Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailiing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone – as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you mighty creatures who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everywhere in his kingdom. As for me – I, too, will praise the Lord.
Crown Financial January 28, 2008
1-27-08
“Therefore if you have not been faithful with the use of worldy wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” Luke 16:11
My husband Jeff and I have been taking a crown financial class and we have just begun reading the book titled “Your Money Talks”. This class is ALL about rethinking the priorities of “our” money and realizing that it is God’s money not ours.
I have already been taught that God is both predicdable and unpredicdable. He is predicdable in the fact that He will always provide. He is not predicdable in the how He is going to provide.
Example – God has continued to provide for us, but He always does it in the most unexpected ways……Money from a drawing I did, that I didn’t know when we would get. Groceries (twice) from a wonderful brother and sister in Christ. Money from college books….
He has provided in the most amazing ways that humble us and has made us incredibly grateful for every little thing He has blessed us with.
Freedom Time January 18, 2008
1-18-08
FREEDOM TIME – LAURYN HILL
Everybody knows that they’re guilty
Everybody knows that they’ve lied
Everybody knows that they’re guilty
Resting on their conscience eating their inside
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
Time to get free, oh give yourselves up now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time
Yo, there’s a war in the mind, over territory
For the dominion
Who will dominate the opinion
Skisms and isms, keepin’ us in forms of religion
Conformin’ our vision
To the world churches decision
Trapped in a section
Submitted to committee election
Moral infection
Epedemic lies and deception
Insurrection
Of the highest possible order
Destortin’ our tape recorders
From here and like under water
Beyond the borders
Fond of sin and disorder
Bound by the strategy
It’s systematic deprivaty
Heavy as gravity
Head first in the cavity
Without a bottom
A fate worse than Sodom
What’s got ‘em
Drunk of the spirits
Truth comes, we can’t hear it
When you’ve been, programmed to fear it
I had a vision
I was fallin’ in indescision
Apollin’, callin’ religion
Some program on television
How can dominant wisdom
Be recognized in the system
Of Anti-Christ, the majority rules
Intelligent fools
PhD’s in illusion
Masters of mass confusion
Bachelors in past illusion
Now who you choosin’
The head or the tail
The bloodshed of male
Or confidance in the veil
Conferences of Yale
Discussin’ doctrines of Baal
Causin’ people to fail
Keepin’ the third in jail
His word has nailed
Everything to the tree
Severing all of me from all that I used to be
Formless and void
Totally paranoid
Enjoy darkness as the Lord
Keepin’ me from the sword
Blocked from mercy
Bitter than cerasee
Hungry and thirsty
For good meat we would eat
And still, dined at the table of deceit
How incomplete
From confrontation to retreat
We prolong the true enemies defeat
Destitute a necessity
Causin’ desperation to get the best of me
Punishment ’til there was nothing left of me
Realizin’ the unescapable death of me
No options in the valley of decision
The only doctrine, supernatural circumcision
Inwardly only water can purge the heart
From words, the fiery darts
Thrown by the workers of the arts
Iniquity, shapen in
There’s no escapin’ when
You’re whole philosophy is paper thin
In vanity
The wide road is insanity
Could it be all of humanity?
Picture that
Scripture that
The origin of man’s heart is black
How can we show up for
An invisible war
Preoccupied with a shadow, makin’ love with a whore
Achin’ in sores
Babylon, the great mystery
Mother of human history
System of social sorcery
Our present condition
Needs serious recognition
Where there’s no repentance there can be no remission
And that sentence, more serious than Vietnam
The atom bomb, and Saddam, and Minister Farakkhan
What’s goin’ on, what’s the priority to you
by what authority do we do
the majority hasn’t a clue
We majored in curses
Search the chapters, check the verses
Recapture the land
Remove the mark from off of our hands
So we can stand
In agreement with his command
Everything else is da**** Let them with ears understand
Everything else is da****, let them with ears understand
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, said it’s freedom time now
It’s freedom, I’ma be who I am
It’s freedom time, said it’s freedom time
Everybody knows that they’ve lied
Everybody knows that they’ve perpetrated inside
Everybody knows that they’re guilty, yes
Resting on their conscience eating their insides
Get free, be who you’re suppost to be
Freedom, said it’s freedom time now
Freedom, said it’s freedom time
Freedom, freedom time now
Genesis January 14, 2008
1-13-08
I took this philosophy class that pushed me so much in my faith, as far as learning what it means to defend my faith. When I prayed about where I should start reading to get answers, God said the beginning…..Genesis. So now I have decided to revisit Genesis and allow God to reveal to me again what He has created. I love reading even just the first chapter and the simplicity of the words. How God is incredibly powerful and can do everything in such a little amount of time. Yet He takes His joyous time in doing whatever He wants.
Ok well I am exhausted and I will write more later : ) Goodnight!!
Malachi 4: 5-6 January 9, 2008
01-9-08
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
I feel incredibly convicted when I ask myself if I allow God to use me to turn the hearts of others to Christ. Doubt is filled in my thoughts of….can I really do that, does God really want to do that through me, how does He think He is going to turn hearts, and there seems to be so many hearts that need to turn towards Christ.
But then I realize, huh God can do anything that He wants to do, so why can’t he turn a billion plus hearts in His direction. I feel like I am going to explode sometimes with the overwhelming thought that no one is even searching for Him. If they are, how do I know? How do I seek that out in the invididual? I have realized that I am very timid about approaching that subject with people. It seems especially hard at Ashley Furniture, granted we aren’t really suppose to talk a whole lot with people, but I know people would be more joy-filled if they had Christ in their everyday life. How do I talk with them if we aren’t allowed to speak that much? My prayer is that God continues to plant seeds in them through Jeff and I, so that one day they may come to know our Savior.
Also, Elijah is one of the names that Jeff and I can agree upon if the Lord blesses us with children….in the far-off future. This verse just made me think of children being able to turn the hearts of adults…..to have more faith, to be more loving to our neighbors, and to love unconditionally. I honestly believe that any child has the power to soften the hearts of any age!!!
One more thing about the name thing…..we also can agree on Lilly…and a new lady was placed on my team today and her new born is named Lilly…..how weird to have both names that we have chosen to be spoken about today!!! I am a dork I know : ).
Child-like Faith January 7, 2008
01-06-08
So my weeks go from Monday to Sunday……so this still counts as two blogs for the
week : P
This morning Jeff and I went with our friends Joe Salverson and Erin (soon to be a Salverson) to a “AG” church (Assembly of God). My first experience with that denomination went really well. To be honest I was completey distracted throughout the entire sermon because there were some extremely adorable children sitting near us. Two out of the three were sisters, one looked like her mother and the other resembled her father. They both saw me observing them, so I smiled and they smiled back with these sweet little ones. The one daughter that resembled her father was sooo into worship….singing, tapping her toe, and clapping her hand against her leg!! I was like I want a daughter like that.
The other child I was intranced with was a new born, milatto (spelling) baby girl. She had the blackest hair, the most beautiful skin, and a precious little body. Of course she was being held right in front of us and I so badly wanted to hold her!!!
Well I think there was a reason why I was distracted by children. I have felt a little insecure about leading a childrens’ ministry because I have been involved with college students that last four years. The enemy has been throwing doubts of whether I can really do this since I have been around children lately. But this morning was such an encouragement to observe little ones and want to spend time with them.
On top of that, this group of seven 20 somethings went to the IHOP conference in Kansas and they were allowed to share the things God had taught them throughout their time there. On new year’s day they fasted and prayed alloud for twelve hours. During that time a group of children, ages 6-10, were praying for world issues. One of the ladies from the church expressed how moved she was by these childrens’ prayers. A six year old boy was praying for abortion, she said that she couldn’t believe that this child had so much faith in God and knew that he had the authority to pray for anything and could trust God to make things happen.
Now I don’t know how I feel about a 6 year old taking on the burden of abortion, but just the fact that he was praying with so much sincerity to his Creator.
I have been convicted to humble myself and realize that God desires me to pray big and act upon what He asks of me in return.
