Wednesday, December 12, 2007

New Night Before Christmas

A great message thats been forwarded around the internet.

A New Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the town

Not a sign of Baby Jesuswas anywhere to be found.
The people were all busy with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking,and shopping in stores.

No one sang "Away in a manger,no crib for a bed".
Instead, they sang of Santadressed-up in bright red.
Mama watched Martha Stewart,Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hourthe presents they'd wrap
When what from the T.V.did they suddenly hear?'
Cept an ad.. which toldof a big sale at Sears.

So away to the mall they all flew like a flash...
Buying things on credit...and others with cash!
And, as they made their way home
From their trip to the mall,Did they think about Jesus?
Oh, no... not at all.

Their lives were so busywith their Christmas time things
No time to rememberChrist Jesus, the King.
There were presents to wrapand cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember who died for their sake?
To pray to the Savior...they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time to "Shop til they dropped!
"On Wal-mart! On K-mart!On Target!
On Penney's!On Hallmark! On Zales!A quick lunch at Denny's

From the big stores downtown to the stores at the mall
They would dash away, dash away,and visit them all!
And up on the roof,there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lightsup on his brand new step ladder.
He hung lights that would flash.He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...Light of the World.

Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry! Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... He'll carry!S
o instead of being busy,overworked, and uptight
Let's put Christ back in Christmas and enjoy some good nights!
Merry Christmas, my friends!

Friday, December 7, 2007

My Love Hasn't Grown Cold

The love of God is stronger than any force known to man. It heals wounds, saves souls, and mends broken lives. I remember a time in my life when I felt that the love of God was something that I was no longer worthy of. I had been in church and backslid and been Satan’s best friend. I often told myself that I could come back, but I would never be the same and no one would ever trust me to do anything in the kingdom of God.

I was fully introduced to the lies of Satan.

The thing about Satan is he tells such good lies that we believe them and listen to them as they eat away at us. He’s good like that.

Back to the love of God…..

I am always reminded of the story of the prodigal son. He went to his father and asked of him his inheritance. His dad gave him the money and he left. He went out into the world and found lots of friends and spent lots of money. The bible also says that he ended up penniless and had to work at a pig farm and slop pigs. He even ended up eating the pigs food, which is utterly disgusting. One day while he was in the pigpen he thought to himself, the servants in my fathers house get better than this. So I will go work for my father and tell him I don’t have to be his son anymore. At this moment I am sure he felt a little unworthy and humbled, maybe even desperate. The bible said he went back and his father ran to him with open arms. He took him in clothed him in the finest garments and gave him a ring. I am sure he said something along the lines. Son my love hasn’t grown cold for you…

The bible also talks about a fisherman by the name of Peter. Jesus saved him and made him a fisher of men and changed his whole life. Peter followed Jesus faithfully. But on the day of his crucifixion he denied him 3 times. But when he was resurrected Peter was one of the first to see him alive. Although he had done him wrong the love that God had for Peter hadn’t grown cold.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He committed adultery, killer her husband, and lost a child all in a short period of time. But David sought the Lord and repented. He was remembered as a man after Gods own heart.

Sometimes in life we do things that we shouldn’t. We make mistakes, we fall down. But one thing these 3 all had in common is they didn’t stay where they were at. They came back even though they weren’t sure how they would be accepted. You see the love of God is stronger than anything. The bible says neither life, nor death, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come can keep us from the love of God.

We have all messed up and fallen short but the love of God hasn’t grown cold, nor will it til the end of time.
I remind myself everyday that when the devil lies to me that I will no longer believe him. I am loved by God in spite of who I was. I am so glad that the Love God has for me has never and will never grow cold.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Lost in *Happily Ever After* Mode

Cinderella dreams of Prince Charming and a life better than her humble role as a servant. She sings and has a starry eye out the window and longs for what could be and lives in a world far beyond her own. She is often so day dreamy that she barely realizes she exists in reality. I feel like Cinderella sometimes. Sometimes I want to escape reality and be whisked away by a prince or a knight or just be on a desert island with some peace and quiet. Then I have to snap myself back to reality.

5:45 am my alarm goes off, time to work again! I often take myself away to another place when I am driving the 20 minute plus drive to work. I think about my future and about how life could be or should be or what not. Sometimes I step into *little girl* mode and think about how my prince would come and save me from this wretched world I am in. Then I really have to snap myself back into the real world.

Sometimes as humans we love to wishful think. I love to daydream. I can’t help it!

But as said before I often have to snap myself back into reality because if I live in *happy every after* land I am no good to myself or anyone else.

So many times I am guilty of thinking of 5 years from now or even longer when today is what matters! If I miss today I am missing my life. I am missing the good things that God is doing for me in the present. I should worry about the future because it is mine to look after, but I shouldn’t live there. It isn’t here yet! Someone once said that if I live in the future I am missing golden opportunities for the present. I should pray for God to lead me today not tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come.

So as much as I love to think about what tomorrow holds for now I will live happily ever after in today…

WHATS ON YOUR MIND?


1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.


Several months ago my heart was stirred and I have found myself pondering a simple question. I have begin to look at everything I do, everything I think, everything I plan, I am looking at my home, and my life. The answer to this question is obvious, it seems we answer this question without thought at time, but I fear that our obvious answer, our quick response is not that answer that shows in our life.
The question that needs to be answered, will determine how our eternity will be spent. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Several months ago my heart was stirred and I have found myself pondering a simple question. I have begin to look at everything I do, everything I think, everything I plan, I am looking at my home, and my life. The answer to this question is obvious, it seems we answer this question without thought at time, but I fear that our obvious answer, our quick response is not that answer that shows in our life.
The question that needs to be answered, will determine how our eternity will be spent.
WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
Several months ago my wife awoke early in the morning, I woke up to hear her praying and turned to check on her and she begin to unfold the dream she had dreamed about the endtimes, she told me early in the morning about the things that scared her in the dream, and she said Ryan, the thing that stood out to me the most is that it felt like it was soon, everyone was not much older than they are now. Immediately her dream drove me to prayer, because to often do I think about heaven as being something so distant.
The past year every heaven song I have ever heard has played through my mind. "Some glad morning, when this life is over I'll fly away." "There shall be light in the evening time, " "This is the church of the book of revelation and one of these days we're going to move a little higher." "I'm going to take a trip, on the good ol gospel ship." "When the roll is called up yonder ill be there." "This world is not my, I'm a just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue." "What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon his face and thank him for his grace." "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be." "We're going to sing, and shout and dance about when we get over yonder, oh want we have a time." I will be honest with you, I have heard preaching all of my life. I can count on one hand the services that I have missed. I have heard good preaching since I was a child from my Grand Pa's, Pastor Stan Gleason and Pastor Terry Black. I probably can not recall every sermon my Papa Vanderford preached during the time I attended there as a child, but I can tell you before we dismissed during that prayer, I can quote it about word for word, God keep your hand upon us until we gather together at the appointed time, and help us to be ready to hear those wonderful words, well done thou good and faithful servant.
For the past 25 years my family, my pastors, the ministries that God has put in my life have all be preaching he is coming back soon. These past few months as I have prayed and thought about it. My mind has been filled with men and women of influence in my life, what made them so powerful to me. Of all the ways they influenced me, the one common thread through their ministries, is they had heaven at the forefront of everything they did or said. Their sermons, their songs, their lessons, their talked all had heaven as a priority. I realize that we have to be in this world, but biblically I realize that we don't have to be of this world. I believe there was an era of time the devil was trying to convince the church that hell wasn't real, I think in 2007 he is trying to keep heaven off our mind. I believe the devil is reminded very quickly about the damage that can be caused in his agenda, when a holy ghost filled apostolic man or women gets heaven on the forfront of their minds. I believe his mind drifts back to the apostles. They lived each day as it was there last, they testified, they preached, they prayed, the literally believed that Jesus Christ was coming back during their lifetime. My mind begin to wonder what would happen to us if we got leaving on our mind. What would happen if in the morning we woke up and said you know what this could be my last day, If you don't know, or you cant imagine. I can, I believe we would be getting reports from our local schools of students that caused a disturbance, because a prayer meeting broke out during some conversation, I believe there would be new bible studies started, I believe prayer rooms would be full, I believe we would sort through our homes, our priorities, our life just to make sure our bags were packed for leaving.

LEAVING ON MY MIND by The Bowman Family
This old house I'm living in it sure needs some repair; The windows and the shutters are letting in the cold, cold air. I say to myself, I'm gonna fix them if I can find the time; But all I've been getting lately is leaving on my mind. Lately all I've got is leaving on my mind; It seems that's all I think about most of the time; And soon and very soon I'll leave these troubles far behind; Lately I've got leaving, leaving on my mind. So I guess I should be looking for a better place to live; But I can't seem to get excited about this world and what it can give; I couldn't care less if I could buy it all with one solitary dime. For what good would this old world do me with leaving on my mind? Lately all I've got is leaving on my mind; It seems that's all I think about most of the time; And soon and very soon I'll leave these troubles far behind; Lately I've got leaving, leaving on my mind.
WHATS ON YOUR MIND?

Thursday, October 4, 2007

When the Music Fades

The doors are shut, lights turned off, building locked up. The people went home to carry on with their lives. The show is over, the music silenced, the performers gone. The singers have been silenced and there is a hush across the room. The show is over. Although the show has ended and everyone is gone it doesn’t mean the singer doesn’t still continue. She may not be on stage but her love is for the music and she continues to hum a melody even as she prepares for rest. She has a love and undying passion for the performance and it burns within her even after the music fades.

The love for our savior should be our undying passion. Our relationship shouldn’t depend on the thrill and volume of the music and of the services we go to from week to week. I was singing in a youth service when I noticed someone who was normally in the spotlight just sitting with their arms folded. They had forgotten their passion. I never want to be guilty of sitting on my worship because I am not in the spotlight or because the music has faded. The music isn’t what moves me, its my love for God and His unfailing name. I know at times we are prompted by the beat of the drum or the rhythm of the bass. But when that is silenced we will still be able to list our hands? We will still leap for joy or dance before our savior? I am reminded of the song Heart or Worship. When the music fades and all has slipped away, and I simply come. Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart. I’ll bring you more than song….My life revolves around music and I am more guilty than some I am sure of wrapping my life up in it, but when the presence of Jehovah comes in no song can compare. I guess what I am trying to say is will my praise and worship still be strong long after the music fades?

Monday, October 1, 2007

Just Another Employee

I was sitting at work the other day and a thought came to my mind…

I have a boss who I sit right beside and we get along pretty good. I also have another boss who is above her that I know and say hey to every now and then, but the relationship isn’t so close. Then there is the CEO of the company who doesn’t even know my name. I was thinking about how sometimes our relationship with God is kind of like my relationship with the CEO. I do all this work him and help his company run, but he has no idea who I am. I am sure he is thankful I am around, but that doesn’t sway from the fact he doesn’t know me. So many of us go through life doing things for God and we don’t have a relationship with Him. We’re just another employee. I am sometimes guilty of doing things for God like in church and outside of church that I forget to establish my relationship with Him. Do I know Him? Does He know me? Is my relationship solid enough with Him that when I stand before the throne He will know who I am? U don’t want go through my life being God’s employee and never His friend. I want to be more than just another employee.

Nothing, but the blood

What can wash away my sins?
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

My friend and music leader at church sang this simple chorus Sunday morning and the words pricked my heart. I started to think about all the things that people try in the world today. All the things they try to make them either forget about what they’ve done or make them feel better for the time being. I thought about how there are millions of people in the world who feel completely worthless because of the things they have either said or did. There are so many people who are either trying to run from their past or erase it. I remember the times I felt that way, and all I needed was one drop of blood. One drop of blood from Jesus saved my soul, erased my past, and made me whole. I didn’t have to spend endless hours searching for another fix that would only be temporary. All I had to do was seek the face of Jesus and His matchless blood saved me in an instant. I am glad that I know the answer to the questions that I once had. What can wash away my sin? The blood of Jesus! What can make me whole again? The blood of Jesus!! What is the reason I am here today? The blood of Jesus! I thank God for the blood he shed for me.