well.. i've gone and done it

shoot, i tried to hold out but loyc now has a myspace page. in no way am i trying to get you to have one. but my thought is-- if i can our youth church out there and get more traffic into our blog page so they can read about what we are doing maybe get interested in, ummm... GOD! then let's try it.

Next Week!

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my tv: lost: FLASHFORWARD

I know. I know. I've already talked about my favorite TV show before. But it was more than a year ago. And seeing as I'll have to wait till FEB 2008 to see any new episodes-- I think you can bare with me. Besides... The subject matter at hand I think will be helpful.

For three years Lost has followed the lives of these plane crash survivors. And each episode follows the life of one survivor using flashbacks of their life before the plane crash. So for about 66 some odd episodes we have gathered information about these peoples past.

However, in a great twist-- the season finale of season three had us following what we thought was Jack Shepherd's past yet again. But some things were out of wack. And finally, near the end-- it is revealed that the flashbacks we were seeing were actually FLASHFORWARDS of what life is going to be after they get rescued.

I am not of the thought that we must ignore our past. In most cases, we are the product of what has happened to us. Sometimes that is good (a good upbringing usually produces a well mannered young adult). However, there are times that bad, sometimes horrible things happen and that in turn shapes us as we grow.

In Isaiah 43.18 part b, God says: Do not dwell on the past. Dwell means to to live or stay as a permanent resident. To reside in a place. And God is saying don't live your life in the past. Don't let your mind get stuck thinking about everything that has happened to you (whether it be good or bad). Either way, dwelling in the past has you facing in the wrong direction. Dwelling in the past has you ignoring the present and oblivious to the future.

Instead-- God offers this bit of wisdom in the book of Proverbs: Fix your gaze directly in front of you. Your eyes are in the front of your head for a reason. If not, you'd be stumbling. God wants us to have our gaze fixed on what is coming to us, not what has passed by us.

Is He saying that what happened in the past is not important? Nope. He is saying that it isn't as important as what is going to happen in the future. We need to put our past in perspective. It is what has happened. Now lets' be excited for what is coming ahead.

Instead continuing more seasons of "Lost" with flashbacks, the creator of the show has said that now they have turned a pivotal point. From now on there will be FLASHFOWARDS to show where these characters are going to be in the future.

If a show that has no real importance knows the value of looking ahead and not dwelling on the past-- then we definitely need to learn the benefits of fixing our gaze on what is in front of us.

Tomorrow night...

I choose to never forget

Thank you God that I live in a country that was established with Faith in You. Thank you that I was born in a country that fights for freedom. I understand few things. But I believe in You. And today God, I remember what happened 6 years ago. I choose to not forget. I choose to observe a moment of silence with my President today as a sign of solidarity, unity, patriotism. Because of the heinous actions that occurred on September 11th, 2001 we have church members who are on the frontlines, I have teenagers who continually ask for prayers for moms and dads deployed overseas, and I have a four year old daughter who is growing up in a different world than I did. I pray for my President-- give him wisdom, courage and strength. I pray for our troops-- protect them from harm and bring them home quickly and safely. I pray that in all things You work for the good of those who love You. Amen.

Threshold

Last night we discussed what a threshold is... a passage from something to something else. In 1 Corinthians 13.11 it says that when I was a child, I talked, thought and reasoned like a child. Now that I have become a man (woman), I have put those childish ways behind me.

As a teen: are you putting childish talk and actions behind you?
As a Christ-follower: are you putting worldly talk and actions behind you?

Are you maturing? When you decide to cross the threshold, you step into harder choices, responsibility, and there is greater expectations of you. However, there are also awesome benefits to crossing over: with more responsibility comes greater rewards, with maturity comes greater freedom.

Read Joshua 1. In it you will see that God tells Joshua, Moses' right hand man, that it is time to stop wandering in the desert and cross the Jordan river into the "promised land." Finally the children of Israel are getting what God has promised them... what they have to do is cross over. Threshold hold again. Stop thinking like they have been thinking for the past 40 years (survival mode) and start thinking like warriors.

Decide today to cross the threshold. To leave the old ways of thinking and doing things behind you. To say that "When I was a child I used to talk, think and act like a child... but now I have decided to put those things behind me."

Do We Over Dress For God?

In the third chapter of Genesis, we read the fall of man-- the entrance of sin into the world through disobedience. What's interesting is that Adam and Eve's solution to their problem was to cover it up with clothing. They sowed some fig leaves together to hide their nakedness. When God came a-knockin', he was taken back by their new threads. Before, nothing stood in the way of God and Adam. They talked intimately. God saw Adam. All of Adam. And now, Adam was standing before God with some man made clothing.

Question is: Do we over dress for God? Do we stand naked, figuratively speaking, in front of God? Or do we have certain things that we hide from Him?

God doesn't want man made obstacles to stand between us. He wants us to come to Him vulnerable, raw, trusting that God will protect us and care for us. But when we keep issues, hurts, problems to ourselves-- we are not showing Him that we trust Him.

By all means, dress up for the world. But for God... be "naked" in front of Him. Be real. Be open. Be truthful. He won't disappoint.

Israel Houghton & New Breed

They came out with a new cd, "A Deeper Level," yesterday... remember this song from winterfest?

Are you a Christ-Follower or a Christian?

Jesus The Know-It-All

Was listening to a podcast, and the preacher asked: "What are the characteristics of Jesus?" He then quickly answered saying "Everyone will say Good, Loving, Merciful, Forgiving but they forget to say Friend of the Sinner." But by the time he had said the last line I had already thought of one that I don't think makes anyone's list: Jesus The Know-It-All. You know the sarcastic, smart aleck dude that has a quick response to everything. That's Jesus.
Incident after incident, Jesus would totally crush those who were against him with a few words. When the teachers of the law were accusing Jesus of working for the Devil, he told them that a house divided can stand. It shut them up. When people started talking about His disciples picking grain on the Day of Rest, Jesus didn't hesitate to tell them about David eating food. Again, Jesus being the quick witted dude that he is shutting everyone up. Time after time, Jesus kept those that were against him looking dumb.
However, Jesus was fair. If someone had a quick witted response to something HE had said, he would acknowledge it. When a Greek woman came to Jesus asking Him to help her demon possessed daughter, Jesus said that He was on earth to help the Jewish children first and he wasn't going to take food away from them. The woman then responded that even dogs get scraps from the children's table. Because of her quick witted response, Jesus helped her daughter. When a soldier asked Jesus to heal his son, Jesus was so pleased with the soldiers statement on obedience and authority that the son was healed immediately.
I know it may seem weird to call Jesus a smart aleck... and it probably won't help you get of of talking back to mom and dad... But imagining Jesus shutting up those that were trying to make him look bad with just a few mere words-- makes me proud to say the guy is my Savior. Check it out. Re-read the first four books on the New Testament.

Sept InfoPage

Looking for the brave ones...

We are planning this year's "My Praize" for Wednesday, November 14. This years theme is "Scars." We want people to walk away believeing in the power of showing off our scars. Our scars are indications that we survived something. While hiding our scars may be easier-- I believe God wants us to show them off. Showing our scars and telling our stories (the churchy term is testimonies) will help some one else. Scars can be from past hurt, abuse, relationships, disappointments-- some scars can be seen ( i have a scar on my forehead from a baseball) and most are invisible to the naked eye.
Are there any brave ones out there willing to share their scar story? Email me, write me, tlak to me. Be brave! Help someone else who is going through what you have already overcome.

Did she answer the question?

Pretty simple: Miss South Carolina answering a question on Miss Teen USA. After watching, you think she answered the question?