all_usernames_have_been_taken's Revelife

Memorization--Philippians

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:54:39 GMT

Philippians 4:4-8 (TNIV)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

I did my last study on Philippians last weekend. It only has four chapters so it goes by quickly. Once again, I do not have my notebook with my notes on this passage as I did not think I would be writing this today. I will write more on this when I have my notebook. But lets just say that I love looking up definitions of the original Greek used. :D

Operation Memorization--still Philippians

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:09:13 GMT

Philippians 2:14-16a (TNIV)

"Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life."

Philippians 3:18-21 (TNIV)

"For as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body."

I won't write a lot right now. But I chose these verses because I feel they contain the main themes of the chapter or half-chapter they come from. I also think they are important to remember and keep in my heart because they remind me of who I should be in Christ and what my relation to the world should be.

1) Philippians 2:14-16a shows me what can ruin my witness to Christ: simply this, grumbling and arguing. I complain and I often will argue with my youngest sister and others, but this is not something that God wants us to do. It's funny because Paul takes this from Deuteronomy, waaaay back right before Moses died and Joshua took over leading the Israelites. God had told Moses he would die and that after he did, the Israelites would turn right around and start worshipping idols again and turn away from God. The phrase "children of God in a warped and crooked generation" comes from a song that Moses gave the Israelites to pass on through the generations. It was a prophetic song telling them of their impending unfaithfulness. But it was also a song of remembrance so neither they nor their descendants would forget how they turned against God. Moses called the Israelites "not His children" and "a warped and crooked generation". This seems to me that they became the lowest of the low in God's eyes. They continually refused to follow Him so he rejected them. He said: " I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding." (which refers to Gentiles, those who were not God's chosen people and had no knowledge of or followed the Law set down for the Israelites by God). God's chosen people were the warped and crooked generation. What a blow to their egos! Paul basically tells us not to be like the Israelites. They were consantly complaining and arguing with each other and with God about what they thought should be happening and how He never provided for them, blah, blah, blah, ect. These people were not following God; they were worshipping idols and totally rejected the One who had saved them and given them this amazing Promised Land. So this says to me that I need to continue to remain faithful to my God, to be an example of someone that follows God in trust and faith. I should not be modeling the vogue of the world who have rejected God, but stand apart. When I follow God I should appear to be different, like a pinpoint of light in a void of dark, in the darkeness but seperate and distinct from the dark. Stars are also guides and can be used to direct people, so I should be pointing the way to Truth and back to God.

(sorry, I thought I wasn't going to write a lot.)

I'll comment more on Philippians 3:18-21 later. But I guess the first part kind of provides a view of what the world looks like and how sad it is. They choose to satisfy themselves with temporal things and focus on themselves. It's all about me, me, me. Let me have fun by prostituting myself to my desires. Believers in Christ should be the opposite of this. It kind of ties in with Philip 2:14-16a where it says we should be like beacons in a sea of darkness. We should not be connected to or allied to "worldy" things that only focus on the here and now or how I can get what I want so I'll be happy. We should ally ourselves and be committed to the things of heaven and of God which include following Him (loving God and others--focus away from self) and worshipping Him, etc.

It also gives us a picture of the hope that awaits us. Our God will one day take all this chaos that is the world and make it orderly. It will make sense and be perfect like it was meant to be. Our physical bodies will also become pefect, not deformed, disfigured, in pain, disproportionate, awkward, etc. They will be like God's, in whose image we were made. Without defect or blemish. What a wonderful image!

How do you think of citizenship, and especially "citizenship in heaven"? What does that entail for you?

What is holding you back from shining like a star? Are there little things you do (like arguing) that you think of as just normal but you know should not be part of your life?

Operation Memorization--Philippians

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:10:56 GMT

All right, here are my first two memory verses from my morning devotions that I had this past weekend. (quiet time in the mornings was one of my goals, still working on it). I'm typing these from memory. And I think I have an NIV Bible.

Philippians 1:9-11
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 2:3-4
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit; rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

note: I encourage you all to read and study Philippians on your own in order to draw your own conclusions and make it real to yourself. But here are my thoughts so far. I have more in a notebook that I will probably post later since I don't have it with me.

Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi?? while he was in jail. Anyway, the first thing he tells them is that He is praying for them "with joy" for the things God is doing in their lives and He's encouraging them to continue in their faith. Philippians 1:9-11 is what He desires to see developed in their lives, this discernment and wisdom. He wants this for them so they can be better witnesses of Christ, so that people will see God in them, not for their own personal gain. He goes on to talk about his continual persecution but not because he's complaining or asking for a reprieve but because he wants them to see their persecutions as something good. Although he is, in reality, just talking about what has happened to him and how he has been debating whether it would be better for him to keep living or to just die already and go to be with his Father. He ultimately decides that it would be better to die and be with Christ, but he will continue to strive and keep living because it will serve to advance the gospel and help the newly established Church. I think that a deeper purpose for this is to just encourage them to keep striving to live for Christ no matter what difficulties they encounter. This is also emphasized by the final verses of chapter 1 in which Paul exhorts the Philippians to take heart in the persecution and suffering that they are facing. That, as a church and one body of believers, they must hold each other up so they can stand firm in their faith.

I chose Philippians 2:3-4 because I think it sums up the next two sections of Paul's letter. In Chapter two, Paul continues his theme of one united body of believers. He reminds them that their faith and service to Christ is not about them because it is just this, service. Here we see another exhortation to imitate the life of Jesus because He set the ultimate example for how someone living a life for God should act. It is all about everyone else, never about ourselves. This means putting everyone else before yourself. It's crazy, try doing that for a day: they get the biggest piece of cake, they get to pick the movie even if you've already seen it, they get the best seat, they, they, they. But it's also not about doing this out of motives for our own honor. (aside: this reminds me that while we are called to be humble, pride can easily mask itself as humility. so, watch out for this) Then he goes on to tell of two of his helpers, Timothy and Epaphroditus, who are also committed to serving Christ. He emphasizes here their service and commitment to Christ and not to themselves (ie. Epaphroditus almost died because of serving God, yet who still is pressing on and willing to go back for more). I think this is another way of re-stating what he has just been talking about with putting others before yourself, pressing on in Christ, and not letting suffering get in the way.

-Question: I'm curious about this so if anyone has an answer, please let me know. 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out^[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
What does v 17 mean? I don't really understand what a drink offering is, was used for, etc. so this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Any of you Bible history buffs, feel free to enlighten me! Thanks :D

Personal revelation taken from Philippians 2:21:
21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
My faith is not about me. It really isn't. Or, at least, shouldn't be. It is really about the purposes of Jesus. To focus on Him and on His purposes. As a believer, I have been entrusted with furthering God's purposes in the world and sometimes, lots of times, that means sacrifice. But that shouldn't matter because once I picked up that cross, I gave it all to Him who took my shame and my sin an made my life whole. I pray to be more like Timothy, and Paul, and Epaphroditus who took up the work of God even when they knew what they were risking, who looked to Jesus' interests by helping the church in Philippi and not to their own welfare.

Again, these are my thoughts, but there's lots more in those two chapters. If anyone reads over them and thinks of something, please post it!

A few years ago, what I called the "small books" in the New Testament seemed mostly like a bunch of rules and things for Christians to follow. And they do contain lots and lots of advice for how to be a Christian, but they are not rule books. They were letters written from one man to a bunch of people, usually newer bodies of Christians or churches that ran into problems in their faith. Now, I'm no expert, but here are some things that helped me to realize how I can get the most out of studying these letters:
          *read the entire thing out loud like the recipients might have done when they received the letters. Picture these Christians all gathered around to hear what this guy, Paul, whom they loved so much, had to say.
          *when you are reading, try not to pay attention to paragraph breaks, verse numbers, or headings. This is called manuscript study, and helps you focus on the original context and the flow and how sections interact. This was one big thought process not specifically designated, entitled sections.
          *try to get the context of the letter: who was it written to, when, why was the author writing these specific things (what purpose did it have)
           *remember that it was written in a totally different culture than today
          *ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS--this is equally important with any portion of the Bible you want to study

Anyway, I hope you made it all the way to the end. I know it was long, sorry :)

Scripture Memorization

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:33:33 GMT

Hey everyone!
I've been pretty busy this week so I couldn't get to the internet. But I've started memorizing key verses from Philippians. That is also the book I've started to do devotions from. I'll post more on my memory verses later!

Goals for Spiritual Development

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:26:04 GMT

Ok, so, I'm a pretty goal oriented person. I dream big and play hard. Just getting out of a spiritual slump/desert I don't want to lose my fervor again. I want to develop my spiritual maturity so that I can be used by God to my fullest potential. I don't want to be a useless Christian. And I'm going to be a small group Bible study leader on my campus next school year. So I should be strong right? and know what I believe and why. I also want to understand more about God's heart for justice, the poor, the orphaned, the widow, the dying, and those enslaved to sin.

So here are some things I want do:

Read: Red Letters: Living Faith to End Poverty

Dangerous Surrender

Fields of the Fatherless

Memorize Scripture (don't know which verses yet)

Pray in a consistent, commited manner on a daily basis

Start doing Bible studies/quiet times in the morning

Start excersising physically at least 3 times per week (goal here is to feel less lazy, gain more energy, and build even more self-discipline)

Commit to start sharing and excersising my faith actively through friends, classmates, and giving my finances to God to use how He wants me to)

I'm sure this will definitely be a long process for me to get into the habit of doing all of these things especially with commitments like school, work, InterVarsity and others. But I pray that with God's help I will be able to focus on Him as the goal and the means of getting there and not to rely on my efforts as I often do.

Lord, break my heart so I am not strong apart from you. Break my heart to have compassion on the lost and not to look down on them as I have been conditioned to. Lord, break my heart for the people in the world without food, water, health, family, and hope. Lord, have mercy on me in my pride and selfishness. Turn the hearts of other Believers so they see your purposes too. Lord, I lay all of this in your hands. Thank you for your goodness and mercy!

Scripture Memorization

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:01:16 GMT

I read this in a facebook note of one of my friends. It really makes you think about why we should memorize scripture. To be honest, I don't memorize scripture even though I've had powerful experiences with verses I've memorized and that God has called to mind when I needed them. I know some verses because I memorized them when I needed them or I learned them when I was young or I know most/concept of a verse and don't know the reference. I definitely struggle with memorization. I can't get myself to put in the effort. I should try memorizing some stuff, not just random verses either.

Here it is:

John Piper

First, a few testimonies: I have it third hand, that Dr. Howard Hendricks (of Dallas Seminary) once made the statement (and I paraphrase) that if it were his decision, every student graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect before they graduated.

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” (“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7).

Chuck Swindoll wrote, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture... No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified” (Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 61).

One of the reasons Martin Luther came to his great discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone was that in his early years in the Augustinian monastery he was influenced to love Scripture by Johann Staupitz. Luther devoured the Bible in a day when people earned doctorates in theology without even reading the Bible. Luther said that his fellow professor, Andreas Karlstadt, did not even own a Bible when he earned his doctor of theology degree, nor did he until many years later (www.orlutheran.com/html/luthbibl.html). Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, “Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory,” in order to confirm what he had found.

So here are a few reasons why so many have viewed Scripture memorization as so essential to the Christian life.

1. Conformity to Christ
Paul wrote that “we all... beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” If we would be changed into Christ likeness we must steadily see him. This happens in the word. “The LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:21). Bible memorization has the effect of making our gaze on Jesus to be steadier and clearer.

2. Daily Triumph over Sin
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word... I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9, 11). Paul said that we must “by the Spirit... put to death the [sinful] deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). The one piece of armor used to kill is the “sword of the Spirit,” which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). As sin lures the body into sinful action, we call to mind a Christ-revealing word of Scripture and slay the temptation with the superior worth and beauty of Christ over what sin offers.

3. Daily Triumph over Satan
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11).

4. Comfort and Counsel for People You Love
The times when people need you to give them comfort and counsel do not always coincide with the times you have your Bible handy. Not only that, the very word of God spoken spontaneously from your heart has unusual power. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” That is a beautiful way of saying, When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word, timely blessings flow from the mouth.

5. Communicating the Gospel to Unbelievers
Opportunities to share the gospel come when we do not have the Bible in hand. Actual verses of the Bible have their own penetrating power. And when they come from our heart, as well as from the Book, the witness is given that they are precious enough to learn. We should all be able to sum up the gospel under four main headings (1) God’s holiness/law/glory; 2) man’s sin/rebellion/disobedience; 3) Christ’s death for sinners; 4) the free gift of life by faith. Learn a verse or two relating to each of these, and be ready in season and out of season to share them.

6. Communion with God in the Enjoyment of His Person and Ways
The way we commune with (that is, fellowship with) God is by meditating on his attributes and expressing to him our thanks and admiration and love, and seeking his help in living a life that reflects the value of these attributes. Therefore, storing texts in our minds about God helps us relate to him as he really is. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)

I used the word “enjoyment” intentionally when I said, “communion with God in the enjoyment of his person and ways.” Most of us are emotionally crippled — all of us really. We do not experience God in the fullness of our emotional potential. How will that change? One way is to memorize the emotional expressions of the Bible and speak them to the Lord and to each other until they become part of who we are. For example, in Psalm 103:1, we say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” That is not a natural expression for many people. But if we memorize this and other emotional expressions from the Bible, and say them often, asking the Lord to make the emotion real in our hearts, we can actually grow into that emotion and expression. It will become part of who we are. We will be less crippled emotionally and more able to render proper praise and thanks to God.

There are other reasons for memorizing Scripture. I hope you find them in the actual practice.

Still learning with you,

Pastor John

http://www.desiringGod.org

Do you memorize Scripture? What are your thoughts/reactions about this subject?

Random things... Visions...

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:31:27 GMT

So, here I am, third entry on here. I was reading this post:
http://weblog.revelife.com/revelife/663615760/does-god-still-speak-to-us-in-dreams.html
because I do believe that God often will speak to us in dreams. And this was one of the comments:

Not only do I believe in dreams and visions from God, but I have experienced them many times; and I am NOT talking about meditation or looking into oneself, etc.
We are in the "Last Days".......
Acts 2:17 "..and it shall be in the last days, God says, That I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;".
The New testament (NT) was written in Greek. The original greek translation of 'men' in most of the NT scripture really means 'mankind', which means BOTH men and women.

That verse really gripped me because I had always read it and was like, Ok, cool. And that was it. But I never realized that I could be part of that prophecy. I think it was the explanation that really made me see what this verse was saying. God, is giving people on this earth dreams and visions of the future. Right among us, right now. It's even more powerful for me because I had a vision the summer before I started college in 2005. It was on a mission trip to Brasil during one of our last outreach services in a church. This mission trip and the preparation for it were the most impactful events in my Christian life so far. Anyway, there was lots of talk throughout the trip about Christian revolution and a new revival in the world. And I was sitting on the stage praying and soaking in God and he gave me an image. It's hard to explain, and I've tried drawing it before with no avail. Just try to picture this:

A white ceiling (floors and walls or an actual room are irrelevant, there were no people). The plane of vision is just a slight angle from underneath the ceiling. To picture the next element, imagine a room above the ceiling that is full of water and has saturated the ceiling so there are hundreds of droplets just hanging from it. None have fallen yet. But then, one (right in the center) falls from the white surface.
It was so moving, because this is the interpretation God gave me with the vision:

This is the picture of Christians and the world right now. There's not much happening at the moment, but everything is gathering and small things are starting to happen. But soon there will come a time when everything will pour forth in Truth and through the Spirit.

Since the time of this vision, God has opened my eyes and allowed me to see many different parts of this vision unfolding among us. Every time I see the passion in young people to spread the gospel, or work among students on campus, or go overseas, or desire to see God move and they thirst for Him with an unquenchable thirst. This is the beginning.

I feel that God has placed a very special purpose in the hearts of the young generations. I feel that He is and will use youth to bring a revival to the people. I know that He has a plan and a purpose for us, and I feel that I am part of this and I'm blown away.

When I had the vision I felt that God wanted me only to reveal it to some people and that He would tell me who to reveal it to and when. First, it was my mission team group, then my Campus Crusade chapter at my community college, then a few other select people. And now to you all, whoever is reading this.

Please pass the word about God's vision for our world! Let's be the Revolutionaries that He is calling us to be! Earnestly seek His will for your life and He will not disappoint. He has a purpose for your life and can't wait for you to come ask Him what it is! Let's take this journey together, challenging and mutually encouraging each other to live the faith, fight the fight, walk the walk, and love God and others with all of our being.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts, questions, comments or concerns. They're all welcome, but please be considerate. :D

Can I just say I love this place already!

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:39:12 GMT

Hey again, all!

This was a note I just finished writing on Facebook. I'm a bit of a junkie, but it's alright. I've been having a major soul-searching struggle in my walk with God during the last six months. I think I'm on the road to recovery though. It felt like I was in a desert and so thirsty, there was even water right there, but my mouth was sealed shut so I couldn't drink. I'm still so thirsty, but I'm learning how to get that precious liquid inside of me.

(the following is the excerpt from Facebook)

Hello all!
This could be a little rambly as I just spent the last 4 1/2 [now 5 1/2] hours here in College Library using my computer, headphones and the internet. Happy days. If you want to know why, you can ask me later. But, these are my thoughts on some of what I was reading.
First, two web addresses that are vitally important:

http://thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/2008/07/priorities-rlc-blog-buzz.html

http://www.redletterscampaign.com/

The first is the amazing blog over maybe two years or more of an amazing woman who has had an amazing journey with adopting two little ones from Guatemala and (very recently, like, last month) China. If you start reading her blog and have a bit of patience I know you will be hooked. I think it's actually helped me with all the things God has been speaking to me lately. So... I encourage you to go back to the very beginning, follow her and her daughters' stories and watch how God totally, utterly transformed her normal American life into the best roller coaster ride ever! On the side of her blog (just a little ways down) there is a link called "Old blog-read about Zoe's process, Guatemala" and it will take you back to her first blog and the beginning. Oh my gosh she is sooo amazing! I love this girl. So strong and shows it like it is. What an amazing heart for God and to see God's work in the orphaned, poor, hungry, and oppressed.

And she's done so much about what God has told all Christians to do. She gets the word out to all her hundreds of blogger fans. And she actively supports many different organizations that are really helping in the world. She is also the co-founder of the RED LETTERS CAMPAIGN! That's what the second link is for. Here it is again:

http://www.redletterscampaign.com/ (also join the group on facebook!)

(She also has links on her blog site for the blogs where she talks all about this campaign)

It's about doing something in the world. Making a difference. Being God's literal hands and feet. Showing those in the world that someone does care and that God cares too. That we can change the world. But that it takes more than a few people to do that. It's part of this worldwide revolution in which Christians all over in every country are rising up and saying
Hold on, is this all I'm good for!? Does God have something else in mind than what I have planned for my life?
The movement that says, Yes, We can make a difference! God's heart is torn in two for these precious people! The "sick" people who Jesus was sent to save. What happened to the "LITTLE CHRISTS" that we are supposed to be? How can we just sit here in our cozy houses with enough food that we can afford to THROW SOME AWAY!? While little ones are dying right now because they don't have enough nutrition to keep their bodies functioning. NO, I will not stand for this! Please don't take this as a cry that we should starve ourselves in order to help those who have nothing; if we are not able to function how are we supposed to be any help. But, seriously. This issue is very grave and deserves more than just a quick glance in the Compassion International magazine to read their stories and then move on. Now is the perfect time to act. Pray! Give boldly! Talk to people about it! Act somehow! Do anything! But please don't tell me you can't do anything because you CAN!! Friends, how many more three foot graves will this take to get our attention. Christians we must stand out, not hide in order to conform. I read another blog a month or so ago, which talked about what has happened to the Little Christians who used to stand out so much that they attracted government attention and whose lives were threatened often. I know this still happens in many countries, but I see very little of that boldness in America. So please, stand out! Do not hide behind the norm. Following Christ calls for a REVOLUTIONARY!

Father,
as I pour out my heart to you and to everyone who reads this note, I just pray for your compassion and your grace on us. We stumble so often and we are selfish and we often don't understand. God, I want to purposefullyly thank you and praise you for the movement among Christians all over the world. And I thank you that people are looking and taking notice of what is happening in the world. Father, I am not perfect. Far from it, actually. I often fail at everything I just finished promoting, but when I turn back to you again everything falls into place and your grace overflows on this sinner. Father, I cry out to you to hear me. But you already know what is in my heart. I should be crying out for you to save this world instead. How can I honestly be so self-centered at times in my cushy, spoiled life where I actually have the means to pay thousands of dollars a year to learn languages in school. Just classes. Yet your love is always there and even when I turn away, you're always pushing me and challenging me to go on to that next level. You're always ready with your arms open wide and gentle words when I finally give in and turn around and let you guide me back. What great mercy! How can I help but desire to be with you Lord! Father, give us all that grace. Guide us gently to that point where we all realize what you feel in your heart for each person. But don't let us get away with anything. Please show us the reality blatantly so it always hits us hard. Then be there when we come running to you and begging to do something. God, I pray that you would be moving in our churches, and on our campuses, and in our families. I pray that you would lead us into this revolution with our heads high and with gentle hands and compassion in our eyes. Father, this is my prayer. Lord, let it be done.

RED LETTERS CAMPAIGN!! CHECK THIS OUT!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:53:14 GMT

Newbie on the block

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:59:26 GMT

Hey everyone!

I don't know anyone on here yet so feel free to post in my comments if you come across this post.

Anyway, I'm super pumped to have God pour into me and bless my life through you guys! It's so encouraging to see all the ways God is working in your lives and to hear about your struggles, failures, as well as successes. I'm hoping that I can give something back as well and be able to share openly with you all. This is an awesome community and I'm glad I joined!