Book Review--Out of Control

Rafe was hard-headed in what he wanted, so was Julie. Rafe wanted to give orders and so did Julie. Rafe hated going into the caves, Julie loved it. No, she didn't. She craved it. Ms. Connealy took her time and created a list of characters: Rafe's two brothers Ethan and Seth, Julie's mother-in-law, Audra who was about her age, a mangy, easy to hate father/husband and an enemy you didn't know if he was really there. Maybe he was crazy Seth. This was a good story. Being a hopeless romantic I wanted them to hurry up and fall in love. However the author wove the tale and wove the tale and wove the tale. I couldn't stop reading. Julia also, was instrumental in bringing Rafe into a closer relationship with God. That's important in anything I read. It was a good inspirational romance/western. I would recommend this book to all ages. It's a good read. This book can be bought at Amazon Kindle e-books.

You Are NOT Called Into ANY Ministry!!!!!!! You Are Called Into God's Love!!!!!

     I hope this title perturbs you enough to listen to what God is speaking to you. I can make that statement because at one time I was called into the ministry. Just like a lot of other dummies, I followed that call. It was my main purpose in life. And, if you will admit it along with me, THE CALLING became my god.
     Without a doubt, the greatest soul winner other than Jesus Christ is the Apostle Paul. The letters he wrote when he was alive are still spurring people on to salvation and greater service to the King. Let's look at what he said.

1 Cor. 2:2--NKJV--For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Phil 3:8--KJV--Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.
Phil 3:10--KJV--That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.

    

Look At These Scriptures

Rom 1:1--Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ (doulos-bond servant)

Jude 1:1--Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ (doulos)

Acts 2:18--And on my servants (doulos) and my handmaids I will pour out my Spirit

Col 4:12--Epaphras, a servant of Christ (doulos)

1 Pet 2:16--as servants of God (doulos)

     Doulos is a Greek word that denotes a bondservant who decides to serve his master out of love for him and not for wages. So it is safe to say that main driving force of the early apostles was their undying love and hunger for more of Jesus Christ, and not the next great preaching point. As you read through the letters of the New Testament the main thread that ran through them was to love God and others.

     Here we have the greatest key to our calling. We are NOT called into ANY ministry. Rather, God's greatest calling is to love Him with all your heart, mind and soul. (Dt. 6:5, Matt. 22:37) That right there is enough to keep anyone busy and happy for the rest of their lives. Instead of delving into scriptures that will help you "shear the sheep without killing them" we should be striving to strengthen our love relationship with Him. His love for us and the lost will bring us to the place of service where He wants us to be.

     Our desire to serve Him should be harnessed to His desire to serve us. John 3:16--For God so loved the world the He gave......  On this ONE scripture hangs all that God has ever done for us or ever will do for us. Therefore the greatest preparation you can make to His service is to love Him so strong that anything He asks you to do will seem like a menial task.

You Are The Only You There Is----So, Be You!

I used to be with a gospel quartet many years ago. After being around and listening to the top groups of that day, I was able to distinguish individual voices of my favorite singers. Even today, when I listen to gospel music I can still name the quartet that is singing. Why? Because I became familiar with their different voices. It's not hard for me to pick out J.D. Blackwood or Rex Nelon from the other bass singers. It's not hard for me to recognize a song sung by The Speers, Bill Gaither Vocal Band, The Hinsons, The Cathedrals, Gold City Quartet. And, I certainly can't miss when I hear the Happy Goodman Family, especially Vestal Goodman. What an anointing to sing that precious lady had.
God created every voice to be as different as a finger print. He created every individual person to be different from everybody else. The problem that Christians face is that we try to be carbon copies of our favorite preacher, teacher, or singer and we get ourselves messed up.
There's only one Billy Graham. He didn't become the great evangelist he was by copying someone else. His burning desire was to be what God wanted him to be. I've read books by Andrew Murray. Currently, I am re-reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I have a CD in my Isuzu by Beth Moore. These and more great teachers and preachers have a common thread. They let God develop them the way HE wanted them to be developed.
If you looked into the lives of all your favorite preachers and teachers, you'll find that all of them went through different circumstances, ups and downs, struggles and victories. All of those things were molding processes that God used to bring out His anointing in them.
God is the only one that knows who and what we really are and He custom designs a road for all of us to travel. Stop grouching about it! He's trying to mold you in a way that He knows you really are. Like He told Saul of Tarsus, "Quit kicking against the ox goad." Saul was trying to be the best Pharisee in the world but that wasn't who he really was.
It is an entirely different world when we settle down and allow God to make us who He designed us to be. Like me, you might be struggling with an identity crisis. Don't be afraid to be a little different than the rest. Your fingerprint is. The things you have stirring down inside of you that you haven't quite seen in anyone else, could they be God trying to do a new thing in you? I can't tell you, only God can. That's why you need to know HIM and not try to be your Grandma's version of who you need to be.
Here's what the Apostle Paul wrote in Phil 3:13--I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ.  We all know that Paul was different than any other minister of the gospel. Here he gives us a clue. When Jesus called him on the road to Damascus, He "apprehended" Paul. Today we would say "A God-thing grabbed a hold of me." Then let's repeat that verse this way--I'm running hard to grab a hold of the thing I felt God grab a hold of me for.
God created you. He saved you. He grabbed a hold of you. He didn't save and grab a hold of a carbon copy of anybody. He grabbed you. Individual you. Like nobody you've ever seen before, you. Be the best you that God wants you to be even if you say or act differently than anyone else you're around.

Book Review--Healing Her Heart

This is the second book I have read by Laura Scott. Both of them grabbed my attention from the first couple of paragraphs. Without being overly wordy like most authors are, she described her hero and heroine a little bit at a time. Gabe was an ER doctor and Larissa was an ER nurse. Both of them had hurtful pasts and had moved to a small town to heal their wounds and move on with their lives. I really loved the way that Ms. Scott made them play cat and mouse a little bit as their love for each other became evident. The ER scenes were realistic without being overly involved. Masterfully, she dealt with the subjects of domestic violence and Godly forgiveness of one's enemies. It was poor genius. Of course, being the hopeless romantic that I am, I chose one of Ms. Scott's books and was definitely not disappointed. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for a Godly romance story. Thanks again, Ms. Scott
Henry Givens   This book can be purchased at Amazon Kindle ebooks.

Surfers, Scuba Divers, and Sky Divers

Rom 8:37-In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

First of all we must rethink this promise. It does not read, "We are more than losers." Yet, most people, especially Christians, seem to think that every bad thing that comes along is theirs to endure and that living for Jesus means losing everything they have.
It is true that in a battle there is a loser and a conqueror. Paul, a battle-tested champion, declares that in everything we face "WE" are conquerors THROUGH GOD'S LOVE. Therefore, our main goal should not be shouting, boasting and becoming prolific in spouting God's word. Listen to me closely. Our MAIN desire SHOULD be to know and believe the love that God has for us. 1 John 4:16.
Here is something else he found out by personal experience. 1 Cor. 10:13 declares that God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted above our ability to endure and conquer. In other words, these battles have His stamp of approval on them. Why? The remainder of the verse tells us that with the temptation, God has made a way out of it. God has made a way for us to conqueror. God has a victory in each trial that He let's his love child go through. If he didn't, He would never let it come our way.
Then we need to trust His love like this. The strong ocean waves sometimes bring fear to swimmers. But to a surfer, the waves mean excitement because of the thrill they get from riding the waves. The depths of the ocean can be scary. But, to a scuba diver who has learned to survive underneath the water, it is a pleasure to go beneath. Heights can be scary. But to a skydiver, they are so exciting that they will go up in the plane again and again. Experience has taught them to turn their fear into a love.
Whatever you are going through right now has a good end. Jeremiah 29:11-God knows the thoughts and plans that He has for us and they are plans to DO US GOOD. Yes, the surf is high and treacherous. Yes, the water is over our head. Yes, it is so high that my head is spinning. But, God has brought me to this place because of His great love for me and it's part of His plan.
Don't just learn to spout His Word at the drop of a hat. That doesn't mean a thing to the unbeliever when you whine and complain about where you are. Spend time in His Presence until His love calms you down and excites you.
You remember. Before you got married, all you could think about was how much you wanted to do a lot of huggin' and squeezin'. And all that huggin' and squeezin' was going to take you on a long and happy journey. Learn that His love brings us to and through situations that He has already planned a victory for us. Then enjoy the ride.

In All These Things

Romans 8:37--In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Paul said, "In these things" and not because of these things. Paul went through more of "these things" than any of us ever will. I'll be the first to say "Thank God" for that.
I used to think that this was a 'MACHO' passage of scripture. Get pumped! Yo, we're greater! I'm Bad! and all that jazz. It's easy to think that way until you start going through some 'thing' or 'things'.
But, 'things' happen to our weaknesses, not our strengths.
'Things' happen because our Father declares to the world you can handle it, 1 Cor. 10:13. Don't you wish sometimes He wouldn't brag so much?
I am sure that most of us have missed the real point, until we start seriously, seriously thinking about this scripture until it's real meaning hits home. When it does hit home and we make this truth the cornerstone of our lives, our 'conquering' abilities skyrocket.
Instead of dwelling on the first half of that scripture like we always do. Let the last part of that verse go off like the bombshell it is. "Through Him who loved us."
We are going through these 'things' today and every day because our Father wants to snuggle a little bit with us. Remember how we used to do to our parents when we got scared? If you've forgotten, remember how you've done your children or your grandchildren when they got scared.
Just like we do our children. We pick them up and carry them safe in our arms until the danger is over.

The trouble is.......sometimes we've gotten too big to LET our Father carry us. Jesus told us to become like little children. There was a reason He said that.

A Different Look at Adam

We have all heard the story about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We know that Eve took the forbidden fruit and passed it on to Adam which caused them to be expelled from the Garden. Different preachers will take different paths on who was the most to blame. However, that is not even the subject of this blog. I want you to see something in a different light.
First of all, just like Adam, Eve was never born. Neither was she created from the dust of the ground. She was 'taken' from INSIDE of Adam. Everything that was a part of Adam, was now a part of Eve. She had a different body than he did because God wanted them to have children and raise them to love and obey Him. Her curse was not in bearing children. Her curse in Gen. 3:16 was that God would greatly multiply her pain in childbirth. A lot of you ladies will testify to that.
The myth of "opposites attract" was not a marital opinion set forth by God. He took Adam's feelings, his personality, his loves, his desires-----everything Adam was---Eve was. She just had a different body. What he liked, she liked. How he felt about something, she felt the same way. What made him happy, made her happy. That's called walking in unity. Personally, it should be preached from the pulpit that just as sure as hell is hot, couples should run away from "I know we have our differences, but---" when they are considering marriage. It is not a God option. Will God work with it? If you marry and serve God, He has to.
But, is it boring being married to someone pretty much like you? Marriage is ALWAYS what two people relying on God make it. With what married couples have to go through today, it would help tremendously if they started off agreeing with each other. I know some of you out there have opinions. Let's hear them.

Now my point about Adam.

Here is a man who has someone walking with him that shares his same likes and dislikes. The difference is, and still remains, that women are a little more fragile and they tend to be more emotional than men. Men on the other hand have this instinct to hear their spouses laugh and love to see them happy----no matter what they have to do. (I'm talking about when you first started out. Not the way some have wound up after years of being together.)
I can see where Adam was so filled with love for his mate that he would do virtually anything to make her happy. Does that sound familiar guys? We'll do anything to see her smile? We only laugh when we have done something that makes her laugh? I know. It might not be that way now but it once was. Could it have been that Adam was so deeply in love with Eve that he wanted her to have ANYTHING that would make her happy?
What do you think?