It's Time . . .

I was searching for a picture of "bowing before God" on Google and guess what I found? The blog of one of my friends from The War College- Sarvesh Kumar (Joshua)! And it came up on the second page! Some people can't pay for that kind of advertising- wow!

I've added Sarvesh's new blog to my list on the right: It's Time to Put up or Shut up.

Sarvesh (who goes by Joshua in English) is a Christian from India and convert to our Army because he wants to win this world for Jesus and he actually believes we're going to accomplish it. I must admit, there are days I'm not so sure we are going to fulfill our divine commission. But on those days I must also admit if we don't do it, it's my own fault, not some nebulous "they" somewhere out there.

And then I remember Joshua. His spirit is contagious. His drive to spread the Good News grounded in reality. If anyone's going to do it, it's him. But, hey! Why should we let him have all the fun?

We can join him by working to win our own little world. If we each did that, combined in this Army of ours, we'd have arms wide enough to wrap around the whole earth and actually accomplish what we say we are doing while we do everything but.

Go ahead- read Joshua's blog. But if that's all you intend to do, don't bother. Rather, read and join the cause- win the world!

Captivated

This morning as I was hanging out with God, I was listening to an album by Vicky Beeching ("Yesterday, Today & Forever"). Now it usually takes me awhile to settle myself down to truly worship, so by the time I got to her 9th piece, I was ready- "Captivated." Here are the words that broke into my toughened heart:

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I was undone.

Life can be so difficult! Work, people, schedules, meetings, computers, traffic, time . . . these things can drain the joy out of us. Their constant nagging, clamoring for our total attention. If we're not careful, they can slowly pull us away from our first love. We may go kicking and screaming, but off we go anyway.

But in moments of solitude, silence . . . being alone with God, we can recapture that which is really important- worship of the One who is more valuable than anything.

May my life be one unbroken gaze
fixed upon the beauty of Your face.

I don't have anything else of value to say here. It's all up to you now- get away from that computer, shut the door, turn off the TV. Whatever it takes, get alone with God and just be quiet.

Listen.

Fix your gaze on the One who loves you and desires more than anything else to be with you and let you know of that love.

My work is done, but yours is just beginning.

Warfare Prayer

I don't know who wrote it or where it came from (or I'd credit them), but I have been carrying a little pamphlet in my Bible for many years. It's titled "Warfare Prayer" And has Ephesians 6:10 on the cover "Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord's mighty power within you."

It's quite long, but I have used it many times when the struggles seem overwhelming. I reprint it here in it's entirety hoping that you too will be able to use it in the battle. Cut and paste it; keep it handy.

And it IS a battle. Never forget the WAR we are in. When we forget, that's usually when we begin our worst struggles.

- - - - - -

Heavenly Father,

I bow in worship and praise before You. I cover myself with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as my protection during this time of prayer. I surrender myself completely and unreservedly in every area of my life to Yourself. I do take a stand against all the workings of Satan that would hinder me in this time of prayer and I address myself to the true and living God and refuse any involvement of Satan in my prayer.

Satan, I command you, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to leave my presence with all your demons, and I bring the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ between us.

Heavenly Father,I worship You and I give You praise. I recognize that You are worthy to receive all glory and honor and praise. I renew my allegiance to You and pray that the blessed Holy Spirit would enable me in this time of prayer. I am thankful , heavenly Father that You sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die as my substitute that I would be redeemed. I am thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ came as my representative, and that through Him You have completely forgiven me; You have given me eternal life; You have given me the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ so I am now justified. I am thankful that in Him You have made me complete, and that You have offered Yourself to me to be my daily help and strength.

Heavenly Father, come and open my eyes that I might see how great You are and how complete Your provision is for this new day. I do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, take my place with Christ in the heavenlies with all principalities and powers (powers of darkness and wicked spirits) under my feet. I am thankful that the victory the Lord Jesus Christ won for me on the cross and in His resurrection has been given to me and that I am seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenlies; therefore, I declare that all principalities and powers and all wicked spirits are subject to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the armor You have provided, and I put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the helmet of salvation. I lift up the shield of faith against all the fiery darts of the enemy, and take in my hand the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and use Your Word against all the forces of evil in my life; and I put on this armor and live and pray in complete dependence upon You, blessed Holy Spirit.

I am grateful, heavenly Father, that the Lord Jesus Christ spoiled all principalities and powers and made a show of them openly and triumphed over them in Himself. I claim all that victory for my life today. I reject out of my life all the insinuations, the accusations, and the temptations of Satan. I affirm that the Word of God is true, and I choose to live today in the light of God's Word. I choose, heavenly Father, to live in obedience to You and in fellowship with You. Open my eyes and show me the areas of my life that would not please You. Work in my life that there be no ground to give Satan a foothold against me. Show me any area of weakness. Show me any area of my life that I must deal with so that I would please You. I do in every way today stand for You and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life.

By faith and in dependence upon You, I put off the old man and stand into all the victory of the crucifixion where the Lord Jesus Christ provided cleansing from the old nature. I put on the new man and stand into all the victory of the resurrection and the provision He has made for me to live there above sin. Therefore, in this day, I put off the old nature with its selfishness, and I put on the new nature with its love. I put off the old nature with its fear and I put on the new nature with its courage. I put off the old nature with its weakness and I put on the new nature with its strength. I put off the old nature with all its deceitful lusts and I put on the new nature with all its righteousness and purity.

I do in every way stand into the victory of the ascension and the glorification of the Son of God where all principalities and powers were made subject to Him, and I claim my place in Christ victorious with Him over all the enemies of my soul. Blessed Holy Spirit, I pray that You would fill me. Come into my life, break down every idol and cast out every foe.

I am thankful, heavenly Father, for the expression of Your will for my daily life as You have shown me in Your Word. I therefore claim all the will of God for today. I am thankful that You have blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I am thankful that You have begotten me unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I am thankful that You have made a provision so that today I can live filled with the Spirit of God with love and joy and self-control in my life. And I recognize that this is Your will for me, and I therefore reject and resist all the endeavors of Satan and of his demons to rob me of the will of God. I refuse in this day to believe my feelings, and I hold up the shield of faith against all the accusations and against all the insinuations that Satan would put in my mind. I claim the fullness of the will of God for today.

I do, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, completely surrender myself to You, heavenly Father, as a living sacrifice. I choose not to be conformed to this world. I choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, and I pray that You would show me Your will and enable me to walk in all the fullness of the will of God today.

I am thankful, heavenly Father, that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, to the casting down of imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and to bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore in my own life today I tear down the strongholds of Satan, and I smash the plans of Satan that have been formed against me. I tear down the strongholds of Satan against my mind, and I surrender my mind to You blessed Holy Spirit. I affirm, heavenly Father, that You have not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I break and smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my emotions today, and I give my emotions to You. I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my will today, and I give my will to You, and choose to make the right decisions of faith. I smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my body today, and I give my body to You, recognizing that I am Your temple; and I rejoice in Your mercy and goodness.

Heavenly Father, I pray that now through this day You would quicken me; show me the way that Satan is hindering and tempting and lying and counterfeiting and distorting the truth in my life. Enable me to be the kind of person that would please You. Enable me to be aggressive in prayer. Enable me to be aggressive mentally and to think Your thoughts after You, and to give You Your rightful place in my life.

Again, I now cover myself with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and pray that You, blessed Holy Spirit would bring all the work of the crucifixion, all the work of the resurrection, and all the work of Pentecost into my life today. I surrender myself to You. I refuse to be discouraged. You are the God of all hope. You have proven Your power by resurrecting Jesus Christ from the dead, and I claim in every way Your victory over all satanic forces in my life, and I reject these forces; and I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving.

Amen.

Guest Blogger Day

Today I have a guest blogger: Ashley Phillips. She's a Salvationist from the South, whom I met at The War College in Vancouver. Today she wrote the following on facebook and I was so impressed, I wanted to share it with you. Looks like our TSA future is in good hands, huh?


Blood and Fire Baby!
I got this new sense of pride today. But not pride in a sinful way. Pride like I have in my country. Almost like a patriotism. For The Salvation Army.

I don't know where it came from. But I am not complaining that it did come.

I was talking to Tammi last night about my preliminary testing this Thursday for training. And she asked me if i was nervous. And of course my first response was to say yeah, i hate tests . . . I have never been one of those people who can pass any test that is put in front of them. But i thought about her question...and i had this epiphany.

I am 100% sure in my heart that God wants me to be a Salvation Army Officer. So, why be nervous about some tests to become one? Sure, i may not be the most theologically smart person in the world...and I may not be psychiatrically sane all the time (who is really?) . . . and yeah, I get the doctrines confused sometimes (and I'm not the only one! . . . We believe that whosoever will may be saved!) But I love this army. I love the mission of this army. I love Jesus, and I know God has so much in store for this army that our generation will bring to life.

Guys . . . we are the future of this Army! That is some pretty exciting stuff! I mean . . . just think . . . We are going to see God do things in this army that will blow us away. All these things that burden us about this army, God wants to use us to change. And we are going to be his workers. His Servants. His Soldiers. God wants to use you! What an honor! If that doesn't excite you, then somethings wrong! The creator of this whole universe . . . the One who made every tree, mountain, river, ocean, and star beautiful and breathtaking . . . The guy who knitted you in your mothers womb to be exactly who you are today . . . He wants to use you! Will you let him? Will you let Him send you to places of darkness where the Love of God has never been preached? Whether that means in a far away country, or a few yards away to your neighbors door . . . will you go? Will you trust Him to guide you? We need to cast out this complacency that has hit this generation. This idea that as long as we are saved then that's all we need to do. Because that breaks God's heart. He wants to use us. Will you let Him?

In the words of our great founder: "We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross, and thereby rob us of our crown."

If I rise on the wings of the dawn
If I settle on the far side of the sea
Even there your hand will guide me
If I say, The darkness will hide me
And the light will become night around me
Even there your hand will guide me
Darkness will not be dark to you
It will shine like the day Darkness is as light to you
For even there your hand will guide me.
-Psalm 139:8-12

People are NOT Our Projects

Danielle Strickland once told me of an interaction with a "running friend" she had made. After developing a good relationship over time, and getting close to "winning" her new friend to Christ, out of the blue her friend asked her: "am I one of your 'projects?'" Danielle said it was a wake up call when she realized people are not "our projects."

What is it about us Christians that causes us to think we can make people our projects and not really care about them as friends (and/or people)? As if we can just toss them away once we use them (get them saved or whatever) and move on to the next project . . . when you begin to think about it that way, it feels really icky, doesn't it? I hope it feels icky, because if it doesn't, you're gonna need more help than this blog entry can provide!

I'm convinced we see ourselves as "better than" others. Especially those who aren't saved. In some "not-sure-how-we-get-there" thought process, we think it's okay to treat people like they're not people as long as it's in order to get them saved. Kinda like the end justifies the means.

Well, guess what?

Did you guess?

People are the most important priority we have. We will NEVER be justified using people to make us look good (to some imagined power over us), then tossing them aside and moving on to bigger and better things once we accomplish our "mission" on them.

Is that person your project? Take this test to find out:

1) Do you desire to hang out with the person and really get to know them?

2) Have you opened YOUR heart to them, as well as expect them to open up to you?

3) Do you really care about the person as a friend?

4) Do you still want to be their friend even if they don't "get saved?"

5) Do you see the person as more important than yourself (or your "ministry")?

6) Do you really listen to what the person has to say?

If you answered "NO" to any of these questions you might want to examine your intentions in this relationship.

People are our priority (as Jesus exemplified) and we should never climb over them to get even one rung higher on our way up the ladder.

Prayer: O God, please help me to see people as you do; to honor them and hold my relationship with them at the highest possible level. May I be a good witness to them, but may I just plain be a good friend- because I certainly won't be a good witness if I use them and drop them on my way by.

- - - - -

PS: Here are all the wrong answers to the above questions:

1) I just want to use the person so I look like I'm a good Christian to everyone who may be looking. Maybe God'll give me a better situation in life for my next test.

2) I'm not ABOUT to actually open my heart to the person. I don't need anyone, after all!

3) As long as the person THINKS I'm being a friend and it looks good, I'm okay.

4) Are you kidding? If the person doesn't accept Jesus by Tuesday, I'm outta here (If they do, I'm outta here by Wednesday anyway)!

5) Actually, God has made me better than the person (by virtue of my job or giftings), so I have a completely different set of standards to live up to.

6) Huh? What did you say?

Guidelines for Answered Prayer

Since we're praying unceasingly for God to provide $2.5 million to cover our local debt, I thought it would be good to post some guidelines for answered prayer. I'm not sure where I got these, but they've been proven in the testing field of life, so I recommend them for you.

1) Envision a Clear-cut Objective - Be Specific!

Too many people pray for "everything and everyone;" in generalities. You know, like "God bless everyone in the whole world!" So how do we know if God has answered that prayer? It would take quite awhile to ask everyone to find out!

When we pray, we should ask for exactly what we want God to do. "God, heal John of cancer," etc. In our case- $2.5 million dollars! Be specific in your prayer requests.

2) Develop a Burning Desire for the Objective - See it Accomplished!

Often, I've found we pray for things we don't really care about. And if we do care about them, we certainly don't act like it. Imagine a little kid asking his father for a new bike. He's going to ask his Dad once and leave it at that, right? HA! Yet we often ask God for something ONCE and then drop it. Sounds like we really care about the subject, don't ya think?

While we're developing a burning desire, we should envision our objective actually accomplished. See your prayer in your mind's eye having been answered. Believe it has already happened.

3) Pray for Assurance - The Rhema Word!

Once we see our objective accomplished in our mind's eye, we should then start asking God to give us the assurance that he WILL answer this specific prayer. In short, that's called the Rhema Word (Greek). Once we get that assurance, it's all over but the shouting . . . and that's the next point:

4) Claim and Speak the Word - Tell Others!

Start shouting it out. As if it has already happened, if you'd like, because it WILL happen- God has said so (remember step 3 above?) and you KNOW it deep in your spirit (Gotta LOVE that Rhema Word!).


There you have it- some nice proven guidelines for answered prayer. Try it- it works!

I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends

I'm looking for a couple of specific books. I've checked all my usual book sites and apparently, both these books are easily found, but for some reason, have become VERY expensive. And I am not currently willing to pay $50 or more for books that were originally only $11.

That's where all of YOU come in.

If anyone knows the whereabouts of either of these books (for a decent price), let me know. Thanks in advance!

If all else fails, I'm going to try the library when I get home.

The Omega Conspiracy
I.D.E. Thomas
Paperback
Publisher HSPI
Published September 1990 (an earlier pub is fine)






The Facade
Michael S. Heiser
Paperback
Publisher Xlibris Corp
Published September 2004

The Spiral of life

I just finished reading a three book series called "The Nephilim Series" by L. A. Marzulli. If you click on the Title above, it will link you to his website where you can learn about the books and their premise.

The first book is "Nephilim." The second is "The Unholy Deception." The final book is "The Revealing: The Time is Now." Click HERE to get prices and where you can buy them.

If you've ever wondered about the "Nephilim" mentioned in scripture, but couldn't find much on the subject- here's your chance to learn more.

I really enjoyed these books! So much so, I just ordered his latest book, which is not fiction, but looks at the end times (a subject that has always interested me) in a different way than his first series.

Some day I should blog about some things I've learned about the Nephilim. But for now, if you're interested- get the books and enjoy them. Then let me know you did.

The Cool Test

Okay, having had my last blog "quiz" kinda blown outta the water immediately (thanx Travis), I figure I should now drop this one on my unsuspecting readers.

This test is based on how cool you were in High School- how many friends you had, what crowd you ran with, etc. It's scientifically documented as very accurate. Once you take the test, you may want to have your friends take it as well to see if they've changed any.

So, to see if you are STILL a cool person:

Cooltest

So how did you score? Any change?

A Question for You

Okay, who knows this one?

What is the Musician's Theory of Relativity?

If no one answers correctly, I'll leave the answer in the comments in a few days, so check back.

Standing Strong

I'm trading my sorrows;
I'm trading my shame;
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord . . .
I'm pressed but not crushed
Persecuted but not abandoned;
Struck down but not destroyed.
I am blessed beyond the curse,
For his promise will endure
That his joy's gonna be my strength.
Though the sorrow may last for the night,
His joy comes with the Morning!

- - - - -

In this world you will have many troubles,
but take heart!
I have overcome the world!
- John 16:33

- - - - -

The One who rules in heaven laughs!
- Psalm 2:4

- - - - -

The quotes above and some others have come to me from various sources in the last few days (most directly from God). As I sit in the midst of many "troubles," God has made me aware that none of them will crush me. None of them will be my undoing. In fact, when I really dwell on it, it gets funny that The Enemy thinks he can discourage me through "issues," when I know Yahweh is the one in control!

I mean, come one! Things may look impossible to me, but to God? HA! What's a mere $2.5 million to God? What's a little personality struggle? What's a tough email? What's a United Way report deadline? What's a $2000 doorstop of a computer? As I delve deeper into these (and more), some of them may look increasingly impossible to me, but to God? HA! I say! Double HA even! {lol}

The "trick" is holding firm in faith, believing God will come through as he has promised. Bottom line: He's NEVER failed me before; He has ALWAYS come through. My history with Him proves that over and over again. I could tell you some incredible stories . . . (another blog).

So as I build myself up in faith by reviewing the many times God's saved me in the past, repeat God's promises to me, write these things down AND speak them out loud to others, I am strengthened and encouraged. I am emboldened to step up to the plate and swing away! And I can do it in perfect calm; His peace.

There will come a day (sooner than later) when I will be able to look BACK on these times and rejoice that God WAS there; that he came through AGAIN; that he kept me in the palm of his hand through it all.

The only question that remains is whether I was able to stay faithful in the midst of it all. Did I trust IN the storm or did I wilt at its imagined fierceness? Was I overwhelmed or did I stand strong?

Right now, I'm standing strong. I trust in my God and I will show that faith to anyone who comes near.

Just you wait!

No Problem: Gene's Praying

There's a series of commercials from an account temp agency that feature the ultimate employee- "Bob." Apparently Bob can handle ANY job and makes even the best employee cringe that he is around their office. I've laughed over the years as I've heard of Bob's exploits in the office world. I missed them while I was in Maine, but with our move to Rhode Island we're back in their business area again. "No problem: Bob's here!"

I spotted Gene Bragg at the back of the OOB pavilion this morning. I wanted to say HI, so I moved back to see him. After a few words of greeting, he told me "I'm praying early every day for you and Debbie."

That's certainly nice to hear, but immediately after those words uttered by Gene, God spoke to my spirit and said: "THAT'S why you both have been so calm in the midst of your current situation. Gene's praying for you."

Just so you know- Gene's a powerful intercessor. We discovered that during our last 7 years in Bangor. When Gene prays, things happen because God listens. Of this there was NO doubt in my mind. Now if that's possible, after God's word to me, I am even MORE confident!

Now I don't want to ignore that fact that there are a LOT of people praying specifically for us right now. We count on you all and appreciate EVERY prayer that goes up on our behalf. You're ALL awesome. I'm just telling you what God told me.

Now Debbie & I know exactly why we've been so incredibly calm in the midst of things that SHOULD be making us "crazy." Gene's praying.

Thanks Gene for your daily prayer support. We will be eternally grateful.

Friday Night at OOB Top 10 List

Friday night at Old Orchard Beach was awesome and there are many reasons I say so. Here's my Top 10 List:

10) It didn't rain!

9) I got to see "The Generals" coloring book made just for this year's meetings!

8) I was the first person to start off the 24/7 Prayer Room for the camp meetings (just like last year); 1 hour of POWER! The word I got was "It's all about Jesus."

7) It was (and always is) good to see many good friends and family!

6) It was great to be able to reconnect with a group of War College students who are all special to me!

5) I got to see and hug a few of my spiritual daughters (both official and unofficial ones)!

4) General Burrows spoke twice and was awesome (there were many seekers at the altar)!

3) I got to pray with a couple of people at the altar and General Burrows came down and prayed with us!

2) I got to spend some late hours praying with The War College Ministry Team for their week of Prophetic Evangelism at the OOB pier (praying with them is always fantastic)! God has some BIG plans for them this coming week!

1) The War College Team prayed for Debbie & I and gave us some awesome personal words from God about our specific situation in Rhode Island! One person who doesn't know our situation at all, spoke of the many children in our care and how God will be providing financially (as those of you who read my blog regularly know, we have a large Child Care Center in RI and we owe $2.5 million for its construction)!

Wow! More evidence God is working to get rid of that debt! Watch this space!

No Rest

Lately I've been very tired. I know it's because of all the stress of moving, learning a new job, long hours doing hard work, etc. Although I'm sleeping fine, sometimes it feels as if I didn't get any rest the night before.

We've got a couple weeks of vacation coming up soon in August. That's when I'll be able to put aside the things screaming in my ear and get away from it all (Oh Calgon- take me away!). I'm going to take it easy, take some naps, watch Rays baseball in person and soak up some sun in Florida. I can hardly wait!

As I read my Bible I came across a passage of promise that God has quickened to my heart for Rhode Island:

O Rhode Island, I have posted watchmen (and watchwomen) on your walls (intercessors); they will pray to Yahweh day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray. Give Yahweh no rest until he makes Rhode Island the object of praise throughout the earth.
- Isaiah 62:6-7

God has awesome plans for Rhode Island. Of that I have NO doubt! His promises to us are many- including $2.5 million, growth in our corps and spiritual stability. Our task is to be faithful praying for his promises to be fulfilled. We are to give God NO REST until he causes his promises to be realized and seen by all.

So here's a challenge to all intercessors whom Holy Spirit is nudging to pray for Rhode Island (or the Burrs)- get on God's case 24/7! Don't let him rest until he comes through for us. Not so we look good, but so HE gets the glory for it all (it's all about Jesus).

When we break through and God sends his promised blessing on us, then maybe we'll give him a break so he can take a couple weeks off in Florida.

Impossible?

This morning during my prayer time, I opened a small devotional booklet given to me by some close friends. Today is day 11 and the verse is Luke 18:27.

"What is impossible with men is possible with God." - Jesus

Perfect!

Yesterday we had our first department head's meeting. In that meeting we talked about who we are, what our mission is and the many ways we're going to be working together in Rhode Island. We also talked about our financial position (not good) and a very large debt we have on our recently built Child Care Center facility. Two million, fifty-six thousand and some odd cents. Man! It looks even bigger when I spell it out like that!

You know, our operating payments expected monthly are barely going to scratch the surface of that kind of money. We're all going to be long gone before it will be paid off like that! Besides, if we have to make those payments, our regular operations are going to take a serious hit. Impossible!

But we're not in this alone. What's impossible for humankind is nothing to the God we serve (my God owns the kettles in a thousand malls!)! And that's right where I have decided to live. In his hands; trusting him for everything. Not just money.

We're praying for God to miraculously drop $2.5 million in our laps (we've got some other debt as well). We're asking that it be done in such a way that it could ONLY be God's provision so no one else could possibly take any credit.

We'd appreciate your prayer support in this. I promise to report right here WHEN we get our miracle. Watch this space- it won't be long.

Defects in Other Christian Faiths

The other day on the front page of our newspaper was an article about the Pope and his latest document release which restates the position that the Roman Catholic Church is the "only" true church. It states that other Christian communities are "defective" or not true churches; Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.

What a sad thing! So much for the Second Vatican Council and working together for Christian Unity.

Are you thinking I'm about to complain about the Catholic Church? I'm not (except to start there). What my thoughts lean toward today are the fact that it is not unusual to hear this kind of thinking from other churches either. Now maybe not so obviously, but the more this thought process is kept hidden, the more insidious it really is.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say things which inform me they think their church is the only right one. And frankly, I hear it in The Salvation Army too. I've heard Salvationists say because another professing Christian drinks, they can't be saved. And other things like this, etc.

Church! No congregation has it all together! No one has every tenet of Christian faith figured out. We need each other to be able to see the entire picture of God's revelation to humankind.

Have you ever heard the story of the 6 blind men who were led to an elephant and asked to verbally describe what the creature is like? The first was taken to the trunk, the second to the tusk, the third to an ear, the fourth to a foot, the fifth to the belly and the sixth to the tail. Naturally they all disagreed strenuously over what an elephant was like!

That's the way I see the Christian Church. We each know only a part of God. If we argue over what part we know, we will never reach Unity, because we're only arguing facets, not the whole. But if we trust each other and agree that each denomination has something unique to bring to the table, we can see a bigger picture of what God is trying to tell humankind.

Certainly there are defects in other Christian faiths, but we must include our own faith in this statement or we will find ourselves in the Pharisee camp. As I recall, that's not a place I want to be. Do you?

All Road's Lead to . . .

An interesting phenomenon has happened to us since we moved to Rhode Island. We have learned that you can get anywhere you want in Rhode Island via Dunkin' Donuts.

Not sure what I mean? Here's an example:

Go straight down the road and turn left at Dunkin' Donuts. Then go about a mile until you get to Dunkin' Donuts, then turn right. When you come to a Dunkin' Donuts on your left, turn right and go until you run into Dunkin' Donuts. Now you're almost there. After the third Dunkin' Donuts, turn right at the Dunkin' Donuts sign and you're right where you want to be just behind the Dunkin' Donuts.

Repeat these directions for anywhere you want to go. It always works! It works even better when you're looking for Dunkin' Donuts!

So many people question whether God exists or not, but the truth is, everywhere you go, he's there. In fact, you can't get anywhere without passing God many times on your trip. And that's the problem- people just keep passing God and never stopping to chat or just hang out with him.

The next time you head to Dunkin' Donuts, take a minute to look for God. Trust me- he's there and just waiting for you to stop your running around and just chat a bit.

AND

There is a Bible verse traditionally used by Christians when relating the salvation process:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" -Romans 3:23

Our purpose in using it is to get people to realize that no one is righteous in and of themselves; we need God.

But this morning as I was reading through this passage, it stuck me that although the verse ends after the word "God," the sentence does not. In fact there is an "AND" at the beginning of verse 24 that continues the author's thought:

"AND are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Now it is true that we all have to see our need of God because no one can reach the mark of his righteousness on their own. But here God wants us to realize even though this is true, all who believe in Jesus are also justified (made righteous) freely. Our salvation is free because Jesus paid the price for us. That's grace.

The acrostic I have used for many years to define grace is
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense.

And there it is right in the passage that we have used for many years to "beat" the realization of sin into us sinners! Yes, we are sinners, but God didn't stop there. He went on to do what we couldn't do- procure our salvation (righteousness)- and then offer it to us for free!

Isn't that just like God? Right in the middle of our realization of our sin, he places an AND to let us know there is more. AND it's his GRACE.

AND here I am again, standing under the waterfall of God's GRACE. Nice.

(Click on the picture to go to allposters.com and buy it)

Family in Rhode Island

It looks like there's family in Rhode Island! Jenn & Josh decided to vacation with us for about a week, so Chris decided to come down and see everyone too. He brought a couple of friends and spent most of the time at the beach, but it was great having everyone together at our home again.

It's interesting how the house instantly felt more like home when they all came to join us.

Ah, family. Can't beat it!

Satan is a Liar!

I heard a good sermon today (actually 2). I have a page of notes I took and of the bloggable stuff I wrote, here is what I want to offer you today:

Satan is a liar!

Just like my native language is English, Satan's native language is Deception. I don't have to think about what I say, it just naturally comes out in English. Satan just naturally speaks lies and we need to learn that when he speaks to us, there is no need to wonder if there's anything we should think about in there somewhere. There isn't; he's lying!

He tells us things like "you're not as good as that person," "you're not up to that," "you can't," "people don't like you," "you're ugly," you're a loser," "you're not . . .," etc. Those are lies. Plain and simple- lies!

The trick, you see, is learning when it's Satan speaking and when it's God speaking. When you know that, it's no problem ignoring what Satan whispers in the back of your mind. And here's the key to knowing the difference: God loves you; Satan does not. When you hear good things about yourself, you know it's God speaking. When you hear bad things, it's Satan (or maybe it's your own voice agreeing with Satan's curses that he has already convinced you of).

God made you just the way he wanted to. Sure, you don't always live up to the potential he placed in you, but he loves you anyway. His love is not based on the condition of your doing well.

I am sick and tired of people convinced they are not good enough; not accepted, etc! Well, not sick and tired of the people, just sick and tired of the enemy's lies! God's plan is to bless you, not to curse you.

Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam, but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loves you. - Deuteronomy 23:5

So there you have it. Satan is a liar, but God loves you. Simple, but serious truth for today.