Lessons from A Deer

It's deer hunting season throughout most of the the Midwest. The small herds of deer grazing and playing along the woods have been a frequent sight this fall until now. With the start of season, you are more likely to see a lone deer running across the fields from woods to woods, a flash of brown and a glimpse of white. He runs pushed by an instinct of flight, after sensing in the air an unseen danger. He crashes into the cover of the woods. He stops in a thicket, his heart pounding and his breath heavy. He is thirsty, and sees a small stream nearby. If only he can get a drink, to refresh and press forward.

David was an outdoorsman, and he knew animals. He had watched a similar deer, and it related to his thirst, although not of water. In Psalm 42:1 he said, "As a deer pants for streams of water, so our soul pants for you, O God." This was a song of deliverance. David could relate , being chased so much of his life. He understood that when we are being pressed and pressured, we need to be refreshed in the presence of God.

We can relate too. We are pressed and pressure by life's day to day schedule, and by larger trials that come our way. There are times when our spirit begs for a touch from God, just some quiet time of refreshment with Him.

Quit running, and drink.

Saturday Song- The Revelation Song- Kari Jobe

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
to You the only wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name
Jesus your name is power
Breath, and living water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah...

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Compassion

“Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.”



Francis Schaefer

Narrow

They have built a new four lane highway near my home to replace a winding slower highway. It is amazing how everyone takes the new road, leaving one of the local towns the older road goes through like a ghost town the other night. Gas stations that once bustled with business now gleam quietly, empty. It was obvious that everyone was taking the new road, and only a few were on the older road.

The end of Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken states: " Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the road less traveled by, and that had made all the difference.

It's alot like life. Many people take the four lane highway that the world offers. The friends take it. It offers so much you think. You can go so fast, you don't have to see so much scenery, don't have to take it in. Just go.

And you will go. Straight away from the Father.

Do you see many people on the road you take

My Jesus

In today's society and in Christianity itself, many gloss over who Jesus was and how He ministered. The scriptures talk about Jesus going to Pharisees homes for dinner. He talked to a woman who was considered an enemy of Jews. He went places we never would dare today, and associated with people we never would.

The following are lyrics to My Jesus by Todd Agnew. A real prayer for the humble today. Try to find this song, it's even better heard than read-

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a poster child for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like you Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Saturday Song- Breathe- Michael W Smith

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm I'm lost without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
your very word spoken to me

And I'm, I'm desperate for you
And I'm, I'm lost without you

And I'm desperate for you
And I'm, I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm desperate for you.

(Cry out to live)

I'm desperate for you..

I'm lost, I'm lost, I'm lost without you..
I'm lost without you

I'm desperate for you




This is the air I breathe

A Little Exercise

Take a blank piece of paper.


Write down the three strongest parts of your walk with God.


Turn the paper over.


Write down your three biggest weaknesses in your walk with Him.


Use this as a bookmark in your Bible.


Hopefully you'll see it each day.

Sin Management

Usually I'm not a big fan of church message boards. They are typically pretty hooky, like, "What missing from ch ch?". Some are thought provoking, but those usually aren't the norm.

But the other day one really got me thinking- "God doesn't grade on a curve; he grades on the cross."

Now obviously, I think the message that they were trying to convey was that it doesn't matter how good or bad a person is, it's all about Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection. That's what I first thought, and what a powerful message that can be to a non-believer.

But it got me thinking. We as Christians do sometimes think that God does grade on a curve. Yes, Lord, I'm holy most of the time, just give me this one little sin I want to cling to. Lord, I know that what I do sometimes is wrong, but I'm a better Christian than that other guy.

We don't try to be holy. We become very good at sin management.

Salvation is about grace and mercy. But sometimes you hear grace and mercy, mercy and grace, and we forget that we are called to be HOLY. Be holy as I am holy. Not only are we to be holy, but be holy like he is. Some definitions for holy are "belonging to", and "set apart". Holy doesn't mean pious. It means holy before Him.

And, believe it or not, our benchmark isn't other Christians. It's the Son of God.
It is about mercy and grace when we come to Him, but then it's about being like Him.

It's not about a curve. It's about Him.

Fat Baby

Many years ago, Amy Grant came out with a song called "Fat Baby". The song talked about a man who was saved and that's all that mattered to him. He got fed once a week, and his spiritual tummy couldn't take too much, you never grow if you never get fed(humming along yet?).

We need to grow up as Christians. We start out on spiritual milk (1 Pet 2:2) , but need to mature in the matters that are important to the Lord. Our bible study has to dig deeper. There is a story behind the story, a reason why things were done or said when and where they were. When we get together as believers we need to discuss issues and meanings. That's what fellowship is, not potlucks and picnics. We need to be equipped and ready for battle.

Many problems within the church today is because we Christians haven't reached for the level of maturity that we need.

Many problems in the world are because we Christians haven't been ready for battle.

Grow up. Get into the meat of the Word.

Saturday Song- Give Me Jesus- Fernando Ortega

The video was part of a tribute to Ruth Bell Graham when she went to be with her King. Read the words, watch the video. Then play it again with your eyes closed.

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

Groaning

I am accused of groaning. Sighing to be exact. When I get up or down(physically, not emotionally), moaning or sighing. Some think it's because I'm in a bad mood, or indifferent. It's really because I'm getting old, and my body is sore or hurts in a few places.

In Romans 8 Paul talks again groaning. Not the bad mood kind, or the getting old kind. But three distinct groanings.

First, the world groans. I'm sure any environmentalist would make a big deal about this verse. But it's not groaning because of environmental issues. It groans because it has known perfection, and now is weighted under the curse of sin. It groans in anticipation of Jesus' return, and the renovation God has planned to return it to glory.

Then, we groan. We groan because we too wait for His return. We wait eagerly for new bodies. A new body, can you imagine. Perfect. I know every year I groan more for this.

Finally, the Spirit groans. He groans as an interpreter to the Lord. He knows our heart, and speaks to the Lord on our behalf. One of many reasons to rely on the Spirit.

Astonishing

“The astonishing thing is that people can become religious without being converted. That is, they join churches and start reading the Bible and doing religious things with no change in the foundation of their happiness: It is still themselves. They are the ground of their joy.


- John Piper

Pray

We are pretty good at fellowship. We know how to get together as Christians and have fun. You know, potluck dinners, trips to ballgames or car races, women's or men's groups. That's really not what fellowship is, but still we're good at those things.

We're pretty good at listening to teachings. We have conferences for every type of teaching under God's sun. We can listen to 8,000 different pastors or teachers on TV, the radio or the internet. Some are very good, speaking the truth of God's word, wrath and love. Others try to justify their existence and lifestyle by telling you that God wants you wealthy and healthy. Just trust and send more money.

We need to get better at studying the Bible. How many hours do you spend in the Word, outside of church, each week? Do we just read make the end of a chapter or book, just to say we've read it? Or do we STUDY , to really know God better? Learning about our Father.

Where we fail, is the amount of time we spend in prayer. Talking to the Creator of the universe. How Christians can think He is who He is and not talk to Him, continually, intimately, is beyond me. Do you tell Him your desires, your dreams, your failures? Do you listen for His reply, that beautiful, still, small voice?

Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees, Paul says in Hebrews 12:12.

Fellowship- but the right way, learning and loving your brother or sister.

Listen to teachings- frequently even. Test who and what you listen to with the Word.

Immerse yourself in the Sword. His Word is a Lamp unto my feet.....

But more than anything, talk. Talk. Talk to Him, share with Him your concerns and problems- then listen for Him.

That's what He wants. And what we need.

What Did He Die For

For US Veterans Day, a Memorial Day tribute by Twila Paris-

But more so for a greater Sacrifice, in a heavenly war-



What Did He Die For- Twila Paris

He Was 21 in 1944,
He Was Hope, and He Was Courage On a Lonely Shore.
Sent There By a Mother, With Love Beyond Her Tears,
Just a Young American Who Chose to Rise Above His Fears,
And As I Watch Him Struggle Up That Hill,
Without a Thought of Turning Back.
I Cannot Help But Wonder,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For You and Me,
Made the Sacrifice So That We Could All Be Free.
I Believe That We Will the Answer Each to Heaven,
For the Way We Spend a Priceless Liberty.
Look Inside and Ask the Question,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For Me.

To the Darkest Day in A.d 33,
Came the Mercy and Compassion of Eternity,
Sent There By a Father With Love Beyond His Tears,
Blameless One the Only Son to Bear the Guilt of All These Years,
And As I Watch Him Struggle Up That Hill,
Without a Thought of Turning Back,
I Can Not Help But Wonder,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For You and Me,
Made the Sacrifice So That We Could All Be Free.
I Believe That We Will the Answer Each to Heaven,
For the Way We Spend a Priceless Liberty.
Look Inside and Ask the Question,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For Me.

He Died For Freedom,
He Died For Love,
Of All the Things We do to Pay Him Back
Could Never Be Enough.
I Can Not Help But Wonder,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For You and Me,
Made the Sacrifice So That We Could All Be Free.
I Believe That We Will the Answer Each to Heaven,
For the Way We Spend a Priceless Liberty.
Look Inside and Ask the Question,
What Did He Die For, When He Died For Me.

Burning for Him ?

"Remember when you got into the word and it wasn't because you had a sermon to prepare or you needed to learn some things or there were some doctrinal problems or you knew that to progress as a useful servant you had to continue on in the things of the word of God? Do you remember when you just got into the word because you wanted to hear something from God? You wanted to know something about Him. Do you remember when you just prayed because of Him? Is your heart burning for Him?"


--Paul Washer

Intimate Again

reposted by request

No deep relationship can last unless there is intimacy. This intimacy takes several forms, but some is needed. Holding hands with a spouse or a knowing glance. Knowing the dreams and being there for the life lessons of your children. The familiar voice or shared secrets of a dear friend. Real intimacy is something that is developed by spending time with that person, to know how and what they think and feel.

Do we really feel intimate with God? Do we tell Him our innermost thoughts? Do we long to spend time with Him? Do we ache to learn more of Him?

That's what He wants from us. Intimacy. The intimacy of a spouse, of a child, of a friend. He is the creator of the stars and the ants, and the painter of the skies and the mountains.

And He wants to spend time with us.

Saturday Song- Hands and Feet- Audio Adrenaline

An image flashed across my tv screen
Another broken heart comes in to view
I saw the pain and I turned my back
Why can't I do the things I want to?
I'm willing yet I'm so afraid
You give me strength
When I say


Chorus:
I want to be your hands
I want to be your feet
I'll go where you send me
I'ii go where you send me
Repeat


And I try, yeah I try
To touch the world like
You touched my life
And I find my way
To be your hands


I've abandoned every selfish thought
I've surrendered every thing I've got
You can have everything I am
And perfect everything
I'm not I'm willing,
I'm not afraid
You give me strength when I say


Chorus


This is the lifetime I turned my back on you
From now on, I'll go so
Send me where you want me to
I finally have a mission
I promise I'll complete
I don't need excuses
When I am your hands and feet

Beat My Body

Discipline. The word even sounds tough.

No one wants discipline, we like things easy. It's our nature. But we need to be disciplined, we need self-control.

Someone in church speaks before they think and you.......

You're dieting, and you get that craving for candy or a soda.

You're watching a soap opera or a movie, and a sexual image appears.

You see something you know that's not a Christian, and pride starts to swell in you. Your mouth starts to open....

We give in too easy.

Somethings we can't control our body. Paul says that he beat his body to keep himself from sinning- 1 Corinthians 9:27. But we don't want to do that; it's too hard.

We need to train ourselves to control and discipline our flesh. It's not us or our spirit that sins, but our flesh.

Be in control.

Prosperity Gospel

A Role Model for Fighting Giants

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24.

What better role model can you ask for than Caleb. He was a warrior for God. We first see Caleb as a young man of forty. He is chosen to be sent as one of the spies into the Promised Land. Returning, he goes against conventional wisdom, arguing to move into the promised land. He’s ready to fight the giants. We all know the story, Israel is disobedient and only Caleb and Joshua will get to enter the Promised Land. God promises Caleb the land on which he walked.

So what does Caleb do now? He perseveres. He wanders the wilderness watching his generation die off, watches the continued disobedience of Israel, shaking his head, knowing- hey, we should already be there! Many Christians today don’t know what persevere means- can we pray and prepare for something, for four days or 4 weeks or 4 months- let alone 40 years! But God made Caleb a promise, and Caleb persevered.

Forty five years go by. It’s time to enter the Holy Land. Caleb, now 85 years old, is still as strong as when he was 40. Why? He continued to train and prepare. He knew he would have to stay ready, to be prepared when the time came. God had made him a promise- and he was still, 45 years later, ready to fight the giants! Joshua grants him the hill country he walked as the Lord promised, and he drives out the descendants of Anak.

Do we step out on faith, sometimes speaking out and defying current trends, like Caleb ? Do we persevere for what God has promised? Do we stay trained and prepared, always ready to fight giants?