Jeremy Camp Devotional - Healing Hand of God - posted by Jeremy Camp (jeremycamp) - tangle.com

Jeremy Camp Devotional - Healing Hand of God - posted by Jeremy Camp (jeremycamp) - tangle.com

What's next? Obama Youth?

OUR DAILY BREAD

August 14, 2009
The Deadliest Disease
ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download
READ: Joshua 7:1,19-26
[Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, . . . and by His stripes we are healed. —Isaiah 53:5

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was identified in 2003 in Vietnam. By the time it was brought under control, SARS had spread globally and killed nearly 800 people. One reason for the high mortality rate was that the virus was not recognized initially. But once recognized and understood, SARS was contained.

An even more dangerous disease is on the loose in our world—sin. It too is difficult to bring under control because many people do not recognize its deadliness. And many dispute the Bible’s diagnosis of sin.

In Joshua 7, we read the tragic story of Achan. We may recoil at the extreme way God dealt with him. Against God’s command, he had taken some of the spoils from Jericho and hid them in his tent (v.21). He and his entire family paid with their lives (v.25).

Thankfully, God does not deal with us in that way. If He did, none of us would remain alive. Yet we must never underestimate sin’s deadliness. It sent Christ to the cross for us.

Like SARS, the first step to deal with sin is to recognize it for what it is. Receive with gratitude the gift of eternal life. Then “put to death your members which are on the earth”—the selfish things that displease God (Col. 3:5). That’s the way to deal with our deadliest disease. — C. P. Hia

The Remedy for Sin
Have you received Christ’s gift of salvation? He died for your sins and rose from the dead. He offers forgiveness to all who believe in Him (Rom. 10:9).

Sin is a heart disease that can be cured only by the Great Physician.

This puppy will never fly!

NASA backs month-long homosexual pride celebration
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 6/12/2009 6:00:00 AMBookmark and Share

space shuttle launchNASA is celebrating homosexual pride month.



After a presidential proclamation declaring June homosexual pride month, NASA is drawing some reaction for its support. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow NASA has obviously gone off course and they need to get back on track.

"NASA needs to focus on what it's good at and that is sending people to the moon, not celebrating sexual perversity," he believes. "NASA has clearly misfired here. It's off track. It's out of step with the American people, and I think it goes back to the president of the United States who is left of every social issue."

Matt StaverStaver does not believe people will tolerate Obama lifting up perversity. "When he simply ignores the Day of Prayer, he apologizes for America, says that America is not a Christian or a Jewish nation, and lauds Islam and apologizes to the Islamic leaders and bows down to them," he points out.

Celebrating homosexuality will be part of America's downfall if its people do not change course, Staver concludes.

"Something's happening here?!"

Dems caught in 'lie' during hate crimes debate

A conservative activist closely monitoring the hate crimes" legislation pending before a House committee says although the measure still poses a threat to the religious freedom of Christians who speak out publicly against homosexuality, the foundation of the bill has been removed.



Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee had planned on holding a vote on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act yesterday, but due to a large amount of Republican amendments to the bill, the vote was postponed until this morning. The bill would add homosexuals and transgender people to the list of protected categories under federal hate crimes law. (Listen to audio report)

Andrea Lafferty TVCAndrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, notes that Democrats were forced to eliminate a key portion of the bill -- the findings section.

"We exposed the fact that they claimed, they have fraudulent claims that there was an epidemic of hate against homosexuals and drag queens, transgenders -- and that claim was the foundation of the bill," she notes. "They claimed that homosexuals are fleeing across state lines to avoid persecution, and that perpetrators are crossing state lines to commit crimes against these gays, lesbians, and transgenders, and that they have trouble purchasing goods and services or finding employment. We nailed them on the fact that that's a lie."

Lafferty says during yesterday's markup hearing, Democrats neglected to mention that in America -- a country of 300 million people -- there have been only 1,521 cases of hate against homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people.

The Judiciary Committee hearing resumes at 9:00 a.m. Central time today. A vote on the House floor is expected next week.

We can trust the source

Working from the right book
Apr
25
by marvin williams
Posted under God's Word, bible study, daily devotional, faith, trust
(one comment)

read>

2 Timothy 3:16-17
The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7).
more>

• Psalm 119:151,160
• John 21:24
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What are some specific steps you can take to prove that you trust what God says in His Word? How can you increase your knowledge and application of it?

My wife recently told me about one of her students who was having problems understanding a seemingly simple math assignment. She wondered if the assignment was too difficult, but she also noted that the other students weren’t experiencing the same challenge completing it. As she walked over to help the student, she immediately recognized the problem: The student was working from the wrong book.

As believers in Jesus, we believe that we are working from the right Book because of . . .

• The Author of the Bible. The author of the Bible is God. Paul said that the Scriptures were “inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that God was actively involved in the writing of Scripture. The Scriptures are God’s infallible words to us.

• The unity of the Bible. There are 66 books, written by 40 different authors (kings, peasants, a physician, scholars, poets, farmers, and fishermen) over a period of 1,500 years. They wrote independently, and most of them knew very little or nothing at all of the others’ writings. Yet, Luke says that their writings and prophecies (300 of them) pointed to one Person—Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27).

Statistician Peter Stoner has calculated that the probability of five major prophecies coming to pass by chance would be 1 in 2 quintillion: That’s 1 in 2,000,000,000,000,000,000! Yet Jesus says that He is the fulfillment of all those prophecies (Matthew 5:18).

• The preservation of the Bible. We have more accurate and older copies of manuscripts of the Scriptures (the oldest is about 4,000 years old) than any other ancient historical or literary source.

God has given us the right Book. It’s an authoritative answer to the otherwise unanswerable questions of life. We can trust what the Bible says (Psalm 33:4).

"Only in America?!"

Virginia pro-lifers labeled 'potential terrorists'
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 4/17/2009 4:30:00 AM

A Virginia pro-life group reports it has been listed as an "extremist" organization in a state report.





The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a report last week that created quite a storm, claiming certain groups of people are at risk for being or becoming "extremists" as members of "right-wing" organizations. That report identified no specific groups. But Dennis Green of Life & Liberty Ministries received a call from a friend who found his group's name listed on a state report.

"Our ministry was named as being a potential domestic terrorist in a report," says Green. "It was the '2009 Virginia Terrorist [Threat] Assessment' report put out by the Fusion Center -- and it was for the Virginia State Police."

Green is concerned that his ministry was placed in unfamiliar territory in the report. "[We were named] along with al-Qaida and the anarchists and people who are involved with bio-terrorism," he explains. "They list our evangelistic outreach as 'potential terrorists.'"

And that, says Green, is a total oddity because his ministry has never been involved in violence or any attempt to overthrow the government. "I guess from what I'm hearing on the radio, it's anybody who's a Bible-believing Christian....[It] seems like they're falling into that camp nowadays," he laments.

Green plans to appeal the classification of his ministry to Virginia officials.


Wake Up America, do you feel our freedoms slipping away?! Do you think this will stop with Christians only?! Remember what happened in Germany and Europe!

Out of the mouth of babes!

"Fairness?" or "Censorship?"

Christian radio - target of 'Fairness Doctrine'?

Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 2/16/2009 7:45:00 AM

An official with the National Religious Broadcasters says if liberals are successful in bringing back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh won't be the primary target of censorship.

Recently former President Bill Clinton joined the list of Democrats who are openly calling for the reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine or some kind of forced accountability. Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) have both spoken favorably about the controversial policy in recent media reports.

While high-profile conservative commentators like Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have often been mentioned as "targets" of a reinstated "fairness" policy, Craig Parshall -- senior vice president and general counsel of the National Religious Broadcasters -- believes Christian radio is going to be the major target.

"I think when it gets down to the rubber meeting the road, it's not going to be Rush Limbaugh who's going to be the primary target. He's the poster boy for the issue," he contends. "It's going to be Christian broadcasters who are not afraid sexual orientation issues from a bibliocentric view, who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo on issues like abortion; or Christian broadcasters who aren't afraid to be able to compare the truth of the gospel with the false world religions around there. And all of this is very, very politically incorrect speech."

The bottom line, according to Parshall, is that Christian broadcasters are the ones who are going to have the target on their backs when all is said and done on the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine.

What about equal representation for "all" taxpayers?!

Washington, DC – The highly controversial "stimulus" package is a monolithic spending bill containing language designed to stimulate the narrow interests of extreme left-wing activist organizations. The latest political payback tucked away in the estimated 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill will prove stimulating to religious censors and anti-faith groups like the ACLU.
Both the House and Senate versions contain anti-faith language that will censor religion and force people of faith from the public square. The bill states that stimulus funds may not be used for "modernization, renovation, or repair of [certain educational] facilities – (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission."
Several members of Congress, including Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), have attacked the 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill for its anti-faith censorship. DeMint stated that the bill would "empower the ACLU with ambiguous laws that create liability for schools, universities, and student organizations."
President Obama supports the package, but he could still request that Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi stop this blatant attack on people of faith. The House version of the bill (H.R. 1) passed on January 28 with only a 56-vote margin -- 244 to188. Eleven Democrats and every Republican voted against it. The Senate version (S. 336) is expected to come up for a vote within a few days.
Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "The so-called stimulus bill will lead to the banning of all religious activity from public facilities by forbidding the use of funds to improve places where religious instruction or worship occurs. In order to receive stimulus money our government will have to expel Bible clubs and weekend religious meetings. People who want to speak about their faith will be unwelcome in public places. Apparently, President Obama’s idea of faith-based initiatives is to remove faith from all initiatives." ###
Liberty Counsel · Post Office Box 540774, Orlando, FL 32854 · (800) 671-1776 · ©Copyright 1995-2009

We're Not In Kansas Anymore, Toto!

War on Christian values has begun

Dr. David R. Reagan - Guest Columnist - 2/3/2009 10:10:00 AM

The Obama administration has wasted no time in declaring war on evangelical Christians. Within minutes after the new president took his oath of office, his staff posted his agendas concerning homosexuality and abortion on the White House website.

Sexual perversion
With regard to sexual perversion, the president's policy goals are spelled out as follows:

1) Defeat all state and federal constitutional efforts to defend the definition of biblical marriage as being a union between one man and one woman.

2) Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) signed by Bill Clinton. (This is currently the only line of defense keeping all 50 states from being forced to recognize so-called "same-sex marriages" from extremely liberal states like Massachusetts and Connecticut.)

3) Repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

4) Pass "hate crimes" legislation granting homosexuals and cross-dressers special rights denied to other Americans. (This legislation, depending on how it is drafted, could even attempt to muzzle any criticism of homosexuality as being unbiblical and unnatural perversion.)

5) Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would force business owners (religious and otherwise) to abandon traditional values relative to sexual morality under penalty of law.

6) Create intentionally motherless and fatherless homes by expanding "gay adoption."

To see for yourself this portion of Obama's agenda, click here and scroll down the page to "Support for the LGBT Community." (LGBT is an acronym for "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered.")

Abortion
With regard to abortion, the president's agenda is:

1) Opposition to any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's abortion decision in Roe v. Wade.

2) Support of the Prevention First Act which would provide access to contraception and "preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies" (a euphemism for abortion).

To see for yourself this portion of Obama's agenda, click here.

Although it is not mentioned on the White House website, President Obama has made it clear that he will support the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). In fact, he promised Planned Parenthood that signing the FOCA would be "the first thing I'd do as President." FOCA is by far the most radical piece of abortion legislation ever introduced into the Congress.

According to pro-choice advocates, FOCA would:

1) Overturn the ban on the barbaric procedure called "partial-birth abortion."

2) Invalidate scores of pro-life laws passed by dozens of states.

3) Eliminate existing laws against taxpayer-funded abortions.

Dr. David R. Reagan is founder of and senior evangelist for Lamb & Lion Ministries in McKinney, Texas, and host of the nationally broadcast television program "Christ in Prophecy." This column is printed with permission.

Opinions expressed in 'Perspectives' columns published by OneNewsNow.com are the sole responsibility of the article's author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of the staff or management of, or advertisers who support the American Family News Network, OneNewsNow.com, our parent organization or its other affiliates.

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It may come to our country also!

Nigeria favors traditional marriage, loses funding

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 2/1/2009 4:00:00 AM

A division of the European Union that deals with "gay" rights has demanded that all foreign aid to Nigeria be suspended after the government voted not to recognize homosexual "marriage."

The Nigerian vote to protect traditional marriage was unanimous. Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel says it is unfortunate the European Union adopted its stance.

"The European Union has certainly been infiltrated by homo-fascists. There's just no doubt about it," he contends. "They are using that body to essentially try to push the international homosexual agenda down the throats of countries that respect traditional values relative to sexual morality."

Barber believes Nigeria and any other country ought to be free to express its own culture without outside interference.

"We have the Defense of Marriage Act on the books [in the United States]; why aren't they coming after the U.S.? Well, because what bullies do is they pick on someone that is weaker than they are," he notes. "So the European Union is trying to make an example out of Nigeria because they are in a position of influence and power, yet they will not pick the same fight with the United States because they know it would be to no avail."

It is against the religious beliefs of Christians and Muslims in Nigeria to commit homosexual acts.

Friendships

Friend Ships - Keeping mercy afloat

Allie Martin - OneNewsNow - 12/29/2008 8:25:00 AM

A Christian relief ministry has been able to share Christ's love in word and deed around the world this past year.

The Christian-based humanitarian aid group Friend Ships, which was founded in 1983, owns four ships which it uses for various relief supplies in the United States and abroad. According to the group's website, its vessels are the only U.S.-flagged mercy ships.

The ministry has no paid staff, relying on about 60 full-time volunteers to run its headquarters in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Sondra Tipton, president of Friend Ships, says the ministry is able to stretch donor dollars.

"Primarily the goods are all donated, and the ships are donated -- and when we go into a foreign country, they waive all the fees for us," she explains. "We own our own facility here so there's no overhead; so our expenses are very small relative to the value of the goods and services we are able to provide. If someone contributes [to the ministry], it goes a long way."

Friend Ships can use volunteers of all ages, and many young people find the ministry effort opens a door to missions work. Twenty-year-old Hannah Riley volunteered earlier this year through an 11-month program with Friendships. She was able to travel to California and Honduras and Galveston to help victims of Hurricane Ike. The experience, she shares, was life-changing.

"I walk on faith at Friend Ships," says Riley. "Everything I do is basically walking on faith. You don't get paid and so you don't get money. You have to have faith that God will provide different things for you -- your shoes, for instance; clothing; all kinds of different things, which He does [provide] -- it's so amazing."

Friend Ships has several trips planned for 2009, among them a major outreach in Haiti.

My son Matt Craven served a couple years with this ministry and earned his engineer's licsense working in the engine room on one of these ships! I'm sure it was a very rewarding experience that God provided the opportunity for in his life!

Proud papa, Bill(Dad) Bildad ha ha

Posted by Bills blog stop at 5:24 AM

I would like to welcome my 1st two followers and say thanks for checking out my blog!

The Weekly Walk

Press On!
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. - Philippians 3:12-15
The number one complaint of people struggling in their marriage is the lack of focus and fervency. Women say things like, "Man, what happened to you? You used to be so thoughtful. Where did that guy go when we got home from the honeymoon?" Men say almost the same thing. "Girl, you could not keep your hands off me when we were dating! Where's all that?"
The very same thing can happen in our relationship with the Lord. I wonder if He would say to any of us, "Those first days were so great. You loved Me, and you loved My Word, and you were so fervent; you wanted to grow. So what happened? Where did that person go?"
If you've known the Lord for a while, you may have set the cruise control and are thinking: I'm happy with my spiritual life where it is. I've got the major stuff in place. Oh, there might be a little tweaking to do over the next few years, but for the most part I can coast into heaven. How tragic! Whoever thinks that needs to get their focus and fervency back. We have not yet begun to plumb the depths of all that is ours in Christ. We must maintain the same passion we had when we first came to Christ.
You may read this and think, "I don't agree. I don't think you have to be spiritually passionate all the time." Well, you're just wrong about that. The further you go in Christ, the more you want to see how much more there is—more of Him, more of His Spirit's power, so much more to be experienced and enjoyed. The fervency to go after that needs to go up with time and maturity, not down.
When Paul wrote Philippians, he had been walking with the Lord for decades. Still, he said, "Not that I . . . am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (3:12.) "I haven't arrived," he said. "So I'm going after more! I've got a lot of growth ahead of me in my relationship with Jesus. I'm going after it!"
I know that I haven't arrived, but I'm going to press on! Are you doing that?





Walk In The Word

Dr. James MacDonald

Wake Up and Smell The Truth

Here is an article I wrote and posted in my other site, "Hangin With Jesus" sometime ago. I haven't done anything with that site for a long time, so I was reviewing it this morning and came across this piece and decided to share it here. I hope it will help to inspire you to continue in your walk with God as it has me! Thanx for your time, any feedback would be apprieciated!

Bill


Wake up and smell the Truth! Do you ever feel like you are on a long journey and the path you are on leads you down into the pits in a deep valley, and at other times it leads you to the exhillerating highs at the top of a mountainpeak? Ever have one of those inspiring moments when reading something that inspires you and stirs your soul? Well, I have just had such a moment while enjoying my favorite morning brew at one of my favorite places. What and where else? Starbucks, of course! Easy, Easy! Calm Down! If big coffee corporations make you uneasy and you prefer to support small business, I have no quarrel with you! I just like the coffee and atmosphere here.But back to my question, I was reading my daily study in Our Daily Bread, and the scripture that went along with it, (Nehemiah 4:1-14). This takes place at a time when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah was sent to Jerusalem to lead the people there to rebuild and fortify the city and it's fortress walls. When all their enemies in the surrounding areas heard about it, they were very angry and banded together in an attempt to stop the rebuilding! However, Nehemiah was wise to their schemes, and he organized the people not only for the work, but armed them and set them on guard to stop the enemy. Then, they have their own people coming against them from within! Whining and complaining in fear and only seeing all the negatives! But that didn't stop Nehemiah, he bathed the whole situation in prayers, submitting it to God, then trusting Him for protection, dealt with the situations as they arouse and completed the work. But the closer the work was to completion, the angrier the enemy got, and the more they came against them!If you are a Christian, you know that there are real enemies to our soul attacking from a spiritual dimension! If you are not a Christian, you may not be aware of it, but alot of the things in life that are just vexing and downright evil are coming from a real enemy, Satan, and his demons! And I'm not talking about a little guy with a pointed tail and a pitchfork! The Bible tells us all about these spiritual entities. I believe we need to help each other, like Nehemiah, to keep our guard up and commit to help each other stand strong in the face of an enemy that we cannot see, but just as sure as we can feel the wind in our face, we can feel the effects of his attacks on our emotions and our physical being! Let us not bow down to the nay sayers and people who want to drag us down! We need to pray for them and ask God to encourage them to see things more positively, keeping ourselves on course to finish our journey and bring as many along as we possibly can!I think as we read through this scripture section, we can see parallels to Sanballat and the devil with all his schemes to tear down any spiritual growth and building of strength in our walk and lives, but he is no match for God and His might on our behalf! I think we all have times when we are so weak in our own humanity that we just want to give up! So much easier to grab an innertube and float on down the lazy river with the rest of the world around us. Sound arrogant! I don't mean it to be. Jesus himself said wide is the road that leads to destruction and there are many on that road, and narrow is the gate that leads to life and there are few that will enter through the gate! Please join us on the road to Eternal life with God if you haven't already! You won't be sorry! I'd better post this before I give in to one of those weak moments and decide against it! As always, in Christ, cdcwilly, aka, Bill

Ode to a Beautiful woman!

I would like to take a moment to mention what a wonderful, Godly woman the Lord has BLESSED me with!!!!! I venture to say that not many women would be able to put up with me for very long, but Patty not only does this, but she is also kind and thoughtful, always conscious of others and their needs. She is sensitive and loving, a dedicated employee on her job, sometimes to to point of tears for want of a way to be able to accomplish the impossible demands of her position. She has taken on my three sons as her own and shown them the love many birth mothers don't even give. We have been married for 17 wonderful years and I can honestly say we have not had any real fights which totally amazes me! Don't get me wrong, we are human, after all, we do have times when we may get on each others nerves! But I guess God has given us both the wisdom to be able to read the signs of frustrations at the time so that we give each other space at these times and come back to it later if it needs discussion, and not if it doesn't. All this to say, I love Patty dearly and I thank God for Blessing me with an angel in disguise!
A grateful husband,
Bill, aka cdcwilly

Posted by Bills blog stop at 8:42 AM

Guidelines

I recommend the link for this site below for your own devotions! Bill

10 October 2008

THE ONGOING WORK OF RESTORATION

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. John 3:16

Suppose you found a painting in your attic covered with dust and grime, but as you gently wiped it off, you begin to see a beautiful picture much obscured by the dirt and filth that has accumulated with the passing of time. But sensing that this is something which might be worth a great deal, you take it to an art dealer and ask for his help. In a few days, you receive a phone call from the art dealer. He's almost breathless with excitement as he informs you that what you found in your old attic is an old masterpiece, and should be hanging in one of the great art galleries of the world, not buried in your attic.

I will never forget my first visit to the Sistine Chapel to view the great work of Michelangelo. Yes, the paintings were profound but they were dark and dingy. The grime of several centuries covered their beautiful tones. Then came the restoration done by the world's leading experts. On my next visit, the paintings had come alive. Yes, they were the same ones painted by the great artist, but the restoration and cleansing made the difference.

Restoration, of course, is not without a price to pay. It is much easier to just leave something alone than to go to the work of restoring it, applying cleansers in just the right amounts, with just the right pressure which will not permanently destroy the original.

In a real sense, spiritual restoration was the great work of Jesus Christ, a work so important that God sent His Son to accomplish the cleansing and healing of the masterpiece which God made at creation.

Jesus' character showed us what God intended us to be, and His ministry, which cut to the core of human nature, began stripping off the veneer of hypocrisy and the superficiality of religion which had built up over the centuries. What man had corrupted, Jesus restored.

Yes, it was painful. Men much preferred that He not disturb the status quo, that He not lay bare the corrupted hearts of humankind, that He not condemn the religious establishment which had made a pretense of worship and holiness.

Jesus' most scathing words of condemnation were directed not to the homeless, or the woman taken in the act of adultery, nor the blind beggars who sat by the side of the road asking for a morsel of bread, but to the religious establishment, to those whose lives should have been given to bringing men back to the path that leads to God instead of making them twice the sons of hell.

Jesus also showed us what God is like: a loving God who wills restoration for all of his creatures. Frankly, the work of restoration which God sent His Son to begin continues. It's the great work of the Church, touching the lives of people wherever they are, as God's Holy Spirit cleanses the grime and the filth and brings restoration and healing.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,” says Paul, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That's restoration.

A closing thought. No person is ever beyond the point of restoration and reconciliation with a loving God. No, regardless of what your conscience tells you, or what others may tell you, God still considers you to be a person worth saving. There's hope, friend. In reality, your feelings of worthlessness and your fears are your own worst enemies.

May I suggest that you read John 3 from the New Testament and there see yourself included in the "Whoever” of John 3:16? Remember those familiar words, “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.” Ah, yes, that is what restoration is all about.

Resource reading : John 3:1-17

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New changes on this blog

Hello to all!

It's been awhile since I have added any personal communication to my blog. I have tried to maintain this as a predominately Christian web page. I hope some of my liberties in the spirit of freedom from the "Law" have not offended anybody, in spite of it's seeming impossibility! However, I have enabled a comments link under each entry and have yet to receive more than one comment and it was positive! I have recently edited my links list at the bottom of the web page and invite you to check them out, there are a lot of good resources on the list, and I am adding to it as I come across more sites. A little disclaimer: some of the little video clips are from public sites and after it plays, there may be access to other clips that may offend, I have no intention that anybody follow or click on these. If you will simply continue to the next article and move on down to the next item posted, you will only see the original clip I intended to share.
My wife Patty and I are both Christians and we Love Jesus and strive to honor God with our lives and endeavors !
I welcome your feedback and comments, however, please keep them constructive and reasonable, not judgmental and vindictive. I would also like to invite you to peruse through the archives back to the beginning at your leisure and enjoy yourself. I also have included several players with different types of music for individual tastes. If you listen while you look at the site, you may need to scroll back to the player and pause it while you open a video clip so you don't hear both audio tracks at the same time. Also, if you want to use one of the links at the bottom, you can right click to open it in a new tab and the music should keep playing unless you don't want it to play while on the other site, then just pause it first as described above.

Just one more thing I would like to add, if you will look down the sidebar on the right, you will come across my wife listed as a contributor, if you will click on her name"Pattycakes", she has her own site, please open it and check it out! I think you will like it!

With all that said, "more than I intended", please let us know what you think in the comments and may we encourage you to keep your faith in "The Way" and be strong in the Lord!!

In Christ, Bill, aka: cdcwilly

Daily Word from Dr. Jack Graham

Welcome to Power Point with Jack Graham, a free devotional from Crosswalk.com, the world's largest Christian website. We honor your privacy and time. If this newsletter no longer meets your needs, please use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter and you will be removed immediately.

August 21, 2008

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

--1 Thessalonians 5:24

Maybe someone has let you down recently. Or maybe you've let yourself down. Take heart! God is faithful. He will do what He says He will do.

And not only is God faithful and reliable, but He is committed to your spiritual growth and maturity. First Thessalonians 5:23-24 says, "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

I love that! Because it promises you and me that God is constantly working on us... creatively, constructively, and continually. The Spirit of God is working in your body and in your soul. And His purpose is to make you more like Him!

Remember when you were a teenager and you couldn't wait to grow up? That's how we feel sometimes as Christians. When will we ever grow up? When will we ever be responsible in the Christian life? When will we ever be obedient in the Christian life? It's so easy to become frustrated with ourselves!

But we need to remember that God is patient... and that God is persevering. And according to Philippians 1:6, "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

And when God gets through with you, you're going to stand complete, perfect in the glory of Jesus Christ. You shall arise in His likeness. You will be like Jesus. That's God's goal in your life and mine... and He will be faithful to perform it!

ARE YOU TRYING TO STAND ON YOUR OWN TODAY? OR ARE YOU DEPENDING ON GOD?

Crosswalk: Power Point with Jack Graham

August 15, 2008

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

--1 John 5:14

You and I know that prayer changes things. It's a clear promise from Scripture.

But did you know that prayer also changes you and me? It changes our priorities, and it gets our lives in sync with God's plan.

There's a great formula for prayer I learned from my fellow pastor and friend, Dr. Ed Young from Houston. It's the acronym SELF:

S stands for surrender. Each day, you and I must surrender our lives to the Lord. We must say, "Lord, I report for duty, I give You my life today. I am Your child and I want to be in Your will today."

E stands for empty. Once you surrender your life to Christ each day, you must empty yourself of self and sin and anything else that would keep you from fulfilling God's plan and purpose for your life.

You must say, "Lord, I empty all my unresolved conflicts and issues. I want to get rid of everything that would keep me from connecting with You today."

L stands for lift. Once you surrender your life to the Lord Jesus and empty yourself of everything that would hinder your relationship with Him, you must lift your heart in praise, petition, and thanksgiving.

F stands for fill. This is when you ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you will live in the fullness of His power and His blessing.

So SELF is surrendering, it is emptying, it is lifting, and it is filling. And if you do theses things in prayer every day, not only is your relationship with Christ going to be that much sweeter, you'll make an eternal impact on the world for Jesus Christ!

DURING YOUR PRAYER TIME TODAY, GO THROUGH THE STEPS FOR "SELF."

I was really impressed with this when I read it today, awesome! I think it is ironic that the meaning of the acronym "self" is totally opposite of being filled with "self"!

Bill

Power Point, by, Jack Graham

July 7, 2008

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

--1 Peter 1:3-4

In these troubling times, have you ever wondered if we can really be hopeful about the future? I want to assure you that it is possible to live with hope, despite what may be going on around us.

Because while hope is ultimately about the future, it's also about the present. And that's because we have a living hope.

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have hope. It's because He lives that hope can reside in your heart if you're a Christian.

And because of that, there is no need to fear the future! If you are a child of God, you are chosen and called by Him. You're not an accident, an afterthought, or a mistake. You have been in the heart and mind of God forever, and He has already been planning and preparing your future.

In fact, God knows the end from the beginning... and everything else in your life. That's comforting when we face tough times and when we're tempted to give up. It's encouraging to know that we are never, ever without hope!

So today, if you're tempted to give up on your marriage, don't! If you're thinking about giving up on your kids, don't! If you want to give up on your dreams... or even life itself... don't!

Remember that you have a living hope that is working in your past, your present, and your future. And as the Scripture teaches us in Romans chapter 5, that hope does not disappoint!

TODAY, GIVE GOD THANKS FOR KEEPING YOUR FUTURE IN HIS HANDS!

In Touch, by Charles Stanly

July 5, 2008 -- Rekindling the Flame -- 1 Timothy 4:14-16

Sadly, a believer's passion to serve the Lord and share the gospel sometimes fades. When this happens, some choose to settle for a lukewarm life. They neither risk much for His name nor receive many blessings. Others stop ministering altogether and drift aimlessly through life. But the wise choice is to rekindle the flame of passion that first lit when we received salvation.

When we were saved, we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, our Helper in ministry. But wrong choices and poor priorities can hinder His power in our life. If that happens, how can we renew our passion for God?

The first step is to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill--or control--us again. That requires self-examination and repentance of any sins the Lord brings to mind. It also means giving back to God the right to reign over our life. Next, think about what was and what wasn't happening in life when our passion last burned brightly. Understanding how external pressures and activities affect our ministry helps us prioritize wisely.

A smart last step is to retreat and devote a day or more to refocus on the Lord. This is a good time to recall His words of encouragement from Isaiah 41:10. In that way, we can resist fixating on problems. Instead, it's important to remember that He'll shepherd us through any trial. The more we focus on God, the smaller our distractions and stress will seem.

We don't need to settle for a lukewarm life. The passion we experienced at salvation can be ours again if we'll fix our focus on the Lord.