Francis Chan Sermon Jam ~ Have you ever studied this Book for yourself?" HD

A New Season

It feels like a new season.  I can smell it in the air and feel it stirring in my soul.  The Everlasting One breathes His breath of life into me with His never-ending Love and stirs my heart.  Change is coming.  You can feel it in the air.  Just the way I know Autumn is coming, although nature shows no sign of it yet.  There is a season of everything in life.  Life is an ever changing and growing journey. 

And I know as I walk through the seasons of my life, my Savior will be beside me. He holds my hand as I walk through the orange leaves, frail snowflakes, young shoots, and the full blooming flowers of life with his pierced feet walking alongside mine.  There is a new season of life, but I do not have to enter it alone.  My Savior will tenderly mold me through these seasons, until I go to be with him in all His glory.  This is a new Season: and I am not alone.

 

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

 

Lecrae - Beautiful Feet

Easter Sunday

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was
like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so
afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going
ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped
his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the
chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.”
Matthew 28

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

The Day After Good Friday...

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees
went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said,“we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,”Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So
they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting
the guard.
Matthew 27: 62-66

Good Friday

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the
whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink
it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down,
they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You
who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!
Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come
down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God.
Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi,lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?”
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick,
and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and
the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s
sons.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself
become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in
his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front
of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27:27-61

Think of Me

I Want to be Real

I want to be real. These things we put on to make it look like we have it all together, that our faith is strong and unwavering, that we never doubt and challenge God, they are lies. I am not strong in my faith, yes I have "better" or "more" faith than some, but I also have "worse" or "less" faith than others. But who am I to judge? Christ, he will Judge. My good deeds are dirty rags to Him. I am nothing, but Christ, He is Everything.

I don't have it all together. And just when I think I do, I don't. God reminds me and pulls me closer to Him, He humbles me. I doubt God, sometimes. I am not going to lie or pretend otherwise. But He is faithful to me even in my doubt, and His faithfulness is what reminds me of His truth.

You see, I'm beautifully broken. I'm imperfect, but loved by a perfect God; just like you.
To God alone be the glory.

Louie Giglio - "I AM"

You Can Make a Difference

I want to help. I want to make a difference in peoples lives. I want to serve like Christ served. I want to love like Christ loved. I want to give like Christ gave. Anyone and everyone can help. YOU can make a difference.

So today, I encourage you to make a difference in someones life. There are many different ways and opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ. Whether its smiling at someone who looks like a grouch, spending time with a stranger, packing a Christmas shoe box, feeding the poor at a local soup kitchen, giving money to help those less fortunate then you, going on a mission's trip, into ministry or into the mission field. We can all serve, we can all make a difference. You don't have to be missionary to make a difference. You can make a difference right where you are with the resources you have. God has blessed us all in different areas, and with different talents, we should be ready and willing to use those blessings and talents for His glory. I encourage you to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Serving:

There are many ways we can serve, whether it's packing a shoe box, helping at a local soup kitchen, helping with special needs programs or even making a meal for a single mother. We can always serve. Here are some sites to help get you started.

• http://www.samaritanspurse.com/index.php/OCC/Volunteer (Volunteer to help pack Christmas shoe boxes at an OCC [Operation Christmas Child] processing center.)




• http://www.samaritanspurse.com/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/ (Pack a Christmas Shoe Box. This link will show you how to pack a shoe box to send to little boys and girls around the world to tell of Christ's amazing love. )
  



• http://www.visitingorphans.org/mission_trips/ (Visit orphanages in third world countries on a mission trip to share God's love.)
  



• You can also look for local Soup Kitchens, Homeless Shelters and other places to serve in your community.
  

Funding:

A lot of the sites listed below have a store where you can buy jewelry, apparel, or books and the money will be donated to the cause. This is a cool way to give a gift to a friend or to give in general and promote giving, by purchasing an item with the organization's logo. Also you can give to different causes within the organization (like chickens, bibles or medicine) or you can give in general (where most needed). Another cool way to give and get involved, is through child sponsorship. You can choose a child who you would like to give money to, to help pay for food, clothing, school supplies, and other things to help the child and their family. You can also interact with your child, by writing a letter, sending pictures and drawings. It is a unique way to help a child and to let them know that they are loved.

• http://www.samaritanspurse.com/



• http://www.worldvision.org/



• www.visitingorphans.org



• http://www.compassion.com/



• http://www.amazima.org/



• http://www.exileinternational.org/
  

Equipping Others:

Some of the above listed sites have discipleship programs that you can help with by donating money for the supplies needed. Or you can help others help others. :) Yep. I said 'help others' twice. :) You can give money to help equip a missionary doctor to save lives, or help send out missionary doctors. Listed below are specific links to 'helping others help others'. ;)

• https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/



• http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/GreatestJourney/index/



• http://awaa.org/development/default.aspx



• You can also invite a friend to church, give a friend a bible, or start a bible study in your community.

And don't forget prayer. No matter what is going on in our world rich or poor, sick or healthy, we can always pray. We can always plead with our Father to give our brothers and sisters in Christ strength, power, fearlessness, and the words to speak. We can pray for salvation for those we have never met and we can pray for missionaries as well as the man next door, to grow steadily in their faith. There is power in prayer.

"I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. So I keep stopping and loving one person at a time. Because this is my call as a Christian." ~ Katie Davis

So I encourage you to take a step of faith and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the body of Christ.

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV)

To God alone be the glory! God bless.

God is Love

"We love because he first loved us." ~ 1 John 4:19 NIV

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." ~ 1 John 4:10 NIV

To God alone be the glory. <3

"Children Of God" - Official Music Video

Chat with God

I'm a very talkative person. Especially when I am excited. I let loose all my thoughts in an a whirl or words when there is something so exciting to me to tell that I can't wait. But for all my words and the people I want to hear them, I sometimes forget about the One who always listens and the One who knows what I need before I ask him. (Matthew 6:8)

Sometimes I plain old forget to tell God first or talk to Him about what I'm excited about or troubled about, but sometimes, I don't want to tell Him the things I've done. Sometimes I don't want to think about or tell him my darkest secrets. But contrary to what I try to hide, he already knows.

"O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord."

~Psalm 139:1-5 (NIV)

So though I may have things to hide, I can never hide from God.

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
~ Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)


"Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths,a you are there. "

~ Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV)

We can never get away from God, because He is everywhere. We can never hide anything from Him, because He already knows. So why are you and I so afraid to tell Him?

God loves us. He wants us to love Him back. He wants us to whisper our secrets to Him, like we would to a friend. He wants us to tell Him our fears, for He is the only One who can remove them. He wants us to tell Him our joys and praise Him! He wants us to talk to Him in our sadness, for He can heal us and make us glad.
You see, talking to God isn't just for Him. It isn't so that He will know what's going on. Cause, quite frankly, He already know what's going on. Talking to God isn't just to benefit Him, it's also to benefit us. He wants us to admit that we've sinned, so we will be forgiven. He wants us to tell Him we are hurting, so He can heal us. He wants us to tell him about our day, so He can give us wisdom. He wants us to tell him about our joys and excitements, so He can rejoice with us in our spiritual growth.

So, when you want to tell someone something, or even if you don't feel like talking to anyone at all, tell Jesus. What better way to get to know God, to have the knowledge of His will, and to feel His presence, than to have a conversation with the King of Kings?

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you..."

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting."

~ Psalm 139: 17-18 and 23-24 (NIV)

David wrote this psalm. (Psalm 139) You can see from begging to end how he poured out His heart to God. David was a man after God's own heart. One thing we learn and see from David's psalms and his life that he often talked with God. He told God everything. And these conversations drew Him nearer to God just as a talk with a friend will bring your closer to them.

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." (James 4:8 ESV)

I want to encourage you to talk with God. Set aside time to talk to him. Talk to him whenever something is bothering you and whenever something exciting is happen. That's all prayer is you know: talking with God.
To God alone be the glory.

Why I Hate Religion, But I Love Jesus Poem

Thoughts...

I ponder a lot. I think about almost everything. Meaning. Purpose. Those are things I am pondering today. I know I have a purpose! But today, I feel I have failed in fulfilling that. Now I am trying to see what, how, where? It burdens my heart so much when I know I wasted a day. I get so depressed, knowing that I wasted one day in my limited life. But I try not to beat myself up, but dig deeper and fulfill myself in Christ. You see, sometimes I try to fulfill my life with material things. TV and the Internet are big time-fillers. I did nothing today. I accomplished nothing, and I feel unused. I want to feel used: by God.

I was not made for this world, I was made for Christ, so the things of this world do not fulfill me. But I can be satisfied in the deep love of Christ, who paid for today's mistakes and tomorrows sins. He knew, He knows. He loves me anyway. He knows the mistakes I'm going to make in the future and he knows the things I will learn from this experience.

God sometimes puts these things in our lives to bring us closer to Him.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Romans 5:2
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Maybe we don't feel it in the moment, but we know these trails come in His perfect timing. I will not know the purpose of them until He reveals it, and that will be in His perfect timing. And I trust Him. Because He is perfect and True, Righteous and Holy, and His love is unfailing.
To God alone be the glory.