I have been thinking about ways that Satan can make subtle attacks upon you that you might not even realize are spiritual attacks.  Ways that he can get you thinking about things other than God and dwelling on you. 

I began to think about when we think of the "good old days."  Now, if you're a teenager, it's likely you won't understand what I'm talking about with this blog.  If you're a little older you've likely already shot back to a time in your youth where something happened that you remember with fondness.  Perhaps it's something you used to do like play drums or play softball or be in drama productions or just hanging out with friends.  You begin to think of the dreams you had back then and more than likely how those dreams aren't still around today because life and God have taken you in different directions.

This is when the sad feelings start to creep in.  You think with longing on the times where you were part of that rockin' band jamming in the basement and it makes you look around the office where you're sitting and feel depressed.  You think of how you were going to be the first woman to play professional baseball and then look at the photo on the mantel of you as a teen and realize that between the kids, husband and work you haven't picked up a glove in two years.

I know what you're feeling because I've had those same feelings myself.  (I am human, believe it or not.)  It's hard to fight off those feelings and you get to the point where you just keep it inside and don't tell anyone because you don't want to see like you're whining or living in the old days.  As a result, Satan can take root there and continue to drive you into the ground with those feelings.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

I know that verse is always brought out when pastors run their sermons on serving others and when people try to cheer you up.  I'm wanting you to look at it with a different view.  Notice how it says that the Lord has plans to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE.  It doesn't say that the Lord will give you plans for your youth and then you're on your own.

Basically, if you're alive, God has something hopeful planned for you yet.  (And if you're dead and reading this, message me and I'll call Jennifer Love Hewitt for you.)

So let the memories come flooding back and smile at the good times.  Then take a deep breath and remind yourself that God's not through with you yet.  It will take a while before it makes you feel better and Satan realizes that he can't torment you that way anymore but it will happen eventually.

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I was thinking about a man that I call a friend named Brian Hardin.  Brian is a record producer in Nashville and married to a really outstanding Christian vocalist.  In addition to being a husband, dad, record producer, photographer, artist and songwriter he also produces something called the Daily Audio Bible.  For the last few years, he's been reading on a podcast the day's reading from the Bible in a year program. 

As you can imagine from someone doing something so bold for the Kingdom as to provide people with the Scriptures daily in a free podcast, Brian's been attacked in many spiritual ways.  He's had pressures on his job, his family and his friends.  He's had his equipment suddenly stop working.  He's had his voice just disappear.  He's had to travel all around the world and had challenges every step of the way.  Yet, through it all, Brian has been faithful to the call that has been placed upon him.

When I read this verse tonight, I thought of Brian:

"Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring." - 2 Thessalonians 1:4 (ESV)

Brian is the kind of man in whom I can boast about in the churches and in the streets.  He is open about his failures as a person and the times he needs God yet he never wavers in his devotion to Christ and to the call that has been placed in not only his life but that of his family.  When he's struggling, he shares it.  He asks for prayer and is one of the first to fall to his knees to pray for someone else who needs it.  Brian Hardin is an example of who a Christian should strive to be because Brian is someone who is seeking Christ with all his heart and obeying His Lord without fail. 

I hope that I can get to where Brian is in his walk.  Not because I want the public accolades for being there but I really want to know what it feels like to walk that firmly in the light. 

God bless you, Brian. 

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Today's blog is directed at those who have an issue with sex.  In other words, anyone who's breathing and has hit puberty.

It's going to seem like a lecture and it probably is going to be one.  However, before we get into it I want to share with you the scripture that lead to this upcoming rant.

"[Treat] older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity." - 1 Timothy 5:2 (ESV)

CBS is going to be airing a show featuring Victoria Secret models parading around in their bras and panties.  It's going to be sent all across the country to millions of homes for men, women and children to sit and potentally lust after the young women.  Yes, I know that some people will be watching to actually just see the lingerie but I would be willing to bet those watching for their own jollies outnumber the clothes hounds at least ten to one.

If you believe we're a Christian nation and yet we're bringing lustful temptation into homes on a silver platter, you're kidding yourself. 

The way we treat our women is a signal of the state of our society.  The more we continue to turn women into little more than warm objects of which to release sexual energy then the more we continue to slide down the road away from God.  As the verse from Timothy says we are to treat women with respect as if they were our mother or sister. 

Would you want to see your sister parading around in front of millions of people in her bra and panties?  Would you want to see your mother walking the streets performing favors for men in their cars for $20?  Would you want to see either of them on the poster for a hard core porn film or popping up on a screen on the internet being ravaged by several men?

If you answered yes to that, you need help.  If you answered "well, not my sister or mom but I don't mind other women doing it" then you need help as well.  That's the whole point of what is being taught in Timothy.  We should not want ANY woman ANYWHERE to be reduced to a breathing meat puppet.

This is where critics say "well, it's their choice to do it.  It's not your place to tell them what to do!"  I don't necessarily disagree with that because God doesn't tell us to tell others what to do but rather present the Gospel, live it and let them make up their own minds.  However, we CAN work to prevent the opportunity for them to make that choice.  We can provide viable alternatives to make degrading themselves and running down their temple of Holy Spirit something that is too distasteful.

Let me tell you a story of a woman I knew about fifteen years ago.  She was a single mother with two kids who was in school to get a business degree.  In the midst of her third year, her husband decided to run off with another woman and divorce her.  In an effort to avoid child support or alimony, this guy just made the divorce proceedings drag on and on and on so that it took years for the divorce to finally be decreed. 

The woman was already working two jobs because I consider being a mom to be a full-time job in itself.  She was just about to head into the final year of school so that she could find a good job to support her family.  The problem was between her job and taking care of the kids she wasn't able to make ends meet.  (Yes, the woman was working 40 hours a week...it wasn't a part time job.)

She went to the church she attended for help.  Their response was to tell her that perhaps this was God's way of telling her to drop out of school and focus on her family.  One person had the gall to tell her that perhaps she was being punished for not fulfilling her role as a wife to the point her husband had to find someone else.  As you might expect, she left that church feeling condemned and wounded...and still very much in need.

Her Christian friends from that church?  None of them helped.  A few of them were stay at home moms that could have VERY easily watched her kids during the day and therefore cut out her need to pay for child care.  No one offered.  Some of these couples were very well to do with many luxuries from new cars to boats to home theatre systems.  (Remember this was fifteen years ago so it was much more expensive than today.)  Did any of them even bring over a bag of leftover groceries from their cabinets?  No.  All she received from these folks was "encouraging words" and advice to get a better job.

One night she was frustrated and paid for a sitter so she could just go out and try to de-stress.  She met a woman at a bar who told her about a strip club she worked in and how much their waitresses were paid and it was much more than this woman had been making working at a convienience store.  This new friend said she would put in a word with the club owner.

So this woman ended up working in the strip club as a waitress.  It didn't take long before she discovered that the dancers and the waitresses were making extra money on the side by letting the customers (male and female) pay to take advantage of their bodies.  Within weeks, this woman was making hundreds of dollars a night by letting people defile her. 

She ended up with STDs, she ended up with other physical problems and she had two abortions.  (I praise God she did not end up with HIV.)  She attempted suicide almost three years after getting into this lifestyle and after someone cut her down in time to save her life she realized what she was doing.  She walked away from all of that and found a job working in an office.

Today, she regrets so many things but knows she's set free from it.  She has a husband and job and a third child.  It's not easy but they make it every week.  She's even going to church again.

The point?  The point is that right now there are millions of women out there who are just like that woman.  They're in the strip clubs.  They're making porn films.  They're working street corners or hotel lobbies.  They're selling their bodies for money and it's all because people are looking for them to do it...and because Christians aren't taking care of the women in need.

You wouldn't turn away your sister to a life of prostitution.  Same with your mother.  We can't let that happen to any woman.

It has to start with how you look at women.  If you look at them as sex objects then you're already heading down the path of dehumanization.  If you look at them and don't see a person but rather some body parts then you need to work to refocus your mind.   When those thoughts come up say to yourself "that's my sister" or "that's my mother."  See if you still feel the same way.  See them as people you love and would not want to see harmed or used or abused in any way.

Women...you're not off the hook here.  If you look at another woman as a slut or whore or degrade her because of her life choices or situation then you're as guilty as the guys (or gals) throwing down cash to have their way with these women.  You put these women in a place where they have low self-esteem and feel so desperate that the unthinkable suddenly doesn't seem too bad.  This is where you need to swoop in and not only provide help in terms of financial support or physical support but also that emotional bonding that only women know with each other.  There are some things that men cannot understand and that's when a woman needs to be there for another woman without condemnation or scorn.

Yeah, I'm on the soap box today but I know the damage that can be caused by someone being treated in the manner these women are treated.  Until  we as God's children step up and make the effort to not only heal the damage but stop the damage that comes from our family then we're going to continue to see things spiral downhill and find that things we know are wrong in the eyes of God are going to be legally acceptable all around us.  (Pornography already is...prostitution is in some parts of the US and the world.) 

We need to start looking past the deeds to the person and their needs.  If we take care of a person's needs then we can reduce their temptations to put themselves in a place to cause significant long-term emotional and mental distress.  The choice is not only theirs to make.  It's yours.

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I received an e-mail from someone asking my advice about a friend.  They said their friend was in the midst of a situation where they were continually lying to themselves about being strong in their convictions and as they described it "just being all right."  They were worried about their friend because this person just kept talking the Christian talk and really overblowing things about their situation to try and pass off the appearance they were perfectly fine and it was just the world that was screwed up.

"Let no one deceive himself." - 1 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

That verse came to mind and I sent back a note with that verse as part of my response.  It's hard sometimes when you're in a situation where perhaps you are part of the problem to actually look at the situation in a realistic manner.  If you can get yourself believing the problem is from an outside source and not because of something you do or say then it's easier to handle it when things aren't going the way you planned it.  (And don't get me started on the times you're tempted to say "well, God doesn't want me to be happy right now...") 

God works in truth.  If you are trying to leave an impression that you are completely without fault in situations where in reality a large part of what's happening to you has been brought on yourself then you are creating an atmosphere that's not welcoming to God.  God cannot work within your life to change you if you are choosing to build that life on a lie.  It's like asking God to bless your sin. 

If you're in those situations perhaps it's time to suck it up and admit that you might not be all you think you are.  I know that sounds harsh but until you realize that it's OK for you to make mistakes or have shortcomings or bad gas you are always going to be avoiding a situation where you allow God to take the honest, broken pieces and put them together in a way that honors Him and is best for you.

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I was preparing to write a long blog today regarding witnessing but then this verse jumped off my screen:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 (ESV)

Are you, as a Christian, ashamed of the gospel?  When someone brings up the subject of Christianity or how the gospel addresses a situation do you find yourself making excuses for it? 

It's a lot easier to make excuses for it than to stand on it but we're called to make a stand.  It's easier to stand if you're bold...and you can't be bold if you're ashamed of that upon which you're standing.

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I was reading a column today in our local newspaper by a former pastor who was talking about the hungry at Christmas and how "if my family wants to see their gifts this year, they can go to Nicaragua" and watch the hungry there eating food bought with the money that otherwise would have been spent on Christmas presents. 

I know some of you out there are cheering that move and there's nothing wrong with helping the hungry.  However, this person is taking the holiday season and using it to make a socio-political statement to his family and then is turning around and telling people to look at him and how holy he's being this Christmas.  He didn't bother to see if there were food pantries or hungry people in the cities where his family lives and use the money to help their neighbors in need.  He didn't do it without putting himself in the newspaper telling everyone what he had done and then lecture people about not taking care of the poor. 

Do you really think Jesus would tell this man to do what he had done?  Would he tell him to be disrespectful to his family and just tell them if they want to see an expected gift they have to go to Nicaragua thousands of miles away from their family during a time of celebration?  Would Jesus tell him to put a column in the newspaper to tell everyone what he did and then scold others for not doing it?  Doesn't that seem a little like what a pharisee would do?

"“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Matthew 6:2-4 (ESV)

Jesus himself told us to not do our good works where we can be in a place to be praised by others.  That means we don't send letters to our families telling them where they can go to see the people I'm feeding with their Christmas money.  It means you don't put a column in the newspaper to tell everyone what you've done with your Christmas money.  It means you just go do it.

But you're asking...what do you say to your family?  I would say you find someone in their community like a food bank or feeding ministry and then give them a card at Christmas to say you made the donation in their name.  Don't do it ahead of time so that you can get the expected responses for it.  If you must put a column in the newspaper perhaps you could just talk about making a donation at that time of the year without telling everyone that you spent your family's Christmas money on the hungry and they should do the same thing as you. 

You can do all this man wanted to do without calling undue attention to yourself.  That would be what Jesus would tell you to do.  This way, you honor people all around you instead of honoring a select group to spite another.

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My Thanksgiving wish to all of you...

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Corinthians 1:4 (ESV)

Have a great time with family and friends.

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My friend Annie Lobert has a new blog where she talks about how the news media would be all over a college coed who goes missing (in, say, Aruba) and when a prostitute goes missing without a trace none of the media seems to care.  She makes the really valid my point that all of us are equally valuable in God's eyes and we should be just as equally valuable to each other on this earth.

"So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." - Matthew 18:14 (ESV)

Every one of us is one of God's "little ones."  He doesn't want any of us to perish and spend eternity away from Him.  That means we have to reach out and care as much about the missing prostitute as much as the perky blonde college coed that looks good on television. 

Strive to see the value in everyone...even those that the world would say is worthless.

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Let's just say for the sake of argument that we are in the last days. 

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men." - 2 Timothy 3:1-9 (ESV)

If you read that verse you can certainly build a case that if we are not in the last days we're rapidly heading in that direction.  However, I've heard this passage quoted by people as an excuse to never associate with people who have not accepted Christ because it says to "avoid such people."  If we are to avoid them, these Christians believe, then we need to make sure we do not include them in our lives and never interact with them beyond the times we have to do it for work or some other purpose (like talking to a teller at a bank.)

Let's ignore for a minute that you really don't know someone's place with Christ until you get to know them and let's say that you can spot someone who is "unholy" a mile away.

"Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house." - Matthew 5:15 (ESV)

To completely ignore these people and to isolate yourself from them means you're taking the light that shines through you and hiding it under a basket (or, more accurately, behind the walls of your home.)  There is no way to bring Christ to those who do not know Him without interacting with those people no matter how much you think putting a tract on their front porch will do the job for you.  YOU must interact with them and let them get to see God's light shining through you.

You have to find that middle ground between hiding from the world and opening all to everyone.  While Jesus wants you to give to others He also wants you to provide for your family and those who depend on you because that is giving as well although many people don't look at it that way.  You are giving to your wife, to your children, to your parents and in-laws, cousins, etc. 

What I think Timothy is being taught by Paul is to not get involved with these people in a way that is substantial like a business relationship or marriage or legally binding situation.  Avoid placing yourself in a place where someone who openly sins and openly refuses to acknowledge the truth of God is able to control you in some legal, binding manner.  (This is why it's also important to vote because otherwise you're willingly allowing yourself to possibly be put in the hands of someone who refuses to follow God's teachings.) 

So be on guard but don't be invisible. 

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We live in a world today where anyone can put themselves in the place of a teacher of the Word of God.  They will get up and start to suck you in with their knowledge of Scriptures and before you know it you'll find they are teaching you things that do not line up with the Word of God including completely other religions like Buddhism or Islam.  They'll find parallels between the religions and try to make you believe that all religions are just as valid even if they do not profess Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior.

"False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect." - Mark 13:22 (ESV)

The Word clearly shows us that we will have people who look good, seem to say all the right things and then at the very core are not followers of Jesus Christ.  Some are easy to see and some can be very subtle and will go for years or even decades misleading people into thinking they're teaching based on God's word when in reality they're just using God's word to try and obscure their true meaning.

A good rule of thumb I use when looking at someone who is professing themselves as a teacher of Christians is how often they base their teachings from the Word and not off of some other source.  I'm not saying that God can't work through a book or a song or a movie.  I am saying that if someone does a teaching mentioning a source that is not connected to Christ without tying it back into God's word then you need to beware that this person is possibly a false teacher. 

Let's say you have someone who says they're trying to share Jesus with others but ninety percent or more of the things they talk about come from Buddhist teachings.  It doesn't matter how much that teaching may line up with a Christian concept...it matters that instead of using God's word as part of their teaching they only use a source from a religion that rejects Jesus as the Son of God.  If you are a Christian then you better be ready to pull the concept you're taking from some other source and be able to say "Jesus said" or "God said" or "The Word says" and tie it into scripture. 

If you have someone teaching you who is not doing that then you need to seriously consider if you are in the presence of a false teacher.

Remember, the Bible tells us clearly they can even be appearing to you as a pastor or evangelist or teacher:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ." - 2 Corinthians 11:13 (ESV)

Of course, the best way to make sure you are on guard against false teachers is to read the word daily and if you hear someone teaching hold what they're saying up against the Word of God itself.  And, if they're teaching in a Christian church or Bible study or even message board, ask them why they openly talk about other religions to guide Christians and not God's word itself.   If you're talking to Christians then there should be no source that is more credible than God's word itself.

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"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

Just a quick thought today...do you really think your plans for your life can be anywhere near the scope of what His plans are for you?

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When you want something you want it now.

I've often referred to our world today as a "fast food society" because we are consumed with having all our desires right now.  We want the perfect house or the biggest car or the fancy HDTV with surround sound stereo system.  We want it NOW!

"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

I know it may seem weird to look at this verse in the context of what I said about "stuff" but in reality all things depend on our waiting for the Lord to reveal His plan in His time.  Jump ahead of God and things will go crazy before you realize what is going on.  The car you thought you could afford suddenly is too expensive to maintain.  The big screen TV you bought fell down and the corner chipped off but the warranty just ended.

If we just wait for Him and make sure that something is His will then we will not have to worry about how we're going to pay the bills or feed the children or repair the roof.  God has already figured those things out and we just need to listen to Him and His guidance. 

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I was searching verses on trust and this verse rang through my brain as I read it:

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." - Psalm 56:3 (ESV)

It made me think of all the times I was afraid of something and where I actually put my trust.  If it was a medical issue, I'd put trust in doctors that they would find a solution.  If it was a financial issue, I'd put trust in myself to find a way to work harder to meet the need.  If it was a work issue, I'd put faith in a boss or co-worker.  If it was a relationship issue, I put trust in my spouse or counselor or therapist or a trusted friend.

It's so easy for us as humans to place trust everywhere but in God.  I think it comes back to faith being so hard for us when it's not someone we can see or touch.  Yet if you look back through scripture the people who trusted in God when the times were toughest always ended up in a better position because of that faith in Him.

So today fight the temptation to put your faith only in another human being.  Trust in the One who is always there and ready to guide you on the path that ultimately will be the best for you.

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There are some absolutes in the world.  For example, you can say that you can never go to heaven for eternity without accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.  You could also say that in the end Satan loses and will be unable to cause pain and problems forever.  The Bible clearly brings us some items that are absolutely black and white.

The problem with absolutes is when a human being with flaws brings that into their own lives.

For example, let's talk about honesty.  If you try to put off the image to others that you are honest and that you never hide anything then you are setting yourself up to be exposed as a liar.  Let's say that you swore up and down that you were not saying anything about a friend behind their back.  That friend believed you and others did as well.  You talk about the importance of honesty and how you would not lie about things like that.

Then, your friend gets a message from someone that they had never met which says you had to be talking about that friend behind their back because otherwise this person would never know how to contact that friend!

"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices" - Colossians 3:9 (ESV)

"If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth." - James 3:14 (ESV)

So what happens after the truth is exposed?  Suddenly everyone connected to you will begin to question everything you say, everything you do and your entire Christian walk.  Non-Christians who know you will think this is just another example of Christians being hypocrites and just reinforce why they despise Christ (not realizing, of course, that all Christians do sin and stumble.)  Your Christian friends probably won't abandon you but they will expect you to make full disclosure and even then be suspicious that you are telling the whole truth.  In other words, you have shattered trust not only with your one friend but also in anyone who knows the two of you when they find out about it.  (And trust me...they all find out about it before you can get to them to explain.)

So if you are wrapping up in a web of lies of your own creation you need to cut down those webs even if it just within yourself.  Resolve to stop the lying and pray for God not only to forgive you but also to show ways that you may have been deceptive without realizing it. 

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A lot of people I know look at the book of Lamentations with a negative slant.  Because of the nature of the book (Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem) people want to move past it thinking that it is nothing but negative messages and weeping for the lost without any positive messages.

However, I find the book to be a great example of what our attitude should be in the midst of tragic situations.  Of course we are to feel the sorrow and pain for whatever we are facing but we are also to remember the hope of the Lord!  Check out this passage:

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  'The Lord is my portion' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him'." - Lamentations 3:21-24 (ESV)

In the midst of horrible tragedy Jeremiah is holding onto the true hope that we have for living:  God.  He knows of the goodness of the Lord and how the Lord will take care of our needs when we put all our trust in Him.  So even though the world may seem crashing down we have that bedrock to stand on in the midst of the storm.  "I will hope in Him," Jeremiah said and I feel the same way.

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This blog is one year old.  (Actually, the regular weekly blogging started November 2, 2006 but I didn't realize it until this morning.) 

For one year, I have been led by the Lord to write a blog at least five times a week about His Word and His grace upon us.  It started on MySpace, was added to other sites that have no problem with people talking openly about the Word of God like myCCM, Shoutlife and eventually it's own domain at www.thebibleblogger.com of which I am amazed what God has done with it.

I have to say it's humbling, it's been interesting and it's been life changing.

I have had messages from people who said something in the blog has caused them to examine their live and get right with God on some issue.  They've talked about God opening Himself up to them through a blog and how they were able to use it to make a difference in the lives of others.  Many have written just to say the blog has been an encouragement, comfort and challenge they look forward to every day.  

There have been blog visits from all around the world.  I haven't had a hit from Antarctica yet but that's the only continent that hasn't checked in a few times.  I've seen hits from China, Venezuela, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, Russia and even the exotic, bizarre place called San Francisco. 

I've been able through the blog to help the ministries of Christian musicians and organizations.  We've given attention to Christian musicians through our "Song Lyric Weeks" and special attention to Carrie Pettit and the music of her ministry.  (Please check out her MySpace page and her music.  She is anointed and gifted.)  We have been able to point out ministries like Beauty From Ashes and Hookers 4 Jesus who are out on the streets making a difference in the lives of hurting souls.  (Check out them as well and please consider a donation to them.) 

I have seen the whole range of reactions from Christians and non-Christians like to someone talking about God's Word and what it means to them.  I have had people who claim to be Christians stop talking to me in real life because they could not handle someone actually standing on the Word of God versus standing on the interpretation of man.  (John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through me" (ESV) is pretty clear to me...) 

I have seen some Christians who have taken it upon themselves to try and discredit this blog or me personally for writing it.  I've seen it in subtle ways and I've seen it in openly hostile ways.  I realized that I would face opposition from people by writing a blog of this nature but I had honestly expected the majority of it to be from outside the church walls.  I was very mistaken about that belief.  I have often said that God's army is the only one in history that shoots it's wounded but I've seen in the last year some of God's soldiers try to shoot their own healthy co-workers! 

Yet the most profound change in all of this is within myself.  I have found myself really having the heart of Christ more and more.  It struck me in the most profound way when I was recently having a politically oriented discussion with someone regarding the homeless in our area.  I took issue with the fact this person was making statements like "if they would just bother to work they could feed themselves" and "I've had bad luck in my life and never been homeless" and told them that God called us to take care of those in need including in Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25 ("For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink"- Matthew 25:35 (ESV).)  The response was "when did you become a left wing liberal?  You're supposed to be a Christian conservative!"

It reminded me very clearly that it wasn't about political labels and how we are viewed by the world that matters.  It's about doing God's business and listening to what He has to say to all of us whether it's organizing a game night for seniors at your church to giving a homeless person a hot meal to walking in the streets of Las Vegas to witness to hookers to taking a porn actress who's done 200 films and helping her walk away from the business, get a job and place to live and medical treatment for the damage that pornographers have done to her body and soul.  If I had to pick one lesson learned from doing this blog for a year it's that God's call is the only call that matters and what man things ultimately does not really matter.

Now, some thank yous...

First, thanks to God for putting this in front of me and giving me the insights to keep it going.  I could not do this without God leading me every single step of the way.  I may be my fingers typing on the keyboard but the content comes from upstairs.  (And no, I'm not talking the person in the apartment above me.)  Jesus, you are my Lord and I will follow You.

I want to say thank you to the tens of thousands of people who have hit the blog over the year and those of you who visit on a regular basis.  I am humbled that you feel this blog is worthy of your time to visit every day.  I want to thank the sites that have been so welcoming to the blog...MyCCM, Shoutlife and MySpace.  You have provided a platform for God's Word to go forth and change lives even if you didn't believe in it yourself. 

Finally, I want to thank the "enemies" of this blog.  Those people openly hostile to Christ and have sent me notes calling me every name in the book.  Also, the people who profess to be Christians but do everything they can to keep people from seeing this blog or smear me for writing it.   The Christians who sit in judgment of other people and not in judgment of sin the way the Bible tells us to be.  All of these agents of the world encourage me to realize there is a need for God's true Word to continue going forth regardless of opposition.  I love you all hope you all come to a true, saving knowledge of Jesus or restore your relationship with Him.

Where does it go from here?  I have no idea.  Tomorrow, back to the usual blog format.  Today, just praise be to God and amazement that this has been here for a year.  It seems like it just started yesterday.  The future?  Maybe take all these words and put them into a book?  I wouldn't know where to start there but if it's God's plan something will happen.  Go from just writing to speaking as well?  I'd love to do it but until God says go I won't go. 

I'll say this...I'm excited to see what God does next because so far it's been incredible.

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Today I want to issue a challenge to those of you who are in positions of leadership in a ministry and/or in a busine