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Showing posts from April, 2009

He Knows Me Inside and Out!

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;You understand my thought afar off.3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.4 For there is not a word on my tongue,But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.9 If I take the wings of the morning,And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”Even the night shall be light about me;12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:1-12 NKJ He knows my t

Testing.....

Hello Everyone! Just a quick note to say that I will be back to my normal blogging in a couple of days. I am in college finals and I am cramming, working and trying to keep my head above water. I want to say PRAY FOR ME! I need it! And in the meantime I will do my part to not to quit in the final stretch of this particular race....I will finish! Shanin

Deal Or No Deal

I just watched the ending of an episode of Deal Or No Deal. The man was down to two cases. One case had $1.00 in it and the other had $1,000,000.00 in it. The offer was $416,000.00 dollars. The choice was his...Deal or No Deal? His mother was telling him to take the money. Another lady was telling him that he had the million dollar case. He chose NO DEAL! He then had the choice of trading the case that he had picked for the other case and he turned that option down. When Howie opened the case that the man had kept it contained $1.00. How awful. The man had $416,000.00 dollars and he turned it down for the chance of more. His mother was just sick. You could see it in her face. We all say what we would do in that situation but most of us will never be in such circumstances. But all of will be in a "Deal Or No Deal" situation. It is a salvation or no salvation situation. I have heard so many people say that "As long as you lead a good life or as long as you are a good perso

Preapproved!

9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Matthew 9:9-13 NKJ I love this because Jesus wasn't afraid to go anywhere with anyone! He was the same everywhere He went. He looked at the potential in a person. Matthew was a tax collector when He called him. I love it because Jesus knew that relationship with people was important. He ate with tax collectors,

Don't Panic, He's Right There With You!

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:18;23-27 NKJ LOL I love this passage. Why? Because it reminds me of me when I took a different look at it today. I used to think, how could they be afraid when Jesus was right there in their boat with them? But you see, just like me, Jesus told them where to go and went with them and when it got rough they thought they were going to die! How many times has God spoke to your heart abou

Bridge the Gap

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I was looking at all of my pictures today for some thing new to place as my computer background and I found this bridge. I love bridges. I like bridges of all kinds, historical, modern, rustic, covered...you name it I like it. I like this bridge because it uses giant stepping stones or rocks as the walkway and it has wooden rails to help you as you cross so you won't slip and fall. It made me think...how am I a bridge? How do I bridge the gap into our community and into people's lives? Jesus is the big bridge but He uses us to be bridges too. We should look like Him! Our churches (our body) needs to bridge the gap into our community. What type of bridge are you and your church? Are you a big modern one? Are you a nice historical bridge? There are all types and they are all needed but the most important thing is that you are a bridge that helps bring people to Jesus!

Just a Sheep Tender?

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 Aren't you glad that God doesn't look at our physical appearance but He looks at our hearts instead? I am so grateful that God doesn't look at just the "pretty" people and say that they are the ones who will minister or be favored! I am so thankful that God sees past what the world sees and values. He loves me for me! He knows my potential that even I don't always see in myself. David was the youngest brother. He was normally looked down on or "pooed pooed" by his brothers, but God knew David's heart. David worshipped Him when he was alone in the fields tending the sheep. God knew David' potential. God gave David on the job training while he was tending the sheep. He killed the lion and the bear...

He is Risen!

Today is the celebration of the ressurection of Jesus. I am so thankful that I serve a God who doesn't "rule" by guilt. He loves us. He desires a real relationship with us. New life. That is what you can have in Jesus. A fresh start, a clean slate. He already paid the price for anything and everything you and I have ever done or will do. We don't have to be "good enough" you see, He doesn't want a performance based relationship He wants the real you. He already sees us where we are so why not be honest with ourselves and God? He loves us just exactly where we are and who we are. He sees the "gold nuggets" inside of us. After all He made us. So celebrate with me today! Jesus conquered death for you and me. Join in the celebration of salvation. Shanin

Listen Up!

1 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, 3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle[a] of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, 4 that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” 5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down. 6 Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.) 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Th

Dedicated to God

18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD.” Then they would go to their own home. 21 And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD. I Samuel 2:18-21 NKJ When I read this today I cried. I cannot even imagine the love that Hannah had for her son Samuel and for the Lord. She kept her word that she would dedicate her son back to the Lord. It truly must have been a sacrifice. First of all she had been baren and then when God did give her, her baby boy she gave him back to the Lord for service not knowing if she would become pregnant again. In verse 18 it says, "But Sa

Becoming Immune to the Stink

Today at my work they evacuated my half of the building while I was gone to school. The reason was that the owner had sprayed the pesticide on the outside of the building but the fumes came inside. The reports on the effects were different depending who you spoke to but the manager decided to move our office temporarily to a different location until the fumes cleared. I guess one of the warnings said that if you can smell it then it is harmful. I guess that some of the people had gotten used to the smell and hadn't thought of it being that loud until they left the building got into some fresh air and then re-entered the building. Isn't that how sin is? If you aren't careful you can become so desensitized to it that it doesn't bother you anymore. We need to go before the Lord daily so we can get our dose of "fresh air" so we can live in a sinful world but not become desensitized to it. Lord help me to never to get accustomed to sin but to be sensitive to Your v

Don't Give Up!

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[a] being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Cor 4:16-18 NLT Everything here is temporary. We need to remember that when things are going the wrong way. If we keep it all in perspective, (that this is only temporary) and our long term goal is eternal life with Jesus then we can maintain our focus! We need to take advantage of our time here! We have Kingdom business to do and accomplish! We need not to get distracted or wrapped up things that keep us from growing in the Lord! Remember we fix our gaze on things that can't be seen. Thank You Lord that even when our physical bodies g

He is my Rock!

39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. Psalm 37:39-40 It doesn't say that we won't have times of trouble but it does say that He is our strength when those times come. He wil help us and deliver from the wicked and save them....and here are the key words for me... because they trust Him. In order to trust someone you have to have relationship with them. It is easier to trust Him when you have that relationship with Him! We need to trust Him when those tough and scary times come. We have to trust in Jesus to take care of us and not to run ahead of Him to take care of ourselves. When we keep our focus on Him the other things aren't as scary or as big! He is sooooo big! Who else do we have to trust? There is a scripture that says, some may trust in

Satisfaction's Secret...

Tonight I thought I would share from our Wednesday night class notes. It was a great lesson...credit to my Jason, my hubby. Thanks Babe for letting me glean from your teaching! 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me. Phil 4:10-13 NKJV What is contentment? It's not apathy, laziness or complacency. It is independant from circumstance. You do not base your happiness on the situation around you. Happiness comes from within. How to experience real contentment: I. Learn to avoid comparisons! Paul said that he learned to be content! That means we can learn to