You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again I bless Your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down You pick me up
When I get dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all
Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is Your name
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Interview with Rick Warren
Regardless of how religious you are, thisis very true. This is a great interview with Rick Warren. He wrote thePurpose Driven Life. You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife nowhaving cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutelyincredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor ofSaddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People askme, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life ispreparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wantsus to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and thatwill be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but Iam going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act- the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will doforever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figurethat out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you arein one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to gointo another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested inyour character than your comfort; God is more interested in making yourlife holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth,but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christlikeness.
This past year has been the greatest yearof my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. Iused to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time,then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.Rather than life being hills and valleys,I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and atall times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life,there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matterhow bad things are in your life, there is always something good you canthank (your) God for.. You can focus on your purposes, or you canfocus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, whichis my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to getrid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We discovered quickly that in spite of theprayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kayor make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet Godhas strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people,given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the goodand the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal withthe good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, whenthe book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that Ihad never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money ornotoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.. So I began to ask God what He wanted me todo with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passagesthat helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in,we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.Second, about midway through last year, Istopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiativewe call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor,care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church hadpaid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to livefor possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt?Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (formy life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on theside of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, Iwant to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth justto fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what Ido. That's why we're called human beings, nothuman doings. Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. God's Blessings.
This past year has been the greatest yearof my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. Iused to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time,then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.Rather than life being hills and valleys,I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and atall times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life,there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matterhow bad things are in your life, there is always something good you canthank (your) God for.. You can focus on your purposes, or you canfocus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, whichis my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to getrid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We discovered quickly that in spite of theprayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kayor make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet Godhas strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people,given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the goodand the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal withthe good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, whenthe book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that Ihad never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money ornotoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.. So I began to ask God what He wanted me todo with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passagesthat helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in,we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.Second, about midway through last year, Istopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiativewe call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor,care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church hadpaid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to livefor possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt?Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (formy life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on theside of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, Iwant to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth justto fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what Ido. That's why we're called human beings, nothuman doings. Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD. God's Blessings.
Monday, March 23, 2009
give thanks
How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? Psalm 116:12
We ask the Lord to help us and provide for us each day; he gives us health, riches, honour and strength. Many times we forget to stop and thank the Lord for all that he has given us. The Lord has shown his mercy to us and he wants to hear our thanks and praises. When you thank him for all that he has done; his goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
Prayer,
Heavenly father, I come before your presence. Lord I thank and praise you for all that you have given unto me. I thank you for your love and mercy, for the strength that you have given to me and for blessing my family. You alone deserve all the praise. Help me to remember all that you have done for me. With faith I commit everything into your loving hands. All this I ask in Jesus name. Amen
We ask the Lord to help us and provide for us each day; he gives us health, riches, honour and strength. Many times we forget to stop and thank the Lord for all that he has given us. The Lord has shown his mercy to us and he wants to hear our thanks and praises. When you thank him for all that he has done; his goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.
Prayer,
Heavenly father, I come before your presence. Lord I thank and praise you for all that you have given unto me. I thank you for your love and mercy, for the strength that you have given to me and for blessing my family. You alone deserve all the praise. Help me to remember all that you have done for me. With faith I commit everything into your loving hands. All this I ask in Jesus name. Amen
Sunday, March 15, 2009
fear of man
VERSE: Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. -- Proverbs 29:25
THOUGHT: Jesus told us not to fear other human opponents (Lk. 12:4-5). When we try to please others, when we fear what others may say or do to us, we place ourselves in a position of great vulnerability. Our lives no longer remain our own. We become captive to what others think, want, or threaten. We are to trust only the LORD and reverence him. In God is our safety, both now, and forevermore.
PRAYER: Please keep me safe, O LORD, from those who oppose me and would do me harm. Make my life a holy praise to honor you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
THOUGHT: Jesus told us not to fear other human opponents (Lk. 12:4-5). When we try to please others, when we fear what others may say or do to us, we place ourselves in a position of great vulnerability. Our lives no longer remain our own. We become captive to what others think, want, or threaten. We are to trust only the LORD and reverence him. In God is our safety, both now, and forevermore.
PRAYER: Please keep me safe, O LORD, from those who oppose me and would do me harm. Make my life a holy praise to honor you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Friday, March 6, 2009
flower of life
Flower of Life
A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life.
A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life.
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