Sunday, December 30, 2007

Adoration


I had started a series on Adoration and provided an alphabetical listing of God's character and a guide. As I went to continue this series it was difficult for me to follow the previous postings in any logical order. So I decided to repost this series as one huge posting. May His name be praised!

100 Descriptions of God

Use today’s date and finish these three sentences:
-I praise You today because You….
-The one I appreciate most about You today is…..
-I want others to see You as…..

1. Available Authority Accepting 16. Light Love Leader Lord
2. Author Afflicter Blessed 17. Lamb Loyal Mediator Miracle-Worker
3. Beginning Builder Caring 18. Messiah Merciful Omnipresent
4. Caller Creator Compassionate 19. Owner Omniscient Persevering
5. Chooser Comforter Counselor 20. Physician Patient Powerful Purifier
6. Close Director Discipler 21. Peace Planner Priest Purposeful
7. Deliverer Drawer Diligent 23. Redeemer Rewarder Reviver
9. Encouraging Father Finisher 24. Righteous Rich Refreshing
10. Faithful Forgiving Fisherman 25. Shield Sanctifier Servant
11. Giving Good Gentle Great 26. Sovereign Shepherd Sympathetic
12. Gracious Generous Glorious 27. Stronghold Truth Transformer
13. God Hope Humble Healer 28. Teacher Triumphant Trustworthy
14. Innocent Intercessor Judge 29. Understanding Unmockable
15. Justifier Keeper Kind King 30. Unchangeable Vine Warrior Wise
31. Way Wrathful Yearning

All above taken from MEMLOK www.memlock.com














Accepting – Rom 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Afflicter – Ps 119:75 I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me

Author – Heb 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.

Authority – Mt 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Available- Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Beginning – Rev 22:12,13 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed - Mk 14:61,62 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?""I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Builder – Jn 14:2,3 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Caller – Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Caring – 1 Pet 5:5-7 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Chooser – Eph 1:4,5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

Close – Ps 34:18,19 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

Comforter – 2 Cor 1:3,4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Compassionate – Lam 3:22,23 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Counselor – Jn 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Creator – 1 Pet 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Deliverer Acts 7:34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.

Diligent Phil 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Director Pro 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Discipler Mk 3:14,15 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

Drawer Jn 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Emmanuel Mt 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Encouraging Acts 23:11 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

Example 1 Cor 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Exalted Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne

Faithful 1 Thes 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Father Lk 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Finisher Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Fisherman Mt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Forgiving Mic 7:18,19 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Generous Mt 20:15,16Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Gentle Gal 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Giving John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Glorious Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

God Jer 32:27 I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Good Ezra 3:11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."

Gracious Eph 2:8,9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Great Tit 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Healer- Lk 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Hope – Rom 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Humble – Mt 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Innocent – 2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Intercessor – Rom 8:26 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 with groans that words cannot express.

Judge – Acts 17:30-31 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Justifier – Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Keeper – Jn 10:27-30 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Kind – Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

King – 1 Tim 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Lamb – Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Leader – Mk 8:34-36 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Light – Jn 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Lord – Jn 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Love – 1 Jn 4:18-19 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

Loyal – Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Mediator – 1 Tim: 2:5-6 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.

Merciful – Mk 5:19 Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

Messiah – Jn 4:25,26 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

Miracle-Worker – Mt 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Omnipresent – Jn 1:1,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Omniscient – Ps 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Owner – 1 Cor 6:19,20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Patient 2 Pet 3:9-10 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Peace – 2 Thes 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Persevering – 1 Cor 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Physician - Mt 8:8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Planner – Jer 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.

Powerful – Mt 22:29 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Priest – Heb 8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven

Purifier – 1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Purposeful – 2 Tim 1:9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Redeemer Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Refreshing - Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Refuge - Ps 46:1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Resurrection - Jn 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

Reviver – Ps 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

Rewarder - Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Rich - Phil 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Righteous - Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Rock – Ps 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Sanctifier Acts 26:17,18 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Servant – Mk 10:43-45 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Shepherd – Rev 7:16,17 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Shield – Pro 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Sovereign - Ps 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Stronghold – Ps 9:9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Sympathetic - Heb 4:15,16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Teacher John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.

Transformer Phil 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Triumphant 2 Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Trustworthy Proverbs 3:5,6 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.

Truth John 8: 31,32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Unchangeable Romans 11:29 For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.

Understanding Isaiah 40:28,29 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Unmockable Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Vine John 15:5 “I am the vine: you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will hear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. “

Warrior Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Way John 14:6 Jesus answered, “ I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Wise Proverbs 22:17,18 Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.

Wrathful Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge, I will repay.” says the Lord.

Yearning Ezek 22:30 I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.


All above taken from www.memlok.com

Adoration

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas to All



Merry Christmas to all...
First of all I noticed my last posting did not post. I will have to reinvent that one. It took a lot of time to compose and I put a link to an awesome sermon. I will put in a little detective work. Anyway.

I have been thinking about this blog a lot lately. I realized I am long overdue for a posting and yet really would like to post much more often. I get a lot of positive feedback and really want to encourage everyone in the Lord. I like everything very organized and want to pray more before I begin any new threads. I would also like to finish the series on adoration. We still have T-Z. Look for that in the next few days.

The biggest obstacle to posting lately has been my health. I have been feeling rotten for about 2 weeks but just yesterday scraped myself out of bed. I am feeling much more chipper today. I had an infected salivary gland that swelled up my face to my eye, down one side of my face down my chest and down my arm. It was very painful. Antibiotics did not act quickly enough and I was put on a short course of steroids. Just when this resolved I was hit with a nasty headcold, body aches, etc. So here I am blogging my little heart out and feeling fine.

It's Christmas morning and I must say this is really my favorite time of year. This is my favorite day of the best day of the year. We are always very careful to keep Jesus as the real reason to celebrate this fine day. Well..for all our work this is what my 7 year old got out of it. We are sitting in the car about 3 weeks ago and my daughter is talking about all the gifts she believes she will receive on Christmas morning. I am excited with her but say, "But you know the real meaning of Christmas is...." and she says.."All the gifts we get!" and she meant it. I told her it was Jesus' birthday. She said she really didn't know. DIDN'T KNOW!!??!! How can this be!? She has been in Sunday School, AWANA, Tuesday morning Bible study and homeschooled her whole life. We talk about it all the time. How is it her little mind did not hold on to that fact? We pointed out all the Christmas Carols and how they talk about the birth of Christ and she says Oh Wow like it is a new revelation! Wowie Zowie What the heck?

Two days later we are at flag salute for Awana and there are about200 kids. The Director on his bull horn asks "Who knows the real reason for Christmas?" And goes right on up to my daughter. She thankfully held on to the right information she just learned and shouted out it was Jesus' birthday. Can you imagine if we hadn't had our conversation. That would have ended differently and maybe my husband and I would be fired as leaders! So anyway, now she mentions Jesus birthday all the time. So yesterday she says "I know it's Jesus' Birthday but how old is He turning." Again I am thrown for a loop but quickly answer 2007 years old. She said He must be getting really tall. .....OK.....

I have really been overwhelmed by the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit lately. My pastor taught on the Holy Spirit the last few weeks and the sermons are powerful. If you go to www.hopechapel.org and click on sermons you can download them for free. If you have access to itunes you can even subscribe to the sermons and they are automatically downloaded each week. This is free as well.

One fact I learned from the sermon is that the Holy Spirit is a person and not an "it". The Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. God in three persons...Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. He is a person. I started to read a book about living a Spirit filled life and it is really encouraging me to live that moment by moment life for Christ. I will not settle for less than a totally sold out heart for God. He tells us He wants it all my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength. Wouldn't that be the best gift you could give God...To return to Him what is rightfully His. Give God yourself for Christmas. You are the perfect gift.

Merry Christmas

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Update and renewed focus


Oh my goodness. What is going on in my house? Since I've last posted we have recovered from our food poisoning bout. But my older daughter was sick for 1 week straight with a head cold, I had an allergic reaction to an avocado, we held a piano recital in our home with 8 students and their family, started music rehearsals for the upcoming CD and I turned 39 years old and we attended numerous parties, worked full time, went to baseball games, 2 concerts and then our middle child woke up throwing up Wed night. Blogging must stand in line after God, husband, children, homeschooling, home, and everyone and everything else.

Because I did not create this blog to overwhelm others I need to focus. I created this blog as a blessing to others and myself. I would like to regain my focus and continue my focus on prayer. I was reading a book that talked about prayer and several aspects of prayer. You can find through earlier postings that I spent quite a bit of cyberspace writing about Adoration. I also wrote 31 characteristics of God and verses that pertain to those characteristics from MEMLOK. So I will look to further my writings on prayer this week end.

I just want to reiterate that prayer is not a laundry list of concerns or needs for God to answer. Prayer is about developing a relationship with God. It is not only talking to Him but waiting upon Him, resting in Him, thanking Him, praising and adoring Him. And what a season to concentrate on Him. When everything media is pulling our focus to spending, cooking, dressing, etc let us not forget to be with the One that makes all this possible. Before we spend another minute racing around and doing...take many minutes and be with your Lord and Creator. He is always there. He will never fail you.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Stars, Stars and stars


Well the last 2 weeks have been full of excitement, activity and stars.
Right after Halloween my family and I went camping up at the Kern River. Our tent site is right on the river bank. Lauren caught 6 golden trout and I caught.....none, zippo, zilch, nada. But oh...the starts. They are a gorgeous blanket in the sky. Whenever nature would call in the middle of the night I could hardly go back to bed because of the thrill of those stars.

We returned home last Wednesday and on Friday left for a day outing at Six Flags Magic Mountain. They were having a homeschool day and we were allowed in the park at a greatly reduced rate. On the way there we noticed a vintage car on the freeway, glanced over and we saw Jay Leno, a star. He was just mozeying down the freeway in this very vintage car.

We had a great day and a great week end. I returned to the gym on Monday and thought I would be helpful and purchase some chicken from the corner japanese take out place. I have never eaten there before but enjoy the aroma each time I am at the gym. Lauren made a pot of rice and my husband, Lauren and I enjoyed our chicken and rice. About 6 hours later....Mike wakes up and spends 45 minutes in the bathroom. Lauren walks in about 20minutes later reporting nausea...it is now 4am. I told her she was going to throw up. She looked at me like I was a psychic. THen I told her Dad already started. A few minutes later she began the trail of tears herself. I of course held out a few hours later and then confirmed the diagnosis of food poisoning. We all saw stars as we were violently ill for a while.



The 2 younger children did not eat the chicken and did not become sick. Lauren saw more stars when she collapsed outside our bathroom from dehydration. Lauren has a wonderful friend "C" who came over 3 times that day to attend to us and take the wee ones to Taco Bell. Now we are recovered and it is time for our house to follow suit. Hopefully by tomorrow it will sparkle so much I will see even more stars.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Heaven


HEAVEN

The are a few options for celebrating Halloween, Harvest Day, Reformation Day or whatever it is you refer to in regards to October 31st. Our church offers a Harvest Party which my children have enjoyed from year to year. But a few times, this year included, we transported our carport into Heaven.

My husband enclosed the carport with dark plastic and hung a black light in it. I "painted" one side of our house with liquid laundry detergent. The one side of the house is one wall of the carport. My son and I were seated at the far side of the carport on thrones. My husband hung clouds from the ceiling of the carport and my dear friend, Kelly strung up homemade paper snowflakes from the ceiling with sewing thread. We also had big puffs of cotton at our feet that looked like clouds. My husband cut up little bits of white paper and sprinkled it all over the floor. The result with the black light is that everything white flouresced. The laundry detergent flouresces as well so everything appeared to be brightly glowing.

It isn't quite enough to show them a glimpse of Heaven but to tell them a bit of how to get there. With each piece of candy I taped a Bible verse on it. On a few I put "God's love is sweet!!" Our church also hands out Million Dollar Bills that are, of course, fake but do teach about the Gospel message on them. So some middle aged and older children got those taped to their candy.

It was a huge hit. So many of the adults were thanking us for the effort of putting it together. We made sure each person knew it was Heaven and not a Haunted House as some would think from the street as they would see the glow. We had a range of reactions-all positive. One man kissed my hand. One man blessed Matthew in Spanish with the sign of the cross. One man brought his baby to be kissed by Matthew. I tried to prevent 2 devils from entering Heaven but realized they were just costumes. Tee Hee Hee. One boy received the Million Dollar Bill and candy I handed him and then reached over my lap and grabbed a fist full of dollar bills and candy. He stole in Heaven. So not good. Several took photos. Some took photos with a flash against the black tarp. I didn't have the heart to tell them it won't come out.

What I hope is that in comparison to the ghosts, graveyards and screaming recordings, our house would stand out...glowing...as a light. Jesus told us in the book of Matthew to let our light shine for the world to see. I hope that the contrast painted a vivid picture and caused some to think about Heaven. We prayed while each piece of candy was being assembled that these Bible verses would go out into the community and be read by children and parents alike. God says His Word goes out and does not return void. I pray that some children would really think about God's love and seek His ways.

I have a dream that one child, rejected by his or her peers and family would find comfort in the verse and tuck it away in a drawer. The verse would be read over and over through the years and this person would seek out more of God's Word. Their life would, in time, be transformed and this would be their testimony. Some day, 20 years from now I would be reading in a magazine about a person of faith who reported that their first exposure to God's Word was handed to them attached to an Almond Joy and I would realize that I got a glimpse of how the seed we planted grew by God's grace.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

SAFE!!!



HE'S SAFE!!!!

Matthew scored his first ever run in baseball. He walked to first and then because of his teammates hits and walks he ran to home. I think he even stole a base, which I understand is NOT against the 10 commandments. There is some kind of baseball exception. It was very exciting. Matthew took it all in stride but I know deep inside he was thrilled. His teammates all gave him a pat on the back. They are really great boys. I am so impressed with their commaraderie.

Anyway, speaking of the 10 commandments. Have you thought of them lately. Some are so obvious....so wrong. But some are so naturally done and even celebrated but still equally wrong. How many times do you hear Our precious Lord's name spoken in a flippant or even disrespectful way? Oh my g-o-d is said in children's movies, commercials....it's everywhere but we are getting so used to it sometimes I don't even notice. Our associate pastor noted a few weeks ago there is no other religious figure that people yell out. You don't hear people yell Oh my M*hammed! or Dhali H Lamma!!! It is our Creator G*D. G*D of the Universe. He deserves so much respect we cannot even fathom. His name should be spoken reverently. In ancient times they would only write out the consonants because they did not want to write His name out all the way. It was too sacred. That is where we get the name YHWH. They don't really know the vowels but have come up with YAHWEH.



Here for your review are the BIG TEN (not football)
1-Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lotd, they God in vain.
4 Remember the sabbath day, to keep itholy.
5 Honor thy father and thy mother.
6 Thou shalt not kill
7 Thou shalt not commit adultery
8 Thou shalt not steal.
9 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10 Thou shalt not covet.

It is surprising how many of these commandments are not taken seriously anymore. When was the last time someone told you they could not go out with you because they were keeping the sabbath holy? How many times to we hear or even encourage others to speak poorly of their parents. It seems as though we interpret this commandment as Honor thy father and thy mother...only if they deserve it. Most don't have trouble with killing and stealing-obvious wrongs ....for now. Bearing false witness or lying is still considered wrong but coveting? It is in all the commercials for new cars, cable TV, cell phones, fast food...just about everything. Go ahead and want what everyone else has. Never be satisfied. This is the message we hear day after day. It bears a re reading of the 10. Reexamine where you are. Where are you? Are you where you want to be? Are you where God wants you to be? If not you are just 2 steps away from freedom.....
Step 1-Confess to God. Tell Him what you are doing wrong.
2-Turn the other direction. High tail it away from your sin. Plan for purity. Ask God for help and do it in His strength. Ask Him hourly if needed. Even minute by minute. He is faithful to you and will always provide a way out, a way to obey.
I am so thankful to serve this Mighty God. May His name be praised!!!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

More Funnel pictures

Here is the news link and some awesome photos of the funnel clouds, water spouts we saw from my Dad's back porch.
http://www.10news.com/slideshow/14182118/detail.html?taf=sand

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Stormy Weather


Wow!! We have had some extreme weather in the past 24 hours. Last night my daughter Lauren, her friend C. and my son Matthew were driving home last night from the Angels game and it was like a washing machine. My poor Matthew said he had never been so scared in his life. Lauren had to watch half the lane and C. watched the other half as they tried to make it home. I watched as a red alert crawled on the bottom of the TV screen stating SEVERE THUNDERSTORM warning with possibility of tornadoes in Santa Monica. I tried to tell them to get home quickly but safely. They did arrive home safely around Midnight and proudly pronounced they had only skidded out on the freeway a few times (gulp).
I decided then and there they would not drive to San Diego as planned this morning as even more storms were predicted. Lauren does not have a lot of driving experience on the freeway and none in the rain. The last time it rained here was April 22nd! So I drove Lauren and C. to Oceanside to meet my Dad and his fiancee. They were to go to the San Diego Padres game tonight. I normally make the trip in 1 1/2 hours without using the short cut toll road. Today I took the short cut and it took 2 hours and 10 minutes. A few minutes after we arrived we went out on the back porch and noticed about 10 seperate funnel clouds that touched down. It was difficult to tell if it was over land or over water so water spouts or tornadoes either way they were in the direction of the freeway I needed to take home. Here is a picture I found on the internet of the clouds beginning.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fourdoxn/1424457839/

The storm finally passed but I only had an hour to start working so .....I am still here in San Diego. An unplanned sleep over with my poor dear husband and kids at home in Los Angeles. Oh well. I will return in the morning. My husband sent me several videos of intense rain from our home. He said it was the heaviest ever in his life.

All this to say......Earlier this week at a Bible study we were discussing our fears in order that we can walk in faith that God is sovereign. Isn't it just like God to have us face raging storms so that we can test out our new determination to walk in peace and faith. Only last night (before all the rain) I was reading of an author Barbara Johnson who spoke of the day she received her diagnosis of brain cancer. Her doctor told her the next 24 hours would be the most difficult of her life as this new information set in. She laughed as her husband had been in a severe car accident and was in a coma for 2 years before a complete healing, a son had been killed in Vietnam, another son was killed in a drunk driving accident and she had been seperated from another son for over 10 years over a very personal situation. She laughed to think that that particular night should be very difficult in light of her previous tragedies. She laughed because she knew that God had her life in control. She laughed because she knew that God knew everything and despite what the doctor's determination was, God was greater still. She said she went to bed that night and slept peacefully in the knowledge, peace and faith of her Heavenly Father.
When we are faced with our fears, as simple as a storm or as complex as a relationship in ruins,or a devastating loss, can we rest in the knowledge that our Heavely Father is Sovereign and we are in the shelter of His wings? Yes! The real question is will we? God is lacking in nothing. He is perfect and holy. Stay tucked safely under the shadow of His wings. It does not mean that no tragedies will befall you but that when they do, you are exactly where you should be, with God, your Creator and Abba Father who loves you more that you can ever understand. Sleep in peace you precious Child of God.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

My Name Is.......


Here is a fun game and my answers. Try yours.
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Tiny Town and Country

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Coffee Lemon Drop

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
L-Est

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Purple Gazelle

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Bernadette Hawthorne

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Est-Li

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Pink Latte

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Lyle Florent

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Gina Joseph

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Beltran Boston

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Winter Lily

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Watermelon Nightie

13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Oats Aspen

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Singing Snowflake Tour

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Nothing Without You


Here are some lyrics of a song written by Bebo Norman.


Nothing without You

Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Chorus:
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You

Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing
But I love You

With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all the strength that I can find

Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,
I am nothing without You

Friday, August 31, 2007

Deep Questions



1 Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know
the batteries are flat?

2 Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they
know there is not enough?

3 Why does someone believe you when you say there are four
billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

4 Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

5 Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?


6 Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

7 Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks
when you throw a gun at him?

8 Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

9 Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

10 What is the speed of darkness?

11 Are there specially reserved parking spaces for non-disabled people
at The Special Olympics?

12 If you send someone 'Styrofoam', how do you pack it?


13 If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to
be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

14 If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

15 If it's true that we are here to help others, what are the
others doing here?

16 Do married people live longer than single ones or does it
only seem longer?

17 If someone with a split personality threatens to commit suicide,
is it a hostage situation?

18 Can you cry under water?


19 What level of importance must a person have, before they
are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

20 If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?

21 Why does a round pizza come in a square box?


22 How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out
it would be a good idea to put wheels on bigger suitcases?

23 Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake
up, like, every two hours?

24 If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a
hearing?

25 Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money
in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Monday, July 30, 2007

Adoration P-S

Here is the continuation of the series of 100 Descriptions of God- Letters P-S
These descriptions taken from a print out I have put out by Memlok.
Graphics are from allposters.com










Patient 2 Pet 3:9-10 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Peace – 2 Thes 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

Persevering – 1 Cor 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Physician - Mt 8:8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Planner – Jer 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.

Powerful – Mt 22:29 Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Priest – Heb 8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven

Purifier – 1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Purposeful – 2 Tim 1:9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Redeemer Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Refreshing - Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Refuge - Ps 46:1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Resurrection - Jn 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;

Reviver – Ps 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

Rewarder - Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Rich - Phil 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Righteous - Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Rock – Ps 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Sanctifier Acts 26:17,18 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Servant – Mk 10:43-45 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Shepherd – Rev 7:16,17 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Shield – Pro 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Sovereign - Ps 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.

Stronghold – Ps 9:9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Sympathetic - Heb 4:15,16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Lauren off to Africa

Today is the day. Lauren leaves for the airport in 1 hour. She will be leaving from LAX



Arriving 5 hours later in Atlanta




Going 18 hours to Africa

5 hours more to Johannesburg South Africa




Then 3 more hours to Malawi by plane







We have a wonderful tradition in our church. When a group is leaving for a missions trip they appear at each church service and are commissioned by the church for their trip. The church prays for them and spritually "sends them off". Yesterday during the commissioning one of tha pastors was telling what they would be doing and told the congregation of their itinerary. He said "I guess mostly we should pray that they still like each other by the time they get there." They are leaving today, Monday morning and will arrive in Malawi Tuesday evening; a full 2 days travel time. They will be gone for 3 weeks and be in rural communities for 6 days at a time and here the biggest challenge will be the traveling!

Please do keep in prayer the entire group of people that are with Lauren. They will be doing much in the name of the Lord.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Family Update








I noticed I have been blogging alot about things of faith and have not blogged awhile on things of family. There is so much going on with my family right now so I will give you an update on each of us.



Mikey-Super wonderful husband. Still amazingly terrific. I am so blessed to be his wife. He is a thrilling husband and my heart leaps at the thought of him. Oh how I do go on. Mike is still attending Jiu Jitsu classes weekly. He is still working at Avis. He has been there 3 years. He has recently completed his much anticipated screenplay and is putting the final touches on it.





Lauren- 17 yrs is super crazy chick!!! She is truly the busiest person I know. She just returned from a week in Yosemite (yes she hiked half dome again)She had the gall to call me from the top. I told her never to call her mother from the top of a mountain. A true lady always waits till she has successfully climbed down so as not to worry your poor dear mother. She is leaving this morning for a training trip to Mexico. She will be home for 1 more week and will leave for her missions trip to Africa. She has successfully raised all the money she needed for the trip. This is such a miracle. Everyone has been so generous. I am so excited about this trip. They will me ministering in villages, building water wells, and tending to the needs of the community. What a precious way to show God's love to the world. When she returns she will be home for a few days then off to Seattle to visit my mother. Then home for a few days before visiting her Dad in San Fransisco. She'll then return to complete her last year of high school. One exciting moment for her is she is having her braces removed on Monday. She is thrilled. Here is a picture of her and her friend praying and another of our Women's pastor praying for her.






Matthew is 8 but will be 9 next month. He is very intensely interested in science and anything detective. He has just completed a 2 year Junior detective course. Now his room is covered in green powder that he used to take finger prints. Matthew has a great sense of humor and a deep love for God. He loves to play video games and right now he is playing Crash Twinsanity and Tak.



Emily is 7 and just made the big move to cutting her just above the waist long hair to right above the shoulders. It is adorable. Emily has a sweet disposition. After a very questionable Spring (she was lost at a park and we had to call the Police to help find her.)she has settled down and is much happier now. She loves all things animal. She recently rescued a kitten she named Jewel. We couldn't keep it due to allergies but gave it to a rescue group. The cat would certainly have died and all the neighbors were ignoring it. Emily finds animals all the time and even cries over grasshoppers that get smooshed.


We have been quite a full house over the last 10 days as by close friend and her husband went on a missions trip to Africa. We have all 3 of their girls at our house. So now we are 8 people in our home. It has been an adventure. We went to the beach, the park and went hiking. We also have their dog, Louie with us. It has been nice for the kids to have so many playmates.



We recently celebrated our 10th year of attending Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach. I consider it a privelege to be under the teaching of our Pastor Zac Nazarian. His sermons are available free on itunes.



Our new (used) van just celebrated it's first month's birthday with us 2 days ago.
We are thrilled with our purchase. What a great deal. If you want to go to Huntington Beach Chrysler Jeep I whole heartedly recommend them. Our salesman was Alan and he was very low stress and no pressure.

So this summer I have mostly been just trying to keep up with the chaos, planning 12th, 4th and 2nd grades for homeschooling and I hope to really get down and dirty with some massive decluttering next week. I am also reading some great books (Sacred Obssession by becky Tirabassi) and feeding my heart with the Word of God. I have also been keeping up with my commitment to exercise and have lost 8 pounds since joining 24 hour fitness mid May.

We are looking forward to Vacation Bible School at our church in a week. The week will be based on Joshua 1 and the kids will be special agents for Christ. The next week Matthew, Emily and I will go to Seattle to visit my Mom and then Lauren will return from Africa.

I am still working as a nurse from home. I have been working for TrinityCare hospice for 8 years.

I think that covers all the facts. Will try to give more details later. I have a brutal headache right now.
Bye
Lisa

Friday, July 13, 2007

Adoration H-O



Here is the continuation of the 100 Descriptions of God from MEMLOCK. Here are descriptions H through O

Healer- Lk 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Hope – Rom 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Humble – Mt 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Innocent – 2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Intercessor – Rom 8:26 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 with groans that words cannot express.

Judge – Acts 17:30-31 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Justifier – Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Keeper – Jn 10:27-30 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Kind – Eph 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

King – 1 Tim 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Lamb – Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Leader – Mk 8:34-36 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Light – Jn 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Lord – Jn 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Love – 1 Jn 4:18-19 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.

Loyal – Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Mediator – 1 Tim: 2:5-6 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.

Merciful – Mk 5:19 Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

Messiah – Jn 4:25,26 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

Miracle-Worker – Mt 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Omnipresent – Jn 1:1,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Omniscient – Ps 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Owner – 1 Cor 6:19,20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Monday, July 09, 2007

ADORATION D-G


Continuing our focus on adoration and the 100 descriptions of God from MEMLOK. Here they are:

Deliverer Acts 7:34 I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.

Diligent Phil 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Director Pro 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Discipler Mk 3:14,15 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve--designating them apostles--that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

Drawer Jn 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Emmanuel Mt 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Encouraging Acts 23:11 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

Example 1 Cor 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Exalted Rev 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne

Faithful 1 Thes 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

Father Lk 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Finisher Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Fisherman Mt 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Forgiving Mic 7:18,19 Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Generous Mt 20:15,16Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Gentle Gal 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Giving John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Glorious Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

God Jer 32:27 I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Good Ezra 3:11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."

Gracious Eph 2:8,9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Great Tit 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Adoration A-C


MEMLOK has provided Biblical references for all 100 descriptions of God mentioned in the previous blog. I have compiled A-C for you so far....
Accepting – Rom 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Afflicter – Ps 119:75 I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me

Author – Heb 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.

Authority – Mt 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Available- Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Beginning – Rev 22:12,13 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Blessed - Mk 14:61,62 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?""I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Builder – Jn 14:2,3 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Caller – Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Caring – 1 Pet 5:5-7 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Chooser – Eph 1:4,5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--

Close – Ps 34:18,19 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

Comforter – 2 Cor 1:3,4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Compassionate – Lam 3:22,23 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Counselor – Jn 16:7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Creator – 1 Pet 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

100 Descriptions of God


I have a wonderful page of 100 descriptions of God. I have listed them as they came listed from MEMLOK the authors of this paper.

100 Descriptions of God

Use today’s date and finish these three sentences:
-I praise You today because You….
-The one I appreciate most about You today is…..
-I want others to see You as…..

1. Available Authority Accepting 16. Light Love Leader Lord
2. Author Afflicter Blessed 17. Lamb Loyal Mediator Miracle-Worker
3. Beginning Builder Caring 18. Messiah Merciful Omnipresent
4. Caller Creator Compassionate 19. Owner Omniscient Persevering
5. Chooser Comforter Counselor 20. Physician Patient Powerful Purifier
6. Close Director Discipler 21. Peace Planner Priest Purposeful
7. Deliverer Drawer Diligent 23. Redeemer Rewarder Reviver
9. Encouraging Father Finisher 24. Righteous Rich Refreshing
10. Faithful Forgiving Fisherman 25. Shield Sanctifier Servant
11. Giving Good Gentle Great 26. Sovereign Shepherd Sympathetic
12. Gracious Generous Glorious 27. Stronghold Truth Transformer
13. God Hope Humble Healer 28. Teacher Triumphant Trustworthy
14. Innocent Intercessor Judge 29. Understanding Unmockable
15. Justifier Keeper Kind King 30. Unchangeable Vine Warrior Wise
31. Way Wrathful Yearning

All above taken from MEMLOK www.memlock.com

Monday, June 25, 2007

Commitment to Pray


God has been tapping my shoulder for a few months now regarding my prayer time. God has gently led me to a realization regarding my prayer time.

I attended the Believe conference in April. The day before Easter to be exact. Becky Tirabassi was one of the speakers and she spoke of her commitment some 20 years ago to pray 1 hour each day. She said she has kept that commitment without fail all these years. Her life is infused with Holy Spirit power. She spoke of how it has changed her life and how God uses her everyday. Of course it sounds wonderful to spend that kind of time with God. But practically speaking I don't have an extra hour. She didn't ask the commitment of us but asked who would be willing to spend 10 minutes a day in prayer. Many raised their hands and made that commitment, myself included.

I ordered a book called the Hour that Changes the World; A Practical Plan for Personal Prayer about a month later. I hadn't read the entire title. I only had noticed the practical plan for prayer part. I was very surprised when this book, too spoke of 40+ years of commitment from many people for 1 hour of prayer. The introduction to the book is impressive. The way God has used each of those people. They are infused with Holy Spirit power.

I attended a women's conference at Hope Chapel that showcased a few talents of women from the church. After the singing, dancing and laughing was through the Women's Paster, Marlo Blanford came up and spoke of some truly gifted women like Corrie Ten Boom who survived concentration camps by faith and Susan Wesley who mothered 19 children but spent over an hour each day in prayer. When she had no place to pray privately, she would flip her apron over her head and her children knew not to interrupt her.

I was starting to feel the conviction of the Lord to make the same commitment. My reluctance was that I tend to jump into things with both feet and no head. I just blurb out my intention and then don't follow through. I was reluctant because I didn't think I could truly live up to it.

I started a book called The Burning Heart Contract and it speaks of having a deep, deep love for God. It speaks of a heart that burns for God. The fuels that keep the fire burning are periods of time with Him and periods of time with His Word. It leads you through to a commitment of an hour a day of prayer.

What is this conspiracy? I am a pretty well read Christian and have never heard of people spending such time in prayer aside from some hundred year old saints. Now everywhere I turn I am being led to this conclusion. Well this weekend's sermon did the final trick.

Pastor Zac Nazarian, our wise and committed pastor spoke of an unlikely passage in 1 Chronicles where King David did not trust in God for victory but counted his own resources to see if he could win under his own power. God punished David for not trusting in Him. Paster Zac spoke of trusting God with our self, time and money. Now for many years I have been absolutely convinced of the need to trust God with our money. I know it is all His and have seen Him move money around in really miraculous ways. But to trust Him with my time? If I take an acount of my time it makes me dizzy without adding in the hour of prayer. I work full time from home as a nurse. I homeschool 3 children, try to maintain my home, teach piano to several students, teach an online class on marriage, sing at performances, volunteer at Awana during the school year, attend Cub Scout meetings, gymnastics with my daughter, attend a weekly bible study and sing on the worship team. When to do laundry? Clean out the hamster cages? Go to the park?

Could I really have faith in God and trust Him with my time? That is a true sacrifice for me. How can I say no to that?

A close friend was telling me how difficult prayer was for her as she has such a difficult time staying on task. Her mind would wander and her time be squandered. I started to consider how an hour with God could be spent without the squandering. Back to the book, The Hour that Changes the World...it splits up your hour into 12 sections. You spend 5 minutes in each section. It gives some structure to your prayer. I will be sharing the sections and my thoughts on each sections in the coming days. I am not asking you to make the same commitment. It took me a few months and many nudges from God before I believed this was something God was asking me to do.
Lisa

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Approved Workmen


I had an odd realization today as I was sitting in the sauna at the gym. A woman came in and announced a man would be coming into the women's locker room to install some dispensers. She was warning us to cover up. As I sat there listening to the scrambling I started to think about the strange man. If you walked into the women's locker room and saw a man lurking about it would send off loud signals. What type of person would do that? And yet this man was approved by the gym and hired to do a job. He was an approved workman. So now instantly he is no threat. He is simply doing his job and has permission to be there. He was, in fact, invited. This really changes your perception of him. From one of fear, alarm and perviness to relief and thankfulness...two words made all the difference.....Approved workman.

There is a verse that says Approved Workmen are not ashamed. This man would have been ashamed to have been caught in a forbidden place. But because he was approved he could be there confidently and rest in the fact that he is approved and meant to be there.

Are you an approved workman for Jesus Christ? You can rest in the knowledge that because you are approved you can be right where he has put you. No excuses, no shame. If you are where he wants you to be and someone doubts it, you can shout APPROVED WORKMAN!! God's will is perfect and beyond our understanding but what we can understand is He has approved us to do His good and perfect will.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Praying for our Husbands-31 Day Plan



Praying for Our Husbands :31 Day Plan
1 That he might become a holy man, a man of prayer, mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of the Lord.
2 That he might grow in all eleven descriptions of a man who will not be shaken as listed in Psalm 15.
3 That he might be a man of contentment.
4 That he might learn to take very thought captive, to not be conformed to the world’s thinking and to think scripturally.
5 That he might daily seek God with all his heart, walking in the Spirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence upon Him.
6 That he would forever be captivated by my love.
7 That he would be a man of courage.
8 That the Lord might give him wisdom to lead his family physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
9 May he always look at the plank in his own eye before seeing other’s sawdust.
10 That he might become a called man, not driven, with well-though through and prayed through goals in life.
11 That he might be a man of prayer, guarding his heart and mind, putting into practice what he has heard, seen and learned.
12 That he might stand firm against the schemes of the devil and resist Satan in all circumstances.
13 That he might grow in spiritual maturity by putting away childish things, cultivating, understanding, striving after the Christ ideal, partaking of the deeper truths of the gospel, and overcoming temptation
14 That he might make me holy, cleansing me by the washing with water through the word.
15 That he would learn to not depend on his circumstances for happiness, but on God alone.
16 That he would be a man who enters into spiritual warfare.
17 That he might have new strength in the midst of his busy schedule, and that the Lord might infuse him with His strength
18 That he might have a burden to see lost people come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
19 That he would be kept from strange women and evil men, and that his friends would be men and women who walk with God
20 That his self-image might be a reflection of the Lord’s thoughts towards him.
21 That he might be a man responsible for family and spiritual growth.
22 That he might not be deceived into unbelief, sin or bitterness.
23 That he might learn to love as God has commanded.
24 That the fruit of the Spirit might be exhibited more and more in his life.
25 That he might grow in humility and in being a shepherd.
26 That he might grow daily in character
27 That he might keep a clear conscience
28 That the Lord might protect him, guarding his course.
29 That he might learn to manage his time well.
30 That the Lord would put a song in his heart.
31 That he may have a holy fear of the Lord.

Graphics from allposters.com
Content reprinted from Teach Magazine. AUTHOR UNKNOWN