1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them [those who deny that Jesus is from God and who have the spirit of the world], because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world
We all face daily struggles and trials in our lives, Christians and non-believers. Christians have a weapon to use against these struggles that will guarantee our success, God. We are constantly burdened with worry about money, jobs, our family, and life in general. A Christian, that is truly living for God, should never have to say "If I do this God will help me" or "That is not important to God and is just my problem". We need to learn to put all of these burdens on God. God is greater than any problem we can ever face in this life and no concern of ours is too small for Him to care about.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
James 4:2-3 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
1 Peter does not say God only wants your large concerns because He is too busy, He wants them all. Any worry, concern, or fear we have (no matter how small) will come between our relationship with God if we dwell on it. Be assured, if you do not give it to God we WILL dwell on it. We must give ALL our cares to God and allow Him to provide for us. He is the perfect father so He desires to provide for us completely, we just have to give up the drivers seat and let Him do it.
James 4 tells how to get what we need and want. All we have to do is ask out of a Godly heart. I know we do not all kill, fight, and quarrel to get what we want; but it is saying that if we use our devices to try go gain what we want we will not succeed. If we ask our Father, He will provide whatever is in accordance with His plan for us. We also need to remember what qualifies as a "need" by us, may not qualify as a need by God.
Casting our cares on God can also be a good witness. No matter what events you are facing, people around you will see a happiness and joy. They will ask how you can remain worry-free in the face of hard or difficult time.We should just remember to give the glory to God for all the we face because He will get us through it. We should strive to always exemplify the joy that our Lord brings to our life, this happiness that radiates from us will begin to speak directly to the hearts of others and they will want what we have without us even having to say a word. They will be receptive to our explanation that our inner peace comes from having a personal relationship with God. Through God we can lead others to the path of righteousness.
Living for God and following His word is a life long commitment that requires study, prayer, and devotion. It is not a a change that is completed in an instant. As Christians we should strive each day to become just A Little Closer To God.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Devil Made Me Do It
As a society we are trying to find ways to lessen our responsibility for action/inaction in our own lives and towards others. We do not want to help others out of fear, humiliation, or embarrassment. When we do something wrong we want to blame our government, our employers, our family, or any other variety of excuses. But yet let us do something right, intentionally or by accident, and our names better be put on marquee for all to see how great we are and how much credit we deserve.
This is backward, mistakes are great opportunities from God to improve our knowledge and learn, we all make them. When something goes right, it is due to God imparting the knowledge we needed then or through previous mistakes and He should get the credit for the success, not us. He is going to be rewarding His people for all the important things they succeed at when we join Him and any earthly success will be no comparison to His reward.
"The devil made me do it." I am sure many of us have said this throughout our life, especially in our younger years when we were caught doing something we shouldn't. Although we do not say it as much anymore, the justification behind it still runs strong in our society and among Christians as well. Besides being a blatant statement that we are giving Satan a certain amount of control in our every date lives; it also gives us a way of absolving ourselves from the responsibilities and consequences of our actions. Which, as Christians, is something we need to accept and deal with. God loves us and will forgive us of any sins we repent for. If we are not accepting personal responsibility we are most likely not going to be repenting that sin. If we can go to God and repent the sin, why are we worried about man? God is our creator and true judge. If He forgives us our transgression, any personal human opinions are completely irrelevant.We should trust in God for the best outcome for us.
Galations 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
If we are looking for actions where we can put the responsibility elsewhere; we should be looking for situations to say "God wanted me to do it." We should always be sensitive to the spirit and strive to help others who are in need. That is not me saying give all your money away, it is saying do not be afraid to witness to someone, pray for someone, or just be a sounding board you never whose soul you could save by just letting someone cry on you and telling them what God has done for you. When you help someone don't take the credit yourself, but give it to God, the situation happened because He put you there.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
This is backward, mistakes are great opportunities from God to improve our knowledge and learn, we all make them. When something goes right, it is due to God imparting the knowledge we needed then or through previous mistakes and He should get the credit for the success, not us. He is going to be rewarding His people for all the important things they succeed at when we join Him and any earthly success will be no comparison to His reward.
"The devil made me do it." I am sure many of us have said this throughout our life, especially in our younger years when we were caught doing something we shouldn't. Although we do not say it as much anymore, the justification behind it still runs strong in our society and among Christians as well. Besides being a blatant statement that we are giving Satan a certain amount of control in our every date lives; it also gives us a way of absolving ourselves from the responsibilities and consequences of our actions. Which, as Christians, is something we need to accept and deal with. God loves us and will forgive us of any sins we repent for. If we are not accepting personal responsibility we are most likely not going to be repenting that sin. If we can go to God and repent the sin, why are we worried about man? God is our creator and true judge. If He forgives us our transgression, any personal human opinions are completely irrelevant.We should trust in God for the best outcome for us.
Galations 6:5 For each will have to bear his own load.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Proverbs 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
If we are looking for actions where we can put the responsibility elsewhere; we should be looking for situations to say "God wanted me to do it." We should always be sensitive to the spirit and strive to help others who are in need. That is not me saying give all your money away, it is saying do not be afraid to witness to someone, pray for someone, or just be a sounding board you never whose soul you could save by just letting someone cry on you and telling them what God has done for you. When you help someone don't take the credit yourself, but give it to God, the situation happened because He put you there.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
2 Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Prayers for Alex
Message from my wife, Christine:
"Put this on your blog spot so that maybe others around the world can pray for this boy and his family.
I am sending this website to you so that our church members can pray for this boy and his family. They are from the Paxton area, and I am friends with his older sisters.
This little guy and his family have been suffering over the last couple of years.
He has fought to survive more than most people ever will in a lifetime.
It hits home with me because my son is close in age, and I can't begin to imagine what this would be like.
His story makes me more thankful than ever. I count my blessings doubly today.."
Here is the link to Alex's pages:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alextf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l/_
From me:
Alex is a 6 year old boy who has developed cancer on his liver. Let's come together and pray for God's plan for this child to unfold and that he receives the healing miracle he so much needs in his life. Children are precious and it is always hard to see them in this situation, but God does have a purpose and we have to stand strong in faith and not just believe, but KNOW God has this child's best interest at heart throughout this time.
Take a moment, visit this website, and sign the guestbook with where you are from to let Alex and his family know that he has the whole world praying for him and that they are not going through this alone.
"Put this on your blog spot so that maybe others around the world can pray for this boy and his family.
I am sending this website to you so that our church members can pray for this boy and his family. They are from the Paxton area, and I am friends with his older sisters.
This little guy and his family have been suffering over the last couple of years.
He has fought to survive more than most people ever will in a lifetime.
It hits home with me because my son is close in age, and I can't begin to imagine what this would be like.
His story makes me more thankful than ever. I count my blessings doubly today.."
Here is the link to Alex's pages:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alextf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l/_
From me:
Alex is a 6 year old boy who has developed cancer on his liver. Let's come together and pray for God's plan for this child to unfold and that he receives the healing miracle he so much needs in his life. Children are precious and it is always hard to see them in this situation, but God does have a purpose and we have to stand strong in faith and not just believe, but KNOW God has this child's best interest at heart throughout this time.
Take a moment, visit this website, and sign the guestbook with where you are from to let Alex and his family know that he has the whole world praying for him and that they are not going through this alone.
You wouldn't like me when I am angry
Anger, everyone has it and everyone deals with it differently. It is a commonly overlooked emotion that can severely hinder our relationship with God when we feel it. There are many levels to our anger that range from mild annoyance to full blown rage.
Psalms 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 30:33 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19,20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
- What makes you angry?
- What are you pet peeves?
- Think about the last time you were angry or even mildly annoyed, where was your focus?
- Were you thinking about turning the issue over to God and how he could resolve it or were you focused on the issue at hand?
Psalms 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 30:33 For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19,20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Friday, February 15, 2013
God's Precious Gift
Our society today is going downhill fast, if you disagree just go to cnn.com and read the news. You see news reports about shootings, hangings, burned bodies, and sexually explicit billboards going up in Chicago and in plain view of families. I get so tired of hearing and seeing bad news, but that is pretty well the only news you hear so unless you go bury head under a rock you have to suffer with it. What does a person do to keep their sanity? You have to get your mind off of the bad stuff. One way I have found for this is watching my kids or kids in general.
Children are a precious gift from God. I have been blessed with 6 of them. They enjoy playing and are completely oblivious to all the death, destruction, and sickness that is in the world today. We should take a lesson from our kids and learn to live life a day at a time because tomorrow will be here with all of it's pleasures and pains soon enough; without us worrying about it. We should take more time to appreciate our families and focus on raising them with God and educating them on His word. We should take the time to have a tea party with a 3 year old and we should stop to play trains or cars from time to time. We might even gain a whole new perspective on life. We may even come to the realization that some things we dwell on are really insignificant and by us letting go of this stuff God will take it and work it out for the best.
I also want to wish a happy birthday to my baby girl Alaina. She turns 3 tomorrow, I am looking forward to a day full of Minnie Mouse.
This post just kind of wrote itself, as most of my better ones do, and as I think about what is on the screen it slaps me in the face. I worry too much about work, bills, and life in general without really taking the time to enjoy life and my family the way I should. I love my family, would do anything for them, and think I am a good husband/father but I realize I do need to start focusing more on enjoying them and less on not enjoying life.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Isaiah 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Children are a precious gift from God. I have been blessed with 6 of them. They enjoy playing and are completely oblivious to all the death, destruction, and sickness that is in the world today. We should take a lesson from our kids and learn to live life a day at a time because tomorrow will be here with all of it's pleasures and pains soon enough; without us worrying about it. We should take more time to appreciate our families and focus on raising them with God and educating them on His word. We should take the time to have a tea party with a 3 year old and we should stop to play trains or cars from time to time. We might even gain a whole new perspective on life. We may even come to the realization that some things we dwell on are really insignificant and by us letting go of this stuff God will take it and work it out for the best.
I also want to wish a happy birthday to my baby girl Alaina. She turns 3 tomorrow, I am looking forward to a day full of Minnie Mouse.
This post just kind of wrote itself, as most of my better ones do, and as I think about what is on the screen it slaps me in the face. I worry too much about work, bills, and life in general without really taking the time to enjoy life and my family the way I should. I love my family, would do anything for them, and think I am a good husband/father but I realize I do need to start focusing more on enjoying them and less on not enjoying life.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Isaiah 54:13 All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Proverbs 29:15 The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What brand of Christian are you?
- Baptist
- Pentecostal
- Catholic
- LDS
- Protestant
- Lutheran
- Presbyterian
- Amish
- Mennonite
- Methodist
- Adventist
- Non-Denominational
I have been Pentecostal, Baptist, and Non-Denominational and in all three I found one constant: God.
Baptist churches are generally quiet and somewhat reserved in respect and reverence to God.
Pentecostal churches are more free and charismatic to let the God and His spirit move as they will and as the congregation feels led.
Non- Denominational are also a free and charismatic group of people.
These descriptions are based on my personal experience in each.
I realize that each type has their own individual variances but we need to focus on coming together as one body for Christ. Heaven is going to be made up of only Catholics, Pentecostals, or Baptists. I also do not picture Heaven divided into section for each belief system. Heaven is going to be everyone worshiping, praising, and glorifying God's name as one body. It is going to amazing because there will not be any of the human factors getting in the way of worship, as they do here on earth.
We, as Christians, should have the goal of uniting as one body under the title Christian and not worry about the label that is on the sign in front of our church.
Realistically, I know we are never going to be completely rid of these labels, until Heaven. But we need to work hard to see past them and accept the other beliefs. God has remained the same since He spoke everything into existence and He will remain the same when none of this remains. We must never lose sight of that and we must not let personal feelings, such as church labels, divide the body of Christ.
I know if you are raised in a reserved church, the thought of things like speaking in tongues or seeing someone slain in the spirit can be unnerving and intimidating. Does that mean they are fake or not of God, no. It just means we are not accustomed to it and are uncomfortable with it. I would like to digress just a moment and touch on these two things, since these are two the big apprehensions people have with charismatic Christianity. I remember the first time I saw someone speak in tongues, it seemed very strange that someone would just stand up in service and start talking in a strange language, but shortly after they finished someone else got and had the translation from God. This does not occur every service and during the service before and after this event you will feel a strong presence of God. Being slain the spirit is the same way, there is a really strong presence of God in the service. This also seems strange the first time you see this, but it is a great experience when it happens to you. It is such a peaceful communion with God and His will completely blocks out the rest of the world and you are solely focused on Him. There is nothing at all wrong with this, from first hand experience.
In conclusion, I want to say that we should not brand anyone based on a label, especially a fellow Christian. Our job is to spread the word of God to the world working as one body for God. We should focus on being a good Christian and not the brand of Christianity that we are part of. If we are unsure about any beliefs study and even ask the pastor of that church to talk with you about their beliefs and practices. You don't have to convert, but you may learn something new.
Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Monday, February 11, 2013
Communication With God
God not only wants to hear from us but He desires to speak to us. In order for this communication to happen we must open the lines of communication and since God does not have email we must use our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our mouths.
Prayer is simply thanking God for what He has provided, seeking out His path, and expressing our need and concerns to Him. I have seen many new Christians, and some not so new, who felt their prayers were awkward. They were unsure of the manner in which to pray. God gives us a instruction on how to pray in Matthew 6- 5:14 and even tells us how not to pray. Since each person communicates differently with each other, our prayers to God will differ. We should not strive to pray like our pastor, or our teacher, or our best friend but through study of the word and talking with God an individual prayer style will be reached. The thing to remember is God knows every need, even the ones we haven't discovered yet, before we come to Him but we should still present our need to Him.
Another thing I like to do is talk to God. Not a prayer, but just talk to Him. I find when I am alone and on my way to work I tend to do it the most. I just talk as if He is in the car beside me. I have found, for me, it is good way to get closer to God. I talk about everything from stresses to seeking the direction of His will for my life and I have gotten many answers during these times.
God wants us to make Him an active part of our life and our daily routine. Active communication with our Savior will result in giving Him a stronger role in our life. Once this happens we will open the door to blessings for others and ourselves and more glory for His name.
When the time is right God will always answer, we just have to be patient, faithful, and listening.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Luke 11:9
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Acts 17:26-28
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Matthew 6:5-14
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Prayer is simply thanking God for what He has provided, seeking out His path, and expressing our need and concerns to Him. I have seen many new Christians, and some not so new, who felt their prayers were awkward. They were unsure of the manner in which to pray. God gives us a instruction on how to pray in Matthew 6- 5:14 and even tells us how not to pray. Since each person communicates differently with each other, our prayers to God will differ. We should not strive to pray like our pastor, or our teacher, or our best friend but through study of the word and talking with God an individual prayer style will be reached. The thing to remember is God knows every need, even the ones we haven't discovered yet, before we come to Him but we should still present our need to Him.
Another thing I like to do is talk to God. Not a prayer, but just talk to Him. I find when I am alone and on my way to work I tend to do it the most. I just talk as if He is in the car beside me. I have found, for me, it is good way to get closer to God. I talk about everything from stresses to seeking the direction of His will for my life and I have gotten many answers during these times.
God wants us to make Him an active part of our life and our daily routine. Active communication with our Savior will result in giving Him a stronger role in our life. Once this happens we will open the door to blessings for others and ourselves and more glory for His name.
When the time is right God will always answer, we just have to be patient, faithful, and listening.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
Luke 11:9
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Acts 17:26-28
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Matthew 6:5-14
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Testimony Time
Today I thought I would take some time to tell you a little more about myself and why I do this.
My name is Leslie and I reside in Illinois. I have have an amazing wife and six wonderful children.
God has been part of my life ever since I was small. I have gone to church most of my life. I have been to Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and currently attend a Community of Christ Church. What I have learned is that the name on the outside of the church does not matter in the least, what matters is if you feel God on the inside of the church.
God has always been there for me throughout my entire life. I was never expected to see my first birthday. I was born a little more than a month premature and severely jaundiced. (This was many years ago medicine was not what it is today.) The doctor that delivered me said my death was not a matter of if, but when and they should try to make me as comfortable as possible until it happened. My parents asked if sending me to a bigger hospital with better equipment would help. The doctor basically said it would be a waste of time because I was not going to survive. My family took the chance and moved the bigger hospital, by a family car not an ambulance. When I arrived the doctor's had the same diagnosis, that my survival was without question a no. All the while I have family members and a number of churches praying for my survival. God, being the only One who can truly say whether someone lives or dies intervened and I survived.
I have not always gone to church or been as dedicated as I knew I needed to be. At one point, specifically in my past I was a very dedicated Christian and then I let life come between God and I. Life was a combination of work, stress, and a marriage that eventually ended in divorce. That marriage gave me my three oldest kids who I love with my all heart and worry about daily. I did not turn my back to God, I was just not heeding to His will. (Which is just as bad) I knew better and God frequently put it on my heart to get back in to church and renew my bond with Him. For one reason or another I never really did it. I did occasionally visit a new church, but for one reason or another I was never satisfied so I did not go back. My current wife, the amazing one, mentioned visiting a small church that she went to as a child, so we did. The very first service there I felt the spirit of God more than I had in years and the church members were all caring and friendly. It was a great feeling knowing God's presence was there with some very genuine, spiritually minded people. We have been going to the little church ever since and I have re-dedicated my life to God and been re-baptized.
Once I had given control back over to God I found the fire that I once had for His word was still in my heart and my wife noticed how charismatic I became when talking about it. She kept teasing me that I should start preaching, which I laughed off because I am a terrible public speaker. But I did want to do more for God and I began to pray about what He would have me to do and I felt that could be the direction He has in my life. I am still praying about that, but I did feel like I need to be spreading the word of God and so this blog came upon my heart. This blog is my way of spreading His word and hopefully it will helping some who are lost to find Christ. I have also discovered that I can tell you multiple points out of each blog written that God is directing at me as a way of improving my walk with him.
I want to thank God for my wife and children. My wife is my best friend and the love of my life. I would be lost without her. Even though she will likely read this blog and shred my grammar. :)
I would also like to say thank you to you, for taking the time to visit and read this blog. I have had hits from the US, Africa, Jamaica, Poland, and several other places around the world. I would most likely still do this if no one was reading, but with your help I feel like I am spreading the word of God to the world and this is something we should try to find ways of doing.
I would like to know about the people who are kind of enough to read my blog and how God has impacted your life. If you are comfortable doing I would ask for readers to comment on this post, on the blog page, with where you are from, a little about yourself, and what God has done for you. You can provide as much or as little information as you like.If you are do not have a personal relationship with God but would like to and I can help please feel free to contact either through a comment or a private message or email.
And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted! Isaiah 12: 4
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7: 17
My name is Leslie and I reside in Illinois. I have have an amazing wife and six wonderful children.
God has been part of my life ever since I was small. I have gone to church most of my life. I have been to Baptist, Pentecostal, Non-Denominational, and currently attend a Community of Christ Church. What I have learned is that the name on the outside of the church does not matter in the least, what matters is if you feel God on the inside of the church.
God has always been there for me throughout my entire life. I was never expected to see my first birthday. I was born a little more than a month premature and severely jaundiced. (This was many years ago medicine was not what it is today.) The doctor that delivered me said my death was not a matter of if, but when and they should try to make me as comfortable as possible until it happened. My parents asked if sending me to a bigger hospital with better equipment would help. The doctor basically said it would be a waste of time because I was not going to survive. My family took the chance and moved the bigger hospital, by a family car not an ambulance. When I arrived the doctor's had the same diagnosis, that my survival was without question a no. All the while I have family members and a number of churches praying for my survival. God, being the only One who can truly say whether someone lives or dies intervened and I survived.
I have not always gone to church or been as dedicated as I knew I needed to be. At one point, specifically in my past I was a very dedicated Christian and then I let life come between God and I. Life was a combination of work, stress, and a marriage that eventually ended in divorce. That marriage gave me my three oldest kids who I love with my all heart and worry about daily. I did not turn my back to God, I was just not heeding to His will. (Which is just as bad) I knew better and God frequently put it on my heart to get back in to church and renew my bond with Him. For one reason or another I never really did it. I did occasionally visit a new church, but for one reason or another I was never satisfied so I did not go back. My current wife, the amazing one, mentioned visiting a small church that she went to as a child, so we did. The very first service there I felt the spirit of God more than I had in years and the church members were all caring and friendly. It was a great feeling knowing God's presence was there with some very genuine, spiritually minded people. We have been going to the little church ever since and I have re-dedicated my life to God and been re-baptized.
Once I had given control back over to God I found the fire that I once had for His word was still in my heart and my wife noticed how charismatic I became when talking about it. She kept teasing me that I should start preaching, which I laughed off because I am a terrible public speaker. But I did want to do more for God and I began to pray about what He would have me to do and I felt that could be the direction He has in my life. I am still praying about that, but I did feel like I need to be spreading the word of God and so this blog came upon my heart. This blog is my way of spreading His word and hopefully it will helping some who are lost to find Christ. I have also discovered that I can tell you multiple points out of each blog written that God is directing at me as a way of improving my walk with him.
I want to thank God for my wife and children. My wife is my best friend and the love of my life. I would be lost without her. Even though she will likely read this blog and shred my grammar. :)
I would also like to say thank you to you, for taking the time to visit and read this blog. I have had hits from the US, Africa, Jamaica, Poland, and several other places around the world. I would most likely still do this if no one was reading, but with your help I feel like I am spreading the word of God to the world and this is something we should try to find ways of doing.
I would like to know about the people who are kind of enough to read my blog and how God has impacted your life. If you are comfortable doing I would ask for readers to comment on this post, on the blog page, with where you are from, a little about yourself, and what God has done for you. You can provide as much or as little information as you like.If you are do not have a personal relationship with God but would like to and I can help please feel free to contact either through a comment or a private message or email.
And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted! Isaiah 12: 4
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7: 17
Thursday, February 7, 2013
There Is No God
Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.
I saw this on Facebook this morning and had to share it. Albert Einstein is said to be the student, although you can be sure he was not, this did not match his theological beliefs. I posted it because it shows how the scientific community and a good part of our society now views God. The say since that since the only way you can know God is real is through faith He must not be real.
I am first going to discuss science's viewpoint on creation and man.
Creation: The Big Bang Theory is science's version of creation of the space, planets, and rudimentary life forms. The Big Bang Theory is really not just two rocks colliding, it is much more complex and goes into a bunch of stuff that I am only going to highlight on, since I have readers all over the world and most of us are not physicist going into detail will only result in me causing a worldwide headache.
Basically, The Big Bang Theory states that the universe came into existence as "singularity" around 13 billion years ago. This "singularity" expanded and cooled into our universe, space, and everything that is in it, including life. According to the theory it is still expanding, which means space is still growing by their definition. What is singularity, the scientists who use the theory can not even clearly define it. They are thought to exist at the core of black holes.
I see a couple of issues with this:
1. The "singularity" just appeared out of a black hole for no reason or triggering event. No can scientifically say why.
2. The "singularity" appeared out a black hole. Before this event there was nothing, no space, stars, planets, etc. There was literally nothing. If there is nothing how can there be a black hole? A black hole is formed by a collapsing star, how can there be a star to collapse if they were not in existence until after the "singularity"?
Evolution: Now I will talk about something I am sure we have all heard of Evolution. The theory that all life evolves over time to better fit in with its environment and if left to evolve long enough a new species will be naturally created from that evolution.
While I do see and believe that a species can and will evolve to better cope with environmental changes, I do not believe one species will turn into another. For example, humans coming from monkeys. That is wrong. If humans evolved from monkeys, why did it suddenly stop? We should still be seeing monkeys that are learning to walk upright and taking on more human characteristics as time progresses. But we are not really seeing that. I have never been to a zoo and seen a monkey stand up and walk over to the fence, jump it, and walk away.
Now for the truth:
Creation: It did not take a mysterious black hole and an unexplained thing called "singularity" all it took was words. God spoke and it happened. That leaves no question about any contributing factors and no undefinable words. There was nothing, God spoke what He wanted and it was there. Before the Earth there was God, after the Earth there will be God.
You cannot logically say the diversity that exists in all forms on this planet is random and just appeared out nothing.
Animal Evolution: There is no theory to this one either. If you read Genesis 1 you will see the exact order everything was created in and it does coincide with science. Birds and fish were first, then the other animals, then man. But birds and fish are only 2 days older than man and animals, including the monkeys we evolved from, are only 1 day older.
If you want to get really technical man may be older than the animals currently on the planet. The great flood of Noah's time destroyed everything except Noah's family and 14 of every clean animal, 2 of every unclean animal, and 14 of every bird. Noah was 600 years when the flood came, unless the animals had extremely long lives Noah would have been the oldest living thing on the Ark and that would mean that humans are now the oldest species on the earth.
I also prefer Creation over Evolution for humans out of personal vanity. Would you rather say you came from an all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present being who allowed His Son to die for us on the cross because of His love for us or that you are simply a monkey that learned to walk and talk?
Genesis 1-29
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 7:1-24
7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[a][b] 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student : Yes.
Professor: So who created evil ?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.
I saw this on Facebook this morning and had to share it. Albert Einstein is said to be the student, although you can be sure he was not, this did not match his theological beliefs. I posted it because it shows how the scientific community and a good part of our society now views God. The say since that since the only way you can know God is real is through faith He must not be real.
I am first going to discuss science's viewpoint on creation and man.
Creation: The Big Bang Theory is science's version of creation of the space, planets, and rudimentary life forms. The Big Bang Theory is really not just two rocks colliding, it is much more complex and goes into a bunch of stuff that I am only going to highlight on, since I have readers all over the world and most of us are not physicist going into detail will only result in me causing a worldwide headache.
Basically, The Big Bang Theory states that the universe came into existence as "singularity" around 13 billion years ago. This "singularity" expanded and cooled into our universe, space, and everything that is in it, including life. According to the theory it is still expanding, which means space is still growing by their definition. What is singularity, the scientists who use the theory can not even clearly define it. They are thought to exist at the core of black holes.
I see a couple of issues with this:
1. The "singularity" just appeared out of a black hole for no reason or triggering event. No can scientifically say why.
2. The "singularity" appeared out a black hole. Before this event there was nothing, no space, stars, planets, etc. There was literally nothing. If there is nothing how can there be a black hole? A black hole is formed by a collapsing star, how can there be a star to collapse if they were not in existence until after the "singularity"?
Evolution: Now I will talk about something I am sure we have all heard of Evolution. The theory that all life evolves over time to better fit in with its environment and if left to evolve long enough a new species will be naturally created from that evolution.
While I do see and believe that a species can and will evolve to better cope with environmental changes, I do not believe one species will turn into another. For example, humans coming from monkeys. That is wrong. If humans evolved from monkeys, why did it suddenly stop? We should still be seeing monkeys that are learning to walk upright and taking on more human characteristics as time progresses. But we are not really seeing that. I have never been to a zoo and seen a monkey stand up and walk over to the fence, jump it, and walk away.
Now for the truth:
Creation: It did not take a mysterious black hole and an unexplained thing called "singularity" all it took was words. God spoke and it happened. That leaves no question about any contributing factors and no undefinable words. There was nothing, God spoke what He wanted and it was there. Before the Earth there was God, after the Earth there will be God.
You cannot logically say the diversity that exists in all forms on this planet is random and just appeared out nothing.
Animal Evolution: There is no theory to this one either. If you read Genesis 1 you will see the exact order everything was created in and it does coincide with science. Birds and fish were first, then the other animals, then man. But birds and fish are only 2 days older than man and animals, including the monkeys we evolved from, are only 1 day older.
If you want to get really technical man may be older than the animals currently on the planet. The great flood of Noah's time destroyed everything except Noah's family and 14 of every clean animal, 2 of every unclean animal, and 14 of every bird. Noah was 600 years when the flood came, unless the animals had extremely long lives Noah would have been the oldest living thing on the Ark and that would mean that humans are now the oldest species on the earth.
I also prefer Creation over Evolution for humans out of personal vanity. Would you rather say you came from an all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present being who allowed His Son to die for us on the cross because of His love for us or that you are simply a monkey that learned to walk and talk?
Genesis 1-29
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 7:1-24
7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[a][b] 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.
24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Prayers for Ethan
Last Monday Jimmy Lee Dykes got onto a school bus, murdered the bus drive and kidnapped a 5 year old named Ethan. He has taken him into a bunker and has held him hostage, today is the seventh day of this situation. We need to pray for this child and pray that God will bring an end to this for the child.
I feel a strong connection to this child because he has Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I have a 6 year old with those exact same conditions. There are various levels of Asperger's and ADHD and I am not sure to what levels they impact his life.
Don't get me wrong, this is a situation that I would never want to see an adult, much less a child in. This would be extremely difficult for any child, being taken away from their family and being held captive in an underground bunker, but all of that fear, frustration, anger, etc is going to be amplified within Ethan.
Asperger's causes someone to not only require a normal routine or structure in their life. Even the slightest change, such as the buzzing of a light or color of plate, can cause them to go into a full blown emotional meltdown. The meltdown is not like a fit or tantrum, which they are commonly mistaken for by people not familiar with the condition. The big difference is a fit is a way to get something they want and is entered into and ended by choice. A meltdown is caused by the inability to effective deal with a change in the environment or the inability to correctly process new stimuli that is introduced. The child is not choosing to do it and has little or no control over it, they just can not deal with the emotional/informational load that is being placed upon them.
On the positive side, Dykes is allowing in medicine, toys, coloring books, etc. This is hopefully helping him adjust better.
We need to come together as a Christian community and pray for this poor child to be safely and promptly returned to his family and that God will protect him while he is there. God has this child's best interest at heart, but I read about this and see all the things that would cause my 6 year old to such intense stress and meltdowns and my heart breaks. Please join with me in praying for this child's safe return home.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/alabama-hostage-situation_n_2613865.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57567409/boy-held-captive-in-ala-bunker-may-celebrate-6th-birthday-as-hostage/
Isiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
I will close this post with the Prayer of Protection written by James Dillet Freeman
"The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!"
http://www.unity.org/resources/articles/prayer-protection
I feel a strong connection to this child because he has Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I have a 6 year old with those exact same conditions. There are various levels of Asperger's and ADHD and I am not sure to what levels they impact his life.
Don't get me wrong, this is a situation that I would never want to see an adult, much less a child in. This would be extremely difficult for any child, being taken away from their family and being held captive in an underground bunker, but all of that fear, frustration, anger, etc is going to be amplified within Ethan.
Asperger's causes someone to not only require a normal routine or structure in their life. Even the slightest change, such as the buzzing of a light or color of plate, can cause them to go into a full blown emotional meltdown. The meltdown is not like a fit or tantrum, which they are commonly mistaken for by people not familiar with the condition. The big difference is a fit is a way to get something they want and is entered into and ended by choice. A meltdown is caused by the inability to effective deal with a change in the environment or the inability to correctly process new stimuli that is introduced. The child is not choosing to do it and has little or no control over it, they just can not deal with the emotional/informational load that is being placed upon them.
On the positive side, Dykes is allowing in medicine, toys, coloring books, etc. This is hopefully helping him adjust better.
We need to come together as a Christian community and pray for this poor child to be safely and promptly returned to his family and that God will protect him while he is there. God has this child's best interest at heart, but I read about this and see all the things that would cause my 6 year old to such intense stress and meltdowns and my heart breaks. Please join with me in praying for this child's safe return home.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/alabama-hostage-situation_n_2613865.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57567409/boy-held-captive-in-ala-bunker-may-celebrate-6th-birthday-as-hostage/
Isiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
I will close this post with the Prayer of Protection written by James Dillet Freeman
"The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!"
http://www.unity.org/resources/articles/prayer-protection
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