Phil Keaggy video on FoxyTunes Planet
[via FoxyTunes / Phil Keaggy]
Skywalker Ranch from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.
Phil Keaggy video on FoxyTunes Planet
[via FoxyTunes / Phil Keaggy]
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 arose 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
hillsong-united All I Need Is You
[via FoxyTunes / Hillsong United]
The Weekly Walk from James MacDonald
Eliminate the Drain
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:1-2
If you had a hole in your gas tank, it wouldn’t be long until you investigated why your tank is always empty. I just filled up, you think. Why am I on empty again? The same thing happens in the Christian life. We get filled up with great Bible studies and sermons, and we think we’re good for the long haul. But not far into the trip, we’re out of gas. Completely drained. What happened?
I believe one reason our spiritual strength drains quickly from our lives is because we hoard it. Sounds like the opposite would be true, but it’s not. If we keep everything we gain in the Christian life to ourselves, we end up running out of gas. Paul tells Timothy: “What you have heard from me . . . entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
The way to grow spiritually is not to pack every study, every sermon, every lesson you can into your skull. You might think you are a great Bible scholar but really you’re just a big Bible fathead. Some of the most spiritually weak people I know have more Bible information in their cranium than anyone around. But they can’t face temptations or weather even the smallest storm because they haven’t been growing in what they’ve learned. You’ve got to transfer truth to others in order for it to make a difference in your own life.
Do you take sermon notes when your pastor preaches each week? What do you do with them afterward-stuff them in a drawer? Carry them around in your Bible until you purge them all? Find someone this week to share something new you learned from the sermon or from a message you’ve read in a book or heard on the radio. In Paul’s words, entrust to others what you have learned. You will experience a fresh infusion of the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Merely reading the words will do nothing for you. But if you do what they say, you will fill up on God’s strength.
How about it?
Oceans From The Rain by Seventh Day Slumber
[via FoxyTunes / Seventh Day Slumber]
Glenn Kaiser Since I Laid My Burdens Down
[via FoxyTunes / Glenn Kaiser]
Resurrection Band
Resurrection Band, also known as Rez Band or REZ, is one of the most well-known and respected Christian rock bands in the history of Contemporary Christian music. They were based out of the Jesus People USA Christian community in Chicago, Illinois, and most of its members continue to be part of that community to this day. more...
[via FoxyTunes / Resurrection Band]
Glenn Kaiser
Glenn Kaiser (born January 21, 1953) is a Chicago-based Christian blues musician, singer-songwriter, and pastor. He was the leader of Resurrection Band and Glenn Kaiser Band. more...
[via FoxyTunes / Glenn Kaiser]
27 September 2007
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24
Have you ever had the experience of praying for someone or something, and you never really knew whether or not your prayer was answered? If dead people could come back from the grave to tell what happened in their lives in those last few hours, or possibly those last few minutes, we might rest better at night; yet at times God remarkably allows us to discover how He answered a prayer in ways that have to be beyond the natural.
In his book, Surprise Endings, Pastor Ron Mehl tells about such a situation. It all began when Roger Simms left the military and, to save some money, took his heavy duffel bag and began hitchhiking home. When a large, expensive car approached, though Roger waved his thumb in the direction he wanted to go, he thought, "Not a ghost of a chance with that car!"
To his surprise, though, the car quietly glided to a stop, and a distinguished older man with gray hair and a bronzed tan, invited him to get in.
The businessman was going near Roger's home, and agreed to drop him off. As they chatted about Roger's service time and world events, Roger felt a strong compulsion to talk to his friend and benefactor about the Lord. But he kept thinking of reasons why not to talk to his host. "Religion is a private matter," he thought, but, nonetheless, as he got closer to his destination, he realized, "It's now or never."
"Mr. Hanover," began Roger, "I would like to talk to you about something very important." He then gave Hanover the simple plan of salvation, telling him how he could be born again, right then. To his surprise, Hanover pulled the car to the side of the road and began to sob. He prayed with Roger, and as they drove on, Hanover said, "This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
When Mr. Hanover dropped Roger off, he gave him his business card which Roger kept, thinking that someday he would stop by and visit his newly found brother in Christ.
Meanwhile, five years went by. Roger Simms married, had a child, and got into business. "One day," says Ron Mehl, "while packing for a business trip to Chicago, he came across a small, gold-embossed business card which Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier."
Roger tucked it into his brief case and decided to visit the man he had led to the Lord five years before. When he looked up the address of Hanover Enterprises, somewhat to his surprise, he found the offices housed in an expensive high-rise building.
When he presented the card and explained he was an old friend, the receptionist said that he couldn't see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. Somewhat disappointed, Roger was escorted into a beautiful office where a woman in her 50s was seated at a huge oak desk.
"You knew my husband?" she said. Roger explained how her husband had given him a ride. "Can you tell me what date that was?" "Sure," said Roger. "It was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." "Did anything special happen on your ride, anything unusual?" she asked. Roger hesitated, and then told her the whole story. Then she burst into tears. Moments after Hanover had dropped Roger off, he was killed in a head-on collision. Roger was the last person who had ever talked to him alive. For years she had prayed for his salvation, but only then--five years later--did she learn that God had indeed answered her fervent prayers.
Resource reading Mark 11:20-26
Buddy Miller
Buddy Miller is a country singer, songwriter, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. more...
[via FoxyTunes / Buddy Miller]
I got this in an e-mail from my soul mate, Pattycakes. It is so good, I just had to post it! Please take a little time to read this, I think you may count your Blessings! Subject: What we are so unhappy about?''
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:46:48 -0700
This is worthy of the read--believe me!
Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....
"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data
I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the
direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with
the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't
happy and want a change.So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so
unhappy about?''
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer
and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks
have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and
see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean
without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?
Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way
that can provide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the
world is just not good enough; or could it be that when we wreck our car,
emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a
helicopter to take you to the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be
upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained
firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish
the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.
Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or
prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will
come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the
backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the
residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and
computers.
How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that
are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you
folks unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has
ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for
its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the
world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate
about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.
I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan
to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is
this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The
president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the
same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping
all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending
you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did
this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look
around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?
Think about it.... are you upset at the President because he actually caused
you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss
your sorry ungrateful behind every day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered
to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently
no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge,
an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a
''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of
Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads
and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood
and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media
knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells,
and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way
or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to
write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done
it this way......Insane!
Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV,
burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.
Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially
more good than bad.
We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several
times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative."
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe
thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the
threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to
take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?
Jay Leno
There are so many people that need to read this and grasp the truth of it all
WAKE UP AMERICANS.... STOP PULLING DOWN OUR LEADERS .WE ARE SUPPOSE TO GET
BEHIND THEM AND HELP THEM, NOT CUT THEM DOWN ....
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF PEOPLE
WERE ALWAYS RUNNING YOU DOWN ? THINK ABOUT THAT !!!!! SINCE YOU THINK
THINGS ARE "" SO BAD "" FOR YOU HERE IN THE USA.. I THINK YOU NEED TO ASK
YOUR SELF WHERE WOULD YOU GO TO LIVE THAT'S BETTER .
T- H - I -N -K AND LOOK AROUND YOU OR LEAVE.
Check these beauties out! Just a small example of God's awesome,
creative imagination and creative powers!
----------------
Now playing: Byrds, The - Turn! Turn! Turn!
via FoxyTunes
IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, PLEASE, PLEASE, FEEL FREE...
TO STAND IN FRONT OF THEM !!!
I got this from a friend today, and being a Vietnam Vet myself, I agree, this is great!
I also got some pictures from my son Matt, in Virginia. I thought they were worth posting for others to check them out. Matt says "The one with the helicopter is Marine One... It landed on the White House lawn and the president got out. Incidentally, that is the third time I've seen Marine One with President Bush in it. Once in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, once in Blacksburg after the Virginia Tech shootings, and this one".
Hey Dad,
I went to DC today. Here are some pictures from the Vietnam War Memorial. I remember you said you wanted to go there sometime.
Love,
Matt