From a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. I hope you find my adventures amusing, thought provoking, and always pointing you to the source of love - Jesus Christ
I love Barlow Girl - they never fail to come up with a song that just stops you in your tracks and makes you get on your knees and worship. “Beautiful Ending” is another one of these songs. Isn’t a “Beautiful Ending” something we all want and desire after diligently searching for what could be months, years, or a lifetime? Like a meaningful job, finding the love of your life, reconciliation with others, and being restored from your brokenness to name a few. Well the good news is God’s already there - those of us who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives and seek forgiveness of our sins already know that we will have “Beautiful Ending” for Godly things we seek on this earth and the ultimate “Beautiful Ending” when we see Jesus face to face.
I know my ending – do you know yours?
“Oh, tragedy Has taken so many Love lost cause they all Forgot who You were And it scares me to think That I would choose My life over You Oh, my selfish heart Divides me from You It tears us apart
So tell me What is our ending? Will it be beautiful So beautiful?
Oh, why do I Let myself let go Of Hands that painted the stars And hold tears that fall? And the pride of my heart Makes me forget It's not me but You Who makes the heart beat I'm lost without You And dying from me
So tell me What is our ending? Will it be beautiful So beautiful?
Will my life Find me by Your side? Your love is beautiful So beautiful
At the end of it all I wanna be in Your arms At the end of it all I wanna be in Your arms At the end of it all I wanna be in Your arms At the end of it all I wanna be in Your arms
So tell me What is our ending? Will it be beautiful So beautiful? Will my life Find me by Your side? 'Cause Your love is beautiful So beautiful
I love Kutless’s version of this timeless hymn 'My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! ".
Although not scripture, this stanza from the song is so true. When we humbly & sincerely ask God for forgiveness he grants it to us. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ 1 John 1:9.
That should be it – right ? Unfortunately no. Satan is very quick to condemn here – through our thoughts quite a bit of the time but here is the real unfortunate part – through other believers. And they use scripture to back up their points. Wow.
But there is good news here. Jesus told us what we need to do – very clearly. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40
Rich Nathan (Senior Pastor Vineyard Columbus) stated that what we need to do in this instance is to ask forgiveness – forgiveness for doubting the power of the cross ! And Jesus was clear about repenting from your sin ‘Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, I do not condemn you, either Go From now on sin no more." John 8:10-11
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are not ‘forgiven’ !
Jesus last three words on this earth “It Is Finished”. What part of those three words don’t you understand ?
A couple of weeks ago, Senior Pastor Rich Nathan’s message was called ‘Greater Forgiveness’. The central theme of the message was that God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ is full and complete. One thing that God has laid on my heart the past several days is the problem of what Rich referred to as ‘moralisim’ that is ‘when we try to straighten other people out’.
Rich stated that this has two aspects to it: ‘those who try to do this are usually caught up in the same sin’ and ‘people don’t like other people condemning them’. The passage that brings this to light is John 8:4-7
“4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." “
I have lost many who I considered to be my friends over the past two years. It hurts me that a number of them have chosen to not see the miracle of what God has done in me – taking this completely broken vessel, restoring it, and watching it blossom. And yes I can say blossom in spite of being without a job the past 10 months and other unanswered prayer. But the core of friends that I do have remained strong (including my children) and as God has added the ‘yeast’ I have seen friendships multiply. Many of them know what has transpired and many could care less. They love me and pray for me simply because of who I am – a sinner saved by Jesus Christ.
Some verses God laid on my heart this morning to share:
Psalm 62:7-8 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. “
Psalm 63: 1-8 ‘1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. 8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. “
Colossians 2:13-15 “13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
John 5:17 “Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." ‘
God has placed a calling on me to be reconciled with those who have chosen not to see what God has done through me. And this is solely because of what is in my heart towards them – seeking their forgiveness for anything I am harboring against them. I am going to be persistent simply because Christ demands that we be reconciled:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 “16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Let me close with a line from a song: “Are you free ? I am free !”
“I Am Free” by the Newsboys “Through you the blind will see Through you the mute will sing Through you the dead will rise Through you our hearts will praise Through you the darkness flees Through you my heart screams I am free I am free
Chorus: (2x’s) I am free to run (I am free to run) I am free to dance (I am free to dance) I am free to live for you (I am free to live for you) I am free (I am free) Yes, I am free (I am free)
Through you the blind will see Through you the mute will sing Through you the dead will rise Through you our hearts will praise Through you the darkness flees Through you my heart screams I am free I am free Are you free? I am free”
I recently listened to a sermon series by Pator James McDonald and he stated that these are the five marks of an authentic Christian:
1. Love deeply
2.Obeying faithfully
3. Living authentically
4. Knowing completely
5. Believing confidently
The following verses sum it up so well:
" 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." 2 Peter 1:5-9
Many thought that I would never get here - that I was too broken, that I simply could not put be back together. But God had other plans and through lots of prayer, love, and true brothers in the Lord I am not only back together but can say with confidence in my Lord Jesus that I am an 'Authentic Christian" as witnessed by family & friends.
The song ‘Complete’ by Kutless really speaks to that end – at the time it came the song help changed my prayer life among other things and ties in the words from James McDonald and 2 Peter 1:5-9 so well. Below are the lyrics.
What are you waiting for ? Get “Complete” in Jesus !
“Complete” Incomplete it all began The broken state that I was in I wished that I was someone else Cause' I was lost inside myself I started seeing who I am The day my life with you began You clearly solved the mystery That finding you meant finding me.
God, I've fallen to my knees I'm bowing at your feet I give you all of me In you I am complete It's all because of love I'm not who I was I'm who I meant to be In you I am complete
God who doesn't need at all I heard your voice I felt your call It's echoing I cannot shake you off. The stars that shine they bear your name They sing the song that gives you praise You've captured me My heart is lifting off
God, I've fallen to my knees I'm bowing at your feet I give you all of me In you I am complete It's all because of love I'm not who I was I'm who I meant to be In you I am complete
I've got to tell the world about the things you've done I want to shout it out, I'm gonna live it now Amazing grace is why I'm singing
God, I've fallen to my knees I'm bowing at your feet I give you all of me In you I am complete It's all because of love I'm not who I was I'm who I meant to be In you I am complete
Senior Pastor Rich Nathan's message this weekend was called 'Greater Forgiveness'.
In it he outlined thet 'we need to receive the fullness of Jesus forgiveness. Nowhere in the Bible does it say "All your sins are forgiven except________" ' Rich also mentioned that 'there are so many excuses DNA, genes, parents, environment, etc. but I am still a sinner.' He gave the example of an interview with Bill Clinton about Monica Lewisnky and that Bill Clinton said he could have used the 'excuses' reason but he said he did it for the the worst reason of all - "I wanted to'. We have all been there but a God has laid this on my heart and I have assumed full responsibility for my sin that has caused so much anguish - and I have already received many blessings in return.
Rich also pointed out that 'Our worst sin is the failure to believe the word of God when it comes to forgiveness'.
"Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back." Isaiah 38:17
"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:25
"as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12
"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfootand hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19
He stated the the evidence of forgiveness is twofold" 'Your focus is on Jesus', and 'You devote everything to Jesus'.
I close with this.
""Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."" Luke 10:36-37 NIV
Go and do likewise.
"Ocean Floor" by Audio Adrenaline
"The Mistakes I've made That cause pain I could have done without All my selfish thought All my pride The things I hide You have forgot about
Chorus
They’re all behind you They’ll never find you There on the ocean floor You sins are forgotten They’re on the bottom Of the ocean floor
My misdeeds All my greed All the things that haunt me now They’re not a pretty sight to see But they're wiped away By a mighty, mighty wave A mighty, mighty wave
Your sins are erased And they are no more They’re out on the ocean floor
Take them away To return no more Take them away To the ocean floor To the ocean floor To the ocean floor| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Your sins are erased There are no more They’re out on the ocean floor"
"16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" Ephesians 3:16-20
I attend a morning chapel service at Vineyard Columbus at 7 AM Monday through Friday. Today's New Testament reading was Ephesians 3 and God laid these verses to share with everyone today. The message is simply this - that God's love cannot be measured - we simply cannot grasp how much God loves us and how much he wants to do for us !
As I draw closer and closer to God every day, the sweeter and deeper and richer his love for me becomes. I value my relationship with Jesus above all others.
I can say this even on a cold, wet rainy day - with no job prospects in sight and with lots of uncertainty in my life. I know that my God will come through and bless my prayers and all who are praying for me - his word says it and I claim and believe it. Do the same !
Be blessed !
“Impossible is not a word It’s just a reason for someone not to try" from "What Faith Can Do by Kutless
"What Faith Can Do" by Kutless
"Everybody falls sometimes Gotta find the strength to rise From the ashes and make a new beginning Anyone can feel the ache You think it’s more than you can take But you are stronger, stronger than you know Don’t you give up now The sun will soon be shining You gotta face the clouds To find the silver lining
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains Hope that doesn’t ever end Even when the sky is falling And I’ve seen miracles just happen Silent prayers get answered Broken hearts become brand new That’s what faith can do
It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard Impossible is not a word It’s just a reason for someone not to try Everybody’s scared to death When they decide to take that step Out on the water It’ll be alright Life is so much more Than what your eyes are seeing You will find your way If you keep believing
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains Hope that doesn’t ever end Even when the sky is falling And I’ve seen miracles just happen Silent prayers get answered Broken hearts become brand new That’s what faith can do
Overcome the odds You do have a chance (That’s what faith can do) When the world says you can’t It’ll tell you that you can!
I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains Hope that doesn’t ever end Even when the sky is falling And I’ve seen miracles just happen Silent prayers get answered Broken hearts become brand new That’s what faith can do That's what faith can do! Even if you fall sometimes You will have the strength to rise"
One of the things that my beloved father told me is there no such thing as a ‘sure thing’ here on this earth. This is no doubt due to one simple fact – people are fallible. We make mistakes. Even with the best of intentions we simple ‘mess up’ . No 100% promise or guarantees.
What if I were to tell you that I could get you a 10,000 % return on your investment ? You would probably call the squad and say ‘take Bill away’ or as Jimmy Stewart put it in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” “He’s gone off his nut !” . Rest assured that my feet are planted firmly on the ground – the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Listed below is how to get that return on your investment:
Matthew 19:27-30 (New Living Translation)
“ 27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” 28 Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new[a] and the Son of Man[b] sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then] “
You may have noticed that I was ‘absent’ last week on Facebook. I was feeling very frustrated a week ago Sunday. Wondering why my prayers were not being answered – very much like the line on the Natalie Grant song ‘I Will Not Be Moved’ that goes ‘thou sometimes it feels like my prayers are bouncing off the sky’. I emailed several of my Christian friends. One came back with a awesome suggestion. A technology fast – no posting on Facebook, no job hunting, no emailing, no unnecessary commerce, along with that I expanded that to going to chapel at 7 AM (yes 7 AM) , having radios playing at my apartment 24/7 from the local Christian radio station (104.9 The River) , and listening to online sermons from other pastors (oneplace.com). On Wednesday I expanded it even further to fast lunch.
The world would say ‘your nuts – you can’t stop your job search !’ and ‘how can you survive without Facebook and email ?’ Here’s why:
1 Corinthians 3:19 (New Living Translation)
“19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” ‘
I do need to say that I kept in touch with family and a few friends but spent a majority of my time focused on God.
The benefits ? The blessings ? Well as I put it to a good friend of mine ‘it would be like trying to count the grains of sand on the seashore’ – impossible ! But I will list a few:
One is God’s presence. I really mean the presence of Jesus with you. It is truly something that you cannot put into any form of communication know to man. It is so awesome to know he is right there with you !
God focus. Both of my radios have on ‘The River 104.9’ 24/7 – where God’s presence is satan cannot be. Plus I have also listened to some awesome online sermons at oneplace.com. God is really in focus all day – every day !
Giving God my first fruits of the day. Starting each weekday off with chapel has been such a moving experience. Doing this every day reminds us of what all that God has done and is doing and will do for us. Bearing one another’s burdens. Communion. Wow.
Peace about my job search. God has replaced any anxiousness on my part with complete peace. And reassurance that God is moving and working in this area as evidenced by several phone calls. And reminding me of all who area praying for me in regards to this.
Exercise. During the time I normally spend eating lunch, I have decided to go to the driving range. I now have Will going with me as well. The tendonitis that was in my right shoulder is pretty much gone. I am hitting a golf ball better than at any other time in my life which feels great. And I say a quick prayer (aka ‘flare prayer’) before each shot. I feel strength returning to my upper body that I thought I never had.
Losing weight. Yes fasting is not easy. But the benefit is that my stomach is shrinking. I don’t nearly eat as much at dinner. And I am losing weight !
Family. My kids and I are close. I feel that through this I am drawing even closer to them and am praying that I am providing an example of what a Godly father should be like in their lives. I told them that God woke me up to pray for Victoria and Peter at 3 AM the other day and had that confirmed by them – God goose bump kind of stuff for sure !
Friends. Simply put I have received a 10,000 % return on ‘my investment here’ – Ephesians 3:20
Ephesians 3:20 (Today's New International Version)
'20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, '
Do I have all the answers to all my prayers ? No. Is God still working on me ? A resounding YES !
I am continuing fasting lunch for several specific prayer requests. I am going to 7 AM chapel until God blesses me with the job. I am continuing having the radios on all the day for God’s presence at my place. I am hitting the driving range rain or shine to get that exercise.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (New International Version)
‘ 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’
I am closing with the lyrics and music video for the song ‘Whatever Your’e Doing (Something Heavenly)’ by the group ‘Sanctus Real’ .
Go get your 10,000 % return on your investment – the reward is truly ‘out of this world’ !
“It's time for healing time to move on It's time to fix what's been broken too long Time to make right what has been wrong It's time to find my way to where I belong There's a wave that's crashing over me And all I can do is surrender
(Chorus) Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace It's hard to surrender to what I can't see but I'm giving in to something Heavenly
Time for a milestone Time to begin again Reevaluate who I really am Am I doing everything to follow Your will Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills So show me what it is You want from me I give everything I surrender... To...
(Chorus)
Time to face up Clean this old house Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com Time to breathe in and let everything out That I've wanted to say for so many years Time to release all my held back tears
Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but I believe You're up to something bigger than me Larger than life something Heavenly
Whatever You're doing inside of me It feels like chaos but now I can see This is something bigger than me Larger than life something Heavenly Something Heavenly
It's time to face up Clean this old house Time to breathe in and let everything out “
