I love Emily White

me: I'm scared...
Emily: You should live in fear, you live in Irving.

Emily: I think I'm gonna die
me: oh, you probably just have gas

Confessions

I've decided to take up "confessions" and copy Christina (again).
Confession #1: My heart hurts and has hurt for quite a while.
Confession #2: I'm co-dependent. My mood depends on others.
Confession #3: I don't know God. I don't seek Him. I don't love God.
Confession #4: I think I'm mad at Him.
Confession #5: I didn't mean to turn out this way
Confession #6: I dare to think God is not just.

Martin Luther

-God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars.
-I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.
-I shall never be a heretic; I may err in dispute, but I do not wish to decide anything finally; on the other hand, I am not bound by the opinions of men.
-Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
-No man ought to lay a cross upon himself, or to adopt tribulation, as is done in popedom; but if a cross or tribulation come upon him, then let him suffer it patiently, and know that it is good and profitable for him.
-Reason is the enemy of faith. The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
-The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven.
-There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage. (aww)

"One night I had a dream. A woman clutched a little girl, struggling to hold her child's head above the water. Nearby, a wave plunged a man into it's salty depths. He choked for airas he thrashed his arms against a ceiling of water. All around, the ocean churned with drowning people, gasping for air and desperately trying to push their heads above the surface. Their screams were doused by the roar of the relentless waves. Their cries caught the wind, but only in vain. They were alone int heir terror, with no help in sight. Then a huge rock appeared, and a voice called into the darkness. People began crawling up the rock's craggy sides to safety. But when they got to safety, something happenedthat drove me almost goofy. The people who emerged from the waves got busy. The got involved in builing rock gardens, rock lives, rock jobs, listening to their rock music, and going to rock meetings where they talked about the people who were still drowning in the ocean. But nobody went back to the water's edge to help.....I yelled at the top of my lungs, 'How could you forget you were once in the sea?!' As I watched the 'saved' scurry about their rock work and as I listened to their rock talk, I realized the rock was the cross of Calvary. The voice they heard was Jesus, calling by the power of the Holy Spirit, inviting them to come join Him. He's never high up on the rock where it's safe; He's calling from the ocean's edge, where the dead, deseased, and the lost are found, and as you might recall, that's where He found you. Did you know that as few as 5-10% of the people in an average church have shared their faith in the past year?That means 90% of us have chosen the sin of silence. Just like in my dream, those who were drowning have gotten so busy and involved with the safety of "the Rock," they've forgotten to reach out to those who are still drowning."

Need Rest

"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.

I hate how Satan always ruins my humility....ok yes, i know. All you theologians, I know I let him....because Satan can't make me do anything....yada yada. But I did everything I was supposed to, I said everything I was supposed to....Why am I still in anguish? Why am I being crucified? Christ has already done that for me....I've already been raised with Christ!

Topical Study

Many either take the sovereignty of God for granted or fail to understand it more thoroughly beyond the facts that God exists and is working to some degree in our lives. But we need to see how intimately and actively He is involved. He is more than casually involved in the operations of His creation, and this includes each of us personally and individually.

Humans can literally lose themselves in their work by devoting to it all their time and energy to the exclusion of everything else. We call these people "focused" or "single-minded," and this often leads to relationship problems. There is no telling how many marriages or friendships have been ruined by this intensity of purpose. God is deeply involved in operating His creation. Unlike a man, however, God will never "lose" Himself in what He is doing at any given moment because the capacity of His powers and the perfection of His nature prohibit such a thing. Is our concept of God "big" enough to include such a thought? Our understanding of God must be growing, otherwise our faith will be severely limited.

God expresses Himself with great diversity in both the animate and inanimate elements of creation. Nonetheless, the laws of nature operate and keep everything under control. Because we are so attuned to law, we are naturally and subtly persuaded to think that God made things and then stepped aside to let laws regulate them. Does God really need to manage or govern His creation actively?

Psalm 22:28 supplies the answer: "For the kingdom is the LORD'S, and He rules over the nations." Notice, "rules" is an active verb, and "nations" is plural! He manages, keeps under control, or directs everything according to His own purpose. God did not create then step away from what He made; He does not allow His creation to operate on its own. We are not subject to uniform, impersonal law but a sovereign God actively controlling the operations of His creation!

feeling defeated

All too often I lose sight of the meaning of the Cross. I keep putting that "veil" over my eyes and fall back into that dilluted vision that my life is my own...I feel so much like Apostle Paul --"I do the things I do not want to do, and don't do the things I do want to." And then I realize I've fallen into a spiritual coma and deceive myself by thinking I'm slave to my sin and that "nobody's perfect"....CH!

Romans 6
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?....17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

I'm here for Him-Holy God. I get so caught up in living the life He gave me, I forget why He gave it to me....to glorify Him. All of these pleasures we find here on earth can't amount to the pleasure I can find glorifying Him...so why do I choose them over Him? God, help me to never lose sight of the "bigger picture".

Lord, I have said the eternal Yes.
Let me never, having put my hand to the plough, look back.
Make straight the way of the cross before me.
Give me love, that there may be no room for a wayward thought or step.

nonsensical ventilation

My friendship was apparently easily disposed of. Why couldn't I have just given everything to Him, instead of fulfilling my own wants and leaning on myself? So now my disobediance has come back to bite me in the ars........

And can you forgive just like that? I know God does...but we are sinful beings....so is it possible to forgive in the blink of an eye? Is it wrong to think of it as a process?????? As long as you plan to eventually accomplish forgiveness??? although, we're not promised tomorrow....we're not promised today....so you should do it as soon as possible, eh? And how do you know if you've forgiven someone....? we obviously can't forget it. and we are told "above all else guard your hearts" so we also can prepare to not let it happen again....and it can still hurt after you've forgiven someone right? or does the hurt go away too?


I'm so hurt...God- i need You...

Trust...and keep a quiet heart

Lord, give to me a quiet heart
That does not ask to understand,
But confidently steps forward in
The darkness guided by Thy hand. -Elisabeth Elliot


Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,
Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with Thee?

Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute
While Thou art silent, and the wind is shrill:
Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, art in it?
Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?

Amy Carmichael
Toward Jerusalem

Haggai 2:11-14

(11) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying,(12) If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. (13) Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. (14) Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.


To both questions the priests give a correct answer. Using the laws of clean and unclean, God points out a principle that applies to Christians today. Very simply, God says that it is impossible for God's holiness, in us because of our relationship with Him and the indwelling of His Spirit, to pass from us to the world. In other words, if a holy thing touches a profane thing, the profane item does not become holy.

On the other hand, the attitude of the world, if it comes in contact with His people, can pass from the world into us. Using the above wording, if a profane thing touches a holy thing, the holy item is contaminated. The spiritual principle for today's Christian is obvious: The world will contaminate your holiness, if you are not on guard against it.

What right would you give up?

I was in Government yesterday when my teacher asked the class:

What right would you give up?


Religion: 3 would give their right to religion up.
Speech: 4 would give up their freedom of speech.
Press: 3 would give up their freedom of the press.
Assembly: 1 would give up his right to assemble.
Petition: 13 would give up their right to petition.

"exchristian"

I came across this site last year...it's crap for so many reasons. One being-you can't lose your salvation, so there is no such thing as an "exchristian". It saddened me...

http://www.exchristian.net

I want to be known in Hell as a threat

Rascal Flatts

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on
I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on

Chorus
I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on

I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on

Encourager Conference May 1-5

Dr. Paige Patterson
As the eighth president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Paige Patterson brings 28 years of experience in the education of pastors and missionaries. The focus of his ministry is made up of an intense commitment to evangelism. He will be bringing the evening messages.


Dr. David Allen
David Allen served as senior pastor of MBBC from 2000-2005 and currently is the Dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He will be bringing the messages at the noon services.


Chad Fletcher
Chad Fletcher, the worship pastor at MBBC, will be leading praise and worship for all the services.

should I feel bad I find this amusing?

Dr. Phil's test

Your total score is 50

Interpretation of Results
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

we might as well be Sodom and Gamora

I write this to show you what an awful state we are in, as Americans. When police are arresting those that are trying to bring relief with water or ice chips to someone who’s hydration was taken (leaving her to die of starvation and dehydration), something is terribly wrong.

Michael Schiavo claimed malpractice and won 1,000,000 dollars. 700,000 dollars for Terri’s rehab and 300,000 dollars for him personally to assist her.

At that trial, he testified under oath that it was his desire to care for Terri for the rest of her life. At that case he made no mention of any comments by her that she wouldn’t want to live in such a state.

Later however, Michael shares with the Schindler family and to the courts that Terri had indicated one time when they were newly married that she would never want to live like that.

Her family and friends disputed that since she was a devout Roman Catholic, she wouldn’t have wanted to be taken off the feeding tube or hydration.

Florida statutes state:
1. diagnosed to be in a perpetual vegetative state with no hope of recovery
2. if it has been so stated in writing by the patient

This is what the press wasn’t telling us:
Barbara Weller, an attorney for Terri Schiavo's parents, essentially told Terri, "You had better say you want to live or they will kill you. Just say you want to live." Terri responded with a drawn out, "IIIIII," then screamed out "waaaaaaaa" so loudly that a police officer stationed outside the room came in.

“Just as what happened in Germany prior to Hitler’s rise to power, when euthanasia and abortions were legalized, it is conceivable that we are being prepared and desensitized to the horrible deaths of innocents, in preparation to accept genocide. You can see other examples of how we’ve turned away from modern cases, Rwanda, Africa, etc., where tens upon thousands of people are being murdered by Islamists.”

The lawyer on Michael’s side is very much a part in euthanasia and he says by looking into a persons eyes, he can tell whether or not they want to live or die and if he “sees” they want to die, he will assist you in killing yourself.

Michael was also very good friends with the judge in that case. Judge Greer should never have been able to reside over that case.

This really hacks me off! I mean Michael was basically given permission by the government to murder his wife! Gosh! What else?! And the "great" state of California is thinking about making euthanaisa legal...In case you're wondering what Euthanasia is, it's:
Nazi euphemism for the deliberate killings of institutionalized physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped people. The euthanasia program began in 1939, with German non-Jews as the first victims. The program was later extended to Jews.

Identified or Simply Interested?

I have been crucified with Christ . . .
—Galatians 2:20

The inescapable spiritual need each of us has is the need to sign the death certificate of our sin nature. I must take my emotional opinions and intellectual beliefs and be willing to turn them into a moral verdict against the nature of sin; that is, against any claim I have to my right to myself. Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ . . . ." He did not say, "I have made a determination to imitate Jesus Christ," or, "I will really make an effort to follow Him"-but-"I have been identified with Him in His death." Once I reach this moral decision and act on it, all that Christ accomplished for me on the Cross is accomplished in me. My unrestrained commitment of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to grant to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.

". . . it is no longer I who live . . . ." My individuality remains, but my primary motivation for living and the nature that rules me are radically changed. I have the same human body, but the old satanic right to myself has been destroyed.

". . . and the life which I now live in the flesh," not the life which I long to live or even pray that I live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh-the life which others can see, "I live by faith in the Son of God . . . ." This faith was not Paul’s own faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith the Son God had given to him (see Ephesians 2:8 ). It is no longer a faith in faith, but a faith that transcends all imaginable limits-a faith that comes only from the Son of God.

3 things I absolutely cannot stand:

1. How 5 or 6 people walk slowly side by side through the halls at Mac.
2. Stupid drivers like the one I encountered today....I was changing lanes and as soon as I put my blinker on, the idiot behind me decides he'd like to change lanes real quick and get in front of me. So as I was moving over, he gets right beside me and honks his horn like crazy as if I were running him off the road. Then I just marveled in astonishment at the stupidity of this guy as he changes back to the lane we started from!!! Grrrrr. I seriously wanted to run over the guys head!! I am not a hostile person normally I assure you.
3. How many people get so caught up in the politics of the the church, that they forget what and Who it's all about. Many are so rigid and hellbent on how they feel things should be done, they're not allowing themselves to hear God and His plans....There are some people who've forgotten we are all part of the Body of Christ and committies aren't formed to make all the decisions for the Body but rather with the Body. And it really does frustrate me how lately people in the church are so concerned about the politics, they forget why they were made. In more secular terms...like how the seperation of church and state was formed to keep the government from telling people how and who to worship but now-a-days people are twisting it around to mean there's no place for God in our courtrooms, schools, and press. It hacks me off. "Jesus said to them, 'Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.'"-Matthew 12:24-26 (NASB). In the same way, the church divided against itself cannot stand.

P.S. Go here!! http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/lyle_24/myhero.html

I am a disciple of Christ

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lifted by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear.

I want all I am to die, so all He is can come alive

Til everyone I talk to hears His voiceAnd everything I touch feels the warmth of His handTil everyone I meetSees Jesus in meThis is all I wanna be I wanna be mistakenFor JesusI wanna be wrapped up in Jesus. So much that it's as if I weren't even living but Him living through me. I hate myself. I hate the sin. I hate the hold I think the sin has on my life...but it doesn't have a hold on me!! The Bible says that we are no longer slaves to sin...we've been released from the "past code" through Jesus Christ. So it's only my selfishness and pride pulling me down.
Romans 6:6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, [ Or be rendered powerless] that we should no longer be slaves to sin–
Romans 7:15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Ephesians 4:22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;