WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

This is from a dialogue adapted from
the movie,"Facing The Giants", written
by Alex Kenrick. See if it speaks to you.

(Mr. Bridges)
"Revelation chapter three says, ' We serve a God
that opens doors that no one can shut, and shuts
doors that no one can open". He says, "Behold
I have placed before you and open door that no
one can shut, I know you have a little strength
yet you have kept my word and have not denied
my name." (Revelation chapter 3) "Coach Taylor
The Lord is not through with you yet. You still
have an open door here and until the Lord moves
you, you're to bloom right where you're planted."

(Coach)
"I admit to you I've been struggling, but I've also
been praying, I just don't see Him at work here."

(Mr. Bridges)
"I heard a story about two farmers who
desperately needed rain. Both prayed
for rain, but only one of them went out and
prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do
you think trusted God to send the rain?"

(Coach)
"Well the one who prepared his fields for it."

(Mr. Bridges)
WHICH ONE ARE YOU? GOD WILL SEND
THE RAIN WHEN HE IS READY. YOU NEED
TO PREPARE THE FIELD TO RECEIVE IT !

JUST TO MAKE SURE

I was driving when I saw the flash of a
traffic camera. I figured that my picture
had been taken for exceeding the limit,
even though I knew that I was not speeding.

Just to be sure, I went around the block
and passed the same spot, driving even more
slowly, but again the camera flashed.

Now I began to think that this was quite funny,
so I drove even slower as I passed the area
once more, but the traffic camera again flashed.

I tried a fourth and fifth time with the same
results and was now laughing as the camera
flashed while I rolled past at a snail's pace.

Two weeks later, I got five tickets in the mail
for driving without a seat belt.

YOU KNOW.....YOU JUST CAN'T FIX STUPID....

I WONT GIVE UP!

Scripture:

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,
and the time of my departure has come. I have
fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day,
and not only to me but also to all who have loved
his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8

Reflection:

You know I need to stay in a right and strong
relationship with God. I always want to be able
to grab on to God's greatness, His power, His
love and compassion. I want to allow my heart
and my spirit to be totally gripped by God. I
need to be faithful, in the present, and current
with God.
The last thing I want is to stumble or fall across
the finish line. I do not want to be defeated or
give up the race before my life is over.
I want to be like the runner who breaks that
tape with his arms held high, and joy in his
face, in his heart and in his spirit!
Like the apostle Paul I want to say, "I HAVE
FINISHED THE COURSE, I HAVE KEPT THE
FAITH."

Prayer:

GOD THANK YOU FOR FAITH GIVE ME
THE STRENGTH TO KEEP IT ALIVE!

A BEAUTIFUL MELODY

Scripture:

1 Peter 2:9 (New International Version)

9But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.

from Our daily Bread

Reflection:

In the spring of 2009, Susan Boyle took the
stage of Britain’s Got Talent. Compared to
the other contestants, she was plain-looking.
No one expected much when she raised the
microphone to her lips. But then she began
to sing. Spellbound, the judges were clearly
taken with the beauty and power of the voice
that filled the auditorium as the audience stood
to their feet cheering with delight. All were
surprised that such a rivetingly beautiful song
came from such an unlikely source.

All of us can be unlikely sources when it comes
to the beauty of Jesus flowing out of us. But that
is how He planned it. Common folk like you and
me take turns on the stage of life in front of the
world’s skeptical audience so that our friends,
family, and all who fill the arena of our lives will
see and hear the love and grace of Jesus Christ
emerging from our lives.

I love Peter’s reminder that we are “a people for
His own possession, that [we] may proclaim the
excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness
into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 esv). You might
think you’re an unlikely source, but when you allow
the Lord to flow through you, the watching world will
stand up and take notice.

Remember The beauty of Jesus may come from the
most unlikely sources

Prayer:

Oh Lord
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wonderful passion and purity!
O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
In Jesus Name Amen

TO THE HEAD OF BP AND ALL AMERICANS

REMEMBER THIS!

Psalm 24

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false. [a]

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob. [b]
Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

AMEN!

SOMEONE TO COUNT ON

Scripture:

6 God began doing a good work in you,
and I am sure he will continue it until it
is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
Philippians 1:6 (New Century Version)

Reflection:

Growing up I had a very special friend.
I was lucky to have a friend like this.
He was the kind of person who really cared
and would remain loyal to his friends.
In other words he was someone I could
count on. He was always there for me
in times of joy and times of sadness.
He was there for his squad in Viet Nam,
he died a hero, they counted on him and
he came through.
Over the years I have had another very
special friend. He was and is someone
I can always count on. He is the kind
of friend that is always there for me. This
is one unique friend, you see when this
friend starts something with me, He
finishes it!
That's right you already know who it is.
It's God! What God starts, He finishes.
When I ask my friend for forgiveness,
He will forgive me and not quit. As a
matter of fact He gave His life for me,
just like my buddy in Viet Nam. But
He not only died for me, Jesus rose
from the dead, I was forgiven for an
eternity.
This friend Jesus can be your friend
too. I promise He is the kind of
friend that is always there for you.
REMEMBER THIS, WHAT GOD
STARTS, HE FINISHES! AND GOD
IS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!

Prayer:

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.

GOD WILL GUARD YOU

God will guard you from the evil one

How can I defend myself against Satan's
attacks?

Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.
Put on all of God's armor so that you
will be to stand firm against all the
strategies and tricks of the Devil. For
we are not fighting against people made
of flesh and blood, but against the evil
rulers and authorities of the unseen world,
against those mighty powers of darkness
who rule this world, and against wicked
spirits in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT

Tricking Houdini

During his life, Harry Houdini had a
standing challenge that he could escape
from any jail cell within an hour. A small
town in the British Isles had just
constructed a new jail cell they thought
was escape-proof, and they wanted to
put it to the test. Houdini entered the cell
and immediately went to work. After two
grueling hours—an hour past his deadline—
Houdini finally withdrew his file from the
lock and leaned against the door in
exhaustion. To his amazement, the cell
door swung open.

The jailors had tricked the great magician
by closing the jail door but never bolting
the lock. He was free all along, he just
didn't know it.

Satan has the same strategy, doesn't he?
His greatest weapon is to make us think
that we are trapped, when in reality the cell
door is always open. Satan can't bind us,
so he tricks us into making us believe the
cell door is locked.

Adapted from a devotional by Frank Martin
in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 292

ONE TIN SOLDIER

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...

"PEACE ON EARTH" was all it said.

QUOTE:

Annabel Wolfson Advocate for Social Justice,
Anti-Conscription Activist (1915-1983)

"It seems that it would be apparent to
anyone who gave the matter a thought
that money spent for cooperative
peacekeeping is a better investment than
money spent for deterrence by mutual and
ever-increasing terror, yet the great powers
of the world continue to lavish their resources
on the latter."

THE SOUTHERN TEN COMMANDMENTS

This is much easier to remember !!!

Ten Commandments

Some people have trouble with all those
'shall's' and 'shall not's' in the Ten Commandments.
Folks just aren't used to talking in those terms.
So, in middle Tennessee they translated the
'King James' into ' Jackson County ' language....
no joke (posted on the wall at Cross Trails
Church in Gainesboro , TN ).


(1) Just one God
(2) Put nothin' before God
(3) Watch yer mouth
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Honor yer Ma & Pa
(6) No killin'
(7) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(8) Don't take what ain't yers
(9) No tellin' tales or gossipin'
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

Now that's plain an' simple..

Y'all have a nice day now ya hear!

And bless your little heart

WHAT IS ART?

Mistaking Porn for Art: It’s Time to
Teach Real Beauty

by Rebecca Hagelin

This week I had the privilege of speaking
to a group of some 100 high school students
who had gathered in Washington, D.C., for
a conference. I challenged them to take the
lead in restoring the moral compass of our
culture, to focus on the importance of sound
marriage and families before they begin their
own, and to stand up to the pornography
industry that is creating addicts out of many
of them.

It was so encouraging to hear their thunderous
applause and realize how much they understood
and appreciated the challenge. But then one
young man walked to the microphone and
stunned all of us when he said that today's
pornography is something to be enjoyed and
celebrated.

This young man (oddly enough, named "Isaac")
was so confused by the steady diet of porn his
generation has been consuming, that he thinks
of it as "art" and equates it to "beauty." His
statements revealed that he is deeply lost and
hurting and that, although he has bought the lies
of the porn industry, he isn't entirely satisfied by
his mental purchase. I refused to respond with
a quick retort as my own heart broke for him.

Instead, I suggested that we chat for a few
hours, and that part of the discussion would
include stories from those whose marriages have
been destroyed by porn use, from those who
suffer addiction, and from those who have been
cruelly victimized in other ways by the powerful
pornography industry.

Sadly, Isaac represents millions like him who
have been raised in a coarse pop culture--one
defined and shaped by the devaluation of human
beings.

Isaac's tragically warped view of art and beauty
brought to mind a recent email exchange with my
dear friend, mentor, and artist, Dee Jepsen, about
her desire to share her passion for art with young
people. I reflected on her words:

"In today's culture, children are too often surrounded
by degrading, violent and twisted images. Pop culture
frequently produces distortions in art, blinding an
entire generation about the differences between
beauty and ugliness. The principle of treating others
with respect and high value is now regularly ridiculed.
The civil rights movement brought us so far — but
we are losing much ground as we now regularly create
and disseminate images that reduce human beings to
objects to be used. This has produced a coarsening
of our culture. What used to be considered wrong is
now right, and what used to be right is considered
wrong. What is a kid to believe? How are children to
learn to live wholesome, fulfilling and productive lives
in the midst of such cultural chaos?"

I don't know if it's too late for young Isaac to see beauty
again — or even perhaps for the first time. But it's not
too late for your own kids.

As Dee has always done, she didn't just raise
questions, she also shared wise solutions. Dee offers
great advice for how you can begin to create an
appreciation in the hearts of your own children for things
that are lovely and just; "We adults need to surround
ourselves and our children with things of beauty that
celebrate life. This is especially important in the formative
years. Learning to celebrate the beauty of God's creation
as a youngster will affect how children view and treat
others. There are many things we can do to inspire
children to love truth and beauty, and one of them is
through teaching them about fine art, and how they can
learn to create art, too."

For parents searching for practical ways to combat
the crassness of culture, consider purchasinging Dee's
new instructional watercolor book, "Color Harmonies:
Paint Watercolors Filled With Light." She co-authored
it with renowned watercolor artist, Rose Edin, whose
paintings are full of color and light. It's available in many
bookstores and at Amazon.com.

I can't think of a better summer activity than teaching your
children to explore the world of uplifting art and how to
become artists themselves. The best use of the book
is to go through it together. The techniques are
challenging enough for adults, yet the sweeping concepts
are beneficial for people of all ages.

After all, in today's dark and crass culture, who doesn't
need a reminder to search for truth and beauty?

© 2010 Rebecca Hagelin

Visit Rebecca Hagelin at http://www.howtosaveyourfamily.com

LET FREEDOM RING!

Scripture:

Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalms 66:1-7,16,20;
Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12,17-20

"Cure those in it who are sick, and say,
The Kingdom of God is very near to you"
(Luke 10:9).

Reflection:

Let freedom ring! On "Independence Day,"
the American people celebrate the great
gift of freedom they have received as a
nation. Even so, in many of the most
popular American songs we hear repeated
over-and-over again, in so many words,
the familiar refrain: "I want to be free! I've
got be free."

To attain real freedom, you must be right
with God.

To be right with God we must, first of all,
live in faith. That is the basic premise of the
whole Gospel Message. We cannot be right
with God merely by obeying holy, just, and
good laws. We cannot be right with God
merely by disciplining ourselves. We
cannot be right with God merely by being
as good as the next person. We can be
right with God only with a faith which informs
us that God is a gracious God; that God
is good; that God is not only the Source
of life but also the Source of our right way
of life; that God wants us to be kind,
compassionate and merciful persons.

GET RIGHT WITH GOD, ATTAIN FREEDOM!
FREEDOM FROM SIN, FROM BONDAGE, FROM
OPPRESSION, FROM DEATH
BE KIND, COMPASSIONATE, AND MERCIFUL,
BE FREE

Happy 4th of July!

TEN THINGS GOD WON'T ASK ON THAT DAY

1.... God won't ask what kind of car you drove.
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't
have transportation..

2.. God won't ask the square footage of your
house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed
into your home.

3... God won't ask about the clothes you had
in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped
to clothe.

4... God won't ask what your highest salary was.
He'll ask if you compromised your character to
obtain it.

5... God won't ask what your job title was. He'll
ask if you performed your job to the best of your
ability.

6.. God won't ask how many friends you had.
He'll ask how many people to whom you were
a friend.

7... God won't ask in what neighborhood you
lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8.... God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.

9... God won't ask where you prayed. He'll
lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven.

10... God won't have to ask if you love Him
as your father He already knows your
decision.

IN GOD WE TRUST!

(Thanks Fred!)