A Worship Experience

Yesterday's service was so sweet and the anointing of God so rich, I was truly blessed. Pastor preached about the worship experience and we really experienced that. So tonight I was in Bible Study class and Pastor mentioned to those who did not make it to service yesterday what they had missed out on. I tried to put into words what I had felt and wrote the following.

Heart lifted
wholly
Bowing before you
humbly
Blood washing
purely
Praises received
sweetly

Feeling Your touch
so gently
Hearing You speak
so softly
Heart is moved
so deeply
Grace
it overcomes me

Your Spirit
living inside me
Your love
it overwhelms me
Joy
so full of glory
No other god before Thee

SAFE SEX DRESS

Personally, I think (as a single person) that the safest sex is NO SEX. However, this is a very creative idea.

TOO MUCH TIME

This has got to be one of the cleverest
E-mails I've received in awhile.
Someone out there either has too much
spare time or is deadly at Scrabble.
(Wait till you see the last one)!


DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:!
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE


AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When
you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay
too much time on their hands! (Probably a son-in-law)

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the
best of you; remember, Moses started
out as a basket case.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
until you try to sit in their pews.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The good Lord didn't create anything
without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

People are funny; they want the
front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation
bangs on your front door forever.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Quit griping about your
church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If the church wants a
better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God Himself does not propose
to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Some minds are like concrete
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Peace starts with a smile.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

I don't know why some people
change churches; what difference does
it make which one you stay home from?!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

A lot of church members who
are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God loves everyone, but probably prefers
"fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

He who angers you, controls you!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

If God is your Copilot - swap seats!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Prayer:

Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The Will of God never takes you to
where the Grace of God will not protect you.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
You can tell how big a person
is by what it takes to..........discourage him.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.

He Took Our Place

One day, a man went to visit a church.

He got there early, parked his car, and got out.

Another car pulled up and the driver got

out and said,"I always park there!

You took my place!" The visitor went inside for

Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down.

A young lady from the church

approached him and stated,

"That's my seat! You took my place!"

The visitor was somewhat distressed

by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went

into the sanctuary and sat down.

Another member walked up to him and said,

"That's where I always sit! You took my place!"

The visitor was even more troubled by this

treatment, but still He said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying

for Christ to dwell among them,

the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.

Horrible scars became visible on

his hands and on his sandaled feet.

Someone from the congregation

noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat

became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye,

"I took your place."

It’s Raining Pounds

No, not the sterling kind but the kind that wraps around your middle like runaway tires and hangs on your butt like gravity. All those years of eating whatever I wanted is now taking its toll. Those fat molecules that I thought were eliminated by my superior metabolism had simply bided their time all these years waiting for a weak moment to strike. Increasingly obvious is the fact that that time is here since I seem to be retaining pounds like water.

Of course my dear sister would choose this time to announce her impending marriage (yeah, yeah, yeah, hurrah, hurrah and all that) and my role as Maid of Honor. To which I take offense (not to the role but the title). I don’t need to be reminded that I am staring thirty in the eye and still single. I hear the ticking thank you very much. “Maid”, indeed.

Anyway, I’m gonna get on a strict regimen of healthy eating and exercise (yes, a diet) that will whip me into supermodel shape (Lord, I know You can work miracles) by August 06, the date of my sister’s impending nuptials. It sounds so simple doesn’t it except that I’ve never been much into sports and the only time I deny myself food is to fast (only for Jesus people). So, the coming weeks should be … umm…interesting.

Be Slow to Speak

(James 1:19)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:


Look at the picture below. What do you see?

Horse or frog?

Christy award nominees

Christy award nominees are out. I am glad to see a couple of the books on my Must Read list nominated.

Two of them were featured by the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (cue applause here): namely A Bride Most Begrudging by Deanne Gist and Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo. Also on my Must Read list is River Rising by Athol Dickson and Whence Came A Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs.

I’m not familiar with most of the other authors but then I’m just getting to know Christian fiction. However this is proof that they’re worth checking out.

Trinitarian vs Oneness Doctrine

I believe that the Lord my God is one God. Explaining how the Father, Son and Holy Ghost as represented in the Bible is ONE GOD is something that has probably proven challenging for laymen and theologians alike. I have never given it much thought except to think that however you explain it the bottom line must be THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. Not “one” in terms of purpose as some may postulate but ONE IN BEING. That being said the Bible speaks about the Godhead, which we see manifested in all its forms at one time after Christ was baptized. Jesus rose from the water, the Holy Spirit descended bodily and the Father spoke from heaven. Apparently this is hard for some to accept and still hold to the ‘One God’ doctrine but personally I am of the view that it is not for me to conform God to what I can comprehend but to understand that ‘his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts higher than my thoughts.’

Tied to this is the issue of baptism and whether to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost or in the name of Jesus. This is the question that arose and had our pastor explaining to us that we (the church) follow the apostolic doctrine and hence baptize ‘in the name of Jesus.’ I’ve never considered these issues so I decided to do some research on the internet about the subject. This brought up the Trinitarian vs Oneness issue that I was previously unaware even existed. So I am doing some reading about these issues but one thing I am sure about: there is only ONE GOD.

Research Skills Workshop (ii)

10.00 am Exchanged text messages with friend

ME: I am so sleepy. Trying hard not to fall off chair and embarrass self

FRIEND: ask lecturer lots of hard questions and she will get fed up and ask u 2 leave

ME: but then I would miss the free lunch. hmm… sleep or food? Hard decisions . . .

FRIEND: lol

Research Skills Workshop

Written at 1045 am

This is the 2nd day of the Basic Research Skills Workshop at the Cascadia Hotel in St. Ann’s. My eyes are crossing over and I am fighting so hard not to succumb to sleep and fall off my chair (This would be very embarrassing). Also the air conditioning is not helping at all, at all.


At 3.00 pm

Okay recovered somewhat earlier due to required interactive work but again resisting the urge to succumb to sleep (ethnic fatigue?). Hopefully it’s not long again. (Please God.)

A Voice In The Wind

At 4.48 a.m. on Sunday 30 April 2006 I finally finished reading A Voice in the Wind, the first book in the Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivera. A lot of tears were involved in the reading of this book. I think it’s my favorite Christian fiction book ever with the exception of Redeeming Love (also by Francine Rivers). One thing is certain; Ms. Rivers’ writing impacts a reader like no other that I’ve read before and with the unmistakable good news of the gospel. Hadassah’s struggle to share the fullness of the gospel with her owners is something we’ve probably all faced at one time or another. Of course, the penalty of a gruesome death was not hanging over our heads. But witnessing might have cost us friends and loved ones unable to accept the truth.

I think that that’s what impacted me greatest was the love that Hadassah showed to all. She treated everyone with a compassion and respect that was truly divine. God used her to touch a lot of lives with His love and that brought home to me that this is what He desires of us even now. If we love as Christ loves us it would be easier to forgive those that hurt us and when we see our fellow man mired in sin, our hearts would burn for the lost soul and it would be unthinkable not to share the gospel with them. I prayed that God would touch my heart so that I would have that type of love and desire to share the gospel no matter the cost to myself.