Extraordinary World

I look around in marvel at this extraordinary world, but deep down I always feel a sense of being home sick. It's one of the reasons I know I was created by God and that one day I'll be led home by Jesus.

Lifeboat

“Jesus was never meant to be the lifeboat.  He's the ship.  He's not Plan B.  He's not what is going to work if all else fails.  He is the ship.  If we live our lives as though he is Plan B, we're not living the life God Created us to live.” – From the book “The Well” by Mark Hall.

The Post Office Box

Just finished checking the Post Office Box down at the post office.  It takes about 15 minutes to drive there and open the box to see if there are any messages.   Sometimes it feels like a waste of time to check it and possibly find no messages or ones I feel are unimportant.  But I know I must check it in case there is something important there.  That got me thinking how it is very much like checking for messages from God.  We get them,  but like with a Post Office Box we have to spend the time to check for messages even if there might be none otherwise you will never know if you have received a message or not. 

Luke 1:37

For nothing is impossible with God. - Luke 1:37 (NLT)

An Idea

We are an idea, not of our own creation, but of God.

Prayer Tips

Give your problem and needs to God and pray for the result.  

See what you are praying for as finished and complete.  Picture the result not the problem. 

Always keep the object of your prayers the solution. Imagine what life will be like if your prayer was answered.  Dream it, keep it as a vision.

When a prayer isn’t answered, don’t give up hope.  Sometimes what we pray for isn’t in our best interest. God always knows best and when a genuine prayer isn’t answered it’s not because it isn’t heard, it’s because knows what is best.

Pray with passion, with conviction, from your heart.  Tell God how you feel whether good or bad.  Tell God your pain and or suffering. Tell God what is going on in your life.  While he knows all, he loves to hear it from you.

On issues that are important to you ask others to pray with you for the result you are trying to achieve.

Never lose hope in what you pray for “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)”

Be thankful for all things in your prayers, say thank you.

Plain Sight

This morning I was searching my desk for a roll of postage stamps.  No matter how hard I looked I just couldn’t see them.  My daughter came in and asked me what I was looking for.  She then had a quick look and said here they are, there right here.  They were in plain sign, on the middle of the desk.  Ever experience that, you are looking for something, even though it is in plain sight you just can’t see it?  With some people, God is like that, they just can’t see God.  Sometimes all it takes is for someone else to show them where God is in their life.

Christ Lives In Me

O my Divine Savior, transform me into yourself.
May my hands be the hands of Jesus.
May my tongue be the tongue of Jesus,
Grant that every faculty of my body may serve only to glorify you.
Above all, transform my soul and all its powers,
that my memory, my will and my affections
may be the memory, the will and the affections of Jesus.
I pray you to destroy in me all that is not you.
Grant that I may live but in you and for you,
and that I may truly say with St. Paul:
"I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me"

Prayer of St. John Gabriel Perboyre

Just Another Birthday

Salvation's Song of the Week "Just Another Birthday" - Casting Crowns

Lyrics

Sixteen finds me

Blowing out candles and making wishes
And all around me
Is everyone but the one I'm wishing for
And he sent me flowers
And gift-wrapped excuses
From a daddy whose daughter
Wants to see him again

And I know, I know
It's just another birthday
But I guess I thought
This would be the one
When he would call me, see me
Hold me and free me
But it's just another birthday

And I'll be fine
I'll be fine

Nineteen finds me
And I'm wild-eyed and wide open
I gave myself away to love
But backseat promises fade like a mist
I'm screaming at the midnight air
Everyone hears me but I don't care
My heart's clenched just like a fist
'Cause, people, I didn't ask for any of this
And I'm not fine
I'm not fine

In the company of strangers
In a cold and sterile room
All alone with a child inside me
And I don't know what to do
Jesus, can You hear me
Come and heal my brokenness
Put the pieces back together
And be a Father to the fatherless

Twenty-one finds me
Blowing out candles and making wishes
And all around me
My barefoot princess twirls and sings
It's so amazing
Looking back at all God's brought us through
You are my happy birthday
And you were born to break the chains

Now I know, I know
It's not just another birthday
'Cause I'm here, she's here
And look how far we've come
Since you've called me, saw me
Held me and freed me
Thank you, Lord, for another birthday
And we'll be fine
We'll be fine

Matthew 18:12

God rejoices when a lost soul is found.  "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish." - Jesus Christ, Matthew 18:12 (NLT)

Faith is like a parachute

Faith is like a parachute it can save your life if you fall into darkness. 

“I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.  But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Jesus Christ, Matthew 18:2-6 (NLT)

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  Psalm 139:23 (NLT)

We are never the same after we encounter the love of God.

A relationship with Jesus has helped me to forgive the unforgiveable, to love the unlovable and the strength to move on from the uncontrollable.

"Don't let your lights go down, Don't let your fire burn out
'cause somewhere, somebody needs a reason to believe, Why don't you rise up now? Don't be afraid to stand out, That's how the lost get found The lost get found."

extract from the song "The Lost Get Found" by Britt Nicole

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it
John 1 (NLT)

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn - not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. - John 1:10 (NLT)

Jesus Christ
You bled Your love, laid down Yourself
And gave me life
In naked shame You hung and You were lifted high
Here I lay in awe and wonder
I am afraid
For no one’s ever sacrificed and loved me this way

So on my face I fall under Your heavy grace
Here I lay in awe and wonder
And I wonder
extract from the song "I Wonder" by Leeland

Salvation's Song pick of the Week "The Great Awkening" - by Leeland

This song is based on a true story from the 18th Century in America where one man woke with God in his eyes, who then told his brother who then was blessed with the Holy Spirit, who then told the next person and on in went spreading God through towns with each new person awakening with filled with the Holy Spirit.

Lyrics

One man wakes, awakens another
Second one wakes his next door brother
Three awake and rouse a town
And turn the whole place upside down
Many awake, will cause such a fuss
It finally awakes all of us
One man awakes with dawn in his eyes
Surely then it multiplies

He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. - 1 Peter 2:22 (NLT)

Help someone like Jane, introduce them to Jesus today.

The truth isn't an interpretation or an idea, the truth is a person.  As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 (NLT)

‘It was beginning to dawn on me that the intervention of God into the affairs of men and women transforms lives from the mundane to the extraordinary. It was also becoming clear that we have a choice; to continue our personal pursuits or submit to God’s will and unlock the potential that He has for our lives.’ - Dr Ernest Crocker. http://ernestcrocker.com/

This is an extremly moving blog by Kristian Anderson, age 34, that died from cancer in January leaving behind his wife and two young children. Kristian was a remarkable man. Here is an extract from his last blog post.

 

"While I struggle to find any logical rhyme or reason in all of this my commitment to following Him has not changed. People look at me like I’m crazy. How can I trust God to deliv...er me from this madness, when this madness means losing my wife and two beautiful children? And the answer is, I simply don’t know.

It’s the light that permeates the brokenness. It’s the light that the three wise men followed that night when Christ was born. It’s the light that just came to be when God said: “let there be light” on the first day of creation. It’s unexplainable. And as I said before even though it makes no sense, I will follow it until my very end.

It’s the light that shines for every man and woman, and thankfully it shines for me, lest I be lost in the darkness that surrounds me without it.

Thank you for journeying with me this far. I pray you find the same peace I have."

http://howthelightgetsin.net/

And for something additional you can watch a video he put together. 

The video features cameos by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key -- since Rachel is a Kiwi -- and Hugh Jackman, who appeared in the video after Kristian asked Triple M's The Grill presenter Gus Worland for help.

I know you trust and have faith in me but sometimes I struggle to trust and have faith in you.  To truly love is something I find difficult becuase of past hurts.  Your love, which I see and experience, is healing my past hurts and helping me to overcome my doubts. Without you, I wouldn’t know what true love is. Thank You

You can't drown in life when you have a lifeguard that walks on water by your side.

Salvation's song pick of the week - "All This Time" by Britt Nicole

I remember the moment
I remember the pain
I was only a girl
But I grew up that day
Tears were falling
I know You saw me

Hiding there in my bedroom
So alone
I was doing my best
Trying to be strong
No one to turn to
That's when I met You

All this time
From the first tear cry
To today's sunrise
And every single moment between
You were there
You were always there
It was You and I
You've been walking with me all this time

Ever since that day
it's been clear to me
That no matter what comes
You will never leave
I know You're for me
And You're restoring

Every heartache and failure
Every broken dream
You're the God who sees
The God who rescued me
This is my story
This is my story

I hear these people asking me
How do I know what I believe?
Well I'm not the same me
And I saw the proof I need
I felt Love I felt Your grace
You stole my heart that day

Youve been walkin with me all this time

All this time
From the first tear cry
To today's sunrise
And every single moment between
You were there
You were always there
It was You and I
You've been walking with me all this time

Every day I’m given a new day to live and every night I’m given a new night to dream.  What wonderful gifts.  Thank you.

A CHILD'S HYMN by Charles Dickens

Hear my prayer, O heavenly Father,
Ere I lay me down to sleep;
Bid Thy angels, pure and holy,
Round my bed their vigil keep.

My sins are heavy, but Thy mercy
Far outweighs them, every one;
Down before Thy cross I cast them,
Trusting in Thy help alone.

Keep me through this night of peril
Underneath its boundless shade;
Take me to Thy rest, I pray Thee,
When my pilgrimage is made.

None shall measure out Thy patience
By the span of human thought;
None shall bound the tender mercies
Which Thy Holy Son has bought.

Pardon all my past transgressions,
Give me strength for days to come;
Guide and guard me with Thy blessing
Till Thy angels bid me home.

The bestselling and most read book of all time has had more songs written about it, more movies produced about it, and oddly, more books written about it than any other book and continues to do so.  “God’s word, the Bible, is a lamp for your feet, a light on your path”.  based on Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

“People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.  But the word of the Lord remains forever.” - 1 Peter 1:24

The definition of Christianity is to follow the life and teachings of Jesus.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because I see everything by it. - C S Lewis

Pulling covers over your head only makes it so you can’t see God.   Think of when a child tries to hide under a blanket, the child can’t see anyone but everyone can see the child.  You can’t hide from God; God always sees you and what you are doing.  It’s when you come out from under the covers that you see God in all his Glory.

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.  He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus 2: 11:14 (NLT)

There is no surprise more magical than the day you first feel God's Love.

THE JOURNEY

Have you found what you came here searching for?
Or do roads of confusion still wind,
Down an endless stretch through the highways of life,
Yearning for morning's true light?
Does your heart feel the warmth of contentment
That you ached so long to receive?
Has your soul been drenched in the peace which you languished
Alone in your hour of need?
Is the crowd a companion to your emptiness?
Does the music drown the sound of your pain?
Does it matter you were 'life of the party' last night,
When you wake up in bed with your shame?
As you hit your knees in surrender
Will you abandon the life you once knew?
As you grow, lift your heart towards heaven
And your soul will be renewed.
Are you ready to give your life to Him?
Are you open to joy and love?
Now you've found what you came here searching for;
Eternal grace from our Father above.

Katie Anderson

Christianity is the blueprint for a perfect world and life.

We are the echo of God's love

One of the teachings Jesus offers is how to truly love and feel loved in return.