Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Let every man and woman KNOW that because he/she is a one–of- a- kind creation of Jesus Christ, and is loved beyond measure by God Himself, he/she has value!
Just as we appreciate the differences in others, we need to learn to appreciate the differences in ourselves…it doesn’t make us good or bad, it makes us us!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
On Worship - why should I?
Thoughts on worshipping Jesus, God of Heaven and Earth, the King of kings, and Lord of lords:
What is worship? It is loving Jesus with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul; it is complete submission of our nature to God. It's something that comes from the heart, and is shown by the things we say, think, do, every day of our lives. It is something that God can't make us do, but if we truly love Him, it will be easy to do, and the more we do it, the more we'll want to do it!
To really love Him, though, we begin by learning as much as we can about Him. We learn about His past, what He's done, what He's said, what He likes and doesn't like, what makes Him happy and what makes Him sad. Where do we find this stuff out?? Glad you asked! In the Bible, of course! Just for your info, God used many different authors over hundreds of years to write this "letter" to us, so we could know Him! And even though this was written with so many authors over such a long time, all the "books" can be proven that they were written by One Author! He wants us to know Him so we can love Him. He has so much He wants to share with us!
Now, once we know about Him, you'll want to know Him. The best way to make this happen, is to talk to Him. What better/easier way to get to know anyone? You can talk to Him as if He's right beside you. Tell Him anything you want. Tell Him you're happy, you're sad, you're mad, you did something wrong/bad, you think He should do things differently, you need help, you're stuck, you don't like something. Whatever!!! He just wants to hear from you! He isn't gonna be mad at you, or ashamed of you, or punish you, or be shocked and disappointed about anything you might tell Him - He already knows everything about you! Go ahead! Try it! Have a nice long talk with Him! and you don't have to be all formal - He was a human just as you are.
After you've had your little (or long) talk with Him, trust that He heard you. Anyone who seeks Him will find Him - that's a promise in the Bible. Talk to Him everyday, all day if you want to. The more you talk to Him, the more you'll know Him. The more you know Him, the more you'll love Him- and this is what leads to worship! True Worship will bring you a sense of awe- knowing that the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord that is above all lords, has come into your presence and has listened with an attentive ear to what you had to say! It will bring such a joy that you may cry actual tears! Don't stop here! Begin to tell Him thank you, and tell Him how awesome you think He is. Tell Him how thankful you are that He has considered you "worthy" of His notice. He Is an awesome God!! You will begin to speak in tongues, sounding as a baby who babbles as he is learning to talk. Don't be afraid of this! Keep on talking as long as you can! This is a sign of Jesus filling you with the Holy Ghost! It is an awesome, life-changing experience! You can read about people in the Bible who received the Holy Ghost by going to the book of Acts - this is in the New Testament, after Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read the whole book of Acts - it tells of how God was moving then and changing lives. He is still moving and changing lives today! Acts was written by Luke who was a physician in his day, so if you want continuity, begin by reading Luke, which is about Jesus' earthly ministry and his death, burial and resurrection, then go to Acts, which continues from the resurrection and to His ministry afterwards.
So, what got me on this? At my church, my Pastor recently preached a sermon on worship, and it has made such an impact on me that my thinking has been changed. To sum up his message:
4 expectations of worship:
1) We can expect God's presence anytime we truly worship
2) we will see ourselves as we truly are - sins and all
3) we can expect to be reminded of his grace (He gives us what we don't deserve )
4) we will be inspired to serve (what can I do for You, Lord?)
Worship will change us!
Worship is an encounter with Jesus!
Why go through the motions of going to church, if we don't "connect" with the One we came here for?? hmmmm?
What is worship? It is loving Jesus with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul; it is complete submission of our nature to God. It's something that comes from the heart, and is shown by the things we say, think, do, every day of our lives. It is something that God can't make us do, but if we truly love Him, it will be easy to do, and the more we do it, the more we'll want to do it!
To really love Him, though, we begin by learning as much as we can about Him. We learn about His past, what He's done, what He's said, what He likes and doesn't like, what makes Him happy and what makes Him sad. Where do we find this stuff out?? Glad you asked! In the Bible, of course! Just for your info, God used many different authors over hundreds of years to write this "letter" to us, so we could know Him! And even though this was written with so many authors over such a long time, all the "books" can be proven that they were written by One Author! He wants us to know Him so we can love Him. He has so much He wants to share with us!
Now, once we know about Him, you'll want to know Him. The best way to make this happen, is to talk to Him. What better/easier way to get to know anyone? You can talk to Him as if He's right beside you. Tell Him anything you want. Tell Him you're happy, you're sad, you're mad, you did something wrong/bad, you think He should do things differently, you need help, you're stuck, you don't like something. Whatever!!! He just wants to hear from you! He isn't gonna be mad at you, or ashamed of you, or punish you, or be shocked and disappointed about anything you might tell Him - He already knows everything about you! Go ahead! Try it! Have a nice long talk with Him! and you don't have to be all formal - He was a human just as you are.
After you've had your little (or long) talk with Him, trust that He heard you. Anyone who seeks Him will find Him - that's a promise in the Bible. Talk to Him everyday, all day if you want to. The more you talk to Him, the more you'll know Him. The more you know Him, the more you'll love Him- and this is what leads to worship! True Worship will bring you a sense of awe- knowing that the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord that is above all lords, has come into your presence and has listened with an attentive ear to what you had to say! It will bring such a joy that you may cry actual tears! Don't stop here! Begin to tell Him thank you, and tell Him how awesome you think He is. Tell Him how thankful you are that He has considered you "worthy" of His notice. He Is an awesome God!! You will begin to speak in tongues, sounding as a baby who babbles as he is learning to talk. Don't be afraid of this! Keep on talking as long as you can! This is a sign of Jesus filling you with the Holy Ghost! It is an awesome, life-changing experience! You can read about people in the Bible who received the Holy Ghost by going to the book of Acts - this is in the New Testament, after Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read the whole book of Acts - it tells of how God was moving then and changing lives. He is still moving and changing lives today! Acts was written by Luke who was a physician in his day, so if you want continuity, begin by reading Luke, which is about Jesus' earthly ministry and his death, burial and resurrection, then go to Acts, which continues from the resurrection and to His ministry afterwards.
So, what got me on this? At my church, my Pastor recently preached a sermon on worship, and it has made such an impact on me that my thinking has been changed. To sum up his message:
4 expectations of worship:
1) We can expect God's presence anytime we truly worship
2) we will see ourselves as we truly are - sins and all
3) we can expect to be reminded of his grace (He gives us what we don't deserve )
4) we will be inspired to serve (what can I do for You, Lord?)
Worship will change us!
Worship is an encounter with Jesus!
Why go through the motions of going to church, if we don't "connect" with the One we came here for?? hmmmm?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
On YouTube
I enjoyed checking out youtube! There was such an endless variety of topics and "skill levels" to watch. I checked out health inspections in restaurants - pretty disgusting some of them! I also watched some music videos, mostly because my son was surfing and found some. I chose one that I liked and put it on this blog. I'm not sure how to get just the one that I wanted, which is "stay saved" by Canton Jones. He enjoyed hearing this, and watching it too - he tried to imitate the "moves".
Sunday, February 10, 2008
On the Death of my Father
Little did I know that two days after writing my last post and quote, I would be faced with the death of my father. In fact, while I was writing that, he was at home very sick, perhaps even considering the fact that he may have only a short time left. I knew he was not well for a long time since his heart was very weak, but his death was still unexpected. My family and I were with him for many hours on Tuesday, his last full day of life. He didn't say a whole lot to us, as he was very nauseated and just trying to rest. I know he knew that we cared about him.
We (my brothers and sisters), said our good-nights, and said we'd see him the next day. Later in the evening I went back again just to see how he was doing and to say good- night. I was glad to see he was propped up in his bed, watching a basketball game, one of his favorite things to do. He asked if he could get some sleeping pills to help him to sleep, and I told him I'd ask the nurse.
The next morning, I went up to see him, just to see if he was able to sleep at all during the night. I asked if he got the drugs, and he said "no". I kidded him saying "you don't come to the hospital to get sleep". He laughed. He said he was feeling ok though. I had to go to work, so I told him I'd be there afterwards. He said "bye" and I said "see ya in a little while". Before I was able to see him again, he had passed away only about 10 minutes after I left work.
My family and I remained in his room with him for a few hours, letting the reality sink in. He didn't have a lot of earthly things to leave behind, but he did have many friends and family that cared for him. He had 7 children, of which I am so glad to say I am one of. Coming through this, after spending many hours together in the last few days, I can honestly say, I have an awesome family. I appreciate each of them, and... it's a hard thing to say sometimes, ...I love each one. Karen... Diane...Tom....Lori...Kelly...Steve....Mom.... I love each one of you. I hope you all know it
already. Mom, you have bragging rights right along with Dad, and more so. You've been there with us our whole lives, never giving up on us, through our good times and our bad. So, thanks Dad.... and thank you, Mom.
So, as my previous quote was: Live each day as if it's your last, 'cuz one day you'll be right. My newest quote (by me, and I'm sure there's a more eloquent way of saying this but I don't know what it is right now) is: "Treat each other as if it's their last, 'cuz one day you'll be right". No regrets left behind.
We (my brothers and sisters), said our good-nights, and said we'd see him the next day. Later in the evening I went back again just to see how he was doing and to say good- night. I was glad to see he was propped up in his bed, watching a basketball game, one of his favorite things to do. He asked if he could get some sleeping pills to help him to sleep, and I told him I'd ask the nurse.
The next morning, I went up to see him, just to see if he was able to sleep at all during the night. I asked if he got the drugs, and he said "no". I kidded him saying "you don't come to the hospital to get sleep". He laughed. He said he was feeling ok though. I had to go to work, so I told him I'd be there afterwards. He said "bye" and I said "see ya in a little while". Before I was able to see him again, he had passed away only about 10 minutes after I left work.
My family and I remained in his room with him for a few hours, letting the reality sink in. He didn't have a lot of earthly things to leave behind, but he did have many friends and family that cared for him. He had 7 children, of which I am so glad to say I am one of. Coming through this, after spending many hours together in the last few days, I can honestly say, I have an awesome family. I appreciate each of them, and... it's a hard thing to say sometimes, ...I love each one. Karen... Diane...Tom....Lori...Kelly...Steve....Mom.... I love each one of you. I hope you all know it
already. Mom, you have bragging rights right along with Dad, and more so. You've been there with us our whole lives, never giving up on us, through our good times and our bad. So, thanks Dad.... and thank you, Mom.
So, as my previous quote was: Live each day as if it's your last, 'cuz one day you'll be right. My newest quote (by me, and I'm sure there's a more eloquent way of saying this but I don't know what it is right now) is: "Treat each other as if it's their last, 'cuz one day you'll be right". No regrets left behind.
Monday, February 4, 2008
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