Booking information August 27, 2009

For more information on booking Marcie Lynn for speaking engagements, check out her website at http://30days.info. Or download her Speaker’s Packet.

What’s Your News Program Like? November 7, 2009

Just had a flashing thought … Does it ever bother anyone else that news spends so much time talking about who the criminal was and what he did, showing his picture and stuff?? Or how about the way they cover the same news over and over and over again, hour after hour? Now here’s a thought … isn’t that the same thing we do when we dwell on our problems?

Since Satan’s main goal is praise or stealing praise from God, and since he is the opposite of God, wouldn’t talking about all the bad be the same as unintentionally giving praise to him? Think about it, he’s sitting there going, “Did you see that, I did that.” “HAHA! I didn’t even do that one, but they think I did, Whoo hoo score another one for me?” “Look at that one, one of my followers caused that pain which that one is dwelling on, just a few more minutes of focus from God stolen! High five me someone!”

I’m not saying that we can’t say what’s going on, or recognize the hardships that we are going through. Things like, “Man, I’m sick today.” Or “The doctor’s say this and that.” Or “I’m tired of all the problems I’m facing.” Or, “It sure is tough financially right now.” If we speak those things out, share what we are going through and what our concerns are, then we can get prayer support and agreement on them. Kind of like just giving the headline part of the news with a few details about the victims.

What about when we run the same news over and over and over again? What about when our problems become our focus?  What about when our problems get us so down, we don’t feel like doing anything? What about when our problems keep us from going to church or fellowship or reading our Bibles or worshiping? What about when we focus on the perpetrator? Or on what the perp did in detail? Does it really matter how many times someone was shot if they are dead? Does it really matter who shot them (unless it’s someone on the loose that needs to be caught and stopped) and what they look like if they are already in custody?

Most of the time, God already has our perps in custody. So the details of what they did and what they look like, don’t really matter. Most of the time he’s already working on a solution. So should we really concentrate on the perp and the details of the crime, or just how the crime is making us feel and prayer to help us through it?

hmmm What do you think?

Kill or be Killed – Holy Spirit or Not October 28, 2009

I was watching the podcast of Francis Chan – Holy Spirit Part 2 – and in it, he articulates what I was saying in my post “Dead Man Walking.” Since I can not find a way to “legal” pull out a part of his sermon titled Holy Spirit – Part 2, I am going to transcribe one part of the sermon. I encourage you to watch it all for yourself at His website. Once there, you will have to scroll down to 08/05/07). Actually, I encourage to watch all 7 parts of his Holy Spirit series!

You can also view it at an unaffiliated myspace site where you can fast forward to the part I transcribed, at about 27:00 (27 minutes into it).

Quoting Francis Chan, leaving out some of his exclamations and repeated words:

In verse 38 (Acts 2) Peter replies to the people that go, What do we do? He goes, “”Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” You see, the Holy Spirit drew them there, intrigued them, and they’re going, What in the world is this, what is going on, what does this mean? And Peter says, listen, this Jesus that you crucified, that’s what this is all about, and they’re like, Ok, what do we need to do, what do we need to do? And he goes, Ok, if you’ll repent and you get baptized, you can have the same Holy Spirit. See what’s going on here? You see that power? That can be yours. That’s the promise. You can have this. And what bugged me was like, what am I doing? How many times have I gotten on this stage, you guys hear me every week.  And I talk about, and I want to make sure everyone in here knows what this (putting hand on cross) is all about … every week I want to make sure you understand that this is about God here. And it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, how good you think you are, how evil you think you are, it doesn’t matter. God loves you and the truth is you have done things that are offensive to him. It doesn’t matter how bad it was, God still loves you. He loved you so much that he had his son die on a cross for you. Jesus on that cross, he had him who knew no sin, take your sin upon him. See Jesus took your sin upon him, he paid the penalty so that at the end of your life, if you believe, if you believe in that, then you don’t have to pay for your penalty. Christ already did. And I tell you, you can come and you can accept Jesus into your life, and you can get baptized. Baptism shows that he died and rose again in the same way that you’re dieing to that old you, your turn to a new lifestyle, you’re saying you know what, I want to follow. So I’ve shared all that. But then the verse goes on and says, and when you do that, you are going to receive the Holy Spirit of God. God, the Spirit will come into you. That is so huge.  I’m not saying I never read it, I’m not saying haven’t always believed it, I’m just saying man, I haven’t emphasized that. That is so huge. You  understand that’s the promise that God’s Spirit will come into you?

…. How many of you in this room, where you’ve thought about getting baptized. But then you think to yourself, well, I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I don’t want to be like all the hypocrites, where they get baptized, and then they live the same old life. And I want to make sure, that I’m really going to live the life first. And so when I’ve proven myself, what ever that means, whenever I feel I’ve been living the Christian life, then I’ll get baptized and then I’ll become a Christian. That doesn’t make any sense. You’re never going to pull off the Christian life. Not until the Spirit of God comes into your body. That’s your whole point.

{MY NOTE: DON’T MISS THIS —>} The point of repentance is that I’ve been living this way for so long, but man, I see Jesus, I see what he offers, I want him now. But you realize you’re powerless to do so. And that’s why the Bible says you need to get baptized, and have the Holy Spirit of God come into you and now suddenly all those sins you couldn’t get rid of before, you can do it now. You’ve got this new power. God will literally come inside of your body. And when he does that, it’s going to change everything. He’s going to absolutely change everything. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that when that Holy Spirit comes in that it’s going to be completely .. I think sometimes we get scared. Well, Francis, don’t preach the Holy Spirit too much because what if it doesn’t work for someone? Isn’t there a fear, what if they fall back and reject everything? You can’t go there.  … {then he tells about a movie …}

I feel like, we have the fear with the Holy Spirit. Like I’m going to tell someone, and I’ll be honest, this has been some of my fear, I don’t want to tell someone, ok, the Spirit’s going to come into you and he’s going to change you, because there’s a part of me that’s going, well what if he doesn’t? Then this is all a lie? And so, maybe if I just don’t say anything about his power, then I can’t loose.

{NOTE: DON’T MISS THIS —->>} But guys, that’s what faith is about, I have to believe, and I have to believe for those of your life is no different, no different, I’ve got to believe the Holy Spirit didn’t really come into you. Or you’re doing an amazing job hiding him. I mean, your able to suppress God, that’s pretty powerful. No, I’d have to say, you don’t get it. Because everything I read in that Book {pointing to the Bible} is that if the Holy Spirit really came into a person, he wold be transformed. And so it’s not that the Holy Spirit did not work, it’s that you didn’t really believe in him. And you did not really decide to turn and follow Jesus. Maybe you are still going down your path and saying, Oh yeah, I’d like a little Holy Spirit, maybe he can help me along my path. Maybe I can use it. You know, let me put him in my back pocket, like a little power I could use every now and then. Well, you know what, he’s not a power that you wield wherever you want. He’s a person, the Bible refers to him as a He and it says that we follow Him. And those who follow the Holy Spirit are the ones are going to have power to follow the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the flesh.

Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” YOU – You believers – YOU. Literally it says you are not in the flesh to do what you want to do. That’s a very important phrase, IF anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. {NOTE: This goes with my Are We Using the Key to the Gate?} It’s interesting in the Bible, one time he refers to one time as the Spirit of God and then again in the same sentence he refers to him as the Spirit of Christ. What does that tell you? Christ – God – it’s interchangeable … {he talks about how that blows his mind and he doesn’t get all of that} But what I do know, is that this verse says that if a person does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to the Spirit of Christ.

So let me ask a question, is there such thing as a Christian who does not have the Holy Spirit? No, it says right there. If you don’t have this Holy Spirit, then you don’t belong to Christ. So get rid of any theology in your head where you maybe were taught, well there are Christians, and then there are Christians with the Holy Spirit. You know, people will call and they’ll say, You know, is this a Christian church? Yeah. You know what, do you guys have the Holy Spirit in your church? And it’s like, no, we’re one of those Christian churches without the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t make sense. There is no such thing as a Christian that does not have the Holy Spirit. Now he goes on, he says, (v10) “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” IF, IF IF, that’s a big if. (v11) “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Do you understand this, YOUR spirit was dead, and now God puts his Spirit inside of you and you come alive. You see, if your spirit came alive, you would notice it. It’s been dead all this time, and now all of a sudden it’s alive. Make sure you understand, he’s not talking about a little power, not a little tweaking in your life. I’m talking about the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.

Imagine, imagine right now, dead body, crucified, beaten up, spear stuck in it’s side, just dead as dead can be and suddenly you see this thing rise up and walk around. The awe that you would feel. And God says, you know that kind of power, that’s inside of you now. What bugs me so much is that in the church we deal with our issues exactly the way they do in the world, with people that don’t have the Spirit. Where we’ll sit around and cry and whine and hug and go Oh, poor you, yeah, you know it stinks being me, I can’t get rid of this sin for the life of me. And I’m going, what are you talking about?

{NOTE: DON’T MISS THIS—>} So you’re saying, Yeah, you know what, God you are powerful enough to raise Jesus for the dead but my issues are bigger than that. Well that makes a lot of sense. You’ve got an amazing power, quit living as if you are powerless, the Spirit of God is inside of you, or did it even happen. Because your Spirit should be alive right now, the stuff you couldn’t do before, that’s the past. You’re a new creation now, the Spirit’s in you. And then he says this, (v12) “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.” We have an obligation – you don’t have an obligation to the old you. You can’t say as a Christian, I’m stuck, I’m obligated, I’m stuck in this sin. You don’t have that type of obligation. You’re not stuck in anything. You don’t have an obligation to be stuck in that sinful nature. But he says, you have an obligation, he says, (v13-14) “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” He says, you have serious power in you and now you have an obligation.

Your obligation is not to wake up in the morning and say, what do I feel like doing? And then you just go into what ever makes you feel good. He goes, if you are following that, if you are in that pattern, he says, you WILL die. What? Is he talking about physical death? Of course not, because everyone’s going to die. He goes, but if you go down this path, of just living in your sin, continuing your sin, you are headed for an eternal death. You have an obligation, that’s going to kill you. OR, you can put to death the misdeeds of the flesh, by the power of the Spirit, you can put to death … you see, very, it’s a graphic, war like term, it’s basically saying this, You either kill or be killed. Either you are going to kill, put to death your sin, or your sins going to kill you. There’s no in between here. Well, I’m just one of those Christians that walks in his sin, NO, there’s two types of people here, one who is killed by his sin, and the other who is killing his sin. It’s a picture of two fighters getting into a ring and fighting till death. ….

It’s like here’s my sin, and here’s my Spirit, so either my sin is going to kill me or I am going to put it to death. And the Bible says that the people who are led by the Spirit, they are going to put their sin to death, those are the sons of God. The other people they are that don’t have the Spirit of God, are not led by the Spirit of God and they’re going to continue and they have this obligation to their sin and they are going to die.

{NOTE DON’T MISS THIS —>} He goes, that’s why, if you see garbage in my life, if you see sin in my life, do not come over to me and give me a big hug and cry with me and say oh you poor, powerless, pitiful thing, oh, it’s ok Francis, you know what, waaa, you had a tough childhood, waa you don’t have a daddy, waaa you know, let’s think back to your childhood, NO. Look at me in the eyes, and say, Knock it off. You’re a man of God, you’ve got the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, now put that thing to death. Put that sin to death, you’re powerful! That’s what this passage is teaching us. {Goes with my To Judge or Not to Judge? That is the Question post}

Look, that’s the only choice you have. You can sit here and say, waaaa, waaaa, I’m enslaved by it, I can’t help it, or you go NO, I’ve got the Spirit of God, I’m going to put this thing to death. He says, if you put it to death, you’re going to live.  You let it kill you, you’re going to die. That’s all it says.

And then it very clearly says, For those who are led, remember LED, led by the Spirit of God, those are the sons of God. Led by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God is not a lifeless power, it’s a person. He, he, he, the Bible says, he. We’re led by Him. He leads us. If you came to this church today to say, I could use a little God, that’s not what this is about. Ok? Find some other power you know. Channel something else. God says, if you want to follow me, I lead. And those that follow me, those are my kids. My kids will follow me.

And this is the most beautiful part of the whole thing. Do not miss this. Verse 15-16 “or you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.^[g] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[h] Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” You got it? You can’t leave without getting this. The Bible teaches, and I can’t even explain it completely, but somehow, if you have the Holy Spirit of God inside of your body, the Bible says, God’s very Spirit unites with your own spirit and actually speaks to your spirit and actually there’s this relationship going on, between God’s Spirit and your spirit so that inside of you, from the very depths of your being, the very depths of your soul, you just cry out to God, ahh Daddy, Abba, Father! There’s something in you that just knows, that the Spirit somehow testifies to you, witnesses to you that God loves you like a father. And somehow it also creates this yearning in you that somewhere inside the depths of your being you just want to just cry out, the Bible says, Abba, Father. Now, I don’t have any clue how to explain it, but man, it’s happened to me.  I don’t know how to explain it for you, but when I read those verses, I go, Oh, I get that. Absolutely, something inside of me just cries out ahh, that’s my father up there, I am loved by him. It’s not a spirit of fear, he didn’t make me a spirit of slavery where I go, that’s my master, I am just a slave, you know, and he decides at the end whether he’s going to beat me or … it’s not about that.  He says, when the Spirit comes into you, there’s a spirit of sonship, there’s a spirit of security, where you just cry out Daddy, you know that God loves you and you know that you love him.   WATCH THE REST ….

Dead Man Walking … October 14, 2009

My pastor posted a status in Facebook that said, “close to 9 out of 10 born again Christians in the U.S. have values, lifestyles, and attitudes that are indistinguishable from those of non-born again Christians.” George Barna

Wow! Amazing. There were quite a few comments on his post. Including could there really be non-born again Christians. Anyway, this is some thoughts that came to my mind.

I guess the truth of the matter is there are only dead and living. Anyone can SAY they believe in Jesus. Anyone can SAY they are a Christian. And anyone can SAY they are born again. But the truth lies in their heart – it is either beating or not. Until the pulse is taken, the truth is not known.

There is no way to know just by looking at the outer surface that has been prepared for others to see. Think about the number of religions that if you only looked at their lifestyles and their values, you would be convinced that they are “Christians.” Yet the truth is they are really dead men walking. But I think the saddest part are those that THINK they are Christians, yet they have not been BORN-again. They are still living in their dead life, they have not truly been reborn, which means their heart has never really started beating. They are dead men walking but call themselves “Christian.”

I also think that even the true Christians have hearts that skip beats every once in a while. The difference is that a true Christian has a working pacemaker installed. The pacemaker gives our heart a shock and sets it back on pace. Jesus is the physician that installs a pacemaker (Holy Spirit) in the true Christian. No Jesus, no chance of having a pacemaker. Repentance is the battery, without it, it’s like taking the pacemaker and putting it in your heart and not using it. There is also a flip side which is putting a battery in your heart without a pacemaker. When you put it all together, your heart begins to work. You accept and believe in Jesus and he puts the Holy Spirit in your heart which brings true repentance which all keeps the heart working. There is really a big lifestyle and value difference between the man laying on the table dead, and the man who has had a great physician bring him to life. There are dead man walking around, trying to look like living men, but the living men have a joy, a stamina, an energy because they are truly thankful for the Great Physician (Jesus) and the pacemaker (Holy Spirit) that keeps their heart beating. And when they find themselves with a low battery, they go back to the Great Physician immediately and have it recharged!

Check out an Old Billy Graham video on The Moral Problem.

Study of Esther September 26, 2009

We are having a woman’s bible study on the book of Esther. Several ladies have asked for notes because they had to miss the study. So I thought I’d just post them right here. These are just notes I took during the discussion. If you happen to have done the study, please feel free to post your notes as well!

We are using Beth Moore’s, “Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman” book. To get the study guide pages with or without answers, visit http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=1415865965

(09/09/09) Introduction:

• The biblical book of Esther is written on a scroll (megillah), to be read on the festival of Purim. Every year the story is recited in synagogue. It is permitted to decorate the scroll since the text does not contain the name of God. Because of the length of the story, a long drawn-out tale is also known in Jewish circles as a megillah.
• Esther is regarded as the scroll par excellence, and is often referred to simply as ha megillah, or ‘The Scroll
• It is the only book in the Bible in which there is no mention of God.
• The story takes place in Susa. The modern Iranian town of Shush is located at the site of ancient Susa. During the reign of King Ahasuerus, the Persian king.
• Jewish exiles from the Kingdom of Judah who had been living in the Babylonian captivity (6th Century BCE) found themselves under Persian rule after Babylonia was in turn conquered by the Persian Empire.
• In Susa itself, besides the local population and the Iranians, there were large number of Babylonians, Egyptians, Jews and Greeks. The Jews living in Susa were a strange group of Jews because they blended with the Gentiles. There is no longing by these Jews to return to Jerusalem. Many Judeans were so preoccupied with eking out a living that they took little interest in the rebuilding of the Temple.
• Summary of the story: http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/passover/shushan-purim/
• God will lift you up in due season. In the book of Esther, God is in the background, working things out. He is not in the foreground. You don’t know what he is doing for you.

(9/16/09) Character Sketches (Esther 2:1-7)

• Mordecai or Mordechai – a Jew, the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin
  Tribe of Benjamin. He was from the upper class of Jews. V 5:13 we see him referred to as “that Jew,” there was no popularity found in being a Jew. Mordecai went from a place of position to poverty. Poverty is poverty, unless you come from a place where you know what you are missing. He was “bringing up” Hadassah, his cousin. He probably had her from a young age.

• Esther was born with the name Hadassah. Her parents died. She began her life parentless – motherless. Nothing about her, other than beauty, qualified her to be a Queen.
• 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. God is attracted to weakness because it makes more room for His strength in you.
• Your past and your future have the same root. Esther doesn’t separate her history from her destiny. God uses your history to shape your destiny.
• There are four classes of women:
  • Wants everyone to think she is beautiful
  • Wants men to think she is beautiful
  • Doesn’t want anyone to think she is beautiful
  • Hopes just one will think she is beautiful

(9/23/09) Meanness (meanness always has a history; meanness perceives a threat; meanness catches like a virus; meanness is curable) (Esther 3:1-5)

• Haman as his name indicates, Haman was a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites.
• Haman and Mordecai.
  • God commanded what attitudes Jews should have toward Amalek in Deuteronomy 25:17-19 referring also to Exodus 17:8-16
  • Haman was full of pride and was cruel. Today people are offended when people do not honor and praise them. This is how Haman was. Mordecai has proven himself trustworthy by saving the king’s life.
  • When Mordecai would not bowl to Haman, he was also disrespecting the king. His conduct would have been noticed but he chose to stand for God’s will regardless of the opposition. He refused to sin.
  • Haman requests decree of death of Jews, five years after Esther had become queen. He cast pur (lot) for month and day which came up as the 12th month and 13th day.
  • Haman’s ancestors should have been destroyed but Saul chose to let Agag live.
  • Haman offered 10,000 talents for approval of his plan to eliminate the Jews. Ten thousand talents of silver is equivalent to 375 tons! The King refused the money but approved the plan.
  • Haman used half truths and false insinuations.

• Coming in contact with a mean girl brings out your mean girl.
• When meanness is stirred up inside of you, try to identify the threat.

(09/30/09) The Human Dilemma of Destiny (Esther 4:1-14)

• Mordecai had a deep sense of responsibility of his conduct. Mordecai didn’t just grieve, he came up with a way to deal with it.
  • Mordecai documented his accusation.
  • God is never mentioned but Mordecai reveals deep faith in the providence of God. Mordecai’s response to Esther was another place in the book that was a veiled allusion to God. Like Esther, we need to realize that ‘it” is going to come, but will you be a part of it?
  • He had a sense of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. He knew that the promise to Abraham, Moses, and David could not be fulfilled if the entire nation were wiped out.
  • The words, “her people” would have revealed to Hathach that Esther was a Jew.
  • He had the right perspective of God’s purposes and timing
    • he saw the macro picture – God will save his people
    • he also saw the micro – how God can use Esther
    • he had a keen sense of God’s timing
    • he seized the window of opportunity
    • he knew that God will still act if we don’t

• Esther, at first, was like Moses, she looked at the difficulties and made excuses.
  • It had been 30 days since she had been summoned.
  • She was not living a fulfilled married life. She shared her husband with many concubine.
  • Living as Queen was not easy.
• Esther turned out to be like Joseph and Paul, to advantage of her position.
  • Use your blessings and advantages to do God’s will.
  • Esther was given a place of authority and God was trusting her with something. Find your place of authority, what has God entrusted you with? What are you going to do with it?
  • The Jews fasted, wept, wailed, and laid in sake cloth and ashes. Esther asked for them to fast, not to eat or drink for three days.
• How many times do we feel unworthy of making petitions of God?
• What reasonable expectation have happened in your life? What do you think God does not understand about your situation? Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. God is in it some where! God is bigger!
• We may fear problems we may face if we serve God, but we need to have a much greater fear of the consequences for not serving God. Mordecai knew when to make a stand (remember, he asked Esther to not reveal her nationality).
• God’s will is revealed in scripture.
• Look up ‘you will know’ in the Bible and many times you will find ‘And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’
• You can be a part of something good that is going no where or a part of some thing good going some where – a part of History.

For Such a Time as This (Esther 4:11-17)

(When looking at this section, Pastor Jennifer used reference to the birth process. Pregnancy is made up of many events leading up to the birth of a baby. The birth time is a time of transition. When giving birth, you can not push at the wrong time because it could jeopardize the health of the baby. Everything in you could be telling us to push but you can not push until the Doctor tells you to, no matter how much you want to. We may feel we have good reason to push, but we have to wait until the appropriate time. The position of the baby is also a critical factor in how easy or hard the birthing process is. Keep this process in mind as you read through some of the following notes.)

• Esther had a transformation from verse 11 (self preservation) to verse 16 (to brave determination)
  • It is a transition of her life. Sometimes it plays out in events, but it is always about the transition inside.
  • Transitions are crucial – a matter of life or death.
  • It is about embracing those moments just before birth – taking time to see God, but we want to birth it before it is time.
  • Let God do it or you risk the life of the promise.
  • We can protect our self right out of our calling – self preservation. Esther showed us there is a part of us that can be courageous.
  • We have good reasons but they are not good in the destiny that God has for us. Each and every one of us is playing a vital role in the world today.
  • God allows us to make decisions based on the what and the how. We can decide to do the right ‘what’ but with the wrong ‘how’. The how is sometimes the test.
• Overcome self
  • Once you make a decision, do not go back. When you know, that you know, that you know, it is what God has called you to do.
  • Esther had to get over herself. Se was the biggest obstacle. God does not give up on you.
  • Don’t resist God moving you into the place he wants you to be in. Position is everything in the birthing process. it makes the difference in how easy the promise will come. When you get into position, do not try to get yourself out. He has got you in the right place at the right time.
• Side note …
  • Do not try to fix everyone. Sometimes when you try to fix things you end up enabling or even getting in the way of what God is trying to do.
  • When you see someone on a roller coaster of their own, don’t jump on it and take the ride with them. Wait at the bottom and when they get off, let them know that you are there for them and have been there for them all along.
  • Sometimes people have to learn by suffering the consequences (riding the whole ride). Jumping in and saving them from the consequences can be enabling them.
  • Let God work in his timing.

More notes to come as the study continues, check back each week for updates.

Husband 1.0 Technical Support Letter September 15, 2009

lol This is from the book by Bill and Pam Farrel titled, “Men Are Like Waffles Women Are Like Spaghetti.”

Dear Tech Support:

Recently I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed that the new program began making unexpected changes to the accounting software, severely limiting access to wardrobe, flower, and jewelry applications that operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure. In addition, Husband 1.0 unisntalls many other valuable programs such as DinnerDancing 7.5, CruiseShip 2.3, and OperaNight 6.1 and installs new, undesirable programs such as PokerNight 1.3, SaturdayFootball 5.0, Golf 2.4, and ClutterEverywhere 4.5, Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and invariably crashes the system. Under no circumstances will it run DiaperChanging 14.1 or HouseCleaning 2.6. I’ve tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix Husband 1.0, but this all-purpose utility is of only limited effectiveness.

Can you help, please!!

Sincerely, XXX

Dear XXX:

This is a very common problem women complain about, but it is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 with no idea that boyfriend 5.0 is merely an ENTERTAINMENT package. However, Husband 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and was designed by its creator to run as few applications as possible. Further, you cannot purge Husband 1.0 and return to Boyfriend 5.0 because Husband 1.0 is not designed to do this. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Boyfriend 5.0 to emulate husband 1.0, so nothing is gained. It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the program files from the system once installed. Any new program files can only be installed once per year, as Husband 1.0 has severely limited memory. Error messages are common, and a normal part of Husband 1.0.

Having Husband 1.0 installed myself, I might also suggest your read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults (GPFs). This is a wonderful feature of Husband 1.0, secretly installed by the parent company as an integral part of the operating system. Husband 1.0 musst assume ALL responsibility for ALL faults and problems, regardless of root cause. To activate this great feature enter the command “C:I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME.” Sometimes Tears 6.2 must be run simultaneously while entering the command. Husband 1.0 should then run the application Apologize 12.3 and Flowers/Chocolates 7.8.

TECH TIP!

Avoid excessive use of this feature. Overuse can create additional and more serious GPFs, and ultimately YOU may have to give a C:IAPOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal operations. Overuse can also cause Husband 1.0 to default to GrumpySilence 2.5, or worse yet, to Beer 6.0. Beer 6.0 is a very bad program that causes Husband 1.0 to create FatBelly files and SnoringLoudly wave files that are very hard to delete. Save yourself some trouble by following this tech tip!

Just remember, the system will run smoothly, and take the blame for all GPFs, but because of this fine feature it can only intermittently run all the applications Boyfriend 5.0 ran. Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applicaqtions quickly. Consider buying additional software to improve performance. I personally recommend Hotfood 3.0, Lingerie 5.3, and Patience 10.1. Used in conjunction, these utilities can really help keep Husband 1.0 running smoothly.

After several years of use, Husband 1.0 will become familiar and you will find many valuable embedded features such as FixBrokeThings 2.1, Snuggling 4.2, and BestFriend 7.6. A final word of caution! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install MotherinLaw 1.0. This is not a supported application and will cause selective shutdown of the operating system. Husband 1.0 will run only Fishing 9.4 and Hunting 5.2 urtil MotherinLaw 1.0 is uninstalled. I hope these notes have helped. Thank you for choosing to install Husband 1.0, and we here at Tech support wish you luck.

If you want a book to learn from and laugh at, you have to pick up this book.

Are We Using the Key to the Gate? September 9, 2009

So, we’ve said our little prayer to Jesus and asked him into our lives. We thanked him for the sacrifice that he made when he died on the cross for our sins. We acknowledge that he is God’s only begotten Son. We faithfully believe that he has risen from the dead. And now …. WE ARE SAVED!!! Really? Are we sure?

20Therefore, you will [o]fully know them by their fruits. 21Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? 23And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].(C) 24So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a [p]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.   – Matthew 7:20-24 (AMP)

V21 – Not everyone … WHOA!! Wait a minute! Yep, that’s probably what the people standing around said, v 28 it  says,

When Jesus had finished these sayings [the Sermon on the Mount], the crowds were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching,

Let’s break it down by using the Message version of these passages:

^21-23“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance— isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

^24-25“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

^26-27“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

I’ve been reading about Kingdom living and it is funny how studying the Bible (not just reading it) can reveal what you already know, but don’t realize. Huh?? Think of it like this, how often do you think about the fact that you can walk? You know you can walk, but do you REALIZE it? I know there are people reading this that may not be able to walk, but I’m just using this to paint a picture. You know things that you don’t take time to realize (be fully aware or cognizant of). I hope reading this will bring someone to a realization.

There are ultimately two Kingdoms we can live in, the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Satan. That’s really all there is. Whether we recognize it or not, we are all residents of one or the other. Let me ask you something … Can you live in one country and follow all the rules of another? Can you imagine someone from Australia being in the US and driving on the left side of the road because that is what they do in Australia? So if we say that we are from the Kingdom of God and still follow the same rules that we lived by before changing Kingdoms, we are going to have some trouble.

Here’s the thing, Jesus is our entrance into the Kingdom of God, there is no other entrance to the Kingdom but through the blood of Jesus the Christ. We say our prayer and we see Jesus for who he really is and we step over the line and move into the Kingdom of God. Yay!  We made it! Now what?

We have a few choices:

We can choose to go back, or maybe just to go back and forth. We can play the game of jump the Kingdom line if we want, not really staying in either Kingdom for too long. You are not really a resident of the Kingdom. But what if the King comes to visit and shuts off the boarder? Better hope we are in the Kingdom we really want to be in because we just became permanent residents!  Luke 11:23 says,

“This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse.

We can choose to stay where we are. Yeah, that seems like a comfortable idea. No major traveling, no struggling to get to a nicer place. No worries about the King thinking we are not with him.  We’ll just set up house right here. But God says,

But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don’t know how bad off you are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. -  Revelation 3:16 (CEV)

Here’s the thing, God knows there are residences like this. He knows there are those camped out on the outskirts of the Kingdom, not making any real commitments. In Matthew 13, Jesus said,

⁴⁷Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a ^[q]dragnet which was cast into the sea and gathered in fish of every sort.    ⁴⁸When it was full, men dragged it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted out the good fish into baskets, but the worthless ones they threw away.    ⁴⁹So it will be at the close and consummation of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God)    ⁵⁰And cast them [the wicked] into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth.

So, what distinguishes the residences? Who will get to stay and who will be thrown out? It’s important to understand that Faith in Jesus gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven, Colossians 1 says,

^13-14God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. (MSG)

But we have to go further into the Kingdom. We have to show our loyalty to the Kingdom. We have to be willing to serve the Kingdom. We need to head toward the center of the Kingdom and take up full residency. Instead of sitting on the boarder, we need to go through the gate and venture further in, make some commitments, Matthew 7 says,

¹³Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it.    ¹⁴But the gate is narrow (contracted ^[k]by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it.^(A)

But the only way through the gate is to use the key. We have to use the key of Repentance, James 1 says,

²²Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it. ²³If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror ²⁴and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. ²⁵But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget. (CEV)

He gives us the formula for using that key and staying on the narrow path and making the journey to the center of  His Kingdom in 2 Peter 1. The shortest version of this is probably the Message version,

^3-4Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

^5-9So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

^10-11So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But we can’t miss the requirements for true citizenship in the Kingdom of God listed here. It’s important that we understand what they really mean. It’s important that we study the laws of the land so we don’t find ourselves driving on the wrong side of the road!

Here’s the thing that Christians seem to miss, we miss that it doesn’t matter how much we study the laws of the Kingdom (in the Bible), if we don’t change (from driving on the left side) when we learn something new (drive on the right side), we are heading right for a wreck. And one day, our chance at changing, will be closed off. One day, the King is going to come back and he’s going to say, okay, everyone in this Kingdom that hasn’t been studying and trying to follow my ways, you’re out!

Matt 7:²¹Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

We enter the Kingdom of Heaven through the blood of Jesus the Christ. It is only through Jesus that we can be saved, there is no other entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. We get the key to the gate with repentance. Through repentance is how we prove our allegiance to the King, show that we have truly accepted what Jesus has done for us, and that we are ready to follow God’s ways and not our own. Without repentance, we are only giving verbal allegiance.

Once the truth is discovered, we will find that in the Kingdom of Heaven no one puts up permanent homes, because it truly is a Journey and there is always more and more land to discover!

—————————–

Check out this video: Judgement Seat of Christ

——————————

Jesus told many parables illustrating the principles of Kingdom living:

The Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32 – Teaching obedience is the test of sonship within the Kingdom family.

The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:30-37 – Kingdom principle of love to all.

The Two Debtors – Luke 7:41-43 – Teaches love will be shown by the one who has experienced the love of the Kingdom.

The Pharisee and the Publican – Luke 18:10-14 – Teaches how people should approach God to offer worship, praise, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession in the Kingdom. Teaches humility in prayer and warning of self-righteousness.

The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8) and the Persistnet Friend (Luke 11:5-10) – Teaches the importance of persistence in prayer.

The Faithful Manager – Matthew 25:14-30 – Teaches wise and righteous stewadship of Kingdom treasures entrusted to believers.

Seats at the Wedding Feast – Luke 14:7-11 – Teaches the importance of humility and that promotion in God’s Kingdom comes from teh Lord.

The Vine and the Branches – John 15:1-6 – Teaches the relationship of Jesus to the Church.

The Laborers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16 – Teaches eternal rewards are not made on the basis of worldly standards.

The Servant’s Office – Luke 17:7-10 – Teaches our responsibility to serve and do those things commanded by the King.

The King Going to War – (Luke 14:31-33) and the Man Building a Tower (Luke 14:28-30) – Emphasizes the importance of proper understanding of the commitment to the Kingdom.

The Wedding Garment – Matthew 22:10-14 – Teaches the necessity of being clothed in righteousness to REMAIN in the Kingdom. It is through Jesus’ righteousness, not self-righteousness.

The Rich Man’s Meditation – Luke 12:16-21 – Teaches the folly of relying on temporal material wealth.

The Mote and the Beam – Matthew 7:1-5 and Luke 6:41-42 – Teaches that we should judge ourselves rather than others.

The Harvest – Matthew 9:37-38 and Luke 10:2 – Teaches the need for extending the Kingdom.

——————————

More information on what 2 Peter 1 says (NIV), put your mouse over the word to see what the original word and meaning; click on it to do further study:

³His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

¹⁰Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, ¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

See this shocking message delivered at a youth conference. Listen with your heart. Paul Washer – Shocking Message

²⁴So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a ^[p]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.

Old enough to … August 27, 2009

Been pondering this – 18 year olds are not old enough to handle drinking and smoking, but they can vote in the leader of our country – 16 year olds are not old enough to vote in the leader of our country but they are old enough to be responsible with a… vehicle, one of the top causes of deaths – 14 year old are not old enough to drive a vehicle but they are old enough to be entrusted with care of small children. hmmm

Walk your talk … August 26, 2009

Watched this video earlier titled, Is your walk just talk? Made me stop and think. I’ve also heard and said, Do you walk your talk? But this morning, another question came to mind. Does your walk talk? Well, yeah, it does. No matter what, it does. So the real question is, WHAT does your walk talk? What does it say? To a stranger? People you live with? Even when you are alone? Bottom line … Your walk IS your talk, so what is your walk really saying?

The Love Triangle August 18, 2009

I was cleaning out some old papers and came across some notes I took clear back in August 29, 2006. I think it’s really interesting how I came across only 13 days shy of exactly three years from the time I wrote it. THIRTEEN days … THREE years! And the whole thing has to do with Triangles, three things connecting together.

I noticed that Love tends to come in triangles. The first triangle I noticed is Father (God), Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. 1 John 5:7 – So there are three witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One.

Titus 3:4-6 – ⁴But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior to man [as man] appeared, ⁵He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶Which He poured out [so] richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

God loved and because He loved He sent Jesus, His Son -  John 3:16. He allowed His Son to be the sacrifice for all our sins – Romans 5:8.

Because Jesus loved, he was willing to bear that heavy burden Luke 22:41-42. Because he died, we are renewed by the love of the Holy Spirit Acts 1:8.

Because the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us, we have a direct connection to God 1 Corinthians 3:16.

————————————————————-

Ephesians 5:33 – However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

The man who puts God first and becomes more like Christ, loves himself and is better able to love his wife. The more he loves his wife, like Christ loved the church, the more his wife will be able love him. Ephesians 5:25

The woman who puts God first and becomes more like Christ, will love herself and will be free to submit to her husband. Ephesians 5:24

————————————————————-

Ephesians 6:4, 9 – Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord. …

You masters, act on the same [principle] toward them and give up threatening and using violent and abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him.

The man who puts God first and becomes more like Christ will walks as an example of Christ and will be a reflection God’s love – 1 John 2:6.

The child that watches their parent walk as an example of Christ and reflect God’s love tend to imitate that example and will find it easier to love God.  1 Corinthians 4:14-16

————————————————————-

1 Thessalonians 1:8 – For not only has the Word concerning and from the Lord resounded forth from you unmistakably in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere the report has gone forth of your faith in God [of your [a]leaning of your whole personality on Him in complete trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. So we [find that we] never need to tell people anything [further about it].

As a Believer puts God first and becomes more like Christ and walks in His ways, he is observed by the unbeliever. 1 Thessalonians 1:5

The unbeliever watches and gains respect for the believer, then begins to imitate the believer which leads him right to Christ.   1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

————————————————————-

There are so many more love triangles like this if you look for them. The key is that God is at the top and is at the focus. There are many people who accept that God loves them and claim that love, yet they do not reflect that love or do not accept Jesus as part of that love. There are many who accept Jesus, yet do not reflect his love and his walk.  They absorb it and keep it for themselves. They in essence are only accepting only two parts of the original triangle …

Romans 8:12-16 So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh. For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father! The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.

Only when we become true followers of Christ with the Holy Spirit’s help can we close the other side and complete the triangle bringing us into REAL relationship with God our Father. As we accept the Holy Spirits guidance, we allow the Spirit to convict us, guide us, and work through us. We give up all control of our lives, which is sometimes a very difficult thing to do. But if we do not give up that control, we do not close off the other side of the triangle, we, ourselves are incomplete, lonely, searching, unfulfilled, depressed, unsatisfied, discontent …

Romans 8:13 – For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.

You may have accepted God, you may have accepted Jesus, but if you haven’t accepted His Way, haven’t accepted His Control, now it is time!

————————————————————-

If you’re not sure whether you have actually given up that control, read over this scripture, take a hard look at yourself and see how you are truly walking and living. Be sure you know exactly what the words mean, some meanings are listed if you hover your mouse over the word.

Galatians 5

¹⁶But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.

¹⁸But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

¹⁹Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,

²⁰Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),

²¹Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

²³Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [^[f]that can bring a charge].

²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

²⁵If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit ^[g]we have our life in God, let us go forward ^[h]walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

²⁶Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

“Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible.”

Slide 3

Titus 3:4-6