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Saturday, August 10, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
TRUE FRIENDS
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012
TRUTH IN CHRIST
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is faith
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is hope
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is grace
Truth in Christ helps you cope
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is grace
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is peace
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is courage
Truth in Christ fights for what you believe
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is rest
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is joy
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is knowledge
Truth in Christ transforms your soul
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is patience
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is wisdom
Truth in Christ stands the test
Praise the Lord!
Praise His holy name!
Praise His holy name!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
ALONE
ALONE
Christ and Christ alone
He lived and died for me
Christ and Christ alone
He lived and died for me
Christ and Christ alone
His truth has set me free
His truth has set me free
Christ and Christ alone
His love conforms my art
His love conforms my art
Christ and Christ alone
None other holds my heart
None other holds my heart
Christ and Christ alone
Not His mother or His dad
Not His mother or His dad
Christ and Christ alone
Only Jesus makes me glad
Only Jesus makes me glad
Christ and Christ alone
He lives today and saved my soul
He lives today and saved my soul
One name is worthy of all my praise
Jesus Christ and Christ alone
Jesus Christ and Christ alone
2012
When All That Is Solid Melts Into Air
The last few years have been a time when many familiar things, many things we take for granted, have not only been shown to be fragile but have collapsed or disappeared. Great companies now come and go with a disturbing frequency and things seem to change at an ever-increasing rate. Whether this is real or perceived, the shrinking of space and the acceleration of time are issues being felt by many, and they are regular social phenomena.
People generally do not like much change too fast. Yet old boundaries disappear; older values are doubted, questioned, or rejected. Familiar ways, places, or people get moved or change. Our desire for stability, for security, for some degree of permanence is incessantly pressured by a culture addicted to novelty and the new for newness' sake. We experience what a friend of mine once called "cultural vaporization." As with a pot of boiling water left on sustained heat, the water evaporates; so with many cultural dimensions subjected to constant pressure or deconstruction, they too, evaporate.
The world of the present is not always a human friendly habitat. Often driven by visions of progress, beliefs in the efficacy of education, freedom and technology as the means of liberation, the 20th and early 21st centuries appear to have reached the limits or limitations of our created systems. They are not all bad, but they are by definition, limited, a fact that many seem unable or unwilling to admit.
The present response is itself so flawed that we are left in a world of self-defined, self-controlled, and self-satisfying pursuits. These are important and necessary correctives to the grand strategies of the past, the arrogant sense of mastery, and the delusions fostered by unrealistic views of humanity and our potential, but they lack the substance or a sufficient answer or response to the deepest issues.
Who and what are we? What is reality; what is the really real and who says so? If there is a transcendent God, who has a purpose, a will, and a way for life and creation, then God's will and way are central to how things operate and how they should operate. The management of life and the path of wise living in Christian terms is called stewardship, and it's based on a view of economics which implies following God's order, rule and way as the pattern for life.
The vision that humanity has built, particularly since the late 18th century unto the present, has been filled with great promises but less than thrilling outcomes. No one denies or devalues all the real and meaningful benefits in science, health, education, and technology, but they are insufficient in themselves to qualify as ultimate goods or sufficient explanations of the good. Their failures and limits are all too apparent.
Yet amidst uncertainty, cultural vaporization, and constant change, there is the promise of the one who said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." When it seems like all that is solid is melting into air, Francis Schaeffer would remind us that God is there and is not silent. Our hopes can anchor on the one who never changes and offers eternal rest, whose kingdom is eternal, unshakable, and secure. This is indeed a hope to live for!
The last few years have been a time when many familiar things, many things we take for granted, have not only been shown to be fragile but have collapsed or disappeared. Great companies now come and go with a disturbing frequency and things seem to change at an ever-increasing rate. Whether this is real or perceived, the shrinking of space and the acceleration of time are issues being felt by many, and they are regular social phenomena.
People generally do not like much change too fast. Yet old boundaries disappear; older values are doubted, questioned, or rejected. Familiar ways, places, or people get moved or change. Our desire for stability, for security, for some degree of permanence is incessantly pressured by a culture addicted to novelty and the new for newness' sake. We experience what a friend of mine once called "cultural vaporization." As with a pot of boiling water left on sustained heat, the water evaporates; so with many cultural dimensions subjected to constant pressure or deconstruction, they too, evaporate.
The world of the present is not always a human friendly habitat. Often driven by visions of progress, beliefs in the efficacy of education, freedom and technology as the means of liberation, the 20th and early 21st centuries appear to have reached the limits or limitations of our created systems. They are not all bad, but they are by definition, limited, a fact that many seem unable or unwilling to admit.
The present response is itself so flawed that we are left in a world of self-defined, self-controlled, and self-satisfying pursuits. These are important and necessary correctives to the grand strategies of the past, the arrogant sense of mastery, and the delusions fostered by unrealistic views of humanity and our potential, but they lack the substance or a sufficient answer or response to the deepest issues.
Who and what are we? What is reality; what is the really real and who says so? If there is a transcendent God, who has a purpose, a will, and a way for life and creation, then God's will and way are central to how things operate and how they should operate. The management of life and the path of wise living in Christian terms is called stewardship, and it's based on a view of economics which implies following God's order, rule and way as the pattern for life.
The vision that humanity has built, particularly since the late 18th century unto the present, has been filled with great promises but less than thrilling outcomes. No one denies or devalues all the real and meaningful benefits in science, health, education, and technology, but they are insufficient in themselves to qualify as ultimate goods or sufficient explanations of the good. Their failures and limits are all too apparent.
Yet amidst uncertainty, cultural vaporization, and constant change, there is the promise of the one who said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." When it seems like all that is solid is melting into air, Francis Schaeffer would remind us that God is there and is not silent. Our hopes can anchor on the one who never changes and offers eternal rest, whose kingdom is eternal, unshakable, and secure. This is indeed a hope to live for!
Stuart McAllister is vice president of training and special projects at in Atlanta, Georgia. RZIM
Friday, February 10, 2012
NEW DAY
As difficult as it is to admit life can't be lived in yesterday; as hard as we may try to hold on, it fades away and eventually vanishes from memory. Still we try. God's Word tell us we should live by faith, not by sight. By faith, we let go. By faith, we look forward. By faith, we press on. By faith, we hold on. Jesus said in John 20:29, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Well, with that in mind, this latest little poem and something appropos (or is that appropo) by Chuck is also my prayer for a better day. You may have to click on the photo spaces to actually see them and/or you can follow me here or here. Follow? Time to live in the moment. As a matter of fact it's almost kickoff time! Love, Jeff
NEW DAY
Today is a new day,
Yes - yesterday is gone;
Live in the wonderful grace,
Of Jesus Christ - God's Son.
Yes - yesterday is gone;
Live in the wonderful grace,
Of Jesus Christ - God's Son.
Today is a new day,
The past has passed away;
Trust the Lord with all your heart,
Let go of grief and pain.
The past has passed away;
Trust the Lord with all your heart,
Let go of grief and pain.
Have faith, hope, and love,
The greatest being love;
And as long as you are living,
Surrender your heart to Jesus.
The greatest being love;
And as long as you are living,
Surrender your heart to Jesus.
Today is a new day
Peace and Strength are in the Lord
Let courage be the captain of your heart
As you search His Word and discover
Who it is you're living for.
Peace and Strength are in the Lord
Let courage be the captain of your heart
As you search His Word and discover
Who it is you're living for.
A New Beginning
by Charles R. Swindoll
by Charles R. Swindoll
Read Acts 9:10--19
Regardless of what you have done, no one is beyond hope. That's the great hope of the Christian
message. No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of God. If you question that,
message. No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of God. If you question that,
remember Saul, the brash Pharisee of Tarsus. When the Lord saved him, He didn't put him on pro-
bation. The other disciples did that. No, God gave Saul a new name and, in the process, made him
a new creation. That's what makes grace so amazing! Even though your past is soiled, anyone can
find a new beginning with God. I've made the same statement throughout my ministry: It's never too
late to start doing what is right. When Saul knelt before the living God, he finally faced the reality of
his sin. Deep within the man, Christ transformed his life, and he started doing what was right.
Grace provides that sort of new beginning.
Don't get stuck on where you were.
Don't waste your time focusing on what you used to be. Remember, the hope we have in Christ
means there's a brighter tomorrow. Sins are forgiven. Shame is cancelled out. We're no longer chained
to a deep, dark pit of the past. Grace gives us wings to soar beyond it. Could it be that you are stuck
because of something from your past? Perhaps it has pinned you to the ground with embarrassment,
shame, and fear. You're crippled by it. The best you can do is to limp through each day, hoping for
a painless end. That way of thinking is from the enemy, Satan. He loves to push your nose in the dirt,
hoping to make you miss the marvelous claims of grace. Don't allow him that power in your life today.
Around you are people who have no greater claim on grace than you do, and the Lord mercifully brought
them out of their pit of sin. If He could turn a Saul of Tarsus, who was engaged in a murderous rampage,
into a Paul the apostle, who preached and lived the message of grace, He can change your life too.
bation. The other disciples did that. No, God gave Saul a new name and, in the process, made him
a new creation. That's what makes grace so amazing! Even though your past is soiled, anyone can
find a new beginning with God. I've made the same statement throughout my ministry: It's never too
late to start doing what is right. When Saul knelt before the living God, he finally faced the reality of
his sin. Deep within the man, Christ transformed his life, and he started doing what was right.
Grace provides that sort of new beginning.
Don't get stuck on where you were.
Don't waste your time focusing on what you used to be. Remember, the hope we have in Christ
means there's a brighter tomorrow. Sins are forgiven. Shame is cancelled out. We're no longer chained
to a deep, dark pit of the past. Grace gives us wings to soar beyond it. Could it be that you are stuck
because of something from your past? Perhaps it has pinned you to the ground with embarrassment,
shame, and fear. You're crippled by it. The best you can do is to limp through each day, hoping for
a painless end. That way of thinking is from the enemy, Satan. He loves to push your nose in the dirt,
hoping to make you miss the marvelous claims of grace. Don't allow him that power in your life today.
Around you are people who have no greater claim on grace than you do, and the Lord mercifully brought
them out of their pit of sin. If He could turn a Saul of Tarsus, who was engaged in a murderous rampage,
into a Paul the apostle, who preached and lived the message of grace, He can change your life too.
© by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://neweverymorn.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-day-today-is-new-day-yesterday-is.html
Sunday, January 8, 2012
[NEW DAY] FIRST LOVE
FIRST LOVE
First love, before you judge another. Love first, don't make
others pass your test. Love first, before you hurt a sister or a
brother. Love first, let the Lord handle the rest. It's easier to say
than do, attracting others to the Cross, but live and learn to love
each other and soon you will be imitating God. Love first, the
choice is all your own. Treat others as you'd like to be and you'll
never walk alone. Love first, God will show you how. Love first,
grace and mercy won't be far behind. Love first, Jesus proved it
can be done. If you really want to know true freedom, first love.
brother. Love first, let the Lord handle the rest. It's easier to say
than do, attracting others to the Cross, but live and learn to love
each other and soon you will be imitating God. Love first, the
choice is all your own. Treat others as you'd like to be and you'll
never walk alone. Love first, God will show you how. Love first,
grace and mercy won't be far behind. Love first, Jesus proved it
can be done. If you really want to know true freedom, first love.
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