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Last Published: 9/24/2008 9:07:00 PM
April 2008
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:07PM EST on April 29, 2008
I have seen alot of manipulation and the cruelty of those that seek to control groups of people in the church and outside the church. Such strategies are everywhere that you find people in conflict, and Conflict is found every where that you find people....
It occurred to me this morning, simply based on rambling thoughts and my small exposure to the strategies of men. That if a person wanted to gain control of a group that had a strong core... oh I don't know, say a Christian nation. It would seem that an effective approach would be to study the most heated areas of conflict among the people at the core of that nation... perhaps, such an issue as racial tensions.
It would seem necessary to need a platform from which to speak so that you could orchestrate a place to stir the pot and to prey upon the weakness of that nation in order to divide it's core and influence so that it begins to escalate the stirring into a heated frenzy. And then you can sit back and watch the earthquake that your influence has ignited take down building after building, and everything that stood in the way of the agenda of tyrants and greedy men.
What is the most influential position, platform, that is given the attention of the largest percentage of our society (and most countries around the world)? ... being a presidential candidate.
It would not matter if you planned to win or if you were certain you would fail. It would be a matter solely on having the platform with the most influence around the world. A platform that would cause our nation to enter into debate that truly seeks a positive hope and future of a nation as a whole -- or a platform intended to infuse a society with the poison of it's own sins and cause it to close it's ears to anything other than it's side of the argument.
What if, you searched your ranks and found someone that would actually be a good candidate to make a run for it. What if you didn't expect them to win, their becoming president wasn't really the goal of your agenda? then what?
What if suddenly and unexpectedly that person realized that they actually had a chance at winning the office? What if the society/religion that your group's agenda wanted to remove was suddenly revealed as not being as racially polarized as you had thought? what if suddenly the teachings of the people that hired you to make a run for it proved to have some relevance, BUT their motives and what they declared to be truth proved to be grossly askew?
Would there be a way for you to change your mind? To remove the pebble that you threw into their lot? Or have you already sold your deed and your very soul, so that they hold the detonator in their hand?
Terrorism comes in many forms. It is an effective form of warfare.
And our nation is fighting many more wars than we realize, seen and unseen.
The best suicide bombers are those wolves wearing sheep's clothing.
And that sheep's clothing often takes the form of a suit and a tie... or the title of Christian or pastor... But they are neither -- they are wolves despite the color of their skin or expression of their worship. God created all cultures and skin colors, and Satan corrupts people among them all.
There are racial tensions and racial injustices in this nation. There are apologies due and a lack of empathy for much that has happened to several races of people in this nation. There is a way to work toward the goals and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (a true hero and man of God), but there is something else under a sheepskin that many need to take note of. You need to look into it's eyes and ask God what spirit is at the heart of it. There are dark days ahead. There are choices to be made. And there are consequences to live/die with -- not just for ourselves, but for our children and the society/world that they will inherit.
Yes, God has a plan and prophesies are being fulfilled. But at no point does God tell us to throw up our hands and just ride it out. Rather we are to occupy until he comes, and we are to work at peace with God and Man. I do not accept that we should do nothing and say nothing. I think we should seek God when to do both, and I think his answer would surprise many of us daily.
I'm not saying this is what's happening. I'm saying it's a valid possibility. But either way, we should all take a breath and seek God diligently in this hour of the Christian Church and in our nation. Racial tensions and racial injustices are fact, but we must not undo the ground that has been gained just because a certain group chooses to rise up with an uncertain agenda that breeds deeper and irreparable conflict.
"Come, let us reason together..."
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 2:01AM EST on April 29, 2008
well, I was running channels tonight and came across a speaker
with what I thought was an Indian accent. I began listening to his
message and teaching, it was a Q and A session, and my spirit began to
stir with such a fire and a passion. It was a guy named Ravi Zacharias.
I had never heard of him and come to find out, he was born in India and
is a Christian speaker. I called my husband to the room to hear Ravi
teach, and it turns out that he had heard him on the radio a couple
times and knew of his ministry.
The question that really got me was when someone asked about the state
of the church. His answer, concerning the church in America, was that
it had allowed a shallowness to creep in --and that a failure to think
has caused that shallowness. He also spoke of a younger generation that
is hungry to think. It was such a precious thing to me to hear the Lord
speak thru relevant voices -- to speak so much that has been burning in
my heart in recent years. That has been my hearts cry concerning the
current church -- that people in the church need to THINK.
That's what "selah" is all about in the scriptures.
sorry, but I am just so moved by the teaching, the truth, the walking
thru thought processes as we follow the Spirit thru the Word of God,
the confirmation of so many witnesses past and present. I am gonna try
to find some of his articles online to read. If you have a link, please
post it here.
I minored in Philosophy at a secular
university, but I have never had the privilege of listening to a
philosophical thinker that walks thru real and relevant questions about
life with Christ at the forefront and his Spirit along side. It was so
refreshing and truly blessed me. And to hear him refer to revivals in
China and now India was unbelievable. God has a whole network of
activity that He is revealing and interconnecting. I love him so much.
He is just the most fascinating and beautiful God and friend.
so yeah... I really enjoyed hearing this Ravi guy ^_^
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 10:38AM EST on April 25, 2008
BOOM BABY!
(John 7:1-15)
1After
this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea
because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
I love that God includes every detail and circumstance of wisdom in his
word. The churchy thing would be to waltz right into the midst of Judea
and defy any opposition because God's will needed to be preformed...
but see, this was God who purposely avoided going there because the
measure of the climate was too hostile at the moment. So he waited with
patience until things cooled a bit, and it was the right time to push
forward.
Even in childbirth and labor, there is a time to
refrain from pushing, yet a time to continue to push forward in the
birthing process. That is wisdom. Measuring the temperature and climate
of any situation is wisdom and a necessary part of ministry in every
setting. Refraining for a time or walking away until God leads you to
return to the task is not always sin or cowardice... sometimes it is
wisdom, sometimes it is the perfect will of God.
We must be
careful to not be following the will of religion, or a congregation, or
a pastor, or a man, or our family, or friends, or a culture -- if it
contradicts the wisdom and will of God. That is a very weak point in
the church today. We have reached a place of worshiping and following
the voices around us, rather than the voice of God. But I see something
emerging in this generation that is beautiful and right and good... a
return to the Word of God and a zeal to commune with him in personal
prayer time. Revival is definitely at the door of this generation, it
is crossing the threshold this very moment.
2But when
the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus' brothers said to him,
"You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may
see the miracles you do. 4No one who wants to become a public figure
acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the
world." 5For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
BOOM! THERE IT IS... temptation.
Stepping out of the perfect will of the Father, doing it man's way
instead of God's way, pressure, family, comparing your actions to the
standards and norms of the world, fame, fortune and glory, accusations
of being awkward and unauthentic and irrelevant... show yourself to the
world.
Christ could have entered into pride at any moment
and thought, "I'll show them." But he remained steadfast, just as
zealous and full of passion about the mission, but determined and
unwaivering to perform it with the wisdom of God. Would we be like
Christ in such a situation? Do we act like he did when those same
temptations are taunting us and sneering in our face, filling our ears
and our thoughts with everything considered wise by the world's
standard?... by the grace of God, I pray our answer is always no. I
pray we always hear the firm but gentle voice in the core of our being
as he whispers the wisdom of God instead.
Be careful who you listen to... the hissing in the grass or in that tree can be very appealing and very convincing.
6Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come;
for you any time is right. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me
because I testify that what it does is evil. 8You go to the Feast. I am
not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not
yet come." 9Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
wow,
Christ is our example. At this time, his family did not understand the
perfect will of God because Christ had not yet died and become that
example. The time of this incident was a time of transition, during the
process of transforming the old covenant into the new. But Jesus knew
the Truth, the plan, the Spirit that lived in Him and that is part of
Him. He saw the plan/fulfillment in it 's entirety, because he helped
to fashion it.
Later, he tells us that the world will hate
us too. After all is fulfilled, the Truth is revealed, and we are
identified with Him in performing the perfect will of God. We will go
against the grain and norms of this world just as he did, not
conforming to religion and the world. We will not always do what
everyone else is doing, we will not always be loud and bold when they
expect it, and we will not always be mild and meek in matters that
require Godly courage.
There will be times where we must go
our separate ways for a season. There will be times when it is good and
right for others to go the feast or that ministry event... but for us
it would be sin. For us some times we will be required to go a lonely
road, or to wait a lonely hour. Sometimes, everyone will leave you, the
parade will march by you, the party will not include you... and you
will be required to stay in that small and insignificant place for a
season, maybe several seasons.
But that is not where you
will stay, and that is what you must remember in the waiting, in your
loneliness. Christ waits there with you. So refuse to let your heart
and thoughts be troubled or discouraged. Instead, be cheerful that
great things are coming, be thankful that God has lead you to walk in
his perfect will, cherish that lonely time, that Gethsemane... without
that garden, that place and time of prayer/soulful meditation, you will
not have the strength and discipline to endure the cross.
Gethsemane, the beating, the cross, the scoffing... there is much to endure.
But Christ was our example and he promises that though he walked it alone, we will never be alone.
10However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not
publicly, but in secret. 11Now at the Feast the Jews were watching for
him and asking, "Where is that man?"
Did he lie about going to the feast?.. no
It was not his time to leave when his brothers were leaving. His time
was to leave after his brothers had left. God in his wisdom, knows how
our enemies think and what pitfalls lay ahead. Christ knew that those
in Judea that sought to kill him would be looking for him among his
family. That was the standard, to go up with your family to the feast.
Jesus not only outwitted his enemies, he was protecting his family. His
presence was sure to endanger his brothers, or at the least cause them
to be the object of ridicule and harassment.
Strategic?... yes
Wisdom requires a great measure of strategy. However, Godly wisdom
confines itself to Godly strategies. The strategies of men are consumed
with winning at all cost and the acceptance of expendable casualties.
But Godly strategy, works every detail for the good of all. It does not
sacrifice the small and unimportant soul to benefit and empower those
that are more popular and vocal. Godly strategy accomplishes the plan
and the victory so that goodness and righteousness can prevail equally
for the small and the great. Sacrifice becomes an offering from both
camps, such strategy binds the hearts and souls of men together in one
love, one purpose, causing them to serve as one.
12Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, "He is a good man."
Others replied, "No, he deceives the people." 13But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
14Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.
15The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?"
This part has not changed among people. Everything that happens will
find supporters as well as opposition. Some thought Christ was good,
others thought he was deceptive. They whispered among themselves but
were afraid to voice an opinion that they were willing to stand by
publicly. Their reputation was at stake, the well being of their
families, the threat of being put out of the synagogue was real and
intimidating.
How similar we are today.
Everyone
watched and waited to see what Jesus would do. They wanted to hear him
teach. Some because they were hungry to hear more of the Truth of God.
Others wanted to hear more debate between him and the church leaders.
And some were in desperation, hoping for a chance to receive a miracle
for themselves or someone they loved. Yet, others longed to see
miracles for the miracles sake, the thrill of it all. Christ speaks
about all the various motives of why people follow him. He knows that
there are tares among the wheat, but he also understands that grace
requires both to be given place... for a time. He sees the difficulty
caused by the presence of the tares. He sees the hardships put upon his
people. He understands the pressures and the intimidation and the risk
involved in following him. He knows what it is to sacrifice your very
blood, to be separated from your family, to be beaten and robbed and
laughed at and scarred.
There is no God like our God.
With all the wisdom and the love and the compassion and the mercy that
fills his heart and his very being, he continues to put the will of
God, the will of his Father above all else. No matter the motives or
needs of people, no matter the temptations, no matter the attacks of
the enemy, no matter the risk to those he loves. He risks all, he
endures all... because he trusts the Father so completely. To the point
of laying down his divinity, becoming a man, and emptying himself of
his very life. He put himself completely into the hands of the Father,
laid down all his rights and his power, trusting him to restore all and
to accomplish the greater good.
Jesus is our example, and no one else.
We are to love all as he loved, but we are to love God above all else.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 3:41PM EST on April 24, 2008
Wake Up and Breathe
from my prayer time (4-24-2008)
God is always speaking. When he is emphasizing something, his voice can
be heard all around you thru your day from tons of unrelated sources.
Recently he was speaking about BREATH and BREATHING. It was everywhere
and culiminated in a Rob Bell video that my son shared with our family.
It touched on the suggestion that perhaps every breath we breathe is an
utterance of the name of God. How that everyone is actually confessing
Him and His existence whether they realize it or not, simply by
breathing and being alive. It had a great impact on our family and our
teens.
God seemed to follow that word with the phrase WAKE
UP. We have been hearing it every where including another Rob Bell
video about Creation where he is discussing that the days were
described as being the evening and then the morning. Which could be a
whole other blog, and may be eventually. haha. But in the midst of that
teaching he randomly remarks, WAKE UP!
So yesterday, I was
craving a fresh word of worship from the Lord. I often pray lyrics.
Nothing was satisfying a very intense spiritual hunger. So I was on
myspace responding to an urgent message from someone in a desperate
situation. I was looking for some background music to play in a
separate tab as I was writing a response to her. And decided to check
out Jared Anderson's page since I haven't been there in a while. Little
did I know it was truly the Spirit of God leading me to a conversation
with Him.
By the time I finished the message and sent it, I
was so moved by the lyrics of Jared's new cd that I dropped everything
and used some of my very precious gas money for the week to go to the
mall and pick it up. I listened to it in the car coming home and all
night and all this morning. It was truly anointed and God was speaking
in every song it seemed, not just about things in the moment but tying
so many things together that he has been speaking in recent months. God
had stepped into the room to speak to me in our language, our quirky
little way of conversing and discussing things.
yeah, so here are my notes from my prayer time, straight from my prayer journal...
Wake Up.
"I should have been finding you, but you were finding me," Jared Anderson.
That time of darkness, the difficult things/storms that so many have
walked thru recently, was like a time of not thinking clearly, of
sleeping, of rambling thoughts, of a nightmare. We were taken off guard
and the attack threw us into confusion and dulled our senses, lulled us
into a coma of sorts, caused us to be asleep and not using the
spiritual weapons in our hands.
But God was with us,
shaking us, calling our name to wake us up, snap out of it, pulling us
from the darkness back into the Light, into Truth, into Hope, and the
Promises of God.
A right spirit.
"Where did faith come from?" Jared.
It never left us.
He was there all along <3
Then I felt like the Lord told me to go to Psalm 48.
Not knowing what it said, I was amazed not only how the passage applied
but with the devotion that expounded on this specific psalm.
1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror. (Psalm 48:1-5)
Devotion: Brennan Manning/ Max Lucado Bible (p.647)
... to discern where you really are with the Lord, recall what has
saddened you recently. Was it the realization that you don't love Jesus
enough?... That you can't honestly say that the greatest thing that
ever happened to your life is that Jesus came to you and you heard His
voice?...
or have you been saddened and depressed over a
lack of human respect, criticism from an authority figure, financial
problems, lack of friends, your bulging waistline?
on the
other hand, what has gladdened you recently? Reflection on your
election to the Christian communinty?... The afternoon you stole away
with the Goispel as your only companion? The thrilling awareness that
God loves you unconditionally just as you are and not as you should
be?...
When our lives are governed not by a network of laws
but by the fire of the Spiriti that burns within... when we respond to
the call of Jesus, which is not, "Come to the ice cream party," but
"Come to Me," then the limitless power of the Holy Spirit will be
unleashed with astonishing force....
"I will declare the beauty of the Lord1" Jared.
I continued in prayer and worship and began to pray the lyrics
"you take my breath away..."
I remembered hearing this lyric last night in the car and was a little
confused by it then as well, not by the lyric itself, but by the
anointing that it seemed to carry -- and yet how it seemed to be the
exact opposite thing that the Lord had been speaking about BREATHE. I
began asking the Lord about it. I asked why his presence was resting on
that lyric, why he would stop our breath, why he would stop us from
uttering his name... and then I literally held my breath for some
reason as I waited for him to explain.
And as I became desperate for air, to breathe again, I realized why....
I began to cry because I was so moved by what I felt God was saying.
Sometimes he allows the storm and the difficulty so that we lose our
breath. Such things allow us to glimpse the reality of life without
him, of the pain and the threat of death, life without God... the
second and eternal death.
We become desperate. We realize
our need of Him. We become passionate about Him. Suddenly breath
becomes our focus. We WAKE UP. We become aware of the one shaking us
and restoring our senses. We become aware of those around us that are
breathing or not breathing. We begin to talk about breathing and not
breathing because we are suddenly aware of just how important it is.
We are desperate that others around us are breathing or not. We notice
them, we pay attention to their well being. We see the urgency of
helping them to breathe again. To shock them. To pound their chest. To
clear their airway. To invade their personal space, to get messy, to
take chances, to risk much. Suddenly we are willing to do the
unthinkable, the unappealing, the disgusting, whatever it takes...
mouth to mouth, intimacy, breathing into them in hopes that they will
breathe again. A reflection of our God, breathing life. Desperate for
their salvation as much as our own.
12These men are
blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest
qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain,
blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice
dead. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame;
wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the
Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to
judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts
they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly
sinners have spoken against him." 16These men are grumblers and
faultfinders (complainers); they follow their own evil desires; they
boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
17But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ foretold. 18They said to you, "In the last times there will be
scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19These are the
men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have
the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up
in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves
in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to
bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who
doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show
mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted
flesh. (Jude 1:12-23)
Your storm, your suffering, your darkness will end.
But don't miss the fact that it has a purpose. God never allows us to
go thru anything without some greater blessing in mind. No matter what
is stolen from us, no matter how it scars us, no matter how long we
must endure... there is a greater good that will result. And the
violence of that dark time will seem so small when we look back on that
thing that once tormented us. God has promised. Keep looking forward,
never focussing on what is behind.
The storm wakes us up,
it keeps us aware and our senses keen. Yes sometimes it can take our
breath away, but a choice remains for us to make. Do we hold our breath
because of fear, and then die. Or do we hold our breath in awe of our
God, and live a more desperate, passionate Life.
Our purpose on this earth is to fulfill the Commission.
If we refuse to wake up and focus, God will allow us to be shaken until
we do. We must wake up and breathe, to think clearly in an urgent hour
of the church, to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, breathing life
into those who have lost their breath.
That is the will of the Father, that is who He is, our Daddy, our Breath, our Life.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:13PM EST on April 21, 2008
The movie EXPELLED was wonderfully directed. It provides
excellent insight into the theory of Intelligent Design, as well as the
tensions that exist with the self-proclaimed atheistic supporters of
Darwins Theories of Evolution and Natural Selection.
It is a serious documentary that effectively reveals the rejection of
ID in current scientific and academic circles. But more than that, it
takes the viewer through a thought process of where life on earth may
have actually begun. It opens the door to several theories, and
emphasizes that because all are rooted in theory... world view is the
determining factor of what each person embraces as truth.
Those that reject the existence of any God at all... reject the
possibility that there may be a God that is actually Creator, though
they admit that life may have been seeded on the earth by aliens (a
more intelligent life form from somewhere in space).
Those
that embrace the possible existence of a God... present evolution and
natural selection on a smaller scale as possibilities within the
process of the creation of life on earth as we know it. But that there
is one master designer and planner that created all things.
There are other theories and various colors of the two main theories,
but there is a strong force at work (a very iron-fisted force) that
touts Darwinism as absolute fact. Even though the truth of the matter
is that it remains as much or more so theory as the rest. There is no
clear and valid evidence of the origin of life in the field of
scientific study -- not Evolution or Darwin or ID or the Atheistic Camp
offers a defined and sure explanation. It is solely dependent upon what
a person puts their faith in, what they choose to believe is truth.
The humor of this movie is BRILLIANT. While the facts and dialog remain
serious and straight-forward, clips from historic events and old
broadcasts are inserted for emphasis... offering a crazy, random humor
that appeals to a contemporary audience. Very funny.
The
most moving thing for me was the journey and progression of where the
rejection of truth and freedom in the areas of science and academia
lead... every society, every time, if left unchecked. When men can
control and manipulate and intimidate what is truth, there is no
freedom of thought, there is no freedom of expression, there is no
freedom of religion, there is NO FREEDOM. This is the spirit that we
see at work in our nation in this day. This is the world view -- the
sterilization of science that has attempted to sterilize all belief in
God and to sterilize all people that seek to protect and advance a free
society. The sterilization of truth itself.
In the world
today, evolution is the poster child that claims there is no God, no
one is created in the image of God, every soul on earth was a blob and
is destined to return to the nothingness of that blobbie state. Natural
Selection is the excuse for a chosen few to determine who is defined as
the healthiest blob, most desirable, favored to survive, deserving of
life. Therefore, people are of little value unless the powers that be
say they are. Only those that the elite rulers declare are worthy have
a right or need to live at all.
yes, it becomes a slippery
slope to genocide, euthanasia, abortion, sterilization/murder of the
crippled and mentally challenged, young, old, black, white, asian,
Jew...
sounds so far fetched until you look back a
generation to the Nazi death camps, the cleansing of imperfect blobs
from society to create beautiful people in a beautiful society.
Servants of a tyrant, servants of a utopian society.
World
view is the key. We will all serve someone. Creator, Intelligent
Designer, Tyrant, An Elitist Society. Everyone is looking for a heaven.
One designed by God or one designed by men or by a society. But the
truth of the matter is that only one is Right, only one is actually
Truth.
However....
Everyone should have the freedom to choose which one they will serve,
No one has the right to force others to serve the one they choose...
No one has the right to silence/remove the other choices.
All have a right to be heard and to have a voice.
Darwinism is theory. ID is just as much a valid scientific possibility as evolution.
Both have a right to be heard.
Neither should be EXPELLED from scientific thought.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:11PM EST on April 21, 2008
(4-18-2008)
EXPELLED opens tonight in theaters!!!
I encourage every parent to buy the ticket for their teen and any of
their teen's friends that they can afford to sponsor and send them to
this movie. Not just teens but college students. Call your teen today
and tell them to grab a friend and go... your treat. This movie is that
important. We as parents cannot miss this open door to speak Truth into
the lives of the next generation. The arts, the media are a key
instrument in speaking into their lives. Here is a chance to remind
them that while Darwin was brilliant, evolution remains pure theory. We
must put Truth out on the table that there is another possibility.
We cannot miss this opportunity.
Not just teens but college students. Treat them to this movie, buy the
tickets and hand them off to them. When they hear it's Ben Stein,
they'll go. And attending on opening weekend will encourage future
media to be a voice of Truth concerning such issues.
If you
don't have a teen or college student of your own, then send someone
elses. Buy the tickets and give them to some teens or twenty somethings
that you know from church or work or something. Someone working at the
coffee shop or waiting on your table.
I encourage every
person concerned about the future generation to go to this movie and
treat as many young adults to it as possible.
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:10PM EST on April 21, 2008
(4-14-2008)
Definitely going to see EXPELLED in theatres!!! The teens and
college peeps I know love Ben Stein, so I'll likely have lots of
company.
I saw an interview with him on FOX NEWS today about the movie.
It was followed by an interview about the pope's visit to the US and
some statistics of the interest of this generation concerning a
commitment/passion about God. I agree. I have seen a spiritual void as
the govt has allowed special interest groups to strip our society of
its Christian heritage and freedoms, and I have seen a generation come
of age that is more focused about protecting that Godly heritage than
mine was.
I think this movie was ordained by God and will open alot of eyes concerning many things.
Ironically my husband just gave me a new worship cd that we subscribe
to and the title is WAKE UP! I am so proud of this generation for
answering the call, and I'm so glad that my generation is partnering
with people like Ben Stein who have determined to at least put the
Truth out there. I have no doubt that if we put it out there, teens and
college peeps will search it out with tremendous integrity and
character because I see them asking God about stuff for themselves.
There's a sifting and a sorting going on.
My generation was taken by surprise by the assault on Truth, and the God of Truth.
But this generation is savvy and sharp and can do
intellectual/spiritual battle like nothing I have ever seen. They are
returning to the word of God with a passion and a zeal that has only
been talked about in times past. Not taking the word of pastors and
people, but weighing it all and asking God for themselves. They seem
sick of being spoon fed spiritual junk food, and they are craving the
meat of all that matters. They are truly anointed and raised up for
such a time as this. I love this generation!
sorry, got a little carried away there....
but wow, I'm very excited about this movie and the Godly voices I am
hearing at every turn and in every venue of the world. God is saying
something. He always is... but this generation is actually listening
and hearing and doing stuff on a level that's never been done!!! There
may be difficult days ahead for the Church, but there are guaranteed
glorious ones that will overshadow all in the name of Christ. I'm not
worried about the next generation of the Church so much anymore, cuz
I'm seeing them put their hand in the hand of God and asking him to
lead them in the big and the small.
Miracles are coming thru this generation.
The mustard seed has grown and bloomed and is full of branches.
Their faith in Christ is strong and getting stronger every day!
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 10:46AM EST on April 8, 2008
What distinguishes Wise Counsel?...
(John 6:41-44)
41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am
the bread that came down from heaven." 42They said, "Is this not Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say,
'I came down from heaven'?"
43"Stop grumbling among yourselves,"
Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me
draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
At
first glance, it makes it sound like God has predestined who will be
drawn to him and who will be saved... and who will not. But I don't
believe that. I don't have a theological degree and I have ZERO desire
to debate doctrines. But just for me... reading the Bible, seeking to
understand what he is saying in this passage to whoever reads it... I
think it is saying something very different.
Jesus said that if he is lifted up on the cross, all men would be drawn to him (John 12)...
27"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me
from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.
28Father, glorify your name!"
Then a voice came from heaven, "I
have glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29The crowd that was
there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had
spoken to him.
30Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit,
not mine. 31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince
of this world will be driven out. 32But I, when I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men to myself." 33He said this to show the kind of
death he was going to die.
so it's not that only
certain ones have the chance for salvation or that God predestined only
certain ones, it simply means that if anyone is following Christ they
were led there by God the Father. Whether they remain faithful or not,
whether they later fall away, isn't the issue... the bigger issue is
that the Father has led them to this place so that they may have a
chance at salvation thru Christ.
The Jews are offended at
Christ claiming to be so closely linked to the Father. They are
reminding everyone that he is just as human as they are, that he grew
up with them from a child. They were trying to reason away the
possibility that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus in the opening of this
passage was simply saying that none of these people, this vast crowd,
would follow him, unless God the Father had led them to do it.
Basically, he was saying for them to stop grumbling about the people
that believed in him as Messiah, and to leave it for God to judge or
determine. As is said by a man of God later in the Gospels, if Jesus
was not of God, the crowds would eventually fall away. But if God is
moving thru him, than there is nothing they could do about it. The Jews
that were grumbling should have sought God and let him reveal the true
heart of what Jesus was claiming. If they had, God would have revealed
the Truth to them. But instead, they were consumed with arrogance and
traditions and putting God in a box as to who he would choose to work
thru and how he would manifest himself as Christ upon the earth.
We can learn much from this passage.
How often we look at something new and we measure it to traditions
rather than asking God about it. How often we hear no immediate answer
from the Lord and so we rush to judgments that were never ours to make.
When that person rises to a place of prominence that isn't really
violating the word of God but we feel is undeserving or awkward or not
respectable enough to represent the current climate of the church... we
grumble against them in our heart or to our neighbor in the pew. God
have mercy on us all.
We cannot judge the Jews or the
disciples or the people in Scripture whose sin is so blatantly laid out
for all to see. We should be more concerned about learning from the
sins of one another rather than casting blame and judgment or looking
down our nose at people as though we are above them in some way. We are
just as guilty of sin as they were and are. But... we can be just as
forgiven if we would only seek God in all things rather than rushing to
judgment and leading other blind sheep into the ditch with us. We,
blind guides that we are, had better open our eyes before our own
arrogance lands us face down in the dirt again.
If
something new or strange or different is happening around us, whether
in the church or at work or in the neighborhood or even at home... we
need to talk to God about it as it manifests itself. We need to be
asking God to judge it and to reveal the true spirit behind it. We
should watch and pray, until God gives us discernment that it is
clearly his will or not. Sometimes that happens in an instant,
sometimes it happens over a substantial measure of time. Watch and
Pray.. until God gives direction to act.
And even then... Watch and Pray and Act.
We must not judge the younger generation, nor should they judge the
older one. We should not judge the new guy in town, nor should he judge
us in our quirkiness. That is what it means to not judge... seek God
first for the Truth of every situation and motive, whether your own or
a stranger or a friend or a pastor. Let God judge it. Seek him to give
you discernment in the matter. Discuss it with wise counsel, be patient
and full of love toward all involved, even those who may need
discipline in the matter, and then act on what God reveals to be his
judgment of the issue.
In seeking wise counsel... how can you distinguish it from gossip?
Wise counsel always uses the word of God as it's foundation and ties it
with common sense and truth. Wise counsel loves as I Corinthians 13
describes what it is to love. Wise Counsel is dominated by a spirit
that is willing to sacrifice all to protect the well-being of everyone
involved -- including anyone who has sinned or is an offense to the
will of God. Wise counsel is unafraid to bring discipline in order to
maintain the prominence of the will of God, but it refuses to set aside
love or justice or mercy (because such is the heart of the will of
God). It does not use one of those to justify neglecting the other two.
There are no favorites, there is only the will of God. Because it is
that will that ensures all three of the above for everyone involved.
Gossip is almost always masked with one of two things... righteous
indignation or false humility. But the end result and hidden agenda is
to tear someone down and murder something about them... either their
reputation, their ministry, their relationship with someone. Gossip is
the choice weapon of those that murder in the church. Gossip always
wears a mask and hides it's true intent so well. It loves to appear as
wisdom and mercy... but operates in direct opposition to both.
13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,
but a righteous man escapes trouble.
14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things
as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.
15 The way of a fool seems right to him,
but a wise man listens to advice.
16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
17 A truthful witness gives honest testimony,
but a false witness tells lies.
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20 There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but joy for those who promote peace.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.
22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.
23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly. (Proverbs 12)
Wise Counsel is to Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not
love, I am nothing.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (I Corinthians)
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:00PM EST on April 3, 2008
I was thinking this morning as I was talking to the Lord, and
suddenly I remembered the time when they brought a woman caught in the
act of adultery to Jesus. I remember how he said nothing, he merely
began to write in the dirt... the vision is so clear and vivid. Our
Lord is so beautiful...
I have heard some teach that they thought he was probably writing
various sins in the dirt that her accusers had committed themselves.
Others have taught that he wrote the laws/words of God in the dirt and
her accusers were so convicted over the guilt of their own sin that
they dropped the stones and walked away.
Every story, every recounting of every moment with Jesus fascinates me, every time...
I wish I had been there. I wish I could have been just a fly on the
wall or a lizard on a rock and watched him and listened to his words
fresh from his mouth, spoken by the very breath of God... someday.
-- oh yeah, where was I?...
Writing in the dirt.. right.
So as I was thinking about that this morning it occurred to me how
small we are. How we pray for people and miracles happen and God
intervenes and how all the power that flows forth is directly from him
rather than us -- he is the source, we are merely the conduit, the
pipeline that carries it. And I was overwhelmed by the privilege to
serve the Creator of all things in such a way. Just like Jesus reached
down and ran his finger thru that dirt, just as he spoke without
actually having to speak, he does the same thing today.
(definitely a selah moment)
That is our call, our commission. We -- dust of the earth -- are a
whiteboard for Jesus to speak without speaking. He touches us, dirt,
and he changes us. His hand is so gentle, so quiet, so full of peace
yet so full of power. And the world around us, hears his voice in all
that we do and all that we say. Who are we that God would use us for
such a glorious thing, that he would let us play such a significant
role, that he would throw us into the spotlight with himself?...
insignificant dirt that we are
We have no power, no glory, no righteousness... nothing.
And yet, he values us, he wants us with him, he wants to be with us,
and so he writes on us and lets us be a part of his world, a part of all that is important to him,
and he gives us power and glory and righteousness, freely, with love, as a gift,
all with a simple touch.
We must never forget that it is always about Christ who shines through us.
The glory and the goodness and the miracles are all about him and not us.
He loves letting us be a part of it, giving us purpose, sharing his glory and the excitement of it all.
Just as those in sin looked upon the dirt that Christ had touched, whatever was written there...
Just as they were convicted of their sin and gave up their anger,
dropping the carnal weapons of this world at the feet of Christ...
So should our lives, the dirt that we are, living billboards speaking the words of Christ without having to always speak...
So should our lives affect those in sin around us to give up their sin,
to love one another, to war with spiritual weapons, trusting God,
loving him, and loving those around us who may be guilty of committing
wrongs against us and against God (the same wrongs that Christ has
forgiven and released us from).
Our lives should be a
reminder of his love and his mercy, a declaration of his authority to
forgive whatever he chooses to forgive. Which is much.
We have been the accusers of this woman,
we have been this woman sitting helpless and hopeless in our guilt.
I pray that God would let us be the dirt, written on by the finger of
God, a new covenant, a new law called mercy, his voice that brings
change to the lives of all, healing and wholeness. We must choose who
we will be daily. Will be be the stone that crushes and kills, will we
be the one guilty of sin and rebellion, or will we be the dirt...
touched by his hand, changed, serving as the voice of our Lord to bring
an end to death and freedom from sin?...
We are dirt.
But when Christ touches us, breathes the breath of God into us,
Speaks thru us and thru our lives,
dirt becomes something beautiful and alive,
life-giving, precious, and like Jesus,
a reflection of Christ,
the bringer of Good News,
News that changes everything.
His touch makes all the difference.
Oh if he would but write on us today...
indentions in the dirt,
with a stick that may leave a scar,
with a Sharpie that could be any color of the rainbow,
whatever he wants to use
whatever he wants to say.
Wanna be beautiful?
Wanna feel power surge thru you and out to everything you touch?
Wanna be different and to make a difference?
then hand him a Sharpie and ask him to write on you too
^_^
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Posted by: SeLahGirl at 1:02PM EST on April 2, 2008
My Father's Will
(John 6:28-40)
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
God doesn't mind when we ask him sincere questions. Often times people
distort the Truth that we should not question God, and they use it to
manipulate people to obey something other than God. Often times when we
ask such questions from teachers or pastors or leaders they direct the
answer toward something they want us to do that they feel we should do
rather than toward Christ. It is a fine line. I am convinced that some
people don't even realize the error of such teaching, but others see
only their own will and nothing else. Such people are the blind guides
mentioned in Scripture by the Lord.
Instead, we should be
bold in our freedom to ask anything about God, to talk to him as though
he were that perfect parent or Father. As a mother, I have always
stressed communication to my children and encouraged them to ask me
anything as long as it is in sincerity and with a Godly measure of
respect. Our heavenly Father is a far better parent than we are as
earthly parents and a flawed humanity. We should not fear to ask him
anything if we ask with a pure heart. He encourages us to ask such
things in his word. Remember "Ask.. Seek... Knock...?" And he promises
to answer every time. Our Dad truly is the greatest.
So...
what must we do to be saved... believe Jesus, all that he did, all that
he said, and all that he is. Remembering that that belief, that faith,
goes far beyond just a confession. The words must be said and welcomed
and embraced and cherished and owned.
30So they asked
him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and
believe you? What will you do? 31Our forefathers ate the manna in the
desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
"Seeing is believing." But not in matters of Faith. Faith is believing
without having to see, believing simply based on the integrity and the
character of the person who has testified to you... as they delivered
the news... good or bad. Do we trust him? Would we stake our life and
the lives of those we love on what he claims is Truth? Are we willing
to give up our right to everything we have a right to if he says it is
necessary? That's Faith. That's believing... Not merely saying, "I
believe." People make that statement every day, that confession of
faith, but they have not truly calculated the cost of the house. They
have not invested themselves fully to the mission -- to the call -- to
the God that sent the news/message.
The people were used to
signs and wonders as proof. They did not realize that God was doing
something new, that a new covenant was being fashioned. They did not
realize that there would be no more ritual sacrifice, that the
fulfillment of all had come, and the burden of postponing judgment for
our sins was about to end. The final price was about to be paid, and
everything would change... they were still looking to the past, to the
old, instead of where their feet stood in that moment and forward into
the future. All that God had promised was coming. It was at hand. God
had returned to them in the flesh, he was with them again, Jesus had
come to the earth.
32Jesus said to them, "I tell you
the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but
it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the
bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world."
Jesus tried to explain to them that the old
covenant, all things past, were given by God to point them to this
moment. He tried to help them understand that the manna that Moses gave
was simply sustenance until they could comprehend that it is Jesus
Christ who gave them life and sustains them even to this day. The manna
is not the giver of life. Moses is not the giver of life. God is the
giver of life, and the work of Jesus becoming flesh is the
manifestation of LIFE. The manna coming from heaven to the earth was
simply a reminder of the promise of God since the fall of man... one
day God would come from heaven and restore life to each of us... the
death we partook of as we ate of rebellion would be washed from our
bodies and our being by the only thing that could cleanse such a stain.
The blood of God.
Death could only be stayed if a price was
paid to bind it and cast it into the lake of fire for eternity... to
remove it from existence... to make it no more. Something had to die.
That was the price. Not a man or a woman or a child because death
already owned all of us. It had to be something that he didn't have a
right to, something he didn't own, something precious... innocence made
flesh.
There was none innocent. There was none who could
become flesh. There was no one who could represent. No one among our
ranks who was worthy and without guilt, without sin. And so Jesus came
to earth and became one of us. The beauty of God confined and contained
in a body of dust and clay. The miracle that is the incarnation. Clean
and without spot, yet a man, possessing the right to have dominion over
all that is in the earth.
Oh how he must love us!
And so he laid himself on the altar as the only thing that could do
away with death once and for all... the only one who owned the one
thing that could clean the stain of sin and break the chains that bound
us to it... he offered himself like a gentle lamb, willingly, without a
fight, in his perfection as God and his innocence as the second Adam...
and the blood of God was poured upon our heads washing down into the
lowest places of our being and the darkest places of our hearts --
and sin and death were no more...
for all who would believe.
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will
never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But
as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All
that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I
will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my
will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of
him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me,
but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that
everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
How great is our God...
Oh how I love him <3
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