I'm starting 2012 with a new ATTITUDE!

http://youtu.be/OHRZxkluZ_Q - This is my Desire

New Year's Resolutions I make on January 1 can be quickly forgotten on January 2.

Most years I don't even bother to make a list of things I'm resolved to change, to do better, to stop doing.  But this year, I decided that instead of "resolutions", I'm going to set some goals.

Setting Goals for 2012...

Make a list - that's the easy part.  There are many things I hope to accomplish this year.  I can quickly make a very long list of things I need to get done or things I want to change in 2012.  Making a list is a good start, but to reach a goal, I have to have a plan,  a strategy.  That should take some serious thought. What do I need to do to get started?

Fortunately, I already know exactly what I need to do first if I want to succeed in reaching my goals for 2012.  I need to pray and ask God to mold my goals so that they are in complete alignment with His Plan for me.  Because if I'm seeking His will first, He will make sure I accomplish what He has planned for me.  If my goal is not in line with what God has planned for me, nothing I can do with make it happen.

So, I make my list and then I pray and ask God to give me wisdom and discernment.  What items on my list are not in line with God's plan for my life?  What on my list is not from God? What things on my list will draw me closer to Him?  Every item should be challenged - will seeking this goal glorify God or is it more about my getting the glory?  This is where I start reducing my list of goals.  If the goal is all about me, it needs to be marked off the list.

I don't know exactly what God has planned for me but one thing I do know. His plan is for good and not evil, a plan to give me a hope and a future.  HE never promised me happiness and riches in this life.  HE wouldn't let me settle for that.  His Plan for me is Eternal Joy and blessings, not temporary happiness on earth, although He may give me that too, at times.  If my goal is to accomplish His Plan for my life, my focus should be more about Christ - less about me. 

My goal - More of Jesus - less of me in 2012.  Wow!  That's a pretty big goal for me.  I definitely can't do this on my own.  I tend to put myself first in everything.  That's how we humans are, right? Where do I start?

I need to believe that I can accomplish my goal.  I have to have a "can do" attitude.  Without a good attitude, I'll never reach my goal.  I have to believe that I have the ability to accomplish what I want to accomplish, right?  If I'm not convinced that I can do what needs to be done, I'll never succeed. 

If my goals are in line with God's purpose for my life, if my goals draw me closer to being the person HE created me to be, then my number one obstacle will be the Enemy.  He will try to convince me that I cannot reach my goals.  He will become a little knat buzzing around my head whispering "defeat" and "discouragement".  So I have to shut him up by remembering who God says I am. 
To succeed, I must make sure the goals I have for my life are in line with God's plan because He most assuredly has a plan for me.

Jeremiah 29:11-12
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.



Ephesians 2:10 NLT
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Even when my goal seems too difficult to reach, I must remember that with God all things are possible - if what I'm trying to accomplish is in line with His plan.
 Luke 18:27
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with human beings is possible with God.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 


Romans 8:25-28
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.


In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Am I strong enough to accomplish the goals I have?  No.  Not on my own, but I have the very Power of Christ resting on me - living in me.  That's more than enough.


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Hebrews 13:5
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

With these passages always in my mind, is there anything I cannot do?  Is anything too hard for me if God is on my side?  Has HE not promised to meet all my needs and that He will never leave me nor forsake me?  He has promised that I can do all things through Christ who is my strength.  He'll make my path straight.  He'll give me wisdom if I ask. 

I'm feeling pumped!  I can do this.  I can reach my goal because reaching my goal will bring Him glory.  He will give me everything I need to accomplish my goal. 


Holy Father, You are my strength, my protector, my provder, my power and my Wisdom.  Without You, I can do do nothing, but with You, I can do anything - anything that is in line with Your perfect will for me.  I may have a different idea from Yours of what I need to accomplish this year.  My vision for the future is so limited compared to Yours.  My dreams are so much less amazing than what You have planned for me.  So, Father, I'm trusting in Your plan for me.  All I ask is that You help my dreams to come in to perfect harmony with Your dreams and plan for me.  I want what You have planned for me because I know it will be so much greater than anything I might imagine or hope for.  Your will be done, Holy God.  I know there's nothing better than that.  This year use me as You see fit.  I know You will make a way for me to accomplish whatever You have for me to do. For Your glory always, Lord God.  In the blessed name of Jesus I pray. Amen. 



Jessie and a little friend at Christmas Party 2011


Miracles really do still happen!   

If you don't believe, you surely haven't met Jessica Boone.

It was March 2009 and 16 year old Jessie Boone loved skiing! She was so excited to go skiing on Spring Break with all her friends from church! She was doing great but hit a really icy spot and went out of control and hit a tree with her head. Some of her friends went right to her and got help quickly. They airlifted her out of Glenwood Springs, Colorado to Grand Junction, Colorado to St Marys hospital which is a trauma center. She had a depressed skull fracture on her Right forehead and had to go into surgery that night. Mom and dad flew in around midnight and met Justin and Erin and Scott and John who were with Jessie. She had such massive swelling in her brain they removed both sides of her skull. Her brain is severely injured.

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http://youtu.be/zsN0TNyz-5A - Through it All - Selah

This is when the Dallas Christian School Parents in Prayer began praying for a young girl we had never met from Oklahoma.  We all quickly fell in love with sweet Jessica Boone and her family.  I don't know how many times we thought for sure she wasn't going to make it, but that little lady fought back!  Through it all, we've witnessed the incredible faith of not only dad Bill and mom Lisa but of Jessie.  This family knows and trusts God with all their hearts. I think I can safely say that anyone who has followed Jessie's recovery over the last two and a half years has had their faith strengthened, too, just by witnessing this family look to Christ in every struggle and praise Him for every victory.

This first video is Jessie's mom - Lisa sharing their story in April of 2010.

http://youtu.be/mYRzEd4Kw5M - Easter People

This video is from 2010 when Jessie won the Jim Thorpe Award for Courage.  A year later, Jessie is still improving and working hard to get even better.

http://youtu.be/7xw2G2Ij94I - Jessica Boone and the Jim Thorpe Award 2010


I'm sending the update Lisa sent yesterday.  Sorry for the delay.  I hope the video will work for you.  I had a little trouble. = (
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Merry Christmas! 12-26-11



Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in 2012!!

We wanted to close this year with a video to show you how much Jessie has improved since her accident. What a great year we have had as we have seen her continue to grow and heal in so many different ways. It is simply amazing to see how far she has come. She runs a mile 2-3 times a week. Her therapy is only two days a week with Speech and Occupational Therapy focused on memory and thought processing and planning. She continues to show improvement all the time. She is independent in all of her activities of daily living. She needs some supervision in the community as she can lose her way if she is in a place she isn’t familiar with. We are homeschooling focusing primarily on Math and English and will be looking at Vocational Rehab for help in getting her GED and training her in some job skills. In Speech they have been working on a checking account, balancing, writing checks and reconciling and she does very well. In OT this last week she had a budget and went to the mall and did some Christmas shopping for her family.



Jessie is very happy. She loves life, church, her family, and friends. She laughs all the time. She is sleeping all through the night and is on only 2 prescription medications. One to prevent seizures and one to help her liver flow better.



Her liver is one of our main concerns as it continues to show some enlargement and difficulty in draining properly due to a stricture at the site where her common bile duct was repaired status post her accident. She currently sees a hepatologist and a liver surgeon as they monitor her monthly for changes. She will have another MRI and liver biopsy after the first of the year and they will compare it to the ones she had last June to see if there is any further deterioration of her liver. If so, they will proceed with surgery to attempt to correct the stricture. We are praying of course for this to all resolve by itself but if not we have been placed in very competent care. Thank you for your continued prayers in her healing of her brain and her liver.



As I type this, Jessie is sitting in the floor and has wrapped a present by herself and is now putting ribbon on it. She is simply a miracle. And we are so filled with gratitude for what God has given back to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your presence in our lives and all you have done to help make this video possible showing the abundant life that Jessie has been given once again…

http://youtu.be/4FmmuFQl_eI - Jessie persistence 2011

May God bless you abundantly and know that the Boones love you.

To God be all the glory, honor, and praise!!



Bill, Lisa, and Jessie Boone

Christmas 2011

How Great is our GOD!

Before Jesus was born, even before creation, He was with God and He was God. 

In the beginning was the WORD.

http://youtu.be/u42Z4qIQO4Y - Faithful Love 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This message taken from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, the apostle whom Jesus loved,  is quite possibly the most poignant passage in all the Bible to me. 
 
The WORD was in the beginning. 

The WORD was with God.

The WORD was GOD.

Through the WORD all things were made that have been made.

In Him was LIFE and that Life was the LIGHT of all people.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

This is truly the best Gift ever - to be given the right to become a child of God - all because He loved us enough to become human, to live, die and be resurrected so that we, too, might die to sin and be resurrected to a new life with HIM forever and always!
Colossians 2:9-15
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.



8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.


9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your sinful nature was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Praise God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
Thank You for loving me.  Thank You for coming to earth to save me. Thank You for experiencing humanity by being born and living as fully human even to death on the cross. I know You understand what I suffer because You've experienced every struggle and pain that I will ever face, and You remained faithful to Your Father through it all. Thank You for teaching me by example to trust our Father who never fails us.  Father, thank You for Your grace and mercies that are new every morning.  Forgive me when I take Your amazing gift of love so lightly.  I cannot repay the debt You've paid on my behalf, but I can live my life to honor You. Help me to be a witness like John and boldly speak the truth of Your great love and plan of Salvation.  I pray all these things in the Name of my Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who was, who is and is to come!  Be praised and lifted high in my life, Lord.  Amen.

http://youtu.be/xi0yLRX4d2M - How great is our God - Chris Tomlin

Faith - Believing even when I can't see or feel



"I will never leave nor forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5b

 I have two choices:  I can believe God, or I can believe the Enemy - the father of Lies. 

http://youtu.be/98nG3xH02wo - I Know You're There - Casting Crowns

There are periods of time when I don't feel God's Presence.  During those times I begin to question if He loves me or if He cares for me.  After all, if He loves me, why won't He show Himself to me when I desperately need to know He's there?

I'm convinced that the Enemy picks up on my periods of doubt, and being the cunning schemer he is, the Enemy begins to attack my faith.  I start questioning... I focus on how alone I feel, how deserted, how empty...

But who am I going to believe?   Satan - the Father of Lies?  or will I believe the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe who has put Eternity in my heart?  How do I trust God's love for me?  I look to His promises. 


To walk by faith means not trusting in my own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

My understanding may not be right:

* Scientists say earth hurls through space at great speed; to you it seems motionless.

* A doctor says a mark on your body is cancer; to you it feels harmless.

* An electrician says a wire is dangerously live; to you it looks dead.

* A mechanic says your car needs oil immediately; you don’t think it’s necessary.

* A soldier says an area is sown with land-mines; you can’t see any.


Instead of trusting in my own feelings/understanding, I can choose to believe His Promises.

* When I feel empty - Jesus says ‘if anyone loves me . . . my Father will love him and we will make our home with him’ (John 14:23)

* When I feel God doesn't care - Jesus says how often I would have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings Matthew 23:37

* When I feel God doesn't love me any more - God says nothing can separate you from the love of God Romans 8:35-39; God says Jesus was bruised and wounded for you  Isaiah 53:5
* I don't understand why I have to suffer or struggle - God says be not surprised at the painful trial you are suffering 1 Peter 4:12, we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom  Acts 14:22
* I feel ashamed or guilty over past sins; that God can't forgive me - God says my sins are wiped out Acts 3:9  and He will remember them no more Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12


The Enemy knows that I'm susceptible to doubt.  When he sees me struggling when I face difficult times or when I go through those periods of time when I just can't feel God's presence, the Enemy hits me from every angle.  He knows that he only has a little time before I will remember who I am.  I am a child of God and He is my Defender and Protector.  He is always there - even if I don't see it.  Instead of allowing myself to doubt, to keep questioning my faith and inviting spiritual attack, I can call on the Lord to deliver me.  My job is to trust in His promises and not lean on my own understanding.  It's walking by faith - not sight.

If I put my trust in feelings and circumstances to verify God's Presence in my life, I'm no longer walking by faith.  When my "feelings/understanding" waiver, when I feel weak in my faith, that's when I can be the strongest. I remember that I am only human and my strength is weak.  But the promise He gave me is when I'm weak, I can trust in Him to be my Strength.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I wonder if Paul doubted God's presence in his life when he plead for the removal of the thorn but God didn't answer his prayer - at least not the way he wanted?  If I was Paul I would have thought how much more effective I could be without the problem.  But instead of doubting God's love, Paul trusted Christ's strength to carry him through the tough times.

Even John the Baptist had times of doubt. Remember when he was in prison waiting to be beheaded?  John had seen the Spirit of God descend on Jesus at His baptism.  He had heard the Voice of God - "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."  He saw and he believed.  But then sitting alone in prison, knowing he was facing death, John doubted. Could he have been wrong?  Maybe this wasn't the promised Messiah? After all, if Jesus was the Messiah, wouldn't He save John from prison?  John  sent his disciples to Jesus and asked - "are you the Messiah?" For just a moment John doubted.  All the hard work he had done to prepare the way for the Messiah, and then God abandons him to be executed?  That couldn't seemed very loving.  But there was purpose.  There had to be less of John and more of Jesus.  John had fulfilled his purpose by spreading the good news of the coming Messiah. 

Luke 7:20
John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’”


Jesus answered by reminding John of the Promise.  The Messiah would do great things. Isaiah prophesied:

Isaiah 35:3-6
There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.


With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!


When John doubted, Jesus pointed him to the promise - "the blind will see, the lame will walk, the deaf will hear..."

Luke 7:22-23 NLT
Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 23 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”


God cannot lie and will remain true to His Word.  Did He promise to love me?  Did He promise to never leave nor forsake me?  Did He promise to give me everything I need to get through any challenge He might purposefully allow in my life?  Those are the promises that I will dwell on.  I  refuse to entertain any  thought that contradicts His promises. If I "capture each thought and make it obedient to Christ", I am resisting the Enemy.  James says when I resist the devil, guess what?  the devil will flee from me!  It's God's promise. 
 
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 NLT
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 6 And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.




James 4:7-8
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.


My resolve to believe God's Promises rather than trusting in my "feelings or experiences" is God's way to give me victory.  It's also His way of strengthening my faith.   When I stand firm even when I cannot feel His Presence, my faith gets stronger and stronger.  I'm no longer relying on my feelings.  I'm relying on His Promises. When I think about it, some of the strongest believers I know have endured the greatest suffering, yet they trust God and His promises - even when they can't see Him or feel His presence.  They just keep trusting. 

Faith – believing in the integrity of God despite what things seem – is the basis of the entire Christian life.


I don’t care how impossible things look, how many failures I have experienced, how spiritually dead I feel, how much the Lord appears to overlook me: God is still the God of the Bible. His Word affirms He is my God and He loves me, regardless of how abandoned, unloved and insignificant my wild imagination paints me as being. That makes spiritual success inevitable. All I need do is stop wallowing in doubt long enough to receive my rightful inheritance.

So often God seems to deliberately overlook me. So often the Bible seems as dry as dust. So often I feel as if I have nothing to live for. My emotional pain seems endless. God constantly seems to favor others over me. But nothing – nothing – can change the constancy of the incomprehensible enormity of God’s love. Nothing can made God break his word.  -Grantley Morris - "When you can't feel God"

Holy Father, I believe! Please help my unbelief!  There are too days when I don't "hear Your voice" or "feel Your Presence".  Those days scare me, and I become afraid.  For just a moment, I question if You really love me or care for me.  But You've shown Yourself to be so faithful in my life, even when I'm not faithful.  Lord God strengthen my faith; help me to resist the lies of the Enemy; draw me near to You.  Father, one day in Your Presence is better than ten thousand days any where else.  I long for You.  I want to be sheltered under Your wing like a baby chick.  I want to find little loves notes from You everywhere I go.  When I do, my spirit is renewed, and I feel ready to face any challenge.  But then as quickly as that feeling came, it goes away, and I'm left feeling alone again, unloved and  unworthy.  I know those are lies because You have promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  You've promised to be my strength in times when I feel so weak and helpless.  Help me to remember and trust Your Promise.  I long for You and because of that longing, I know You have called me to be Yours.  I am Your child and I am greatly loved - even when I might not feel it.
Thank You for loving me and for always being with me.  I know Your right here and I will not listen to the Liar.  Thank for sending Your precious Son to save me from the power of darkness.  I rest in His love and I trust His Gift of Salvation.  And it's in His Name, in His authority that I pray.  Amen.

 It can be so hard to believe when I just don't feel His presence.  But I will not listen to the lies.  I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him until that glorious Day when I will spend Eternity with Him praising my wonderful gracious Lord and Savior.

2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV
For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.





http://youtu.be/b61wsBdqrKM - You Never Let Go - Matt Redman

http://youtu.be/YU1rbSQT-Sw - Song of Hope - Robbie Seaay Band

http://youtu.be/MX5OqyBYKh4  - Get back up again - Toby Mac

"There but for the grace of God go I."

Matthew 7:12 NIV
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.


The origin of this quote, “There but for the grace of God go I,” is attributed to John Bradford,
What he actually said was, “But for the grace of God there goes John Bradford.”

Bradford made the statement as he watched a group of criminals being led to their execution. Little did he know how true his quote, and the context in which he said it, was. John Bradford, an English preacher, was burned at the stake by Queen Mary for preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and exposing England as a nation that had forsaken God. At that moment in his life, on July 15th 1555, the grace of God was sufficient for John Bradford as he gave up the ghost to enter an eternal paradise.  He was only 45 years old.


This quote comes to mind often.  I look around me and see so much pain and suffering.  "There but for the grace of God goes Carol Draehn."  Why was I born into a loving family who raised me to know Jesus?  Why am I healthy?  Why do I live in a Country where I am free to worship God?  Why do I live a nice big house with running water and electricity?  Why do I have food for every meal?  Why...

http://youtu.be/mBADk6dmGMI - Why me, Lord?   Kris Kristofferson

What have I ever done to deserve all the good things in my life?  I see others suffering and it's hard to understand why they don't have the blessings I have.  I'm so thankful to know that my Father is trustworthy and faithful.  Even when I don't understand, I know I can trust my Loving God.  Someday, it may be me suffering and I just pray that I'll be able to remember how much He's already done for me.  I want to trust Him to do good through the suffering when it comes. I know he can use those times to strengthening my faith or maybe the faith of someone near to me.

The other day I was leaving my office when I saw a little child - couldn't have been more than 3 years old - walking down the middle of the street in front of our building.  When I first saw him, I looked around for an adult.  Surely someone was outside with this child!  But there was no one.  I left my car door wide open with the keys in the ignition as I rushed to get this baby out of the street.  About the time I got to him, a man came out of the building next to our office,  and I thought maybe this was his child.  Nope.  He saw what I saw.  A little child in the middle of the street with no one watching him.  Together this man and I took the little boy back down the road to find his house.  He was old enough to show us where he lived, thankfully.  When we took him to the door, an older woman answered.  Lord, forgive me, but she did not look like anyone I'd leave my three year old with. If some stranger knocked on my door and had my three year old child, I would be horrified at what could have happened to my baby.  But this woman showed no concern at all that we found him walking down the middle of the street going who knows where?

We found out that the three year old is her son's son - she didn't say "my grandson" mind you.  What grandparent doesn't take every opportunity to say "this is my grandchild!" But this grandma didn't respond like I expected a grandmother to respond.  The very idea that this precious little boy could have been run over or kidnapped...  I was terrified at the thought of what could have happened, but she didn't seem to care.  As the man and I walked away, we looked at each other in disbelief.  All I could think about the rest of the day was that little boy didn't have a grandma who thought he hung the moon. Shouldn't every child have that kind of Nana?

"There but by the grace of God..."

I'm ashamed to say that I made a judgment about that woman.  It wasn't very kind. 

It's easy to sit in judgment. We do it all the time, don't we? We can blame the victims of illness, financial disaster, mental breakdowns.  I can say to myself, "well, he should have been more careful about what foods he put into his body.  Then maybe he wouldn't have heart problems now."  Or I can think - "That man could work harder to pay his own way!  Maybe if he had saved for a rainy day, he wouldn't be in a financial mess now."  Yes, I can judge others and blame them for their situations. I'm sure sometimes I might be right.  But the truth is bad things happen to good people.  A man can work hard his whole life to provide for his family, but what happens when he loses his job and can't find another?  What happens to the woman who finds herself in an abusive situation with five small children to care for?  Did she invite the abuse? That little three year boy was born into a family that's not anything like my family.  "There but by the Grace of God, goes my child."  My children and grandchildren have so many people who love them deeply.  That little boy, I just don't know if any one cares.  I sure hope his life is better than what I judged it to be.  But if it's not, if he doesn't feel loved, what will he grow up to be?  Will he get involved with the wrong crowd?  Will he get addicted to the drugs that numb him to his circumstances?  If he does, then I'll probably be standing by "judging".  That's a shame.  The truth is "There but by the grace of God go I".  

Last Thursday, in our Sophomore Girls Bible Study we talked about being careful with our words. Sometimes we say things in a very off handed manner. We make quick judgments about situations, things about which we do not have all the facts. We laugh about people who are different from us. Maybe their struggle is mental illness, or physical deformity. Maybe their struggle is an eating disorder, sexual identity or promiscuity. We condemn and joke about these issues in ruthless ways. Would we be so heartless if we knew our best friend was dealing with one of those issues?  Dr. Phil says "don't judge the man by the moment."  Pretty good advice.  Sometimes people do really dumb things in a moment of pain or fear or anger.  They react to being out of control.  We judge them for their actions.  But we have no idea what they're dealing with.  We really need to be careful with our words and our judging.    The mercy we show
just might be the same mercy we receive.

Matthew 5:7 GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)

Blessed are those who show mercy. They will be treated mercifully.


What if some day I'm the one who is hurting?  What if something bad happens to me?  Worse than that, what if the only help I receive is the same level of help I've offered others?  I'm going to be in trouble.
The Sophomore girls amaze me with their compassion and desire to make a difference. They are reaching out to families who are struggling. They are looking at the people around them with the "eyes of Jesus". They're encouraging each other, they are coming along side others who need to know someone cares. They are showing mercy - just like Jesus.

But these sweet young ladies can feel overwhelmed with all the hurting. They weep for those who weep.  They want to make a difference but sometimes we just can't do it.

The fact is there are some struggles which we cannot change. Oh, we help others feel loved and less alone, but in reality, we can't change their situation. Maybe it's illness or financial struggles, maybe it's depression, maybe it's that little boy living in a house without much hope. We might not be able to make those problems go away. But what we can do is point people to Jesus. He offers peace and comfort - supernaturally! I've felt that peace, haven't you?

Some day I may be faced with the same struggles some of my friends are dealing with now.  God may allow a terrible suffering in my life.  If that happens, I pray that I will continue to trust Him completely.  No one loves me more.  No one else died for me.  I feel confident in His plan to give me good and not evil, a future filled with hope.  That may not come until Eternity but Eternity with Him is worth whatever suffering we face on earth. 

Reach out to someone this Season. There is no shortage of people who need help. So many families need to know God's peace. Ask God to show you where you can make a difference. And don't stop after the Season is past. The spirit of Christmas should last through out the year.

This didn't start out to be a devotional. I received the email below from Oscar and Emma. They have twelve children sleeping on a cold floor right now. It's the rainy season in Kisumu and it gets cold at night. I think about these kids every time I crawl into my bed at night. It's soft and warm - I turn my heating blanket on just before I crawl under the covers. I'm so thankful for a safe, warm place to sleep. The Happy Choice kids don't have that. "There but by the grace of God..."If God is drawing you to this ministry in any way, please join me in prayer and support. If you're looking for a way to make a difference, this is a ministry that will help you do that very thing.

Please pray with me that we can raise the funds needed to provide beds and bedding for the children at Happy Choice. The good news is we have a brand new hostel with an actual floor so the children are out of the weather and not sleeping directly on the cold wet ground like before. The old hostel's roof leaked so badly, the kids had to huddle together in the areas where the leaks weren't dripping. But Praise God! The hostel is strong, dry, safe place for them now.

If you would like to contribute towards the beds and bedding, you can go to this website:

http://www.lostorphans.com/    and choose "General Donations" at the top of the page. This will take you to another drop down menu. Choose Happy Choice and then follow the directions for making a donation online. You can also choose to provide monthly support for a child by clicking on the "Sponsor a child" link, and choosing Happy Choice.

We have a few caring sponsors already providing monthly support for some of the children. For $33.00 a month these sponsors are making a big difference in the life a child.  What a blessing they are to Happy Choice and to the sponsors, too!  The blessings we give away always come back doubled!  We can never out-give our loving Father.

Here's Oscar's latest email.  Sometimes, I almost dread reading his emails because I know there is so much need and I cannot help very much.  But Oscar has taught me to keep my eyes on Jesus.  He is the Provider and Protector.  Sometimes, He blesses me with an opportunity to be part of His Provision.  I can't provide all Oscar and the kids need, but God can.  So I just keep looking to Jesus and doing what I can do.  That's all He requires.

http://youtu.be/KaCBTSQZq1E - Try a little kindness - Glen Campbell


Holy Father, Thank You for all my blessings. I do not deserve any of them, yet You keep blessing me over and over again. The only way I have to show my thanks is by living a life that honors You.  Help me to show mercy to those who are going through difficult times.  Help me to stop judging others and instead, Lord, help me to look at my own life.  There's plenty I need to change.  Please keep my eyes on Jesus.  Forgive me when I fail.  Strengthen me when I'm weak.  Give me a heart like His for the hurting.  In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

from Oscar:

Praise God Mom,


We hope you are all doing well,the rains are still on and it is very cold in the nights.

One of our children fell sick again yesterday and Emma rushed him to the nearby clinic and got treatments there.

Phocus had some complications in breathing well but the doctor gave him some antibiotics .

The source of must be because of the weather condition but we are praying that our Heavenly Father is going to provide for the beddings and He is going to use somebody for this.

Timoland is also requesting for some money for snacks like the other year so that they can celebrate Christmas together with their friends and he also wanted to have a celebration with their friends to celebrate and thank God for enabling him finish his secondary education.

He encouraged us alot when this young man prayed ,thank God for helping him clear secondary school something he was not sure about at the start.

He took his time praying and praising God for His life,the people and parents God has given him .

Martin left the centre yesterday ,his relative whom he has not seen for years has been looking for him and took him to his place in Nairobi for the holidays .

Reply ,God good.

Son,
Oscar.
--------------------------------------------

There but the grace of God, go I.
When I compare my blessings with Oscar and his kids, my first thought is Why me, Lord? What have I ever done to deserve a family and a safe place to live, food to eat...  I look at these children who have been left orphaned and/or abandoned to live on their own - if it wasn't for Oscar and Emma.  They don't have near the physical blessings I have.  It doesn't seem fair at all. 

But on closer inspection, Oscar and Emma have a faith that moves Mountains.  That faith has been born out of adversity.  They've learned to trust God in everything.  That is the best blessing of all.

Back row:  Martin, Timoland holding baby, Phocus, Donald, Bernard, Maurice.
Front row:  Philister, Rael, another child from the village, Bonny, Bobby and
some other kids from the village that Oscar helps with food.

He knows.  He understands.  He cares. He has been there.

http://youtu.be/fX20vnf5hH4 - I have been there - Mark Shultz


A few years ago, our women's group at church prepared a little photo album of all the members.  One of the things that was included was our favorite bible verse.  Now, for me, that is a very difficult question.  My favorite verse changes depending on my circumstances.  There are so many precious words of encouragement and wisdom in God's Word, it's hard to pick just one and say "This is my favorite!"  But finally, I settled on this passage from John:

John 11:35 NLT
 Then Jesus wept.

Jesus wept - Most people remember John 11:35 as the shortest verse in the Bible, but to me it's so much more. I see a tenderhearted, loving friend who hurts when His friends hurt.
Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  He knew Mary and Martha would be rejoicing in just a few moments.  But for that moment, He felt their sadness and hopelessness.  He felt what they felt.  And Jesus wept with them.

As Christians, we too should sympathize with others in their afflictions.

Romans 12:15 NLT
"Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep." John shared with us the tender heart of  Jesus.  This same Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  His heart was full of compassion and love for a city full of people who were dying in their sins, and yet still they were unwilling to accept His Gift of Salvation.  He longed to gather them to Himself as a hen gathers her chicks.

Luke 13:24-25
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 35 And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”


Jesus made a way for us to come to Him and be saved.  Some refused to connect the message of Salvation to our Lord and Savior.  He felt a great sadness that there were those who would not accept Him and be saved.  But for us who believe, He understand everything we go through.  He has compassion when  we feel betrayed by friend.  He knows how that feels.  He's been there.  He knows how it feels to be rejected for no good reason.  He's been there.  He knows what it's like to feel alone.  He's been there. 

He understands everything we go through and He has great compassion towards us.

Remember when Stephen was being stoned and just before he died, Stephen looked up to the heavens and listen to what he saw:

Acts 7:54-56
The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

Stephen saw Jesus the Christ, the Son of Almighty God, and He was not sitting calmly on a throne next to His Father.  He was standing.  Jesus knew what Stephen was going through, didn't He?  He had been there.  And in my heart, I believe that Jesus was standing in honor of Stephen with a heart full of compassion as He witnessed the brutal stoning of His precious one.  I imagine Stephen looking into the eyes of Jesus seeing strength and encouragement - I bet he was almost able to hear Jesus say: "Stephen, I'm with you always!  Don't be afraid. You're coming Home! I'm right here."
 
Hebrews 4:15
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.I'm including  some notes from various commentaries on my favorite verse!  John 11:35 maybe short but it is powerful.  It feels my heart with gratitude and love towards a Savior who cares so deeply when we hurt that He weeps.
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Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Jesus wept - The least verse in the Bible, yet inferior to none. Some of the ruthless ancients, improperly styled fathers of the Church, thought that weeping was a degradation of the character of Christ; and therefore, according to the testimony of Epiphanius, Anchorat. c. 13, razed out of the Gospel of St. Luke the place (Luke 19:41) where Christ is said to have wept over Jerusalem.

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Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Jesus wept. As he was going along to the grave, see John 11:28; as he was meditating upon the state of his friend Lazarus, the distress his two sisters were in, and the greater damnation that would befall the Jews then present, who, notwithstanding the miracle, would not believe in him. This shows him to be truly and really man, subject to like passions, only without sin.

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Vincent's Word Studies

Wept (ἐδάκρυσεν)

A different verb from that in John 11:31. From δάκρυ, tear, and meaning to shed tears, to weep silently. Only here in the New Testament. Κλαίω, to weep audibly, is once used of our Lord in Luke 19:41. "The very Gospel in which the deity of Jesus is most clearly asserted, is also that which makes us best acquainted with the profoundly human side of His life" (Godet). How far such a conception of deity is removed from the pagan ideal, may be seen by even a superficial study of the classics. Homer's gods and goddesses weep and bellow when wounded, but are not touched with the feeling of human infirmity (see on John 3:16). "The gods," says Gladstone, "while they dispense afflictions upon earth, which are neither sweetened by love, nor elevated by a distinct disciplinary purpose, take care to keep themselves beyond all touch of grief or care."

"The gods ordain

The lot of man to suffer, while themselves

free from care."

"Iliad," xxiv., 525.

So Diana, when appealed to by the wretched Hippolytus for sympathy, replies:

"I see thy love, but must not shed a tear."

Euripides, "Hippolytes," 1396.

The Roman satirist unconsciously bears witness to the profound truthfulness and beauty of this picture of the weeping Savior, in the words: "Nature confesses that she gives the tenderest of hearts to the human race by giving them tears: this is the best part of our sensations" (Juvenal, "Satire" xv., 131-133).


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Wesley's Notes

11:35 Jesus wept - Out of sympathy with those who were in tears all around him, as well as from a deep sense of the misery sin had brought upon human nature.

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

35. Jesus wept-This beautifully conveys the sublime brevity of the two original words; else "shed tears" might have better conveyed the difference between the word here used and that twice employed in John 11:33, and there properly rendered "weeping," denoting the loud wail for the dead, while that of Jesus consisted of silent tears. Is it for nothing that the Evangelist, some sixty years after it occurred, holds up to all ages with such touching brevity the sublime spectacle of the Son of God in tears? What a seal of His perfect oneness with us in the most redeeming feature of our stricken humanity! But was there nothing in those tears beyond sorrow for human suffering and death? Could these effects move Him without suggesting the cause? Who can doubt that in His ear every feature of the scene proclaimed that stern law of the Kingdom, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and that this element in His visible emotion underlay all the rest?

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Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

11:33-46 Christ's tender sympathy with these afflicted friends, appeared by the troubles of his spirit. In all the afflictions of believers he is afflicted. His concern for them was shown by his kind inquiry after the remains of his deceased friend. Being found in fashion as a man, he acts in the way and manner of the sons of men. It was shown by his tears. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Tears of compassion resemble those of Christ. But Christ never approved that sensibility of which many are proud, while they weep at mere tales of distress, but are hardened to real woe. He sets us an example to withdraw from scenes of giddy mirth, that we may comfort the afflicted. And we have not a High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. It is a good step toward raising a soul to spiritual life, when the stone is taken away, when prejudices are removed, and got over, and way is made for the word to enter the heart. If we take Christ's word, and rely on his power and faithfulness, we shall see the glory of God, and be happy in the sight. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, by his own example, to call God Father, in prayer, and to draw nigh to him as children to a father, with humble reverence, yet with holy boldness. He openly made this address to God, with uplifted eyes and loud voice, that they might be convinced the Father had sent him as his beloved Son into the world. He could have raised Lazarus by the silent exertion of his power and will, and the unseen working of the Spirit of life; but he did it by a loud call. This was a figure of the gospel call, by which dead souls are brought out of the grave of sin: and of the sound of the archangel's trumpet at the last day, with which all that sleep in the dust shall be awakened, and summoned before the great tribunal. The grave of sin and this world, is no place for those whom Christ has quickened; they must come forth. Lazarus was thoroughly revived, and returned not only to life, but to health. The sinner cannot quicken his own soul, but he is to use the means of grace; the believer cannot sanctify himself, but he is to lay aside every weight and hindrance. We cannot convert our relatives and friends, but we should instruct, warn, and invite them.




Father God, I'm so very thankful that You have given us a compassionate High Priest in Son, Jesus.  He knows and understands when we hurt or struggle.  His heart is full of love and tenderness - compassion.  His mercies are new every morning.  Thank You for Your precious Gift of a loving Savior.  No amount of "good deeds" could every pay back the enormous debt I owe.  Help me to give the only thing  I can - a life lived for You.  Thank You for forgiving me when I fail every single day.  Thank You for lifting me back up each time.  I love You. Be glorified in my life, however that needs to look.  Your Will be done.  In the precious Name of Jesus the Christ, my Savior and my Lord.  Amen.

http://youtu.be/fuAxzEuzNGg - Love them like Jesus - Casting Crowns

The Blessing of being Realhttp://youtu.be/hGr8as7pPBE - Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath

“And Jesus, when he came out, saw many people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34

Doesn't this verse just touch your heart? Our Savior, the Son of God, has great compassion for the hurting and the lost. "He saw many people and was moved with compassion towards them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd". Do I see what Jesus saw when I walk into a room, or when I'm shopping at the mall, when I'm at work or school, or sitting in church? Do I have compassion when I walk among the lost in my community? Or do I walk right past without giving them a second thought?

People are hurting, but they don't trust others enough to open up. We're consumed with looking good on the outside; and we hide who we really are. We put on our masks and only show the world what we think will be "acceptable". And why do we play these games? We do it so that people will like us and respect us, and maybe, just maybe they will be our "friend". How many of us truly let others see who we really are - on the inside?

Being transparent is scary. It means no more secrets. No more lies. No more pretending. That's not easy for most of us. We are afraid that if our friends knew the truth, they wouldn't be our friends anymore.

How truthful are you when you go out into the world?

If you and I aren't always truthful about what's really going on in our lives and the struggles we're facing, don't you think that there are lots of people just like us who look good on the outside but on the inside they are falling apart?

We are isolating ourselves from people who just might surprise us and be more than willing to come along side offering encouragement and understanding. And even worse, when we don't open up and share our struggles, we may miss opportunities to help someone else who is going through the same thing we've already gone through and survived. When we are transparent and real, we open the doors for others to be transparent, too.

Galatians 6:1-3 
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

1. If I see a fellow believer overcome by sin, Jesus says to gently
and humbly to try and help that person find his way back.

2. When I try to help someone who is struggling, I must be on guard less I
fall into the same sin.

3. Jesus wants me to help others who are burdened - to come along side
and help them to get through the struggle.

4. And if God puts someone on my path who needs help, I should never
think I'm too busy or too important to stop and help, however I can.

This is the law of Christ. He taught his disciples to help others, whether it was a physical need or a spiritual need. And we are to be His Hands and Feet.

Don't underestimate the people around you. You may just be surprised at how much they care and how willing they are to help. You might just find out that they need some encouragement, too. And when we help each other, we become the true Body of Christ.

Holy Father, give me Your eyes for the hurting and suffering around me. Help me to really see each person you put in my life every day, whether it's the cashier at the grocery store or man who cut me off in traffic. Let me see those crossings of paths as opportunities to be Jesus to a hurting world. Lord Jesus, You were never too busy to help others. You were never too tired. Please forgive me when I think what I have to do this day is more important than taking a few minutes to encourage a friend who is suffering. Lord, teach me to listen, really listen not just to the words someone says, but to the unspoken words, the body language that clearly shows pain. Lord I realize that I may not be the one to help every friend who is struggling in silence. Not everyone will be able to open up to me, but Lord, help me at least give them the option by letting people know I care.


I've got a long way to go, Lord. I need You to prompt me to put myself out there so that others won't see me as someone who has never struggled. I want people to know that I have struggled and You've gotten me through every time. I will be Your witness. You are so faithful. I love You Lord. May my life reflect Your goodness and kindness and compassion to everyone you put in my life. It's in Your precious Name, Jesus, that I ask these things. Amen.

One more thing.  Be careful with your words.  Not everyone around you is transparent.  When you tell a demeaning joke or make a disparaging comment about someone or some group of people - that's not kind.  And you never know if the person standing right next to you may be offended by your careless words.  
 
Here's the test.  Would you tell the joke or even laugh at a joke that made fun of someone who suffered from a mental illness if you knew that your best friend's brother or sister suffered terribly with mental issues?  Probably not.  Well, just remember, people aren't always transparent.  Your best friend's loved one may be struggling with something you just joked about.  Maybe your best friend even struggles with the challenge you find so funny, and he/she doesn't share his/her pain with you because you make jokes that make you seem unsympathetic and insensitive.   Be kind with your words.  Lift others up.  Don't hurt anyone with careless words.
 
Colossians 4:6, NIV. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, . . . so that you may know how to answer everyone.”


http://youtu.be/0xtiY1M0780 - Stained Glass Masquerade - Casting Crowns

http://youtu.be/O7bD02ZmTqk - All of Creation - Mercy Me

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

I confess.

I am a Creationist!   Yep.  One of those ignorant religious nuts
who blindly believes everything written in the Bible.  That's me!

Actually, I am appalled by the number of people who don't believe every single word.  For me it's just so clear that His Word has proven accurate and true time after time, even after such incredible scrutiny by not only the scientific world but also by supposedly "intelligent" men and women whose single purpose seems to be trying to disprove that God is God.

A few years ago I found a great website called "Answers in Genesis" which was created by Ken Hamm.
He has a whole team of Creation Scientists who see science as supportive of the Creation story as told in the Bible.  These scientists have no trouble believing that God created the universe in 6 days.  Yes, that's what I said SIX days!  Not "thousand year days", six 24-hour days.  And they have the science to back up their beliefs.

You see, each of us start with a foundational belief.  For an atheist, that foundational belief is:

"There is no God.  The world came into existence all by accident - no design - it just happened."

For a believer, the foundational belief is:

"Almighty God created the universe with intentional design and purpose.  There is definitely a Designer and the Designer is GOD!"

The foundational belief you begin with will color everything you learn.  For the atheist, every scientific discovery that points to a designer is discredited or tweaked in such a way that the atheist can maintain his foundational belief.  Of course, to be fair, the same is true of a Creationist.

The difference:  Creationists have not had to "change" their original premise. Every scientific discovery points to a Divine Creator!  Every discover points to the validity of God's written Word. Consider these points:

By comparing the manuscript support for the Bible with manuscript support for other ancient documents and books, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that no other ancient piece of literature can stand up to the Bible. Manuscript support for the Bible is unparalleled!


There are more [New Testament] manuscripts copied with greater accuracy and earlier dating than for any secular classic from antiquity. (over 24,000 partial and complete manuscript copies!)

Rene Pache adds, "The historical books of antiquity have a documentation infinitely less solid."


Dr. Benjamin Warfield concludes, "If we compare the present state of the text of the New Testament with that of no matter what other ancient work, we must...declare it marvelously exact."


Norman Geisler makes several key observations for our consideration:

No other book is even a close second to the Bible on either the number or early dating of the copies. The average secular work from antiquity survives on only a handful of manuscripts; the New Testament boasts thousands.

The average gap between the original composition and the earliest copy is over 1,000 years for other books.


The New Testament, however, has a fragment within one generation from its original composition, whole books within about 100 years from the time of the autograph [original manuscript], most of the New Testament in less than 200 years, and the entire New Testament within 250 years from the date of its completion.


The degree of accuracy of the copies is greater for the New Testament than for other books that can be compared. Most books do not survive with enough manuscripts that make comparison possible.


From this documentary evidence, then, it is clear that the New Testament writings are superior to comparable ancient writings. "The records for the New Testament are vastly more abundant, clearly more ancient, and considerably more accurate in their text."

                     (The above information is from "Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries".)


It's interesting to note that of all books of antiquity, the Bible is the most scrutinized and challenged. Forty men over a period of 1500 years tell the same story of an incredible God who created the world and everything in it.  And that great God, that amazing Creator, loves us enough to sacrifice His own Son.  Everything in His Word points to the same God.  The Bible is the inspired Word of God himself.  No one has ever been able to disprove this Truth.  No one ever will be able to do that.

Here's one of the many archaeological discoveries which points to the truth of the Bible.  Read the story in Genesis describing the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Then read the "discovery" below.  If you're a believer, I think you'll see God's hand in the demise of Sodom.  But a sceptic will try to rationalize the findings so that God isn't given the glory.

Remember how beautiful and fertile Sodom and Gomorrah was before it's destruction.  When his uncle Abraham gave Lot the first choice of where to settle his family, Lot chose this valley because it was perfect.

Genesis 13:10

Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)



Genesis 19
12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”


14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.

15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”

16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. 17 When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

18 “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. 19 “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. 20 See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”


21 “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. 22 But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”)


23 Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon. 24 Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. 25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.


27 Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord’s presence. 28 He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.


29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.


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Wednesday, December 07, 2011Sodom and Gomorrah Excavated


By far the most interesting session at the recent Society of Biblical Literature Congress in San Francisco was one I wandered into by chance. I am always curious about what is going on in biblical archeology, so one afternoon I decided to skip the dozen or so sessions dedicated to Bakhtinian Decontextualization of Identity Construction in Persian Yehud (I had to tear myself away) and go hear about the excavations at a certain site called "Tall-el-Hammam." I had no idea what I was in for. After about five minutes into the session, I realized that the archeological team assigned to this dig was convinced that they had found the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. After another half-hour, it seemed they had most of the participants convinced as well. The sites fit the geographical and temporal context into which Sodom and Gomorrah are placed in the biblical texts. The cities at the site were suddenly and completely wiped out in the Late Bronze Age, which makes a reasonably good fit with the biblical accounts of Abraham and Lot. The entire presentation was very convincing, but never once did they deal with the "elephant in the room": what caused the sites to be suddenly abandoned? As soon as the session was over, I was the first to raise my hand. "Did you find any arrow heads? Signs of invasion? What happened to them?" The lead archaeologist paused for a moment. "I didn't want to go there," he said. Another pause. "I'm preparing material for publication." Pause. "All I want to say 'on camera' is, they appear to have been wiped out in a 'heat event'."

A "heat event"!? What?!

"If you want to know more, I'll talk after the session off the record."

I wish I could divulge what he said to a small group of us clustered around the podium after the session was over, but it would break confidence. We'll have to wait for the official peer-reviewed publications
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~This article is from www.thesacredpage.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sacred Page is a blog written by three Catholic Ph.D.s who are professors of Scripture and Theology: Michael Barber, Brant Pitre and John Bergsma. Here you can also find podcasts of "The Sacred Page with Michael Barber."


Why is it so hard for intelligent people to accept that God is the Creator of all things?  Why is it so hard to accept what God has told us through inspired writers? 
 
I choose to believe and accept that His Word is true.  
 
Prove me wrong if you can. 
 
http://youtu.be/vJdWdZv-uRA - Everlasting God - Chris Tomlin

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat."

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
                                                           2 Corinthians 12:9

http://youtu.be/yvgvYFxW_QM - I'll take you back - Jeremy Camp

Luke 22:31-34
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”


Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends while on earth.  He was bold and quick to defend the faith.  But Jesus knew what was coming.  Peter would be tempted, and he would fall.  I read some commentaries about this passage.  I never really paid much attention to that fact that Jesus called Peter by his given name "Simon".  Some think that this was deliberate.  "Peter" means rock, indicating solid and steadfastness.  Jesus knew "Simon" would not stand strong for the temptation that was coming, so He called him by his given name.  But notice that Jesus repeated the name:  "Simon, Simon".  Again, generally, when we see a name repeated, a sincere earnestness and love towards the person being addressed.  We see it in Exodus 3:4 the LORD God calling out to Moses with strong familiarity and affection:  "And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I."
We see the same thing in Genesis 22:11:  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”

Just like with Abraham and Moses, Jesus wanted to get Peter's attention because what He was about to say was critical.  He wanted Peter to know that HE would take Peter back - even when after his denial that was coming.  Jesus also wanted "Simon" to remember that he was vulnerable to Satan's attack, but the important think to remember was that "Peter" would rise up after that horrible denial to strengthen the others.

I found it interested that many bible translations recognize that the "you" above is plural - not singular.  Which seems to indicate that Jesus was warning Peter that  more than one of the apostles/disciples would be tempted.  And that when Peter turned back to Him, he was to help the others by strengthening their faith.  This plural "you" fits since almost all of the others did turn away, leaving Jesus alone to face the crucifixion.

Why did God allow Satan to "sift them like wheat"?  HE is in control and He has power over the Enemy.  We see here and in Job, that Satan cannot "sift" anyone without God's permission, so why would HE allow this to happen ever?  But especially at this critical time when Jesus needed his friends, didn't HE?

Over the years, I've heard many people testify to the power of enduring through struggles.  Though the struggles are never fun, an amazing thing happens. Those who endure, those who keep their eyes on Christ, trusting in Him, come through those difficult times stronger and more deeply reliant on Jesus.  Their faith is made stronger and that makes them powerful witnesses.  Others see their faith and are drawn to the One who gives them  unexplainable Strength.  That is part of God's purpose and plan for each of us - to be a light that reflects Jesus to the lost so that they can come to know Him. 

The story of Peter denying Jesus is hard to read.  It hurts me for Peter.  It hurts me for Jesus. I think for Peter, nothing would have been worse than turning his back on His Friend.  The guilt and shame of that moment could have destroyed him.  I'm certain that Satan used that moment in time to attack Peter throughout his life.  Nothing else would have discouraged him and made him feel more worthless that that denial.  But Jesus gave him something to hold to.  He threw Peter a life line of hope and love.  "When you have repented and turn to me again" - that one sentence had such purpose.  Jesus is saying "Simon, Simon, I know how you're going to feel but do not let Satan win this battle.  You will get through this.  And when you do, you must help the others to be strong.  Don't let them give up!"

After Peter denied Jesus, after the crucifixion and resurrection, Peter goes back to fishing.  I can just imagine how depressed and discouraged he must have felt.  He had been the leader of the apostles - strong in his faith, willing to die with Jesus if he had to, but then...

Now, Jesus has shown Himself to the disciples.  They know without a doubt He is the Messiah.  But they go fishing!  Jesus has some serious work for them to do, and so He appears once again.  Watch how he turns to Simon Peter.

John 21
Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened.  Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.


Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.  The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

“Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

“I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

Three times Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Do you love me?"   Three times. 

Three denials followed by three strong professions of love.  How perfect.

Jesus used Peter to spread the Good News to the Jews and some Gentiles.  He used Peter to encourage and teach and admonish the other apostles and followers.  Peter was a strong, steadfast rock.  He understood where his strength came from, and it wasn't form "Simon".  It was from His Savior, Jesus the Christ.  Without that time of struggle, without the temptation, Peter may have never known where the source of his strength. 
The denials humbled him and caused him to rely completely on Jesus from that day forward. 

LORD God, I don't like the struggles, but I do want a faith like Peter's.  I want to be a rock for Jesus, steadfast, unmovable in my faith.  I want to be Your witness to others.  You've give me the most wonderful gift of all, Salvation in Jesus' Name.  I want everyone I know to have that Gift, to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Help me to see the struggles as  a Divine refining process that You will use to strengthen me, a tool You can use to help me keep my eyes on Jesus.  I don't like to suffer or hurt, or watch family and friends hurt, and I know as much as I hate it, You hate it even more, because You love them even more than I do.  So I put all my trust in You and Your perfect plan.  Use me, mold me into the person I need to be so that You, Lord, will be lifted up in my life.  In the precious Name of Jesus I pray these things. Amen.


http://youtu.be/t6awdZ1cekk - Refiner's Fire - Hillsong