Kingdom

Daniel 2:44 (NRSV)


"44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever;"

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989

Quotable Quotes from the book "In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson

So I've been reading this book and here are few ideas or quotes from my reading today that really challenged me and inspired me:

"Maybe a relationship with God doesn't simplify our lives. Maybe it complicates our lives in ways that they should be complicated.
All I know is this: Marriage complicates my life, Kids complicate my life. Pastoring a growing church complicates my life. Wealth will complicate your taxes, and success will complicate your schedule. Thank God for complications." (pg 85)

Speaking about Corrie ten Boom a Nazi concentration camp survivor:
"Corrie used to speak to audiences about her horrific experiences in the concentration camps, and she would often look down while she talked. She wasn't reading her notes. She was actually working on a piece of needlepoint. After sharing about the doubt and anger and pain she experienced, Corrie would reveal the needlepoint, She would hold up the backside of the needlepoint to reveal a jumble of colors and threads with no discernible pattern. And she'd say, "This is how we see our lives." Then she would turn the needlepoint over to reveal the design on the other side, and Corrie would conclude by saying: "This is how God views your life, and someday we will have the privilege of viewing it from His point of view." (pg. 98)

If you know me...

I have decided to start getting up in the mornings and working out before I go to work. I am really praying that God will give me the self discipline to continue this course. Most of you know me well enough to know that I am a great starter and a mediocre finisher. I would like to ask you to pray for me that God would not let me sputter out of this lifestyle change, and that you would keep me accountable by asking me how I'm doing with it and not allow me to give you the "it's going well" answer. Ask me how much I did on the treadmill that day, or what workouts I did. Thanks for helping me stay accountable! I feel like I need to do this for Jenni, my future children, my youth group, church, friends, etc. I want to be able to run again :)

have we lost something?

Do you think that the kingdom of God looses something when we make becoming a believer all about simply belonging to a group of saved people?  When we don't stress the need for conversion (a word I don't think I've heard for a long time).  Being a follower of Christ is not simply about doing the right things, or being part of the right group of people and acting like them.  There is some point where you have to repent, believe, confess, and be baptized.  What do you think? 
I ask this because I see this with students, they come, don't ever "choose" Christ and when they leave, they find a new group of people and because their system hasn't changed they end up becoming like that group of people...

Reading the Prophets

Mt. 24:23-24
 23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."

Jesus sums up the entire message of all of the prophets - Justice, mercy and faithfulness over rote obedience to the law.  The pharisees are just like their forefathers.  Blind guides obeying the simple things of the law and leaving out the powerful things.

What is a Kingdom?

What do you think Jesus means when he talks about "The Kingdom of God " or "The Kingdom of Heaven"?   What does it mean to be a citizen of His Kingdom?  What does it say about Jesus being a Messiah in the line of David?  Where is the Kingdom? What do you think?  This has been something I have really been contemplating...

Fun With the Camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyssie Playing Tetherball! She's almost as good as me!

 

 

 

 

What us Protestants are missing...

I decided today, that what we miss as protestants is our own football team. If you are Catholic, you can just cheer on that Dame of Notre, but who as a protestant am I supposed to cheer? Who can I get a big foam finger for that promotes my belief system. I'm telling you, it's a huge shame, a crying shame if I dare. Anyway. Just a thought.
It's funny, cause I don't even watch football, but maybe that's because I don't have a protestant team.
I wonder what their mascot would be? I'll leave that up to you...