Something to think about

Not all obstacles were put in your way to challenge you, some were simply put there to redirect you..

Happy Thanksgiving

Let your roots grow down into him

And draw up nourishment from him,

So you will grow in faith,

Strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.

Let your lives overflow

With thanksgiving for all he has done.





---Colossians 2:7

we're off for 10 days.........

Well, we're leaving in the morning for Northern California.. I am trusting the Lord will protect us on our adventure. He knows I am frightened to fly.. but, I am choosing to give the flight over to Him.. We are looking forward to the chance to reconnect with family and friends, plus get our toes wet in the Pacific Ocean.. We shall be back November 29th - Catch ya on the flip side.

New website

LifeChurch.tv has a new website available for those interested in studying the Bible.. I really think yall should go check it out..

www.youversion.com

The History of The Bible

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalms 119:16

shakach (shaw-kakh'); to lay aside, to forget, to take for granted or neglect.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1: 1-2

HISTORY TIMELINE

1400-1500 BC: God wrote the 10 Commandments in ancient Hebrew on stone.

500 BC: 39 books that make up the Old Testament were completed and preserved in Hebrew on scrolls.

First Century AD: New Testament had been completed and was preserved in Greek on Papyrus.

393 AD: Synod of Hippo officially approved the New Testament for the entire Church.

500 AD: Bible had been translated into over 500 languages.

600 AD: Bible was restricted to only Latin. All other versions were considered illegal.

400-1400 AD: This period is known as the "Dark Ages."

500's-1300's: Secret Bible society made up of the "Culdees" continued to study God's word.

1380: John Wycliffe (often called the Morningstar of the Reformation) translated the Bible into English.

1415: John Hus was burned at the stake for his stance for the Bible. Wycliffe's bibles were used to start the fire.

1517: Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Thesis on the church door at the church in Wittenberg.

1526: William Tyndale printed the first English Bible.

1536: Tyndale was incarcerated before he was strangled and burned at the stake. Before dying, Tyndale prayed, "Oh Lord open the King of England's eyes."

1539: King Henry VIII finally allowed (and even funded) the printing of an English Bible.

DO NOT NEGLECT GOD'S WORD

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-2, 14

I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalms 119:16

'Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.' Romans 12:2

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.
1 Cor. 13:7

Watchful Eye

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver" This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

The 7-Ups...

Wake Up
Decide to have a good day.
"This is the day the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

Dress Up
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7

Hush Up
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.

"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3

Stand Up. . . for what you believe in.
Stand for something or you will fall for anything.
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10

Look Up
. . to the Lord
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".
Philippians 4:13

Reach Up
. . for something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6

Lift Up
. your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead
PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

A Thought...
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem;
not to mention that Friday at Calvary.
Face it, He loves you very much!

Remember....God answers KNEE-mail

Divine Romance

The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this song..Phil Wickham is the artist, do yourself a favor and listen and soak in this song.

Freedom to worship

We are free in Christ, yet we must not abuse our Christian freedom by being inconsiderate and insensitive to others. We must never encourage others to do wrong because of something we have done. Let love guide your behaviour.

We are free to worship, everything we do to worship God should be done in a manner worthy of his high honor. We should make sure our worship is to glorify Him as not to bring focus on ourselves. We should never criticize fellow Christians whose worship is different than our own. More important than how we worship is THAT we worship Christ. Don't let anyone judge you. You are responsible to Christ.

Joy

As believers we can have profound contentment, serenity and peace no matter what happens in our lives. This joy comes from knowing Christ personally and from depending on his strength other than our own. We can have joy, even in the hard times of our lives. Joy doesn't come from outward experiences but from inward strength as Christians. We must remember not to rely on what we have or what we experience to give us joy, but to remember we experience joy from Christ within us.

Where God wants me.....

1 Cor. 7:17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. NKJ

1 Cor. 7:17 You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on as you were when God first called you. NLT

.....Paul was writing to say that people should be Christians where they are, if you became a Christian after marriage, and your spouse is not a believer, remember that you don't have to be married to a Christian to live for Christ. Don't assume you are in the wrong place, or stuck with the wrong person. You may be just where God wants you!!

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out


So....This song touches my heart.

Spiritual Warfare

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6 10-12

WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALL THERE IS

YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR BATTLES
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "OH LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17

YOUR PRAYERS ARE FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU KNOW
"Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come."
Daniel 10:12-14

WHAT DOES THE DEVIL DO?

HE BLINDS THE MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers....
2 Corinthians 4:4

HE STEALS GOD'S WORD FROM YOU.
"When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart."
Matthew 13:19

HE SETS TRAPS TO ENSNARE YOU.
...and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:26

HE FIGHTS TO STOP YOU.
For we wanted to come to you-certainly I, Paul, did, again and again - but Satan stopped us.
1 Thessalonians 2:18

HE PLANS TO DESTROY YOU.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8

THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6 13-18

WE DO NOT FIGHT FOR VICTORY. WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4