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

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

1. it destroys the Bible’s teaching on death.
2. it assaults the character of God.
3. 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?
4. it undermines faith in the gospel by undermining faith in the Bible that contains the gospel.
5. it nullifies the authority of Scripture.
6. 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.<sup>[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:</sup>

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

http://walkwithmebyfaith.blogspot.com/

Charity

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!

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"

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

Add On To My Last Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.