"Dear Jesus"

Dear Jesus (with no apologies to Santa),

It’s Christmas Day 2009. Wow. This year has flown by. I want to send you my “lists” to thank you for what you have and are blessing me with and to ask for prayer.

So here they are:

Here is my “ thank you list” for 2009:










Thank you for being born !
Thank you for the Cross !
Thank you for eternal life !
Thank you for forgiveness of my sins !
Thank you for your grace, mercy and love every day !
Thank you for making it so easy for us: “Love the Lord your God with all you heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself”
Thank you for your Holy Word !
Thank you for Will, Victoria, and Peter !
Thank you for Will graduating from Full Sail !
Thank you for Victoria graduating this next May !
Thank you for Peter and his intelligence !
Thank you for my mother !
Thank you for my father who inspires me to this day ! Love you Pops !
Thank you for awesome Christian music !
Thank you for believing in me Jesus !
Thank you for giving me the strength to pray in spite of circumstances and what others say !
Thank you for awesome brothers & sisters in the Lord who I count as friends and for those who did not give me on or abandon me !
Thank you for everyone who prays for me !
Thank you for my church !
Thank you for my pastor and his messages from you Lord !
Thank you for providing for my needs in a very difficult year !
Thank you for keeping me “pressing on” and encouraging me in my job hunt !
Thank you for enabling me to lose weight !
Thank you for enjoying with my kids watching both the Steelers win the Super Bowl and the Penguins win the Stanley Cup ! (and for taking Will to game#6 of the Stanley Cup Finals)

Here is my “prayer list” for the rest of 2009 & 2010:

Keep my eyes focused on you Jesus

Help me to spend time in your Holy Word, and prayer

I pray for peace for my family

A job to be able to provide for my children and myself

That I can get debts on their way to getting paid off and start to rebuild my savings

That my friendships grow and prosper in you Jesus

For those who have chosen not to communicate with me or have ill will towards me that I pray for them

Bless me with continuing to lose weight & exercise more

To enjoy all three of my children and that all of their needs are met

To enjoy my mother and that all of her needs are met

I pray you bless my children, mother, family & friends that they all may experience your love, grace, mercy, and peace for the remainder of this year 2009 and for 2010

Your humble servant,

Bill

What Love Is

"Love is giving selflessly to another not expecting anything in return"

The greatest example of this is Jesus Christ dying on the cross.


Bill Horosz 12/2/2009

"Beautiful Ending"

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

"It Is Well"

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 ?

Greater Forgiveness Part II

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”

"Five MarksOf An Authentic Christian" by James McDonald

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

"Greater Forgiveness" by Rich Nathan

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"