The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

"If we do ministry well in these times that are for us increasingly the worst times, they may indeed prove to be, in the hand of God, the best of times for the gospel and the advance of His kingdom."  Shepherding the Church by Joseph Stowell

The Mojave Desert Cross

Summary: In 1934 a group of World War I veterans returned from battle and erected a simple wooden cross in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert—a fitting tribute to their comrades who had fought and died for America. But because of one objector, the cross was removed and 70 years of history were erased.   Follow the URL to watch a video on the Mojave Desert Cross (Don't Tear Me Down).

 http://www.donttearmedownnews.com/

Is Christian Doctrine Still Important?

 

In a society desperately in need of truth, the Church cannot afford to lose a conspicuous concern for sound doctrine.  It is essential that we preserve and vigorously defend the truth of Scripture.  Only then will the Church be faithful to her calling.  Only then can we offer an effective remedy to the human dilemma in a world full of counterfeit solutions. 

Greta Olsoe and Deborah Olsoe Lunde

Sinful Confidence

Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” . . . 9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?

Jeremiah 7:4, 9-10 (NIV)

Religious devotion without moral obedience is worthless. It is hypocrisy. The Church can never expect God to bless and establish her as long as she is engulfed by her own sin.

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to preach this message at the gate of the temple, probably at one of Israel’s great national feasts. He addressed a people who had relied on outward devotion to temple worship while living corrupt and sinful lives. In the course of the sermon, Jeremiah mentioned their breaking almost every one of the Ten Commandments (v. 9).

They had twisted one of God’s promises, making their sinful confidence all the more evil. God had said He would protect Jerusalem from the king of Assyria (Isa. 37:35); they had turned the promise into a standing guarantee. They committed all the evil they desired and hid behind the temple walls, crying: “This is the temple of the Lord! We are safe!”

God was infuriated by their arrogant rebellion and called them to repentance. If they would change their ways, He would allow them to live. If they would not, all the judgments Jeremiah had prophesied would crush them.

In God’s eyes, sin had eclipsed the Israelites’ religious observance. They had even begun to worship false gods, rejecting their very identity as the people of God. How was Israel to be a light to the Gentiles, when she was worshipping the same gods and committing the same sins as those around her?

Christians today are rocked back on their heels. They have lost the ability to engage the culture, because they have nothing different to offer. Many churches, sometimes even consciously, are influenced by the world’s values. They go about their religious routine, all the while taking compromising lessons from the world and peddling the gospel and their programs with slick marketing techniques. Nothing sets them apart, yet they continue to believe they are indispensable merely because they vainly repeat that they are “the church of the Lord, the church of the Lord, the church of the Lord!"

Such churches must repent of surrendering their position as the light of the world. God has no obligation to preserve a congregation or denomination which defiles His Name. If they insist on cozying up to the world, they should not be surprised if they find themselves, like Israel, judged and scattered. --  From The Kairos Journal





 

A Prayer of St. Augustine's

 

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. 

Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work may be holy. 

Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love only what is holy. 

Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. 

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. 

- St. Augustine 

If you should see a starving man standing with mouth open to the wind, inhaling draughts of air as if in hope of gratifying his hunger, you would think him lunatic. But it is no less foolish to imagine that the soul can be satisfied with worldly things which only inflate it without feeding it. . . .Bernard of Clairvaux

A Mockery of God and Jesus

 A new animated series currently under development for Comedy Central’s 2010-2011 production slate will feature the adventures of a cartoon Jesus Christ as he tries to escape the shadow of his “powerful but apathetic father,” according to “The Washington Post.”

After stirring controversy earlier this year with their depiction of the prophet Muhammad, Comedy Central writers are describing “JC” as, “a playful take on religion and society with a sprinkle of dumb.”
The storyline will follow the animated Jesus as he travels to New York in an attempt to become “a regular guy.”

Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

http://video.getmorestrength.org/2010/05/10/spotlight-on-jesus-by-joe-stowell/

Does God So Love the World?

"Love is the best known but least understood of all God's attributes. Almost everyone who believes in God these days sees Him as a God of love. I have even met agnostics who are quite certain that if God exists, He must be benevolent, compassionate, and loving.

"All those things are infinitely true about God, of course, but not in the way most people think. Because of the influence of modern liberal theology, many suppose that God's love and goodness ultimately nullify His righteousness, justice, and holy wrath. They envision God as a benign heavenly grandfather-tolerant, affable, lenient, permissive, devoid of any real displeasure over sin, who without consideration of His holiness will benignly pass over sin and accept people as they are."  John MacArthur, In Touch

"The eternal law of righteousness ordains that he who will not submit to God's sweet rule shall suffer the bitter tyranny of self. . .  Wondrously and justly does that eternal law retain rebels in subjection, so that they are unable to escape."   Bernard of Clairvaux,  On Loving God

The Resurrection

  But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,  but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,  that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”  And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  Luke 24: 1-9 ESV

Love Each Other

John 15:9-12
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

A Prayer

Lord, may the example of your own life strengthen me as I seek to overcome the pride, jealousy, and things that lead to divisions between others and myself.  Help me to channel the love that you have given me so that I may develop life-giving relationships with others.  Unite us in our love for you and one another.

Suffering Made Bearable

"Suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares.  One continually sees that faith in God and his care is made infinitely easier by faith in someone who has shown kindness and sympathy."  Cicely Saunders        Yancey,Philip. When We Hurt. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006, 116

Take Up Your Cross

http://www.dod.org/Products/Crucified--Take-up-Your-Cross--Part-I__DOD2146.aspx

Eliminating Unrealistic Expectations

God So Loved the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Akz6J8Rw0

Christ's Love in Dying for Me -- A Communion Prayer

O HOLY Jesu, when at Thy Altar I see the Bread broken and the Wine poured out, O teach me to discern Thy Body there. O let those sacred and significant actions create in me a most lively remembrance of Thy sufferings, how Thy most blessed Body was scourged and wounded and bruised and tormented, how Thy most precious Blood was shed for my sins; and set all my powers on work to love Thee and to celebrate Thy love in thus dying for me.

Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

World Religions & Worldviews

Throughout the biblical period, from devotion to Baal and Asherah in Old Testament days to reverence for Artemis and “divine” Roman emperors of the New Testament era, the worship of foreign and false gods surrounded, challenged, and even compromised God’s people. And just as the prophets spoke knowingly to these religious challengers in their own time, today’s pastor must understand rival belief systems and prepare his people to encounter them.

"Illness is an event that makes a painful difference in the world we take for granted.  For some people, their lives are irrevocably damaged.  For others, the cracks in their world are patched up.  And there are those for whom a former world falls apart and something new replaces the old."

Blair Justice, A Different Kind of Health--Finding Well-Being Despite Illness; (Houston: PeAk Press, 1998), p.9

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  Matthew 18: 12-14 (ESV)

Good Shepherd, when I am lost, when I am confused, when I am afraid, seek me out and shepherd me, Lord.

The Lord Is Thy Keeper

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.
From whence cometh my help?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore.

A Ray Of Hope

ODB RADIO:  |  Download
READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. —1 Thessalonians 4:13

It was to be an exciting summer for our family. We had many activities planned, including a trip to Florida to help our daughter Julie begin her teaching career.

Instead, the summer of 2002 began with tragedy. When our teenage daughter Melissa was killed in an automobile accident on the last day of school, our summer of hope turned into a nightmare.

Right away, I began to pray that the loss of our bright, athletic, friendly daughter could have a positive impact on teenagers—first among her friends and then in ever-widening ways.

Toward the end of the summer, we did take that Florida trip to get Julie started, heavy-hearted as we were. As she began teaching, Julie never forgot the desire to see Melissa's life change the lives of others. She told her classes about her sister and her faith.

One day, a student talked to Julie after class. "I'm scared," she said, "because I'm not a Christian like Melissa was." Julie then led her to faith in Jesus Christ. I imagined Melissa rejoicing in heaven.

The summer of 2002 didn't turn out as planned, but we were thankful to see some fruit of a life well-lived. Even in our sorrow, God gave us this ray of hope.  — Dave Branon

Lord, give us grace to trust You when
Life's burdens seem too much to bear;
Dispel the darkness with new hope
And help us rise above despair. —Sper

Even in life's darkest hour, Christians have the brightest hope.

A Prayer for Those Suffering from Depression

f

Dear Jesus, I walk in the valley of darkness for I suffer from depression. I feel unloved. rejected, useless to myself and useless to others. I feel lost in a world I no longer understand. At times, I want to sleep and never wake up again. Lord, I believe that Your love is a transforming love. Jesus, Son of David have pity on me. Out of the depths, I cry to you.
 
Lord, even though 1 feel nothing, I still praise you for the wonder of my being. You have formed me in my mother's womb and watched over me to this moment. I am precious in Your eyes and You love me. On the Cross, you shed your blood for me. You have carved me in the palm of Your hand. For all this I give you thanks and praise.
 
May your Precious Blood give new life to me and to all those who suffer as I do. Take each one of us and hug us to your sacred and loving heart. Through your glorious wounds may we be healed.
 
Dear Jesus, when you fed Ihe crowd in the desert, you wished to gather up the fragments, lest anything be lost. As I wander through a desert and darkness of my own, I ask you to gather up the fragments of this shattered being, lest anything be lost. Through the prophet, Joel, You promise to restore the years that the locusts have eaten. I ask you, lay Your hands gently on my weary head and restore me. Let your face shine upon me and give me back the peace and the joy that has been lost. 
Amen

From: http://www.circleofprayer.com/welcome.html 

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1-2 For those beloved suffering from a chronic illness or cancer, make your goal to wake up each morning with a hunger and thirst for God and to live each day with this desire always present in your soul. Will we desire God as the Psalmist desired him? Will we be like the deer, panting for streams of rich delight in the presence of our God?

Lots of Americans almost wallow in tolerance. They feel that as long as a person is sincere about his religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter what he believes. But isn’t it strange that they apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be right, not just sincere. They want the accountant who does their taxes to be right, not just sincere. They want the pharmacist who prepares their prescription to be right, not just sincere. Why, then, in the single most important area of their lives--their relationship with God--would they be willing to settle for sincerity instead of accuracy? It makes no sense. Jesus said many politically incorrect things, but the most shocking is recorded in John 14: He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (NIV). Now that’s an exclusive statement! CNN would never allow someone to make such a statement without an instant rebuttal. St. Peter made that claim of Jesus even more blatant when he said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). From: Is Jesus the Only Way? (Matt. 22:1-14; John 14:5-6) Bill Bouknight

A Prayer for Healing Using Anglican Prayer Beads

A Prayer for Healing

V Jesus lover of our souls hear my prayer.

R Embrace O Lord all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit.

X For You are our Deliverer and Healer.

' I pray for all in mental torment and depression.

' I pray for all who suffer from cancer, heart disease,

and other illness.

' I pray for all who are terminally ill, near death, and for

those that morn.

' I pray for all who are injured through accident.

' Protect the unborn, infants, and children from illness and harm.

' Bless all who provide health care and avail themselves

to the healing of others.

' May all people come to know Your saving grace and love.

X For You are our Deliverer and Healer.

R For You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

V I pray in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of

the Holy Spirit. Amen.