A week gone by...

So a week has gone by since my last post. Life has been busy the past week from work, to meetings, to Church, to physical therapy... something going on pretty much every night thus far... Oh well. :o) Thankfully I have off from working this weekend and can hopefully get some work done in my apartment. We'll see...

Why we know what Love is...

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ~ 1 John 3:16, NLT

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ~ 1 John 4:16, NLT

Sisters

My sisters Abigail and Rachel from 2 years ago I think...

Are We Important to God?

This was given to me years ago by a camp counselor... Sometimes it is still good to re-read it and become reaquainted with how important we really are to God... He Made Us, He Loves Us, He Chose Us, and Is With Us....

He Made You

• Psalms 139:14-15
• Colossians 1:16
• Isaiah 43:7
• Romans 9:20-21

He Loves You

• John 3:16
• Romans 5:8
• I John 4:10
• I John 4:19

He Chose You

• John 15:16
• Ephesians 1:4
• II Thessalonians 2:13
• I Peter 2:9

He Is With You

• John 14:16-17
• Proverbs 15:3
• Matthew 28:19-20

KIDSTUF NIGHT!!! :o)

Last night we had our kids program (KIDSTUF) practice for the show tonight. There are some very talented people at my church. They did an incredible job last night, and I am looking forward to seeing the actual performance tonight. I'll try and post pictures from the show later this week if I get the chance... When people use the gifts and talents that God has given them for His glory and honor, He can use them in ways they would never expect and touch lives in a way that others couldn't. I am thankful for these people and the work they do...
:o)

Thought for today...

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT

When we ask for direction in God's will, there are some clear answers... God's will is for us to be thankful in all circumstances, never stop praying, and always be joyful... it can be very hard to do this sometimes but it becomes easier when we remember that we truly do belong to Christ Jesus.

"For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love."
~ Romans 5:5, NLT

After watching the movie "Fireproof" and the small group study based on it, something that is mentioned is that we can not love if we do not have God's love in us because God is love and all love we have has to be based on His love for us for without it we are nothing.

Grandpa and Nora planting flowers
Memorial Day Weekend '08

Steven and Rachel, and Timothy and Nicoli- brothers and their wives

Memorial Day Weekend '08

Aunt Abigail, Nora and Aunt Rachel on Christmas Eve

Brazil

Fortaleza, Brazil

Brazil

Fortaleza, Brazil

Thought for the day... How do we discern God's Will?

A lesson I found from when I was in college brought back some memories, as well as some thought provoking ideas since I am at a point in my life where trying to discern and understand God's will is on my mind. From the 5 pages of notes, here are some highlights that I thought note worthy:

• God's will is something He wants us to know and do- 1 Peter 4:1-2, Ephesians 5:15-17, Colossians 1:9
• God's will should be understood as God's desire for our life - Jeremiah 29:11
• Some prerequisites to knowing God's will:

1. Obey what you already know - Disobedience in a known area can many times hinder God answering other prayers. Many times, God does not reveal His will to someone who wants to vote on it...
2. Present yourself to God- Romans 12:1-2 - God's will comes to those who present themselves to Him as a living sacrifice
3. Acknowledge and trust God- Proverbs 3:5-6 - total dependancy on God brings trustworthy direction from God
4. Delight yourself in the Lord - Psalm 37:4, Jeremiah 9:23-24 - God delights in someone who understands and knows Him.
5. Spend time in Prayer- Phillipians 4:6-7 - Discerning God's will begins on your knees
6. Have your ears tuned into God's voice - I Samuel 3:10, Isaiah 30:21
7. Grow in your knowledge of scripture - spending time reading and studying God's Word so you will know what God has to say about the decisions you are facing
8. Put together a group of trustworthy counselors who will give you advice based on what they think is in your best interest. Proverbs 11:14, 12:15, 15:22, 24:6, 27:6,9,17
9. Be sensitive to "Providential" circumstances - learn to recognize the difference between a wall and a door Psalms 106:13-15
10. Have a submissive spirit toward God - our attitude should be "not my will, but His be done"
11. Keep/Start moving - Acts 16:6-10
    James 4:13-16

"if we fail to seek God in our decisions, we are living like the athesit; you are living your life as if God does not exist."

-taken from a Prayer Leader meeting w/ Dwayne Carson at Liberty University-

So, just a note as a reminder to myself and everyone else that we need to be seeking God's will and direction for our lives, but also living what we already know to be God's will that he has clearly stated for us: II Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:3-4, Ephesians 5:18, I Thessalonians 4:1-3, I Peter 2:13-17, Philippians 1:29

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God and the Peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hears and minds through Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7