Show How Much You Care

"Presents are the best way to show someone how much you care. It's like a tangible thing that you can point to and say, "Hey man, I love you...this many dollars"

Michael Scott from "The Office"

One of the Best of 2008, if not THE BEST!!

Just Awesome!!!!


Props: Z

The Mercy in the Curse

“In sin, Adam and Eve would seek to find love with each other in the absence of love for God, and in God’s creation this simply cannot work. To reject God is to fall into sin; to fall into sin is to fall prey to guilt and the power of its corruption, both of which makes love impossible as God designed it. It was thus in mercy that God cursed the woman and the man, injecting a poison into their relationship for which he alone is the antidote. In the futility of love apart from God, Adam and Eve were to turn back to God, just as we must turn to God today for grace to repent of sin and minister in love. Love between a man and a woman simply cannot work without love for God at the center of the relationship; by means of his curses, God mercifully brings this fact to our attention so as to woo us back to himself.” (Holding Hands, Holding Hearts, Richard and Sharon Phillips pg. 49)

Planned Parenthood Has Gift Certificates For Christmas

It is sad that you can give a gift that will pay for a murder of a baby, during the holiday that celebrates the birth of the Son of God as a baby.


From CNN.com

Replenish

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed” (Luke 22:41)

It is interesting to see how Jesus often times would get away from all the chaos and crowds that often followed him to pray and rest. Meditating on this has made me more aware of the replenishment my soul needs on a weekly basis. God commands us to rest and to refresh, so that we come to realize we are not Him and so our soul finds energy and is revived. I also have come to realize that everyone is replenished differently, for instance my wife loves to be around people so for her a time of refreshment may be social interaction with people over the age of 2 years old. I am almost the exact opposite of that, I find that time with lots of people drains me and does not at all refresh me. Instead I love to find quiet times in my car, driving and thinking about God’s Word by myself, it is those times where I am alone and quiet that I find my soul is refreshed. This is not something that just can occur spontaneously or once a month but something I must be seeking and planning, on a weekly basis. For instance I am more purposeful to use my Wednesday afternoons for this, to pray and think on God’s word and the direction for the ministry and life he has me in. A battle that I have to face in this is to trust the Lord that those “to do’s” will be there and that I do need to trust that God will bless this time of prayer and meditation.

What is your way that you refresh your soul? How often do you do this?

Tis The Season, For What???

We have reached Advent the 24 days leading up to December 25th and what are we discussing and thinking most about. Is it the new President who in a little over a month will take office? Is it the economy and the news of recession? Is it recent terror attacks in India and reports of future ones possibly hitting American soil?

Maybe it is about what gifts we want? Or what gifts we are going to buy for loved ones? What about where you are going to spend Christmas day? Maybe you work at a church and all the talk is about upcoming ministry events and Christmas Eve services.?

What is the topic that predominates our discussion today? Let George Whitefield give us some much needed advice:

“What can we do to employ our time to a more noble purpose than reading of what our dear Redeemer has done and suffered; to read that the King of kings and the Lord of lords came from his throne and took upon him the form of the meanest of his servants; and what great things he underwent. This, this is a history worth reading, this is worthy employing our time about: surely, when we read of the suffering of our Savior, it should excite us to prayer, that we might have an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ; that the blood which he spilt upon Mount Calvary, and his death and crucifixion, might make an atonement for our sins, that we might be made holy; that we might be enabled to put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man, even the Lord Jesus Christ; that we may throw away the heavy yoke of sin, and put on the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ…Did Jesus come into the world to save us from death, and shall we spend no part of our time in conversing about our dear Jesus; shall we pay no regard to the birth of him who came to redeem us from the worst of slavery, from that of sin, and the devil; and shall this Jesus not only be born on our account, but likewise die in our stead, and yet we shall be unmindful of him? Shall we spend our time in those things which are offensive to him? Shall we not rather do all we can to promote his glory and act according to his command?” (Excerpt from “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” Advent Readings, pg 12,14)

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We Need Both Reformation and Revival

"The church in our generation needs reformation, revival, and constructive revolution.

At times men think of the two words reformation and revival as standing in contrast one to the other, but this is a mistake. Both words are related to the word restore.

Reformation refers to a restoration to pure doctrine; revival refers to a restoration in the Christianís life. Reformation speaks of a return to the teachings of Scripture; revival speaks of a life brought into its proper relationship to the Holy Spirit.

The great moments of church history have come when these two restorations have simultaneously come into action so that the church has returned to pure doctrine and the lives of the Christians in the church have known the power of the Holy Spirit. There cannot be true revival unless there has been reformation; and reformation is not complete without revival.

Such a combination of reformation and revival would be revolutionary in our day -- revolutionary in our individual lives as Christians, revolutionary not only in reference to the liberal church but constructively revolutionary in the evangelical, orthodox church as well.

May we be those who know the reality of both reformation and revival, so that this poor dark world may have an exhibition of a portion of the church returned to both pure doctrine and Spirit-filled life."
(Francis A. Schaeffer, Death In The City, Ch. 1)