Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
About to get real...
"Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not despair, for I am your God." Is. 41:10.
God says those words to the Israelites. He goes on to say that He is their strength- He will lift them up, guide them, protect them.
Hearing pb's message about his fear, this is the verse that instantly came to my head. It is one of very few verses that I actually have memorized, and that I keep on the tip of my tongue at all times. As I look at it now, I can see what the fear is.
Regardless of our relationship with Christ, the truth is, we don't rely on Him in the ways that the Israelites HAD TO rely on Him. We can say this verse to comfort ourselves during a particularly tough time- losing a job, a loved one, after 9/11...that sort of thing. But have we ever thought about those words in the way that God really means them?
We can read the verse where Jesus talks about His Father feeding the birds, clothing them, etc. And how He will surely do even more for us. But seriously. Where does your food come from? Your debit card and the Weis Markets. Where do your clothes come from? The ultra clearance rack at Kohls or maybe you found something fantastic at Goodwill this week. The truth is, in this country, in our current situation- we are really living by our own means, even in this recession.
Sure, we realize that our jobs have come from God, and the fact that we can still survive on unemployement benefits and all that- we praise Him for providing that- for the fact that we aren't destitute. But we still have this idea- this fear that, if all that were gone, no more benefits, empty grocery store shelves, nothing but dust in a pantry that at least had a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese in it all the time...I mean, whoa! Is that possible? We can't fathom that.
When God tells us not to fear, He means it. The other verse I always remember is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding..." That last part, the not leaning on our own understanding- that is what we have to focus on if we are going to be successful in NOT FEARING because God is our God! I've said again and again...and again- God is getting our attention- demanding it, and He's putting Himself right where He needs to be in our lives- He needs to be EVERYTHING. The core, the focus, the REASON we move, breathe, eat, smile. Love the Lord with ALLLLLL your heart, all your mind, all your strength. Move in that direction.
And here is where we encounter the other fear- the kind I believe pb was talking about. We know who our God is. The Bible is a direct, precise description of Him, His intense love for us, and all the wonder, awe, amazement...whatever- we know it. The fear? We are about to experience Him and just what He is doing with us! There is no going back, there is no stopping Him, there is no time-out. The God we sing to on Sunday, the God we thank for our dinner, the God we speak to when we pray- YOU WILL KNOW HIM, YOU WILL WITNESS HIS GLORY, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE- in a way that I can't even begin to try to put into words here.
The scary part? Who knows how we will react. Can you imagine being brought to your knees in an instant? Right here? In the middle of a bunch of people? Can you imagine seeing something so absolutely miraculous...you think you are just...watching a movie or something? I hope, I pray that we can react with LOVE. I've said every time I've spoken that we need to be this kind of people, this kind of Body of Christ. THAT is how the Lord will add to our number daily- just like He did in the early church. We obey, we LOVE, we show people EXACTLY who our God is, and He draws them up in His arms, and...can you see that? Don't you want to see that? Be a witness to salvation? Praise God.
It saddens me that for God to get our full attention, many of us will have to be broken and re-forged in fire. That it's going to be a struggle- a struggle in which that first verse I mentioned, Is. 41:10, will echo in our heads, will become a constant voice. Absolute surrender- shudder at that. Shudder. And then rejoice. For we know who our God is. We know our Lord by name. Jesus is KING!!!!
God says those words to the Israelites. He goes on to say that He is their strength- He will lift them up, guide them, protect them.
Hearing pb's message about his fear, this is the verse that instantly came to my head. It is one of very few verses that I actually have memorized, and that I keep on the tip of my tongue at all times. As I look at it now, I can see what the fear is.
Regardless of our relationship with Christ, the truth is, we don't rely on Him in the ways that the Israelites HAD TO rely on Him. We can say this verse to comfort ourselves during a particularly tough time- losing a job, a loved one, after 9/11...that sort of thing. But have we ever thought about those words in the way that God really means them?
We can read the verse where Jesus talks about His Father feeding the birds, clothing them, etc. And how He will surely do even more for us. But seriously. Where does your food come from? Your debit card and the Weis Markets. Where do your clothes come from? The ultra clearance rack at Kohls or maybe you found something fantastic at Goodwill this week. The truth is, in this country, in our current situation- we are really living by our own means, even in this recession.
Sure, we realize that our jobs have come from God, and the fact that we can still survive on unemployement benefits and all that- we praise Him for providing that- for the fact that we aren't destitute. But we still have this idea- this fear that, if all that were gone, no more benefits, empty grocery store shelves, nothing but dust in a pantry that at least had a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese in it all the time...I mean, whoa! Is that possible? We can't fathom that.
When God tells us not to fear, He means it. The other verse I always remember is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding..." That last part, the not leaning on our own understanding- that is what we have to focus on if we are going to be successful in NOT FEARING because God is our God! I've said again and again...and again- God is getting our attention- demanding it, and He's putting Himself right where He needs to be in our lives- He needs to be EVERYTHING. The core, the focus, the REASON we move, breathe, eat, smile. Love the Lord with ALLLLLL your heart, all your mind, all your strength. Move in that direction.
And here is where we encounter the other fear- the kind I believe pb was talking about. We know who our God is. The Bible is a direct, precise description of Him, His intense love for us, and all the wonder, awe, amazement...whatever- we know it. The fear? We are about to experience Him and just what He is doing with us! There is no going back, there is no stopping Him, there is no time-out. The God we sing to on Sunday, the God we thank for our dinner, the God we speak to when we pray- YOU WILL KNOW HIM, YOU WILL WITNESS HIS GLORY, YOU WILL EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE- in a way that I can't even begin to try to put into words here.
The scary part? Who knows how we will react. Can you imagine being brought to your knees in an instant? Right here? In the middle of a bunch of people? Can you imagine seeing something so absolutely miraculous...you think you are just...watching a movie or something? I hope, I pray that we can react with LOVE. I've said every time I've spoken that we need to be this kind of people, this kind of Body of Christ. THAT is how the Lord will add to our number daily- just like He did in the early church. We obey, we LOVE, we show people EXACTLY who our God is, and He draws them up in His arms, and...can you see that? Don't you want to see that? Be a witness to salvation? Praise God.
It saddens me that for God to get our full attention, many of us will have to be broken and re-forged in fire. That it's going to be a struggle- a struggle in which that first verse I mentioned, Is. 41:10, will echo in our heads, will become a constant voice. Absolute surrender- shudder at that. Shudder. And then rejoice. For we know who our God is. We know our Lord by name. Jesus is KING!!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Has anyone seen my tin foil hat? Because I could really use it about now.
http://preventdisease.com/news/09/110209_ibm_internal_doc_reveals_knowledge_pandemic_2006.shtml
Seriously? Why can't I be more skeptical of this stuff? Why does the evidence have to be so gosh-diggity-darn logical and realistic?
All I can conclude is this: We know for a fact that there is a great Evil that wants to destroy us all. While we don't know that this Evil is controlling the government and the greatest powers in the world today, I would wager a great deal that he is. Heck, the only reason I wouldn't conclude that whole-heartedly and with much assuredness, is because I don't want people to think I'm some kind of conspiracy-freak-nutball. So, I guess you could say I do believe it, but that is not my focus. And once again, people are too naive or "intellectual" to actually believe there is a true Evil plotting against them in every possible way, including massive, government, world-wide catastrophe- to create hopelessness and despair, because that is his territory and he can swoop in and take hold. Well, I'm not going to be one of those- I will pay attention to this crap, as whacked-out as it may seem, and I will trust in the Lord- Trust in His provision, His protection, and His promise.
Ready yourselves, we'll sing until the whole world hears.
Seriously? Why can't I be more skeptical of this stuff? Why does the evidence have to be so gosh-diggity-darn logical and realistic?
All I can conclude is this: We know for a fact that there is a great Evil that wants to destroy us all. While we don't know that this Evil is controlling the government and the greatest powers in the world today, I would wager a great deal that he is. Heck, the only reason I wouldn't conclude that whole-heartedly and with much assuredness, is because I don't want people to think I'm some kind of conspiracy-freak-nutball. So, I guess you could say I do believe it, but that is not my focus. And once again, people are too naive or "intellectual" to actually believe there is a true Evil plotting against them in every possible way, including massive, government, world-wide catastrophe- to create hopelessness and despair, because that is his territory and he can swoop in and take hold. Well, I'm not going to be one of those- I will pay attention to this crap, as whacked-out as it may seem, and I will trust in the Lord- Trust in His provision, His protection, and His promise.
Ready yourselves, we'll sing until the whole world hears.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Ron Paul article
I consider Ron Paul to be an extremely wise man, particularly in the area of economics. I will be very surprised if he is wrong on this recession/hyperinflation business. His logic is nearly infallible, really. Regardless of how you feel about his other political positions, how can you argue with his economic reasoning? Seriously, how can you? I would seriously like to hear someone arguing against him and winning.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1116/opinions-great-depression-economy-on-my-mind.html
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1116/opinions-great-depression-economy-on-my-mind.html
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