Shine 4 Jesus!

Bad Blogger, Bad!

2009-08-14T10:09:00.001-05:00

I am still breathing and still alive. Everything has been crazy busy here with the new baby on the way and the process of trying to buy our first home. Check in with me over on my infertility blog for other details... I promise to get back over here as soon as I can!

An Afterlife In The "Pitts" If His Thinking Isn't Changed

2009-07-24T08:55:00.002-05:00

I realized this morning, thanks to a friend on Facebook, that Brad Pitt had quite a statement about his faith. This is the same Brad Pitt who is with Angelina Jolie (and whom I have issues with for leaving beautiful wife Jennifer Aniston) and who is always called a "humanitarian" for his (and her) good work in foreign countries and adopting foreign children. That sounds all well and good but Mr. Pitt, that isn't going to take you to Heaven. The following is from Fox News:

'“No, no, no! I’m probably 20 per cent atheist and 80 percent agnostic. I don’t think anyone really knows. You’ll either find out or not when you get there, until then there’s no point thinking about it,” Fox News quoted him as saying.'

Well...you are right on that Mr. Pitt. You will find out when you get there, but your "there" is going to be a lot different than my "there."

Oh how I wish so many of our Hollywood talents would open their eyes to see a Savior who loves them unconditionally, yet is pushed away because they would rather live life with their own personal "religion." It isn't about religion, it's about Jesus! Money, fame, fortune, popularity... none of that will matter.

Let us Pray for these individuals that have platforms that could be used for God. Let us Pray that there will be a great revival in the hearts of those who are so far from believing, whether they are rich and famous or poor and never heard of. Pray for our nation!

Ps. Read the whole story here.

Happy Blogoversary Shine 4 Jesus!

2009-07-07T21:13:00.002-05:00

I sometimes feel as though I have neglected my precious first born blog. This blog is my heart and I vow to get back to Shining 4 Jesus through it. I have a few things to share already as soon as I take the time to do so. But in the meantime.... HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY TO MY BLOG! I can hardly believe that it has been 3 years since I started this blog. Amazing. I Pray for many more years to come and many more inspirations from God to share with you on this blog. May God bless each of you!

View Baby Brittain-Goodlett's Baby Site!

2009-06-23T17:22:00.003-05:00

Click here to visit baby Brittain-Goodlett's baby site!

Ps. Thanks for your Prayers for my baby and for my family as we have suffered the loss of our precious pooch. I really appreciate it!

God bless my precious CC... Jesus just welcomed him home. He is at peace!

2009-06-19T14:15:00.005-05:00

My puppy was 14 years old. He was born on Feb. 14, 1994...Valentine's Day. Such a sweet dog who was so good with kids and people. He was a collie... beautiful collie. He was brown & white, with a touch of black. I named him CC Rider, not after the Elvis song (I didn't even know it existed at the time), but after a TV actor I loved when I got him, Rider Strong and after the white markings that looked like a white C around his little mouth. I called him CC instead of just C Rider. It just sounded cuter.

Gosh at the times we have had. He use to get free from his lot all the time when he was younger. It was a mess because we lived so close to the road and we were so worried about him getting hit by a car. I would be out at 1am chasing him through the community and boy was he hard to chase. He was the strongest dog. I've chased him through the snow, the rain, the heat, you name it. He was the cutest little puppy. So full of energy.

We moved him with us when we moved to the new house (my parents' new house) six years ago. It took us awhile but we finally got everything set up and brought him down. He had an even better place there and his lot was bigger. He was still pretty strong and was still good at breaking out even up til last year on July 5th when my lil bro and I chased him to the neighbors and then Billy carried him up the hill holding him like a little lamb. Precious memories.

I so wanted him to meet my child, but he wasn't up to it. Billy has been taking care of him quite a bit lately since I don't live there. The last few times I had went to see him and love on him I could tell it was getting hard for him to get around but he still had spunk. The last few days, he went down hill.

Billy came in yesterday and told us that he wasn't moving. We went and got him out of his little house and decided to give him a bath to cool him off and make him feel better. He just barely stood up the whole time. We then repositioned his house and things and let him walk around for awhile. He was so calm which is not like him at all. Later, we made him a bed with an old sleeping bag in the garage and he laid there for hours. We never left his side. He finally got up to walk around and I was so puzzled because I couldn't understand where he was getting his energy. He wanted to go to his little house so we took him back and took the sleeping bag. He kept acting like he wanted to be alone, which they say dogs do when they are about to pass.

I didn't come home until almost 1am this morning. I was so sad. I couldn't sleep and when I would doze off, I'd wake up and see his little pitiful face. I'd sit up in the bed and couldn't breathe. It was such a hard night. I was up every hour but for good at 6am. I called mom at 8am and he was still alive. She said he was slobbering and that they didn't think it would be long. They kept going out to see him and she said he kept trying to hide. So they eventually told him they loved him (I had told him last night and loved on him but I told him again over speaker phone this morning because I just couldn't watch it) and they left him to himself like he had wanted. It was strange because as weak as he was, last night and this morning, when someone would talk to him he would raise his head up. He was continuing to be that faithful companion. When they went back out a few hours later, he was gone.

We have all taken it pretty hard. I had never really thought about him passing. It's crazy because I have all these issues with death but it was like he was superdog and that he wouldn't be going anywhere. Mom kept telling us, especially after the arthritis in his hips started bothering him. Just hard to get through your mind I guess.

The one thing I will never forget about CC is his wagging tail. He wagged his little tail all the time... he never stopped. He was even wagging his tail last night when he was walking around the garage. And ... the peace that God is providing to my heart lets me know that he is wagging his tail in Heaven right now.

CC Rider... we love you so much and we miss you already. You have been such a good boy and the best friend we could have ever had. We will never forget all the memories we've shared and the love that you have given to us. We are so glad you are with Jesus now, playing as you did when you were a little pup. Much love precious puppy.

Love Always,
Alesha, Billy, Marsha, and Bill
Your Family

Ps. Please keep us in your Prayers.

Such A Shine 4 Jesus Moment: Baby Eliot Shines 4 Jesus!

2009-06-17T22:12:00.002-05:00

I heard of this story on a TV show I rarely watch. I just happened to see it as I flipped through the channels today. It is a beautiful picture of how God can take something that the world would overlook and make such a beautiful miracle out of it... or I should say... out of him. Praise God for your life baby Eliot. You have touched my soul and my husbands soul so deeply! We praise God for your precious life!

PLEASE WATCH AND PASS ON TO SOMEONE. SOME FOLKS MAY NOT WANT TO ATTEND CHURCH OR HEAR ABOUT GOD, BUT THEY JUST MAY WATCH THIS... AND THEY'LL SEE THE FINGERPRINTS OF GOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH!

God's Ocean

2009-06-09T22:19:00.003-05:00

I watch the ocean's waves
lick the sandy shore.
I think to myself
what more?
What more could He bless me with?
Just you wait and see.
For His mercy is abounding,
His love is astounding,
His arms far stronger, greater
than the sea.

June 9, 2009 11p.m. @ Myrtle Beach (last night there)

Baby Pics

2009-05-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

See my infertility blog for baby pics!

I'm Pregnant!

2009-05-05T22:51:00.002-05:00

Read all about it by clicking on my infertility blog : On The Outside Looking In. THANK U PRECIOUS JESUS!

So Encouraging ... Miss California Speaks Biblical Truth!

2009-04-21T20:46:00.001-05:00

So Encouraging ... Miss California Speaks Biblical Truth!

2009-04-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Psalm 22: A Praising, Christ Centered Easter

2009-04-11T08:47:00.004-05:00

Happy Early Easter! I Pray that each of you have a great Easter that is centered around Praise for Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection for US! I am once again sharing Psalm 22 with you this morning. Can you tell that I love this Psalm? As you read it, think about Jesus and what He did for us. I know that I am so undeserving and so, so unworthy of such a gift from my Father, the King! It is by my Savior's wounds that I am healed and I am just so grateful that He loved me enough to offer me such a wonderful, free gift of Salvation!

If you don't know Him as your Lord and Savior, I Pray that you will stop and meditate on this Psalm. Let is speak to your heart and really listen. This isn't just a story, but our Christ who walked this earth just as we are and gave His life just so we could have an eternal one with His Father, Our Father, The King!

Psalm 22

¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

²O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

³But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

⁴Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

⁶But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

⁸He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

⁹But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

¹²Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

¹³They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

¹⁹But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

²²I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

²³Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

²⁵My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

²⁶The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

²⁷All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

²⁸For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.

²⁹All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

³⁰A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

³¹They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Just wanted to share the notes from my New Defender's Study Bible on this Psalm. These are such interesting notes and they really provide insight on these prophetic verses of scripture!

22:1 why hast thou forsaken me. Psalm 22 is an amazing prophetic description of the future crucifixion of God's Son. This psalm was written a thousand years before its fulfillment and described in graphic detail the sufferings of Christ on the cross, long before the method of crucifixion was known and practiced among the Jews and Romans. It opens with the central of the "seven words" from the suffering Savior: "Why?" (Ma 27:46). The other "seven words" are located in order: Luke 23:34; 23:43; John 19:26-27; John 19:28,30: and Luke 23:46.

22:2 night season. This evidently a reference to the supernatural three-hour darkness at the height of His sufferings (Mat 27:45).

22:3 thou art holy. Here is the reason for the darkness and the silence of God. God had made the sacrificial Lamb "to be sin for us" (2 Co 5:21), and a holy God could not "look on iniquity" (Hab 1:13).

22:6 worm. On the cross, the Lord Jesus called Himself a "scarlet worm." This same word refers to the worm from which the Israelites of that day obtained their red dyes and is usually translated "crimson" or "scarlet." The female worm of this species, when laying her eggs, affixes her body to a wood surface on which she will die after the young are born. The wood, her body, and the young are reddened with the death of the life-giving mother. In a similar image the Lord Jesus made "peace through the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:20).

22:8 let him deliver him. This was exactly the mocking cry of those enemies of Jesus around the cross who instigated His execution (Ma 27:43).

22:10 from the womb. Christ's miraculous conception and birth were unique among men. He did not need to be converted to God sometime after He was born, like other men with inherited sin-natures.

22:13 roaring lion. The picture seems to be one of an assembly of the wicked spirits of darkness gleefully prancing about His cross, waiting to swallow Him up - Satan, the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), mighty bulls, and dogs and unicorns (22:12, 16, 21). These references could mean demon-controlled men, but are actually invisible powers of darkness. Nevertheless, "having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it there at "his cross" (Col 2:14-15).

22:14 it is melted. The awful sufferings of crucifixion involved the slow separation of the bone joints, the collapse of the heart cavity, and finally a gushing of both blood and water (Jo 19:34) when the soldier's spear pierced His side.

22:15 potsherd. A "potsherd" is a broken piece of pottery.

22:15 my tongue cleaveth. Indescribable thirst was induced in the midday sun (Jo 19:28).

22:16 dogs have compassed me. It is possible that the reference to "dogs" was a euphemism for a crowd of sodomites (De 23:17-18).

22:16 pierced my hands. The piercing of His hands and feet is a clear reference to the nails which affixed Him to the cross (note also Ze 12:10; 13:6; Jo 19:37; 20:25-28; Re 1:7).

22:18 cast lots upon my vesture. The unusual action of gambling for His cloak is prophesied here and is one of the very few events recorded in all four Gospels (Ma 27:35; Mk 15:24; Lk 23:34; Jo 19:24).

22:20 my darling. In the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, "darling" is monogenes, used in John 3:16 and elsewhere to identify Jesus as God's "only begotten" Son.

22:21 though hast heard me. At the very climax and completion of His sufferings, as He was about to be impaled on the mighty horns of the unicorns and swallowed by the ravening lion, the Father finally heard His cry, and delivered Him.

22:22 midst of the congregation. At this point in the psalm the theme suddenly changes from suffering to praise. The debt for sin has been fully paid, and our sin-bearer becomes our great praise-leader. His congregation at the foot of the cross was very small --His mother, John, and the other women. One day His praise would be in the midst of not just "two or three ... gathered together in my name" (Ma 18:20), but of "the great congregation" (22:25), "the general assembly and Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven" (He 12:23).

22:22 praise. It is strikingly significant that this first mention of the verb "praise" (Hebrew hallal) in the book of Israel's praises, as the Book of Psalms were called, is at Psalm 22:22. This surely seems more than coincidence, for twenty-two is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The chapter and verse structure in the Book of Psalms, unlike the rest of the Bible, was there from the beginning. Thus, the very purpose of human language is to praise our Creator and Savior, and the great occasion of praise is His victory over sin and death on the cross.

22:25 great congregation. See also Psalm 35:18; 40:9-10; 149:1.

22:27 All the ends of the world. As a result of His work on the cross, His followers will be His witnesses "unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Ac 1-8).

22:31 shall be born. As the great message is carried to "all the ends of the world" (22:27_, the spiritual "seed" (22:23, 30) that "shall be born" because of His death will testify "that he hath done this" --literally, that as He cried from the cross (Jo 19:30), "It is finished!"

Have a wonderful, Christ Praising Easter!

Ps. Share this Psalm and notes with someone you know!

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

2009-04-08T23:07:00.002-05:00

I GOT THIS TODAY IN AN EMAIL! SO GOOD!

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I

Never noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed

Over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave

Clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly

Folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to

the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the

Entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom

Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the

tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other

disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in

And saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.. He also noticed the linen

Wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head

Was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have

to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.

The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and

Every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure

that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait,

Just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the

Servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe

his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that

napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the

wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and

Laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,

Because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

He is Coming Back!! Be Blessed

My Prayer

2009-04-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

Psalm 25:

15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.

Pray For Baby Jonah

2009-03-14T21:48:00.001-05:00

Much thanks to my high school friend Kim for the information on this precious child. Please Pray for a precious little one named Jonah. Click on his name to read his story and Pray guys!

Overcoming Persecution

2009-03-07T09:24:00.003-05:00

2 Timothy 3:12-17 (King James Version)

¹²Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

¹³But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

¹⁴But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The scriptures above tell us that when we live a Godly life, we will suffer persecution. This persecution may be physically, emotionally, socially, etc. We must realize this and not quit. Verse 14 tells us to continue on. This is something we must do as Christians. It is so hard to continue on when you feel as though you can't even get back up from the previous time, yet it is imperative to do so. When we stop, lay down on the job, we give satan the reigns for our lives. It gets tiresome but in the end, or I guess I should say the future since we as Christians have no end, it is worth it!

Verse 15 talks about knowing the holy scriptures from your childhood. I realize that not every one of us were taken to church and taught God's Word at home. I feel very fortunate and blessed that I was raised in church my entire life and that my parents consistently taught me God's Word. Maybe you didn't have that opportunity. But you can bestow such an opportunity to your children or little children around you. We may be the only Bible any of these children, or folks in general, ever read!

As many of you know, my heart greatly desires to have children, "to go forth and be fruitful." I know that God will give me the desires of my heart if I continue to earnestly ask for them and if they are for the right reasons. My reasoning is the fact that I truly cannot wait to teach my child/children about my Savior. I want to speak His name to my child daily and to be an example of Jesus' love. Until I am blessed with that opportunity, I Pray that I can demonstrate these things to my students. As a teacher in the public school system, we are not allowed to read from the Bible or have Prayer in our classrooms. However, my students know my heart and who holds it in it's entirety. When they have problems, they come to me and ask for Prayer. It truly is a beautiful thing! I Pray that I can always be a light to those around me, especially the young, pliable hearts of children!

Verses 16 and 17 speak of God's Word being inspired by Him and making the man of God "perfect and thoroughly furnished." I have always known that God's Word is totally inspired by Him but I really enjoyed reading the Greek meaning this morning in my New Defender's Study Bible. In the Greek, "Given by inspiration of God" is all one word, theopneustos, which means "God-breathed." Isn't that awesome? Can you just imagine God breathing on those men and their minds and bodies given total control to their Master to pen His Word? I Pray that God will "breathe" on my mind, spirit, heart, and body daily so that I can speak a word to those who may need it.

Lastly, I was curious when I read in verse 17 about God making His children "perfect and thoroughly furnished." Could we ever be perfect? Sure... when we are like Him. Here's what the notes from my awesome Bible states:

"3:17 perfect. The word used her for "perfect" (Greek artios) is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It seems basically to mean "new" or "fresh," which most expositors interpret as "complete." Perhaps, however, it refers to our ultimate perfection in Christ, when "we shall be like Him" (1 Jo 3:2), with all sin removed and the age-long effects of the curse taken away. He has promised, "Behold, I make all things new" (Re 21:5), and that must include us as well, even our bodies (Ph 3:20-21). We shall then, indeed, be as fresh and perfect as Adam was when he was first created -- even more so, as perfected in Christ. No doubt, the "man of God" shall be as perfect then as "the law of the Lord is perfect" now (Ps 19:7), for the Holy Scriptures are now, and will eternally be, our spiritual food (Ma 4:4; 24:35).

3:17 thoroughly furnished. "Thoroughly furnished" is one word in the Greek, meaning "completely equipped." We need nothing more that God's complete Word for our complete life."

Such an awesome message from God's Word in these appropriate times! God bless each of you!

God's Word On The Endtimes .... 2 Thessalonians 2

2009-02-16T22:36:00.002-05:00

There are many of you who keep up with this blog as lurkers. : ) I don't mind that at all. But I hear from many of you and I want each of you to know that I love you. Tonight as I studied God's Word I was encouraged by the Spirit to include this chapter on my blog. This chapter of 2 Thessalonians deals with some end time truths. As I read, I really consciously thought of some of you who I do not recall a statement of Faith from. In other words, are these precious folks that I hold dear Saved by God's grace? I Pray that you are and that if you aren't you will take heed to this warning and really open yourself up to the opportunity. Time is passing quickly and the end is near according to God's Word. When Jesus appears in the clouds and we are called up to meet Him in the sky, it will be done and your chance will be gone. Things will continue on earth, but those who have heard the gospel and rejected it will be disillusioned and will suffer the consequences with satan. Please, I beg of you... do not be in that number. It pains my heart to think of those of you who I hold so dear dying and going to hell. Please ask Jesus into your heart. And if you need me... just email, call, text, comment. I'll be as much help as I can possibly be.

2 Thessalonians 2 (King James Version)

¹Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

²That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

³Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

⁴Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

⁵Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

⁶And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

⁸And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

⁹Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

¹⁰And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

¹¹And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

¹²That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

¹⁴Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

¹⁶Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

¹⁷Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

1 Thessalonians 4 (King James Version)

2009-02-07T21:36:00.001-05:00

This has thoroughly touched my soul today. I have been reading in 1 Thessalonians and today I read chapter 4. Truly there are things here that show us how to live and truly there are things here that show us how things will be when we die. How awesome that we can say that both are wonderful and perfectly planned by our Heavenly Father. Notice the bolded statements.

1 Thessalonians 4 (King James Version)

1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

2For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

8He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

9But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

How do you use your vessel? Do you treat it in a manner that is pleasing to God? Am I asking you these questions to judge you? No... I am asking them even of myself daily. I think these are the kinds of questions we all need to ask ourselves daily if we want to grow in our precious Savior. How awesome to know that we soon will see our loved ones again in the air with our Lord! Amazingly, beautifully, sanctified by God!

I'm still alive!

2009-02-02T22:13:00.001-05:00

I have not forsaken my firstborn blog. This blog is truly my heart and I promise I haven't forsaken it. I promise to be back soon with some new insights that God has been giving me in His precious Word!

Love to you all...

Alesha

Please Pray For Some Major Situations

2009-01-28T22:59:00.002-05:00

I can't really go into detail but I was upset tonight by some news and it is worrying me something awful. It's really easy to go back into a depressing state when you find out something more to worry about. So I am worrying tonight about everything combined. Please just Pray for God's will in all these situations and please Pray for things to just be ok. I need the peace of God to comfort me tonight. Thanks guys!

Egg Drop Soup by Moi

2009-01-01T20:35:00.002-05:00

So guess what??? I cooked tonight. Well for myself. My hubby doesn't like Egg Drop Soup. I'm so proud though because I never, ever cook anything that doesn't involve microwaves or boiling Ramen Noodle Soup on the stove. But I made this after craving it something awful last weekend. I had some from my uncle by marriage's Chinese Bistro in Louisville last weekend and have wanted it since then. Anyway, here's the recipe courtesy of Yahoo! Food. Try it and let me know what you think!

Restaurant Style Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
1 egg yolk

Nutrition Info

Per Serving

Calories: 94 kcal
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 5 g
Sugars: 0 g

About: Nutrition Info

2. Cooking Directions

Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the salt, ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

Yield: 4 servings

Goodbye 2008... Hello 2009.

2008-12-31T12:02:00.003-05:00

So it is the end of another year. Wow. Hard to believe. And though a lot hasn't changed, which in most retrospects that's great, I know God is in the process of changing those that need changing.

I lift up this Prayer to You Father.

Precious Father,

I come humbly before You on the brink of this new year and I ask for forgiveness for all my failures and shortcomings. I ask that Your hand of mercy and grace will guide the lives of my family members and me through this next year. I thank You for the blessings You have given to me in 2008. You have blessed my health, my wealth, my family, my spirit, my womb (even though there isn't a child there yet, or could there be?). I praise You for these things.

I ask, Father, that Your hand would continue to be upon the health and the spirits of those that I hold so dear. Be with my blessed parents, baby brother, precious husband, precious aunt, special cousins, sweet in-laws, good friends, loving pastor and church, myself, and on my womb. I Pray even now for the precious child that is making his/her way into our life when Your time is right. I thank You for Your words of wisdom as given to me through others. You truly are a good God.

Go before us now and bless 2009 Father. Let us be blessed with blessing uncountable and let us lay them all back at Your holy feet. I love You Father and I give You all the glory for every situation that I am walking through and will walk through.

Amen.

Sport Reporter Blog Award 2008... From PODDY!

2008-12-30T19:00:00.001-05:00

http://alanpardoe312.blogspot.com/2008/12/poddy-awards-2008.html

Please click the above link to see the award given to me by my dear blogger friend PODDY. Thanks brother! God bless!

A Sister's Dream Come True...Bobcats Victory.... WYMT Coverage... Billy Praying

2008-12-28T16:23:00.003-05:00

It truly is a sister's dream come true! I am already excited for the undefeated season for my lil bro's team.... but my biggest Prayer was answered as I found this video clip. Please watch it all the way to the end. The last shot shows my baby brother Praying his last Prayer as a Bobcat on the field after winning State. This was the very thing that I had Prayed to see this entire season. I love you lil bro and I'm so proud of you for making God your number 1 priority! Thank you Father for letting me have this clip to bear witness! I bless your Holy Name!!!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T11:34:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!!! Keep me and my family in your Prayers as I do the same for you!

Happy Birthday Precious Savior!!!

Luke 1:37

2008 4A State Champions... The BELL COUNTY BOBCATS!

2008-12-19T14:25:00.010-05:00

Well... I'm a little late posting this but... we did it... we won! And it's all by God's grace! I am so excited for our boys and our community. It was a long 17 years but we have once again brought the championship back to the mountains and did it with an undefeated season! God is soo good. I pretty much had church in the stands... I Prayed every play like I always do and I thanked God at the top of my lungs after every play. I am so excited for my little brother and his friends. They have worked so hard and they really deserved this as an ending to the past 4 years! I'm going to share some pictures with you below. Keep in mind... there are tons of pics out there so I can't share them all but here are some:

MORE TO COME...

The Results Are In...... As of About 10 pm Friday Nite.... WE GOIN' TO STATE BABY! UNDEFEATED THE ENTIRE SEASON!

2008-12-11T11:02:00.003-05:00

WE DID IT... ALL BY GOD'S MERCIES AND GRACE!

Our boys with the trophy! We're goin' to State!

The Run Through!
Our JROTC... RIP JON, WESLEY, JESSICA, AND DANIEL! (not pictured in this shot)

The entrance... beautiful with blue smoke and fireworks!

Our stands! Tons of fans, especially for 17 degree weather!

Another entrance shot!

Some true blue bobcat fans... they had no shirt on the entire game!

Sooooooooo excited for these Bobcats! We are heading to state this Saturday at the Papa John's Stadium, 3pm. I'll be in my in-laws turf for this one. My home away from home, Louisville!

We beat Boyle Co. 17-15. It was tough but well worth all the stress. I am so proud of this group of boys! My little brother told me that he Prayed his way through it. I told him he wasn't alone, I did my fair share of Praying as well along with mom, dad, and a lot of other mothers and folks. I would get so hyped up and then feel God tugging at my heart to just sit, be still and Pray. I did just that. Then I'd jump up excitedly again and repeat the process. God is so good to hear all of our Prayers and not just those that are major in the world's eyes.

Our boys play in Louisville Saturday. If you live in the WYMT coverage area, tune us in. We'll be on T.V. You may even see me screaming and jumping around. HAHA Also, our boys will be honoring those students who have honored them at so many games in the past, the students who were killed this weekend. They will have a memorial to the students on their helmets and we will have a moment of silence aka in the Christian world... Prayer for our fellow comrades who have gone on. Please continue to bathe the families in Prayer.

Keep us in Prayer on Saturday as well. We are really looking forward to bringing home our first state title in 17 years! I am almost as excited as they are! HAHA Please Pray for a safe trip to and from Louisville for our boys and everyone who is headed that way. Please Pray that if we can bring God more glory by winning, that He will bless us to do just that. Please Pray that if interviewed our boys give God glory for the win and point to our Creator and Savior for all their successes and strengths. Pray for all of us who are excited, yet sad to see our favorite senior players' (aka my lil bro) football career at BCHS end.

Look at that number 69! Go Billy!

Billy thinks its a touchdown! I'm gonna miss watching him play!

GO BOBCATS!

Psalm 62 (King James Version)

1Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

2He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

3How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

4They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

5My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

10Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

11God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

12Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

(Courtesy of Middlesboro Daily News)

Six turnovers help Bell hold off Boyle Co. 17-15

By JAY COMPTON/Sports Editor

Published:

Sunday, December 7, 2008 4:34 PM EST

LOG MOUNTAIN — The Bell County Bobcats are headed to the state championship game for the first time since they won it all in 1991.

The Bobcat defense forced six turnovers Friday night as Bell held off Boyle County 17-15 in the Class 4A semifinals.

“The old man is going back to the big house one more time,” coach Dudley Hilton said. “I didn’t know if I’d ever make it, but give Boyle County a lot of credit they’ve got a great football team.”

For the second straight week the Bobcats were taking down to the wire. The Rebels were driving in the final minute and a pass interference penalty gave them a first down at Bell 27 with 23.3 seconds to play.

Boyle quarterback Phillip Mason scrambled around before throwing an incomplete pass, then tried to go deep for Kentucky commit Jordan Aumiller as the clock ticked under ten seconds.

Bell senior Shawnta Zachery jumped up and intercepted the pass at the four yard line and slid down to clinch the win for the Bobcats with two seconds left to play.

“They threw the verticals and a couple of plays before that they had it open and they dropped it,” Zachery said. “I thought they might be looking to their big play man inside, the big UK man (Aumiller). So I cheated this way a little bit and kind of baited him. When it came I just went up an got it.

“I wanted to go back and score but it’s more important to get the win, anything could have happened. So I just intercepted it and fell down,” he said. “Then I just threw the ball up in the air. It was an amazing, great feeling.”

It was fitting that the ball landed in Zachery’s hands on the deciding play. With Boyle concentrating to stopping the Bell running game, the senior quarterback had a career day throwing the ball.

He completed 15-of-24 passes for 163 yards. Zachery also ran for 18 yards on ten carries including three times for first downs and a one-yard sneak for a touchdown in the third quarter that gave Bell a 14-9 lead they would never give up.

“What an outstanding performance by our quarterback. Shawnta stepped up big for us throwing the ball tonight and I put a lot of credit not just him, our defense played well too,” Hilton said.

Sophomore cornerback Cody Davenport had intercepted Phillips on Boyle’s first drive of the second half at the Bell 28-yard line.

The Bobcats went 72 yards on 14 plays with the biggest one being a 28-yard catch by Adam Overbay. He caught the ball eight yards down field on a crossing pattern and broke a pair of tackles on his way down the sideline to the Boyle County 11.

Overbay led the Bobcats with six catches for 73 yards in the game.

Three runs by Spencer Greer left Bell with a 4th & inches at the two. Zachery plowed ahead once for the first down, then again for the go-ahead score with 4:16 to play in the third quarter.

“What about little Overbay,” Hilton said. “I told you: ‘Thank the Lord that he came out’ and he showed why tonight.”

The Rebels’ next possession was brought to an early end as Billy Lawson rolled up running back Rees MacShara behind the line of scrimmage and the ball came free. Taylor Mills recovered the fumble and Bell took over at the Boyle 44.

Zachery passed to Matt Raines for nine yards and a first down on a 4th & 4 play. Then hooked up with John Dudley Hilton for an 18-yard gain down inside the Rebel five.

Boyle County opened the fourth quarter with their second goal-line stand of the game and a false start penalty moved the Bobcats back to the six.

Monte Merrick came on and kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-9 with 10:19 to play.

Mason completed 4-of-6 passes for 41 yards as Boyle County drove 80 yards on nine plays on the following drive. Tight end Lamar Dawson capped the drive with touchdown catch from ten yards out.

In a game filled with big plays from the Bobcat defense, their smallest defender Davenport made what might have the biggest play of all.

The Rebels went for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Mason scrambled to his left and looked to have a clear path to the pylon. But Davenport peeled off his man and came out of nowhere to knock Mason back before he reached the goal line.

“He took that boy’s head off. I really thought he made a heck of a play right there,” Hilton said.

With 6:10 to play, the Bobcats clung to a 17-15 lead.

They ground out two first downs and made the Rebels used all their timeouts before being faced with a 3rd & 12 from the Boyle 44.

Zachery went deep for Raines down the left sideline, but the pass was intercepted and Boyle’s last drive would start at their own 22 with 2:18 on the clock.

Mason — who was 17-of-31 passing for 175 yards and two TDs — drove them into Bell territory, but Zachery’s last second heroics sealed the win for the Bobcats.

“I can’t explain the feeling, it’s amazing. It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Zachery said of securing a spot in the championship game. “I just want to thank God first of all, and my family, friends, my team, coaches, everybody. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, seriously.”

The teams traded long drives in the first quarter with neither getting on the scoreboard.

Bell opened up with nine straight running plays out of the wishbone. Goodin and Greer alternated carries, but the drive stalled after a fumbled exchange and then a false start penalty.

Merrick pinned Boyle back at their own two-yard line with a 45-yard punt.

Mason came out throwing from his own end zone and completed throws to Bret Marshall and Ron Crutchfield for first downs before the Rebels were also forced to punt.

Zachery completed his first five passes and got the Bobcat offense moving again on their second possession. Overbay, Davenport and Chase Ely all made catches for first downs and another completion to Overbay gave Bell a first down at the Rebel 11 early in the second quarter.

But the Bobcats were eventually stopped on a 4th and 1 play from the two yard line.

On 2nd & 10 Mason again dropped back to pass from his own end zone and had to get rid of the ball under pressure from Lawson and Shawn Marcum. His pass went right to Matt Simpson at the 15 and he ran untouched into the end zone to put Bell on top.

Merrick’s extra point made it 7-0 with 9:07 to play in the second quarter.

“He just threw it up in the air and it was like he was throwing it to me and I just took it to the house,” Simpson said. “We got to the regional last year and lost in a heart-breaker. Our seniors have worked so hard (to get to Louisville) this year, it means everything to us.”

The Bobcats tried an onside kick, but Boyle recovered it at the 47.

Mason passed to MacShara for a 34-yard touchdown to complete a quick drive that tied the game with 8:23 left in the half.

“A lot of people might second guess me, but I was scared of that little boy back there returning kickoffs,” Hilton said of the decision to onside kick. “We lost here last year after Lexington Catholic returned the opening kickoff (for a touchdown).”

Bell moved the ball again on their next drive, but stalled in Boyle territory. Merrick missed a 44-yard field goal attempt and the Rebels took over at their own 20.

Aumiller gained a total of 41 yards on two catches on the following drive and Boyle County was threatening to take the lead.

MacShara made a nice move to cut inside the Bobcat 10-yard line, but John Dudley Hilton managed to strip the ball from behind him and Zachery recovered it on the one-yard line.

Bell couldn’t move the ball and Merrick came on to punt from the end zone. The snap sailed over his head and out of bounds for a safety to put the Rebels on top 9-7 with 48.9 seconds to go in the second quarter.

An interception by Raines made sure the Boyle wouldn’t add to that lead before the half.

“I thought we should have had two or three touchdowns in the first half,” Hilton said. “We had some bad mistakes but the bottom line is our kids didn’t quit.”

The Bobcats came out and forced two quick turnovers as they took control of the game in the third quarter. Then held on at the end.

“You’ve got to have a little bit of luck,” Hilton added. “We probably should have been beat last week and anybody could have won this game.”

Bell County (14-0) will play Bullitt East (9-5) Saturday at 3 p.m. in the state championship game at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

Bullitt East defeated Calloway County 52-49 in Friday’s other semifinal.

Above: The Bell County seniors pose with their trophy after holding on for a 17-15 win over Boyle County Friday night in the Class 4A semifinals. The Bobcats advance to face Bullitt East next Saturday at 3 p.m. Bell and coach Dudley Hilton (inset above) will be looking for their first state title since 1991.�� (JAY COMPTON/Daily News)

In Loving Memory... 4 More BCHS Students Who Passed On

2008-12-09T21:31:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, we were all pumped. We had just won the final game before heading to the state championship this coming weekend. That all was quieted down by the news that four more of our students at BCHS were killed in a head on collision in Pineville. The students were on there way to the Christmas Parade in Middlesboro to march with the Junior Airforce ROTC group. I didn't personally know any of the students but I did have Daniel Campbell's sister and brother a couple of years ago. Jonathan was also a student that I had seen around quite often. Daniel and Jonathan both went to Page School Center (where I work). My brother was really hurt overr all of these students, especially Jonathan. The night before the accident, after we won the game, Jonathan came up to Billy and was congratulating him. He was saying all kinds of encouragging things and telling Billy that he had played well. Billy told me that he felt like God was telling him to hug Jon again and so he hugged him for the second time. He sure was glad that he did. Today as he was checking out of school to attend Jon's funeral, mom asked if he really felt like he would be ok. He told her that Jon attended his game to see him play and that the least he could do would be to see him out this final time.

Those students who died in the accident were:

Wesley Ingram (twin brother of Jessica "Nikki" Ingram)

Jessica "Nikki" Ingram (twin sister of Wesley Ingram)

Daniel Campbell

Jonathan Miracle

This was such a saddening event for us here in Bell County. Exactly 11 months ago to the day, we lost 4 other teens in a car crash. How sad! Let's be much in Prayer for our students, faculty, and most importantly, the families who have lost their precious children. I can honestly say that I cannot even fathom this!

(Courtesy of Middlesboro Daily News)

Tragic accident claims lives of four Bell County teen��s

Tragedy strikes Bell High again

By Sarah Miracle/Staff Writer

PINEVILLE — The Middlesboro Christmas Parade marched on as scheduled Saturday afternoon, with the Bell County High School Air Force JROTC as one of the participants.

Bell’s JROTC Instructor Lt. Col. Barry Tanner recalls that, however, prior to the parade, he had a strange feeling.

*
“I was missing three of my students,” remarked Lt. Col. Tanner. “It wasn’t like those kids not to be there.”

Lt. Col. Tanner tried to put his worries aside and BCHS’s JROTC performed without three of their star cadets. Little did he and his cadets know, those three teens would never perform again.

While in route to the Christmas parade along U.S. Highway 25-E in Pineville, former JROTC cadet and BCHS graduate 18-year-old Jonathan Lee Miracle; current cadets and BCHS students 16-year-old twins Jessica Nicole “Niki” Ingram and Wesley Allen Ingram of Pineville; and 15-year-old Daniel Earl Campbell Smith of Blackmont lost their lives in a fatal car accident.

At 12:51 p.m., Kentucky State Police and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement responded to a call about a two vehicle accident along U.S. 25-E, near the Off Track Betting facility. The 2007 Toyota Yaris driven by Miracle was travelling south on U.S. 25-E, while a Peterbilt coal truck driven by 34-year-old Dwight Robinson of Tyner, Ky., was traveling northbound.

Police report that due to the road and weather conditions, Miracle lost control of his vehicle and veered into the northbound lane of traffic, where he collided with the coal truck. All four occupants of the Toyota Yaris sustained fatal injuries.

Miracle was transported to the Pineville Community Hospital after the accident, where Bell County Deputy Coroner Bill Bisceglia later pronounced him dead. The Ingram twins and Campbell were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

“This is the second accident involving Bell County High School students that I have responded to this year,” stated Deputy Coroner Bisceglia.“My heart just goes out to the families and kids at Bell High.”

Facing the aftermath of this tragic incident, BCHS Principal Jeff Saylor has arranged for grief counselors to be available at the school throughout this week.

“I guess what makes this so hard is rejoicing over our football team’s victory Friday night, and now within 24 hours, we’re facing the loss of four young people who meant a lot to the students, this school and the community,” said Principal Saylor. “There’s no rhyme or reason to something like this.”

Bell County School System’s Superintendent George Thompson agreed. “What can I say? This is the second time we’ve suffered a fatal accident involving our students. It doesn’t get any easier. It’s just a tragic and terrible shock and a loss,” stated Thompson. “These children will be sorely missed.”

Thompson and Bisceglia referred to the untimely passing of four former students, all killed in a vehicle accident on Hwy. 92 on January 6. Bell County High School students Shawna McCreary, Stephanie Wilder, Eric Ogan and Wesley Cole perished in that incident.

According to Lt. Col. Tanner, the school will be opening a memorial fund for the students’ funeral costs and the family’s incurred expenses. Details are not yet confirmed, although the accounts will be established at Home Federal Bank.

“They’re going to be missed. We’re talking about kids who were loved for who they were,” commented Lt. Col. Tanner. “These children didn’t have enemies, only friends.”

Tanner also mentioned that the Ingram family wishes to hold a memorial for both Nikki and Wesley at Bell High. However, arrangements are not yet complete or official.

The teens’ full obituaries are listed on page five in this edition of the Middlesboro Daily News.

Sarah Miracle is a staff writer for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at smiracle@middlesborodailynews.com.

PART 4 -2008 Creation Conference-Binghamtown Baptist Church with Dr. Jim Gardner

2008-12-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i2/ancient.asp

On our last set of notes we left off talking about the confusion at Babel. We will now conclude these notes from Creation Conference 2008.

**************************************************************************************

*** Babylon (Modern Day Iraq) -
- Saddam Hussein spent charity money to restore Babylon.
- He believed that he was in the direct line of Nebacunezzar and that he was rightful heir to his world.
- Hussein even had his image placed over Nebacunezzar's on a gold coin to signify that he was in this direct line.

***What is the story of the Tower of Babel?***

Now the whole earth had one language and few words. And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the earth. - Genesis 11.

More Notes on the Tower of Babel

*** The Tower of Babel was built astronomical!

- Babylon was to bring (and stil is to bring) a one world order.

- PreBabylonian men were far superior to us.
- They had far better memories (we use about 10% of our brain, men from Adam's time used 100%).
- They also had smarter brains.
- They spoke 1 language and they lived five times longer than we do today.

***The foundation of the Tower of Babel has possibly been found.

(From http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/babel.htm 's website)

Archaeologists examining the remains of the city of Babylon have found what appears to be the foundation of the tower: a square of earthen embankments some three-hundred feet on each side. The tower's most splendid incarnation was probably under King Nebuchadnezzar II who lived from 605-562 BC. The King rebuilt the tower to stand 295 feet high. According to an inscription made by the king the tower was constructed of "baked brick enameled in brilliant blue." The terraces of the tower may have also been planted with flowers and trees.

***The people took the science of astronomy and created astrology.

(From http://artvam.com/Article/Astrology_A_Little_Background/187 's website)

Astrology goes back to about 2900 BC. During this time, the Sumerians built temples in the form of pyramids. They did this to observe the stars and planets. Some say that it is even possible that Astrology goes back even farther than this but there is little evidence to support this theory.

It wasn't until about 2000 BC that the magi of Mesopotamia believed that there were indeed no accidents. He believed that everything in the universe including people, objects and all events, was connected. Not only did these magi, or priests study the stars but they also looked for omens in weather patterns. They would predict future events from the internal organs of many animals and even listened to the words of trees, dogs, cats and insects to hear what they had to say.

The main use of astrology, however, was to study the relationship between the position of the Earth and other bodies in the heavens such as planets, stars and even meteors and asteroids. They believed beyond any doubt that the position of each object in the universe has an effect on every person and even on our planet. It should be pointed out that with astrology, our Earth has no effect on these bodies themselves. This may or may not be true. Nobody knows for certain.

***WE DO KNOW FOR CERTAIN. ASTROLOGY ISN'T A SCIENCE, RATHER A PERVERSION OF THE SCIENCE OF ASTRONOMY!

Random Note *** First century batteries have been found. These were found among the ruins of the Minoans.

Other Ziggurats as Copies of Babel: Other Places Folks Worshipped gods

STONEHENGE

- These stones are in astronomical alignment. They are so technologically advanced that we couldn't even figure out the alignment until computers came about.

- None of the stones have a foundation, so the folks who made Stone Henge had to figure out how much soil would compress. We didn't even start worrying about soil compression until about 75 years ago.

*** Eg. Myans : Cancun, Mexico

- Cancun means "nest of vipers"
- In one section, there was a stone ring sticking out of the wall. They placed a colored cloth about 12 ft off the ground and the object of the game was to take the cloth out of the ring while the other team tried to get it, too.
- The winner's prize was to get their heart ripped out and sacrificed.

- The ziggurrat contained a serpent head and during the Autumn and Spring equinox it appeared to look like a snake slithering

(From http://www.stevealten.com/Domain/professor.htm )
The Kukulcan pyramid in Chichen Itza is an example of the unexplainable Mayan ingenuity. The pyramid is a perfect ziggurat of stone, with 4 sides, each possessing 91 steps. With the platform at the top the count it equals 365--as in days of the year. What is far more amazing is that for over 1,000 years, on each Autumn and Spring Equinox, the afternoon sun creates the shadow of a giant serpent on the pyramid's northern balustrade. As the sun sets, the body of the serpent appears to descend the steps to meet with its stone head.

- Aztec/Myan Calendar was 365. (some decimal) days.

- They figured this out 4 places past the decimal. They were extremely smart people. They were right because we still consider 365 days/1 year.

Genealogy draws 4,000 years to Christ and 2,000 years from Christ to us.

- There is no problem with genealogy and the truth. The Bible lines it all up and shows us.

Bishop Usher calculated Oct. 4,004 B.C. was the year of Creation.

Ussher next turned his attention to identifying the precise date of Creation. Like many of his contemporary scholars, he assumed that God would choose to create the world on a date that corresponded with the sun being at one of its four cardinal points—either the winter or summer solstice or the vernal or autumnal equinox. This view sprang from the belief that God had a special interest in mathematical and astronomical harmony. The deciding factor for Ussher came from Genesis. When Adam and Eve found themselves in the Garden of Eden, the fruit was invitingly ripe. Ussher reasoned, therefore, that it must have been harvest time, which corresponded with the autumnal equinox: “I have observed that the Sunday, which in the year [4004 B.C.] aforesaid, came nearest the Autumnal Aequinox, by Astronomical Tables, happened upon the 23 day of the Julian October.” (FROM: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/ussher.html)

(Book: Animals of the World)

- The Mayans were the most accurate time keepers.

- Their calendar at year zero is within 50 years of the year Bishop Usher came up with.

- So you have a Biblical source and a very non Christian Source.

- Noah took the books already written on board to preserve the time line.

- Angkor Wat in Cambodia

Southeast Asia of a ziggurat set up to worship the sun, moon, and stars.

- Peru: Eldorado, city of gold Inca temple of the sun

- Machu Picchu built on rock, rapid running river, the base of Machu Picchu mountain is a village where people worship evil spirits and Jesus.

"The Temple of the Sun is a round tapered tower. The stonework of this temple is some of the finest in the city, outlining its importance. In the center of the temple is a carved rock with a straight edge. During the Summer solstice, this edge will precisely align with the light falling through the only window of the temple.

Observing the sun was very important to the Inca. During the winter solstice (when the Sun is furthest from the Earth), the Inca would hold a festival, which included sacrifice to bring the sun back.

Below the Sun Temple one can find the Royal Tomb, where it is said that Bingham found the remains of some important people. Unfortunately you cannot enter the Tomb, but you can have a peek inside.
Entrance into the Temple of the Sun is prohibited, but you can look inside from the structure above it.

Next to the Temple of the Sun stands a two-story building that got named Princess Palace. The stonework of this building with slightly inclining walls is better than that of most ordinary houses. This fact and the fact that it is bigger than most other housing structures suggest that someone important lived here (maybe even a Princess, who knows)." (From: http://www.opentravelinfo.com/travel_guide/south_america/peru/andean/machu_picchu_peru_inca_city_in_the_sky

- They built all houses they have 2 bulls with a basket between them and put a cross in the middle. They put their petition in the basket for the evil spirits, so they just added Jesus to the other gods.

"On the way up the hill you get a view of the grimy housing made out of Adobe bricks topped off with a corrugated iron roof and a Cross with at least one bull statue on every roof. " (From: http://www.epinions.com/review/trvl-Dest-Latin_America-Peru-Machu_Picchu/content_212559761028)

- Cusco - like a bowl and the light blinds you

-Massive stone blocks put together so tightly cut perfectly

- When you look at the shapes in the wall, you can see how they put animals in them.
Eg. Platypus found in the stones

- According to Evolutionists it evolved in Australia, what is it doing in an Incan stone wall?

- Either Inca is sailing or it was from Inca instead of "evolving" from Australia

- Noah's Ark and the flood ... everything died.

- Coal, oil, gas are all from the vegetation buried in the worldwide flood.

* If we study Nimrod, it will show us the prophecies of 1 world government today.

- We are in a crisis and the devil will take full advantage of it.

CONGRATS BELL CO. BOBCATS REGIONAL CHAMPS! GO BILLY #69! ALL THE WAY TO THE STATE PLAYOFFS!

2008-12-04T21:45:00.004-05:00

BILLY BRITTAIN SR. 2009
OFFENSIVE GUARD
BELL COUNTY BOBCATS

Just making a little noise for my brother and our county football team who are playing their final game tomorrow in the playoffs to go to the State Championship. Hats off to you fellas! I am so proud of this team and I am especially proud of my little brother. He really has come a long way with this team. Today, the newspaper covered the team and the seniors. Coach Dudley Hilton spoke of my little bro this way:
"Helping pave the way for skill players is an offensive line led by senior tackle Jacob King, a four-year starter, and senior guard Billy Brittain.

“We’ve scored over 600 points this year and that’s a tribute to him and the whole offensive line,” Hilton said of King.

“I never thought Billy would get to play much at all, but he worked hard this off season and turned out to be a heck of an offensive guard for us and I’m very proud of him and what he’s accomplished for us.”'

Go little bro!

And I ask that each of you be much in Prayer for this team of Bobcats who are giving God all the glory for their victories this season and in years past. This is a good group of boys who really deserve to win a State Championship! God instructs us to bring everything to Him no matter how big or small.... so I am doing just that. I Prayed every play last Friday night and will spend tomorrow night doing the same. Please keep us in your Prayers all day tomorrow, at 7:30 tomorrow night, and always!

GO BELL COUNTY BOBCATS!

Bell County’s success built on senior leadership

By JAY COMPTON/Sports Editor

Published:

Thursday, December 4, 2008 2:53 PM EST

LOG MOUNTAIN — Success on the football field is nothing new for Bell County High School, but the Bobcats are working on putting the finishing touches on remarkable two-year run.

They’ve had back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and will be hosting Boyle County Friday night in the Class 4A semifinals.

The Bobcats are 25-1 over the last two years with their only loss coming in the playoffs last year after giving state champion Lexington Catholic their toughest test in the post-season.

One key to that success is the leadership on and off the field provided by 13 seniors.

Running back Spencer Greer, quarterback Shawnta Zachery, linebacker Matt Simpson, defensive tackle Tyler Harbin, receiver Chase Ely, offensive tackle Jacob King, defensive guard Robbie Slusher, fullback Justin Goodin, kicker Monte Merrick, and guard Billy Britton are all key starters. Adam Overbay, Kyle Fuson and Brad Slusher also help the team either in reserve roles or during preparation through the week leading up to gameday.

“It’s unbelievable what they’ve done here since they’ve been at this high school,” said coach Dudley Hilton. “We’ve beat everybody in the area who would play us for the last two years. Look back on it now and maybe that’s why people don’t want to play us.”

With 318 career wins over 33 years coaching high school football, Hilton has seen his share of good teams and good players. He says what sets the current group of seniors apart is their unity and willingness to sacrifice individual accomplishments for the good of the team.

“They’ve always been winners since grade school and they’ve stuck together,” he said. “Most of them are baseball players and you look at what they did last year on the baseball team — winning the first regional in school history. Now they’ve won the football regional championship too.

“I look at them more as a group of winners. Not only in football, but in other sports and they’re all good in academics, too.”

Hilton said many of the players have set aside personal goals and are excelling at positions that may not have been their first choice.

“I don’t know if Shawnta has always wanted to be a quarterback but he wasn’t until his senior year. Tyler Harbin always wanted to be a fullback. We played him there some, but we needed him at defensive tackle. Matt Simpson always wanted to carry the ball and be a big-time running back, but we’ve had to depend on him at linebacker,” he said.

“That’s what kind of kids they are. They fit in to where they had to in order to make us a good, solid football team. It didn’t matter which position they played, they did it for the sake of the team.

“That’s one thing I can say as far as leadership — They’ve been willing to sacrifice some individual things for team accomplishments.”

Hilton will tell you that he doesn’t play for stats or try to showcase individual players and a look a rushing and passing attempts for each play bear that out.

Though stats aren’t always the best way to evaluate players, many of their numbers are impressive.

Greer, who was a second team All-State selection last season, has put together his third straight 1,000 yard season.

Though he missed one entire game and parts of two others because of injuries, he’s still ran for 1,314 yards and 21 touchdowns on 169 carries. He broke through for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter in last week’s regional championship win over Knox Central.

“Spencer’s had a great year,” Hilton said. “He got hurt early in the year and that kind of slowed him down a little bit, but he’s coming back into form.”

Zachery has completed 64-of-105 passes (61 percent) for 1,360 yards with 22 touchdowns and only one interception.

He kept his cool under pressure on a 3rd & long late in the fourth quarter Friday night and hooked up with junior Matt Raines for a 71-yard pass play that set up Greer’s late TD.

“Shawnta has been out there as a fixture for four years. He’s played at split end and cornerback, this year he’s taken over at quarterback and safety,” said Hilton. “He’s been true to it and I don’t know if we’ve still found out what all he can do.”

Ely has been Zachery’s favorite target this year as he has 23 catches for 419 yards and six touchdowns.

“He’s been out there as a three-year starter at safety and receiver,” said the coach.

Fullback Justin Goodin is a powerful lead blocker who has found the end zone 11 times. He ran for 329 yards on just 58 carries on the season.

“He’s been a two-year starter at fullback and he’s played a lot of linebacker this year,” Hilton said. “He’s a young man that’s really come along. He’s one of the key players on our football team.”

Helping pave the way for skill players is an offensive line led by senior tackle Jacob King, a four-year starter, and senior guard Billy Brittain.

“We’ve scored over 600 points this year and that’s a tribute to him and the whole offensive line,” Hilton said of King.

“I never thought Billy would get to play much at all, but he worked hard this off season and turned out to be a heck of an offensive guard for us and I’m very proud of him and what he’s accomplished for us.”

On defense the Bobcats allowed just 21 points during the regular season — the fewest in the state. They are ranked number three in rushing defense with just 71 yards per game allowed on the ground and are also in the top ten in passing yards allowed.

Harbin and Slusher up front and Simpson at linebacker are three of the cogs on Bell County’s top-ranked defensive unit.

“What can you say about Tyler, he’s played about everywhere we’ve wanted him to play — defensive tackle, tight end, full back — and he’s done a great job,” Hilton said of his defensive tackle.

“Robbie Slusher started at end last year and we moved him to guard and he’s really adjusted to that and had a great career,” the coach added.

“Matt Simpson started as a freshman at fullback and has played linebacker the last two years,” said Hilton. “He’s led us in tackling this year and has been all over the place. He’s also a good running back.”

Simpson has run for 428 yards on just 36 carries with six touchdowns and is nearing 80 tackles on the season.

Merrick’s field goals from 30 and 47 yards last week were huge in a five-point win. He added another extra point to his state career record in that game as well.

He’s been honorable mention All-State the past two seasons and after a big summer on the camp circuit he’s one of the top college kicking prospects in the country.

“He’s kicked here for four years and broke every record coming and going,” Hilton said.

Overbay sees some time at wide receiver, but has been especially valuable to the Bobcats as the holder for Merrick’s field goal and extra point attempts.

“He’s one that just came out for one year, but Lord are we glad he did come out,” said Hilton.

The coach said Brad Slusher was injured his junior year and got behind, but never gave up and continues to work hard with the team.

“Kyle Fuson has been good scout player for us and played hard,” Hilton said. “He’s just not been able to break into the lineup.”

Now just one game away from reaching the state championship game, the coach said he’s been impressed with how the team has handled high expectations this year.

“Rockcastle County and Knox Central were two hard teams to beat and we had to beat them twice and that’s a heck of an accomplishment,” he said. “That’s a lot of pressure on our kids. Like last week, we had a lot to lose and not a whole lot to win because everybody already had us winning.

“That shows you what kind of character this team has.”

Bell County’s seniors have led the team to 25-1 record over the past two seasons. Pictured above during pre-season picture day are the Bobcat seniors, front row (from left): Robbie Slusher, Justin Goodin, Spencer Greer, Adam Overbay, Kyle Fuson and Matt Simpson. Back row (from left): Billy Brittain, Monte Merrick, Tyler Harbin, Chase Ely, Brad Slusher, Jacob King and Shawnta Zachery.(JAY COMPTON/Daily News) (COURTESY OF THE MIDDLESBORO DAILY NEWS, YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THIS NEWSPAPER HERE.... http://www.middlesborodailynews.com/articles/2008/12/04/sports/997seniors.txt)

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in time of trouble.

(Photos courtesy of Elaine Ely... actually I think that's where they are from... I stole them from Billy)

Thankful to God!

2008-11-27T11:08:00.004-05:00

On this morning of Thanksgiving, I slept in a bit (after a loooong round trip to Ohio last night) and then opened God's Word. I decided to read verses pertaining to giving thanks. Here's a few that I read:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (King James Version)

18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Ephesians 5:20 (King James Version)

20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Job 1:21 (King James Version)

21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (King James Version)

17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

1 Chronicles 29:13 (King James Version)

13Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

1 Samuel 2:1-10 (King James Version)

1And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

2There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

3Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

4The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

6The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

7The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

8He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.

9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Such beautiful praises unto God! I'd like to offer up my own on this blessed Thanksgiving morning.

Dear Precious Father,

I come to You thanking you for so many things. I thank You for my Salvation that was made possible by Your Son, my precious Savior, going to the cross for my wicked ways. I thank You for looking beyond my faults and loving me regardless. I thank You for reaching Your hands down daily to lift me up and to help me with my infirmities. I thank You Savior for this thorn in my flesh that daily brings me to my knees. I Pray that it continues to bring glory unto Your holy name.

I thank You for my precious mother who is truly my best friend on this earth. I cannot imagine being raised without her God given guidance in my life. I thank You for my precious daddy who has always put my brother, mom and I before himself in all that he does. I thank You that he continues to be a daddy to me even though I am a grown woman. I thank You for my precious, little brother. I thank You for the things that he is learning even now and I Pray for your guidance to be upon his life. I thank You for my sweet, sweet husband who loves me more than I'll ever realize. I thank You that He has stepped up to the plate throughout my struggle with infertility and that He is truly a helpmate to me throughout it all.

I thank you, precious Father, for my sweet "in-luvs" who have always accepted me as family even 6 years ago when I was just dating their son. They have been wonderful to me and I am truly blessed to be a part of the Goodlett clan. I thank You for all my family: cousins (Jess, Gav, Mon, Kris, Shell, Michelle, Robin, etc.), aunts and uncles (Sandy, Craig, Barb, Steve, Candy, etc.), Grandmother Rose, and all those who have passed on yet their teachings bear witness in my life, (Papaw Brock, Mamaw Brittain, Uncle Bruce, Sister Helen, Brother Jack, sis Shauna, Precious Best Friend Danielle, etc.).

I Praise You Father for my blessed friends who have stood by me through all these situations. Those who have Prayed without ceasing for my miracle. Those who unselfishly love me for me and for nothing in return. Lord You know who each of these people are. I Pray a special blessing down upon them on this wonderful day of Thanksgiving.

I thank You God for my home, my job, my material goods, and even the air that I breathe. None of which is possible without your grace and mercy. I thank You for my nation and the freedom that we have been blessed with. Lord I Pray that we will continue in Prayer and keep it that way.

I also thank You Father for my blessed, Bible believing Church and Pastor, William Boyd. I thank You for his faithfulness and for his family's faithfulness. I thank You for inspiring each sermon that he preaches. I thank You for the blessings that I receive from them. I also praise you for the lessons that You have been teaching me through Your Word and experiences. I feel so blessed to be able to study and read such a wonderful set of instructions for my life.

Lord, I praise You for the miracles that I know that You are bringing to pass even now. I thank You for my future, my past, and my present. I could never ask for more than You have given me thus far. I Pray that You rain blessings down upon all those who are celebrating this blessed, and overlooked, holiday. I Pray for those who have no one to celebrate with and for those who feel as though they have nothing to be thankful for. Will You open up their eyes Father, remove the scales and show them their blessings. I thank You most of all for Your unconditional and unchanging love. Without You, I AM NOTHING!

In Your Precious Son Jesus' Name,
Amen.

PART 3 -2008 Creation Conference-Binghamtown Baptist Church with Dr. Jim Gardner

2008-11-23T19:02:00.000-05:00

The Mystery of Ancient Man

*** Did man evolve or was he created?

The Bible really can be trusted, starting with the very first verse.

Romans 1: 19-21 :

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 1: 22-25:

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

*** Some of our most intelligent people are so wise that they have become fools and they can't see the simplicity of the Gospel. It isn't "difficult" enough for them.

- Who changed the truth that God created the earth to the lie of Evolution? These same people.

EVOLUTION:
Never happened
Couldn't happen
Not happening now
Never will happen!

***True Evolution of 1 kind into another kind takes the addition of information! The addition of information requires an outside intelligence.

- Horizontal variation, which evolutionist call natural selection, does exist. However, it does not mean that a dog can evolve into a cat. Yes there are different breeds of dogs but they are all still dogs.

***Artifacts are old evidence that is found by going through the garbage dump of what's left from a society.

Evolution teaches: The further back you go, the more primitive mankind must have been.
That means: The more primitive the artifacts should be.

- Artifacts that don't find with evolution are called OOPS-Arts! This stands for Out Of Place Artifacts! Makes sense doesn't it?

These things are not as old as they think they are. They can't be:

Eg. Do Geodes take millions of years to form? A geode was found containing an actual spark plug....

(From: http://www.geocities.com/hngibson/geode.htm)

"Geodes look like ordinary stones. However, when cut open they often house crystals or mineral deposits. Geodes carefully cut in half are highly coveted by rock collectors around the world.

In 1961 Virginia Maxey, Wally Lane and Mike Mikesell, co-owners of the LM&V Rockhounds Gem and Gift shop in Olancha, Calif. went rock hunting in the Coso Mountains. Near the summit of a 4,300 ft. peak they found a geode that challenged the history of mankind.

Mike Mikeshell ruined a diamond saw blade cutting into the fossil encrusted geode. No one was prepared for what they found. In the middle of the geode was a metal core, about .08 inch (2 millimeters) in diameter. Enclosing a seemingly ceramic or porcelain collar that encased a hexagonal sleeve carved out of wood that now seemed to be petrified. All of this was enclosed in a geode made up of hardened clay, pebbles, bits of fossil shell and "two non-magnetic metallic objects resembling a nail and a washer. " A small sliver of copper indicated that the ceramic and wood may have once been separated by a copper sleeve.

Upon examining X-ray photographs taken of the object, Paul Willis, editor of INFO journal noticed the similarities between this object and a modern day spark plug."

Eg. A computing device found in a ship that sank in the Aegan Sea in 1st Century B.C.

Eg. Maps of Antartica - a map found that shows what is believed to be the coast of Antartica before the Icecaps. Scientists have stated previously that the Icecaps were millions of years old, but the map only dates back to 500 B.C.

Eg. Stylized insects on showcase at the Smithsonian? These were first called stylized insects but have now come to be realized as a scale model of an airplane instead. Even the curly cues on the wings are like those on the wings of airplanes today to help them fly more efficiently. They were found in grave yards and there have been quite a few found. They date thousands of years old. When shown to some air pilots they labeled them as a model of an airplane. They made some to scale that were larger and flew them.

Eg. Egyptian artifact a Sakkar bird from the 3rd Century B.C.: This was an artifact as well. There was even a notch found in the back and those who were measuring them to create bigger scale models to fly noticed it. They decided to put a stabilizer into the models there and they flew perfectly. So instead of what it is thought to be, it is instead an approximately 2,000 year old airplane! It makes sense because we do have airplanes today that have faces drawn on them.

Eg. The pyramids and Ziggurats? These have been found in places other than just Egypt. Folks have believed previously that these are tied to extraterrestrial beings actually being god. These places are where they were worshipped. This also ties in with the thoughts of Intelligent Design, a belief that a lot of Christian folks are ok with but should not be as it does not go along with Creationism and the Bible.

(From Wikipedia.com)

Ancient astronaut theories or paleocontact are various proposals that intelligent extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth and that this contact is linked to the origins or development of human cultures, technologies and/or religions.

Some of these theories suggest that deities from most — if not all — religions are actually extraterrestrial beings, and their technologies were taken as evidence of their divine status.^[1]^[2]

Ancient astronaut theories have limited support within the scientific community, and have garnered little if any attention in peer-reviewed studies from scientific journals. These theories have been popularized, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, by writers Erich von Däniken, Zecharia Sitchin and Robert K.G. Temple ^[3].

Ancient astronaut theories have been widely used in science fiction.

***YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ, HEAR, OR (at this day in time) SEE!

- Man's sin brought about death.... evolution teaches that death is normal and good and actually needed. However, death is the penalty of sin!

- The oldest living human to date is 119 (as of this lecture). Think: People before the flood lived from 800-900 years!

John 16:8 -And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

IMAGINE: What if someone such as Albert Einstein had lived 800-900 years? What else could he have accomplished?

Genesis 4: 20-22 - 20And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

21And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

22And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

***This was 7 generations after Adam. And people really believe that the Ancient Man was stupid because he lived 5,000 years ago! Nope!

- They played woodwind and stringed instruments. How could have they have done this if they were just hunters and gatherers? It isn't exactly easy to play a violin. It isn't exactly easy to built these either.

Eg. Acan instrument .... strange instrument but makes beautiful music when played by someone who knows how.

- Tubalcain cast brass and iron - this was sophisticated metal working.

- The preflood blacksmiths had the art of metallurgy. Brass (Hebrew for Copper and Bronze) dealing with smelting.

- Deep underground mining - a stack of 98% ingas found .... 4,000 years old.... how?

***The Global Flood destroyed the surface of the entire planet!

- Possible Eg. Atlantis - the Global Flood could have taken it under ... just a possibility.

- People were highly advanced technologically speaking. Nimrod (Noah's great grandson), the founder of Babel, set up Astrology. Astrology was set up to worship the sun, moon, and stars.

What was God's reaction to this?

Gen. 11: 5-6 -

5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

- The post civilization of Nimrod: If they can dream it up, they can build it.

- Noah made the ark because he believed God. He probably took engineering drawings or mental pictures of the technology that was available before the flood with him on the ark. God had instructed Noah and his family to go and be fruitful unto all the earth. Nimrod did not follow God's instructions and tried to keep all the people right there.

- Noah and Shem lived for God

- The technology declined from The Flood until Christ's time (the dark ages) and then begins to come back after Christ.

***Why was there a decline?

- God confused their language and it slowed technology down.

- The different family groups could only understand themselves.

- They had disagreements with each other (different family groups) because they couldn't understand each other and they left Babel. God had wanted them to all sort out in the first place but Nimrod had disobeyed.

- They all moved away and the good things separated. You see, when they all lived together in Babel and worked together, everything was awesome. You had some families who were good at agriculture while others were good at building. You had families that were good at medicine and families that were good at various other trades. When they all separated, each family excelled at only one or so things and therefore technology slowed down while they tried to get better at the other things.

- Part of the human gene pool and knowledge pool also was moved away. They begin to marry within those who lived around them (family) and thus came gene mutations.

PART 2-2008 Creation Conference-Binghamtown Baptist Church with Dr. Jim Gardner

2008-11-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

In the last set of notes, I mentioned Dr. Gardener's thoughts on what a "day" really is. This is where we'll pick up with the notes on his talk today.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***If a day was 1,000 years in Creation, the plants would have died. The plants wouldn't have been able to exist without the sun for that long.

***"Yom" is "Day" as we learned earlier.

The Number of times Yom is found in the Bible:

* Yom + a number = 410 times
* Yom w/o the word day = 38 times
* Yom w/ the word day = 23 times
* Yom w/ night and day = 52 times

We can see this throughout Genesis, including these verses:

5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

13And the evening and the morning were the third day.

19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

***Evening, Morning, Day, Night... AKA Yom is an ordinal number!

(From AIG's website)

In Genesis 1, God, through the 'pen' of Moses, is going out of His way to tell us that the 'days' of creation were literal earth–rotation days. To do this, He used the Hebrew word yôm, combined with a number and the words 'evening and morning'. If God had wanted to tell us it was an ancient creation, then there were several good ways He could have done this. If theistic evolution had been intended, then there were several constructions He could have used. If the time factor had been meant to be ambiguous, then the Hebrew language had ways of saying this. However, God chose not to use any construction which would have communicated a meaning other than a literal solar day.

The only meaning which is possible from the Hebrew words used is that the 'days' of creation were 24–hour days. God could not have communicated this meaning more clearly than He did in Genesis 1. The divine confirmation of this, if any is needed, is Exodus 20:9-11, where the same word 'days' is used throughout:

'Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, not thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.'
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Eg. Jonah in the whale 3,000 years? Nope!

Eg. Exodus 20:11 -For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

- God actually wrote this in the stone tablets with His very own finger!

***The time frame of "Week" is found no where. Can scientist even explain where the "Week" comes from? The other time frames make sense:

Day: 1 Earth rotation
Month: earth and moon rotation
Year: Earth and sun rotation

(Book suggestion: "Old Earth Creationism On Trial")

*** True Evolution of 1 kind into another kind, takes the addition of outside information. The addition of outside information requires an outside intelligence. THIS ARGUMENT DEFEATS THE BASIS OF EVOLUTION!

- Evolution is the substance of fossils hoped for and the evidence of things not found! (haha)

- The lines on the Evolutionary Tree of Life are not connected and have missing links.

*** Richard Dawkins said that religion teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. That is definitely not true. We can understand everything about the world by using the Bible as our guide.

*** Dawkins even states that people who do not believe in Evolution are "ignorant, stupid, and/or insane."

*** He also stated that "Evolution is observed, just not while happening."

*** Our modern day society had a fit when the Creation Museum was opened. One headline supporting this "fit" states: "Nationwide Oppose $27 Million Creationist Effort to 'Institutionalize A Lie'"

- What folks do not realize is that every idea has a consequence no matter what you believe.

Eg. Global Warming: This is taking the world by storm and Al Gore is the leader of the pack. However, it is a bunch of hype based on no evidence. Take this quote from an article interviewing John Coleman, creator of "The Weather Channel":

" John Coleman, founder of the Weather channel, claims that global warming is a complete hoax. His ideas have been a major obstacle in initiatives in greenhouse awareness for political pulpits on the issue like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Al Gore. Entertainment has even made moves to incorporate green ideas into sitcoms and shows while John Coleman has called these critical concerns about environment "the greatest scam in history."

(Suggested DVD: "Global Warming: You Decide")

Eg. Intelligent Design: Many folks are beginning to believe that aliens brought life to this planet.

Professor Provine, from Columbia University, believes that evolution is a worldview. Listen to this quote:

"Evolution is the greatest engine of atheism ever invented. Naturalistic evolution has clear consequences that Charles Darwin understood perfectly. 1) No gods worth having exist; 2) no life after death exists; 3) no ultimate foundation for ethics exists; 4) no ultimate meaning in life exists; and 5) human free will is nonexistent. "

(Provine, William - 'Evolution: Free will and punishment and meaning in life' 1998 Darwin Day Keynote Address.)

***THE MOST DISTURBING PART OF THIS LECTURE***

According to the Barna Research Organization, the main things Christians should agree with and believe in are not being embraced by most "born again believers."

The Barna Organization gave a survey to see how many pastors agree with the following:

7 Things Bible Believing Christians Should Agree With and Confirm!:

1. The absolute moral truth
2. That the Bible is completely accurate
3. Jesus is completely without sin
4. satan does exist
5. God is omnipotent and omnipresent
6. Salvation by grace and grace alone
7. We are called to evangelize and spread the gospel message

Only 51% of pastors agree with all 7 statements!

57% of Baptist pastors agree

44% of Pentecostal pastors agree

28% of Protestant pastors agree

27% of Methodist pastors agree

35% of Black pastors agree

15% of Women pastors agree (withholding my own thoughts here)

***Then the Barna Organization asked church members the same question. Only 9% of all protestants agree with these 7 truths!***

QUESTION??????????????????????

IF WE SAY WE DON'T BELIEVE IN CREATION BECAUSE IT DOESN'T "FIT" WITH SCIENCE THEN HOW CAN WE SAY THAT WE BELIEVE IN:

1. A virgin birth.... according to science, virgins can't give birth.
2. Jesus being raised from the dead.... according to science, dead men do not come back to life.

*** Of course Atheist don't believe these things, but it is definitely something to think about as a Christian. You must believe it all or none at all. God's word is infallible and is truth from the first verse of the first chapter of the first book. Remember, God said:

John 3:12 - If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

LASTLY, a post note from my pastor, William Boyd Bingham III, which included the reading of Romans 1: 18-32. This, he described as "A description of our society all because Charles Darwin's father died and went to hell and he did not want to believe it."

Romans 1: 18-32:

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

PART 1-2008 Creation Conference-Binghamtown Baptist Church with Dr. Jim Gardner

2008-11-16T14:37:00.007-05:00

PART 1:

I come to you today with excitement! It is once again time for the Creation Conference at my church. This morning I listened to Dr. Gardener talk and I was so excited to blog my notes. I am going to "try" to cover everything that he mentioned and "try" to link to some of the articles and videos. Bear with me. He will talk again tonight and I'll post that at a later date.

We need Biblical Scholars now more than ever!
2 Timothy 2:15-Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

WHY COMPROMISE BIBLICAL AUTHORITY?

2 Questions:

1. Did God mean exactly what He said?
2. Did He say exactly what He meant?

John 3:12: If I have told you Earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of Heavenly things?

II Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Genesis 1:1- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

***Most churches today have compromised Biblical Authority.
***satan is really good at what he does. He got Eve to do three things:
1. he got her to question God's word
2. he got her to doubt God's word
3. he got her to disbelieve God's word

***satan has had 6,000 years of practice to get better here on earth. We can even see how he is in some of our "Christian" churches today. he is visible in Sunday School classes and in the pulpit because some of our churches today let things go on and mislead people.

Reinterpretaion
***Attempts to add millions of years to the Bible do not come from those who do not believe in the Bible, rather Christians who are looking for a way to fit Evolution in with their faith. Atheists couldn't care less about trying to fit it with the Bible because they don't even believe the Bible.
*** They question the Bible instead of questioning science. The world and secular folks have taught us to do this exact thing.

We've been taught:

(From AIG's website)

Internal evidence of the book of Genesis

1. There is the internal evidence of the book of Genesis itself. As already mentioned, chapters 12–50 have always been regarded by the Jewish people as being the record of their own true history, and the style of writing contained in chapters 1–11 is not strikingly different from that in chapters 12–50.

2. Hebrew scholars of standing have always regarded this to be the case. Thus, Professor James Barr, Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford, has written:

‘Probably, so far as I know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Genesis 1–11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that: (a) creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience (b) the figures contained in the Genesis genealogies provided by simple addition a chronology from the beginning of the world up to later stages in the biblical story (c) Noah’s flood was understood to be world-wide and extinguish all human and animal life except for those in the ark. Or, to put it negatively, the apologetic arguments which suppose the “days” of creation to be long eras of time, the figures of years not to be chronological, and the flood to be a merely local Mesopotamian flood, are not taken seriously by any such professors, as far as I know.’⁹.

3. One of the main themes of Genesis is the Sovereignty of God. This is seen in God’s actions in respect of four outstanding events in Genesis 1–11 (Creation, the Fall, the Flood, and the Babel dispersion), and His relationship to four outstanding people in Genesis 12–50 (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph). There is thus a unifying theme to the whole of the book of Genesis, which falls to the ground if any part is mythical and not true history; on the other hand, each portion reinforces the historical authenticity of the other.¹⁰

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***When people try to make What the Bible says and What Evolutionist agree, guess which one always gets changed? The Bible!

*** Where do you even fit a million years in the Bible?

- The genealogy in the Bible shows that we are all connected to Adam and Eve and thus have sinned against God even through our lineage.

- Alot of folks try to "fit" this million years between verses 1 and 2 of Genesis 1:

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

- This is called the Gap Theory.

- The word for "Day" in the Bible is "Yom" and it is used 2,301 times in the Old Testament.

- The issue is that it is only questioned in the book of Genesis. Why is it only questioned there when it is used throughout the entirety of the Bible?

- An example being Jonah and the Whale. Did Jonah stay in the belly of the whale for 3,000 years? This would be true IF one day is equal to 1,000 years as it states in 2 Peter 3:8:

8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

- This is talking about Heaven, not here on earth. Our days are in 24 hour spans. God doesn't need to measure time but He knows that we do and therefore He gave us that knowledge in 2 Peter in order to help us understand how time would work IN HEAVEN.

***The Gap Theory does not work when looking at the scripture because:
1. If lucifer fell before Creation week, how could God say that everything was good?

Genesis 1: 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2. He made everything in the beginning.... so the beginning really meant the beginning.

3. The sun must have shined upon the earth long before in order to support the earth. How could it have just appeared thousands of years after the plants and animals? They would have died before it began to shine.

4. Thorns and thistles are supposedly billions of years old when in actually they really aren't. Genesis 3:18 : Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

(From AIG's website)

If the idea of millions of years of earth and cosmic history is really true, as many teach, then

it destroys the Bible’s teaching on death.
it assaults the character of God.
it contradicts what Jesus believed and taught about the age of the earth, thereby undermining faith in Him for salvation (see this short article and this longer one). If Jesus was wrong about the age of the earth, what other errors did He make in His teaching?
it undermines faith in the gospel by undermining faith in the Bible that contains the gospel.
it nullifies the authority of Scripture.
it therefore weakens the Church and its gospel witness in the world.

You see, if death, disease, suffering, natural disasters (like hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in southeast Asia in December 2004), and extinctions have been going on for millions of years, as evolutionists teach, then God’s Word is fundamentally in error from beginning to end.

God says in Genesis 1:29–30 that man and the animals and birds were all originally vegetarian. Six times in Genesis 1 God said that what He had made was “good” (not good like on our scale of good-better-best, but good like God is good—without any quality that could be described as evil or bad).

In Genesis 1:31 He called everything He had made “very good.” In Genesis 3:14–19 He cursed the whole creation because of Adam’s sin. God cursed the serpent who deceived Eve, and it resulted in a physical change to the serpent. It therefore is reasonable to assume that animals were changed physically in some way as a result of the curse on them (e.g., carnivore behavior began at this time). Eve was changed physically (more pain in childbirth) because of God’s judgment.

Adam and Eve spiritually died instantly when they sinned—their relationship with God was broken and they hid themselves from God. But they also began to die physically as God said “from the dust you came, to the dust you shall return” (and as Paul says in Romans 5:12 and I Corinthians 15:21–22 that physical death came into the human race through Adam). The ground was also cursed. So, the fall had an impact on the whole creation. It is now all fallen and cursed, ruined by man’s sin—in bondage to corruption (Romans 8:19–23).

If we accept the millions of years, then (whether we realize it or not) we are also accepting that there were thorns and thistles long before Adam sinned (they have been found fossilized in rock layers dated at 340–405 million years), even though God says in Genesis 3 that thorns and thistles came as a result of sin. They are not the result of His good creativity but His holy justice.

If the millions of years are a fact, then God lied about the thorns. If God told the truth (I believe He did), then the millions of years are a lie. If Christians accept the millions of years, then they are also accepting (whether they realize it or not) that God calls cancer “very good,” because cancer is found in dinosaur bones that are dated to be at least 65 million years old, dying long before Adam was created and sinned in a theistic evolutionist viewpoint.............

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***Evolutionists count on the fact that Christians do not understand Carbon dating.

Carbon 14 dating:

- was developed in the late 1960's
- The problem with it is that Carbon 14 has a half life of 5, 500 years. This basically means that after this many years the Carbon 14 will be cut in half and continue until there is nothing left. In 22,000 years it would be down to the point of being immeasurable. How then do you measure something older than 22,000 years old?

*** Scientists came up with Radio Metric Dating:
- It deals with the ratio of Parent elements to daughter elements.
- It's half lives are longer.
- The parent is lead.
- The problem is the assumptions that go along with it.

***4 Assumptions About Radio Metric Dating:

1. The beginning concentration of the parents and daughters
2. Decay rates of parent to daughter
3. No parent and daughter elements were gained or lost
4. It assumes that everything has always been as it is today

- Eg. Mount St. Helen is dated 900,000 years old and only 35 years ago it erupted.

***Years ago all scientists believed in the Geocentric Universe, a theory by Aristotle:

...is the superseded theory that the Earth is the center of the universe and other objects go around it. Belief in this system was common in ancient Greece. It was embraced by both Aristotle and Ptolemy, and most Ancient Greek philosophers assumed that the Sun, Moon, stars, and naked eye planets circle the Earth. Similar ideas were held in ancient China.^{[1]
(From Wikipedia).

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***Next came Copernicus who believed in a Heliocentric system. Galileo, after studying the sky tremendously, agreed with this theory:}Model of the solar system centred on the Sun, with Earth and other planets revolving around it, formulated by Nicolaus Copernicus in the mid 16th century. Having the Sun in this central position explained the apparent motion of planets relative to the fixed stars and was truer than the Earth-centred Ptolemaic system (see Ptolemy). Scientifically, the Copernican system led to belief in a much larger universe than before (because, if the Earth revolved around the Sun, the stars would have to be very distant not to appear to alter their position); more broadly, the Copernican principle is invoked to argue against any theory that would give the solar system a special place in the universe. Dethronement of Earth from the centre of the universe caused profound shock: the Copernican system challenged the entire system of ancient authority and required a complete change in the philosophical conception of the universe.
(From Answers.com)

PART 2 to come shortly!

2 Corinthians 8: .... Giving for God

2008-11-15T11:34:00.005-05:00

I have been studying in 2 Corinthians for that last week or so. This morning I read chapter 8 and could barely contain myself to keep studying instead of starting this blog entry because of the good stuff I was reading.

This chapter was so beautifully written and composed so well to explain to us, as Christians, the importance of giving. What does it mean to give? Giving is giving of your time, your talents, your abundance, your love, your friendship, etc. God has blessed each of us so greatly and we tend to forget that quite often. The love in our heart, the extra time (no matter how little), the food on our table, the money in our bank accounts (no matter how big or small); it is all of and from God our Father. God is really good at giving us above and beyond in all areas of our lives. Check out these verses:

2 Corinthians 8 (King James Version)

Example of the Macedonians

The Macedonians were such an example for Paul to use for the Corinthians. They were taught by Paul and they actually "got it." In so many of our churches today, folks don't "get it." They think it is all about themselves and they have the "ME, ME, ME" syndrome. These folks understood the importance of the gospel and of giving. Who were these Macedonians? They were the churches in Thessalonica, Berea, and Philippi that Paul ministered to.

1Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit (make known to you) of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

(This grace is in reference to Christian character. According to Col. 4:6
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. This tells us that we should demonstrate our Christian grace through the words of our mouths. We also see that we should demonstrate our Christian grace through our deeds. 2 Corinthians 9:8 - And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: Lastly, we should demonstrate through our Christian life as a whole. 2 Peter 3:18- But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.)

2How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

[This joy that is mentioned is the joy that goes along with giving. As stated in the "New Defender's Study Bible" commentary, "The grace of joy accompanies the grace of giving, especially when both are refined in the furnance of affliction and poverty. This is one of the paradoxes of the genuine Christian life. Like the widow and her mite (Mark 12:41-44), the Philippians 'first gave their owen selves to the Lord' (2 Corinthian 8:5), and then could share generously with others, since they naturally regarded their possessions also as belonging to the Lord. Thefore the apostle could promise them that God would 'supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:19). ]

3For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

4Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

5And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

(How important! They first gave themselves to the Lord. If we first give ourselves to the Lord, we would then see as the Macedonians did, that everything we have belongs to Him as well.)

6Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

(Titus shared and gave of himself and all that he had. What an example for us to live by!)

Example of Christ

Who could be more of an example of giving than our Savior?! He gave of Himself so thoroughly just so that we might be Saved and have eternal life!

7Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

8I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

9For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

[How true! Can you imagine any of our world's rich folk doing this? Me either! No one else is like Christ. He gave up everything, not just a portion, but EVERYTHING just for you and I. From the "New Defender's Study Bible" commentary 'He was the Creator of the entire cosmos (Colossians 1:16), with all its infinite riches, yet He left it all to die a cruel death, utterly impoverished, with even His meager garments stripped away a s He was spiked to the cross. This great gift of grace is the standard against which our own practices of the grace of giving must always be compared.']

(Also, read this testimony found in Philippians 2:5-8, 5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. )

10And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

11Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

12For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

13For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

14But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

15As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

(This comes from Exodus 16: 18. In this chapter of Exodus, the people were being preserved from hunger through God's manna or miraculous bread from Heaven. The people gathered and measured and all had exactly what they needed regardless of how great or how little they had actually gathered.)

Policies in Giving

16But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

17For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.

18And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;

19And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

20Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:

21Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

(From "The New Defender's Study Bible" commentary, 'In the work of Christ, the end does not justify the use of questionable means. Our testimony before men must be credible if we expect it to be effective for the Lord. See also Proverbs 3:4 - So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. and 1 Peter 2:12- Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may be your good works, which hey shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. )

22And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.

23Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

24Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love (giving), and of our boasting on your behalf.

So what should this giving mean to us? It should mean that everyday, not just during this holiday season, we should give when God lays it on our hearts to do so. We should earnestly Pray and ask God for His guidance for the areas that are in need, whether it be a church, a needy family, a friend who is in need of spiritual guidance, etc. We should be willing to give of ourselves, our talents, our money, and anything that God has blessed us with. And we need to give for the right reasons above... for the reason of JOY, mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. It should give us Joy to give to others as God gives to us. We should never get so tied up in the gamble of giving as many ministries do. Don't worry about how much you will get back for what you give. Let God worry about what you need and you (and I) just continue to give.

Pray for Our Leaders

2008-11-12T13:21:00.003-05:00

In my last post I encouraged you to Pray for our nation. I still think we need to do that but I also think that even if we don't agree with our leaders, we still need to cover them in Prayer. God can change their hearts and minds on issues and can lead their decisions if they will let Him. In fact God instructs us to Pray for our leaders including the leaders of our Church!

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (King James Version)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Titus 3:1-5 (King James Version)Show all

1Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

2To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

1 Peter 2:17 (King James Version)

17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king

My pastor, William Boyd Bingham III, told us this fact the Wednesday night after the election:

This verse was written when Nero was the emperor of Rome. Peter encouraged the Christians then to honor this "King" who was so awful to them. He feed them to the lions and burned the bodies of Christians in the street. If the early Christians could Pray for this leader.... surely we can Pray for ours. (See this link for more info.)

Think about the leaders of your Church and read the following 8 verses from Romans 13.

Romans 13:1-8 (King James Version)

1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Pray For Our Nation

2008-11-04T23:12:00.004-05:00

Please be in much Prayer for our nation in this time. God be with us throughout these last days. It hurts my heart that someone who believes in late term abortions will be leading our nation.... I wish that he could feel what I feel each month as I try to concieve. Please just Pray fellow Christians!

2 Corinthians 1:22

2008-11-02T20:59:00.003-05:00

2 Corinthians 1:22 : Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

My pastor has been mentioning some of the banking terms found in the Bible. He has talked about the binding agreements that is talked about and showing us God's promises via these terms.

Tonight I was beginning 2nd Corinthians. I have been here all day in my bed resting and trying to get all healed up from surgery on Friday. I read up to verse 22 and then read the commentary and realized that this was another of these terms. Here's what my commentary says:

1:22 earnest. The "earnest" is "earnest money," the deposit paid to guarantee that the whole promise will be fulfilled in the proper time. See 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14. On the sealing of the Spirit, see note on Ephesians 1:13. (Source: New Defender's Study Bible)

2 Corinthians 5:5 (King James Version)

5Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest (deposit paid to guarantee that the whole promise will be fulfilled in the proper time) of the Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13 (King James Version)

13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:14 (King James Version)

14Which is the earnest (deposit paid to guarantee that the whole promise will be fulfilled in the proper time) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

How beautiful these verses are when you realize what they are talking about. God has placed a deposit to guarantee His promises! How wonderful! He didn't have to do that.... but He did because He is a good God. The Holy Spirit is this deposit. How amazing to have the deposit of such a promise living inside of us! Thank You Lord for the Trinity and for allowing me to have the Holy Spirit guiding me and reassuring me of the promises You have made me on a daily basis.

Happy Birthday Danielle Lilly!

2008-11-01T16:27:00.003-05:00

JUST A HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST FRIEND WHO IS RIGHT NOW IN HEAVEN REJOICING. WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE A BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU GIRL AND I MISS YOU MORE THAN ANYONE COULD EVER KNOW!

God is still Faithful!

2008-11-01T16:25:00.001-05:00

Click on over to my infertility blog and read about the results of my diagnostic surgery yesterday in hopes to find out why I haven't gotten pregnant. And please just Pray that I can become a mommy.

Awesome Giveaway on Faith's Blog

2008-10-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

GO HERE for an awesome blog and an awesome 100th post giveaway!!!

http://walkwithmebyfaith.blogspot.com/

Charity

2008-10-11T15:58:00.006-05:00

Charity (Greek "agape") does mean love... however it is best translated as "a generous and unselfish concern for others." When you view that meaning and read this "Love" chapter in 1st Corinthians... it really makes you open your eyes. We all know that our reason for being here is to serve others and that when we serve others, we are serving Christ. However, sometimes we tend to forget the extent of serving others. We have to do so with the right motives and with our hearts. Reread this chapter below and replace charity with "a generous and unselfish concern for others." See if it makes a difference in your Christian walk. I Pray that it does... it does in mine!

1 Corinthians 13 (King James Version)

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

God's Blessings .... in the form of stress relief for me!

2008-10-07T17:01:00.002-05:00

Now, if you know me, you know that I do not like to be deep in debt. Granted, I understand that there are times that you have to go in debt such as homes, medical issues, vehicles, school, etc. I get that. But, I hate to feel as though I am over my head in debt. That said, my husband and I have really worked hard in the last couple of years to clear out any debt that we have. I currently own no credit cards other than 1 JCPenney card that I rarely use and if I do it is paid off in the next month. I don't think that it's bad to have a credit card, I just wanted rid of mine. Michael still has a couple for us in case of an emergency. One big thing that has been weighing on my mind lately is the fact that I owe around $25,000 in school loans from my Master's Degree and my Rank I. This stressed me to no end.

I have applied for loan forgiveness of my interest through the Student Loan People. After a very LONG process, I was granted almost $1,000 in forgivness. That sure was a blessing. I then applied for a loan forgiveness program for Ky teachers. I was unsure of the amount that I would get because I teach math all day to 5th and 6th graders but the 4 years prior to last year I wasn't working with upper grades. I am not going to go into great detail because it would just bore you and take forever. I found out yesterday that I qualified for the big forgiveness even though I have only taught up upper grades for 2 years. A payment of $17, 500 was made on my account, nearly wiping it clean. I only owe $5,600 or something like that now.

This made me think, wow... forgiveness and then my slate is wiped nearly clean. Well, open your eyes Alesha. I should feel this way daily because 2,000 years ago my debts were paid, my slate was wiped clean in a perfect transaction made possible by my precious Savior! If it felt that good to have that much money transferred to my account..... but how much better it feels to have that much Saving Grace transferred to me. I am so blessed. If God blessed me with this loan forgiveness for no other reason yesterday, it was to show me how faithful He is and to help me parallel that blessing to the biggest blessing that I'll ever have! How wonderful He is!

Beautiful !!!! "Kirk Cameron: I’ll only kiss my wife"

2008-09-25T21:50:00.006-05:00

Kirk Cameron: I’ll only kiss my wife

Ex-‘Growing Pains’ star refused to smooch co-star in new film ‘Fireproof’

Video

Kirk Cameron: I'll only kiss my wife
Sept. 23: TODAY’s Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford talk to actor Kirk Cameron about filming his new film “Fireproof.”

Today show

Video

Kirk Cameron on ‘Fireproof’
Sept. 23: TODAY’s Meredith Vieira talks to actor Kirk Cameron about his role in the new action film “Fireproof.”

Today show

By Mike Celizic

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 11:54 a.m. ET, Tues., Sept. 23, 2008

In Kirk Cameron’s new movie, “Fireproof,” he has to kiss the actress playing his wife. That was a problem.

Cameron will not kiss any woman who is not his wife.

“I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” the former child star of “Growing Pains” told Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford Monday on TODAY in New York. To get around the conflict, the filmmakers employed a bit of movie magic, Cameron explained. They dressed his wife, actress Chelsea Noble, like the movie’s female lead and shot the scene in silhouette.

“So when I’m kissing my wife, we’re actually husband and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes,” Cameron said as Gifford and Kotb melted from the romanticism of the moment.

Finding faith
An atheist growing up, Cameron became an evangelical Christian at the age of 17 while he was playing Mike Seaver on the popular sitcom “Growing Pains.” Noble was a co-star and his girlfriend on the show.

They fell in love in real life and married in 1991, when Cameron was 20 and Noble was 26. Today the couple have six children ranging in age from 5 to 12, including four who were adopted.

Cameron began acting at the age of 9 and became a star on “Growing Pains” at the age of 14. Once he converted to Christianity, he sometimes clashed with his fellow cast members and the show’s producers over what he felt were immoral story lines.

Today, he told first Meredith Vieira and then Gifford and Kotb, he chooses projects and movies that he believes in. His newest movie is an example. “Fireproof,” he said, “is an action-packed love story. It’s about a firefighter. He’s on the brink of a divorce.”

Cameron feels the movie exemplifies his beliefs. “The reason this movie was important to me personally is because I love my wife dearly,” he said. “We’ve been married for 17 years … and we have six children. So marriage is a very special and sacred thing to us. In a day and age where marriage is falling apart, we want to make movies and projects that really uphold and have a high view of that which is beautiful and wonderful in our culture.”

Learning to love
Cameron’s character, Caleb Holt, is saved by his father, who gives him a book titled “Love Dare” that presents a challenge a day for 40 days designed to teach him how to love.

“He’s a kind of a jerk,” Cameron says of his character. “He’s a hero in his community … but his marriage is going up in flames.”

The love dare, he explained, “challenges him to do one thing every day that really exemplifies the true nature of love. Patience, kindness, gentleness.”

What began as a plot device in the movie has been turned into a real book. Cameron told Kotb and Gifford that there have been 500,000 pre-orders for the book, which has yet to be released.

“The ‘Love Dare’ book is really a kind of a plot device that turned into a treasure for husbands and wives,” he said. “What it does is it teaches you the essence of love. Don’t tell my wife, but I’m reading the book myself, and it’s really great.”

Cameron has an evangelical ministry called “The Way of the Master” with evangelist Ray Comfort, along with a camp for terminally ill children, Camp Firefly. He has starred in three movies adopted from the “Left Behind” books, a series of apocalyptic novels that is popular with fundamentalist Christians.

While many of his fellow child stars have gone through addictions and personal crises, Cameron has stayed on the straight and narrow.

“I realize now how challenging it was back then,” he told Vieira. “But when you’re growing up in a fishbowl, and that’s all you know, that’s normal to you. But when you look at a lot of child stars, you see the difficulty that it presented them. I’m thankful for my family, for good friends, and a strong faith in God that helped me navigate through a lot of that stuff.”

Vieira asked the actor if he’d allow his kids to go into show business.

“I don’t think that growing up in the entertainment industry is the healthiest place for kids,” Cameron replied. “The track record kind of shows that.”

Still, he added, “My kids all love being silly and goofy.” And his 10-year-old daughter, Anna, is especially talented.

“Anna is destined to be a singer or an actress,” he said with pride. “She’s got it.”

SOURCE: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,427161,00.html

Me in the Past.... hehe

2008-09-18T20:21:00.006-05:00

Add On To My Last Post

2008-09-15T22:27:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to really emphasize my thanks to my precious Savior for hearing our cries yesterday. I Prayed for hours yesterday for the health of my sister-in-law and God saved her life. Yes she does have a lot of hurdles to jump for the next year or so but at least she is alive and has the opportunity to get better! THANK YOU PRECIOUS HEAVENLY FATHER FOR YOUR MERCY!!!

Prayer for My Sister-In-Law

2008-09-15T14:57:00.007-05:00

Hi guys....

I would have requested this Prayer yesterday but I could not get to a computer. We attended church yesterday morning and then went to Ryan's with my parents and brother for dinner. We noticed that the wind was pretty strong on the way home but nothing we couldn't handle. My husband was commenting on a few of the trees that were hanging over the roadways. He was saying that if they broke it could be dangerous.

We got home and I was changing into some comfy clothes when I heard his phone vibrating on the counter but by the time I flipped it open, my sister-in-law had already hung up. I assumed that she was just calling about how their church service went so when Mike came back in I told him so that he could call her. I wanted to be lazy and watch TV/take a nap so I swung by the bathroom before heading to my room. My husband swung the bathroom door open and told me he had to go. I was teasing him thinking he meant to the bathroom but when I looked up, his eyes were red and he was crying. He proceeded to tell me that his sister, the middle child in the family, had been hit by a huge tree limb when going outside to move her car. She had head trauma and we were told that they had sent a chaplain to her mom. This scared us all too death.

In Louisville where my in-laws all live, the wind was horrible. It was blowing 75mph and there were accidents everywhere. The power was out in the majority of places along with the phone lines. There were power lines hanging in the road and road signs flying off the expressway. It was not a good situation.

Within about 5 minutes, we were in the car and heading to Louisville which is about a 2.5 hour trip for us. I Prayed the entire way! The wind was awful and blowing us all over the road but we finally made it to the University of Louisville hospital at around 15 minutes til 5. We parked and went to the waiting room which was dark due to the fact that the hospital was running on generators. My mother-in-law was sitting there with my brother-in-law's father. We sat there forever without knowing anything. She had told us that they had sent a chaplain to her and that it scared her too death. We later found out that it was just standard protocol to send a chaplain to any patients in the trauma unit.

So we sat there from around 5 until about 7:30 before we found out anything. Her mom got to go back and the doctor told her that so far they had found a broken collar bone and the bone that connects to the collarbone was broken. They said that it had hit her head but not as much as they had previously thought. The power lines and the trees were down at their house so the ambulance couldn't even get to her they had to walk out to the end of the driveway with her.

So anyway, we stayed at the hospital until about 2am and then came to my mother-in-law's house to rest. We hadn't decided if we were going to go home and go to work or just stay today. We ended up staying and we found out this morning that they had found another area of her lower back that was messed up and hurt. They will be putting her in a body cast tomorrow and she will have to wear it for the next 4 months. If her lower back still hasn't healed, she will have to have surgery to fix it.

We are still not out of the woods, so please keep us in your Prayers. It is a very hard time for the family but we feel so blessed that she didn't have any head trauma. Actually if the branch would have went just barely over it would have probably killed her. What a scary situation but what a Great God who would spare her life!

P.s. Google Louisville's storm yesterday to see all of what happened to this area. It was scary! And the hospital was sooo extremely backed up. It was like a scene from TV!

Then Sings My Soul Post .... A Prayer For A Friend by Casting Crowns

2008-09-13T10:08:00.003-05:00

This beautiful song touched my heart last year while Praying for some of my closest friends, some of which are family. I Pray that everyone will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior, but especially those that I am intimately connected to such as my friends, family, and community. This song/Prayer is beautiful and so true of the Prayers that I often Pray for them. So often they become a puppet of the world and they don't even realize it. The sad thing is, we as Christians fall into the same traps at times ourselves. So this isn't just a song/Prayer for lost friends, family, etc. but also a Prayer for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

A Prayer For A Friend by Casting Crowns

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You
Complicated circumstances have clouded his view
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

I fear that I won't have the words that he needs to hear
I pray for Your wisdom, oh God, and a heart that's sincere
Lord, I lift my friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You
My best friend in the world, I know he means much more to You
I want so much to help him, but this is something he has to do
And Lord, I lift my friend up to You

'cause there's a way that seems so right to him
But You know where that leads
He's becoming a puppet of the world, too blind to see the strings
Lord, I lift my friend up to You
My friend up to You

Lord, I lift my friend to You, I've done all that I know to do
I lift my friend to You

Ephesians 4:14-16

2008-09-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

Ephesians 4:14-16

14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

These verses ring so true in today's society. I have never heard of a society that is more easily persuaded than the one we are living in now. Folks are acting like children by believing anything they hear and being too lazy to actually research it to see if it is true. We, as Christians, are told to "Speak the truth in love" and that's exactly what we need to do. We are not here to condone false teachings or beliefs but to show everyone the right way and ONLY way to God... Jesus Christ. We are also to include each member in the body. No one is above someone else. We each work out our own Salvation (the salvation of our spirit not our soul because that Salvation is by grace) and we must work together for the good of the Lord. Together we can do things that we couldn't do alone. Together we can achieve and prosper in Jesus' name. Together we can see more and more people come to a Saving knowledge of our precious Savior.

Let these verses inspire you and guide you to give your walk with Christ everything that you have got to give. Let it inspire you to let go of pet sins and your past so that you can move on to an uplifting and productive future for Christ. I Pray this for each of us (me included). God bless each of you!

Then Sings My Soul Post.... Hold Fast by MercyMe

2008-09-06T09:55:00.003-05:00

I love this song! It is so uplifting and encouraging. The music itself gets my spirit racing. And when I hear this part:

"You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing
Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
The truth of what we're soon to face
Unless someone comes to take our place
Is there anyone?
All we want is to be free
Free from our captivity, Lord

Here it comes fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day"

I can see Jesus riding up on a horse to help me! It's almost like I can even hear the horse galloping. What a day that will be when He comes back! This is a great song!

Hold Fast by MercyMe

To everyone who's hurting
To those who've had enough
To all the undeserving
That should cover all of us
Please do not let go
I promise there is hope

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast

Will this season ever pass?
Can we stop this ride?
Will we see the sun at last?
Or could this be our lot in life?
Please do not let go
I promise you there's hope

You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing
Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
The truth of what we're soon to face
Unless someone comes to take our place
Is there anyone?
All we want is to be free
Free from our captivity, Lord

Here it comes fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing stronger than my strife
Is Your grasp
So hold fast
Help is on the way
So hold fast
He's come to safe the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is Your grasp
To hold fast

I Am Glad God Hears My Groanings

2008-09-04T20:04:00.002-05:00

I have written a lot lately about my studies in the book of Romans. Today, I was revisiting chapter 8 and I came across a couple of verses that I know I have previously mentioned in a post prior to this one. However, I wanted to make sure that I posted it today as a thanks to God for what it says.

Romans 8:26-27

26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

God, I thank You that You hear my groanings. Even when I Pray and I can't even form words to express what I feel, You read my heart and You hear my groanings and can interpret exactly what they mean. Thank You Father for such an intimate relationship as this!

Remember that guys, if you can't Pray just cry out to God and He will understand the groanings, the grunts, the sighs, the tears. He knows exactly what they mean! Praise His wonderful name!

Then Sings My Soul post .... Everytime I Breathe

2008-09-01T21:33:00.004-05:00

One of my current favorite songs is by Big Daddy Weave (funny name, huh?) and it is entitled Every Time I Breathe. I love this song because it truly speaks of how I feel about my love for my Savior. Often times we think of falling in love as something that only happens between a man and woman. However, there is no greater love than that of our Heavenly Father's love. I am grateful that I am so in love with Him and that nothing can separate me from Him.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Big Daddy Weave - Every Time I Breathe

I am sure all of heaven's heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I'm finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That's less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what
I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it's true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I'm finding
I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

P.S. Hop on over to Amy Wyatt's blog Signs, Miracles, and Wonders for a chance to win some awesome music! The whole point is to learn about some awesome music that makes your heart sing. There's a bit of work involved (like the above) but it's well worth it and makes for some good blog posts!

Romans 6: 12-19

2008-09-01T21:00:00.003-05:00

Romans 6: 12-19

12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

These are beautiful verses of scripture. They ring true in so many of our Christian lives. How many times do we give up the victory that Jesus has already given us so that we can turn back to a "pet" sin that we seek comfort in? Are we using our "members" for God's glory? Do we remember consistently that we are "made free from sin" and that we are "under grace" and not the law? These are important truths that we find in the book of Romans.

Often times as Christians we find ourselves committing a sin repeatedly because we know that we can ask for forgiveness. However, this is an abuse of God's forgiveness. I, myself, have been guilty of this in the past and yes, God forgave me, BUT in the whole process I lost my joy. I lost my joy in knowing that I was pleasing my Savior with my actions. I didn't consciously wake up each day saying that I was scheduling in that sin at such in such time, no. However, I did let myself be put into situations where I was vulnerable and weak to satan's temptations.

We all have "pet sins" and though ours may not seem like that big of a deal to others, they are huge to us and we know they are wrong. Remember in God's eyes, sin is sin and there is no comparison. We need to realize that we too died on the Cross along with Jesus that day. When we repented and accepted Him into our hearts, we began to be able to identify with His death and more importantly His life. Daily we need to keep our hearts focused on the high price that our freedom from sin cost. Daily we need to focus on stearing clear of sin. Daily we need to thank God for the beautiful act of love that He demonstrated through His precious Son's death on the cross. I Pray that you and I both can keep our minds focused on these truths no matter if we are facing a storm or the happiness of our lives high on the mountaintop.

A PROPHETIC PSALM THAT I LOVE

2008-08-29T23:42:00.002-05:00

I just love this Psalm. It is amazing to me that it was written years and years before Jesus died for me (and you) on the Cross. I just love it! He is just so wonderful and I can't even begin to fathom just how much HE loves me. Praise His high and holy name!

P.s. Please comment on this Psalm and let me know what you think/feel about it!

Psalm 22 (King James Version)

King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 22

1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. (OH... I WANT THIS FOR MY CHILD/CHILDREN!)

11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

21Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.

29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Happy Late Birthday To Me and Mike!

2008-08-27T21:02:00.002-05:00

Well... my husband and I are already another year older but I hadn't gotten around to posting it on the blog yet so....... HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY TO US! Mike is now 31 and I am 27. Perfect ages for a first child don't you think? haha Maybe God thinks so, too. It's hard to believe that I am only 3 years away from 30. By the way, I count that as a blessing. Each day of life is a blessing and I am so thankful to God for them. Be Praying with me that my belated birthday gift this year will be to find out that I am pregnant this Friday. You can read about this month's progress thus far on my infertility blog. God Bless!

Forsaken

2008-08-25T21:11:00.002-05:00

Hi guys:

I promise I have not forsaken my precious blog! I have just been super busy with work starting back. I have updated my infertility blog just a bit but I have neglected my writing altogether here lately. I promise to be back with some new posts soon!

Love to all!

HoHum

2008-08-09T10:47:00.002-05:00

Hi guys:

I am feeling very down-hearted today. My husband is sick and WILL NOT go to the doctor. I keep trying to make him go but he won't and he gets aggravated at me for bugging him about it. Please Pray for him to start feeling better. We aren't even sure what's wrong.

We had also put an offer in on some land in TN but that offer was rejected and we don't feel the need to go up anymore because the price the seller wants is way above what the land values at. Still, it did feel pretty exciting to think that we had found a place to place our roots as a family.

For those of you who don't ready my Infertility Blog, On the Outside Looking In, I am undergoing infertility treatments right now that consists of a newer drug than the Clomid I was on. I will also be taking an HCG shot sometime next week provided that my follicles are where they need to be (please Pray that they are). You can read a full post about this at my other blog mentioned above.

School has started back and I am already feeling pressure. On my birthday, August 21, we will be having visitors from the Kentucky State Department of Education at our school and in our classes. This is such tremendous pressure especially only 2 weeks after school has started back! Please Pray about that as well.

I guess the main reason I am down is the fact that I feel like I'm at a stand still and have been for some time. I know that we will put down roots and own our own home and have a baby eventually BUT I guess I am just really craving the excitement of all that. I know that God has a perfect time for everything in my life and I am trying my hardest to be patient and let Him work it out. Please, just Pray for me.

Your Essential Take Along Kit

2008-08-05T22:44:00.002-05:00

My sister-in-law gave me this and I just loved it so I wanted to share it with you guys.

Essentials!

Toothpick: to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others .....
Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Rubber Band: to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out ....
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Band-Aid: to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's ....
Col. 3:12-14
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Pencil: to remind you to list your blessings everyday ....
Eph. 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:

Eraser: to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's ok ....
Gen 50:15-21
15And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 16And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
Chewing Gum: to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything ...
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Mint: to remind you that you are worth a mint to your Heavenly Father ...
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Tea Bag: to remind you to relax daily and to go over that list of God's blessings ...
1 Thess. 5:18 Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Tha Gav's June Visit To Aunt Marsha's House

2008-08-05T22:24:00.013-05:00

These are pics from "The Gav's" June visit to Aunt Marsha's. I look pretty rough in these pics but oh well. I'm blogging and sharing my life so here's what I look like when I'm hanging out at home. Of course that's what most of the pics look like lol! Ps. I do have on pink shorts in the pics below I promise. You just can't tell a lot because the way I'm sitting!

Let's Play Tag....

2008-08-04T20:08:00.004-05:00

A- age- 26 (27 on August 21)
B- birthday- see above hehe
C- candy or cake- cake
D- dessert you love- chocolate or mom's banana pudding
E- easiest person to talk to- my momma and my Savior
F- favorite song- I love a lot of stuff but my fav lately is "I am so in love with you" talking about falling in love with Jesus ... I also love the hymn "Homesick"
G- gold or silver- I like both but probably gold
H- habit-
I- instruments- I use to take piano lessons when I was younger... I like to sing so maybe my vocal chords are an instrument hehe
J- job title- 5th and 6th grade Math teacher
K- MISSING A QUESTION???
L- love or lust- love!
M- married or single...MARRIED
N- next to you- my Blackberry
O- one wish- to get pregnant.... that's actually a Prayer!
P- person you called last- Kimmy hehe
Q- quotes- Every problem is an opportunity to trust God.
and B.I.B.L.E : Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth ..... Thanks for this one dad!
R- reasons to smile- Jesus died for me... and if there wasn't anyone else around He would have still done it.... if that doesn't make me smile then something is wrong!
S- steak or pork- I like steak tips.
T- turns you on- lol... I'm trying for a baby do I even have a choice in the matter anymore?
U- unique talent- Not really unique I guess but I could be a professional student! lol Seriously... I'm really good at school.
V- vegetable- Greasy beans, new potatoes, corn on the cob!
W- woke up at what time- This was my last day to sleep in so about 10. I kept waking up and making myself go back to sleep.
X- x-rays I've had- I don't think I've ever had one.
Y- your favorite color- Rainbow! lol I have always loved orange...I'm into bright colors. My car is orange and the car before it was yellow!
Z- zodiac- Leo ... *Raaaaaar*

I tag..... (and if you don't have a blog just post it as a comment on here....) Kimmy, Tina, Jessica, Kristi, Ann, and anyone else who would like to participate!

Catching Up! ... Guist Creek Lake

2008-08-03T23:32:00.006-05:00

Regardless of what you may think, I am still alive! HaHa I wonder how many posts that I have started out that way? I'm expecting someone who is very bored to go back and count! JK I have a ton of stuff to add from this summer (which is almost over for me *crying loudly*). I'll start with some pics of our boat and fishing at Guist Creek Lake near Louisville, Ky. These are in no particular order.

Exposing the Church of Oprah ... Important Please Watch!

2008-07-23T01:19:00.000-05:00

Romans 8

2008-07-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

So, I have read Romans before but I have been revisiting it after some of my pastor's sermons in the last couple of weeks. I just love chapter 8. It has some verses that just make me feel even more blessed than I have before. Here's what I'm talking about. And thanks Preacher William Boyd Bingham for these sermons which have taught me so much!

Romans 8 (King James Version)

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

So true!

7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Monica this is exactly what we were discussing on the phone tonight. The Holy Spirit is with us from the first day we get Saved.

10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Gosh, it dwells in us and its the exact same spirit that raised Jesus! How could anything be more powerful and on our side?

12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Why are we in bondage to fear? Who is our Father? Is He not the God of all creation who holds us in the palm of His hand? He is our "Abba, Father." In the Greek language this means "Dear Father" or "Papa". We can cry out "Papa, Papa" or "Daddy, daddy! Help me!" So amazing!

16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We've been adopted in and are so blessed to be joint-heirs to all that God owns... which is EVERYTHING! We are kings and priests. We are so blessed.

18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

This is a great statement!

19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Creation really is groaning in pain and ready to be delivered from this strife.

23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

This is hands down one of my favorite verses. So many times I haven't a clue how to articulate my Prayers into words. Yet my precious friend, the Holy Spirit, steps in and reads my heart and takes those Prayers to my Heavenly Father and intercedes on my behalf. How amazing that He knows me well enough to understand my "groanings."

27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Interesting word. "Foreknow" means that He not only knew ahead of time but that He planned ahead of time. Just a bit of humor, I love knowing my God is so organized. And He would have to be. Look at what all He has created and taken care of! Bless His high and holy name!

30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

God defends His own.

34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How blessed to know how much assurance we have in our Salvation! Nothing can separate us from our Lord and His love!

Glory to God!

2008-07-21T23:49:00.002-05:00

I am so sorry it has taken me almost a week to actually post my mom's heart cath results. Praise Jesus the doctor said everything looked fine and that it was just scar tissue. How amazing! We were so overwhelmed with worry because she has worked even harder this time around to keep herself even more healthy with diet and exercise. I'm sort of like a mother hen with her over it all and I'm pretty strict. haha I cannot praise God enough for this blessing. It was so wonderful to put her in the car and bring her back home and know that there had been no more blockages since those found and fixed this past fall. Thank you Heavenly Father for your mercy and grace! You're love for me and my family is astounding and I just can't fathom my life without You in it. Thank you so much for hearing my "groanings" and answering them according to Your will. I thank You for Saving my family and I and I Pray for continued salvation for those who have seen You answer our Prayers, yet are not Saved. I love you Father!

Ps. Thanks to everyone who bathed us in Prayer, thoughts, and kind words. You are so precious!

My Heart Is Heavy

2008-07-10T20:25:00.003-05:00

"When I saw your car pull into the driveway today, I felt better. It's like when you show up, I know that everything is going to be ok and you are going to take charge and help me." Those are the words of my precious mother. She told me this today after I came back to her house for the second time upon hearing that her nuclear stress test results came back abnormal. I had just left to come home and was stopping to pay two of her bills when she got the call. I could hear her talking on the phone and I heard the word "blockages" which sent me into a frenzy. That word just takes my breath. Granted, I'm glad that if something is really wrong, it gets picked up and we have an opportunity to get it fixed. However, it is so hard to see my precious mother going through this over and over again. She often tells me that it is a mental thing. You don't just go through it physically but mentally as well. Every poke, every prod is a mental game that you play with yourself. She and I cried together today. It isn't a big deal that I cried because I can cry just about anytime, but my mom is not someone who just cries often. I love her so much and I just hate seeing her cry. And she did feel better about it when I left to come home tonight.

So I am, once again, asking for YOUR Prayers in this situation. Please Pray for my saintly mother to be healed and to be blessed with many more years of wellness on this earth with her family. She so desires to enjoy my children and I so desire her influence in their lives. She desires to see my brother grow up and to grow old. She desires to live just like most folks do. And I by no means feel like she isn't going to, but I desire your Prayers for God to move in her situation. She has always served the Lord and I know that she will continue to do so. I know God has more work to do through her. Just please keep us in your Prayers and in your churches' Prayers. God has carried us through her emergency open heart surgery in 2004 and her stent in Oct. 2007 of this year and we give Him honor and glory for those blessings! I know that He isn't through with her life.

We head to Lexington on Tuesday evening for blood work and then on to the Heart Cath Lab on Wed. morning at 8:30am. Please, please, please bathe us in YOUR Prayers during this. I appreciate each of you and God Bless!

How Great Thou Art .... Part 5 in a hymn study

2008-07-07T21:17:00.006-05:00

How Great Thou Art – The History of the hymn

The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of no where. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart -- O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. . . Can you imagine what Boberg felt as he formed these words? There was such calmness after the fierce storm he could only utter those words of peace.

This poem, titled O Store Gud (O Great God) was published in 1891 in Witness of the Truth, the weekly newspaper that Boberg edited. It was later translated in German. In 1927, it was published in a Russian version of the German text.

How Great Thou Art – Translated by Stuart K. Hine

How Great Thou Art was translated by Stuart K. Hine, the English missionary to Ukraine. He found some version of the Russian text and sang it at an evangelistic meeting with his wife. He then translated the first three stanzas into English, which was sung at an evangelistic meeting in England during World War One. He published the first three verses (in both English and Russian) in 1949 in Grace and Peace, a Russian evangelistic paper which Hine edited. He later wrote the fourth verse as a triumphant message of life eternal.

Of the hymn’s importance he said: “When we reach that heavenly home, we will fully understand the greatness of God, and will bow in humble adoration, saying to Him, O Lord my God, how great thou art.” May we all live in such a way that we will be ready when Jesus Christ appears to receive the saints. Our heavenly home awaits us, all of those who have received Christ in obedience.

Dr. J. Edwin Orr of Fuller Theological Seminary, is said to have brought the hymn to America. After hearing it sung in India, he introduced it to various Christian groups in America. In 1954, Dr. Cyrus Nelson of Gospel Light Publications copyrighted and published the song.

How Great Thou Art – Sung by George Beverly Shea
How Great Thou Art was sung by George Beverly Shea at the London Crusade of the Billy Graham evangelistic team in 1954. He later sang this song over 100 times during a revival in New York at a Billy Graham Crusade. This caused the hymn to receive new attention in Sweden and America and be published in several songbooks.

Today millions across the world continue to sing this beautiful song. Giving God all praise, glory, and honor for who He is -- the Creator of this universe.

How Great Thou Art – The Lyrics

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Source: http://www.allaboutgod.com/how-great-thou-art.htm

HAPPY 46th BIRTHDAY MOMMA! YOU ARE TURNING MY FAV. NUMBER!!!

2008-07-06T08:38:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to take this time to wish my mom a happy 46th birthday! One thing I love about my mom is the fact that she doesn't care a bit for folks to know her age because she says that she is soo blessed that God has given her 46 years on this earth. How true! We shouldn't be ashamed of our age. God could have taken us out of here many years ago, but He didn't because we are soo blessed. My mom has been through so much in her 46 years and I feel so much pride in my heart to know that God entrusted me to her. I could not ask for a better mother and a better best friend than my mom. Thank you precious Heavenly Father for blessing me so with a wonderful mother who gives always without ever asking for anything in return. She (and my dad as well) is such a beautiful picture of my Heavenly Father's love. I love you mom... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Fourth of July and A Prayer Request

2008-07-05T20:34:00.004-05:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY .... a day late! Thank you to all of our service men and women who fight or have fought for our freedom. I Pray that we, as a nation, do not take this freedom for granted. We can turn God's blessings into a curse as much of the world is doing today. Let's stand strong and not continue in that path as Christians.

Also, please Pray for my bestie Kim's little boy Lucas. He had a second seizure last night and he isn't even 3 yet. Pray that he'll be ok and not have anymore of these and that they will be able to get some answers as to why it keeps happening. And Pray for my other bestie Tina who just lost her precious, furry friend Sampson.

Such a Beautiful Statement!

2008-07-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Jer 32:17 "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." King James Version

"The voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day."—Genesis 3:8.

2008-07-01T09:06:00.004-05:00

This was so fitting that I just had to post it. If ever there were a Prayer of my heart today, this devotion would be it.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

This Evening's Meditation

C. H. Spurgeon

"The voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day."—Genesis 3:8.

Y soul, now that the cool of the day has come, retire awhile and hearken to the voice of thy God. He is always ready to speak with thee when thou art prepared to hear. If there be any slowness to commune it is not on His part, but altogether on thine own, for He stands at the door and knocks, and if His people will but open He rejoices to enter. But in what state is my heart, which is my Lord's garden? May I venture to hope that it is well trimmed and watered, and is bringing forth fruit fit for Him? If not, He will have much to reprove, but still I pray Him to come unto me, for nothing can so certainly bring my heart into a right condition as the presence of the Sun of Righteousness, who brings healing in His wings. Come, therefore, O Lord, my God, my soul invites Thee earnestly, and waits for Thee eagerly. Come to me, O Jesus, my well-beloved, and plant fresh flowers in my garden, such as I see blooming in such perfection in Thy matchless character! Come, O my Father, who art the Husbandman, and deal with me in Thy tenderness and prudence! Come, O Holy Spirit, and bedew my whole nature, as the herbs are now moistened with the evening dews. O that God would speak to me. Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth! O that He would walk with me; I am ready to give up my whole heart and mind to Him, and every other thought is hushed. I am only asking what He delights to give. I am sure that He will condescend to have fellowship with me, for He has given me His Holy Spirit to abide with me for ever. Sweet is the cool twilight, when every star seems like the eye of heaven, and the cool wind is as the breath of celestial love. My Father, my elder Brother, my sweet Comforter, speak now in lovingkindness, for Thou hast opened mine ear and I am not rebellious.

Source: http://www.spurgeon.org/morn_eve/this_evening.cgi

I hope George Carlin Changed His Mind....

2008-06-30T16:45:00.002-05:00

My second article on entertainment current events in two days, that in itself shows the end is near. I really didn't know much about George Carlin so I sat down today and clicked on a couple of YouTube videos of him and his comedy routines. How sad! In the majority of them, he not only dismisses Christianity but even goes as far as to make fun of my Savior. I Pray that he changed his mind before he met his end because if not I'm sure he heard all those words that he had said and regretted their presence ever being upon his lips. I also Pray that anyone who followed him opens their eyes to see that God is real and that Jesus does exist! I Pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. My, my how we need to Pray for our nation and world.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness ..... Part 4 in a hymn study

2008-06-30T15:49:00.001-05:00

"Great is Thy Faithfulness" is another of my favorites. It's writer is actually from Kentucky!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Chisholm's Sacred and Heart-Lifting Hymn Remains a Favorite

Profiles the popular sacred song "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and brief biography of text author Thomas Chisholm. Music is composed by William Runyan.

In praise of God, 'Great is Thy Faithfulness,' a hymn written by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960), is a worship song that uplifts through trials and tough times. It was a result of a writer's daily experiences and realization of God's faithfulness.

The tune is composed by William M. Runyan (1870-1957), with scripture reference from the Bible's Lamentations 3:22-23 - "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

This sacred song has been an all-time favorite among Christians. Popular gospel singer and songwriter Beverley Shea says that it was first introduced to audiences in Great Britain by the Billy Graham Crusades in 1954.

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a log cabin on July 29, 1866, in Franklin, Simpson County, Kentucky. At age 16, Chisholm's career began in the same small country school house he had elementary training. He did not undergo high school or further training. At 21, he became the associate editor of his home town weekly newspaper, The Franklin Favorite.

Chisholm accepted Christ as personal Savior aged 27, during a revival meeting conducted in his hometown by Dr. H. C. Morrison. At Dr. Morrison's invitation Chisholm moved to Louisville to become office editor and business manager of Morrison's publication, the Pentecostal Herald. Later he was ordained a Methodist minister but had only a year of pastoral work due to failing health. After 1909 he became a life insurance agent in Winona Lake and later in Vineland, New Jersey.

In a heart-uplifting letter dated 1941, Thomas O. Chisholm wrote that although his income has not been enough due to his impaired health, he must record the unfailing faithfulness of God for the "wonderful displays of His providing care" and for which he is "filled with astonishing gratefulness."

In 1923 Thomas Chisholm sent several of his poems to the Rev. W. M. Runyan, a musician associated with the Moody Bible Institute and an editor with the Hope Publishing Company.

Thomas Chisholm wrote more than 1200 poems, many of these have become prominent hymn texts, but 'Great is thy Faithfulness' remains his most famous. Many of his poems have also appeared frequently in religious periodicals such as Sunday School Times, Moody Monthly, and Alliance Weekly.

Great is thy faithfulness

Great is thy faithfulness
Oh God my father
There is no shadow of turning with thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As thou hast been
Thou forever will be

Summer and Winter
Springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join in all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness
Mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me
(So Great)

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Your strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with ten thousand aside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning
New mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Great is thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning my morning new mercies I see
New mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
(Lord unto...)

meeee mee ee
yeah oh oh oh
Great is Thy faithfulness
(You could've chosen anyone)
Lord to me Your faithfulness
(Oh,you blessed
Oh, you blessed me)
Great is Thy faithfulness
(You gave me everything oh yes you did
That I needed and more that I needed and more)

Repeat x1

(You've been better to me, than I've ever been,
Than I've ever been to myself,
So I'm sayin thank-you, thank-you thank-you)

Great is thy Faithfulness

(Lord I thank-you)

Source: http://christianmusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/great_is_thy_faithfulness

How Sad These Times Are...

2008-06-29T22:31:00.005-05:00

Ruslana Korshunova

I was checking some stuff out today on my Myway page and saw the news of a super model who jumped from her apartment and committed suicide. I thought to myself, how sad to have the whole world by the coat tails and yet be so void of real love, Jesus' love. The saddest part is that this is how our world is today. Everyone is looking for something to fill the void in their soul and they are finding that nothing can fill it. Jesus is the only one who can.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Consider the Lilies ... Part 3 in a hymn study

2008-06-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

This song was sang at my best friend Danielle's funeral. Her middle name is Lilly and it was such a fitting song. So beautiful and so true, the lyrics are based on Luke 12:27 and Matthew 6:28.

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (KJV)

Mathew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Consider The Lilies

Consider the lilies, they don't toil nor spin
But there's not a king with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrows, they don't plant nor sow
But they're fed by the Master
Who watches them grow

We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know

May I introduce you
To this Friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars
And tells the sun when to shine
And kisses the flowers
Each morning with dew
But He's not too busy to care about you!

We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know

My Utmost For His Highest:

Living Simply— Yet Focused

Look at the birds of the air . . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . —Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

Source: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/05/18/devotion.aspx

Amazing Grace .... Part 2 of a hymn study

2008-06-28T12:29:00.000-05:00

This is the second installment of hymns and their stories. The story of "Amazing Grace."

Amazing Grace: The Story of John Newton

by Al Rogers

This article is reprinted from the July-August 1996 issue of Away Here in Texas.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..." So begins one of the most beloved hymns of all times, a staple in the hymnals of many denominations, New Britain or "45 on the top" in Sacred Harp. The author of the words was John Newton, the self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace.

Newton was born in London July 24, 1725, the son of a commander of a merchant ship which sailed the Mediterranean. When John was eleven, he went to sea with his father and made six voyages with him before the elder Newton retired. In 1744 John was impressed into service on a man-of-war, the H. M. S. Harwich. Finding conditions on board intolerable, he deserted but was soon recaptured and publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman.

Finally at his own request he was exchanged into service on a slave ship, which took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. He then became the servant of a slave trader and was brutally abused. Early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had known John's father. John Newton ultimately became captain of his own ship, one which plied the slave trade.

Although he had had some early religious instruction from his mother, who had died when he was a child, he had long since given up any religious convictions. However, on a homeward voyage, while he was attempting to steer the ship through a violent storm, he experienced what he was to refer to later as his "great deliverance." He recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, he exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy upon us." Later in his cabin he reflected on what he had said and began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that grace had begun to work for him.

For the rest of his life he observed the anniversary of May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to a higher power. "Thro' many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'tis grace has bro't me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." He continued in the slave trade for a time after his conversion; however, he saw to it that the slaves under his care were treated humanely.

In 1750 he married Mary Catlett, with whom he had been in love for many years. By 1755, after a serious illness, he had given up seafaring forever. During his days as a sailor he had begun to educate himself, teaching himself Latin, among other subjects. From 1755 to 1760 Newton was surveyor of tides at Liverpool, where he came to know George Whitefield, deacon in the Church of England, evangelistic preacher, and leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church. Newton became Whitefield's enthusiastic disciple. During this period Newton also met and came to admire John Wesley, founder of Methodism. Newton's self-education continued, and he learned Greek and Hebrew.

He decided to become a minister and applied to the Archbishop of York for ordination. The Archbishop refused his request, but Newton persisted in his goal, and he was subsequently ordained by the Bishop of Lincoln and accepted the curacy of Olney, Buckinghamshire. Newton's church became so crowded during services that it had to be enlarged. He preached not only in Olney but in other parts of the country. In 1767 the poet William Cowper settled at Olney, and he and Newton became friends.

Cowper helped Newton with his religious services and on his tours to other places. They held not only a regular weekly church service but also began a series of weekly prayer meetings, for which their goal was to write a new hymn for each one. They collaborated on several editions of Olney Hymns, which achieved lasting popularity. The first edition, published in 1779, contained 68 pieces by Cowper and 280 by Newton.

Among Newton's contributions which are still loved and sung today are "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" and "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken," as well as "Amazing Grace." Composed probably between 1760 and 1770 in Olney, "Amazing Grace" was possibly one of the hymns written for a weekly service. Through the years other writers have composed additional verses to the hymn which came to be known as "Amazing Grace" (it was not thus entitled in Olney Hymns), and possibly verses from other Newton hymns have been added. However, these are the six stanzas that appeared, with minor spelling variations, in both the first edition in 1779 and the 1808 edition, the one nearest the date of Newton's death. It appeared under the heading Faith's Review and Expectation, along with a reference to First Chronicles, chapter 17, verses 16 and 17.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.

The origin of the melody is unknown. Most hymnals attribute it to an early American folk melody. The Bill Moyers special on "Amazing Grace" speculated that it may have originated as the tune of a song the slaves sang.

Newton was not only a prolific hymn writer but also kept extensive journals and wrote many letters. Historians accredit his journals and letters for much of what is known today about the eighteenth century slave trade. In Cardiphonia, or the Utterance of the Heart, a series of devotional letters, he aligned himself with the Evangelical revival, reflecting the sentiments of his friend John Wesley and Methodism.

In 1780 Newton left Olney to become rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Mary Woolchurch, in London. There he drew large congregations and influenced many, among them William Wilberforce, who would one day become a leader in the campaign for the abolition of slavery. Newton continued to preach until the last year of life, although he was blind by that time. He died in London December 21, 1807. Infidel and libertine turned minister in the Church of England, he was secure in his faith that amazing grace would lead him home.

Author's Note

I was able to consult the 1779 edition of Olney Hymns in the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin. Printed in London by W. Oliver, it was in beautiful condition. The paper was almost as white and supple as it was when it came off the printing press. Those were the days before acid became a part of the papermaking process. Acidic paper, used in most books since sometime in the nineteenth century, has a relatively short life span, ultimately becoming brittle and crumbling. The 1779 Olney Hymns, on the other hand, will be in excellent condition for many future generations of Newton and Cowper scholars.

It was a thrill to handle the edition of Olney Hymns in which the hymn that came to be known as Amazing Grace was first published. But it was an even greater thrill when I opened the front cover and saw the inscription, "Rev. Wm. Smith, the gift of the author." The "Wm." is unclear, but "Rev." and "Smith" are very distinct. Of course, both Newton and Cowper contributed to Olney Hymns, but considering that Newton's contributions were far greater in number than Cowper's, it is likely that Newton himself was the author mentioned in the inscription.

I consulted other editions of Olney Hymns in microprint in the University General Libraries Microforms Unit. Mircoforms are very necessary adjuncts to scholarship, since no library can possibly have all the hundreds of thousands of rare and not so rare books available in microform, but those microprint editions of Olney Hymns were cold and sterile compared with the 1779 edition that I had held and that John Newton had held over two hundred years before me.

Source: http://www.texasfasola.org/biographies/johnnewton.html