.

One thing I really like about the verse above is the last line. "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters". You see darkness was everywhere, BUT God was still around, hovering, or waiting for something to happen. You may be in the dark, but God is just a cry away. He is waiting for us to call Him. God can in no way contact sin, but through what His son Jesus, did on the cross, He doesn't see the sin, He only sees Jesus' purest white. BUT we must ask Jesus to forgive us our sins. Then the darkness leaves, Jesus becomes our savior, and the Father communes with us, and abides with us.

Got Darkness? Why?

Charles Spurgeon, says it best.

I have a on line devotional that I read twice a day. It is by Charles Spurgeon, one of my heroes in the faith. This morning I was kinda down, feeling low in my spirit. I was allowing circumstances to control me. Then I read the following. I feel Rev. Spurgeon does such a fantastic job of telling about "The Lord our Righteousness" that I would share it with you today. This lifted me up this morning and I hope it does you ,as well.



"The Lord our Righteousness."
Jeremiah 23:6

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace, to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I do not think they would if they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption, and the depravity of the heart, and the innate evil of the soul. This is quite true, but why not go a little further, and remember that we are "perfect in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are dwelling upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us righteousness," we shall be of good cheer. What though distresses afflict me, though Satan assault me, though there may be many things to be experienced before I get to heaven, those are done for me in the covenant of divine grace; there is nothing wanting in my Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the cross he said, "It is finished!" and if it be finished, then am I complete in him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." You will not find on this side heaven a holier people than those who receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ's righteousness. When the believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest on him solely for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am still saved in Jesus;" then there rises up as a motive of gratitude this thought--"Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love him and serve him, seeing that I am saved by his merits?" "The love of Christ constraineth us," "that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them." If saved by imputed righteousness, we shall greatly value imparted righteousness.

He Gives and Takes Away.

Hebrews 10:9

Lexham English Bible (LEB)
then he has said,“Behold, I have come to do your will.”He takes away the first in order to establish the second,


I have a niece, who , it seems God has decided to take "every thing" from. I have told her, that like Job, God is going to test her, but then will replace everything. I came across this scripture this morning, and wow, did it " hit home. ".......He takes away the first in order to establish the second" I always thought this was in reference to the first covenant vs. Jesus accomplishment on the cross, ending the first, and establishing the second covenant. I had never thought of it in " everyday going through life" terms.

How can God give you something fantastic, from His will, if you already have something there in it's place? How can He give you that wonderful job, that you will love, when you have that job that you hate? (Please don't go out and quit your job, and say God will give me the dream job, now, He does it in His plan, not ours). When God takes something away from us, it is because He has something so far better then we can imagine in mind to replace it with. We, as humans, want so often to "settle" for OK, when God has "Fantastic, Wonderful, beyond our thinking, over the top, more then we could ever think or imagine, the triple play, the 100 yard bomb for a game winning touchdown, you see where I am going, things for us.

We cry and plead to God. "Why, Lord did you take that away from me?" " I want it back, it was so comfortable, it was what I wanted, and you took it from me." "OK, Lord , I will trust you, what's next?" If we really trusted Him, we would be excited He took away what we thought we loved, because He ALWAYS replaces it with what we need. Ever prayed to win the Publishers Clearing House? Did you win? Or, did God just supply your daily needs, and a few of your wants? Has God in your life, like mine, ALWAYS come through? You pray for a need, and He meets it? You pray for a desire and He meets it? You pray for a selfish THING and He denies it? I heard a story one time about a young lady who wanted a 8 track player really bad, yeah, I know it is a old story, I mean an 8 track? But she saved her money from babysitting for a 8 track for months, and then had enough. She was going to buy it on Monday morning. But at church on Sunday, a missionary was there. She ended up putting her money for the 8 track in the offering to support him. Then she started saving again, this same thing happened 2 more times, always giving her money to help in some way. She began to realize helping the Lost was much more important then an 8 track player. A few months later, she was the winner in a drawing she had entered months before and totally forgot about. The prize? A much more expensive 8 track player then she could have ever afforded. See, she did what the Lord was telling her to do, and THEN God rewarded her with her desires.


Have you ever wondered why God did not allow you to get that job, you know the perfect job, the one you applied for, interviewed for, the one you knew you had? That job, that paid much more then you were making now? The one with all the responsibility, the one with benefits, stock options................You just knew you would get, the interviews went so well, everyone acted like you already worked there. What happened? Have you ever thought maybe God had other plans for you? Maybe less pay, less benefits, no stock options, fewer responsibilities, more time with your family, no travel. Maybe the job you have now has a purpose. A purpose to talk to your co workers about the Lord, a purpose to be an example, not just talk to them. A purpose to nurture and raise you children, love your wife, be in Church every Sunday. Yeah, the money would have been nice,but who do we trust? Money, fame, fortune, talent, or God? Money is nice, but leaves us wanting more, always wanting more, fame is over rated, fortune comes with many challenges,talent comes from God in the first place, but what does God provide? Everything we need, and more.

If you feel like my niece, that God is taking everything from you, thank about what He will replace those things with. He never flies coach, He will always give us the best He has to offer. All we have to do is trust. That's all He asks us for, our trust. "Yeah, that's EASY', you may be thinking, but your right, it is IF we have our eyes on Him. As a child, holding onto our fathers hand as we cross a very busy street, complete trust, no worry, be happy.

God closes doors, takes things away from us, for a reason. He is NOT trying to punish us, He is trying to cause us to grow. He has such great things in store, we will be amazed.

What will we do when tragedy strikes?

Yesterday I watched "Soul Surfer". I have seen it once before a while back. But as I watched it yesterday, I cried, bawled, and praised God. The story, seemingly a tragedy, shows how God uses these bad times in our life for a bigger purpose. The film does a very good job of showing this families, and especially Bethany's trust in God. I did some research on Bethany and found most of the movie is very accurate. She said when they were putting her in the ambulance after the shark attack, a EMS medic whispered in her ear: " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" She said she will never forget that EMS medic, because this is exactly what she needed to hear at that moment. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it.

Has seemingly disaster come into your life recently? What have you done about it? Have you, like me, shouted at God, shaken your fist at Him, and like Bethany cried out to Him: "Why did this have to happen to me?" It is so easy to focus on ourselves, especially when trouble is all we can see. But God has another plan. He is thinking about the people you can influence, the lives you can touch when you triumph over these "tragedies".

I was thinking about Noah the other day. It had never rained ever. No one knew what water coming from the sky was. Yet Noah was building a boat in his back yard, a huge boat. Do you think he ever got discouraged? Do you think the criticism he was getting from everyone was getting him down? Do you ever think he got tired of working so hard on a boat, and then gathering up animals of every kind, to put on the boat? Of course he did. But he continued. What would have happened to the earth if Noah had not been obedient to the Lord? Would God had sent the flood anyway and destroyed us all? We don't have to think about that, because Noah WAS obedient. How many splinters do you think he got handling all that wood, how many times do you think he hit his thumb with a hammer? How many times do you think he was made fun of as he went into "Home Depot" to buy a lot more nails? No, he did not have his arm bitten off by a shark, but he had his on tragedy, just the same.

One of the things that impresses me the most about Bethany's story, is that her family were Christians before all this happened. What did they do after this tragedy struck? They prayed, the leaned on God, this made their faith stronger. Bethany found out when she turned her focus off herself, and her missing arm, and turned it on others, her whole attitude changed, she focused on others, she let God's light shine for all to see. We would have never heard of her if it had not been for this tragedy and her desire, and drive, and love for surfing to continue regardless of how many arms she had, if it had not been for that shark. Now she tells the world that Jesus Christ is the reason she went on, He is the one that held her, He is the only reason she is living.

"Google" "Bethany Hamilton" and see the many sites there are. She has sites that tell her story, that explain her faith, that tell how to be saved through Jesus Christ. She is using the attention she is getting through her tragedy to show people God's love.

Romans 8:37
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

You don't have to have your arm bitten off by a shark, or build a huge boat in your back yard to be used of God. You do, however, have to do what He asks of you. Tragedies come, and Victories come, But Jesus Christ is ALWAYS.

Watch "Soul Surfer" if you have already seen it, watch it again. This is how I want to live my life, to serve Him, regardless.

White is Black?

According to Websters the following can be found; Black= Dark, Dark= dull, Dull= colorless, Colorless= Pale and Pale= White.

So if you follow this through, the world according to Webster, believes that Dark is white.

I imagine this is not news to any of you. This is Satan's Logic, a twisted, weird, untrue, logic. He has many followers who believe this line of "Logic"

Philippians 4:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

" And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. "

So you see, there is the REAL definition of White: "....truth, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable." I believe the first word: "Truth" sums all the other ones up pretty well.

Satan has us, the humans, believing that black is white, and white is black, that up is down and down is up.......How did we get so mixed up? Easy, we allowed our thinking to be turned on it's head.
See the key word there, "Allowed"? We gave in, waved the white flag, turned the ball over, let our guard down, however you want to say it, we believed in what Satan has been telling us. "It's OK, it's just a "white lie", God want hold that against you, Everyone does it, so what's the harm?, All the "Cool" kids are doing it, don't you want to fit in or do you want to be "Unpopular?".

Satan is very effective at what he does. He is patient, he knows just how to get to us, he knows our weakness'.

I hate to tell you, but if you did not know, Black is NOT White, and up is not down, and east is not west...................There is a right and there is a wrong. God instilled this in everyone of us, yet we have allowed satan , in this world, to challenge that. Satan wants us to question everything, "Why, must we serve only One God? Who says there is only one way to Heaven, through Jesus? I was made to love another man, not a woman, it is just the way I am", Everyone cheats on their taxes, employer, wife, ...... why shouldn't I?, It is not fair that "THEY" make more money then me, I am just going to take some of their stuff to balance things a little" These are thoughts that satan has put into our brain, because we have stopped listening to God. If we are listening and communing with God, then we won't even hear the voice of that puny little slimy snake, satan.

Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong, that is the way God, Jehovah, set it up and that is the way it will always be. Just as God separated the night from the day, He also set up a moral right and wrong.

It seems "everyone" lies these days. If you lie to protect someone, or because you don't want to hurt someones feelings, then it's OK? Isn't truth, truth, with no middle ground? I have a Gay neighbor who asked me one time if I personally thought he was living in sin because of his lifestyle. I said: "Yes", but I also said that he was still my friend. We watched football games together., shared a lot of the same interests. He moved a few months ago, and I do miss him, he was a pretty neat guy. He knew where I stood on his "lifestyle", because he told me and I answered him honestly. He introduced me to a couple guys he had been dating a few times, and would always say: "This is my neighbor and friend, Chris, who doesn't approve of our lifestyle, but he is a cool guy" This usually got us into a conversation about the "Gay Gene" and if it is something they are just born with, or choose. Many interesting conversations.


You see, yes there is right and there is wrong, but that doesn't mean we have to put up a wall and a sign that reads: "Only Christians allowed". How will those who are allowing satan to control their lives know there is a far better way, unless we tell them? And really the best way to tell them is to show them. Live Godly lives, let them inspect every part of your lives, because when you declare your a Christian, they will, believe me. Let them see, not a perfect man, but a man who is trying, through Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life.

How do we not get mixed up in this total lie that satan is dishing out? Look above at the scripture, go ahead it is at the top of the page I'll wait. What does Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi tell us to fix our thoughts on? Truth, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. What is the only thing that has ALL of these? Jesus. So, basically, Paul was telling us to think of the things of God, and His son Jesus, and nothing else.

Just because we are friendly to someone we don't agree with, does not mean we condone their lifestyle. How will the world know us? They will "Know us by our love". NO, this does not mean they will know us ONLY by our love for each other, it also means they will know us by our love of them, right or wrong, God loves everyone He made, so why shouldn't we?

So, I am sorry Mr. Webster, but White is White, and Black is Black. Sin is Sin, and Truth is Truth. There are many dying in this world because they get this mixed up. We don't need to separate ourselves from them, just from their sin, we need to go into all the world, and show them there is a difference.

I must acknowledge this comes from a sermon by Rev. Sam Rijfkogel, July 2001 at GT Austin in Austin Texas. I was not in attendance, but I have notes from someone who was. I wish I had been there, this is such a good message. Thank you, Mary, for taking time to share this message with me.

Sit in Daddy's Chair.

Revelation 3:21

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on
his throne.

NIV


When you were little, did you ever crawl up into daddy's chair? What an honor, you were sitting with Daddy. Remember Daddy's chair? He, more then likely had a chair that was "HIS". He would come home from work, tired and ready to relax for awhile, and plop down in HIS chair, and all the kids would come running yelling: "Daddy's home, Daddy's home!" You would crawl up onto his lap and share your day with him. "Guess what, Daddy?.............." Dad would really care, and listen to all you had to say, He was tired ,but you were his children, he always had time for you.

I am sure Daddy had his own chair at the dinner table also. It would be at the "Head" of the table. Dad would say "Grace" he would cut the pork roast, he would start the conversation, he was, well, Daddy.

Before Dad got home, maybe Mom would sit down in his chair, it was, after all, pretty comfortable. But as soon as you all heard Dad's car pulling up into the driveway, and the door slamming, everyone got up and let Dad sit down, it was His chair. As kids we used to sit in Daddy's chair while he was at work, or asleep, both me and my sister could fit in it, but usually this turned into a fight. But, I remember pretending to be Daddy. Sitting there in his chair, I would try to talk in a deep voice and say things he would say. Sometimes I would put his helmet on that I found while going through his closet, which I wasn't supposed to do. My Dad was a US Marine, so he had things like helmets, and old gun stocks, and ribbons for his uniforms and all kinds of things. I played with a M-1 rifle stock for years. It was perfect for playing Army or Cowboys and Indians.

When Dad would get a promotion from one rank to another, he would give me his old "Stripes" and Mom would sew them onto my play clothes, sometimes. I remember when he made "Staff Sargent" that meant I got promoted to Sargent. I would walk around my room like I was really tough and order my stuffed animals around.

I loved my Dad, I respected him, he was a tough Marine. But I really never thought of him as real tough, he was, after all, my daddy.


Look at the above scripture, we are told that if we "Overcome" we will get to sit in Jesus' throne with Jesus!!!!! The most powerful seat in the Universe and beyond, WE will sit in. Jesus, Himself, will scootch over and make room for us, and we will talk to Him like He is our big brother, which He is. He will ask us questions about our day, our life, and we will ask Him. He will call me Chris, He knows my name, I will ask Him why certain things were done the way they were while I was on Earth, and He will explain all things to me. I will be such a honor to sit with Him and commune, and share every detail of my life.

But there is only one problem, the first part of the scripture, above: "To him who overcomes............" Without overcoming the world, none of this will be possible. Who rules the World? Satan, and his demons. so, to overcome the world, we must overcome that little punk , lying, slimy, jerk Satan. Without God and His Son Jesus, this would be a big challenge, but we have them on our side. Satan wants us to fail, to never sit with Jesus on His throne, but Jesus wants this more then anything.

Look at the last part of the scripture: "...just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne." See, it can be done, Jesus did it. He was completely human when He did it too. He was like us, in every regard. He had every temptation we do, yet He overcame the world.

Why do we give Satan so much credit? He is nothing, he is just a little fly that buzzes around trying to bring us down. God uses a "fly swatter" to get rid of him, because he is so small. Our God is a big God, and we will get to talk to Him soon, face to face. Satan has to get God's permission before He can do much, he has very limited power. But God is the ruler of EVERYTHING.

So, think about what you want to ask Jesus when your sitting on His throne, just you and Him. Then after your talk, you might go fishing with Him. That would be awesome .

Temptation, do we like it?

"Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like to keep in touch"--Robert Orben

How true this statement is. How many times have you asked yourself, God, family members, friends: "Why do I keep falling into this sin, it seems I just cannot stand against temptation"? I just thought of an answer to that question: "Maybe you like it". Think about this: Sin is fun. You can say it's a habit, I am hooked, I can't help myself, to some degree that may be true, but the simple fact remains you like it. The drug user loves the high, the alcoholic loves the high, the porn addict loves the high, it's the feeling you get when you do what is making you high. Why do you keep doing it, why can't you stop? Because you like it. You feel guilty afterward, you know it was wrong, you know you "Failed" again, you know your a loser, you can't even stop for a minute.
So what is the secret to stopping? Changing the fact that you like it. How do we change liking something? We start by asking God for a new mind.

I have been stuck most of my adult life in that vicious circle. The "I can do it, just follow the "12 steps", I will not give into temptation, I will turn my head and not look at ....." It did not work for me. I would go from having the 6 month chip, one minute to starting over. Why? BECAUSE I LIKED IT. The secret, if you will, is NOT "bucking down" and not giving into temptation, but going to the source of why you like it. What are the circumstances surrounding your habit? Is it something you do because you are lonely, or not feeling good about yourself, or to show someone in your mind at least, that you don't need them? What needs are your bad habits meeting? WE like this feeling, but why? Because they give us temporary relief from what we don't want to feel, our inadequacies, our feelings of pity for ourselves, our past mistakes, our lives.

I did not start this blog out to be a Psycho analyst, but it seems I crossed that line already. If, like me, you have habits and addictions in your life, that you have struggled for ever it seems, then I am talking to you. Why do we continue to struggle? Because we get into that: "I am a jerk, my life is a mess, my children hate me, I need a escape I cannot go own anymore feeling like this" feeling. Do you know where those words come from? The pit of hell, that's were. Satan will not forget your past mistakes,sins, and doesn't want you to either. But here is the way if works for me anyway. Satan brings up how worthless I have been in the past, he makes sure I know what a jerk I am, he gets me into that "I am a victim" feeling. Then he reminds me of my addiction and the feeling I had when I gave into that sin. The memories of the High, come back, I don't want to be where I am right now, feeling all down and depressed about myself, so that high sounds good. You remember that you like that temporary escape from reality. Got it we LIKE IT.

Old bank robbers don't continue to rob banks just for the money, they like robbing banks, it is a rush of adrenaline a high. I have heard that test pilots have a very hard time retiring, because they cannot find anything to replace that high, adrenaline rush from the danger part of their job. Playing chess, vs. pulling 5 G's, just doesn't compare.

OK, now we have figured out, admitted to ourselves that we like something that is wrong, bad, makes us an awful person. The guilt is so heavy, the shame hits hard, what have we done to ourselves the ones that love us? Why do they do a background check on many jobs? Because if you have been arrested for stealing 12 times, the chance that you will do it again are pretty good. You did it once and found out you liked it, therefore you kept doing it.

Now comes the thing to ask God for. Ask God to change your heart, and mind. Ask Him to change your likes. OK here comes a cheesy line, sorry: "Get high on life," not drugs, alcohol or anything else. It is a cheesy line, but it is true. If you have kids, spend time playing and enjoying them. You know they will grow up very fast and your time with them will be short. Make the most of it. Spend time with your spouse, if your married, show them how much you love them, share the things you both love to do. Believe it or not, you will like this. The high you were feeling from your habits is just a fake copy of the real thing. Spend time with God, He wants to share with you His knowledge, His love, His plan for your life.

While in church this last Sunday, the Lord was revealing Himself to us. There was a presence of the Holy Spirit like I haven't felt in many years. I could feel a breeze through out the building. I saw the flags at the front of the church blowing in the breeze. After service I went up to look at those flags, and no, they were not in the cross breeze of any air conditioning or heater vent. There was no one that had been standing near enough to them to cause these winds. I believe it was the glory of God that was blowing through the congregation that morning. I remember feeling a High, if you will, I have never felt before. I had no desire of anything but to remain there and take all God had to offer. You see there is not any feeling we feel when we are fulfilling our desires that are not a copy, an imitation of true feelings from God. I have given into temptation every time because I wanted to. I have sensed the wonderful presence of God a few times like this past Sunday morning because He wanted me to, and I wanted to have all He had to offer.

You don't have to come to the place where you sacrifice your feelings, your desires, so that you can be in the presence of God, doing what He wants, following His plan. All you have to do is worship Him, change your priorities. He will fulfill your every desire, need, request.................and yes, you will like it, in fact it will be the best high you every have experienced, because it will be the real thing, not just a copy.

You don't have to sacrifice anything, because God will change your heart and mind. Sacrificing will be when your not able to share God with others.

Don't think about all your giving up to God because you want to so much, and what a fool you have been............think about what you are being rewarded with, a life that is worthy of His love. Temptation would never work if we did not like what we were being tempted with in the first place.

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

~ Ephesians 2:10, NLT

I love that God calls us His "Masterpiece". God, the maker of everything that is, sees us as His best creation. He is proud of us, He brags on us. But, there is a part of the above scripture that got my attention even more. ".....;...so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." How long has God been planning on me? How long has He been waiting for me to "do good things? All of creation? Since WAY before I was born? Yes. God knew about me and you long before our ancestors were born. Millions and millions of years ago we were on His mind. This "blows me away".
The God of all, the maker of the universe was thinking about me and you while He was busy making Adam and Eve and the Earth and everything else. He was thinking about me and you when he hung the moon in place and the stars and our sun. He was thinking about me as His son Jesus, was hanging on the cross dying for me. God has a plan for everyone of us. These plans have been in place forever, it seems. Talk about patience, God IS patience just as God is love.

What are these plans of good things I am to do? I don't know, But God does. How do we find them, follow the right path in our lives? OK, here we go again, that word: Patience, and trust. I know, I know, that word Patience keeps popping up, doesn't it? Hebrews 11:6
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."

What is Faith made up? I think it is made up of allot of Patience. You feel there is something you need to do, but it isn't the right time, or it feels like the right thing to say, but there are to many people around right now, this needs to be said in private. Patience, like faith is needed to "Please God", I believe.

Remember when your kids were little, and you had "Grand Plans" for them? My daughter was a math whizz from early on. I just knew she could be a Engineer or a Scientist and make allot of money and buy me a house. But she followed HER dreams and became a fantastic Algebra 2 high school teacher. My son was very good at baseball and soccer and I would tell him when he made it to the pro's, I would like a new house. He, likewise, didn't listen to me:), followed his dreams and is a musician, and a fantastic video, audio editor. I was kidding, of course, but I did have "Great Plans" to see their potential. God has "Great Plans" for each and every one of us. These plans have been in store since time began. You see, as parents, we know what WE want our kids to be, to follow after us, to make something wonderful out of themselves, but we do not know their hearts, the dreams. God does, though. He made us, He knows our desires, our dreams, our abilities, because He put them in us. So when He has dreams for us, guess what? They are our dreams also. I don't believe God dreams for us, as much as He takes our dreams that He already placed in us and makes them much much bigger. We, as human beings, have no idea of our potential, God does. We feel so small, "How can we make a difference?" God knows exactly how we can make a difference. He has planned on our part in this world million of years ago.

Our dreams are His, because He put them there. But how do we achieve these dreams? OK, now lets look at the first part of the scripture above: "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus.............." We are not that same old person we used to be. God has "created us anew in Christ Jesus" Why did He do this? ......."So we can do the good things He planned for us long ago"

I still can't get over the fact that God calls us His Masterpiece. That is totally awesome. We are daVinci's "Mono Lisa" or "The Last Supper", We are Picasso's masterpieces, worth more then any other creation of God the Father. When God made us He was SO proud of us, His creation. But more then this, He loves us, He cares for us, He does not think of us as His creations, but His children. He has great and mighty things for us, that we cannot even imagine.

So go ahead, DREAM, DREAM BIG. God has good plans for us, His dreams ARE our dreams, just bigger.

God does not, like a priceless painting, hang us on the wall and show us off. He wants us to be happy, joyful, forgive the saying, but "All that we can be". We are so much more then we think, He knows our potential, we just need to see it through His eyes.

Don't EVER think that God has no plan for your life. He has a plan for everyone here on earth, otherwise He would have taken you home to be with Him. Complete your potential, finish the "good work" He has in store for you, and then you will be rewarded forever with Him.

Jeremiah 29: 11: " For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

See He has plans for us for "good and not for disaster............" Our plans are in line with His plans, just acknowledge that and seek His will. Trust, patience, faith, we must have these to go forward in Jesus Christ. But when we do, WOW.

What do you have?

Luke 9:12-17

New International Version (NIV)

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketful of broken pieces that were left over.

We all know this one. It is one of Jesus' best known miracles. He fed over 5000 (Men, not including women and children) with just a small boys lunch. Five loaves and two fish. We all know how much of a miracle this was.

I was talking to my sister, Candy, this morning on the phone, we got to talking about miracles. She brought this up, as to reference what God could do. She made a comment to me about how that little boy did not have to share his lunch, he could have kept it for himself, I mean, it was for him. This got my wheels turning and I asked her if I could borrow her thought, so here it is: (With thanks to my Sis, Candy.)

5000 people gathered to hear Jesus' words. They followed Him, out to where they could all fit and He could address them all together. Do you think this little boy was the only one who brought some food? They had no idea how long they were going to be there, they may have traveled for miles to meet Jesus. Don't you think others had come prepared, with lunch too? Why is this little boy the only one who offered his lunch, when they mentioned food? Did others, think about it and then think: "I only have enough for me, how could this feed all these here?" Maybe they did not want to share what they had, maybe they had their favorite lunch along with them, and did not want anyone else to have it. Who knows? But there is one thing we do know: The faith of a child, fed those there that day, as much as the power of Jesus Christ.

What if no one came forward with what they had? How would Jesus fed those there that day? I am sure He would have figured something out. BUT He did not have to, a small boy offered what he had, to be used by Jesus.

The question now is: What do you have? Is it "not enough to be used by God?", Is it mine and "I love it, and don't want anyone else to use, or see it"? What do you have that God can use, but are hording onto? "God, all I have are these 5 loaves and these two fish, what can you do with them?" You would be very surprised what God can do with what we give Him.

When we ,as adults, use our Wisdom and knowledge on things "Religious" guess what happens many times? We lose our "Child Like Faith". When you tell a kid that your going to take them to Six Flags this summer, what do they do? They KNOW it is going to happen, they might not know when yet, but they know it will happen, because you said it. When God tells us He will provide for us, and not to worry, what do we, as adults, usually do? Worry about HOW, God is going to provide. Kids don't usually worry about the "How" but just the "When" This should put all us adults to shame. When God says something, or asks us for something there should only be these words out of our mouth: "When, God, When?" He will tell us.

This young boy knew one thing that afternoon, he knew Jesus needed food, and he knew he had some. He did not think about what Jesus would do with what he gave Him, just that there was a need and he could meet it.

I would like to imagine this young man to have grown up and been a light to that part of the world. I would like to imagine he went around giving to whoever needed what he had. I can imagine he learned a very valuable lesson that day, that whatever we have, Jesus can use.

What do you have?

Any Mountains missing?

Matthew 21:21

"I solemnly tell you," said Jesus, "that if you have
an unwavering faith, you shall not only perform such
a miracle as this of the fig-tree, but that even if you say
to this mountain, 'Be thou lifted up and hurled into the
sea,' it shall be done;

Weymouth, 3rd


Have you heard any news reports about mountains missing? I know, I know, we all assume Jesus was talking about Mountains of whatever, not real mountains, right? Mountains of doubt, bills, sickness, depression, violence, sin of all kinds, problems of all kinds things like that, right? I believe these are mountains in our lives, But I also believe Jesus was being literal.

A mustard seed is pretty small, yet that is all the faith it would take to move that mountain. IF God had a reason for having a mountain, yes a real mountain, cast into the sea, and you or I had enough faith, I believe, without a doubt it would be done. But most of the time, the "Mountains" are in our lives. I have a mountain of laundry I need to do, oh sorry, different kind of mountain.

We all have seen those mountains, the ones that stand in the way of our moving on in God. The ones that stand in the way of our accomplishing what we want to accomplish. If I look real hard, kinda tilt my head over to the left, squint my eyes, I get a little glimpse of my goal, see it, it is right over that huge mountain.

This makes me think of the settlers in the old west. They came from the East, you know New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, you know the East. They may have started out from say St. Louis or Kansas City, but at the very beginning they were in these eastern cities. They got into their wagons, saddled up their horses and headed west, with promises of a brand new country, trees,land as far as you could see. A place to sit up a home, have children, build cities, start their own government the way they wanted. They could have as much land as they could work. For weeks, months they traveled to the west with these dreams in their minds. Then one day they say them, the Mountains. Each day the mountains grew larger and larger as they got closer. They begin to worry, how will we get across those? Wow, those are some big, tall mountains. I am sure some tried to go around them, I mean they can't go own forever, can they? They seemed to go own forever, though. So they started up the hills and into the mountains. You know the stories, many died due to the winters the harsh conditions. They did not no where to go next, there were no paths, no roads. Got the picture in your mind as I do? Hardships, the snow blowing in their faces, the horses who cannot go on any longer, the freezing temperatures. They had a very hard time finding food, as all the animals were safe in their burrows and caves. The "Mountain" was getting the best of them, they were losing to the mountain. Do you suppose they prayed during these ordeals? Yes, I imagine everyone prayed. They were close to losing the fight, and their lives. Many did lose their lives. Why had they left the cities of the East to come out here? Why had they not stayed? Because they had a goal, a dream , a better life for them and their families.

Do you have a dream? Something God has laid on your heart? Every time you try and do something about your dream, there seems to be a "Mountain" in the way. This mountain makes you give up, you cannot go any further, what is the use? You want to be a writer, have thought about it most of your life, but you don't think your good enough, "Who would read my stuff," you think. YOU may be the mountain, that stands in the middle of you and your goal. Doubt, depression, lack of self confidence.

I am going to be 55 years old next month. I have felt that I could write most of my life. I started about 10 books in my life, and they are around somewhere with maybe 10 pages finished. I have one saved on this computer, the first chapter is finished, but I have not written anything more in about a month. One day a year or so ago, I got bored. I decided to start this blog, "Why Not?" Really did not think anyone would read it, but it helps me get my thoughts on "paper". The more I write these blogs, the more I get a sense from God that this is right. I read a verse in the bible, I read a quote from someone, I type it out, and then the ideas of what to say next just come. When you, the readers of my blog, respond with comments, I am encouraged, I am shocked that anyone would read what I write. My faith grows, the Mountain starts tearing lose from the ground beneath it. I don't know what God has in store for my writing, but I do know He has something more in store for me through my writings.

What is your dream? You know, the one you have had all of your life. The one that everyone else laughs at, at least you think they do, every time you mention it. The one that seems so far fetched, that could never be done? The one with the huge mountain standing right in the way every time you start to think it might be possible. Look at the scripture above again, read it, and then read it again. Jesus had just "cursed" a tree, A TREE and within days it was withered up and dead. The disciples were amazed. Then Jesus tells them: "I solemnly tell you " said Jesus, "that if you have an unwavering faith, you shall not only perform such a miracle as this of the fig-tree, but that even if you say to this mountain, 'Be thou lifted up and hurled into the sea,'it shall be done"

There is only one thing that limits our faith, US. That is so important I am going to say it again: There is only one thing that limits our faith, US. Notice in this scripture Jesus says: "Unwavering faith" According to Webster Wavering means: to vacillate irresolutely between choices : fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction . So UN Wavering would mean to : Not change your mind regardless of others opinions. "Stand Firm" "To NOT give up on your principles"....So if we unwaver in our faith, we stand by our guns, we believe what we believe, what we believe.................We will NOT waver, will not turn back because we KNOW what we believe.

Got a mountain? Allow God to put a unwavering faith in your life. Move that mountain, so that it is no longer a obstacle, KNOW, beyond a shadow

of a doubt, that through God's power and your faith in Him, this mountain will be cast into the sea.


I do love the views from the top of a mountain, BUT not in life's highway. Mountains, are they in your life? Have you given up your dreams because of them? Don't try and go around them, you never will, they go on forever. Move em, with God's power, and your faith in HIM>

Now, I have to start on that mountain of laundry. Why did I wait so long to do it?

Happiness, what's it based on?

Romans 12:12

Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When
trials come endure them patiently; steadfastly maintain the
habit of prayer.

Phillips Translation


Oh, now I see why I am sad all the time. I am not basing my happiness on my hope in Christ, but rather, if my football team wins. So that is the secret? Have you ever "based your happiness on anything other then our hope in God?" Of course, we all have. We see the end of the money before the end of the month. We see this world and the terrible things that are going on around us. We see violence, crime, drugs, hatred, murder, disrespect of humans, the worth of human life at a all time low................not what we are told to base our happiness on, but what we see with our human eyes. Our happiness is supposed to be based upon our hope in Christ.

I am going to go out on the limb a little here, and say that the word "happiness" may have been translated from the Greek from a word that could have meant "Emotions". All Emotions. If all you dwell upon is what you see in front of you, the checking account balance, the price of everything going up, the talk about raising every tax we pay, the talk of adding more taxes, the talk of other countries that hate the USA having Nuclear weapons.............then guess were your emotions will be? Yep, in the gutter, down, worried, almost killing yourself with doubt that anything good will ever happen. But look above at the scripture up top: What does it tell us to base our happiness (emotions?) on? OUR HOPE in CHRIST. Oh, not in what we see, but what we SEE.



Hope : to cherish a desire with anticipation, to trust, to desire with expectation of obtainment, to expect with confidence.



See, Hope is not looking at our present situation, it is trusting it will change. Remember that good, but true definition of hope: "The substance of things NOT SEEN, the evidence of things to come" something like that. You see if you can see it, then you don't need hope or trust, do you?



I remember when I was very young, actually I don't remember, but I have been told. My Dad was in the Marines and didn't make much money. We were always struggling with finances, but many times, I am told, grocery bags full of food would appear on our front porch. People, sent by God, maybe angels, would obey God and give us groceries, because we needed them. This did a couple of things: It made trust and hope grow in us, and it made us be more aware of others for the rest of our lives. My Mom was one of the most giving people I ever knew, and mainly because she never forgot what God did for us.



What would happen if we prayed for some need we had, and God told us exactly how He was going to answer? "OK, here is what is going to happen< your going to go to the bus stop down on 8th street, and a older woman will start a conversation with you. She will give you a check for exactly your rent this month." "OK, that sound good?" So you go to the bus stop and everything happens just as God said it would. Not the way it works, God is the master of "Happenstance", well to us it seems like "happenstance" but to Him, it is all in His plan. Ever see the movie: "Wall-e"? There is a part that I love. Wall-e finally gets off the destroyed Earth and finds where all the humans have been. They are on a space ship, all fat and have every detail of their lives taken care of, by machines. They float around on lounge chair type things getting fatter and fatter, watching TV, eating, eating did I mention eating? Is this our perception of God? Taking care of our every need, every want? In the movie, these people did not even acknowledge each other, to busy watching their little TV's and getting the wants taken care of. I am going to make a bold statement here, so proceed with caution. "If we did not have problems, then how would we know what trust and hope were"? If everything was taken care of for our whole lives, like clock work, there would be no reason to have Hope or trust in God. Suddenly a line from a old song comes to my mind, I don't remember much of the rest of the song, but one line and I know I don't have it completely right: "If we never had a problem, we would never know God could solve them". The second statement in the above scripture holds a wonderful truth. ..."When trials come endure them patiently: steadfastly maintain the HABIT OF PRAYER" There is was, did you see it? THAT word again, :Patiently. That word we all hate, but must have, in order to continue with God. "I don't want to be patient, God, I want answers NOW>!!" What is that old saying my Mom had on a plaque? "Lord give me patience, and give it to me NOW"? How do you "endure them patiently"? Trials are hard things, they are not easy, so how do you endure patiently? Let's think about Paul for a minute. He was in jail, and while there suffering, he wrote much of his writings from the bible. His time in jail, I know, wasn't a picnic. There were torture, terrible conditions, awful food, if any food at all. But, how was his attitude? Read any of his letters to different churches, where are the moaning, where is the complaining, where is the "get me out of here's"? He even made the statement: "In whatever place I find myself, I am content" Was Paul a master of patience? God had answered his prayers over and over and over, so what did he have to worry about? Trust hope and assurance that HE would answer again, were second nature for Paul.




Why do we sing praise songs? Because you cannot sing songs that glorify the Lord and think about all your problems. Singing songs that glorify our Father, makes us put our thoughts, emotions, hope trust in the one true living GOD. Next time you start thinking about yourself, and all your problems, start singing praises to the Lord, put praise music on, concentrate on what is being said in these songs. It will be hard to think about all your problems while your praising God, and thinking His son Jesus for His work on the cross.

Aren't we entitled?

"Thank Goodness we don't get all the Government we pay for"--Will Rogers

Wow, Will Rogers said that quite awhile ago. I think we are getting close to getting all the government we pay for now days. We pay allot in taxes these days, and , it seems, more everyday. I sure wish the Government worked like God. You know, He asks for His money back if the form of tithes, but He is the one who gave it to us in the first place. Actually that seems to be what some politicians want here in the USA, huge government where the majority of the citizens work for "The Man" in some form or another, thereby paying our taxes in money we got from the Government in the first place. Money going from one pocket to another, isn't that what makes Government worthwhile?

I saw a cartoon in the paper the other day, two older men were sitting on a park bench, one reading the paper. The gentleman with the paper said, "would you look at that, for the first time in history, the national debt is almost as much as the GDP ( Gross domestic product (GDP) refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period.) " The other man laughed and said: "Well Obama promised he would balance the budget, I guess this is what he meant!!?" Did you know in the bible we are told to stay away from debt? Romans 13:8
" Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law." Is this possible in today's world, to owe nothing? How big is your faith? How much can you trust God? How wise are you at saving until you can purchase those "Big" items? Please don't think I am being preachy, I struggle with money issues as bad or worse then some of you. I am very selfish, a thing God is working on in me, I see things and I want them now!

God tells us to "Owe nothing to anyone,..........but we have a obligation to love one another......" He put love higher then owning a home on a 30 year note. He put love over having a nice car and making payments for 10 years. He put love before sending our kids to THAT University and taking out Parents Loans to make sure they can go. God's priorities are much different then ours, aren't they? Yes, He wants our kids to succeed, He wants us to have a nice house to live in, He wants us to have a decent car to drive, BUT where is our heart? In the fact that we have all these things, or in the fact that we love and share all these things with those that God loves and cares for? Besides if there was a fire at your expensive house, what would be most important? The possessions or your family? Hopefully your family.

Have you, like me, ever had this thought: If I won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes of 1 Million dollars, I would pay my tithes of course, let's see that would be 100,000, that leaves 900,000, I would give some to my kids of course, Joel really needs a new car. Then I would buy my daughter a house or condo, .............." IF God did allow you to win or me for that matter, do you think He would want you to spend it all on you and your family? What if He wanted you to give three fourths to the church, that would be 750,000. Leaving you with just a little, 250,000. What if God wanted you to give it ALL to different people? What would you do? When we give God our finances, we give Him everything else. I did forget to take out the taxes above, the Government as usual would take quite a lot of it first.

I have a confession to make. I have just been paying my tithes regularly for the past 8 months or so. My Church started letting us pay on line. When they did this, I sat up a system to have the tithes come out automatically. I don't see the tithes, it just goes to the church. I have struggled with tithing for most of my adult life. I have not done a very good job of it. But, I am proud of myself, for I have been consistent for the last 8 or so months. Has God rewarded me? Not really, nothing new has come along. Has He let me win the Publishers Clearing House? No, but I always enter, you never know! Have all my personal bills been supplied? Yes. Have I had need of anything since I have been obedient to Him? NO. In fact, God has told me that I just now have started doing what He expects from all His children. Rewards come in the offerings, the "above and beyond", or "over the top" giving. Tithing is giving back to God what is already His. The whole thing is His, He just asks for 10% back. Sure, He could just deduct that Himself, but He wants us to give freely out of love and obedience to Him.

I am going to take Will Rogers quote from above and change it a little: "Thank goodness we don't get all the God we pay for". You see if this were true, and we Got just what we payed for, how little we would get.

Giving to the Lord, is not what all ministries are about, much to many peoples surprise. Giving to Him has two main reasons. There are bills to be paid by the church, or ministry, and it shows God that we are obedient and willing to do what He has told us to do.

Think what you want about our Government, But God is the one we serve, He is the one who supplies all our needs. I saw a T-shirt on line the other day, it said something like: "God, not government, shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory" Philippines 4:19. Loved it, still thinking about ordering it.

Put your trust in God, NOT Washington DC. Why is that so hard?

Statistics, who needs 'em?

"Smoking is one of the leading causes for statistics"--Fletcher Knebel

"86% of all statistics, are made up"--Who knows, (But my daughter uses this one all the time:))

I tire of stats. They are thrown at us all the time: 78% of all left handed people are not using half of their brain, or 99% of all people who smoke smoke less if their is an elephant sitting on their chest. But I really dislike those stats that try and help you understand something: "This ship is so big it displaces 22 tons of water, that is enough to fill 2500 Olympic size swimming pools" 2500 Olympic pools, or 22 tons of water, sorry I can't comprehend either one, so your not helping much. My favorite though has to be: "This ship goes 1.9 million miles per year, that is enough to go to the moon and back 12 times, or encircle the Earth 11 times", like I know how far it is to the moon, or around the earth. Here is a statistic that is true though, no making this up: "100% of people that do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ will not get into Heaven". That one I can understand, that one is easy. I might not be able to visualize how many tankers of gasoline it would take to fill up the largest swimming pool in the world, but I know that without Jesus, there is no getting into heaven.

How about you? Does it help you when someone tells you that you use enough gasoline in one year to fill up the Super Dome in New Orleans 2 times with some left over? Nope, can't comprehend that one, I don't know how many gallons it takes to fill the Super Dome, sounds like allot though. God told me He would take my sins and "Throw them as far as the East is from the West" though, and that is pretty far. I do know that: Philippians 4:19
"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Do you see it? That one little word the implies a statistic? ..............God....WILL supply all of your needs from His glorious riches..............did you catch it that time? "ALL". I believe "All" means 100%. So lets put it this way: "And this same God who takes of me will 100% of the time, supply 100% of your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus" Now there is a statistic I can understand. No trying to figure out how many Swimming Pools that would fill, or how many times around the world or trips to the Moon, it would take.

There are SO many statistics we hear all the time, 49% of all marriages end in divorcee, I have even heard that it is almost the same or even more with christian couples. I don't know where they get these statistics because yes there is divorce in my church but it is nowhere near those numbers. I wonder if some of these stats are made up to benefit
companies, politicians, celebrities,.....wow, do ya think? Is that so hard to believe, no not really.


When we hear a statistic that say, 49% of all people who hear a message from a certain minister, come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, do we rush out and try to get all our unsaved friends and neighbors and family members to go to his next " service?" More then likely not, because we have heard these numbers all our lives and we aren't impressed.

We could go around and tell everyone that 100% of all Christians are 100% loved and taken care of by God. But I don't think that would have much effect on people. You see, these numbers don't have much meaning to us anymore, they are just numbers that are thrown around all the time. BUT when we share what God has done for us, how He has healed us our family our friends that trusted Him. We tell them about the joy He has put in our hearts, the peace that has taken over our minds. Tell them about the love we have for others, the willingness to serve, to help, to talk to others about Him because of what He has done in our lives. I believe this will have much more of an impact then say: "God has taken care of 80% of all my needs this month and I am waiting on the other 20%" Numbers, just numbers.

With apologizes to my Daughter who is a High School Math teacher, numbers do not impress us much. Stories do, real stories of how God, our father, our supplier, our friend, has answered our prayers, how our lives have changed because of our trusts in Him. Sorry, Erin, but numbers are just numbers, they do not show us how much our father loves us.

Here is a useless statistic: 0% of all right handed people write with their left hand. Wow, aren't you glad God doesn't care about stupid stats?

Now, I am going to jump out on a limb here and predict that: 28% of those reading this will like it, 32% will say it is so-so, and 40% will not know what the subject was 10 minutes after reading it. See statistics are for dummies.

Have you asked?

Matthew 7:8

"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Have you ever gone to see a friend, stand at his front door, did not ring the bell or knock on the door, but expected him to let you in? Of course not, how would he know you were there unless you rang the bell or knocked or something? Ever try and find your car keys by not seeking? "They will turn up, I know it, guess I will walk to work until then." How about when your eating out, the waiter comes over ask what you will be having tonight, and you respond," I don't know, surprise me". (Never a good choice, because it isn't a choice, you didn't ask.) How silly these three things are, if we don't ASK, SEEK, or KNOCK, how will we get anything from God? Yes, He can read our thoughts, but He will not supply unless we ask. He wants us to realize that HE is the source of all need and want.

Now, look at the above scripture: "For everyone who.........................receives..............finds...................it will be opened." Those are the responses God has for our: "Asking........seeking...................and knocking"

Ever been in the hospital? Not a fun experience. But the nurse always says something like: "If you need anything, just push the button" as they leave the room. You have some pain and you can't sleep? You have to push the call button to let the nurses know you need something. You want some more orange juice with your breakfast, push the call button.....You have to ask before you can receive. On a airplane, I believe they still have call buttons, haven't flown in a ling time, they may cost extra these days. But there used to be a call button to summon the flight attendant that you needed something. Want another pillow, push the call button. My point is: You have to ask.

I know, many of us grow up in church, thinking that this all knowing, all caring, all loving God doesn't need for us to ask for things we need. He knows everything, so why do we have to ask for them. If He really loves us He will take care of us without us asking, right? Yes, He does know everything, BUT as our father, He wants us to ask, because when we do this, we show everyone who we depend upon for our lives. As an infant we are taken care of by our parents, everything we need is given to us. A parent does not change their baby's diaper because they did not ask for it to be changed, you know when a new diaper is needed. A 12 year old doesn't have to ask for new school clothes, Mom takes them to the store and buys them.(After hours and hours of trying them on to see if they fit, "AW MOM!!!) But as we grow, we have to start getting to the point that we ask for things. I need a job, say, you have to apply, interview, and get offered the job. I need an apartment to live in, one is not supplied for you, you have to look, seek, figure out if you can afford the rent, ..............It is up to you to ask, seek and find.

Want something from God? Have you asked, sought, knocked? It's simple, really. It is humbling, because we are showing that we are not in charge, HE is. Asking, seeking, and knocking, shows us and God that we depend upon Him for what we need or want. To ask seek and knock is to show we are not the worlds answer to everything, He is.

Remember the parable in the bible of the little old lady who lost her coin? Did she sit down on the couch and say: "Oh well,it will show up eventually?" No, she sought long and hard for that coin. Have you ever lost your cell phone? It is amazing how much we have become attached to cell phones, in as little time as they have been in my life, I am lost if I do not have mine with me. I will search the house over and over, look in the car, use someone else's phone to try and call mine and see if I can hear it ring. I have even left in the middle of church because I realized I had left mine in the car and I wanted to "make sure that is where it was". (Like I couldn't wait 30 minutes to have my cell phone, I wasn't going to use it during the next 30 minutes, but having found it made me feel, better, together, complete.) And, yes, I did pray and ask that it would show up.

ASK: To talk to someone and request something from them. (The Chris Calvin dictionary)

Seek: To hunt, look for intensely, search wholeheartedly, not stop until it is found. (Also the Chris Calvin dictionary)

Knock: To acknowledge your outside, and would like the attention of anyone inside, to seek admittance. (Again, well you know)

Does God know our needs? Yes, He does. Does God want to supply those needs? Yes, He does. Then why does He MAKE us ask Him for them? Because we are grown ups, we can not supply our own miracles, we are dependent solely,upon Him for what we need. Sure, God could make us all robots, make us love Him, make us serve Him, supply everything we needed wanted or just lacked just because He wanted to. But He wants us to love Him because we want to, not because He makes us. That would not be love, that would be slavery, prison, bondage. Jesus Christ came to break the bondage we already have in this world, not make more of it.

If we don't ask, seek, and knock, how will we ever receive, if we don't ever seek, we will never find and if we never knock, how will anyone know we are outside and come an open the door for us? Want something from God, try ASKING, SEEKING, or KNOCKING, or all three. He is waiting.

More then we ask or think? Wow, what is in that box?

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

~ Ephesians 3:20, NLT

I don't know about you, but I have a pretty good imagination. I can think up some pretty good, or weird things. But look at what Paul is saying in the above verse: "..infinitely more then we might ask or think." We cannot even imagine the things that God wants to accomplish in US, through Him.

Remember Christmas time when you were a kid? If you were like me, you would sit in front of the tree, looking at the boxes wrapped with your name on them trying to imagine what they held. I could come up with some pretty good things. We always had the Sears or JC Penny's Christmas "Wish Book" near the tree to help us imagine what you could put in certain size boxes under the tree. Yeah this sometimes left me a little disappointed on Christmas morning as my imagination may have been a little more expensive then my Mom and Dad's budget. But it didn't last long, I mean there were new toys to play with. But think about it, the things God wants to accomplish in us, are NOT even in a book, we cannot imagine it even with as good of imagination as He gave us, we could not think of what He wants to do in our lives.

I have read books that have amazed me. I mean, how in the world did JRR Tolkien or CS Lewis create the worlds and creatures and story lines that fascinated generations? God given imagination. After reading their books and especially seeing the movies, it is easy to immerse yourself into the worlds they created. I admire the time and creativity it took for these and other great authors to create their worlds. I think I could more then likely eventually do something like that, but who has the time? :) BUT: "All glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more then we might ask or think." I believe "We" means these authors as well. So, God can accomplish through us, more then the imagination of anyone who ever lived on Earth. And He tells us..."to accomplish infinitely more than............" Infinitely: to have no end, goes on for ever and ever. There is no limit to what the Lord can do through us, except us.

WE are the ones who limit God. Did you understand that? Let me say it again, just to make sure: "We are the ones who limit God." God is all powerful, he can do ANYTHING, got that, ANYTHING> Then why does He not answer my prayers? Who is limiting God? He can only NOT do one thing, actually He chooses not to do one thing, and that is to interfere in our choice to believe in Him and His power of not. The Bible tells us that we must have faith to please God, it also tells us that to put our trust Him.

Hebrews 11:6
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.


Matthew 9:29
He touched their eyes. 'Let your prayer be
answered in proportion to your faith,' he said.

Psalm 40:3
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.


Have you ever known God to NOT do something? I mean we pray, we trust, we put our faith to action, and God does not answer. Did God not hear us? Did He not understand what we were saying? God ALWAYS hears us, but He, being well GOD, does things the way HE sees best. We want answers like yesterday, but He knows the perfect time, and way to answer. BUT, get this now, BUT He will answer in ways that are: "infinitely more then we might ask or think."

Back to that Christmas "Wish Book" analogy: Were hoping for the bicycle on page 107 it looks like that box there under the tree with my name on it could be that bike, not put together, of course, but it could be that one. But God has put something in that box that is not even in the "Wish Book", something that we never could imagine in all our dreams! We are thinking about the 2 or 3 people we could talk to if we went to the Prison Ministry Service out at the county jail, But God is thinking of the 1000's of people we WILL talk to when we are asked to hold services at the State Jail in a few years. You never know what miracles God has in store for us. God never thinks small, He ALWAYS thinks of the future. We think of the beginning, He thinks of the Whole thing. We think of the few, He thinks of the multitudes. When we think of His blessings, we think of the 10 dollar bill we found in our jeans pocket as we were doing laundry, He thinks of the millions of dollars the He will provide, say if we follow His leading and start a prison ministry. It could be anything that He lays on our hearts, I am just using Prison Ministry as an example.

DON'T limit God, don't ask Him for one soul, ask Him for thousands, don't ask for help for paying this next months rent, ask Him for money to pay the next 12 months rent. Don't limit God, "...who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more the we might ask or think" How you think God feels when He is ready for us to ask Him for something grand, huge, fantastic that will grow our faith like never before, and then we ask Him for something so small, tiny meaningless, that it insults Him almost? I believe He is hurt, He is disappointing, "I was ready to give you all this...............and you can only barley believe me for that?", He Says, "Why should I give you anything?" Remember, Psalms 40:3: ...It is impossible to please God without faith." I don't believe for one minute that He was talking about enough faith to make it through the day, without having to talk to anyone about my Christian walk. I think He was talking about "FAITH" to let everyone that I came into contact with throughout the day KNOW beyond any doubt that I serve the one true living God, and I would not keep silent about it. Capital FAITH, not faith.

God does not answer our request because we don't have the FAITH to see the answer. Any miracles that God gives us are directional proportional to the size of our faith. The more faith the more miracles, and the less faith the fewer and smaller the miracles. I want MORE FAITH< thus more miracles, don't you?

Now ALL GLORY to GOD, who IS ABLE, through HIS MIGHTY POWER at WORK WITHIN US, to ACCOMPLISH INFINITELY MORE then we might ASK or THINK----Ephesians 3:20. He is able, but are we willing? Do we believe, I mean REALLY believe that He is able? What is HE able to do in your life? Ask Him, He will tell you, it will blow your mind. Start thinking BIG.

Magnify, Magentize, Multiply

Magnify:to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect


Magnetize: to attract like a magnet : charm


Multiply: to become greater in number : spread

I was sitting in church yesterday morning, the "Praise and Worship" team were leading us in praise. They were singing a song about His Majesty, I did not know all the words, and luckily our church "Sings off The Wall" with the words being projected on overhead screens for people like me. I was worshiping God as we sang and singing from memory, that was a mistake. I caught myself saying the word magnetize instead of Majesty. When I heard myself I opened my eyes embarrassed someone else heard me also. "Lord we Magnetize you" is what came out instead of "Lord we magnify you".

A few minutes later our Pastor came to the front and said he felt there were those present that needed to Magnify Him in our lives. He said this two or three times, saying he felt this so strongly that by magnifying our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it makes all of our doubts, problems, etc. smaller. By making our Lord Larger in our lives, we make us, and our little problems seem tiny.

Then during Pastors sermon, he mentioned that the early church was "added to daily, after the Holy Spirit had come." Or Multiplied.

Well here I am, with these three words in my brain, trying to understand what God was trying to say to me, and then it seemed to all fit together like a puzzle. When we Magnify our Lord, He becomes larger in our lives, because we see more and more of Him as we shift our priorities. Then we receive the Holy Spirit and become even closer to Him and His will, We take on an attitude of service, and worship and others notice, they are attracted to our new found love for Him, thereby becoming attracted or magnetized by what we are saying, how we are living, and who we are serving. This also attracts others to us and we get more and more chances to tell them about our relationship with Jesus. Then others come to know Him, and His children are multiplied and added to "daily".

OK, Magnify: " to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect". That is not the normal definition that we think of for magnify. Usually it is a microscope, or a magnifying glass or some item that has the power to make things larger so we can see them better. Bingo, there is is, make things so that we can see them better. If you really concentrate on something, you see it better, you understand it better. Remember those paintings that were popular a few years back, you know the ones that had a picture hidden inside another picture? Everyone said: "You have to not focus your eyes, to see it, there see it it's a sailing ship"? OK, I have a confession to make, I never saw it, I just pretended, so that you would stop treating me like I was stupid because I couldn't see it. You can magnify your attention on an object or person and they seem to become larger because there are less distractions. So how, then, do we Magnify God? By concentrating on Him and nothing else. Concentrate on Him, everything about Him, His word, His praise songs, His love for us, spend more time on the things of Jesus and less on the things of US, and guess what? He is magnified.


Magnetize: " to attract like a magnet: charm."
Remember science, magnetism, you could rub a magnet with another piece of iron and the piece of iron would obtain the magnetic properties of the magnet.(This was not easy, it took a lot of rubbing.) So, basically, spending allot of time with someone will rub off on you. If they are strong Christians, they will have an affect on you ,and if they are not Christians at all they will have an affect on you. How do you sharpen a knife? Rubbing it against another piece of iron that has a rough texture. Sometimes this means that if your not living the way that God wants you to, it may take someone who "rubs you the wrong way' to get you to see you need to be sharpened, or magnetized.

Multiply: " to become greater in number: spread"
Spread: So when you spread peanut butter on your bread, your really multiplying? Well, not really, because your not adding to the peanut butter, unless you put your knife back in the jar and get more. This is more like when you spread the flu. To become greater in number. Since Baylor QB Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy this last season, I am sure that the Baylor Football program had a growth in the number of season tickets being sold for next season. The Baylor Fans, multiplied, because of success. We, as humans, tend to be attracted to quality, good, and winners, things that we see as good. If we see a individual that seems to have it all figured out, who is serving the Lord Jesus, without failing, without doubt without wavering, then we are attracted to that person. And this means multiplication of people that want to believe and live like this also.

So there you go : Magnify, Magnetize, and Multiply. Magnify Him so that everything else is not nearly as important. Magnetize: sometimes this take "rubbing someone the wrong way" or irritation, and Multiply: If we get Magnify and Magnetize right, Multiply will happen, in number of those that want to know why we are like we are.

Acts 5:14
And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.

So Magnify: make Him larger and us smaller.
Magnetize: reflect Jesus so that others are drawn to Him through our lives.
Multiply: If we Magnify and Magnetize, then the church will surely Multiply.