Start! The Bible for New Believers, NKJV, a review

Book Description (What they say)

Start! The Bible for New Believers, NKJV was developed to help those beginning a brand new life of faith to place their trust in Jesus Christ while refreshing the foundations of the faith for longtime believers. START! is designed to take the hand of a new believer, or perhaps a believer who does not know their way around the Bible as they ought to, and lead them through. All of the notes are written to be understandable, conversational, and friendly while never assume that the reader knows what all the words mean. Start! The Bible for New Believers focuses on basic discipleship with articles and devotions on subjects including prayer, Bible study, church involvement, sharing your faith, and discovering God's will. Core biblical themes are introduced at basic levels of theological sophistication and presented in very simple language. Features include: · Grow entries, revealing key disciplines of the Christian life. · Know articles, exposing the core beliefs of Christians. · Live messages, focusing on various aspects of salvation. · Learn notes, providing mini-commentaries on key passages for spiritual growth. · Topical Index to articles and Scriptures · Secrets to Spiritual Success from the General Editor Greg Laurie – a crusading pastor and author who has impacted over four million people with the Gospel message, and seen well over 340,000 people come forward to make professions of faith in Christ.

 My Take

The Start! Bible is a great resource for new Christians. The NKJV is a great bridge between the traditional King James Version and our modern language. The Start! Bible starts with the plan of salvation and Secrets to Spiritual Success. It ends with What Every Christian Needs to Know about God and Jesus. It also has a topical index. Each chapter contains an introduction which sets the stage for readers to better understand where the writer is coming from. I love that chapters are broken up with subtitles that help new Christians find their way in the Bible. Key scriptures are printed in bold, large fonts. Know, Learn, Grow and Live sections provide application.

The Start! Bible would be a great Bible to provide new Christians or for ministers who work with new Christians.


I was provided this book for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

I am a Promise!

Just sharing some of the cutest kids in the world!

Heaven Is For Real!

Book Description from the publisher:

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready there is a coming last battle.

My Take:

Born and raised in a Baptist preacher's home, I was always taught to be skeptical of anyone's near death experience, so it was with skepticism that I approached this book. I was pleasantly surprised though. I'm the mom of a 4 year old, who like Colton, has been in church her whole life. I know what she knows about the Bible, because for the most part, I'm the one who taught her. The descriptions of Colton are far from what is contained in the preschool Sunday school curriculum. Beyond my own skeptical nature, this book is a wonderful testimony of God's love and faithfulness. It was uplifting to read. It is thought provoking and emotion invoking!

As I was curled up in bed reading, my 4 year old came in and curled up next to me and said, "Read to me, Mommy!" So, we laid in bed together reading about Colton's heavenly experiences. She loved the book which got me thinking about her imaginary friend, Inky. Could Inky be an angel or the Holy Spirit? We never know what children are able to understand in the spirit.

Check it out for yourself! I would love to hear other people's take on it!

My next book review will be Start! The Bible for New Believers. I can't wait to check this one out! Here's a sample for you!

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

Adventures in Booga Booga Land - Volume 1 (DVD)

 This week I'm reviewing a kids' DVD for Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program.

The introduction episode introduces us to  the Marty the monkey and Gerard the Giraffe. Each adventure relates to the parables of Jesus. Episode 1 conveys the parable of The Workers in the Vineyard with its story of how Marty and Gerard get a job  and learns that the boss, Stan, can be generous to others who don't deserve it. Episodes 2 portrays Marty and Gerard as the Wise and Foolish Builders.  The final episode,  The Lamp under The Bowl, features our heroes building a lighthouse and keeping it lit.  These stories are appropriate for early elementary aged children.

I watched the DVD with my 4 year old daughter. Personally, it lacked substance for me, but she loved it. The animation and silly situational comedy reminded me of several cartoons that come on the kids channels that contain such questionable material...think cellulose in pants. There were instances of minor violence, Marty's improper use of power tools and Gerard's using dynamite to explode the rocks, but over all it was nothing compared to what is found on TV. I didn't find it offensive, but then I don't leave power tools laying around for my daughter to find. 

The lighthouse episode totally lost me. It was unclear what the light was that Marty and Gerard were catching in the bottles that eventually provided light for the lighthouse.

Overall, my child loved it. She watched it over and over again which is honestly the true test of a good kids DVD.

I was provided this DVD for free in exchange for my review through the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program.

What God Really Thinks of Women

Standing in the book section of my local Wal-Mart, I'm browsing through the selection of Christian literature. As nursery director, I spend most Sunday services in the nursery. I love doing nursery since my child is in there, but miss out on hearing God's word in the service. I was really excited to hear that our church was starting a new women's Bible Study only to find out that it was scheduled on a day that I have to work (at the church), so I can't attend. Our Tuesday night Bible study has been put on hold, because several members are not able to attend. So, my heart went searching for God's word and came across What God Really Thinks of Women by Sharon Jaynes.

It starts off with a discussion of what the world thinks of women. The author gives an in depth account of the history of the Bible and how women were viewed. As I was reading the introductory chapters, I just had to share the quotes from Aristotle, Socrates and Plato with my husband! We had a good chuckle about the male chauvinistic ideals of the past.  The pharisees of the Jesus' day prayed everyday, thanking God that they had not been born a woman! Wow! How must that have made their wives feel?  My husband, even if he had these thoughts, knows better than to say them aloud.

 Sharon Jaynes is a true storyteller! I loved the way she made the reader step into the world of each of the women that Jesus spent time with. Being able to experience Mary Magdalene's face-to-face encounter with our Risen Lord at the tomb brought new understanding of how Christ loves me personally.

As the daughter of a retired pastor, raised in a church where women were to be seen and not heard (except from the children's ministry wing, the insights in this book have given me a new outlook on where God wants me to be in my future ministry.

What are you reading currently? How is God speaking to you?

Finding Peace In The Midst Of The Storm

A friend asked me to write on this topic for her. I decided that I would post it on my blog for others struggling with the storms of life:

Hmmmm...my first thought is that Peace is not something that you find. It is something that you either have or don't. Our peace comes from Christ, the knowledge that no matter what is happening around us at the moment, God is still on His throne. He is in control and knows the best for us.

We live in a temporary world, but because our spirits are eternal, we confuse what is happening today with the eternal. We think that there is nothing in this world that is eternal except the gospel of Christ, but we as humans living in a temporary world are hardwired for the eternal. We think that the problem we face today is so terrible that we can't go on, but don't realize the problem is temporary.

My peace comes from the fact that I am not alone in my suffering and problems. And nothing that I am experiencing is new. Everything that is happening in my life has happened to others before me.
Hebrews 12:1-2 -  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

My faith and actions determine what will happen next. I can allow my life to thrive in Christ or I can be destroyed by Satan. It is my choice. Yet even when I mess up and don't make the right decisions, God is able to work that out too.

All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

God knows your name. He knows who and what you are and He loves you anyway. That is the peace. He wants what is best for you. That brings peace. His hand is always open to you. His desire is for your best. Jeremiah 29:11. If only we will take His hand, He will lead us through the storm. That is true peace.

Quit fighting Him. Release the strongholds that are surrounding you. Free yourself to worship Him in a way that you have never done before. All He wants is for you to love Him as much as He loves you. He wants your praise and adoration. You have to completely give Him your all. You have to lay down your life, your illness, your panic attacks, your desires to Him. You have to ask Him to heal you completely, then accept that He has done it and never concern yourself with it again. All too often, we ask for healing. We pray fervent prayers asking God to take away our suffering. Then, we walk away from the  altar with one eye looking back at what we asked to be healed of. We pray and then walk away thinking, "sure hope that worked." That is not faith. God doesn't work like that. We have to believe it. COMPLETELY. Give your life fully to Him and watch what He can do.

Over a year ago, I asked God to heal me of my obesity. I believe that God could have gone zap! and the excess weight would have fallen to the floor, but He didn't. I believe that God is doing a work in my life that takes time. He is molding and shaping my mind as He molds my body. He is teaching me obedience through this experience. Do I believe that God is answering my prayer? Absolutely! Do I believe that God even cares if I weigh 150 lbs or 339lbs? Absolutely! He cares because He loves me. If it matters to me, it matters to God. I am His child and just as my heart breaks when I see Ellie cry, God's heart breaks when I cry. That is where my peace comes from. From knowing that God loves me so much that He will not let any thing happen to me that I can not handle. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor. 10:13

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:23

2.2 Pounds More!!! Gone that is!!!

WooHoo! I'm down to 271.8#! Only one more and I will get another 5# star. I just live for those stars! I know it is just a silly gold star, but it represents something to me. I heard of one WWer who would buy a 5# bag of sugar every time she lost 5# and would put it on her counter as a reminder of what she had lost. While that is kind of a cool reminder, I'm not sure that I want to waste counter space on (currently) thirteen bags of sugar. By the time I hit my ultimate goal that would be a LOT of sugar! If only I could afford gold bars. I could put them on the counter. They are more dense, so they wouldn't take up as much space and in the end, I would have a nice little nest egg. As of today and at today's prices, I would have $1,043,368.32 of gold in my kitchen and you know what? That is about the right value for the weight I have lost.

My! aren't I Little Miss Sunshine today? Yuck! What is up with that! I guess I'm just pleased with my losses so far. I'm averaging 1.7# per week which I'm happy with. On the home-front, I'm ready to beat my twenty year old stepson for not doing his share around the house, but other than that, I'm in a pretty good mood.

Oh! While I am thinking about it, do you like prizes? I do!!! Prior Fat Girl has a giveaway going on for a cook book and apron. She has a couple of really great looking recipes on her blog from the cookbook too. Now, go to her blog and check it out, cook you up some chicken or fish, but if you win...ok, I'll still be happy for you.

God is blessing us! I just had a knock on the door. A lady that I met through Freecycle just came by to drop off a bike and a scooter for my daughter! I'm so excited! My little girl has been saving up for a bike for a long time now. I'm so excited to be able to give her one in the mean time while she saves up for a bigger one in the future! God is good!

Praying like a child

My daughter said her first prayer last Sunday. It went something like this, “Mumble, mumble, Jesus. (peek at Mommy to see if I’m doing this right) Amen!” It was a very proud day for my family. Since Sunday, she has been praying all the time. On the way home from work the other day, she prayed from Mandeville to Lacombe. While her first prayer was pretty simple, her prayers have become more elaborate. She prays for family members, her kitty cats and her dolls. She prayed for her daddy to come home from work and for her poppa to “feel better”. She thanked God for the satsumas that her grandma brought. What amazes me is her simple faith and how easy her prayers flow.
How often do we make prayer more difficult than it needs to be? Is prayer a struggle for you or is it like talking to a friend? My Baptist upbringing led me to believe that prayers needed to be flowery with lots of fancy words. After listening to years of deacons and pastors praying long-winded, poetic prayers, a person can get a complex. God wants us to pray to him. He desires us to come to him as children in simple faith. Spend time today in the arms of our Father. Praise Him for Who He is. Thank Him for His blessings big and small. Ask for His forgiveness for your failures. Give Him your burdens and know that He loves you and will not forsake you. Blessings to you!

And the giant came tumbling down

Only a boy named David,
Only a little sling
Only a boy named David,
But he could pray and sing
Only a boy named David,
Only a rippling brook
Only a boy named David,
But five little stones he took.
And one little stone went in the sling,
And the sling went round and round
And one little stone went in the sling,
And the sling went round and round
And round and round,
And round and round,
And round and round and round
And one little prayer went up to God
And the giant came tumbling down.

My daughter and I were driving in the car this week, listening to a children’s Bible song CD when this song started to play. It got me thinking about the story of David and Goliath. I started wondering why David got five stones from the stream. Did he have a crisis of faith? Did he think that God wouldn’t protect him with just one stone? Why five? Why did God feel that it was important to tell us that David took five stones, but killed Goliath on the first try?

This is what David said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 1 Sam. 17:45-47 I don’t think that David was struggling with his faith. David brought the 4 extra stones along in case the rest of the Philistine army attacked. When I think about the fact that he only brought 5 stones to defeat an entire army, it really puts the story in a different perspective.

Think about that as it applies to our daily lives. Do we prepare ourselves for the battle? Do we come against the enemy “in the name of the LORD Almighty?” Or do we hide in our tents like the army of Israel? No matter what battle you are fighting today, fight it in the name of the LORD Almighty and victory will be yours! Blessings to you!

Trust Him

What a difference 2 weeks makes! Two weeks ago, we were facing Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf. People were evacuating and boarding up. The sun was shining and bright, but we walking around with the memories of Katrina and the trepidation of Gustav. As I write this, Ike sits just south of our shores and is churning up thunderstorms, but the mood is light and free. The weather forecasts put Ike’s arrival in Texas and we put our trust in their prediction. The peace that we have this week knowing that the storm may pass by us, but won’t cause the damage of the past.

We trust in the forecasters, because they have proven themselves trustworthy by predicting accurately in the past. Likewise, Christ can be trusted. How often do we forget to put our trust in Him. He is always there. He is always right. He is all we need in the storms of life. Trust Him today!

Control your words

As I stopped in the library today, I saw Audra. She and I stopped and talked for a moment. She commented on my lack of voice and how she had had the same thing. I looked at one of her co-workers and said, “Can you tell we are from the same church?” He smiled and nodded. It seems like every family in our church has been struck with this cold that is going around. It shouldn’t take an illness for people to know we are Christians though. People should know from how you live your life. Is what comes out of your mouth from God?
1 PETER 4:11 NIV anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. . . .
When you speak what the Bible says, you are speaking the very words of God. Anything contrary to what the Bible says, should never be spoken by a Christian.
EPHESIANS 4:29 NIV Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
JAMES 4:11 NKJ Do not speak evil of one another. . .
TITUS 3:2 NKJ to speak evil of no one . . . .
You are responsible for what you say. If you cannot say something good, the Bible is clear: keep quiet.
SAY THIS: Lord please help me to keep quiet unless I have something to say that would be acceptable to you.

Shaped by God

One of my favorite classes I ever took was an adult education pottery class when I was living in Orlando, Florida. I have always read in the Bible about God being the potter and Christians being the clay, but it didn’t really strike me until I attended this class what that really meant. Most folks think of a potter as a person who sits at the wheel and shapes pots, but there is so much more to it than that. Old world potters will go out and dig up the clay themselves. In class we were given 10 pound blocks of grey clay that was already cleaned and ready to work, but this isn’t so for most artist. They must remove the impurities from the clay through “pugging” in a mill. Next the clay is wedged. Wedging is a process of cutting and kneading the clay to remove impurities and air. When I think of wedging, I think about how God prepares us for a relationship with Him, how he cuts out the parts of our lives that don’t belong.

The next step is centering the clay on the wheel. This is a critical step for pot stability. The clay is smacked onto the wheel with a great deal of force. Then with wet hands the potter centers the clay by applying pressure to the sides to raise it up. The clay is then forced downward into a hockey puck shape. Most students are confused by this step. They don’t understand why the master potter would raise up the clay only to push it back down flatter than it was in the beginning. Centering creates a firm foundation for the pot to stand. In the Christian life we too have our ups and downs. God puts pressure on us to help center us.

After the clay is centered and has a firm foundation, the potter opens up the clay using downward pressure of her thumb into the center of the clay. The clay is opened up with pressure on the base and side of the pot, then it is pulled up. The master starts at the base of the vessel and pulls it up to the height desired. This is the step where student potters go awry. The master knows that the pressure on the inside of the pot must be balance with pressure on the outside. When I think about pulling the clay up, I remind myself that when there is pressure one side of me, the Master’s hand is providing counter pressure to guide my shape. Nothing is done in my life that the Master’s hand is not in. He is the potter. …to be continued …Jeremiah 18:1-17

Strength to Endure

My mother is the source of my physical grace and athletic abilities. Mom and I were both blessed with the “slip and fall” gene. When I was in college, Mom and Dad started a janitorial business. Mom’s favorite job was waxing floors. She loved using the buffer; she loved how the floors shined after they were done. One day while waxing the floors in Slidell at the Hibernia Bank, Mom slipped on the wet wax and fell. She hit her head and dented the buffer, but that was minor compared to what she did to her back. Unknowingly, my mother had ruptured a disk in her back. After being in pain for several weeks, the doctors did tests and the ruptured disk. The solution was to remove the disk surgically. The surgery, recovery and therapy were marginally successful and several years later her surgeon suggested that a spinal fusion would be the solution. These were dark times for our family. Mom suffered a deep depression from the medication and pain that she suffered. On many occasions, Mom said that she had done everything she wanted to accomplish in life and was ready to die. The hardest prayer I ever prayed was that if God wasn’t going to heal my mom, please take her. God healed Mom and she is a vibrant 69 year old now. She has a grand daughter, who keeps her active. When I think of the person Mom was ten years ago and who she is now, I am amazed at the transformation.

Often in the Christian life, we expect that once we are saved suffering ends. This isn’t true. The Bible is filled with Godly men and women who suffered. The Bible gives us these examples to teach us how to handle suffering. Our greatest example comes from the life of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus pled to His Father in Heaven, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). The Savior of the world was left alone by His Father to experience suffering. Of His own free will and choice, Christ became the Atonement for our sins. Jesus knew who He was—the Son of God. He knew His purpose—to become our Atonement for sub. His vision was eternal—“to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
My prayer for you today, is that God will give you the strength to endure your suffering and the grace to overcome it! God Bless you.

Another Freebie!

I love this verse and hope you will find a use for it on your layouts and in your hearts!!! God bless all my readers! Click on the image download from 4shared.com.

I fixed the mistake on this one! So, be sure to download the new one!!!

Ready for Battle

The church is in a spiritual battle. The enemy is fighting to keep the Holy Spirit from working. The enemy is shrewd. He knows where our weaknesses are. He knows how to attack us in areas of our lives that we are most likely to falter. He is working against us. That is the bad news.

Here is the great news. We have been given the battle plan. We have been given the tools to fight our enemy and we are promised the victory. The Paul tells the Ephesians this:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18

Where is your armor? Are you wearing it? Are you ready for battle? Or is it rusting in the corner? Getting dusty on the shelf? Brush off your armor this week and spend some time in battle. Read your sword. Put on the belt of truth and helmet of salvation. Fit your feet with the gospel of peace. Sin in your life? Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Take up the shield of faith. I love what Paul says about faith, with which YOU can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one! Finally, pray in the spirit on all occasions! Keep on praying for all the saints! Are you ready for battle?

My Life Verse

I was asked this week to consider what verse in the Bible was my Life Verse, one verse that means something special to me. This was a hard one for me. Different verses have ministered to me at different times in my life. The first one that comes to mind is Jeremiah 29:11 -”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.” This verse reminds me that God isn’t out to get me. He loves me and wants me to prosper! As I kept reading in Jeremiah 29, I found verse 13 -You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. What a great promise!

Then I came across this verse 1 Peter 1:8-9 -”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” This is so true of a Christian!

Or maybe my Life Verse is Mark 11:24 -Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Another great promise for us as children of God.

So, what is your Life Verse? What does it mean to you? Spend some time in God’s Word this week and search for a verse that guides your Christian walk. Here’s the real challenge: share your Life Verse with 3 people this week and ask them what their Life Verse is. I would love to hear your Life Verse too. Email me at lori at ilovecornerstone dot com or leave me a comment.

Fear Not. . .

I was recently challenged to do a scrapbook page on my greatest fear and what they Bible says about fear. I did the page and listed my greatest fears and when I was satisfied with my accomplishment, I submitted the page. My greatest fears were:

1. Losing my family


2. Financial problems


3. Not having my entire family in Heaven


4. People not liking me

But then as I was sitting in church Sunday afternoon, God convicted me that I had not been honest with myself about my fears. My greatest fear is that I'm not good enough. I'm not a good enough wife; I'm not a good enough mother; I'm not a good enough friend, employee, or whatever. But most of all I am afraid that I'm not a good enough Christian. As I stood with outstretched hands toward Heaven singing, "In Your presence, I find peace, in Your presence, I find healing . . ." there was this still, small voice speaking to my heart. "No, you will never be good enough." Now for most folks, that might not seem very uplifting. "You don't have to be good enough, because I sent my Son to satisfy your failures. My grace is sufficient. My Son is better than good enough and I love you." In that moment, I stood in the presence of my Heavenly Father and basked in His love and peace. My prayer is that I won't forget this lesson and that with His help, I can give Him my fears.

The time is near....

I had a dream this morning that the day of the rapture was being preached from pulpits across the land. In the dream, Christians were preparing, because they knew the day that Christ was coming back. Christians were closing down their shops and giving away their possessions in anticipation for Christ's return. There was a supernatural feeling in the air like no other. Christians were deemed as crazy by nonbelievers. It was a very strange world, but then again it was a dream.

I woke up thinking, What would be different if Christians did know the day of Christ's return? How would we act? Would we be more actively telling nonbelievers about God's love for them? Would we be more giving and loving? Or would we just act like it was every other day and go about our normal business? The time is near though. The Bible says that we don't and won't know when, but that we should be looking forward to Christ's return.

Romans 13 says....8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

The time is near.....are you ready?

Seeker Sensitive Ministry

Seeker Sensitive Ministry: It is all the rage now among churches. Churches are foregoing the preaching about sin, Hell and God, for a softer, gentler approach to ministry. Churches are evolving from the core valued taught in the Bible to fit the marketing strategies of the business world. Serving lattes and crumb cake with their scripture, seeker sensitive churches focus on the personal needs of people in the here and now, not the spiritual needs of people. Sermons are short, light and heavily decorated with humor. Pastors are becoming more like Jay Leno than Billy Graham. Seeker sensitive churches have gone so far as to say that churches need to remove the cross from the church's identity. Smaller churches look at the mega churches and try to figure out what they are doing right. Mega churches are able to offer lots of services; child care, workout rooms, private schools, fellowship groups. Mega churches are doing opinion polls to find out what people want in a church rather than looking to God to lead their church.

What does the Bible say about "seeker sensitivity"?

1. 1Peter 4:14 “If you are rejected for the name of Christ, Blessed are you, for the spirit and glory of God rests upon you."

2. Luke 6:22,23 “Blessed are you when men hate you, when they reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for Joy! For great is your reward in Heaven. . ."

3. 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction."

4. John 15:18-20"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘a slave is not greater than his master,’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

Today, my dad challenged me to study Psalm 119. Although, I have read it many times before, one verse jumped out at me tonight. Psalm 119:139:

My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.

Oh! that we all had a zeal for our enemies like the psalmist! Where is your church? Are your trying to make everyone comfortable? Are you trying to entertain instead of correct, rebuke and encourage? Are you focused on providing services or teaching eternal life?

One more passage....For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." Romans 1:16-17

We are all called to tell people about this gift we have been given by Christ. The Bible says some will be offended. We can not stay silent any longer! Let the Holy Spirit move!

In the Garden

Nebraska is a wonderful and magical place in my mind’s eye. I moved there when I was five and left when I was 11. I miss the snow up to my thighs and the streets that are lined up in perfect rows and columns that are numbered for ease of getting around. I miss getting lost in the cornfields when the stalks were taller than my daddy. When my family moved to Nebraska, we moved into a house with a large backyard. The yard had two of my favorite things, a garden and a swing. That vegetable garden taught me several lessons about life. Mom and Dad would take us out and give us hoes and rakes to break up the dry brown earth. It was some of the hardest work I have ever done. We would make perfect rows of beans, corn and cucumbers. “Don’t put the seeds too close together.” Mom would tell me. I never understood why we couldn’t just scatter all the seeds like we did the radish seeds. I do now; crowded plants like people struggle for light and resources. As the garden was beginning to sprout new life, we would go out and hoe again to give the sprouting seeds a better chance to grow. Dad taught me to recognize the weeds from the important stuff in the garden and in life. In the fall, we would take bushel baskets to the garden and harvest the fruits of our labor. My parents showed me how to tell when the vegetables were ready for picking and the patience to wait on those that weren’t.

Christianity is like a garden, We have to sow the seeds of the Gospel carefully and on good soil. We need to tend to the tender seedlings as they are growing. We have to hoe the weeds of sin and worldly influence out of the garden to help young plantings grow strong. Finally at harvest time, we have to realize that not all of the garden will be ready to harvest at the same time, but loving patience will prevail.