Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Michael W. Smith - You Are Holy

Music was meant to praise God with. I think music is something more special, powerful and meaningful than we know.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

139 Pounds of Contradictions

I've come to the realization that I am the biggest legalist in my life.

I preach against it and know it's wrong. But the reason I hate it so much is because I hear it so much from myself or the accuser. I am quick to attack others and be cynical of them, wanting it to be their fault, when in reality it isn't. Of course people can make the situation worse by not preaching grace, but ultimately, it is within our own minds, not from the pulpit that we hear the most legalism.

As for me, I am very prone to constantly whipping myself mentally for being so worldly, selfish, proud and foolish. It's beating me down and every time it does, I receive a fresh revelation of grace and the offer of Jesus to again make the effort to rest. I can choose to go on, mentally smacking myself around for not doing something, saying something, thinking something. I hate legalism, yet I hold onto it out of fear. I am afraid to let go of allowing myself to be smacked around. What if I get worldly and sinful?

"O, afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires."

I know grace in my head. But it hasn't completely taken over perception of myself and Jesus. I am constantly pushed around mentally, always examining my actions.

I always feel Jesus is exasperated with me. I never see myself as someone yielded to God and bearing fruit. I never allow myself to think such things. Oh no. Grace seems to be for everyone else, but not for me.

I remind myself of the scarecrow, the tin-man and the cowardly lion all in one. While the scarecrow always thought he had no brain, he was the one who came up with a plan to rescue Dorothy from the witches castle. Tin-man always thought he was without a heart, yet he was the one crying when he started thinking about Dorothy in the witches castle. And lion thought he had no courage, yet he was willing to go into the castle and bring her out, risking his life. They all had what they didn't believe they had. They had it, they just lived in constant stubbornness and false humility of not believing it.

I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, yet I can believe otherwise and allow myself to be miserable.

The truth is I don't need rules anymore. I have the life of Jesus Christ. I quench the Holy Spirit by introducing Mr. Law back into my life. I have to let go and trust Jesus to control me by His love. Freedom. I'm always speaking against legalism but constantly allowing myself to be hammered with it. I am 139 pounds of contradictions.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Gary Numan - Cars

Got my drivers license! Watch out, world!

...Seriously. Watch out.

Shining Like the Son

Jesus told me something today before I took my drivers test to get my license (which I passed!).

I was sitting on the trunk of my car, waiting for my cousin Paul to pick me up and drive me to the DMV when I was reminded of Moses coming down from talking with God and how his face was shining. The Holy Spirit gently whispered and told me that Moses' face wasn't shining because he willed it to shine. He could have tried to shine until his face turned blue and not an ounce of light would have come from his face. He was shining because he had been communing with God. He was just looking at God and listening. And his face was transformed and he started to glow. Paul then goes on to say after describing this in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree on glory to another."

Now with us, it's not like Moses in that our physical bodies do not glow. It is Jesus in us who burns and He is our light by His love expressed through us. And how do we glow? By struggling to glow? No...By gazing into the face of Jesus with an unveiled face. After all HE is the light, not us. We're containers of that Light. We are not that light. "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light" (John 1:7-8)

I go back to the example I expressed somewhere on this blog before. The moon is a big ball of dirt. It has no light of itself. The moon is a reflection of the glory of the sun. The moon simply gazes into the face of the sun and it glows with the light of the sun. When the sun goes away at night, the moon remains as a light for people dwelling in the darkness. In the same way, Jesus shines on us and makes us glow in the midst of a dead world. You see, if I initiate ANYTHING, it is no longer Jesus doing it. It is me. It's no longer the Light Himself, it's me, the container of the Light (a ball of dirt) trying to make my dirt shine. It ain't gonna work. Flesh will always be flesh. It's dust. Dust only reflects the light of the Son. It is not that Light itself.

Gaze into the face of Jesus Christ, receive revelation and knowledge of Him and He will shine in you. He will burn in you. Drink of Him and He will flow through you.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Jesus, Beautiful Jesus

Love for people doesn't come from gazing at their loveliness. That would be conditional. No...love comes from gazing at Jesus Christ and His love for you.

"We love because He first loved us."

I wanted to type this before it left me.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

John Pinette

Prepare to pee your pants laughing!

There is a little language, but not much.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Gay Marriage and Abortion

I don't intend to be controversial or anything with this post, but mom and I got into a small conversation about gay marriage. I also don't want to seem condescending or judgmental. Jesus has accomplished forgiveness for everyone through His Cross. So there is no judgment.

I know there are a lot of Christians who hold the belief that we should not allow gay marriage - besides, God doesn't approve of it anyway. But should we really force morals on the outside world? "Does not God judge those outside?"

Here is my point: In Romans 1:24 Paul says, "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."

Now, if God gave them up to do what they like, should not we also? I'm not advocating gay marriage in the least. It's sinful. But should we try to keep the world moral? I don't think that is our job.

Now, when it comes to abortion, I am all for putting a stop it. Murder ought never to be legalized, regardless of the persons size or age. To what point do you consider it murder? where is the line drawn? At what point in time does the child enter into their right to live? What size or age must they be before it's considered murder to kill them? Of course one may say, "You are forcing your ideas and beliefs on me by outlawing abortion." But you seem to think it alright to force your ideas on the helpless infant by condemning that defenseless person to death. And that for the sake of your convenience. "But", one may say, "I was raped". Does that make the child in your womb any less a person because you were raped? What about their ideas and beliefs? Or would you kill them before they are able to voice it? Who's ideas and beliefs are being forced on who?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Egg Friggin Nog!

I love eggnog!! I got Southern Comfort's vanilla spice. YUM! It's good to drink when reading.

Okay, so Jesus and I are going for my license this week!! I can drive all cars through Christ who strengthens me!

Peaches is currently bathing herself on my bed. Idiot cat. She thinks I need cleanin'. She latches onto my bare skull and licks my shaved head. It's funny though. I am not dirty. But I do kinda look like one of those hairless cats since I shaved my beard. Isn't it funny how your head looks like a peanut after you shave your beard? That's just 'cause I have a small chin I guess. It's funny.

Love you guys...Random post, I understand.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

I Just Wanta Love

I am home from visiting with Ryan and Jamie. It was so wonderful to be with them!!! I miss them both a lot. Ryan is so comforting to be around. He is so comfortable with himself and who he is in Jesus. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him play the piano and hearing him and Jamie sing the songs they had written.

At their Church it was amazing to worship with them!! The worship level, when grace is being taught without mixture is absolutely beautiful. When the lyrics to a certain song said 'You are my God', I could believe it!!! My eyes watered up while I listened to Ryan and the band play and Jamie give her word. It was incredible!!!!!!!!!!

Jamie and Ryan sent me home with a bunch of grace-goodies to read and listen to. I got my hands full. ;)

Right now I just miss them all. I just love their company. Even if they ain't sayin' anything (I think my southern accent is resurfacing a little).

The only thing I wish I could take away was the stupid timidity I feel! Ahh!! I long to be affectionate and just to be me.

Another person I absolutely LOVED meeting was Tommy, a close friend of Ryan and Jamie. He has the most gentle, loving, humble and honest spirit. He hugged me! A GUY, the first time I met him, hugged me and told me he loved me! And the crazy thing is is that I love him too!!!! I just met him!! It's because Jesus is in him and me, burning us beautiful. Burning us holy.

And TERRI! Jamie's sister! Ahh...She is so wonderful and free. I want to be free like her. She is wide open with nothing holding her back. I wanna be like that. The thrill of no borders or boundaries...She is so funny and kind...I hope she knows she never offended me in the least.

And Jamie's mom!! I only spoke to her briefly. But the tender, warm love of Jesus is burning in her eyes. Every last one of them were like a warm fire. A place of security and sincere love. Not their flesh generated fake love. It is Jesus' own love burning in them. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has lit a fire in their hearts to be a light for the blind to see, and a warmth for those shivering in the cold of legalism. I wanna love, I wanna love, I wanna love!!! I just wanna love.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Father Can You Hear Me

YouTube - Father Can You Hear Me: ""

My Heart, My Soul says YES!!!

Wow! We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!!

So here I am guest posting on Matt's blog...YIKES!! Probably, he shouldn't have trusted me...

About our long week-end...

we have talked, laughed, questioned, concluded, smiled, gotten sad when we thought about good-bye, laughed some more, and mostly just loved each other. We have agreed boxers, not briefs; the cross, not anything else; freedom, not bondage; and faith, not sight. We have decided Jesus is all we need and He is more than enough! Grace has made us a family. God is SOOOO GOOOOD like that.

We watched Tyler Perry's Diary Of A Mad Black Woman and we think Orlando makes a REALLY HOT Jesus with cornrows. It gets the Campbell/Weeks "two thumbs up!"

We're not sure what tomorrow will look like but we only have to live right NOW, in this moment, and our hearts and souls are saying, "Yes!" Yes to Life, Love, and Liberty in Christ!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Hero

Just finished this amazing book.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Grace, Grace and more Grace in Isaiah!

Isaiah 60:15-22:

"I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer the Mighty One of Jacob.

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.

Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; it its time I will hasten it. "

Monday, November 3, 2008

Saturday, November 1, 2008

So Great a Salvation

I hate when I feel anxious! Ahh! One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace. I was watching Joseph Prince yesterday and he made a good point from the parable of the talents: Fear comes from a wrong perception of God. If I think God to be a hard man, I will be afraid. But if I truly know who He is, nothing will make me afraid. My righteousness is not my own, and therefore cannot be damaged. Isaiah 51:6: "But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will never be dismayed"

And again in Isaiah 51:11: "Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

None will make us afraid (Ezekiel 34:28).

If God has justfied me, who can condemn me? Jesus has sown and I have reaped. It is not mine, but He made it mine. Who is going to take it away from me?

Jesus gives to the poor, the unworthy, the evil, the wicked, the ungodly. But He sends away the rich empty handed. "He fills the hungry with good things" and, "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate."

He makes humble the mountains and exalts the valleys. Jesus is the only God. There is none as beautiful as He.

Andrea Bocelli - Because We Believe