FREEDOM!!! (part 2)

I took a break from studying Ephesians in order to study Romans 6-8. I just finished chapter 7. If you missed my summary of chapter 6, you can find it here.

The first thing that I noticed as I began to study chapter was that Paul was writing to those who "ginosko'd" the law - to those who knew the law intimately, the Jews. He starts out by showing them that you are only subject to the law if you are alive. If you are dead, how can the law have authority over you?? He concludes this claim by stating that through Jesus we have become dead to the law, in order to be married (or joined) to Him - Him who was raised from the dead, yahoo!! :0) The end result of this union is that we would bring forth fruit unto God. Previously our fruit was unto death. We were held fast by the law, but we have been delivered in order that we should serve God in newness of spirit.

A Skunked Dog

I have a friend whose dog recently got skunked. We haven't had that problem - though we've had our fair share of skunks. Anyway, she wrote me this note and I thought you might enjoy it. (yes, she gave me permission...) :0)

Self-Control?!?

Today in Sunday School class we took a quick jaunt through the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) . . . . . which is always convicting. :0) But not like it used to be . . .

Ever Feel Like A Pile Of Screws?

I am not much of a puzzle person. I think it's more about who I am with. If my sister walked in and saw me working on a puzzle by myself, well, she'd be shocked (and it'd have to be a pretty amazing puzzle ;0). When it comes to putting stuff together in real life, I love it. But I learned something this week . . . . it's even more fun to tear stuff apart! :0)

How Thirsty Are You?

If you are anything like me, you don't particularly like being thirsty (or hungry!). I take my water bottle everywhere I go, for just that reason - which is why it was so odd that I ended up at one camp this summer . . . . without my water bottle (or my sleeping bag! . . . but that's another story)! Actually I have two water bottles. One is my indestructible, throw-around Nalgene, and the other is my more discreet Camelbak with-a-straw, for places like church. :0)

Abide In Christ

by Andrew Murray. "The joy of being in God's presence".

This is a 31 day devotional book, that I guess I picked up when my Pastor was cleaning out his library. It's perfect for me. I am one who will devour a book, but this way I have to read just a little each day and am able to let it sink in more.

I want to share a quote from day 6. As one who occasionally gets quite discouraged with myself, this was a good reminder . . . (satan will use anything to get our eyes off of Jesus!):

"Of God I am in Christ: created anew, made a branch of the Vine, fitted for fruit-bearing. Would to God that believers would cease looking most at their old nature, and complaining of their weakness, as if God called them to what they were unfitted for! Would that they would believingly and joyfully accept the wondrous revelation of how God, in uniting them to Christ, has made Himself chargeable for their spiritual growth and fruitfulness! How all sickly hesitancy and sloth would disappear, and under the influence of this mighty motive - the faith in the faithfulness of Him of whom they are in Christ - their whole nature would rise to accept and fulfil their glorious destiny!"

All I can say is, "PRAISE GOD!" He is SO good!!

Let us press on with our eyes on HIM alone! :0)

The Kingdom Of God

Throne Room of the Neuschwanstein Castle

Have you ever thought to yourself, "What exactly is the Kingdom of God?" I have. So I did a word study on it and collected all of the verses that said anything about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Then I took a thought from each verse and organized them into paragraphs. The following is the result. It isn't meant to sound pretty - I just did it for myself, so I could see "at a glance", what the scriptures say. (If you want a "real" article about the Kingdom of God, go here.)

Picture Of A Prophet

In a day when it seems almost anyone can claim to be a prophet, I appreciate this article I recently came across, by Leonard Ravenhill . . .

If My People . . .

There's a verse that I've been hearing a lot lately. I'm sure you've heard it too. Yesterday at church someone pointed out that there seems to be a part of this verse which is overlooked. It is easy to look at the promises of God and forget that so many of them are conditional - we have to do our part first. This particular verse has a number of conditions to it. I have broken it up a little and added some emphasis . . .

Dark Horse

This is a song that I grew up with. It was published in 1982 and the only way that you can get it (from what I've found) is as a record on ebay. I made a video of the song in order to share it on youtube, but I just found out that I would have to pay $50 for the copyright license to post it  . . . . for 6 months! Wow!

Anyway, I've come to like this song even more after reading "How Sleep The Brave" (the Black Avenger had a black horse named Midnight) and it seems to have a little of the spirit of Ellerslie in it too. :0)

To Ever Live Without Me

This song was the special music at church on Sunday. I had never heard it before, but the words are pretty amazing! The last line of the chorus says: "Cause You would rather die than to ever live without me". It might sound a little cocky, but it's SO true! He came and died, paid the ultimate price, so that He could call us "friend". Will we ever grasp His amazing love?

Is It Okay To Say "I Can't"?

Yesterday was Day One of four days that we've set aside, as a family, to seek the Lord. There's been a lot of silence among our prayer time and singing, but God is working. After dinner last night we took time to look through a list of 49 character qualities and their definitions, and pick out the three for each person that we thought they would benefit most from. This morning was the revealing, haha. I had a couple of duplicates, so now I have a list of 13 character qualities that I am lacking in. (and no, I'm not going to share them on here, haha.) I'm so glad it's not up to me to change in these areas! I can't do it! But I know Who can!! :0)

Yesterday an advertisement came in the mail for the Christian bookstore. I did a quick glance-through and came across a t-shirt which provoked a double-take. In big letters it said,