God's NOT dead...He's living in the INSIDE

God's Not dead

Check out this Newsboys song...kind of catchy, kind of fun but the lyrics are pretty sweet; I heard (and saw)  a lion roar while on a safari in africa last april...WOW....sure adds a new meaning to this song!!!

God is still merciful

A friend of mine passed this link on via facebook-it is a persons personal witness/experience to the recent "dark knight rises' shooting that happened Friday.  My prayers go out to the families affected by this horror...but as the write up suggests-GOD IS still merciful.


so-you-still-think-god-is-a-merciful-god

Holiday from God

So the following is copied off something I sent to a good friend of mine from college...figured it sort of spoke to what I was/am going to write about anyways

Honestly-God and I are ok. Not really a low and not really a 'high' so to speak. Reading my bible daily is/has been harder again (not sure why cause when I DO read it, its awesome and i can feel the fire growing-so why I dont keep reading- I am not sure..devos always have been hard for me to maintain daily). I know God is still alive and moving, but lately-I've been asked some tougher questions by those around me (good questions) but they got me wondering. I have lots to pray for-but I fear my prayer life is drying up (which is scary for me as its something I have/do rely on.) I am finding that I am having to "remind myself" to focus and pray but I am also re learning that prayer and worshiping God comes in lots of different forms as well.



So with my title "Holiday from God"-it is NOT like I have called it "quits" on God..cause I've been close to that in the past and well, lets just say-never again will I be that close...


I once heard a sermon about taking a 'vacation from God'-the pastor's main point was that summer is a change of routine..there is little (if any) routine in most people's lives (cause its summer) BUT what he did say tho was, to take a 'vacation' from God, isnt good.  That too often, we do just that-put "God on hold" for the summer. 


I feel that perhaps-this is whats happening to me.  I dont want it to.  I need to/have to fight harder to draw close to GOd.  To seek HIS face. To pray more. To worship more. To read more. 


So if you can-pray. Pray that I will not fall away further from God, but that I will draw to Him.  Pray for yourself too-that you may feel and experience God in a new way this summer.  I KNOW God is very much alive and moving as even today, I saw/heard evidence of this, this evening.  Right now-its thundering and lightening like crazy out there...that in itself, is a testimony to the power of my God!


Holiday from God? I am crazy.  I am totally and completely lost without Him.  This is one holiday that I do NOT want to be on.

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Church

What an interesting day (to say the least today).  I was quite looking forward to church this morning because I hadnt been there yet at all this month! crazy I know! Not that I am using these as an excuse-but I sort of am...one weekend was long weekend (I was gone), and last weekend was our church conference in a different town-so our services were cancelled.  BUT point being, I was quite looking forward to heading back and worshiping with people there.  I had no idea how interesting the day would be...

I woke up to a nice rain (which, after having like +35 for 3 weeks, was a welcome blessing), went to church and discovered the pews I grew up sitting on, where gone.  Instead-there were chairs! weird! I knew our church sold the old pews and are getting new chairs (good use of money? another topic for another time)-but point being-that really threw me for a loop...church almost seemed "less welcoming?" if that makes sense?

The service was really good and the worship (music part) was good as well. Actually the service was on "worship" and what it is (another discussion for another day) but it was still a good service! well done Ryan!

So, like normal after church I stuck around a bit and was one of the last ones to leave...went to go look for my jacket and well, long story short-my jacket got 'taken' (for lack of better word)...Im thinking someone accidently grabbed it instead as there was another lone jacket there when I looked...so i biked home (in the rain) and ended up going back to attach a note to the other jacket..BUT it was NOT there!!!!!!! One would think that if the person realized they took the wrong one...would bring the other one back too when they went to go get theres...

Now really, I dont really care.  its just a jacket..but the thing that sucks-is that my keys (work included) were on a landyard in my pocket in my jacket (usually keep those in my pant pocket, but for some reason today-figured they would be fine in my jacket-ironic eh?)  Praise God I have an extra house key and will just get a new work key tomorrow.

What a way to start the day


middle of the day was good

I left my parents to head home later in the evening and discovered a small leak in my bike tire (mode of transportation to work...) great.  Thank you God for dad's!  Although my parents were gone, when they got back, my dad patched my tire...so I am hoping its good to go still tomorrow!

needless to say-I will be glad when today is over-maybe it will go better tomorrow?

Going for needles later this week (travel needles)..could be an interesting week!!

A look back

I spent some time this morning-going through stuff in my room (which is a scary process) and came across some interesting stuff.  What do I do with years of notes, letters and misc. things like that from friends?  Like most people, I had to take time to just sit back and read through some of them and WOW was I encouraged!  I found one from my older brother that I read for the first time when I flew out to capernwray in 2007 and, just like it did then, brought a tear to my eye.  A lot of what he wrote in there at the time, was true and remains true to this day.  Psalm 121 was quoted and it is actually the psalm I memorized while at Holsby Brunn in Sweden.  It is a psalm I have come to love and take to heart.  Yet relationships are an interesting thing-because not much as changed (other than the fact of getting older) between my older brother and I...that fact-is very sad.

I found some other ones from my first while at SBC.  Notes from friends who 'nailed it dead on' with what they wrote as well.  Encouragements that were super encouraging at the time, as well as now.  Notes now, that are just as encouraging today.  Notes that make me wonder "how in the world did they see that in me when I was so incredibly lost at the time".  Interesting how that works.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 

Hebrews 3:13

Its scriptural-to encourage and to bless-so that we dont become hardened by sin.  These notes reminded me of that-they encouraged ME to do that-to encourage others.  It is an approach I have taken with people around me, specifically (hopefully) the youth.   Is it always easy? not really because we are all human but is it worth it? TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY!!! So go out, go encourage someone around you.

Awesome God

God is pretty awesome.  Enough said :)