Thursday, December 10, 2009

John 19:17-27

So they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). 18 There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.

21 Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”

22 Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”

23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

25 Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

The priest had just finished saying that they have no king but Caesar and then turns around and says - "I am the king of the Jews" take the sign down.

Are you kidding me - I guess it just reveals the heart of this man - his entire plot was over his jealousy about Jesus - this man wanted the sole admiration and respect of people so much that he would kill to get it. I wonder if he knew that Jesus was the Son of God - I think that he had to have known, what a hypocrite.

Three things about this -
A - I think there are a lot of people who want admiration, respect and acceptance more than anything else on earth.

B- I don't want to be a hypocrite - I will say things like - those people judge me unfairly, and they are stuck up - but then I am judging their motives and avoid them so what does that make me? I once had a teacher tell me that you can not pretend to know another person's motives - to do so it to presume you are on the same level as God. Ouch.

C - The only way out of this is to be humble - it would be better to be an unappreciated servant, than the man who kneels at the altar thinking - I'm so glad I am not as bad as all these other sinners.

It is really hard for me to love people. I look at this passage and I think - how is it that you could command all of Heaven's armies - and give that up to live a poor humble life, because you love people so much. Then to have those same people beat you, spit on you and kill you out of jealousy for the crappy life you have now. That just demonstrates how much God loves me, that He would do that for me is beyond my understanding.
I think it is necessary to love people - but I also think it is necessary to be humble - love is a feeling - I think humility is the action. Sometimes you have to do something until you feel like it is the right thing - I think this is one of those things.

Amanda

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Free Stuff

I occationally visit a blog that offers freebies - they recently posted about two free audio books

Just an FYI

December’s free audio book download at SimplyAudioBooks is ”A Child’s Christmas” featuring five classic Christmas stories. The offer can be found here about halfway down the page.


ChristianAudio.com is offering a free download of the audio book “The Brother’s Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Use the coupon code DEC2009.

Just thought I would pass this along =]

Sunday, November 29, 2009

White knuckles

I am a White knuckle flyer - as a passenger on an airplane it means I am clinging to my seat for dear life.

Lets think about that for a second - is my strangle hold on the arm rest going to keep that plan in the sky? Is my terrified, jaw clenching, eyes squeezed shut expression going to help us get to our destination? Probably not- in fact it will probably just freak out the other passengers around me, they might even start to wonder if they should be holding on for dear life too.

If salvation is based on grace by faith - not of works (Ephesians 2:9) Then what about the rest of the ride - is it my job to keep the plane in the air? Is it my job to work work work to get to be a better person? Or is that sanctification also the act of Christ and all my working about as helpful as me clinging to the armrests in a 747?

I think it is a little bit of both - I have to have the desire, the willingness to surrender to Christ's will in my life - but after that point I do not think that it is my job to make a list of good goals, promises, and routines to keep me on my way to a front row seat in Heaven - I honestly think that is about as helpful as my white knuckles on an airplane - no help at all. Ephesians 2:10 says God saved me so that I could do the good things HE had planned for me long ago.

Ephesians is actually a really good book for this subject because it clearly illustrates the need to obey and the complete dependence on Christ that we have.

Ephesians 4:21-23
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, -22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

My job is to let the Spirit work in my life. An ongoing remodel that is never quite finished - my job is not to keep all the things checked off my own personally satisfying, front row sitting, good rep building, redemption checklist - it is instead to surrender to, and completely focus on God's will.

Why do the apostle's lives look so amazing to us? How did they sit in jail cells and call for their manuscripts to finish a life's work? How did they endure beatings, sing while in chains, witness to jailers, encourage others and live lives worth our remembering?
The had surrendered to the purpose of God in their lives - not what they thought it should be, but what it was - and it completely transformed them -they did not rely on their own works, their own goody goody checklists, or their own ideas.  Ephesians talks about one of the "checklist" goals of that time - circumcision - and Paul addresses it as completely unneeded and worthless.
 So as I imagine Paul waiting in his cell to die, knowing the day comes soon, I do not hear him singing I wait for God - but I hear I wait with God.  Waiting, with Him, for His plans to be accomplished. Paul is under no disillusion that his life is his own, or that his good goals will save him, instead he writes Ephesians 5:10 "Carefully determine what pleases the Lord" and 5:17 "Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

Admitting Sin -Surrendering to God's salvation
Accepting His purpose - Receiving His sustaining strength
Allowing Him to do all the work - Sanctification

Working on your own - eternity in hell
Picking "good" goals and working towards them - exaustion and exile
Working to be a "better" person (aka sinner) - wandering in the desert until you die

My death grip on the arm rest isn't going to help fly the plane, so maybe I better realize that I am a passenger - and let the Pilot worry about the flying.

Amanda

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Charm is fleeting and beauty fades

I read something this morning that turned my stomach - I thought - I can not be reading this right, there must be some mistake. But after further investigation I found there was no mistake, a "Christian" book teaching young women to focus on outward beauty, even body measurements and a caloric guide (with a few chapters at the end that throw in gossip and communication, conflict resolution via "breaking fellowship" - are you kidding me!!!)
A good Christian girl taught to live the lies of the world - that charm, poise, and body size can be used as power over other people. You will feel superior and look superior, so your ideas will be given more consideration and you will be able to bait a good husband. This book actually acknowledges that this is the way of the world "fair or unfair".
While I am not naive enough to believe that this is untrue - I thought we were supposed to be teaching our children to be Godly adults - to work at this so they will not stumble as we have- not how to water down truth with a way to wield power and fit in with the world. I was so disappointed when I read this - but on a good note - it explains so much!
I am not a mother of daughters, but I am a mother of sons - and I plan to buy that book and read it to them so that they know just what to watch out for and when to RUN the other way!!!!!

So this came to mind

10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
11 Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life. (she is honest)
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life. (she is loyal)

13 She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it. (she looks for ways to serve)
14 She is like a merchant’s ship,
bringing her food from afar. (she is resourceful)
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. (she is dedicated)

16 She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard. (she is a good money manager)
17 She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
18 She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night. (she goes the extra mile)

19 Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber. (she is always working for her family)
20 She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy. (she is merciful and generous)
21 She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm clothes. (she is prepared)

22 She makes her own bedspreads. (she is industrious)
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. ( she is like royalty, with all her hard work her husband adores her)
23 Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders. (behind every good man....)
24 She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants. (she is come up in the world, because of her dedication)

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
26 When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
27 She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.

28 Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
31 Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Not once does this mention her "poise" or how she should cross her legs at the ankle, how she should have good posture, learn to speak enticements without being obvious, or focus her attention on beauty- there is however another section of Proverbs that does address this!

1) FLATTERY--She "flatters with her words" (Proverbs 2:16). "Her mouth is smoother than oil" (Proverbs 5:3). See also Proverbs 7:21; 6:24 and compare Proverbs 22:14. She uses "sweet talk." She draws people to herself with nice, inviting language. She has charm to her voice ( I am sure it is not deep or gravely- that was expressly mentioned in the book) and her words pull a man to herself as a magnet.

2) BEAUTY--This woman is outwardly beautiful (Proverbs 6:24-25). She is attractive to the eyes. While there is nothing wrong with dressing discreetly and attractively - there is something wrong with it if the motive is to attract and attain approval from men or from the world.
3) LOCATION--This woman knows where to locate herself so as to be most effective(see Proverbs 7:11-12). A skilled fisherman needs to know where to drop his line. To catch mice you need to know where to place the mousetrap. This woman knows where to place herself.
4) DECORATIONS--This woman knows how to decorate herself and her surroundings (Proverbs 7:10,16,17). She must look attractive, and this is done by clothes, perfumes, make-up, etc. All of this is done to draw attention to herself and wield power over others. In contrast, the believing woman is concerned about MODESTY (1 Timothy 2:9). She gives careful thought to what she should wear and how she should dress. She knows that she is not to be conformed to the world’s standards (Rom. 12:2), and must set aside many of the popular attitudes and fashions of the day. At the same time she ought to display good taste in the clothing she wears, not drawing attention to herself with extremism in either direction: The message that comes from the life and witness of a modest and humble believing woman is this: "Look at Christ living in me (Gal. 2:20). I belong to the Son of God." Such a woman is rare (Proverbs 31:10). On the other hand, by her attitudes, manipulations and dress (or lack of dress) the immodest, and haughty woman is saying, "Look at me! I am so much sweeter! Look at what I offer!"

5) ARRANGEMENTS--This woman tries to make all the necessary arrangements so that people will think they can spend time with her and get away with it. See Proverbs 7:14 and 7:19-20. This idea is something like this: "It’s all arranged. It’s all set up. No one will ever know that you were with me. You can do it and get away with it and you will not suffer any ill effects or bad consequences. Everything has been taken care of; there is nothing to worry about and there is no reason why you should not do this!"

6) THE FINAL INVITATION--See Proverbs 7:18,21 and Proverbs 9:16-17. By now she is irresistible. She has a man right where she wants him. Now she moves in for the kill!

Lord,
Please help the parents of this generation to see through the lies of the world and surround themselves with the Truth of Your Word. Please help us to not place our focus on manipulations and worldly power, beauty and charm - but on the things of Your world with Your perspective. Please guide Drason and I in raising sons who can see through the manipulations and poise of a girl whose heart has been deceived and help us to give them perspective so that they might live to glorify You. Amen

Friday, November 20, 2009

Relational

I found this online tonight and thought I would share it.  It is rare to find such a contrast from a Christian perspective and I was happy to see it.  The Bible is a relational book - it is about God's relationship with me from the day of creation, until the "end of the age".  The Bible addresses our relationships continually - in fact the two greatest commandments are relational "Love God, Love Others", The Bible covers relationships from every angle.  Husbands and wives, parents and children, employer and employee, shepherd to sheep, peers, Christians, non- Christians, friends, enemies - YOU NAME IT - it is in there when it comes to our relationships.  This was a good reminder for me, I hope it blesses and challenges you as well.

"There are many contrasts between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Taken together they chart a continuum between the secular model and the biblical model. Understanding these contrasts can help us understand how healthy relationships work – and how we can grow toward them as part of the recovery process.

A healthy heart can enter into healthy relationships. Healthy relationships are central to recovery from sin and shame. Recovery without healthy relationships only perpetuates the sinful self-obsession that led to a sin addiction in the first place. In recovery we must learn to shift our focus, thus becoming free to share intimacy with others.

A healthy heart involved in healthy relationships fosters the precise opposite of sin - it fosters genuine love and spiritual growth. Sin maintains a secret life marked by fear and control. Genuine love, on the other hand, is marked by openness, trust, and the freedom to give oneself to another.

"1. Reality vs. Fantasy. Healthy relationships are based in reality. Each person is aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. There is no need to hide or to try to fool the other. Each person is also aware of the other’s strengths and weaknesses. There is no need to pretend that problems don’t exist or to tiptoe around “unmentionable” areas. If the partner is weak in some area, he or she accepts it and helps accommodate or strengthen it.

Unhealthy relationships, by contrast, are based on fantasy. What could be or should be replaces what is. The elements of unreality become the focus. The relationship is built on a foundation that isn’t really there.

2. Completing vs. Finding Completion. In a healthy relationship, each person finds joy in sharing in the other person’s growth, in playing a role in “completing” the other.

In an unhealthy relationship the focus is on completing oneself. This selfish dynamic is at the heart of codependency. Too many people fling half a person into a relationship, expecting that it will be completed by the other. It never works. No one can ever meet such expectations. It is only a matter of time until substitutes are sought – either in the form of other relationships or in the form of dysfunctional and addictive behaviors.

3. Friendship vs. Victimization. A healthy relationship can be described as two good friends becoming better friends. The strongest and most successful relationships – even the most passionate and romantic marriages – have this kind of true friendship at the base. Where this base of true friendship is absent, the relationship is shallow and susceptible to being marked by victimization.

4. Sacrifice vs. Demand for Sacrifice. Few of the magazines that clutter the checkout counters of grocery stores publish articles extolling the joys of sacrifice. But no relationship can grow without it. Unfortunately, most of us are more accustomed to demanding sacrifice from our partner than to sacrificing our selves.

It’s one thing to love another when the going is easy. But character and depth are wrought in a relationship when love requires the surrender of preference and privilege. Nothing strengthens a relationship like sacrifice. Indeed, it often seems that the greater the sacrifice, the more thorough the death to self, the greater the potential for the relationship.

Our relationship with God requires sacrifice. His relationship with us required nothing less than the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. Building a relationship – or restoring one that has been ravaged by the effects of sin – depends on the willingness of both parties to sacrifice for each other, without demanding anything in return.

5. Forgiveness vs. Resentment. Forgiveness is a miraculous gift between two people. A relationship flourishes when we are willing to forgive past hurts and disappointments. Refusing to forgive is like carrying around a garbage bag full of hurts of the past. Every time someone makes a mistake, we toss it into the bag and carry it with us forever.

There are no garbage bags in healthy relationships. Out of love, the partners take the hurt and disappointment of the past and burn it up in the flames of forgiveness. What greater gift can we give someone than to set them free from the weight of their mistakes? When we unlock others from a past they cannot correct, we free them to become all they can become, and we free our relationships to become all they can becomes as well.

6. Security vs. Fear. Security is a rare commodity in our world. Often people come from such insecure childhoods they can only hope that their adult life will include a relationship that allows them to rest in the arms of someone who really cares. So much of life is lived on the edge of risk, we feel an overwhelming need for at least one relationship to make us feel safe.

The Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). When we shift from trying to use others to satisfy our security needs to trying to meet the security needs of others, we find ourselves in a new dimension. We are focusing on their needs, not ours. We are filling their doubts and fears with the reassurance of our consistent behavior. We calm their fears by being reliable. We become, in a word, loving: other-focused and totally selfless. That is the kind of love that drives out fear and provides genuine security.

7. Vulnerability vs. Defensiveness. In a secure environment, a person is free to open up and be vulnerable. It is wonderful to be vulnerable, to do an emotional free fall and have someone there to catch you. That delightful taste of vulnerability enables you to open up even more, discover more about who you are, appreciate all the good that God has created in you.

In a relationship characterized by fear, just the opposite happens. There is a need to build up a wall of defensiveness. If you do not protect yourself, after all, you will be violated, robbed of your identity, controlled, or smothered. The dynamics of defensiveness lead to death rather than to life and growth.

8. Honesty vs. Deception. There is no way to build a lasting, healthy relationship on a foundation of dishonesty. Honesty must be at the core of a relationship; there is no substitute for it. It is fashionable in our day to paper over unpleasant truth. We deceive those we love, rationalizing that keeping secrets is really for their good."

Virtually all sin is maintained under the cover of some sort of deception, which eventually is woven into a vast tapestry of lies and cover-ups. Dishonesty is a very hard habit to break. One of the main functions of  the Church is the accountability it provides, holding up the standard of open communication and truthfulness. Without accountability, trust and the restoration of intimacy in relationships is impossible.

Amanda

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Respite often equals focus

Sometimes it is good to have a period of respite, time to clear the mind and focus the heart on what is really important.

I have heard Pastor Noel use this illustration quite often -
Imagine a beautiful painting - if you focused in on a 1 inch square of that painting it might look like nothing - it might look like everything - but by keeping our focus on the entire painting you gain perspective. God's work is like a painting - we need to keep our focus large - not small.

Small perspective leads to narrow mindedness - singleness of purpose, but not in a good way. We need to watch out for this, and stop this from happening whenever we can.

For example - singleness of purpose says we need to clean the house. Yes we should keep neat and tidy homes - but what good does that do if you never mow the lawn?

People aren't going to come into your clean house, if they have to beat their way through the weeds to get there.

True purpose - God purpose - says, don't neglect the house - but don't neglect the yard either – in fact don't neglect the neighborhood, the city, the state, the country.

Would you visit a house at night in a criminal neighborhood? In a very dangerous city? In a communist state? Of course not!

By the way - who enjoys a clean house? The people who live there? or the people who need to live there but can't get past the weeds to get in the front door?
So then the question becomes how do you "mow the lawn"? How do you fix up your neighborhood? How do you clean up your city?

Ministry - pockets of Christians (some might even call them small groups) OUTSIDE of the house.

Homeschool co-ops
Community health clinics
Community help centers (heartbeats, look-up center)
Connecting with other like minded churches to offer Community Seminars
Kid focused community activities (VBS and Upwards)
Volunteering in shelters or jails
Back to School supplies and Christmas toy drives
Food drives
Community friendly lessons - sharing skills (music lessons, ballet, karate)

Some people will read this and completely agree and some will read this and completely disagree -

Is that because one is right and one is wrong? NOPE!

Is it because one is holy and one is not? NOPE!

Is it because one or both are the much dreaded "trouble-maker" ? NOPE!

It is because we each, every member of the body of Christ, have a specific and usable gift, and we see purpose in using our gifts - we will identify areas where our gifts would be useful.
People who focus on serving the inside of the church might have a gift that speaks to them in that way - they use it to serve inside the church walls.
People who focus more on serving outside of the church probably have a gift that they see as being most effective in that arena.
The problem comes when everyone either starts trying to, or allows themselves to be confined to use their gift in the same place - either in or out. You wind up with many people who want to serve and can't find a place where they fit, or many people who are unhealthy in "defending" their territory (that they call ministry) You create rivalry and strife ( imagine too many cats stuffed in a box.)
How do you fix this?

Generally people find other likeminded people, through the direction of the Holy Spirit, and they start a Work that glorifies God (not men.) They stop playing the lethal political games and they follow the beat of the Drummer, the beat of the moving, growing, living Christ.

The other part of a Spiritual gift is that it is needed, God didn't accidentally give you a sense of purpose, if you fail to use your gift, for any reason - even when it seems your talents are not wanted or appreciated - you defy God, and you live in constant sin. If you refuse another believer the chance to use their gifts - (aka - defend your territory) you sin, and you cause them to sin as well.

Respite often equals focus.

In case you didn't notice the comments are turned back on - and your comments will be posted (anonymous comments will not be accepted)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Dead peasants

If you learned that 1 of 10 people in your circle would die this year, and you could even say which person specifically was likely die - What would you do?


I learned about something disgusting last night - it turned my stomach to hear it - it made me want to howl to the rafters about the injustice in the world! 

This may not be news to most of you - but it was news to me -  to learn that companies purchase life insurance on their employees.  At first that doesn't sound too bad - I can see insuring the CEO of a blue chip company because his death could result in the loss of millions for that company - what I can't understand is why you would insure, without their knowledge or consent, someone who works in the wal-mart bakery, someone who sweeps floors for a living, someone who is the "rank and file" employee. 

Why would you do this?  To make a profit,

Every year a certain number of working people will die - if you look at how many people in your nationwide company died last year - then you can use a mathmatical equation to figure out how many people will most probably die this year - you can also factor in things like social station (a janitor vs a manager) who typically leads a healthier life, what employees have health insurance, the stress of a job  - and so narrow down the pool of your employees to a smaller group contianing those most likely to die.
Lets say you did all this math and you came up with a group of 50,000 employees (out of 500,000 total employees )-  that would most likely die in the next year, as a responsible citizen what would you do? 
Would you
A- try to help these people by providing insurance, free medical clinics, doctors and nurses to talk to to try to help this person, maybe even  a few more days of vacation time to spend with their families?
B - buy a $1,500,000.00 life insurance policy on them and do nothing

What is even more sickening if the fact that many of these companies may have even contributed to the death of their employee.  If your employer requires you to work longer hours, more shifts, and piles more and more responsibility on you - all the while telling you that he knows 10 people who would love to have your job (this is happening to a friend of ours) and then you die of a heart attack  - did that employer knowingly contribute to your death?
What if your employer refuses to offer health insurance, and knowing that people who do not have health insurance typically don't go to the doctor as often, even when they are sick - buys an insurance policy on you. That year catch the flu - and don't go to the doctor - and you die - did they knowingly act in an irresponsible manner which contributed to your death?

Why can't I buy insurance on someone else house?  Because then I would have a vested interest in that person's house burning down - it would be to my gain if they lost their home.

Which employers bought policies on the lives of employees?


Because a company’s purchase of insurance policies is not a public record, it is virtually impossible to know every company that invested in policies on employees’ lives. These policies are termed "dead peasant" policies because they insure the "rank and file" not the company executives.  If your employer is on the list below - don't worry, you can ask them if they have such a policy on you - but they do not have to answer - because insurance lobbiests have persuaded our congress to make such dealings strictly confidential - especially from the peasants.
The following companies are believed to have been the beneficiary of these types of life insurance policies on employees:



ADAC Laboratories

Advanced Telecommunication Corp.

Aeroquip Vickers Inc.

Alabama Power Co.

Alfa Corp.

Allegheny Technologies Inc.

Allergan Inc.

Allfirst Financial Inc.

Amegy Bank, N.A.

American Business Products, Inc.

American Electric Power

American Express Co.

American Greetings Corp.

American Management Systems Inc.

American Seafoods Group LLC

Ameritech Corp.

Amerus Group Co.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

Appalachian Power Co.

Arch Chemical

Aristech Chemical Corp.

AT&T Communications

Atlantic Richfield Co.

Avery Dennison Corp

Avon Products Inc.

B. F. Goodrich Company

Ball Corporation

Bank Boston

Bank Of America

Bank One Corp.

Barnett Banks Inc.

Bassett Furniture Industries Inc.

Be Aerospace Inc.

Bear Stearns Companies

Bellsouth Corporation

Boise Cascade Corp.

Boston Company

Boston Federal

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Camelot Music, Inc.

Carolina Power & Light Co.

Carpenter Technology Corp.

Catskill Financial Corp.

Central Power & Light Co.

Ch2m Hill Companies Ltd.

Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Checkfree Corp.

Chemical Banking Corporation

Citibank, N.A.

Citizens Bank

Clark Inc.

Clorox Company

CNF Inc.

Coca-Cola Company

Columbus Southern Power Co.

Commercial Intertech Corp.

Compass Bank (Florida & Alabama)

Computer Technology Associates Inc.

Consolidated Natural Gas Co.

Consolidated Rail Corporation

Cox Enterprises, Inc.

CTA Inc.

Cymer Inc.

Diamond Shamrock Inc.

Diebold Inc.

Dime Bancorp Inc.

Dow Chemical

Earle M. Jorgensen Co.

Eastman Kodak Company

Eaton Corp.

ECC Capital Corp.

Enserch Corp.

F&M Bancorp

FiberMark Inc.

Figgie International Inc.

Fina Oil & Chemical Company

First Bank System Inc.

First Commonwealth

First Midwest Bancorp Inc.

Fleet Bank

FleetBoston Financial Corp.

Flightsafety International Inc.

Frontier Bank

Fulton Financial Corp.

GATX Corporation

Georgia Power Co.

GNC Corp.

Great Plains Energy Inc.

GTE Corporation

Gulf Power Co.

HCR Manor Care Inc

Hechinger Company

Heritage Commerce Corp.

Herman Miller Inc.

Hershey Foods Corporation

Hillenbrand Industries, Inc.

Hosiery Corporation of America

Houghton Mifflin

Household Finance

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc.

Hughes Supply Inc

ICI Americas, Inc.

Idaho Power Company

IKON Office Solutions Inc.

Indiana Michigan Power Co.

Integra Bank Corp.

Intermark Inc.

Iowa First Bancshares Corp.

Iroquois Bancorp Inc.

J Jill Group Inc.

JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Kansas City Power & Light

Kansas Gas & Electric Co.

Keithley Instruments Inc.

Kentucky Power Co.

Keycorp Ohio

Kimberly Clark

Korn Ferry International

Laser Master Int’l. Inc.

Linens N Things Inc.

LKQ Corp.

Louisiana Pacific Corp.

Manor Care Inc.

Marriott International Inc.

McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Media General Inc.

Medicalcontrol Inc.

Menasha Corporation

MidAmerican Energy Co.

Miix Group Inc.

Mississippi Power Co.

MNC Financial Inc.

Mueller Industries Inc.

National City Corporation

NationsBank

Nestle Enterprises

Norfolk Southern Corp.

Norfolk Southern Railway Co.

Northern States Power Co.

Ohio Power Co.

Old National

Olin Corporation

Owens & Minor Inc.

PacifiCorp

Panera Bread Co.

Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company

Parker Hannifin Corp.

Penn Treaty American Corp.

Penns Woods Bancorp Inc.

Phibro Animal Health Corp.

Philipp Brothers Chemicals Inc.

Phoenix Companies Inc.

Pinnacle Financial Services Inc.

Portland General Electric

Potlatch Corporation

PPG Industries

Procter & Gamble Company

PSS World Medical Inc.

Public Service Co. of New Mexico

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma

Public Service Enterprise Group

Questech Inc.

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company

Ruddick Corp.

Ryder System Inc.

Sallie Mae (Stud Ln Mktg Assoc.)

Savannah Electric & Power Co.

Sequa Corp.

Service Merchandise Co., Inc.

Shearson Mortgage

Sherwin-Williams

Sky Chefs

Smart & Final Inc.

Smith Barney

Sonoco Products Co.

Southwest Bank

Southwest Water Co.

Southwestern Bell Corp.

Southwestern Electric Power Co.

Southwestern Public Service Co.

Star Banc Corp.

Stauffer Management Company

Steelcase Inc.

Sturgis Bancorp Inc.

Summit Bank of N.J.

Swank, Inc.

Tellabs Inc.

Tenet Healthcare Corp.

Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.

Tompkins Trustco Inc.

TXU Corp.

TYCO International

UniFirst Corp.

Union Bank

United National Bancorp

Urocor Inc.

Vineyard National Bancorp

W. R. Grace & Company

Wachovia Corporation

Walgreen Company

Wal-Mart Stores

Walt Disney

Wang’s International, Inc.

Wells Fargo, N.A.

West Coast Bancorp

West Texas Utilities Co.

Westar Energy Inc.

Western Aire Chef Inc

Western Resources, Inc.

Westpoint Pepperell

Winn Dixie

Winnebago Industries Inc.

Woolworth Corporation

Xcel Energy Inc.

York Water Co.

Zale Corp.
 
 
****The contents of this blog are the writters opinion and may or may not be based on fact.  Reading this blog is for enjoyment purposes only.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Off the Adult Menu

We had Breakfast/Lunch at Bob Evans yesterday after church - it was packed out! So we finally get a table and of course everyone is starving, and the boys immediately begin to confer among themselves as to what to order. After several minutes of working out the details they present us with the plan - and it involves all three of them eating off the adult menu. As a mom- I really felt old at that moment - it is odd to think of my boys all being old enough to want to order off the adult menu. Since they were splitting a meal it was a bit cheaper, but it was still hard to hear that they wanted normal pancakes and not the cute little kids silver dollar ones with the whip cream smile. Anyways
This is reminding me of something else I heard lately - again and again I seem to hear this- so maybe it is what I need to hear.

From 3 verses - 3 steps to help focus on godly living
1 - What is your goal?
2 - How do you treat others?
3 - Who are you pleasing?

It helps to work these through and then work them backwards so let me give an example
Jill is 35 - married with 2 kids in school. She is a Christian.

Jill wants to get ahead - she has a good job and she wants to be sure to make a good impression on others so that she will be promoted - Her goal is - Get Promoted

She treats others in what she expects is a fair manner - if they can help her achieve her goal she is very friendly and outgoing, she will go out of her way to please her superiors and while she does not gossip, she uses office politics to get ahead as she can - she also avoids people who are unpopular for any reason - She treats others - With a singular purpose - in order to use them to accomplish her goal.

Jill spends time learning the likes and dislikes of her higher - ups and many hours working on special pet projects - Jill is pleasing Herself and Her employer

There is nothing wrong with Jill wanting to be promoted, doing a good job at work, even avoiding those who might stir up trouble - and there is nothing wrong with pleasing her employer or even herself. What should Jill's goal be?

Let me say here that this is just an example - only Christ knows what Jill - who is a fictitious person - should be setting her sights on - but to continue this example I'll work this out backwards.

God's plan for Jill starts with her family - Jill's husband feels like Jill has time for everyone but him. Jill's children go to church on Sunday - but during the week they are bombarded with secular images at school and at home. Because both Jill and her husband work they are both tired in the evenings and allow the kids to make their choices about many things because they are simply too tired to be involved any further in their children's lives. God wants Jill to serve her family - even though this is not what she wants for herself.

This will start with Jill pleasing God with her choices rather than herself or her boss at work - it may mean not being involved in the pet projects which will cause her to lose her popular status, and she may even become - gasp- one of those people who she would not have associated with before because she will not be popular - in fact people will probably say "What happened to Jill? She used to be such a go getter - it is such a pity."

But because of these small changes Jill begins to please God and winds up also pleasing her husband - who feels wanted and needed by her new attention and she pleases her children who are struggling to find themselves in a lost world. Jill - surprising even herself - finds that she is happy with the changes and pleases herself because of the new closeness with her husband and focus on her children.

Jill treats people better - she realizes that some of the people she was avoiding at work - are really a lot like her - many have similar views and are not popular because they have also made choices to put God's will first in their lives - this causes Jill to be more bold with her testimony - first with the other Christians she discovered and then with the very people she used to hold in such high regard. She never would have thought to share her faith with them before for fear of being shunned and labeled a trouble maker. She is actually treating everyone in her workplace better - because she is finally caring about their souls - more than her advancement.

Jill's goal changes - she no longer desires a promotion - instead she desires to do a good job at the job she has been given - she sees her job as more than the 9-5 at work - but also sees her job as a wife and mother as important. Jill is happier, and lives a more balanced, satisfying and God pleasing life.

Want to know what your goal is? What do you worry about, what is on your mind 3 or 4 times a day, what do you spend your time and money on? These are your goals even if they are not what you intended.

I tend to not have Jill's problem as Jill does - I can say - ____________________ is my goal and I can tell you how it was picked to please God - BUT

In truth a goal that I picked to please God might not be the goal that He has for me.

One recent idea was regarding Grandpa Keen possibly moving in with us - his health isn't the best and we would love to have him here. - This goal seems "good"

But talk it through

How will this affect how I treat people? It will most definitely affect relationships with our extended family - they may or may not approve - I will need to be able to treat them well, even if they do not treat me very nicely. We really should sit down with everyone and discuss this - not just us decide - that is how I would want to be treated. This will affect how I have time for Drason and the boys - if Grandpa needs care, I will be the one to provide it for the most part - it will affect everyday from homeschool to ball practices to date night.

Who does it please - It pleases Grandpa - he wants very much to live with family he is very lonely and he is having health problems. It pleases me - I feel as though I will be repaying an obligation to him - he cared for me - I should care for him. Does it please God? I didn't even think to ask - of course such a noble well intentioned goal would please God -right?

Some people won't fall into a Jill situation - they will fall into a good idea vs. a God idea - And the difference is life and death. A good idea says good works outweighing bad should attain heaven - but Christ says - none come to the Father except through me.

Harsh example - but very true - how many good people have good ideas, but no clue about Christ? It really brings back the point that the steps of a righteous man are directed by the Lord.

A good reminder for me.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Clarification

First off,
If my previous post offended anyone - and someone emailed me so I know it did offend at least one person - I am sorry.

I really think this person misunderstood what I was saying, but perhaps I did not explain it well.
I think this person and their family exemplifies what Christian friendships should be. They do know what is going on in their friends lives, they do really care about each other, and they demonstrate that in how they treat people and care for people. While we might not agree on all the details - I do think your closest Christian friends should know more about you than surface stuff, they demonstrate that they care more about people than they do about popularity, politics, and superficial friendships. The point I was trying to make was that superficial friendships, where we as Christians do not speak with truth or love into each other's lives, are very hurtful to both participants - it results in an "I'm ok, you're ok." type of relationship - and then we are shocked when people fall into sin, or make mistakes that screw up their entire lives. Christian friends are very important to Drason and I, we have lived with Christian friends both ways superficially and with integrity) and we have felt very blessed to be able to make Christian friends who will speak the truth in love into our lives.  Shutting down a facebook account doesn't mean we don't want friends - we just don't want most of our interaction with those friends to be through the internet.   I have often heard "don't complain, change yourself."  that is what is happening -sometimes that is scary for people, but change can be a very positive thing.   These past 16 months have been FULL of changes - we have just started to go with the flow of the changes God is working in our lives, rather than trying to hold onto the things that we want.  Sometimes people who change, or who implement changes, are viewed negatively because they are changing the status quo - but if we as Christians, or as a body of believers, refuse that change - where does that leave us?
Again, I am sorry if I offended - it was not my intention.  God is still working on me, thank God for grace.
Amanda

Saturday, September 12, 2009

More or less social networking

You may have noticed that I have shut down my facebook and twitter pages - you may have gotten a de-friending message - so sorry! I don't want to de - friend anyone!!!!


Social networking is interesting - and an interesting term. It seems the more I socially network through sites like twitter, myspace, and facebook - the less I actually know my friends.

I seem to have a lot of casual friends - people who used to be termed acquaintances until the advent of such social networking, and very few of these people really want to be a true friend. The problem is that facebook and twitter are cheap substitutes for real friendship; they entice the participant to pretend that all of these other people actually care what is going on in their lives.

Compare it to casual sex. - Why don't we do this?

A- it is clearly against the Bible
B- it would really hurt our spouses
C - it would really hurt us.
Compare that to having facebook as your primary connection with "friends"

If you are a Christian I think it cheapens our relationships with each other - how can you disciple someone through facebook? Not all friendships are for that - can you be a facebook mentor? Not all friendships are for that either - Can you be a cyber shoulder to cry on? Maybe...

Which would you prefer a cyber shoulder or a real shoulder? Heck most of my friends on facebook lived less than 20 minutes from my house - if they need a shoulder to cry on I should go see them.
I think it really hurts our friends - our real friends, and our friendships if the primary way we communicate is facebook - facebook is public - everyone can see it - and there are some things that you just don't want to talk about there. And it is a little degrading to post your thoughts like a billboard looking for a friend for hire.

Lastly it hurts us - it hurts us because we begin to accept the cyber world as the real world, we begin to settle for an acquaintance type of friendship.
Here is my challenge to all you who are thinking I am nuts right now.

Answer the following about your closest friend

How much money do they make?

Are they or have they struggled financially?

When was the last time they got in a fight with their spouse?

What do they fear most in the world?

What do they hope for most?

What main thing do they struggle with every day?

What are the name and ages of their children?

When are their kids birthdays?

How are their kids doing in school?

When is their birthday? - without the facebook reminder!

What do they believe about heaven, hell, God, religion?

What foods do they make well?

Are they allergic to anything?

Do they talk to their mom?

Have you talked to them in the last 5 days?

What are the names of their pets?

What are the last three jobs they have held?

I propose this - if you can't answer these questions about your CLOSEST friends, they aren't really that close to you. In all honesty - I can't answer all of these about my closest friends - which says to me - I need to get busy working on my real friendships - not wasting my time on facebook.

So to all you who now think I am certifiable, see you in the real world =]

Amanda

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Mary, Martha, Lazarus, Judas

These four don't have a whole lot in common - except this passage of scripture

John 12
Jesus Anointed at Bethany


1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

Every church has these people in it - and every person has these personality traits - the ability to be any or all of these four people.

Every church has some Marys - they worship extravagantly - their gifts are generous and without thought for themselves, they don't just sing they worship, they don't just give, they give abundantly, they don't just follow Christ - the ooze Christ all the time. The go through life with one foot in Heaven, perched at the feet of Jesus, just praising Him. I have been a Mary before, I can think of times when I was able to give extravagantly, I can think of times when I was able to worship whole heartedly, everyone has the ability to be a Mary.
But people tend to disregard and dismiss the actions of a Mary as irrelevant or flighty.
Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

WOW - Is Jesus showing some favoritism towards Mary? No - He is simply saying that here and now I have come to meet with you, put aside your formalities and meet ME. Marys meet Jesus - we all need to be more like Mary

The second person in the story is Martha - Martha is again serving, Martha likes to serve. Churches need some Marthas - someone to listen to Bible verses on a Wednesday night, make sure 200 kids get a snack at VBS, organize visitation of Mondays, every church needs about a hundred Marthas just to keep the place running smoothly. Marthas might be a bit bold - but they make sure the budget is balanced, they make sure the thermostat is set correctly, and with out them the rest of the people would be running around like crazy people wondering how on earth one Martha could manage all this!!! I have been a Martha - I have cooked like crazy to see that a meal was served, bounced a baby so that others could enjoy a special service, I have managed more children than I could count with a soccer ball and a whistle, Marthas are needed, just as Marys are needed. People tend to over look the Martha, no one is going to pat you on the head for cleaning up after a party, they get little kudos, and are often ignored. Martha's tend to act without expecting reward. We all need to be a bit more like Martha.

Next is Lazarus - now he is kind of tricky, he isn't worshipping, he isn't working, he is witnessing. Lazarus has one heck of a testimony. What would you say is someone whom you had seen dead and buried came back to life, and said to believe in Christ - I would be believing!!!
I have been a Lazarus - every Christian alive has been a Lazarus - once you were dead, now you are alive, I have a story to tell, a witness, a testimony and it is uniquely mine. Better than that - I have used it to win people to the Lord - I have shared heart aches, trials, and testimony with people to persuade them to believe. Something I try to teach my boys - you may never be the smartest, the best looking, the best at anything - but Jesus called you - and gave you a story to share with the world. You once were lost and now are found, were blind but now you see - you are the dead come back to life - tell someone about it! Just as we need Mary and Martha, we need Lazarus. Lazarus gets painted today just like he did in his time - like a zealot. Every on fire for Jesus Lazarus I have ever met has been rejected by their church as a little too out there. We tend to roll our eyes and say "there goes so and so again" I need to be a bit more of a Lazarus - I just can't imagine him shutting up for anyone, The Pharisees plotted to kill him, I wonder if that made him laugh.

Lastly there is Judas, Judas is a thief. Judas is pious, he has the right answers, he definitely hangs with the right crowd, but he steals from them. Judas has a sour look on his face, as he rebukes the worshipping Mary - we could have given that money to the poor. Judas plays politics - his words sound sincere, but in his heart he has ulterior motives, he wants what he wants. Judas is put off because he can't take some of the money. That's all Judas does - he takes, and takes, and takes some more.
I have been a Judas - I have sat back and taken a break so that others could serve me, I have thought poorly of the actions of a Mary or a Martha because I thought their time or money could be spent better. I have rolled my eyes at a Lazarus or two. The truth is everyone has been a Judas at some point. Every church has some Judas' some people who only take and never give, some people playing politics at God's house, some people whose words sound sincere, but they lack the action to follow it up.

The point?
I need to be a bit more like Mary, more worshipful, more extravagant, I need to be a bit more like Martha, more willing to serve. more mindful of the needs of others, and I need to be a bit more like Lazarus, more willing to witness, more open to share my faith with others, and I need to be careful of the Judas - careful to keep a positive outlook, careful to be willing to give rather than take.

Amanda

**partially adapted from Cast of Characters by Max Lucado**

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Matthew

Today was about Matthew, the tax collector.

How was it Jesus just walked by and said come with me and Matthew came? Sometimes people are ready. I wonder how ready someone I meet today might be. I remember one day I shared my faith with a lady at the laundry mat - she was very receptive, she prayed to receive Christ - I had never met her before that day. Another time I was driving down the road and stopped to give a ride to an old client - she prayed too. I was shocked.

Jesus walked down the road and called Matthew. Matthew had a little bit of a problem - he was a tax collector. Slick, slimy, everything we hate about the worst upper class in our society, was embodied in Matthew. Jesus called him and his life changed.

Next is the party at Matthew's house. As a recent convert Matthew should have been doing what? I think at many churches we would say he should be in a Sunday school group, coming to church every week, working in the Nursery - serving us long time Christians. Jesus didn't think so, yes Matthew gave up everything for Jesus, he followed Jesus, he worked beside Jesus - but first he had a big party at his house and invited all of his sinner friends, and Jesus came to the party. I remember when we had some sinner friends over to the house - they dressed in tank tops, cussed and looked for a beer, our Christian friends were not impressed - in fact they were not comfortable and some refused to come back. We made a habit of inviting lost people to our home - I'm not sure how many have come to know Christ but I think they learned that Christians aren't all weirdos who only associate with each other. I think they learned that we love them and we still have our faith, and that our faith defines who we are. I know more than one has questioned us about our faith, what we believe, and have listened intently when we told them.
The Pharisees showed up to the party at Matthew's house - and Jesus is just sitting there eating - he isn't up on the table pounding the Torah, he is fellowshipping - and they begin to berate him. These guys are a club, no one is ever going to come to know Jesus through that club - oh, they are going to learn how to dress, how to walk, how to talk and sound religious, but they are never going to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Matthew - the sleazy tax collector - is well on his way to knowing Jesus. He knows the Jesus that loves people in spite of what they look like, what they have done in their lives, and what political party they affiliate with. Jesus taught more by sitting at the table and being a normal guy, than the pharisees ever taught.

What did people learn? They saw a tax collector living the good life off the backs of others, turn around, abandon everything he had worked so long for - and follow Jesus. That is the life changing testimony of the Holy Spirit.
What did his tax collecting buddies think the day after the party when Matthew told them he was going on the road to learn from Jesus? How did it change their lives? Did any of them decide to follow too? Did any of them say to themselves - "Let's see how long this lasts, let's see who Matt becomes, and then I'll decide" I'd bet money some of them did. Because Matthew followed Jesus he healed the sick, he cared for the poor, he shared the good news, and word got back to his town. Matthew's friends heard about his life, how did the Holy Spirit use that?
I can not refute a scientist who has years of education, or an intellectual who believes this life is all there is, but I can say - here is my life - if you like what you see, maybe you should try it.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Fear - ch-ch-ch -check it out




***PAUSE THE MUSIC PLAYER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE***

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Not in Polite Company

I have always heard that there are three things that you should not talk about in polite company - religion, money and politics. Well, maybe this blog isn't for polite company today - so for the easily offended, please stop reading now.




We got into a discussion this morning about all three of these things in Connect group, it was an interesting group with several veiws expressed.

Not every christian is a republican. Personally I don't think it is anyone's business how I vote, unless I chose to share that, and people who do tell how they vote do so to influence others to agree with them and vote for their canidate. I have posted on this blog about canidates that I supported and my sole purpose in doing so was to persuade others to agree with me. I do believe that Christians should vote their morals and values - WHY? Because we want leaders in our government who will lead as Christians. I might be mistaken but I think I heard that government should stay out of legislating moral behavior - because that is the churches job. Why then should I vote my morals and values if I want the government to stay out of morality? What fickle people we are when we want the government to legislate on issues clearly defined in the Bible such as abortion or homosexuality and not on issues like provisions for the poor. You can't have your cake and eat it to, either you want the government to leave us alone, let each to his own devices and provision, OR you want government legislated morality. Personally I hear many Christians talking about our "founding fathers" like if they were alive today things would be different. Not hardly - the issue of their time was slavery - some held slaves, some did not - but their world view was slanted much more towards minimal government and oversite - and Thomas Jefferson did in fact write about his belief that as the President he would not interfere in the social issues or stances of a church. Should a leader be a Christian and refuse to legislate their morality on others? Or should leaders be permitted to legislate their views?

To refute some commonly held and very wrong misconceptions, not everyone who isn't a republican believes that you should kill babies, be homosexual, spend trillions of dollars on pointless bailouts to line your own pockets with a predictable economic crash and then create a so called "green" recovery. (Myself included)I don't really feel like I fit with democrats, republicans, or tea party protestors.

So what is the point of this? Connect group has talked about Socialism, Marxism, Theism - BUT - social responsibility towards others is biblical - it is not socialism, marxism, or any other "ism"- but it was the command of God to the Isrealites and it is the command of Christ to Christians. If you don't like that, take it up with Him, not me! Whole chapters of the Bible are dedicated to talking about taking care of the poor, infirm, jailed, widows, and orphans. (scroll down to see a complete list of scripture references - it is too long to post here!)

Fourth, if you do not work neither shall you eat, also in the Bible, and it can not be ignored. I am not advocating that people quit their jobs to live off other people. However, I am also not in the position to judge the substance of another man's servant. So if a person says they work, and they take advantage of my generosity, who do they sin against, me or God? Yet if I set myself up as their judge and value the quality/quanity of their work as compared to an earthly standard, and I am wrong(which as a human being I will be) who do I sin against, them or God? I really don't want to sin against God and be guilty of oppressing the poor. (see the consequences of that in the scriptures listed below)

Finally, what is given to others is known to God, He is the judge, not me. How I care for others, if I am generous or if I am selfish, if I am cheerful or if I am bitter, if I am concious of the suffering of others or if I am ambivilent - God is the judge. I personally can not justify spending or hoarding disposable income when I could be helping someone who is very much in need. Especially in these hard times we should be reacing out to each other with financial help when needed. If we re honest we can all think of one or two (or maybe more) people who are suffering through a hard time and have it a lot worse than we do. Giving to that person may not garner great earthly rewards, but the heavenly ones will be worth it.

2Corinthians 8:10-15
10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the Scriptures say,

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”[d]

AND

Acts 5:1-11
1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”

5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”

“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”

9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”

10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

(Their deaths were caused by their selfishness and lies, not by the fact that they sold the field - I would argue that they may have felt they probably should have given all the money - BUT - even worse, they just wanted to show off how good they were by giving. God - the true judge - saw all their actions and took care of business!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 22:22
"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6
"During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Exodus 23:11
"Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:10
"Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Leviticus 19:15
"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22
"If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." Leviticus 25:25, 35, 39
"If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, he retains the right of redemption." Leviticus 25:47-48
"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18
"At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 14:28-29
"However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you." Deuteronomy 15:4
"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7
"Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near, so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin." Deuteronomy 15:9
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
"Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns." Deuteronomy 24:14
"Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17
"When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow." Deuteronomy 24:19-21
"'Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.' Then all the people shall say, Amen!'" Deuteronomy 27:19
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8
"as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor." Esther 9:22
"When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief." Job 24:14
"because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him." Job 29:12
"Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" Job 30:25
"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary." Job 31:16
"The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9
"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18
" Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them from those who malign them. " Psalm 12:5
"You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge." Psalm 14:6
"This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:6
"My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, 0 LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.'" Psalm 35:10
"The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright." Psalm 37:14
"Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay." Psalm 40:17
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
"Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, 0 God, you provided for the poor." Psalm 68:10
"The poor will see and be glad-- you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people." Psalm 69:32-33
"Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD , do not delay." Psalm 70:5
"He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor." Psalm 72:4
"For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death." Psalm 72:12-13
"Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name." Psalm 74:21
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
"But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks." Psalm 107:41
"For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him." Psalm 109:31
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor." Psalm 112:9
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;" Psalm 113:7
"I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food." Psalm 132:15
"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Psalm 140:12
"He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free" Psalm 146:7
"The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:9
"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Proverbs 13:23
"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." Proverbs 14:21
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
"The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact." Proverbs 15:25
"Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Proverbs 16:19
"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished." Proverbs 17:5
"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich -- both come to poverty." Proverbs 22:16
"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court." Proverbs 22:22
"A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops." Proverbs 28:3
"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27
"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29:7
"those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind." Proverbs 30:14
"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9
"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20
"If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." Ecclesiastes 5:8
"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17
"The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 3:14-15
"to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless." Isaiah 10:2
"With righteousness he will judge the needy; with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." Isaiah 11:4
"The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors." Isaiah 14:30
"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall." Isaiah 25:4
"Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD ; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 29:19
"The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just." Isaiah 32:7
"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." Isaiah 41:17
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" Isaiah 58:6-7
"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1
"On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say I am innocent.'" Jeremiah 2:34
"I thought, These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.'" Jeremiah 5:4
"(They) have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor." Jeremiah 5:28
"if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm," Jeremiah 7:6
"This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place." Jeremiah 22:3
"'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16
"Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked." Jeremiah 20:13
"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
"He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked." Ezekiel 18:7
"The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice." Ezekiel 22:29
"This is what the LORD says: For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.'" Amos 2:6-7
"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, Bring us some drinks!'" Amos 4:1
"Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land." Amos 8:4
"Buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat." Amos 8:6
"Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other." Zechariah 7:10
" So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,' says the LORD Almighty." Malachi 3:5

"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
"They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18
"So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" Luke 7:22
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22
"Beware of the teachers of the law . . . They devour your widows' houses . . . Such men will be punished severely." Luke 20:46-47
"In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor." Acts 9:36
"Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4
"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings." Acts 24:17
"For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem." Romans 15:26
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10
"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Dead Fish Swimming

People have asked me repeatedly why this blog is called "dead fish swimming"

It is a long answer - so here goes nothing

About 2 years ago Randy Sparks, Ann Scarberry, Drason and I were discussing one of Noel's messages - it was a particularly good one, about going with God, and not always fighting for your own way.

At the time Drason and I had been struggling with the decision for me to quit my job, about our children being homeschooled or sent to private schools - and several other big decisions in our lives. As we stood there talking to friends I realized that the reason some of the decisions in my life were difficult to make had little to do with God's leading and more to do with me not really liking the direction He was going.

"Here is a trick question. Have you died yet? I am not talking about a near-death experience. I am talking about a theological statement made in the Bible and what it means. In short, if you are a Christian, you have died. Please consider the following Scriptures: "Now if we have died with Christ..." (Rom. 6:8); "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world..." (Col. 2:20); "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3); "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him" (2 Tim. 2:11).

Our death in Christ is a death to the old self, the old ways, the sinful life. It is a reality and a hope. It is truth as well as life. Jesus so completely represented us on the cross that, when He died, it is said that we died. This is why Paul says in Col. 3:5, "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." You are to mentally reckon, intellectually acknowledge, meditate on, think in such a way as to consider yourselves dead to sin.

Of course, we Christians know that we struggle with sin, that it is not dead in us, that we fail, and continually come to the Lord Jesus and ask for forgiveness. We Christians know what we are inside. We know we are not perfect and that many of the thoughts of our mind would terribly embarrass and shame us if they were publicly spoken. Such is the reality of our fallen selves. Yet, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin. We are to think of ourselves as dead to sin.

The reason we can do this is because of Jesus and what He did on the cross. Only through Jesus can we be delivered from sin. Only through the shed blood of God the Son can our lives be made right before God the Father. The reality of the crucifixion and of Jesus' bearing our sins, all of them, in His body, is realized in the acknowledgement of our deadness to sin. This is an important truth that God wants us to understand. But, understanding it isn't enough. You must practice it. This does not mean, however, that you ignore your sins, or say you have none, or claim perfection. Rather, it is an admission that you are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus and that you are "in Christ" and reckoned as dead to sin because of Jesus. Your mind is an important battleground in the war of sanctification and it begins with your own death. If you are a Christian, then you have died to sin because of your relationship with Jesus. Therefore, consider yourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ. Turn from the deeds of the flesh and seek Jesus." (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry)

And in the priceless words of Randy Sparks - "Even a dead fish can swim down stream"

That still makes me laugh!

Amanda

Thursday, August 6, 2009

God answers prayers =]

There have been several things I have been praying about and today I looked back though and found some awesome things that God has done in answering our prayers. I am just going to list them here. If you have a prayer that has been answered - feel free to leave it as a comment and I will publish it.

  • Mason's head looks healthy - he had a spot on his head for several months - it has finally cleared up =]
  • Diane's surgery went well - we were very concerned about her going under anesthesia because of her health - but she was just fine!
  • Aunt Alyce had her refrigerator and her well pump blow up on the same day - thank God she had both donated to her within about 24 hours - what would have cost thousands, only cost the gas to go pick things up.
  • Alyce also had a sick pony whom she had to take to rodeo - the pony did just fine and is feeling much better now
  • AND in all Alyce's and her families trips this summer - there have been no accidents and everyone has been safe - transporting horses is very dangerous - this is a major big deal that they have been protected!
  • Some friends of ours were going through a rough time - it seems that God has worked in their lives to heal them - both physically and spiritually - and bring them closer together
  • We have been and will continue to pray for a little girl whose eyes aren't so good - it seems her mother has to take her to the doctor fairly frequently - we asked about this a few weeks ago - and the mom said they have not had to go back to the doctor yet - so that is good - we will keep praying =]

There is more that I could put here - but some things are just personal, or maybe shouldn't be shared because we have not asked the person - but - if you have an answered prayer - feel free to leave it here.

Acts 2:46&47

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Praise Prayer

by Drason

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer
My heart rejoices in the Lord;
In the Lord my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
For I delight in your deliverance.

There is no one holy like the Lord;
There is no one besides you;
There is no rock like our God. (Now I can’t get that song out of my head.)

Do not keep talking so proudly
Or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
For the Lord is a God who knows
And by Him deeds are weighed.

The bows of the warriors are broken,
But those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
But those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
But she who has had many sons pines away.

The Lord brings death and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and raises up.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
He humbles and He exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and
Lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes
And has them inherit a throne of honor.

For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
Upon them He has set the world.
He will guard the feet of the saints,
But the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

It is not by strength that one prevails;
Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

He will give strength to his King
And exalt the horn of His anointed.

Man, we just don’t pray like this anymore. When we pray we usually ask for something. We don’t just pray to praise. There is a paper in Billie’s class that says
C-confess
H-honor
A-ask
T-thank
I was always taught to thank first, then ask, then praise (honor), and to confess somewhere in there if needed. How about just praising? What if every time I called one of my friends it was to ask them for something? Never to just see how they were doing, or to tell them how much I liked them, but just to ask for something? Would they think I loved them? Would they think I cared about them? No. They would probably start wishing that I wouldn’t call. Thankfully God isn’t like that, but I bet He wishes we would just pray for Him every once in a while and not just pray to ask for things. Every once in a while, when everyone is out of the house or wrapped up doing their own things so they don’t interrupt me, I like to just sit down and talk to God about things, just like I would talk to a friend. Nothing necessarily about my life or what I should or shouldn’t do, just talk. About world events, things that are happening in my life, how He is doing, what He is thinking, etc… I am sure He dumbs down His end of the conversation for me, but I really like it. And I am sure He does too. I know this sounds a little feminine but I like to talk. I enjoy talking to Amanda, and Mac, and Marshal, and Mason, and Sam, and Fritz, and Michael, and my grandma, and God. It is nice to have that kind of relationship with Him that I can do that. I think He likes it too.

God, you are the God of justice;
You lift up the deserving and tear down the corrupt.
You are the only righteous judge.

You know everything and see every deed and intention.
Through your wisdom the earth was created. Through Your love are we made whole.
You know every act ever committed, and you lift up and tear down as You see fit.

You are the Lord Almighty. You are the Alpha and Omega. You are the redeemer.
You are.

You are an unblemished lamb and a roaring lion;
The Lord of all that was and is and ever will be.
You give and you take;
You are gentle and strong,
You are the best and see the worst.
Lord, You are my God.
Amen.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Costly friend

Buy some Rogaine - you need some more hair on your head to be attractive, appealing, or even successful

Watch the latest Adam Sandler movie - in theaters soon

***** Financial - spend you money, spend, spend, spend - use the *****Card and get cash back bonus awards

Would you keep around a friend who talked to you like this? Who constantly promoted some new product, service, and made comments like "only the very best people have this - do you have this?" Of course not! But my stupid TV is blaring these messages all the time. The kid channels are worse - less subtle than the adult version of a once bald man now surrounded by babes. The kids channel comes right out and says you're not cool if you don't have this amazing toy, the coolest shoes, the latest video gaming system.
I wonder how much happier I would be without a "friend" that constantly tells me how unworthy everything I own and everything I spend my money on, and even how I look is. Yet almost everyday I invite this into my living room.

Then I remember something Pastor Noel said about how people measure their happiness - He said he had seen a study or read somewhere that people measure their happiness by their stuff compared to their neighbors and friends stuff, if they had the latest iphone, SUV and gadget from an infomercial- then they would be happy - if not - then they would struggle to make more money, so they could spend it all the faster on the latest trend.

Hebrews 13:5&6
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

Philippians 4:11-14
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

How much does this friend in my living room cost me? Not the monthly bill that I pay to have the service, although that too could be considered, but the cost measured in being satisfied with what I have? How much temptation do I pay to have pumped into my home?
Just some thoughts for today
Amanda