What's Your Pattern ?

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

Erin is blond and blue-eyed, the tender age of 26. She was born in Canada, and grew up in Minnesota and Kansas City, the All-American girl. She was accepted at the only two colleges she wanted to attend, Stanford and Duke. She had always loved Duke, but felt God wanted her to go to Stanford. She played soccer there, and graduated with a biology degree. She had thought about medicine, and with a degree from Stanford, she was set. She could write her own ticket anywhere.

Paul says we shouldn't conform to the pattern of this world. Some of that is obvious; it's about how we act. But Paul is also talking about how we live. Do we spend as much time with God and His work as we do surfing the net, on our favorite team or hobby? Is the rat race of work, hobby, work, vacation, retirement what God wants for each of us? If the narrow path is traveled by few, why are so many taking the wide road ?

Erin, armed with a biology degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, decided to teach Spanish at a Christian school. There she could impact kid's lives for God. Mostly, it allowed her to spend the summers on the missions field, ministering to children , leading trips, and showing people God's love. Now, she lives in another country, working fulltime for the Lord.

The world thought she could have had it all. She knew she already did.

Like the Wind

The wind is an interesting force of nature. It can pack the power of an explosion, destroying things in its way. It can fill the snapping sails to propel a boat across the water, or make a kite dance in the sky. It can soothe on a hot summer day, lightly caressing the skin.

No one knows where it comes from. No one can see it. But you can see the effects of the wind, and you can feel the wind. It's alot like God in that way. You can't see Him but you can see His effect on things. And you can feel Him, His presence, calming you or pushing you along.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "ruach" means spirit or wind, the breath of God. David used it in one of my favorite verses, Psalm 51:10-11, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..........take not your ruach from me". The New Testament Greek for Holy Spirit is "pneuma", wind, to lift up.

Be uplifted today by God's wind, by His Spirit. Revel in it, and let it guide you on the path God wants you.

Simple

God sent His son,

to became man,

so He could be our sin substitute,

and die on the cross-

so then He could rise from the dead,

and reign forever-

and be Lord now and forever to whoever believes-






To steal a line from Todd Friel- Go serve your King !



Merry Christmas-

Linus Gets It Right

Did You Know?

Good News

reposted from KLove Advent Calendar-







Isaiah 9
To Us a Child Is Born

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Walking in the Dark

My home is back a long lane, more than a half mile. The lane wanders through the woods and over a creek, round a bend by the woods and thicket, and up to the house. One of our favorite winter activities in to take a walk after dark down the lane, over the creek and through the woods.

Some nights the moon is out, and stars, and unbelievable lighting.The snow crunches under your feet, and the golden retriever darts through legs and trees, stopping to sniff and dig. Your cheeks are cold, and you can feel your breathe even when you can't see it.

As you enter the woods the trees rise on both sides, but the lighter sky is above and ahead. It's dark on both sides, lighten only by the snow on the ground. It makes the woods look like a valley. We try not to use a flashlight- some nights the moon wash guides us. You can only see shadows and shapes.

It's an interesting feeling. The adrenaline of not being able to know if there are animals nearby watching us, of the unknown. And the peace and calmness of the still night. It always reminds me of a verse-

Even though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no evil- for God is with me, His rod and staff will comfort me-

Peace in the midst of the unknown. A walk with God is like that.

Saturday Song- Isaiah 6- Todd Agnew

I saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and exalted
And the train of His robe filled the temple
Above Him were angels, with six mighty wings
And with two they’d cover their faces
With two they’d cover their feet
With two, they’d fly
With two, they’d fly… and sing

(Chorus:)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
The whole earth is full of His glory
He’s glorious

I said, “Woe to me, I am ruined
I am unclean, and so are all my kind
But my eyes have seen the King
The Lord Almighty

(Chorus:)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
The whole earth is full of His glory
He’s glorious

An angel flew to me and he had fire in His hand
He put it to my lips and God took away my sin
He took away my sin

(Chorus:)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
And the whole earth is full of His glory
He’s glorious
You’re glorious

Don't Waste Your Life

Face to Face

Imagine the eyes of a child.... with a look ofjoy, playing with a puppy or opening presents.Bright eyes, wide smile. Or those same eyes, pained or scared.

Imagine the eyes of a parent, or a spouse..... eyes twinkling with laughter, or sharing a knowing glance. Or those same eyes when hurt or disappointed.

Sometimes an expression and eyes can say so much, and cut to a person’s core.

Several years ago two men I knew passed away within weeks of each other. Both were Christians. One man had lived a hard life, full of struggles and pain, including burying one of his children. He was a common laborer by trade, and was a man of faith. His eyes could smile, but often they showed wear and pain through his strength. He passed away in his late 70s.

The other man was in the ministry, and though his life knew pain and loss, he led a blessed life. His eyes had cried, but more often they had twinkled. He loved the Lord , and lived to his mid 90s. After both had died I thought about them meeting Jesus for the first time in heaven, and being “face-to-face” with their Savior. What His eyes must have said. What His face must have reflected to each. Both loved God more than anything, and I’m sure His eyes reflected His pride in their faithfulness.

Sometimes we think ofheaven as a distant place, and things are unclear. But we will stand “face-to-face” with Jesus. I wonder what we will see in His eyes when we stand in front of Him. Will we see pride in His eyes for our faithfulness? Or will we see a glimpse of how much more there could have been? As the things we did on this earth are put to fire, will we see disappointment over how we wasted our time, money and vision? Or His pleasure with the results?

Imagine the eyes of your Savior.....

Between the Trees

The Bible is several books within one book. It is story of God's love and His redemptive mercy. It is history and lessons of the saints who went before. It is our guidebook to this life on earth and to our daily walk with Him. It is also a book about trees.

In Genesis in Eden God planted many trees, with two in the middle. The Tree of Life was there to offer life to those who eat from it. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was also in the middle of the garden. Even the smallest child can tell you the story of what happened there.

Trees are mentioned many other places. David in Psalms talks about a blessed man being planted like a tree by the stream. Jesus cursed a fig tree, and used trees as an illustration to talk about fruit. A sycamore tree plays a prominent part in the story of Zacchaeus.

The most important tree in the Bible is the one of Savior was hung on to die.

Finally, in the last chapter of the Book in Revelation, there is the Tree of Life. I see it as a majestic, shining tree. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. It provides its fruit, and the curse is no more.

So, as the Bible shows, it is all about living our life between the trees.

I Am

Bigger Than The Fish

So, everyone knows the story of Jonah. It's known by little children and people who have never been to church, it's so famous. Why is it so well-known? Because of the great fish. Jonah was swallowed by a large fish, and lived to tell the tale(no pun intended).

There's an old comedy routine about being the first guy to see Jonah. Most of his clothes and hair are gone from the acids in the fish's stomach. His skin has been bleached white by those same acids. The incredible stench of fish guts permeates the air. Bits of seaweed are stuck in his mouth and ears. He walks forward and says , Repent!

Think about being swallowed by a large fish, and living. What a miracle! Later, when Jonah was pouting, God did another miracle. He planted a vine that grew large enough in one day to provide shade for Jonah. Then he caused a worm to eat the plant and kill it, another miracle!(There are about three sermons about the whole worm thing).

But the biggest miracle isn't the one we talk about. The Ninevites believed in God. One hundred twenty thousand people, from the greatest to the least, believed. They fasted, and repented from their sins, and believed.

Imagine a man of God walking into New York, Tokyo or London today, and everyone in the city believing. A whole city repenting. But we only want to talk about whether it was a fish or whale.

They believed in God.

Saturday Song- Glorious- Chris Tomlin Passion 06

We lift our hands in praise to You
We lift in our hearts in worship to You, Lord
We lift our voice to You and sing
Our greatest love will ever be You, Lord
You, Lord

Glorious
Over us
You shall reign
Glorious

There is a King that we adore
With humble hearts we bow before You, Lord
There is a place we long to be
Face to face we long to see You, Lord
You, Lord

Majesty and power
Are Yours alone forever

Wherever

Dale is a former pastor, who had to retire because of some severe health issues. Because of those health issues, he now lives in an assisted living facility. Some in that situation might questions God's faithfulness. After all his years of ministry, how did he end of here?

Not Dale. He decided that it was where God wanted him. He decided he was there to minister, and he was going to allow God to use him. He was going to be light and salt whenever he was, and for now, it's this assisted living facility.

In the first three weeks of being there, he lead twelve people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. One was a funeral director who he witnessed to and lead to the Lord while driving to a funeral.

We get busy in different ministries and different activities, and with life in general. But despite the busyness, one thing remains.

We are to be His witness and His light and His salt, wherever we are. Wherever God has put us, there is our work.

Dead Tree, Live Tree

It's time to put up the Christmas trees. The smell of the tree and the beauty of its decorated branches can make the oldest person feel like a kid again.

I have apple trees in my lawn. This is a pretty slow time for them. There are no leaves, and no apples. Even though they are still living, it's all going on under the surface. They've been pruned, and are looking bare. In winter, not the most beautiful tree. In the spring they will bloom with beautiful flowers, and bear good fruit.

But now is the season for the Christmas tree. The tree gets a makeover with tinsel and ornaments, with ribbons and stars. But inside the tree is dead. Isn't it funny that we dress up a dead tree? In a couple of weeks or in a month, it will be gone.

Does this remind you of any Christians? If we let God prune us, we can be exposed and bare at times. But His life is still working in us, and in His time, we will bring forth fruit.

Or, we can just dress up what is dead, knowing that some day it will be thrown out, and burnt up.

Tozer on Tuesday

"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image."



"A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions, and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar. The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul."




"Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free. If we understand our first and sole duty to consist of loving God supremely and loving everyone, even our enemies, for God's dear sake, then we can enjoy spiritual tranquility under every circumstance."




A.W. Tozer

Are You in a Cult ?

There was a young pastor from Texas who addressed his congregation. He told them that there was a cult down the road from the church, a big cult. People were pledging blind devotion to this cult, and the cult had built a big new temple.

The cult was called the Dallas Cowboys.

People laughed when he said that. But he was making a point.

He said that guys would tell him that it was hard to find the time for devotions, for getting into the Word.

But they could tell you the name of the fourth string running back, where he went to college and what his stats were.

He told them that they loved the Cowboys more than they loved the Lord. They protested. But where was their time spent? Where was their joy?

Convicting, isn’t it?

Maybe it’s not the Cowboys, but the Buckeyes, Longhorns, or Gators. Or not even American football, but what the rest of the world calls football- maybe it’s Manchester United or Real Madrid. We can spend a Saturday or Sunday watching 4 hours of games, but only read one verse and throw a quick prayer and think we’re Christians.

Is there something that consumes your life, where you spend a lot if your time, time that you could be spending with the Creator of the universe ?

Maybe it’s NASCAR. Or shopping. Or TV shows and movies. Or the internet. Or blogs.

How can we say we know Him when we don’t spend time with Him? Can we hear His voice through all the clutter?

He wants a relationship with you. Do you really want one with Him?

Saturday Song- If I Stand- Rich Mullins

There's more that rises in the morning
Than the sun
And more that shines in the night
Than just the moon
It's more than just this fire here
That keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger
Than this room

And there's a loyalty that's deeper
Than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs
That I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes
For the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver
Of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

There's more that dances on the prairies
Than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean
Than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer
Than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother's
When her baby's at her side

And there's a loyalty that's deeper
Than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs
That I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes
For the allegence
I owe only to the Giver
Of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

And if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You

Weeds

Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and beats us down destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might drink and renew our strength, before going out to face the world again. "The thoughtful soul to solitude retires," said the poet of other and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can retire today? "Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still," is a wise and healing counsel; but how can it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the radio and television(and internet- added)? These modern playthings, like pet tiger cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world's intrusion. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today. What the world will do about it is their problem. Apparently the masses want it the way it is, and the majority of Christians are so completely conformed to this present age that they, too, want things the way they are. They may be annoyed a bit by the clamor and by the goldfish-bowl existence they live, but apparently they are not annoyed enough to do anything about it.


A. W. Tozer

Would You Pray for a Water Buffalo ?

K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, tells the story of a native missionary in Punjab, India, who was not having much success in his work for the Lord. Nothing seemed to work to allow him to share his faith and the love and grace of our Father.

One day he was walking down the street and noticed along the road a family who seemed very discouraged. He stopped and asked why they were so sad. They said that their water buffalo was sick and dying. They sold the milk from the buffalo, which was the only source of income they had. If the buffalo died, they would have no income.

The missionary told them, "My Jesus can heal your water buffalo". They gave him permission to pray for their animal.

The missionary prayed, "Lord, please heal this animal. This may be my chance to witness to this family about you."

Immediately, the animal got up. Right there, the missionary lead the whole family to the Lord. Later, after neighbors and friends heard,they also became followers of Christ. They decided to start a church right there. Now the church is growing and more people are coming to follow Christ.

The name of the church? The Buffalo Church.