EXTREME MAKEOVER

Neglect of the original Owner's plan for this house is evident by the outward conditon seen. Is it a wise decision to demolish the old to rebuild? Should all be tossed aside as rubbish? Is there anything salvagable in this ruined structure? Don’t judge by the apparent neglect, but consider that all things are possible for those who TRUST in God! If the truth is told with complete transparency, an Extreme Makeover will follow! What NORMALLY appears to be beyond repair or useless to the watching world, this One Carpenter is delighted in taking on! He swore that if a house is destroyed that He would restore it in three days! In order for this Carpenter to begin a new project, He simply asks the tenant to honestly disclose all the weak parts. The walls of insulation that protected fear and guilt were ripped out so that the noise of the world would no longer drown the voice of the Landlord. As the tenant TOOK responsibility to confess all that was neglected, the Owner then allows the Carpenter to begin the process of restoration. First the faulty wiring that caused a short circuit that disconnected the tenant from its Owner was repaired. The broken windows (eyes) that welcomed illegal entry were given a fresh vision. The leaking roof that exposed the tenant to outside influences was lifted off and new thoughts resurfaced the mind. Weather resistant tiles(words)with a lifetime warranty were laid out. This Carpenter rebuilt the home and signed His Name to the Deed of Trust! He then was given the authority to renew the lease with Rules for Living. He used the worn wood boards, the cracked bricks, the stained basins to allow the tenant to remember their years of struggle, and failed attempts to impress the world, the family, the neighborhood by themselves. The Carpenter listened to the tenant pour out his heartfelt thanksgiving for all that had been done in him. With great compassion and love for the tenant, the Carpenter respected the deep character lines carved into the tenant He calls "friend". The tenant rejoiced in his relationship with the Carpenter and lived in the house of the Lord forever and ever! AMEN The Landlord of the entire universe is willing to restore His original plan for each body, each soul and the CHURCH He created. Let us look at the UNITY within the CHURCH as God sees it. NO walls, NO division, NO denominations, NO squabbles, NOT one annointed teacher, NOT one leader, but as God drives the TRUTH in us, as we nail our insecurity to the cross, as we trust that He qualifies, He equips those He calls, we listen and respond with willingness what His word says to our hearts. NEW KING JAMES VERSION Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in ALL WISDOM and prudence, having made known to us THE MYSTERY of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times ------ He might gather together in ONE all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth---in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things accournding to the counsel of His will, that we who FIRST TRUSTED in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvationl in whom also, having believed, you were SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheirtance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory--- that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to YOU the SPIRIT of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the EYES of your
understanding being enlightened: that you may know what is the HOPE of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance IN the saints, and what is the EXCEEDING greatness of His power toward us who BELIEVE, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him in His right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE all principality and power and might and demonion, and every NAME that is NAMED, not only in this age but in that which is to come. And He put ALL things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over ALL things to the church which is HIS BODY, the fullness of Him who fills ALL in ALL." In other words, God does not call the qualified, He calls us ALL His saints, His friends, His beloved to which He caused ALL wisdom, knowledge and the RICH FULL GRACE to abound, or leap toward ALL who TRUST and BELEIVE in GOD, according to HIS PLEASURE, that our EYES will be enlightened with understanding, that each of us KNOW what is the HOPE of His calling of us, LET us board His bus and ride knowing the RICHES of our inheiritance WITHIN us, and that in His HOPE for us, that we BE AWARE of His exceeding great power toward us who BELIEVE in His ability to RAISE the dead in spirit, and to TRUST in the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord, and that Jesus is the Head over ALL people, leaders, pastors, teachers, prophets, in this age and in the age to come...the CHURCH is HIS BODY, He is the fullness that fills us ALL. God has HOPE that we respond to His HOPE in us, that we say YES to our calling to serve Him, His church, without walls in the field, to harvest souls before His return. The will of God will NEVER take you to
WHERE the grace of God will not protect you!

LIFTED UP

Thanks to all my peeps for their prayers and their patience in my silence ~ which is better than a halleluiah at this time. At church TODAY, it was NOT an accident that God placed Cassandra and Jason before me. Their FAITH in the living word of God ministered to me during our time this summer listening for God's voice. In Jason's quietness and in Cassandra's humble revelations, that TODAY God would allow me to see Cassandra and Jason one more time before they both move to Oaklahoma so that Cassandra can begin med school - Their ministry hath thus begun! On my heart was this young couple, and GOD knew it! Refreshed by His word, by His presence, by the praise songs, then after the service, the brief yet light filled moments spent with Nancy Wilkins in the loft. Nancy encouraged my writing, and then she asked if upon her return from Wisconsin that IF she could be a support as a friend in Christ. WOW ~ talk about God knowing your every need before we even realize we have a need ~ He knows our hearts and even answers unspoken prayers! God is ministering to my soul, quietly and majorly effectively at this very moment. Majoring in the essentials of my faith, I am stilled, alone, and without a word from my son Jason ~
God gave me His comfort ~ in a CERTAINTY that Jesus dwells inside. His Holy Spirit swells to flush out all my doubt and fear and give me rest. God NOW fills my mind with courage, HOPE and calm assurance. Jesus, in the Person of the Holy Spirit has sent me His personally selected, amazing angels! Diana and Nancy have loved me well with their words of encouragement and by showing me the fruits of His Holy, perfect spirit. Such kindness, gentleness, understanding and grace is fully recognized as a GIFT from God. As Jesus protects my son Jason from all harm, my Lord is guiding me to make right decisions and He will see me through the storms ahead. "Likewise every good tree bears good fruit...thus by their fruit you will recognize them" --- The truth is that God calls us to judge, to evaluate, to discern gracefully, not harshly. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1 ~ This photo was taken on Mothers Day 2010. All my past worry and concern for my son did nothing! Today I SEE clearly through my Fathers eyes. My heart was full of deceit and confusion about His life changing power! Notified on the inside to correctly discern, to respond in His way. To love as I am loved, to forgive as I am forgiven, and to surrender my mind to Christ and be healed of every doubt, in every thought about God's plan for my son, and for me. Any fear about my surgery has been expelled by His flushing of my mind with the TRUTH! The Bible reminds me of God's truth "That which I have greatly believed has come upon me." JOB 3:25 ~ In the past I have voiced a fear that my son would die before me. My FAITH in God is the one power which fear cannot stand! Ringing in my spirit is this truth: "With God on my inside, whom shall I fear?" This week a wise choice has been to stop all the chatter and bathe my mind in the TRUTH of His living Word. Underlining and blogging every statement of courage and confidence...is the effort I choose ~ to cram my mind full of the healthy, happy, transforming TRUTH of JESUS. My focus on Jesus, my attentiveness to His Word, my active listen for His voice, for His direction ~ has successfully lifted my mind and heart out of the gutter of worry. Overcoming the worn out inadequacy lie, as any negative thought attempts to blur my vision of what CAN BE, my choice is to wisely cancel it out with a deliberate voice from God's word. Praise the name of Jesus for He has given me VICTORY! God Himself dwells on the inside of Jason and He is inside battling it out on Jason's behalf. In my weakness, in my silence, in my full surrender...God is most powerfully STRONG. I am praying HUGE prayers for Jesus to be resurrected fully in Jason's life and in mine. "According to your faith...be it done unto you" Matthew 9:29 --- Without the prayers of Diana, Nancy, Helen, Cassandra, Sonja and the church of Jesus Christ, I would have crumbled. ~ Thank you for the FAITH you exercise as His Ambassador!
I herein list my greatest ASSETS:
1) Belonging to a patient, loving, forgiving Father God
2) Fantastic friends and family in Christ Jesus
3) A son who loves me, even in his silence
4) Integrity, nothing to hide, no shame, no pride
5) Physical health and the Greatest Physician of mankind
6) Living in the USA which was founded by Christians
7) Rich in faith, believing and trusting God.
AMAZED! Click photo to enlarge. SEE a reflection of the cross on my heart, in the framed picture of Anne Graham Lotz ~ He is in the smallest detail as we Pursue More of Jesus ~ He is in us! AMEN
By practicing my FAITH in word and confident action towards my Holy God, By affirming the TRUTH verbally on my blog, by visualizing with the aid of photography, By believing what He says is TRUE about Jason, and about me as His daughter-- it SHALL come to PASS according to my FAITH in the ONE who in on the throne, in the ONE who knows my heart, in the One who loves unconditionally, all of His creation! AMEN ~ RIGHT NOW, the power of the Holy Spirit is released to actualize the outcome of His will! He shall continue to astonish and amaze us ALL by His magesty and mysterious ways! Emboldend by His ever increasing presence, I trust that His mighty force will continually intrude and dominate all the circumstances of my life. Emerson said "They conquer who believe they can. Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain." ---- An old worn out fear has been that ~ as a mother I have not done enough. Therefore to do NOTHING and entrust the outcome to God....is to hang my fear on the cross and kill it! All doubt, all fear is forced out by my faith in Almighty God. Praise to the One Who teaches us, Who trains us, Who corrects us, Who guides us, and Who disciplines those He loves! AMEN ~ To Barbara, my Jesus says "Rest my dear,
I got this. Relax and believe Me, Jason is safe in My arms."

HUMOR ME

FREEDOM in DEATH

The FREEDOM we celebrate on the fourth of July is and was made possible because of the death of many solidiers who willingly gave up their life so that we may live. As we read chapter four of Pursuing More of Jesus we receive the same object lesson. Last week we discussed John 12:12. "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem." A great crowd of holiday seekers were in the streets roaring with excitment like fanatical fans at a Raiders game. Contagious rejoicing resulted in spontaneous combustion! Halleluiah! The enemies of Jesus could not stop Him, control Him, or restrain His followers. The disciples of the Christ were standing among a throng of strangers that came to cast their vote for Jesus to rule the world! Following Him through the streets, being close to the One who would surely rule the World was exhilerating! In the midst of His hour of glory, the personal friends of Jesus must have been privately thinking of their great benefit as He is crowned King. He knew their hearts and hopes to win personal favor and gain with positions of proud authority and popularity. Jesus had already rebuked them for harboring selfish ambitions. He knew that His disciples just DID NOT GET what His coming suffering as the King of Israel would mean. Jesus chose to water the seed He had planted in their hearts:
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." John 12:23 His followers were inwardly quaking with hopes for the One Who came to walk among them, in the powerful name of the Lord. "FINALLY" they must have been thinking! In their VISUAL midst was the Ruler of the World! (God knows most must see to believe) They were wild with enthusiasm because of the potential for their future as a citizen in His kingdom! Jesus knew the motive of each shouted praise and said with a thundering voice of authoritative truth: "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But IF it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24. Was there a wide field of wheat within His view? Did He motion His hand across it to gather their attention? For this out-of-left-field lesson, did our Lord Jesus hold up a stalk of wheat and pluck one seed to emphasize---that unless this tiny seed was planted in soil, unless it dropped dead and was buried, would it crack open and grow to its full potential. Does His Word become fully alive in us when we read: "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:25. Do we pray "Lord take my life, help me die to myself that You may be fully glorifed." Is Jesus shown to others in our long life of suffering for His sake? Anne points out that it is impossible for us to crucify ourselves because crucifixion is the result of our decision to YIELD ourselves to Christ for His purposes. God allows pain and suffering on this earth and in the lives of His children. Our personal suffering is used to put to death our ideas of the abundant, spirit filled life of a Christian. In my life I can now look across the pages, the decades --- and genuinely praise God for all things! I was born unto unbelieving parents. At a young age I was molested, at 16 I endured the suffocating pain of silent shame as an unwed teen who was pregnant. All hope was swallowed when my daughter was secretly adopted away from me. I was dismissed from jobs, experienced an abduction and rape, I gave my only son to my ex-husband to provide for as I could not, I lived homeless and jobless in Texas, I suffered the humility and shame of bankruptcy, I endured an empty home alone at Christmas, I cared for my son after his fathers sudden death as he struggled with chemical addiction, and for 35 years as a divorced woman, because of my lasting commitment to Christ, the hope for marriage has been delayed. As Anne listed the nails that pinned her to the cross, hopefully each of us can look back and name the excruciating pain of our broken helplessness as we submitted to Jesus in those times we were forced to hang on to our faith. Jesus lifts our burdens as the Holy Spirit gives us peace that surpasses all human capacity to grasp WHY a believer can have peace and JOY in the midst of suffering. Anne teaches that the power in our lives that results in blessing is in direct proportion to our willingness to "hate our life" --- I remember thinking: "I would rather be dead than remain in an abusive marriage. I would rather be dead than carry on alone. I would rather be dead than live in this crazy world. I would rather be dead than suffer the consequence of my selfish sinful nature!" Do we take the challenge of Jesus seriously with HOPE for our promised future resurrection "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." Jesus surrendered to His Fathers plan, out of His willingness to suffer the cross, He was blessed by God with a position of power and everlasting authority! "Whoever serves Me must follow Me." John 12:26. Jesus knows us, He created us with a seed, a need to connect to the truth of WHY we are here and He encourages us in His living Word with the promised Holy Spirit Who helps us, Who enables us to know with blessed assurance that what Jesus says is truth! "Where I am, My servant also will be". John 12:26 So we are called to ask ourselves if there is anything more desirable than Jesus? The treasures of this world --- fame, fortune, honors, fitness, health, careers, vacations, promotions, positions, achievements. Are these things more desirable than eternity with Jesus Who said and delivered His promise in the indwelt Holy Spirit. "I will never leave you or forsake you." For now, we are FREE in the USA to worship Jesus Christ as Lord and to read our bibles. After a while, don't you tire of crime, commercials and the undesirable values on TV? If you WANT to HEAR the GOOD NEWS over and over, ORDER A BIBLE on DVD to watch on TV! Buy one for $19.95 and get one FREE to give away. Great quality, sound and a special tour of Jerusalem. ORDER www.dod.org or call 800-556-3388

ENRICHED IN ALL WAYS

"To those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (He fulfills promises) For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 1 Corin 1:1-31 "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corin 9:6-15 "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he. 8For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." Such people should realize that what we are in our LETTERS when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present. We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."
2 Corinthians 10:7-17 ---Our lives are love letters to Jesus Christ.

BUILD AN ARK

Everything WE need to know, we can learn from Noah's faith in the invisible God. As a believer on this side of the cross, we have the advantage of the CONSTANT indwelt Holy Spirit and His comfort and wise counsel. As we read the story of Noah we reap major lessons by listing the facts! Noah built what did not seem necessary, he did not question God's purpose and without a weather forcast or mercy from those who watched and laughed, Noah kept building without support from a group or a church, without a bible, without written instruction, without adequate funds, without complete knowledge, without a vision of the future, without a doubt in God, Noah worked in complete FAITH, trusting that Almighty God called Him by name and that His purpose may not ever be made known, but Noah chose to be obedient anyway. 1) Don't miss the boat.
2) Remember that we are all in the same boat!
3) Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4) Stay fit. At age 60 God may ask you to do something big.
5) Listen to God not the critics.
6) Build your future on high ground.
7) For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 8) Safety does not require speed. Snails boarded with cheetahs. JUST DO NOT GET LEFT BEHIND! ASK the Holy Spirit to prepare you!
9) When stressed, surrender to the Holy Spirit and float.
10) The Ark was built by an amateur; the Titanic by pros.
11) No matter the storm, obey God, and witness the rainbow.

HIDDEN SKELETONS?

Listening to KLOVE and driving down Elliott Road to Acampo to Sue and David's ranchette --- NAME this TUNE: It's more like falling in love, than something to believe in. It's more like falling in love, than a pledge to alligance...the words to that song simply resonated to how I was feeling! At church on Sunday I heard these lyrics to a new song: What IF we pass the sentence on what we witness? What IF we judge those we see who over-indulge the world and bulge with sin? What IF our secrets were all exposed? Would it haunt you to see your sins retold? Skeletons feed on regret. Skeletons won't let us forget. Is there hope for a sinner like me? Will God forgive and truly forget? Can my past be erased? Will my ways be forever traced? No, No, seventy times NO! "Come to Me and be truly free." Freedom is NOT the work of soldiers alone, FREEDOM is a gift from God, the Creator of all that is. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 --- I know that the most miserable people in the world are NOT non-believers --- but Christians living with unconfessed sin. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." Rev 3:19KNOWING that the truth is NOT what is advertized! "What happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas" --- and the city of SIN most certainly seperates us from God --- for me -- guilt cannot be suffocated with a new relationship, an exotic vacation, food or a new dress! Believers indeed suffer more when they stubbornly remain non-compliant as we defiantly disobey the call on our hearts. What happens in my life, mind and heart is known by a holy God --- so I might as well confess it! We all want a revival in our hearts, in our bodies, in our lives without a change of mind, a change of habits, the surrendering of our will, or the admittance of our sin of pride, lies, porn, gossip, stealing the reputation of another, our unbelief, our doubts about God's Word, and selfishness. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8
I praise You God for the Holy Spirit Who convicts me to confess all the skeletons in my past. Your word is a lamp that lights the way to a FREEDOM to dance in God's glory and NOT hide from God who is holy. I pray Lord that You expand my capacity to give, that the Holy Spirit enables me to desire to do the will of God and the power to surrender all that I am to His care. I ask that the Holy Spirit hover over Doyle, Sue and Jason and that He transform them until their lives reflect Christ. Be it unto them Lord according to Thy will. Today July 4th my pastor preached the reality that we are all sinners --- Lord I ask that the housing You have provided be a place of comfort to those who need a good word and some rest.

I AM PROUD TO BE A CHRISTIAN
and an AMERICAN who stands on
the infallible Word of God!

MATTHEW

Matthew was a tax collector. He wrote the gospel to show that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. Matthew provides the geneology of Jesus the Christ, the annointed King of Kings. Jesus was tempted. "Man does not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God" "Do not put your Lord thy God to the test."

VISUAL ACTS

The Visual Bible production of the book of ACTS is all about the Acts of the Holy Spirit. 'Wait for the gift that My Father promised' Then Jesus was lifted into heaven. James Brolin plays Peter - scripture verses are included on the video. "I will pour out my Spirit on those days" "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." ACTS CHAPTER 14 - lesson on worshipping God. ACTS CHAPTER 28:8 "Go to this people and say you will be everhearing but never understanding....for the people's hearts have become callosed"

TIME is PRECIOUS

HAVE YOU EVER SAID
"I don't have the time?" BOY, I have! Whenever I hear myself saying that --- that is my red alert to MANAGE my time before it robs me of my best intentions. Some folks by choice give premium time to listen to Leno, to watch Letterman, to get advice from Dr Phil, to wonder about Oprah, to be mystified by Hollywood, and then wonder WHY there is no time for God? Or what the truth really is? Who is right, who is hot, who is divorcing who? The sad truth is that millions of people fill up their minds on what has been rated as important. Tell - A - Vision. What is your vision during your prime time years? Networks battle to solicit your viewing, your mind, with a silly sitcom, a talk show, a news broadcast, and with lots of color and moving pictures designed to drown your senses. Because ratings of Talk Shows are so very HIGH, we know that a massive amount of people TUNE IN to what someone has to say. Impressions are made, sounds infiltrate, and our beliefs are influenced by the confusion of many foolish ideas. We watch the visions that producers edit, we hear that Oprah is gay, that Letterman lied to his wife, that Phil beat his wife, that Leno and Conan hate each other. In our search for truth, to establish our beliefs, the postmodern age sells us the idea that truth is relative to the individual, to whatever we think is true. How do we distinguish our truth from their truth without making anybody wrong? What if we disagree? The story, the tale, the belief of the author is reflected in the books you read, the movies you watch. Will the vision impact you eternally? Will the moral of the story be incorporated in your life? Will any advice last forever? Will what you hold to be truth stand the test of time? ETERNITY? "The word of our God stands forever." "Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; for why should he be esteemed?" (Isaiah 40:8 and 2:22) Will the movies you watch cause crime? Will the words you read in bestsellers give you the answers you seek? Do you read to be entertained, to exit your reality, to numb the pain of your emptiness? Is life as you know it all there is? PROVERB = a saying; a popular, common idea that rings true to life over a range of circumstances. "a penney saved is a penny earned" and another memorized proverb "a rolling stone gathers no moss". These sayings agree with a wide variety of experiences. "a rotten apple spoils the whole bunch". This advises to watch the company we keep. "Do not make friend with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."(Proverbs 22:24) "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. What fellowship can light have with darkness? (1 Corin 6:14) One bad apple does spoil the whole bunch! Feel the mushy texture or rotten beliefs, the smell, the taste, the worm! A bad name and a poor reputation brings God dishonor. Jesus was perfect, man is incapable of being perfect, and that is the beauty of grace. What company do you hold as you watch TV? God's Proverbs are general principles and not universal promises. The book of Proverbs are TIMELESS principles to follow as our PRIME TIME PASSES in this life on earth. The Bible is a divinely inspired book, the words you read do not contradict or change, because it is the truth, given to you by God so you can know Him and His ways more intimately. "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God." (1 Corin 2:10) Why is it that when people who have not accepted Jesus as Lord, when they pick up a Bible to read the word of God, they do not understand what they are reading? The truth to that question is found in His word. FLIP through the word of God and ASK Jesus to give you understanding. The Bible says that ALL of it is God breathed and "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2 Tim 3:16) Have you spent time with others who do not believe in God and felt influenced to do wrong? "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another --- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) "FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 10:39)

A HOT PRIORITY?

What do we consider a HOT priority? When your cell phone rings, or when you are signaled by an incoming TEXT, do you check to see who is wanting your attention before you respond? What makes one call, one abbreviated text, one person more important than another? What do we carry around in our purses or pockets? What do we flip through several times a day? What do we immeidately turn back to go get it if we forget it? What do we hold in our hand and consider most valuable? What example are we setting for the upcoming generation? What do we treat like we cannot live without it? What if we respected and treated God's living Word as the TOP PRIORITY? Where is the bible placed on your priority list? What if we used our bible to receive daily messages from the text? What if we gave it to kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? Oh, and one more reason to keep your bible a priority, unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill! Does this cause you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?" HAVE I dropped His call? The Lord Jesus calls us by name, do we answer His call and respond obediently, immediately? What would happen if we treated our Bible more of a priority than our cell phone? This message was sent to me from a dear friend in Olympia --- IN GOD's perfect timing, my cell phone contract ended --- Ahhh yes! My choice to create a new habit of WHO I turn to, WHO I flip to, and WHOSE text I respond to immediately. Jesus is my top priority and my choice to NOT sign up for another phone will PROVE to myself that I CAN live more peacefully without a cell. My close friends make plans for face to face contact, for lunch, a day on a kayak --- my family emails me. The number at work remains the same, and I check my email daily at lunch. Ahhhh, just like in the old days....way back in 2002, BEFORE I ever had a cell and I never missed a single important event. AMEN