Livin' the life...

Every time I look back
And every time I think back
On all the stuff I've been through
I've prayed through I cried through
And then I tried you and just
When I was about to fall
Your love caught me when your name I called
Jesus you keep on lookin' out for me!

Those are the some of the lyrics from a rather popular song by gospel artist Kirk Franklin called Lookin' Out For Me. The reason I've included them in the preamble to this TFTW is because I think it's extremely important for us to remember that Jesus is looking out for us, in whatever situation we manage to entangle ourselves, and wherever we venture on this little earth.

To give you a brief true story of my experience with this fact, I recall when I started my current course in jolly ol' England. For the first few months, it was a bit testing academic-wise, but it was especially testing at times, because this course is very individual- as opposed to group- or class-based. The tough time here was getting used to working largely alone and in a climate where I didn't know anyone, and there were NO Bajan (Barbadian), furthermore Caribbean people in sight! As one can imagine, this also meant that I had some serious work to do if there was to be any hope for Christian fellowship.

That is until one rosy day, I heard a familiar accent, from behind me in a university-held seminar. To be honest, until that moment, I really did not know or readily accept, that Bajans had "an accent"! Anyway, through that lovely lady, I met another lovely lady and from her, I met a few other lovely people. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, what's the link with Christianity, how is Jesus involved? Well, it turns out that those two initial ladies are Christians, and us three regularly meet and for casual discussion which usually entails chats about Christianity and other relevant and related issues.

To be honest, it's great! And whenever I think about it all I can do is smile (). To meet people: (a) from Barbados; (b) who share the faith; and (c) who are actually doing the same course (different fields of study though) and have been here for a bit so can "show me the ropes" whenever need be.

Now tell me, considering that reality, can't I shout to the top of my lungs,

JESUS YOU KEEP ON LOOKIN' OUT FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great week all! And of course, "Me" really means "Us", I just wanted to keep Kirk's line. :-)

PS. This post is dedicated to those two ladies, you both know who you are and I IMAGINE you know that I appreciate you.

For this week, I thought I would do something rather different (variety is the spice of life right?), so, I've chosen some light Christian humour to portray this week's TFTW! I hope you enjoy, and of course, grasp the meaning!

Now to the story...

Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.
Finally fed up, God said, 'THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job.'
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They moused.
They faxed.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments.
They downloaded.
They did spreadsheets!
They wrote reports.
They created labels and cards.
They created charts and graphs.
They did some genealogy reports
They did every job known to man.
Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell.
Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off..
Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed.
Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming:
'It's gone! It's all GONE! 'I lost everything when the power went out!'
Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work..
Satan observed this and became irate.
'Wait!' he screamed. 'That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?'
God just shrugged and said,

JESUS SAVES

ha! Have a great week all!! And thanks for this K.!

For the last two weeks I've been trying to compile a list of favourite Bible verses, based on submissions from my readers. The purpose of this was to give you the opportunity to share your favourite verse with others. What I would like each of us to do this week therefore, is to chose another person's verse and meditate on it. If possible, I suggest picking one that you are not too familiar with, I think this will prove more fruitful. Below, I list all the verses I received (and the initials of the respective contributors).

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1
K.H.

Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. - Philippians 4:5-6
M.C.

... You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” - John 8:57-58 (NRSV)
A.K.

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. - James 5:13
D.C.

Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. - Psalms 37:5
J.R.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13
N.G.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. - Psalms 23
K.R.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-12
K.B.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
J.N.

Remember, chose one that is unfamiliar, and research it if you must. Have a blessed week. :-)

Lastly, many thanks to the contributors and readers alike.

Beautifully illustrated. Enough said!

Have a great week!

Last week I attended a social gathering to celebrate the birthday of a colleague. Whilst there, I spoke to a few people briefly, and eventually settled into a steady conversation with two other persons. After exchanging general questions for a couple minutes, I was shocked by one of the ladies there, as out of nowhere she asked, "Are you a Christian?" Normally.. to be honest, this would not shock me because as most of you would know, I usually wear a wooden cross outside my shirt, so naturally, she could make that deduction. Today however - and for no particular reason - my cross was under my shirt and completely hidden from view!

As her question had me rather intrigued, I replied and then asked what prompted her question. I honestly can not remember all that she said but two things I do recall that she mentioned was that, (a) she had not seen me drink (alcohol) and (b) I didn't at any point pop away for a smoke. She may have also commented on my mannerisms but I am not quite sure.

The point of this little story is that regardless of where you are or what you are doing, persons should be able identify us as Christians, and showpieces of our Lord. That night I don't remember doing anything religious at all, not even the slightest comment, however somehow that girl made the connection!

We must always be cognisant of the FACT that we are God's ambassadors! And trust me - as we have seen from my little example above - people (non-Christians in particular) ARE watching us. They want to see what's the difference between us and them, they are interested in what's so good about our God! When I ponder on this topic, I always remember a nice, albeit childish phrase that states, "God has no hands but our hands, God has no feet but our feet..", i.e. we are God's tools!

So please, this week let's remember that we are ambassadors for our God in everything that we do, from driving, to going out of your way to help someone in need. Below I leave you with the more official, and adult version of the phrase included above..

"God has no hands but our hands to do his work today;
God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way;
God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died;
and, God has no help but our help to lead them to his side."

(Some attribute this to Saint Teresa of Avila)

Have a great week and God bless!

Last week we spoke on "why" God seems distant at times, today we will cover "what we should do" when that happens. Again, the main point of reference for this discussion will be "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. So, what should our response be when God seems distant?

We Praise Him: Mr. Warren writes, "How do you praise God when you don't understand what's happening in your life and God is silent? .. You do what Job did: 'Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'[1]'" That is, you keep praising Him all the way! God is so pleased when we keep praising Him regardless of what happens! This shows that we are holding tight to our faith and is exactly why God is testing us in the first place. I know this is not easy, but our God is very wise and patient, and appreciates how tough this can be for us. Therefore, He gives us many chances to show that we are ready to "step up to the plate". When we make this step, it signifies that we are maturing in our relationship with Him.

We tell God exactly how we feel: Rick in [PDL] states that pouring out our heart - including our doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion and questions - to God is in itself a strong statement of faith. One of the reasons I think this is done is to show God that we regard Him, not only as our God, but also as a close friend. We implicitly: (a) show belief in Him; (b) show that we know He is there for us; and (c) express that we know that He loves when we are open, honest and hold Him as our rock and refuge. I think these things make God smile.

We focus on who God is - his unchanging nature: God never changes, from the beginning He was for you and it will remain that way! To put it more eloquently, "Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I'm going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life. V. Raymond Edman said, 'NEVER doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.'" [PDL] Here are some verses in Job that shows this very point i.e. regardless of what happened to him, he still found things that he could praise God for; See [2,3,4,5,6,7].

We remember what God has already done for us: Last time I checked, God's son died for us. He died for You, the person sitting behind you, the person who's in the kitchen preparing a pot of Earl Grey tea, even the lady who nearly hit your car this morning! The fact is that Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life and suffered a violent, ghastly death for every one of us. All for the purpose of rebuilding that bridge to the Father, and enabling us to one day be with Him in heaven. Mr. Warren sums things up nicely in the following; "Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for." [PDL]

This brings to and end our extended discussion, I thank you for sharing in it with me and wish you a blessed week. Before I go I would like to leave what I think is a totally appropriate statement to take away from our discussion that perfectly exemplifies the type of maturity we should all be aiming for. It is from Job 13:15 and states:

"God may kill me, but still I will trust him."

Amen! Have a great week!

Sometime ago I had considered writing a post on this topic however yesterday morning I read a very insightful chapter in "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren that addressed this issue perfectly, so I will adopt that work as the main basis for this week's thought (aka TFTW). Today I will present Part 1 which will look at the "why" at times God will seem distant. Next week for Part 2, we'll cover the "what we should do" when it happens.

To be honest, the "why" is all broken down into a single core point.

Separation is vital for the development of our faith. To mature in our friendship with God, He will test it with periods of seeming separation - times when it feels as if He has abandoned or forgotten us.

As Rick notes, "When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers - so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies." Moving on from this, our God is concerned with one main question; "Will you continue to love, trust, obey and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?" This is a key question to determine our spiritual maturity.

Here it is important to consider that you are not the only one being tested, even if when you look at fellow Christians, all seems well in their lives. No no, don't think you are alone at all, we all are tested! From those just passing that 'baby Christian' phase to those who are far along in the Christian path. If we reflect on the Bible, we see examples of the latter in both David and Job. Surely everyone remembers the story of Job, but even David - probably one of the closest to God - struggled: "Yet David frequently complained of God's apparent absence: 'Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?'[1]  'Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?'[2] 'Why have you abandoned me?'[3]"

But we know as did David, that God would never leave us or forsake us [4,5] so WHY does He seem so distant?! My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is all for the development of our faith. The email signature of one of my friends comes to mind as it notes, "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials". The Biblical - and likely original - version of this phrase can be found in James 1:2-4, as it states, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing". How true is that!

So, it's all about our development and maturity, all about the edification of that relationship with our God. When faced with trials myself, and not knowing where to go, or what to do, I often remark, "God knows what's best for me, much much better than I do anyway!" Therefore, let's just keep loving, obeying, worshipping and trusting Him to direct us and carry us!

Have a great week and Lord willing, we will continue this discussion next time with Part 2.

Update: Here's the link to Part 2!

This week's TFTW is related specifically to a comment posted on my blog regarding sin and forgiveness, and the fact that 'the blood of Jesus Christ covers all sins, ... and all we gotta do is turn to Him and ask for forgiveness and move away from the sin' (Source). To best exemplify this point, I have chosen the graphic below..

I think this fits some of us - myself included - perfectly at times, but we must learn to try our best to focus on the scripture and move away from that sin. I urge you to meditate on this thought during this week.

Tell me, what was your church sermon about on Sunday? Or.. if you did not make it to church last weekend, what about the last time you went! What was that sermon about! Surely you can remember! I've heard a few people say the sermon is one of the main reasons they attend church; the sermon is really the "meat" of that early morning outing. Therefore again I ask, what was your last sermon about?

To be honest, I personally do not remember pass the Wednesday in the same week! And this is not something I am too proud of at all! Actually, at times I it concerns me greatly. Once or twice I must admit that I asked myself, "well Jason, what's the PURPOSE of going!" Luckily I came across the following story sometime subsequently and it fixed me right up! Check it out below! If you have seen it already, please just give it another look over, it really is worth that at least.

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them..

So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.

But I do know this...

They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

Point taken indeed! So, I emphasise, don't give up because you seem not to remember or because at times, it all seems in vain. Our minds are amazing things and you'll be surprised what they remember when you find yourself in certain testing or difficult situations.

Have a great week!

Can you portray it any better than that? Have a great week!

Our Daily Bread April 18 2008: "We should never get the idea that our sins are taken lightly by the Lord. But when we acknowledge our guilt with true repentance, God is ready to forgive because of what Jesus did on the cross. It's up to us to accept it."

As I read this I thought, "well this is a bit vague, what really is 'true repentance'?"

Well, let's see what Oxford says about the verb 'to repent'.. "feel or express sincere regret". Ok.. 'regret', that's slightly clearer. Merriam-Webster takes this a step further and states, "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life". Wow, well that's straight to the point! But I think both definitions are required for a complete discussion of 'true repentance'.

Now, to analyse our findings. In Oxford's definition, we note To Feel or Express Sincere Regret. At its core, this simply means, to say sorry. To Confess your sin AS a sin, to God. Then, to Sincerely apologise for it. In sincerely saying sorry, I think this is where Merriam-Webster's definition comes into play and provides some key points in examining 'true repentance'.

Firstly, it stresses, to Turn From Sin. To be honest, this is much, much easier said than done. Even Paul stresses this point in his epistle to the Romans when he writes, "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice" (See Romans 7:13-25 NKJV). As descendants of Adam and Eve, humans, are considered by some as sinful by nature (See Psalms 51:5 but also this insightful discussion). Personally, I believe that If God had left us to our own devices, by now the Earth - as we know it - would be no more! But anyway, note: Turn From Sin i.e. Set your back to Sin i.e. Do not do Sin.

Next, Dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life. This is self-explanatory, but be careful of just viewing it just as a sentence. The meaning goes considerably deeper than any normal sentence. Dedicating oneself to the correction of one's life, in my opinion means, putting your all into not doing that Sin again. I remember in a Sunday School session a few years ago, Mr. Best, our teacher then, said that to repent meant to make a 180 degree turn. In essence, whatever it was, DO NOT go down that path again. Again, I myself confess that this is far from an easy task. But, this I believe perfectly exemplifies 'true repentance'.

In closing, I think from this brief discussion that we've highlighted some of the most important tenets of  'true repentance'. These are: To Confess your sin; To Sincerely Apologise for it; To Turn From Sin; and finally to Make a 180 degree turn and NOT go down that path again.

I hope you find this discussion somewhat enlightening and even if you see fit, to spread The Word. Have a great week!

Long? Yes. Worth it? You bet'cha! Have a great week!!! (Thanks for the email Keisha!)

Hey there. I hope you had a good week!

This week I'd like to talk about giving thanks.

Now I'm the type of person that before every meal I either say a prayer of thanks, or say thanks in some other fashion. I remember sometime ago as I was about to have lunch with someone, whom I had also had breakfast with earlier that day, as I lowered my head - for the second time in the day, they remarked, "you ALWAYS say a prayer before eating?!". I think I replied, "I try to".

You see, in my opinion, the thing about saying prayers or giving thanks before every meal (or even snack), is just simply to express real, sincere THANKS. 'Thanks' here is aimed at the person who prepared the food, but also to God for providing it. Every time I am about to eat a meal, I want God to know that I fully appreciate Him putting it there. I think it's little things like this that make our God smile.

Now, I must also warn you! One thing you should be wary of is letting these prayers and signs of thanks become just a mundane, meaningless task that you just do out of habit. This, I don't think will make God smile. One tip I suggest is to do it differently, "spice it up" if you wish, keep things fresh.

So next time you're about to bite into that tasty or tasteless ________, try to remember who deserves thanks for it being there for you to enjoy.

Have a great week!

For this week...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - Everything Has Its Time

"To everything there is a season,      
A time for every purpose under heaven:
      A time to be born,
And a time to die;
      A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
      A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
      A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
      A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
      A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
      A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
      A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
      A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
      A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
      A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
      A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
      A time to love,
And a time to hate;
      A time of war,
And a time of peace."

Remember..

To everything there is a season,      
A time for every purpose under heaven.

Have a blessed week!

Happy Easter!!!

I must say, in England the season of Easter seems a bit more publicised and widely - dare I remark - 'accepted', than it is in Barbados. By 'accepted' however, I do not necessarily mean that everyone is jumping for joy that Jesus is risen! (even though He IS!) but the point that even non-Christians are eager to wish others a Happy Easter.

(Regarding Easter eggs - I had tried to find some authoritative and official Christian source to explain the origin, and purpose of Easter eggs.. however none I found were up to my standards.

It is my belief however that Easter eggs within Christianity are a symbol of new life. So yes, it's more than just a big lump of Cadbury chocolate!)

Have a blessed Easter.

33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”
36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:
      THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Today is Palm Sunday. The day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion, reported by all four Canonical Gospels Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.

Last year June, I reported on a commandment listing from the Vatican which highlighted a list of Ten Commandments for drivers. Well, the Vatican is at it again, but not for drivers this time, now it's more focused on sins in the societal context as you can see below.

"VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.

The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance, spoke of modern evils.

Asked what he believed were today's "new sins," he told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that the greatest danger zone for the modern soul was the largely uncharted world of bioethics.

"(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce some violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments and genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to predict and control," he said.

The Vatican opposes stem cell research that involves destruction of embryos and has warned against the prospect of human cloning.

Girotti, in an interview headlined "New Forms of Social Sin," also listed "ecological" offences as modern evils.

In recent months, Pope Benedict has made several strong appeals for the protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had become gravely important for the entire human race." (Ref)

Some of the other newly purported sins include: polluting the environment, causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming obscenely wealthy and taking drugs (Ref).

These sins of course are to be added to the old (more personal) list of: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

To be fair.. New times.. new sins..

A few days ago when as I was reflecting about all the varrriiouss things on my mind, out of nowhere, the verse, "cast all your cares upon Him because He cares for you" came to me. Because I was not 100% sure that this was the correct quotation I googled it and eventually, browsed on to look at the verse's overall context.

I hope the verses (below) can impart some of that same enlightenment which I feel, to you, and serve to remind you that He is there waiting for us whatever we may be going through..

The verse..

"Submit to God, Resist the Devil

5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

      “ God resists the proud,
     But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:5-11 (NKJV).

(Believe it or not, I only wanted to underline the really KEY parts of the verse.! :$)

Enjoy your week and God bless! :-)

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with ALL your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13.

I can add nothing to this scripture to make it more perfect or pertinent. Therefore, I'd just ask you to take a few minutes out of your busy day and meditate on these words and their meaning, their implications for your life.

Have a blessed week!

For this week I'd like you to approach life and all its challenges with the following attitude:

I can't, but GOD can.

Have a great week and tell me how it goes! Also, I'm sorry this post is late - ideally it would have been done on Sunday - but I was a bit busy but I also could not find anything that appealed to me soo much that I could share it with you. Finally, I thank Jamel for bringing this lovely quote to my attention, :-)!

Take care and God bless.

Don't be fooled by "Doubt"! We're under God's promise! :-) Have a great day!

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes" But

Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."

Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help" She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer.

He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.

He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember:
God is at the window!

When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

(That was excellent. Thanks J!)

Here's a short history lesson on Ash Wednesday (which is 6 February - today - this year)..

"Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It's a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast. .. The service draws on the ancient Biblical traditions of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth, and fasting. ..

In Ash Wednesday services churchgoers are marked on the forehead with a cross of ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality. .. The minister or priest marks each worshipper on the forehead, and says remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return, or a similar phrase based on God's sentence on Adam in Genesis 3:19." (Ref)

For more info visit here or over there. And, as would be expected, Crosswalk has a nice Lent 101 article for the season.

Many thanks to 'Your Pastoral Coach' for the image used in this post.

There is a reason Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it" (Mark 10:15). Check the clip below.

A real tear-jerker..  Have a blessed day! (Thanks for the tip M!)

I hope you got the message.. Enjoy your week!! :-)

I think these four lines are quite suitable for all those who need a bit of encouragement and direction right now.

"Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who built it,
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain." Psalm 127:1.

Have a great day and remember, try not to worry or to get overly anxious about whatever situation you are faced with even as daunting as it may look. Because, "When we trust the power of God, we experience PEACE not panic".!

I received this as part of an email and even though I found it slighly harsh, I think it's definitely worth sharing.

"God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you.

It's your choice: Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick."

Enjoy your week!!

Search the Scriptures' precious store-
As a miner digs for ore,
Search, and you will surely find
Treasures to enrich the mind. - Anon

God speaks to us through His Word; take time to listen.

Taken from RBC Ministries 'Our Daily Bread' Dec07-Feb08: Jan 5 2008

Firstly, Happy New Year! I wish you the best for 2008.

To start this year, I would like to share with you a Daily Bread reading taking from RBC Ministries 'Our Daily Bread' Dec07-Feb08: December 31 2007. It reads..

"Which of the following quotes are in the Bible?
1. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
2. God helps those who help themselves.
3. Confession is good for the soul.
4. Man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
5. Money is the root of all evil.
6. Honesty is the best policy.

Believe it not, only one of those quotes is found in the Bible. The fourth one is from Job 5:7.

George Muller, a pastor and orphanage director in the 1800s, wouldn't have had trouble knowing which of those quotes ere from the Bible. Why? Because he read through it more than 100 times! He said: "I look upon it as a lost when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. . . . I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful."

We don't need to feel guilty if we don't read the Bible as much as Muller did. But consider with me reading it through at least once this coming year-not so that we can answer some tricky questions about it, but because it was given to us by God and is profitable for our spiritual growth (2 Tim. 3:16-17). - Anne Cetas

Read the Bible to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy."

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you. Ta!

This is a rather interesting article I found on Christian site Crosswalk.com, especially for guys (note though that it is written by a woman). Gals, you can feel free to refute any of the claims! Check it out: 9 Lies Men Tell Themselves About Women!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

"Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he as no one to help him up.

Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

We can go a lot further together than we can go alone... :-)

"But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe."

1 Timothy 4:7

Have a great week!

David Crowder Band - O Praise Him! Such a sweet, and powerful song. I hope you enjoy.

O help us, Lord, to heed Your Word,
Its precepts to obey,
And give us strength to quench the urge
To do things our own way. - Sper

Obedience is faith in action!

Here's a rather thought-provoking article I got in my feeds this morning - Top 10 Qualities to Look For in a Wife. Guys, I definitely suggest you read it, even though... to be honest, some parts sound rather utopian. Gals? Well... take a gander, this may just be the package most guys are looking for in you.

For me, I've already bookmarked it for later (like.. wayyyy later) reference.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

INSIGHT

Inherent within the human heart is a longing for peace, love, and joy. Among Christians and non-Christians alike, the desire is the same. Yet peace, love, and joy do not answer just any beck and call. They will come only by certain means; they are fruits on the tree of wisdom. Wisdom will bring length of days (v. 2), peace (v. 2), favor with God and man (v. 4), strength to your bones (v. 8), honor (v. 16), pleasantness (v. 17), paths of peace (v. 17), confidence in life (v. 26), and freedom from the snares of life (v. 26). Foolishness brings harm (v. 29), oppression (v. 31), and shame (v. 35). We all long for the benefits of wisdom. We must remember that she comes with a price: submission to the will of God and the truth of Scripture.

Source: Quiet Walk - August 3, 2007.

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

1 Peter 5:7

Have a great day!

I haven't put up anything funny in a while, but I think this makes up for it! Check this out!

Enjoy!!

Yep! That's right! I couldn't believe the headline myself until I browsed to the article.

"The Vatican on Tuesday issued a "Ten Commandments" for motorists to keep them on the road to salvation, warning drivers against the sins of road rage, abuse of alcohol or even simple rudeness." (Yahoo!)

Some of the commandments are:

• The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. (#2)
• Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. (#3)
• Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. (#5).. [I think.. all males break the first part of this one .. ]

Check the full list here! Enjoy!

I just read a great article on Crosswalk called "The Power of 'Possibility Praying'" and I think it'll be worth the read! Here's a snippet:

"... Jesus responded by saying, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Jesus shifts the responsibility right back to the father, letting him know that he had a part to play in the healing of his son. His part was to believe. What most Christians fail to realize is that there are two sides to the coin of “all things are possible with God” (Matt. 19:26)."

"For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." Romans 7:15 (NKJV)

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

1 Timothy 4:1-5

I posted this passage especially because of an article a friend (thanks T!) directed me to in the EASY Magazine of last Sunday's Nation (May 27 pg 8 and 9) newspaper which spoke a bit on marriage. The article was titled, "Does living together [outside of marriage] ever really work?" and to respond, 3 (out of the 7 interviewed) - and notably 3 of the younger ones - made comments like, "I would live with someone, but I would never get married", "I'm not really into marriage. It's not worth it." and "I would not get married. Marriages today do not last very long, so what's the point?"

I think it's pretty sad that this is the view of some when it comes to marriage. Then again, I'm sure many think.."Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?". You know what I mean..  

So.. what do you think? Or is it just me.. :|

What would we expect of someone who feeds only on fast food and unhealthy snacks filled with sugar and fats? A healthy body? Long life? No, we would expect physical health to be largely the product of physical intake. Is it any different in the spirit?

Modern culture is saturated with unhealthy spiritual food—from the lusts of the flesh and the eyes, to the human pride of the self-life, to elaborate and deceptive worldviews and philosophies. Hundreds of television channels, dozens of newspapers and magazines, unlimited cyberspace images, and a number of other media compete for our attention. We let many of them actually win our attention. And much of what we feed on is unhealthy. In our pursuit of wisdom, our minds often hunger for genuine nutrition.

"You are what you eat" applies not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual. There's no way to take in junk without becoming junky.

God calls us to watch our diets. It pleases Him when we care for His temple, our bodies. But it pleases HIm much more when we care for our minds. Our thought life is where His Spirit most prefers to work, shaping uncluttered hearts and imparting wisdom to uncluttered minds. Even so, we do not make a smooth highway for Him into our souls. Through our entertainment, we let ourselves be bombarded by an incessant PR campaign for the ways of the world. Find a balance. Watch what goes into your mind. Without hindrance, let His thoughts nourish you.

Adapted from The One Year® Walk with God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen, Tyndale House Publishers (2004)

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He
conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

I feel honoured to serve such a Leader who loves us!

MT 21:9 And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Thanks for the mail J!

Check out this site.

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God
Painful moments, trust God
Every moment, thank God.

Nice way to start off the weekend, don't you think?

Is it possible Jesus faced the same temptations you do?

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT)

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

We experience temptation every day. Jesus himself was tempted in every way, yet his temptation did not lead to sin. It is not a sin to be tempted, but to prevent temptation from becoming sin, we must use all the resources God gives us to recognize, resist, and flee the situation. Since Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted, we can turn to him in all honesty when we're having a battle with temptation. Have you talked with him lately about potential situations that would be difficult for you?

adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1084

Thanks for the email A. Definitely a good way to start the week!

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove,
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of our ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you into heaven,and not send you to the gates of Hell.

Remember these things.

One of the best Christian sites I've seen online is Crosswalk.com (hence why its included in my Navigation list to the right of the page). Well now, they've updated their site and I must say I like it! It surely is no easy job to fit all that content on one page, and I think they've done a pretty admirable job!

If you've never checked out this site, I definitely recommend it, it has almost everything one can think of (as a Christian site) and even reviews movies, covers various versions of the Bible and *drum roll* .. has a WAP site!

Crosswalk.com people, have a view!

Over the last couple days I've had the opportunity of visiting another Caribbean island, namely Antigua (hence why my MSN nick was <nick>.ag as opposed to .bb) and even though it was a pretty OK trip, I'm glad to be back on "home soil". One thing I must say though, if ever you think that you've never experienced God's beautiful creation in this world, try viewing it from 21,000 ft above sea level! I kid you not!

As I was going up, and the plane was flying through the clouds it felt a bit.. scary at times, I mean these are the clouds I usually look up to!, and 20mins into the flight, I'm looking down at them casting their shadows on the ocean!

Barbados from that far up looks pretty populated in some parts, but in others just puuuree greenery. Sorry I don't have any pics to show but the camera was knackered.

Another interesting thing that hit me up there (or actually when we were descending) was that I was able to pick out a Banks logo on the roof of probably some "bar" located somewhere in Christ Church! Now I wonder... a logo on the roo