Hungry for Truth

Why Did God Love David?

2010-01-30T06:46:00.006-04:00

"I am running after you, you've become my soul's delight!
I am running after you, here with you I find my life!"

Running - Klaus Kuehn

Ok, so I'm learning something. It's been coming slowly, but surely. I want to pass it along to you because I think others may find this helpful and I think the sooner you get there, the better.

So you are a Christian. You want to serve God with all your heart, but you are failing. Join the club #FailingChristianClub. Every day you scheme up a plan to be a better Christian. Limited success.

Plan 1 - Try harder

In this plan, you go to church harder. You study the Bible harder. You pray harder. You love your neighbors and co-workers harder (but you still hate your enemies). You are trying so hard and soon you have some success! Then you see others and think: "Ah, they are failing because they are not trying hard enough". You push others to try hard. You are sincere, but deep in your heart, you know something is wrong and that this whole thing is painfully....... well hard. Then you fail again, big time. Actually I think I wrote about this phase of my life, hahaha.

Plan 2 - White Knuckled Obedience

So you failed at "trying harder", forget that. The key is now obedience. You read that in the Bible somewhere. It seems to stand out above all the other verses. God is speaking to your heart about something and you know it. For me it was raunchy TV shows. The Holy Spirit nudging your heart every time the show is on. "Ok, I give up Lord" *click* Great! You obeyed the Lord! You feel the burden lift and life is better! This is happening all over your life, praise God!! So you are getting cleaned up!

Problem! You screwed up again. Failure. You didn't obey God, you slipped up, back to square one. Shame and depression settle in. *Big Sigh*. Your clenched fist white knuckles didn't cut it. You seem to lack strength and will power. What now Lord? HELP!!!!

Plan 3 - Be Like David

"O how I love Thy law!"

Does that sentence scare you? It scares me! Nice verse and all, maybe David meant it, but is it true of me? Do I love the law? We're not talking about my favorite NT book (like John) here, we're talking about the raw law. Have you ever read that thing? Most people just skip Leviticus altogether when they read through the Bible. What in blue blazes was David talking about??

Well, maybe the answer is earlier in Psalm 119:

"With all my heart I have sought Thee"

Whoa. Wait a minute, doesn't that sound familiar? *tapping forehead with index finger* Oh Yah! The 10 Commandments! "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

Do you see it? I had it highlighted in my Bible, but I never saw it. You will never succeed in the Christian walk until you realize how much God loves you and you start loving Him back with the same force. I am talking about:

- All Out
- 150%
- Non Stop
- Abandoned
- Passionate

Running. Not walking, trotting, galloping, jogging, whatever, I'm talking about RUNNING!!! Are you Running towards God's open arms? Why wasn't I doing this? It's awesome!!!! God Loves you!!!!!!!! He loves you so much!!!! You will never be able to understand how much He loves you!! You need to Run towards Him now! Everyday! All Day! There is only one way to live.

You know, I was going to write a very religious post about what music you should and shouldn't listen to based on Ephesians 5, but I think I'll hold off ; ) It was titled, "Don't Just 'not sin', Run to the Lord".

More to come on the mechanics, but I will leave this thought with you for now....

Q: Why Did God Love David

A: He was running after God and that is the secret to everything!!

PS - Please listen to this song and get every CD with Klaus Kuehn you possibly can, this guy is running after God!

Sleeping Giants

2009-10-12T21:29:00.009-03:00

This is a call to Sleeping Giants. WAKE UP!!

What is a sleeping giant? A sleeping giant is a Christian who has a godly heritage, but isn't using it. You grew up in a godly home, got godly teaching, know a ton about the Bible, yet you do relatively nothing with it. Now, at this point, I know some people are going to get their guard up and say: "Hey, wait a minute, he's getting all judgemental on us!". Not at all. Actually this is going to be quite an uplifting post! You see, I am one. I have been for a long time. But, I'm waking up and it's really exciting!!! Check it out...

Ok, so you may or may not be associating with what I'm talking about. Let's see if this describes you:

- You call yourself a Christian
- You go to church most every Sunday
- You try to read your Bible on a somewhat regular basis
- You try to have a "Relationship with God", it's tough
- You try to implement stuff you read from the Bible into your daily life, with much failure and frustration
- You long to have a much, much, much, much, much deeper relationship with God
- You feel like a fake
- Quietime is a chore
- You're lucky if you get breakfast in the morning, let alone a quietime

Any of this sound familiar? If I'm all alone on this, I'm ok with that, but I don't think I am and that's why I'm writing this. So if you are like me and this fits you, get ready to rock because I've got good news for you!

Now the idea that I'm excited about goes like this. You are a sleeping giant, a huge spiritual gargantuan, a tower of biblical truth, a hulking muscly mass of devil destroying power............but, you're just laying there, incapacitated by drowsiness, and tied down by little ropes, silly things like TV, facebook, farmville, wii, (I know were getting touchy here!), things that pale in the light of eternity, but keep us in some sort of mystical apathetic slumber.

Is this you? No? Get out of here, I'm so jealous of you : ) (jk, you can keep reading). Yes? Alright, let's do it!

Ok, so if you are sleeping, you need something to wake you up. For me, the alarm clock was Denny Kennaston. Denny Kennaston is fiery farmer preacher and has this wicked 28 part series called the 'Godly Home' that will rock your world! I was about 16 parts in when my world came grinding to a halt. A question hung in the air like a time stopping slow-mo 360 pan in a movie:

"Micah, where is your heart?"

I couldn't handle it anymore, Denny was pounding a bruise with a hammer! Message after message. "Where is your heart?" "Where Is Your Heart??" "Where Is Your HEART???" "WHERE IS YOUR HEART MICAH!!!!????" UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE!!! I GIVE UP!!! I GIVE UP!!! I give up....

Pop (eyes open). "Hey wait a minute... why am I sleeping? Where am I? What time is it? Who are all these little farts tying me up with little ropes?".

So I wake up and have the biggest revelation I've ever had in my life (that was actually useful). The Christian life is not about trying, it's about your heart. Your heart is like the most powerful part of your being dude. Whatever you set your heart on, that is your life, much like Jesus saying that whatever you spend money on, that's where your heart is. You spend money on things that you were already researching and thinking about and looking at when you visit the stores weekend after weekend. You set your heart on it long before you ever bought it.

I'll come at it from another angle and come back to the main point. Remember the game whack-a-mole at the carnival? Hit a mole on the head with a hammer, another one pops up somewhere's else... Same thing with us. "Man, I need more quietime with the Lord", but where will the time come from? "TV is the devil" you say one day after a barrage of disgusting commercials. You decide to not watch it. After a few days though, you find a new hobby...

Free time != Time with God

It's so obvious, but how did I miss it? I don't know, and I don't care anymore! The answer is:

Passion = Time with God

If you want to break the ridiculous little ropes that the devil's minions have bound you with, get up. Just stand up! Say: "Today, I make my new Hobby God". There you did it!

With one decision of the heart, you pick your heart up and put it on God. Just like I can make Macs, or Wii old school virtual console games my hobby, or music, or sports or youtube or movies my hobby, I can make Jesus Christ my hobby.

Sounds funny doesn't it : ) "Micah, that doesn't sound like much fun." Question: "Is practicing an instrument for grueling hours a day always fun?" Question: "Is practicing a sport when you are in pain and tired fun?" Question: "Is it cool when you get Nintendoitis and your thumb is so sore you can no longer use the D-pad?" No, but we do it anyway because we want to be good at it! When we play that piece masterfully, pull off that kickflip, or kick someone's butt at Mario 3, it feels awesome!

How many times have you sat down and read the Bible and it was hard to get into it, but then you are reading it and you are like: "This is awesome! I wish I was digging this more often!!" What about that time when you spent time with the Lord and He said: "I love you and I'm pleased with you and you are my child!" and you just sat there with tears streaming down your face thinking "why don't I do this more often". What about living a victorious life! Is it fun to be conquered by sin? Aren't you sick of kneeling on the floor and repenting for the same old sin, day after day after day?

It is fun!! It is fun to read the Bible and spend time with God and walk a victorious life and see God use us in the lives around us!!! It is fun! We have somehow convinced ourselves that it's not fun because we love other things and we want to get quietime out of the way so that we can get to our other pursuits. Ouch. Forget it, back to the point.

Once you make the decision that God is your hobby, everything changes. You say: "I'm excited about the Bible" "I'm excited about prayer" "I'm excited about Church and being with God's people" "I'm excited about worship music!" It's a little unnatural at first no doubt, but it doesn't take very long before you remember what it's like to serve the Lord with all your heart.... and you get excited : )

It's time to wake up my gigantic brothers and sisters. Let's kick some devil butt : )

PS - If you want the whole Denny Kennaston series (it's life changing, get it!!) I put it in two chunks that you can download here and here. There are 28 mp3s and they are awesome!

PPSS - != means "not equal" in programming

PPPSSS - Better check out my favorite song while you are at it. "Every day with You is getting better!!!"

PPPPSSSS - The giant imagery is from "Gulliver's Travels". Enjoy!

Define: Sold Out

2009-03-21T11:08:00.005-03:00

I was thinking this morning about what it means to be "Sold Out For Jesus". Nothing fancy, just a thought for the day. Here it goes.

When you are sold out for God you are trying. When you are not sold out for God you are not trying. The moment you stop giving this Christian life your full effort, you aren't sold out anymore.

I want to tell you about 2 guys I know that were/are sold out (one is still alive and the other one is not).

Keith Green is one of my heroes. Definitely the most influential musical artist in my life ever. His music challenges me to the bone. The book No Compromise, stirs my heart to want to help the poor, take people in off the street into my house and do everything in my power to serve God with all my heart. He may have come off a little judgmental at times, but you know what? He was trying. He was trying with all his heart.

Marcus T is a Christian rapper by the tag name Flame. I don't know him, and I don't have a book about his life and ministry, but I can tell by his music that he is sold out. He raps like Jesus is coming back today and shouting the gospel loud for all the young hip hopers to hear. He has his struggles, but he is trying. He is trying with all his heart.

Do you know anyone who is sold out? See if you can spot a couple this week. Here's how you can pick them out..... they are trying with all their heart and they are not giving up. They may come off a little judgmental at times, maybe even fanatical, but you know they're bananas about Jesus and they love to pray and worship and they're excited about the gospel and they love God's Word the Holy Bible (that's why it's ok that they are a little judgmental because you know that God will use his Word and Spirit to balance them out : ).

Question: Are you sold out?

40 days for life

2009-03-11T21:26:00.002-03:00

Hey readers during this time of lent we wanted to share with you this great prayer opportunity that you can be involved with. So head on over here to check it out. Also to get involved and sign up for one hour of prayer go here and join to make history with our prayers.

Do Not Stray Into Her Path

2008-11-24T23:36:00.022-04:00

"Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death."

Proverbs 7:24-26

Preface

I was going to make this post short, because I thought people would look at the length and just be like: "I don't got time for this man". But I'm not going to, this thing is long on purpose and I can't stress enough to you how important this post is. This is years of experience and wisdom and bible truth and my mistakes packed into a very comparatively tiny post.

Introduction

Christian men, boys, gentledudes, this is a post about wisdom. I would like to pass on some tips that have helped me be able to use the Internet with out falling into it's many sexual death traps. Some of you may be tempted to just give up and throw your computer out the window, but the pervasiveness of the Internet is undeniable and it is now much harder to just ignore it altogether (unless you would like to be a hermit.....in the woods, I have thought about it once or twice trust me, but the mosquitoes, ooooooh the mosquitoes...). The Internet is at your desk at work, or you need it for school, and you definitely can't figure out where anybody's birthday parties are without google maps!

So if we are to continue to use the Internet for the foreseeable future, I would suggest that it would be much easier to fight visual temptation if we never saw it in the first place. But that is the dilemma isn't it.......the usefulness of the Internet comes with all the sexual temptations known to man. The Lord knows we are trying hard to battle, but alas, it is a vast army that fights against us. What I propose then, men, is that we work smarter, not harder. Think sexual temptation on the Internet is impossible to avoid (like our friend below)? Think again....

In today's post I will first talk about what Internet pornography is. Next we will talk about why we need to avoid it at all costs. And finally, *red alarm sounds* man all battle stations, we are going to the how. (For more information on the WWH format check here).

*This post may not be suitable for younger readers, but it's contents could prove very helpful for boys approaching teenagerhood. So Dad, you may want to go through some of this with your son(s)........before it's too late.

What

The what is Internet pornography. It is a vast and terrible plague of sin that is tempting, trapping and destroying the lives of men. It is my opinion that there is no greater threat to Christian men than Internet pornography. Not only does it carry with it all the consequences of adultery and fornication, but it is a very private sin. All you need is the Internet, a computer and an empty room........no one sees you but God. That's why it's so dangerous, it's easy to get at and it's easy to "get away with" (in the short term). It is the duty of every Christian man to stand in victory over this sin through the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, the power of his Holy Spirit living in us and God's Holy Word......which is super powerful.

Why

Most reading this probably already know or already assume that looking at Internet pornography is a sin, but let's look at what the Bible has to say about Internet pornography, just in case you have any doubts about it being sin.

If you are looking at Internet pornography you are in either one of two camps. You are either an adulterer or a fornicator.

Adultery means that:

1) you are a married man that is lusting after another woman with your eyes
or
2) you are not married, but the woman you are lusting after is married
(a side note here, when you are lusting after a woman on the Internet, how do you know if she is married or not?).

Jesus words are clear in Matthew 5:27-30, "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Jesus also makes it clear in this passage that adulterers will be "...thrown into hell."

Fornication basically means sex outside of marriage. It comes from the word porneia (sound familiar?). So if you are single and the woman you are lusting after is single, that does not make it ok, it makes it fornication. You might say: "But we are not having sex", to which I would say: "Buster, who are you fooling?". Applying Jesus' standard of sexual purity from Matthew 5:28 (he's going for the motive, not the action), you're really not in any better shape than the adulterer. Plus your conscience denies you. Also, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." As for the consequences, Paul says in Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

So in conclusion, adultery and fornication will send you to hell. That's reason enough for me to try to beat this, but let's name a few more reasons:

-your insides will feel like black death
-it will kill your relationship with God
-no joy
-living in shame
-hypocrisy
-lost witness with your peers and family
-lost reputation
-grieving the Spirit of the Lord
-heaping loads of guilt
-mocking the cross
-defeating everything the Lord is trying to accomplish in and through your life
-how do you feel about someone else when you see them doing it? That's how everyone will feel about you....
-lost leadership ability and spiritual authority
-destroy your perception of sex if you are not married (this one deserves another post altogether)
-you will hate yourself
- and go to hell (I think I already said that, but it's probably worth mentioning again) (prov 6-7)

For Married Men

-hurting your wife
-making your wife feel not beautiful, not good enough
-irreparable damage to trust in your marriage relationship
-bringing shame on your family
-destroyed relationships with children

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The bible is chalk full of more reasons, but I can tell you from personal experience that the worst is separation from God, living in shame and feeling like your insides are rotted out. Read those three reasons over and over and if you've fallen before, remember what it's like. Remind yourself constantly of these aftereffects. A couple verses in Proverbs 5:3-5 really sum this all up for me:

"For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, And smoother than oil is her speech; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of Sheol."

If you remember nothing else, remember this.....sin will ALWAYS disappoint you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I'm not going to lie to you. These are very beautiful women and they have beautiful bodies (that's the honey that the verse talks about), but you ALWAYS have to remind yourself about the rot and the shame and the spiritual death that lies behind that mirage. That's what will enable you to walk away from this sin. King David found out the hard way, don't let it happen to you. Sin will always disappoint you.

Now that we have been reminded about the consequences of lust and adultery and fornication, let's get to the good stuff! Let's get to the how!! How are you going to be able to use the Internet and not fall into the millions of traps set for your life?

How

Now we are going to give Internet pornography a good curb stomp (that's when you open it's mouth on a street curb and stomp on it's head, not unlike how Genesis 3:15 describes Jesus crushing Satan's head : ) We're going to talk about 3 different ways: first, just plain old hard work; second, carelessness awareness and third hacking.

1 - Work Hard

In a previous post I explained how hard work in your day to day activities helps to put you into a soldier mode instead of a sitting duck mode. Remember King David who when the kings went to war.......stayed home. Boy did he get into trouble. You can check out the full scoop here. This is so important I can't tell you how much it has helped me to just focus on working. It's also a challenge and I continually have to weed out distractions and make my 8 hours of work a day one of my #1 priorities! It's totally worth it though!

2 - Carelessness Awareness

My accountability partner once helped me a great deal with my addiction to Internet pornography. One time I called to confess my sin and my accountability partner immediately went after the root of the fall. Want to know what it was? Carelessness, that's what. Let me explain.

Joel Spolsky is an excellent writer on software stuff, but I once read an article by him called 5 whys and I think this works great for other stuff too. He explains how they use Toyota's 5 whys method to solve difficult computer problems. You basically keep asking why (like an extremely curious 4 year old) until you figure out the root cause of the issue. Let's apply this to my situation:

I had looked at Internet pornography.

Why?

Because I was engulfed in lust.

Why?

Because I had been tempted by some images on a video game site called gamespot.

Why?

Because I like going to gamespot to see what new games were coming out.........

AHA!

With only 3 whys my accountability partner and I figured out that the source of my temptation was a video game site that I visited almost on a daily basis. This site often has scantily clad women (video game women characters) plastered around the site. It was this temptation that was driving me further and further into lust until it engulfed me and I gave into the temptation to look at Internet pornography.

Solution? Jesus to the rescue! If we take another look at Matthew 5:30 it says: "And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." Using this extreme thinking, we came up with a plan. Cut the site off! "But what about the video game news???" your flesh cries out as you pull out your internet site cutter-offer knife. What about it? Is video game news worth an eternity in hell? I actually think that this solution is quite mild compared to Jesus' stronger version of TEARING YOUR EYEBALLS OUT!! I'll take the lost video game news thanks!!!

Can you think of some sites that are tripping you up? Are you aware of your carelessness? Are you visiting sites that have sensual pictures on them and you are pretending that they aren't affecting you? Put on your Holy Spirit binoculars man! and start making a list of no-go sites immediately! Add to it as you need to. Remember that in Proverbs 7:25 it says: "Do not stray into her paths". Do it before it's too late! Here's my list so far:

(no-go sites and consequences on work wall)

No-Go Sites

-yahoo
-msn search
-netscape
-quicktime application
-windows media player news
-myspace
-hi5
-gamespot
-ign
-rotten tomato
-quicktime movie previews
-ask.com
-lycos
-altavista
-myexcite
-a9
-dogpile
-metacrawler
-search.com
-google video
-youtube
-Any lingerie or underwear store site
-google image search
-National Geographic
-Time
-Sears mail flyers
-comics
-newspapers
-desktop themes and backgrounds
-hotmail
-si.com

Let's have a look at how some of these can be categorized so that you can create some heuristics for future site avoidance patterns.

News Portals - These will mess you up. News Portal people know that sex sells, they will put a sexy woman on any news story just to get you to click on it. Avoid these at all costs.

examples - yahoo, msn search, netscape, quicktime application opening screen, windows media player (the guide), all celebrity news sites, hotmail load page (to hotmail people.......switch to Gmail!!! What are you still doing on hotmail ? : ) Text ads, text ads, text ads!!!!)

Social Networking - These kinds of sites can be dangerous primarily because you don't have any control over the other people's pictures . I have noticed that certain sites like hi5 will even throw up profile pictures of people you don't know onto your homepage, that's ridiculous. Facebook isn't too bad for this, but choose your friends wisely, don't stalk people and try to mind your own profile as much as possible. (see the hacking section for tips on getting rid of the ads)

examples - myspace, hi5, facebook, orkut

Video Game News = Very Bad News. Game industries have too long catered to the 20-30 single men age group and this has led to a very very nasty scene. (I just fell again for this one recently, I can't stress enough how important it is to never go to video game review sites. Don't look for video game anything online. It's too dangerous. The same people that review Nintendo Wii games review Mature +18 games and they own the same websites! Stick to Toys 'R' Us flyers or ask your friends if they like this or that video game.)

examples - gamespot, ign (never go to ign, ever.........ever-ever), etc...

Movie Previews/Reviews - I don't really know what to say here except that 1 in every 5 posters has got a scantily clad woman on it, so I don't even want to know what is in the previews...

examples - rotten tomato, quicktime movie previews

*A safer alternative for movie news is Spotlight christian movie reviews (terrible reviews, but the user comments are totally useful).

?
Weird Search Sites - Just stick to Google, text ads, nuff said. (Plus, if you are married, there is a feature that you can use to track your search history whenever you are a logged in. Not only is this useful for finding things later, but give your wife (or accountability partner) your gmail password and you may think twice about what you are searching for : )

examples - ask.com, lycos, altavista, myexcite, a9,dogpile, metacrawler, search.com

Online Video Sites - Danger, Danger, Danger!! Avoid all sites that house video collections uploaded by users. (I know what you are thinking, Micah seriously, you can't put YouTube in that list. I know..... that's a hard one. I have found some workarounds for YouTube. You still have to be very careful, but check out the hacking section for some helpful tips!)

examples - google video, youtube, ebaumsworld, college humor, etc...

Image Searches - Another accident waiting to happen. I struggle with this one because of the usefulness of it (especially for blogging!), but I always come back to the fact that I need to avoid image searches. You just don't know what a search is going to turn up and it only takes one picture to turn your day upside down. For example, you do a search for a picture of a daisy flower using the word "Daisy", but it turns up some bad pictures because there is perhaps a female model with that same name. See what I mean? It's tricky....

examples - google image search, a9, msn, yahoo, and all the others...

*Couple workarounds here:

1) If you own Microsoft office, bring up clipart, find the picture you want to use, do a screencapture, paste into MS Paint, cut out the part you want, save it to the desktop and use it.
2) In google type in the name of what you are searching for and as your last word in the search, type "image" or "icon". This will bring back about 4 results from google image search into the normal google results area. Far less dangerous and usually gets you what you are looking for. Sometimes it doesn't bring back images though.
3) Check out Leo's Icons (now known as Icon Archive), and use his search tool. This has been a great help for me.

Others
- Run away from every magazine rack!
- National geographic, time, sears mail flyers, comics, newspapers
- Computer desktop themes and backgrounds (only go if you know the site before hand and that it is clean)
- Sports sites (like si.com), it goes without saying, but stay far away from any site with a bathing suit component!

Now that you have your no-go list together, photocopy that bad boy and put it right by the monitor of every computer you use. Got a laptop? Photocopy a mini version and tape it to the inside!! Put your thinking caps on and get this somewhere where you can see it, then comment me on creative things you did! Make sure to leave some space on your sheet so you can add more sites later!

3 - Hacking

Now that we have tackled sites that you can avoid yourself, what about the tricky ones that just jump out and surprise you? Like this one!

They're on facebook, hotmail, news sites, blogs..... there are dating ads, Swinkys, loose weight, take pills, look like this woman, look at that woman.......*AAAARRRGYYYL* THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!!!! "I'll just have to shut off the Internet" you say to yourself, "what else can I do?"

No worries! Would you believe me if I told you that you never had to look at another banner ad again? Imagine this for a moment if you will. There is this little man from Europe who lives in your computer. Every time you visit a webpage, he bolts from side to side, top to bottom, wiping out every banner ad in his path and then escapes back to Europe before you ever see the ads or him.... Well this is not imaginary folks, it's reality (well, pretty close, he is not little, but he is a man from Europe and he is not in your computer but he wrote a program to help your computer). His name is Wladimir Palant and I am greatly indebted to him. I salute my hat to you good sire if you ever read this.

Get this, all you have to do is install firefox and then get the Adblock Plus add-on. Not a nerd? That's ok, I've put together a website to help! It's called http://youcanbeanerd.blogspot.com and it will help you get started. Here's the plan:

1 - Get Firefox and find out how it can help you do more than block ads!

2 - For those times that you absolutely need Internet Explorer, open up IE inside Firefox with the click of a button!

3 - Get the Adblock Plus add-on for Firefox (and learn how to block Facebook ads).

4 - While you are at it, cut the clutter out of YouTube!!!

The Take Away

-Constantly remind yourself of the consequences of looking at Internet Pornography
-Work Hard!
-Every time you fall, ask the 5 whys and make sure you don't fall for the same thing twice (add it to your no go list).
-Pimp out your Firefox with sweet add-ons to block ads and make YouTube safer!

Final Thoughts

Lastly, we have to want it this thing. We have to want to be free. If we find ourselves tempted beyond hope and stuck in complacency, we need to read the consequences over and over and over and over. We need to read the first seven chapters of Proverbs or better yet get the audio and put it on our ipods because sometimes we are so far gone that we can't even bring ourselves to open the bible. If we are going on to the Internet with the purpose of looking at Internet pornography, we need to trace our steps back even further using the 5 whys into our physical lives, we need accountability partners, we need the list of consequences beside our computers, we need to be in the Word of God memorizing verses like Malachi 2:14, 15 and 16, Romans 8:11, Proverbs 5:3-4, we need to listen to Christian music written by desperate Christians who are chearing us on! IF WE DESPERATELY WANT TO BE FREE, WE NEED TO BE DESPERATE ABOUT THIS THING!

I also want to say that if you have fallen, you can get back up. I have gotten back up many times and I'm not proud to say that. But some people came around me that loved me and they didn't give up on me and I'm not willing to give up on any of you. Please read Romans 8. I am working on a song for Romans 8 and I hope to put it in your hands someday so that you can know it by heart too. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"!! God is for you, not against you! If you ever need any prayer or help, please email me micah63 *at* gmail *dot* com.

Hopefully helpful, until next my next post! God Bless! Micah

Abortion Honored in Canada?

2008-07-10T20:38:00.002-03:00

No matter which way you look at it, giving Dr. Henry Morgentaler Canada's Highest Award of Honor is ridiculous. He is being given this honor for making it safer for women to kill babies in the womb. If you are not happy about this, here are some things you can do to voice your opinion:

1) Call the Governor General's office and the Order of Canada Chancellery:

- Secretary of the Governor General (Sheila Cook)'s Direct Line: 613-993-0259 phone / 613-993-1365 fax.
- Deputy Secretary To The Order of Canada Chancellery (Emmanuelle Sajous)'s Direct Line: 613-998-8731 phone / 613-991-1681 fax

2) Send emails to the following people and just quickly tell them you oppose Dr. Henry Morgentaler getting Canada's Highest Award of Honour:

- Prime Minister: Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
- Governor General: info@gg.ca
- Supreme Court (Rt. Hon. Beverly McLachlin: media@scc-csc.gc.ca, reception@scc-csc.gc.ca)
- Clerk of the Privy Council (Kevin Lunch): info@pco-bcp.gc.ca
- Royal Society of Canada (Yvan Guidon): info@rsc.ca
- Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (Dr. Thomas Traves): info@aucc.ca

While your at it, tell your MP that you also support Bill C-484!

When is a Child a Child?

2008-04-25T08:23:00.006-03:00

When is child a child? Is it when the sperm hits the egg (Day 1)? Do you need a heartbeat to be a child (Day 20)? Do you need eyes to be a child (Week 4)? Do you need arms and legs and finger nails and be able to jump around (Week 10)? I don't really know how to define when a child becomes a child.

What I do know though, having just recently experienced the miracle of having a baby grow into our family, is that a child is child a long time before it comes out the womb. As you can see from this 4D picture, science is giving us more and more visibility into the womb. If you don't believe me, I would encourage you to watch this documentary by National Geographic.

The Canadian government doesn't agree. They believe that a child is not a child until it comes out the womb. You may you say: "I'm aware, and I'm tired of the abortion debate", but Katie and I are here to tell you that there is something you can do (and especially if you live in Moncton!).

Just recently in Winnepeg a young couple was shot to death. The wife was pregnant, but it's being treated as a double homicide. Why is this not a triple homicide?

Well, the Canadian government is deciding right now whether they should change this or not. It's called Bill C-484 and it may change the way the justice department looks at life inside the womb. What can you do? You can call or email your MP and tell them how you feel. If you live in Moncton, this is especially important as Brian Murphy(Moncton MP) is on the committee that will make this decision. Right now the committee consist of 12 members; 6 who are opposed and 6 who are for.

Listed below are the members of the committee with their address and email. Please take time to write or email these MP's either asking them to change their minds and vote for the bill or thanking them for already being in Favor of the bill.

Those on the Committee Opposed to C-484:

Réal Ménard, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A Menard.R@parl.gc.ca
Larry Bagnell, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Bagnell.L@parl.gc.ca
Brian Murphy, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Murphy.B@parl.gc.ca
Joe Comartin, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 comartin.j@parl.gc.ca
Dominic Leblanc, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A Leblanc.D@parl.gc.ca
Carole Freeman, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Freeman.C@parl.gc.ca

Those on the Committee In Favour of C-484:

Blaine Caulkins, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Calkins.B@parl.gc.ca
Art Hangar, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Hanger.A@parl.gc.ca
Derek Lee, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Lee.D@parl.gc.ca
Rob Moore, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Moore.R@parl.gc.ca
Daniel Petit, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Petit.D@parl.gc.ca
Rick Dykstra,House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6 Dykstra.R@parl.gc.ca

Should this pass though, we would be one step closer to recognizing the value of life in these little ones and one step closer to protecting the lives of millions of children who are killed with our tax money by abortion. This is a big deal...

When is a child a child?

Got an Ipod? Get Breakpoint!

2008-04-07T21:30:00.002-03:00

Christmas 2006 was an exciting one. I hadn't felt like a kid at Christmas for a long time. Maybe it was predictability of the morning procedures, the boring adult conversation that seems to come more naturally now, or maybe it was just the fact that for a good many years I had not received Lego for Christmas!! In any event I don't know if I was fully prepared for the excitement that awaited me that morning. Not only did I receive a whole giant bag of St. Stephen made beef jerky AND clickable highlighters, but hidden in a turkey stuffing box was a brand new 2nd Generation Ipod Nano from Katie and her parents!!!!! I was like : 0 ........... yah, it's like amazing! 24-hour battery life, 2GB, pictures, games, contacts, excetera, excetera. Christmas was suddenly a big deal again!!

Well, I know that I am not the only person that likes Ipods and some of you folks out there have them too. One of the cool things that I found out about Ipods after I started using it and switched my music program from Windows Media Player to Itunes, is that Podcasts are really awesome. You listen to what you want when you want, as much as you want!! Now I only have limited time and I don't have a lot of podcasts, but I just wanted to let you know about the best one ever! It's called Breakpoint with Charles Colson.

Chuck Colson is a big hero for me. I read his book "Born Again" and his book "Loving God" and his book "How Now Shall We Live". These books rock and everyone should read them! The guy is just plain smart and he doesn't waste any words. Breakpoint is his podcast and he gives you the news from a Christian perspective! Not only does his team do all the work to research what is current in the news, but they also tell you about stuff that the news doesn't want you to know! I have learned so much from this podcast and I can't recommend it enough! To get it, just go to Itunes>Itunes Store>Search and search for breakpoint.

*Even if you don't have an Ipod, you can use Itunes to get podcasts and just listen to them on your computer or you can listen to his podcasts on the breakpoint site.

Raising Up Godly Children

2008-03-18T22:21:00.002-03:00

This is a picture from GFA (Gospel For Asia). Notice anything unusual? How about the child in the orange outfit : ) What a great picture of how we ought to be training our kids up in the ways of the Lord. A newborn in the midst of a bible study!

We have been doing some of the same as Eben has been attending a Thursday night bible study with us. I don't know how much he understands, but I pray that he feels God's presence as we gather together to seek Him, worship Him and study His Word! Jesus said to let the little children come to Him!

PS - The picture is taken from an article sharing how 60 Christians from India were recently released. Praise God!

March Music Recommendation

2008-03-13T13:15:00.005-03:00

Hello folks! I would like to just take this opportunity to recommend a CD to you all. It is a CD by our dear friend Rose Misner and it's called How Awesome Is This!

Let me tell you that this CD is great! I love listening to local artist that love the Lord! Rose is passionate and loves the Lord and she is a great musician and song writer. The songs are also very biblically based, so listening to a song is filling yourself with the Word of God and not just the fluffy hyper grace and woe is me stuff you hear on the radio. There is heart felt worship songs, fun and uplifting songs, battle songs and even a bit of funk and rap : ) Amen sister!

I hope you all get a copy of this CD and listen to it lots. It's not on Itunes yet unfortunately, but you can order it here. Blessing all!

When Kings Go Out To Battle

2006-10-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah."

"But David stayed at Jerusalem."
2 Samuel 11:1*

Hi guys. I want to share with you my heart about a struggle that I have longed to be free from and a struggle I long to see many men freed from and a struggle that I long to protect many boys from. It is the single most destructive force facing men and if anything will wipe our mighty Christian men off the spiritual map, it is this struggle. Today, we are talking about lust.

Being a Christian my whole life, I can tell you that there has never been anything so frustrating as lust. Ask Christian men if they want to struggle with lust and I will guarantee you that 100% of them will say NO. That's what makes it a struggle. I know that we have all heard the sermons, we've all read the verses, we understand lust's destructive power. Guys, we know that we want to beat this, so let's not mess around. Let's jump straight to the how.

The last 4 weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life. About 4 weeks ago, I was at a young adults meeting for our church. We had some great worship and teaching, then broke into two prayers groups, men and women. We went around the circle and asked if anyone had prayer requests. I said that I would like prayer because I don't want to struggle with lust anymore. I don't want to struggle with the draw and pull of lust. I want to be free. Several men in the group expressed the same request and just before we started our prayer, the speaker, quoted his old pastor. He said:

"Find me a lazy man and I will show you a lustful man." - Don Currin

Guys, I gotta tell you, that quote cut through my calloused spiritual skin like a cardboard cut (like a paper cut, only 10 times worse). As we prayed, I suddenly realized what the cause of my struggle was. I am lazy! Shortly after that, the verse at the top suddenly hit me as I flipped through my bible. It hit me in the face like a two ton common sense brick. When kings go out to battle........David stayed home.

In my prayer time, I started praying and asking the Holy Spirit to fill up my life. I prayed that he would help me defeat lust and help me to be a better worker. The next few days at work, I started working! I became an animal! It was like an urge came over me and my work tasks started looking like food. I devoured tasks like they were chips in a bag of Doritoes!!! I grabbed whatever I could and worked at it will all my heart! It was awesome! I thought maybe I was just having a good day, but a good day turned into a great week, then that turned into a couple awesome weeks. Guess what happened next? I got FREE!!! HALLELUYAH!!! I saw it! When you are working, you don't have time for foolishness. You don't have time for lust. And you don't have time for the flesh. The bible in 2 Corinthians 3:17 says: "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY!". If you make room for the Holy Spirit and you make a whole lot less room for the flesh, what do you think is going to happen? You are going to get free!!! Amen? I'm walking proof! I started spending more time in the word and more time praying! I started seeing prayers answered and the more time I spend in prayer and the word, lazy and lustful patterns just seem to fall off!

David would not have committed the most tragic sin of his life if he had gone to war with his troops. No man was meant to handle the type of temptation that David faced! Do you think it is realistic to visit a website that has seductive women on it and walk away unaffected? I don't. But how did I get to that website........I got to the website by a series of choices that stemmed from laziness. I should have been working, but instead I was "having a little break". I was reading the news online or surfing blogs, just checking through a magazine at work. I checked my personal email and one thing lead to another. So, how do I prevent this? I go to war!

For me it means that when I want to check my personal email at work, I obey the Holy Spirit telling me not to and I grab the next issue in the queue. It means that when I feel like reading the newspaper, or reading blogs......I say: "NO" and I keep working away at that issue that I can't solve and come at it from a different angle. When I start getting tired and folding my hands and laying back in my chair to think, I sit up and say: "What can I do next to serve my company!".

What does it mean for you? Do you have homework that needs your attention? Do you have tasks that your parents have asked you to do? Do you have a Christian book that you've been meaning to read? An instrument that needs some practicing? Let's get off the TV's, let's get off the computers, let's put down the newspapers and magazines that we know are riddled with seductive pictures. Let's get rid of the filthy movies, the filthy video games and let's start using our brains, time, energy and talents for God! If hard work is our ticket out of this thing, then fetch me my boots and throw me a hard hat! I'll do whatever it takes to be free.

That's it guys. I could go on forever and try to give you advice. I could quote all of proverbs to you, but it's really that simple. I just want to give my testimony.

I know that some of you are probably thinking: "Easy for you to say Micah, you are married!". I would say that you are right and maybe it is easier for me. But I would also say this. I wish I had learned this principle a long time ago. I long for you young single men to experience a freedom that I never did. I don't want to see you go through the pain that I did. And I don't want to see you do the damage to your lives that I have done to mine. Several men that I talked to before I got married told me that marriage is not the cure for lust. I now understand that and it will do exponentially more damage once you are married, so you are best to beat this before you say your vows of love to your wife!

If there is anything I can do, I want to do it and I hope that this truth helps you. Please feel free to comment guys, we are all in this together.

"Lord Jesus, I pray for any man reading this today that feels like giving up. I pray that you would bring hope to him and that you would lift up the face of those who have fallen. We long to be free and be the men that you have made us to be. Help us to defeat lust! Help us to be hard workers! But most of all Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we are able to do that which is impossible on our own. I pray that you would fill each reader with your Holy Spirit and give us the POWER to walk in the Spirit every day and obey your voice. I come against any spirit of darkness that would speak lies and confusion and hopelessness and I pray that you would bring your light into our lives and give us joy as we work hard for you and lay down our lives for you! We ask all these things in your name Jesus! Amen!"

When Kings Go Out To Battle........

so do I!

Soldier Summary

1. If you are not serious about getting free, get serious! (Proverbs 7)
2. Spend time early in the morning in prayer and reading the word (gear up)
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you defeat lust and work hard (the battle is the Lord's)
4. Obey the Holy Spirit as he shows you how to work hard (Obey orders)

Things to Memorize

1. "Find me a lazy man and I will show you a lustful man"
2. When kings go out to battle......David stayed home. 2 Samuel 11:1

Check out what I have tagged onto my monitor!

*If you don't know David's story, please click on the verse above and read about what happened when David did not go to war. When I read through the whole Bible in my last year of high school, I was enthralled by David's life. When you are reading the old testament and you hit Samuel, all of the sudden it's like a breath of fresh fall air. His passion for the Lord! His courageous spirit! He takes down Goliath the big God smacking ogre! He goes to war for the Lord and seemingly can do no wrong. You are so excited when you're reading that you almost forget about Bathsheba. Then you get to 2 Samuel 11:1 and it's like someone hits you in the gut. It's awful. It's very sad. I think the next few chapters are most devastating passages of the Bible I have ever read. I challenge you to read it yourself and see how easily David fell and what the consequences of David's sin were.

He is DeVine

2006-10-03T14:00:00.000-03:00

"Just remember.......He is DeVine, you are DeBranch!" - Keith Green

Please open your bibles to John 15:1

Intro
So, I've been thinking a lot about vineyards! I don't want you to think: "Oh boy, another one of those vineyard devotionals, how original Micah.....". This is a vineyard devotional, but I'm very very excited about it!!! In fact, I think it is one of the most exciting things that Jesus ever talked about! Ok, now if you are anything like me, you probably don't know anything about vineyards except that they are where grapes come from. I do imagine however, that most of you have at one time or another owned your own apple orchard. Right? No? Hahaha, yah, I hear ya! In fact most of us have only seen trees on TV! Well, the concept of vinedressing is simple, even though the technicalities may not be (we don't really have to worry about it though because God the Father is the gardener Jn 15:1), so get ready, because this is "grape" stuff, hahaha, oooooo.....puns.

Context
The reason that I am so enthused about this passage is because of the context. Pastor Penney once told me, rather excitedly, that when I read from John 12 - John18, I should remember the timing of these chapters. Jesus has been walking with the disciples for several years and now, in these chapters, he is living his last few days on Earth! I like to think about what I would tell the people around me if I had a day or so to live. I certainly would not use my last few hours to kid around or ramble on, that's for sure. Now think about it! You have in your hands the last words that the Son of God spoke to his closest friends before he left. Jesus is slamming down some big tips, so we would all be wise to pay attention!!

The Vine's Job
First things first. God is the Gardener, Jesus is the main vine and we are branches (Jn 15:1). This is important because you need to know your job. You are responsible for making big juicy grapes. If you don't grow any grapes, you're done, kaputt. Dead and fruitless branches are not cool. About twice a year in the Peterson house, we had a little backyard bon-fire. We gathered up every box, branch, newspaper, burdox plant and batteries (we wanted to see if they would explode.....they never did, very disappointing) we could find and torched it! Then we got out the marshmellows!! I will never forget the image of all those branches getting roasted. The crackling and popping. Well, that's what it's going to be like for dead and fruitless branches and Satan is bringing the marshmellows! (Jn 15:2, 15:6)

The Right Grapes Growing Conditions
At this point, we're kind of nervously thinking: "Ok ok, so....so....so, how does one go about growing these grapes? And what do these grapes look like?". Well, we'll get there, it's kind of a suprise ending, so don't get bored and change the blog on me or anything!

You can't grow grapes unless you are attached to the vine. I'm no gardener, but I sure have cut off a lot of tree branches in my day!! In fact, one time I constructed an entire tree fort using cut down evergreen branches. It was all camouflaged and green and you couldn't see inside it. It had all these secret entrances. Well, you may have guessed by now, but the fort was cool for about a week...........until all the branches died and all that was left was a see-through twig shack!!!

No my friend, for a good many reasons, the branch must be attached to the vine. This is so important. Jesus says that unless we abide in him (it's like being tight with Jesus, you hang out all the time and live with him), we are not going to grow any grapes (Jn 15:4). So let's stop grunting, stop striving, stop huffing, stop puffing, stop gritting our teeth, stop "trying" to squeeze grapes out and let's plug into Jesus. Let's hang out with him. Then you'll have grape juice in your veins!

I'm preaching to myself of course, but sometimes I need a good preaching and you might as well benefit from it and keep me accountable too. The ONLY way that we are going to abide in Jesus is if we start giving up little things. For me, this is how simple it is. I often get distracted. When I am tired of working, I like to play video games and stuff (maybe TV, eating, reading novel type books, etc...). This is not "bad", but maybe a waste of my time. Lately I got the book of John in pocket form and now I read it when I'm on a break, or waiting at the doctors office or on the Jon! Or sometimes I pray. Stuff like that, the basics. But it always comes down to a descision between two things, hanging out with Jesus, or doing the "stuff" that I want to do. It will knock your socks off when you trade this time!!!

Plus, Jesus said that if you abide in him, you can ask for anything and it will be done for you(Jn 15:7)!! Sweet.

How To Grow Grapes
Obey Jesus commandments (Jn 14:15, Jn 14:21, Jn 14:23, Jn 15:10, 1 John 4:3). Ok, that one was easy.

Ummmmm, Jesus Said a lot of Stuff....
I know, that's the suprise ending part! Growing grapes is ridiculously simple (not easy, simple). Jesus said: "This is my commandment, that you love another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command." (Jn 15:12-14). There you have it. We grow grapes when we love others around us. We grow grapes, not necessarily when we take a physical bullet for someone, but when we lay down our time, energy, money, gifts, talents........everything, for others. This is who God is. He showed us the highest love by sending his most precious treasure, Jesus, to die a horrible death for those he created. This is who we ought to be. If you need practical ways to do this, read the bible! I would suggest starting at Matthew Chapter 5-7. It's the sermon on the mount and it's jam packed full of useful day-to-day things that we can do to love others. Another easy one is to write down all the things that you are good at and start thinking about how you could use those gifts you have to bless someone you know. Start with your family and work your way out. It's awesome!!

Well.....I'm Sort of Lazy, Why Should I Grow Grapes?
Well, besides getting burnt to a crisp in the lake of fire (not enough inspiration for some, I know).............. , there is something special hidden (well it's not really hidden of course, we just don't take the time to find it : ) in this passage. I think it is one of the keys to the kingdom of God. You won't hear about it on TV or in music videos. You likely won't hear about it on the popular radio. Most magazines seem to miss it as well. In fact, I don't think the secular world really wants you find out what is in this passage. Jesus says that the reason that he would like us to grow grapes is so that we can have his Joy and that that Joy may be made full.......................whoa mama. This is it folks! Dig in! This is what I was so excited about! It's not a grape competition!! It's not a game to see which vine can produce the most grapes! It's not a popularity contest (who has the biggest/purplest/shiniest/juiciest grape)!! It's not a chore! It's not a cruel punishment! The task of growing grapes (ie: loving one another) is so that every fiber of your being is saturated with FULL JOY! The world would have you believe that when you serve yourself, you will be happy. You will be happy I guess, happy like a selfish child. It runs out pretty fast. Jesus is talking about lasting Joy. Not gratification, not a fix, not a high, not a quick laugh, not a rush............but the joy that makes your insides well up until you feel like you will explode. Have you tasted it? There's nothing like it! Try it, I dare you! Let's quit serving ourselves, and start serving others! Woot woot woot! *Crowd chanting* Serving! Serving! Serving! *End chanting*

*If you are not a Christian and you think that this is all well and good, but that anyone can be a nice person and you don't need Jesus, I would challenge you to really think about your existence. Most people believe that there is a higher power who has created the earth. It is no stretch that he loves us and wants to save us from death. When you accept the gift of Jesus work to defeat sin on the cross, Jesus says in John 14:23 "If anyone loves me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him." When you accept Jesus and ask him to forgive your sin and keep his words (follow the bible), God comes and lives with you!!! It's true. I know it. I can talk to him every day and he listens to me and answers me and it is really the best thing in the world! And why work your whole life to serve others when you are just going to die and stop existing. It doesn't make sense. And don't kid yourself by thinking that maybe there is a God, but you can work your sin off by being good. You can't. Plain and simple. Why turn away the salvation that God has offered? Accept Jesus and you get eternal life in heaven, a sweet life on earth, a new spirit, life. If you really step out in faith and accept Jesus into your life, you won't be dissapointed! More to come on this.........

Generation Changers for Christ

2006-05-03T15:21:00.000-03:00

I have been thinking a lot about how I can play a role in being a generation changer for Christ. I have passed out of my teen age years but I am still not in the age of my gray hair wisdom yet. I am left somewhere in the middle stage of life with some life experience and wisdom but not enough to feel qualified to give advice. As I have been praying for God to show me what my role is and how he can use me, my eyes were opened to 1 Timothy 4:12

~And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity~. 1 Timothy 4:12

As I read this verse God reminded me that it is Him and ONLY Him who we should be chasing after and pursuing. We need to keep our heart, mind, body and spirit in tune with HIM. We can look around the world and say that they have a lot of problems and God doesn’t approve of a lot that’s going on, but as we look closer at the body of Christ, and our own lives, we find things present in the picture that are not pleasing and holy to God. We will be examples to people only when we, as individuals, decided to chase after God and live lifestyles that are pleasing to Him. When our lifestyles are a pleasing offering to God we will be Generation Changers for Christ no matter our age.

If you look closely at this verse there are six things that we as Christians can teach believers by our example. As you read this let it be a nourishing time for your spirit, let God talk to you and show you the lifestyle that He is calling you to live.

1. Life: How are we as God’s children suppose to act?

1 Thessalonians 2:12(NLT): We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you into his Kingdom to share his glory

Here we can see that in God's word we are encouraged and urged to live a life style that is pleasing to God. We know that God has given us lots of verses in His word that shows us how to live this kind of lifestyle. Here are just a few examples you can look up

Ephesians 5:3-13

Colossians 4:5-6

2 Timothy 2:16

2. Words: How do our words represent who we are and who God is?

Ephesians 4:29 (MS): Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

Our words can either bring life and health to the people around us or they can crush the spirit (proverb 15:4). James makes it a point to remind the church that even though the tongue is a small thing it can do enormous damage (James 3:5). We need to watch our words and make sure that everything we say is sweet like honey (you just never know when you will have to eat your words!)

3. Demeanor: How does my behavior towards others portray the image of Jesus?

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT): The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.

Demeanor is defined by the way in which a person behaves. In the world that we live in today we are bombarded with TV shows, music, movies and magazines all telling us how we are suppose to behave and act. With all these external forces around us it’s hard to remember that we have the only book that is going to help us, GOD’S WORD! When we are faced with a situation before we look up to mentors, pastors or even Christian brothers and sister we should look into God’s word to see what it teaches about the situation we are in. It is ONLY in God’s word do we learn to live like His children.

4. Love: What does Christ’s love look like?

1 Corinthians 4:13: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never looses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I know that this verse is one that is always used at every wedding but this verse is for more then just a married couple. This example of what LOVE looks like is for every Christian to strive for. It is a love that is perfect just like Christ’s love was for us. This verse should be one that each of use tries to show to people every day in the way we act and speak.

5. Faith: What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1: What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

Faith is, believing that God exists and that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins so that we can be reconciled back to God. If we are to teach people by our faith I think that it means more then just telling people that we believe in Jesus Christ. If you look at Hebrews chapter 11 we are given example after example of how faithful God was to his children who believed in Him. In order to teach others about our faith we need to constantly tell people about the goodness of our AWESOME God!

6. Integrity: How does this relate to our Christian walk?

Titus 2:7: And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

Integrity is the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. Our integrity towards being ambassadors for Jesus must be 100%. God’s word tells us that we can’t serve two masters. If we love the world then we don’t love Jesus! (1 John 2:15). We must strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. Let’s run the race that God has set before us with endurance! (Hebrews 12:1-3)

No matter what your age we can be generation changers for Jesus.

We can run the race that He has set before when strip off everything that holds us back from Him. May you be encouraged today as you study God’s word and learn how to be His Child

Book Review

2006-02-20T14:45:00.000-04:00

I have just finished a two week visit to a quaint little coffee shop with a new friend of mine. A woman who is truly a set apart lily among the thorns in today’s culture. A women who shared her heart and soul with me as she shared her experiences of being a Christian girl and now a Christian woman truly, madly and deeply in love with her Prince Jesus.

This woman is Leslie Ludy, for anyone who knows her knows that I have not really been meeting with her (because she is a Christian author) but as I read her book authentic beauty each day with a steaming hot cup of coffee I felt like we have been friends for years and have just spend hours with each other having a heartfelt conversation.

Authentic beauty shows women how to be shaped into a set-apart lily among the thorns. Leslie opens her heart up in this book and shares life experiences and situations that every women faces in today’s culture. She shows women that it is possible to live a life SET-APART from culture when we have a love relationship with our Prince Jesus. This book puts living for Jesus in a new perceptive that in today’s Christianity we don’t always get. By the end of the each chapter you can’t help but to be deeper in love with Jesus! I would recommend this book to any woman who wants to be shaped into a set apart daughter of the king!

In a culture that mocks our longing for tender romance, in a society that exalts the empty charm of painted face of perfect figure- do we dare hope for more? For every young woman asking that question, this book is an invitation. With refreshing candor and vulnerability, Leslie Ludy reveals how, starting today, you can experience the passion and intimacy you long for. You can begin a never-ending love story with your true Prince. You will discover a truly authentic beauty that flows from Him-beauty that can change your world.

For more information check outwww.authenticgirl.com

Stand Up For Your Country

2006-01-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to put up a quick post to let you know mine and Katie's thought's about the upcomming vote. Katie and I were sickened to our stomachs as we watched the debates on TV last night. We should be ashamed of our country and we need to be crying out to God to save us. If the people in parliment represent what most Canadians believe in, then this country is in some deep doo-doo.

I want to specifically address the section of the debate on morals and values. It's clear that our value system is quickly eroding, but last night was peticularily disturbing. Did you know that the supreme court of Canada said that it is just fine and dandy to have swinger clubs? This is a place of filth where married couples can go and exchange partners for the night. It is a spot where married people who made a promise to love each other can go and break their covenant with whomever they please. It is a place where people can go and destroy one of God's most treasured and precious gifts................the gift of Unity in marriage. Would you like to know what our leaders said about this issue last night? Well, I'll tell you.

Mr. Layton (a well known supporter of humanism), did not even address the issue. He instead used his 30 seconds to "advertise" his concerns about seniors.

Mr. Harper actually answered the question. He said that parliment needs to have the right to overide certain court decisions. Whether you believe it or not, the people that you vote in actually have the power to stop and reverse court desicions. Mind you they often don't. Do you know why? Because they are afraid that if they cause a controversy, it could hurt their popularity. Sick. Spineless politics. Mr. Martin said early in the debate that one of his clear mandates is to make it so that the people you vote in no longer get this ability. Essentially, your vote has no moral effect on this country. I'll say it again. If you vote the Liberals in one more time, your democratic vote will not have one single effect on the moral fabric of this country. Think about that. Nine people in a court room will decide what truth is and know this, their truth will not be the truth that you read about in the bible. It will be as the perversion of the days of Noah. So let me clarify. The PC party will help your vote count where it matters, not in tax cuts or social programs, but the values that this country should be built on. It is no secret that the PC party still has some bibical views of marriage and morals.

Mr. Martin, when asked about swinger bars, turned to Harper and said he was an American. He did not answer the question at all and instead attacked Mr. Harper.

I know that we will not all agree on taxes and healthcare, etc, but I urge you to think about how your vote will affect this country. Christian or not, this is a democracy and now the government thinks that you are too stupid to make moral desicions. I don't know about you, but I intend on voicing my opinions to my MP and I want my MP to have the power to make a difference.

Your vote matters, make it count.

******Extra Information About Charter Rights******

When I took the intro to law class in University, it really opened my eyes a lot. I wasn't able to finish the class due to a big load that semester, but while I was there, I used every opportunity to quiz the professor about how our law works and how the liberal government can change the definition of marriage (or any other moral law, such as swinger bars, pedophilia, and other detestible things in God's sight). He told me that many times Canadians, Christians especially, would like to blame the Supreme Court for these kind of desicions that are made. The truth is though, that the supreme court simply interprets our current laws and charters, whether they do so correctly or not. What the professor said next astounded me. He said that the government, because we come from a British Empire, has more power than the court. The government is above the court! This means that the government could stop gay marriages or swinger bars, but choose not to because it could cause a controversy that would hurt there political careers. Imagine the Liberals standing up for marriage the way God intended it to be, a man and a woman. Every homosexual lobby group would have their heads on a platter, the media would kill them.

Now it's bad enough to have a govenment in power that is too chicken to stand up for morals, but now it's worse. On the debates last night, Mr. Martin said that said that one of the liberal party goals for the next term, if voted in, is to take away the ability for the government to stop court desicions. I have included a paragraph from the liberal website that recites Mr. Martins exact words in the debate.

The Prime Minister also put forward a bold new plan to protect the rights of Canadians, suggesting Parliament should eliminate the federal government's ability to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause in cases where individual rights and equality rights are at stake.

"Unlike most Canadians, Mr. Harper has said the Charter of Rights has serious flaws. His Justice Critic has said we should use the Notwithstanding Clause to take away the rights of Canadians," said the Prime Minister."I think the Charter defines Canada…the first act of the Liberal government will be to be to strengthen the Charter…by supporting a constitutional amendment to remove the federal government's ability to use the Notwithstanding [Clause] to overturn the Supreme Court of Canada and take away Charter Rights."

Notice especially the part: "...remove the federal government's ability to use the Notwithstanding [clause] to overturn the Supreme Court of Canada and take away Charter Rights."

This is very, very, very significant. Our MP's, that we vote in will no longer have any say on the morals of the country. Harper is right, the charter of Rights is flawed, I read it with my own eyes. It has holes in the wording which allows the courts "interpret" whatever they want. Now the liberals will take away our ability to defend ourselves against that court.

We are very passionate about standing up for the morals of God and we don't want to lay down and just let Satan run over our land. I am not proud to be a Canadian right now. Just like Daniel took responsibility for Isreal (Dan 9) and cried out to God for mercy on his land, we want to do the same thing and pray that God will have mercy on us and put in a righteous government. We will certainly vote with that same conviction.

The Reason for the Season

2005-12-04T14:40:00.000-04:00

Katie and I attended the Glad Tidings Church this morning in Moncton and we heard a great sermon! So I decided to put my thoughts down here for you with a mixture of the pastors. Don’t run away just cause you see the word sermon, this one is gonna be good because I don’t get excited about boring things (ok, so maybe I get a little excited talking about Google sometimes and people get bored, regardless, this is good stuff!).

What is the reason for the season? This is a wonderful holiday, probably the best (right up there with Thanksgiving. I love Easter too, but it’s hard to make gravy out of ham……). But there is more to this holiday than the lights and glitter. It’s more than family coming together and Christmas Tree trips in a station wagon. It’s not just about how the Grinch stole Christmas and then grew a heart 3 times it’s normal size (don’t get me wrong, I love the cartoon!!). It’s more than sneaking frozen sugar cookies out of the freezer……*guilty look*. It’s more than turkey dinner and yes………..*gulp* it’s more than Christmas gravy! Now at this point, anyone who knows me really well is probably thinking: “If it’s more important than Christmas gravy, it must be the most important thing ever!!” Well you’re right. It is the most important thing ever! The reason for the season is that our savior Jesus was born in a humble manger to be the servant of all servants. He died on the cross for all of our sins and then rose again to rule and reign with God forever. Think about that for a minute…….

The lyrics of a Christmas song I heard recently at a Christmas play really hit me hard:

“Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born”

That is the reason for the season. Check out this sweet verse in Romans 5:10-11,

“For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.”

Booya. Here’s a couple more quick thoughts. So the pastor says: “Turn to Luke 1….” and I’m like: “woohoo *spinning finger*, here we go, the wise men shepherd story for the umpteenth time”. But as he read and compared the dullness of our lives to the excitement of the story of Jesus being born, I began to be challenged.

First Quoting from memory, he told the story of Mary and how: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” The pastor said that we need to get plugged into the Holy Spirit so that we know what he is doing!!! Jesus came through a humble little couple in a manger, not some fancy shmacy royal Crib. If we are not listening to the Holy Spirit, we are going to miss what God is doing, because he doesn’t think like we do!

Secondly we need to find our Joy in the Lord!! The message of Jesus coming to save us is a joyful one! Check this out: “And when Elizabeth (Mary’s relative) heard Mary’s greeting, the baby (John the Baptist) leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Just like John the Baptist, we should be leaping around because Jesus has come!!!! This Joy does not come from Christmas warm fuzzies, Christmas cookies or hyper toy-getting excitement. It is the Joy of the Lord that you get when you are living for Jesus Christ.

Let me finish with the words of Simeon of Jerusalem when he took baby Jesus into his arms:

“Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace according to Thy word(I can die now); For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Thy people Isreal.”

Arise shine……for the light has come………

PS – I did a study of Christmas and discovered that it started as a pagan holiday. It was started by people who worshiped other God’s. In the 4th century, a roman dude that became a Christian decided to merge the holiday with the celebration of Christ’s coming. I hear this a lot: “It’s a pagan holiday”, well you know what? I don’t care. It’s as good a day as any to celebrate Jesus’ birthday and I’m not going to give up celebrating his birthday just because of some stupid pagan holiday that just happened to be on the 25th of December a couple thousand years ago. Katie and I will be rocking this Holiday with style and celebrating the best birthday of the year! Merry Christmas all!!

A Breifing

2005-12-02T06:45:00.000-04:00

This is our new thougth outpost. It is named after the verse in Proverbs 15:14, which says: "A wise man is hungry for truth, but a fool feeds on trash". Our one desire in posting this blog is to share with all of you what God has been teaching us through the Bible, Godly Authors, pastor sermons, "Walk in the Word", etc.... Katie and I have been so blessed and we don't just want people to know about our routines, but we more importantly want people to know about Jesus. Jesus said: "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but through me." So in our search for the truth, we know that the best and easiest thing to do is start with Jesus. To do that, we look to the bible! May the bible always be our first source of truth!! We hope you enjoy learning with us, we expect that it will be our most exciting adventure yet................