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