Sunday, April 30, 2006

Crushing an egg

Have you ever heard this ludicris idea that if you hold an egg in the palm of your hand and squeeze, you will never have enough strength to crush the egg?

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Well, my parents and wife all agreed that this was true and I could not crush this egg in my palm. I didn't believe them so I had to try. I got a fresh egg, held it high for everyone to see that I wasn't cheating or anything, then I squeezed it. Long story short, this egg crushed and exploded leaving egg parts and juices stretching from one end of the house to the other. I was greatly surprised. I thought it was a setup. It took a second to even register that what was held to be true (not being able to crush the egg) had been crushed.

We get this feeling of being crushed, when the world comes pressing in on us. Say for a moment that we are the egg, that for some reason should not be able to get crushed. If the pressures of the world push evenly on us, we can hold up to the stress, however the evil one knows that the slightest pressure in a fragile spot can cause us to be crushed.

Now, say that we put on some armor to protect us, like the full armor of God found in Ephesians. This armor can protect our fragile spots and strengthen us to even fight back. When our walk with God is strong, we put on more and more armor to keep us from being crushed. When we keep our faith strong, we can withstand more pressure and the stress doesn't crush us. If I was the poor egg used to demonstrate this point, I would want to be one with the full armor that has been strengthened with faith, in order to prevent the attack from causing me to be crushed.

I'm reminded that a fragile spot in my faith forms when broken fellowship with God occurs. I have to keep my faith strong by exersizing my faith regularly and daily.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Trade-off of God's Creation

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Last night we received a wonderful thunderstorm in our back yard. We just sat by the window and watched in awe. We used to do the same in Alaska when the Northern Lights were out. I realized that by moving south, we wouldn't see the Northern Lights anymore, but God has His way of still showing us His beauty and power no matter where we are in this world.

Thank you God for your awesome creation and beauty.

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Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Building a House

Proverbs 24:3-6
3Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. 5A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

I've been struggling with finding my foothold as head of the household. As God has been working in my life recently, I've started to see the need to be a better leader in my home. The proverb above tells me that wisdom, understanding and knowledge are key elements to a good home and Scriptures make it very clear that the man is responsible for leading the family in these elements.

We've started a new life by relocating 4500 miles from what we know, and my family needs a strong leader more than anything. I pray for the wisdom that a house is built on and the understanding that establishes the home. I pray for God's perfect will and perfect timing. I pray that I could represent the nature of Jesus for my family.

I suppose this post is more of a prayer request than a devotional. Please pray for my submission to God's will. --Blessings.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Subscribe by email

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For those of you interested in subscribing to this blog, but haven't had a chance to set up an RSS Newsreader, I have finally added a subscribe by email option. Just enter your email address in the subscribe area to the right in the sidebar and you should be able to receive any updates automatically sent to your email. Also, if anyone needs a gmail account, I have a handfull of invites available, just let me know. Enjoy and Shalom.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Money Map

I was asked in our introduction class for the Money Map Coaching (a program presented by Crown Ministries) why I was taking the class. My answer was adequate, but I really should have said I was taking it to have something to blog about. :)

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So far, God is doing some really good work in our lives. Last night's homework hit hard on the roles of the husband and wife in the family. For some reason, I thought it was strange to be in a finance course and right off the bat, it talks about our family health. It must truly be a God thing, because I'm not huge on punching numbers, but I am devoted to my family and always interested in improving our relationship with God.

Duski and I see God implementing some big changes in our financial perspectives. We haven't even made mention of finances in class and already we have be convicted about possibly selling our brand new home! Wow, when God wants change, He doesn't mess around. We are so excited about what He has in store for our family, I can hardly wait to see what happens.

God is good.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Memories of Someone Living

With passover coming soon, we get memories of times spent with family and friends. These are mostly happy times, and as a parent, I especially remember the joy in my kids when celebrating holidays.

Well, I have a friend who is spending another holiday without her son. We all loved her son and he was an amazing friend. He was a follower of Christ and he really knew how to love - the way Jesus loves us. We miss him.

When we think of passover/Easter, we remember Jesus. Lots of us remember when Jesus died, and we are grieved and filled with sorrow. This is the same way we feel about our good friend that we have been seperated from. The death was unexpected and many would say it was before his time. But his death was not without purpose; his death pointed us to Jesus.

When we think of passover, we also remember Jesus in a different way. HE IS ALIVE!! Jesus did not remain in the grave. He conquered death! Thinking of Jesus and the passover in this way brings us excitement and hope. I think of my dear friend, who died, and I think of the resurrection of Jesus bringing life. Just as our Savior is Alive, my friend lives, and I live, and all who believe in Jesus live, also. His death bought forgiveness, His life grants us immortality!

Thank you Jesus, for life!

Jesus is the greek form of the name Yahshuah, where we get the name Joshua. As followers of Christ, our lives are to reflect Jesus to others. Our true friend reflected Jesus to the world through his life in every way he knew how. My friend who now lives and is greatly missed, is Joshua Oberg.

Prayer request

As a body of Christ, we should be lifting up our brothers and sisters in constant prayer. I received this request today:

Please pray for my new friend in the UK, Angie. She is in horrible pain with back problems.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Trip to Israel

My wife and I would like to go to Israel with our local church, however the cost of the trip is substantially greater than we can currently afford. $3000 each. We are looking for sponsors, so we would like for your prayers regarding this trip. Pray for our wisdom in finances, and for our decision to go. We've never tried to raise funds for something like this, so if anyone has experience in fund raising, please let me know. Blessings..

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Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Verse for Fellowship

I just found this neat little verse that sums up fellowship nicely.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Mind of Christ

What is the mind of Christ?

One who can sleep in a storm, and forgive those that crucify you. -PD
There's application there for you if you accept it.

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Sunday, April 02, 2006

Fellowship

I just wanted to put a little plug out there for God in how He has blessed me recently with great times of fellowship with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I've started to recognize that any time we gather to lift up the name of Jesus is time of fellowship. The scriptures say that when 2 or more gather together to lift Him up, the presence of the Lord is there also. I don't know about you, but I think I desire those times much more than idle times of worshiping the 32" talking box of sin in my living room.

Recently I've made a real effort to lift up Jesus in our conversations around the home and I think those times are really stimulating and fulfilling times of worship. It can be as simple as reminding ourselves about a recent sermon or discussing what we think Heaven will be like. My kids enjoy it, too. Just because Yazzi is only 9, doesn't mean that I can't fellowship with her and worship God in that way. She's got things to say that help me in my walk with God, just as much as any other believer.

I basically just wanted to remind those of you with believers in your family to steer your time and conversations toward Jesus. It has been beneficial in my home. I can't think of the last time that a conflict occurred as a result of fellowship in my home. I can however give many examples of distress when we've left Jesus out of our lives. I wish I could have those times back to change them.

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The legacy I would like to leave my children is that our home was a fun and safe place to worship God. I would also like my kids to recognize that Jesus doesn't just exist in church, but He is in our home and in our marriage.

God bless you and give you peace.

Unforgivable Sin

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You've heard of the unforgivable sin. There are lots of different views on what really is an unforgivable sin. Could it be murder or adultery? No. Well is it a sin that we knowingly commit? No.

The greatest sin is not a sin of commission (one we commit), but a sin of omission (omit - not doing something). By choosing to reject Jesus or by not accepting Jesus, we fall into the unforgivable sin.

As a follower of Jesus, a spiritually born again Christian, Jesus has forgiven all the sins we've engaged in including those in our future. But by not accepting Jesus and rejecting His salvation, we are condemned to an eternity without God. This sin prevents us from ever knowing forgiveness and life in Christ. It seperates us from the only One who can forgive us and purchase our salvation.

If you've been rejecting Jesus, that is a sin, one that cannot be forgiven. To change this fate, you need to change and accept Jesus and His forgiveness and be saved from Hell and condemnation. Follow this link to be instructed on how to change your fate and receive the forgiveness that means life and an eternity with Jesus in Heaven. It will be the only decision you can make in this life that will secure your place in Heaven.

Be blessed.

http://reachthetriad.com/salvation.php

JESUgraf S