Great words for New Years Eve from Oswald Chambers

You shall not go out with haste, . . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard —Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “. . . God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “. . . the Lord will go before you . . . .” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste . . . .” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

2012 - Do you make New Years Resolutions?

New Years Resolutions are not things I typically make. I feel if I need a change, I should make it when it is needed, not on some arbitrary day. That being said, however, I have now found that I am not strong enough to make the resolutions when needed . . . so is using New Year's as a tool to get me kick started so bad?

Are you going to make any New Year's Resolutions? Do you have any changes you want to make? (I do . . . )  This week as you ponder this, add a comment with your thoughts.  I am curious about what my comments are going to be . . .

A little couple of items to stimulate the mind:

http://skitguys.com/videos/item/the-new-years-list

Abandon Your Old Wineskins Before 2012
by Jon Walker
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22 NIV)
Near my house is a gas station/convenience store that just underwent a makeover, changing their utilitarian look into a warm and inviting neighborhood haven, something like a coffee bar with gas pumps.

When I walked into the place, however, it appeared the employees missed the makeover memo. The kid behind the counter wore a new uniform that matched the new look, but he still wore the same sullen expression from before, perhaps a little bored and a bit put out that an actual customer had walked in to disturb him.

It made me think about how we try to put new wine into old wineskins. Jesus says we’re doomed to failure because “the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined” (Mark 2:22 NIV).

For you to become the person God wants you to be in 2012, you will have to abandon the old wineskins in your life so that God can pour himself into the wineskin of your new life-in-Christ.

This may mean, for instance, that we cannot try to pour the new wine of “honesty at work” into an old wineskin of “cutting corners.” Otherwise, “both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.”

This year, you will have to change in order to be the person God wants you to be. Are you ready to make the changes? Do you feel the excitement of knowing God is right there with you, not just helping you change, but leading you in the change?

As Pastor Rick often says, God is for you. He wants you to succeed in 2012. What are some of the old wineskins you will need to discard as the New Year approaches?

The First Night Before Christmas

T’was the First Night Before Christmas

And all through the land,

Not a room was available for Mary and her man.

Now even though this story rhymes with another,

The first Christmas story has its own kind of wonder.

There’s no fat guy in red with reindeer and snow,

This story’s got a young couple and took place long ago.

Two young kids, whose marriage was arranged,

But God had other plans and their lives all changed.

They’d heard the stories from Old Testament Scrolls,

About God Sending a savior that Isaiah foretold.

Imagine, 400 years God Kept quiet and still,

Awaiting these kids his plan to fulfill.

They learned of their role from angels in dreams,

First Mary, and then later to Joseph it seems.

A Babe they would call Jesus was planted inside,

I imagine the unmarried couple got looks far and wide.

Now this news from angels was miraculous alone,

But Joseph and Mary had to leave parents and home

A count was ordered by Roman King Named Augustus,

Which historians believe caused all sorts of fusses…

Joseph’s family tree roots where in Bethlehem a small town,

So that’s where the young couple were bound.

Imagine walking to Detroit for a count,

Just so the King his taxes could mount!

Finally to Bethlehem the teenagers arrived,

But like I said at the start no room was inside.

Now privacy for Mary was urgent you see,

Before the young family of two became Three.

Meanwhile God’s angels had trouble staying quiet,

Go Share the news before in heaven you Riot!

In heaven the angels had worshiped God’s son,

But now he’s on Earth to make sin all done.

Announce to the Sheppard the news the world needs,

Cause rulers like Herod would never bow knees.

These angels were mighty singers an wrestlers of biblical Reputation,

I bet they even could play a mean game of Play Station®!

So angels and shepherds in the hills did meet,

And the news that was shared should have been a great treat

But the Shepard’s got scared as Linus told Charlie Brown,

Thunderous singing, and news that shook the ground.

The Angels soon left and the Sheppard’s debated what to do

But in their own hearts they already knew.

Because their heart’s like the Grinch grew in size where they stood,

This news about God’s Son; now in the Neighborhood.

Now there’s debate whether in a stable or a cave ,

but the bible says: Bethlehem and that’s where he laid.

Shepard’s found in a manger the baby Christ child,

His mother and Joseph but no animals were riled.

For the son of God had power even then,

He’d calm the animals with strangers near their pens.

This same baby would grow up you see,

and die on a cross for you and for me.

Old Testament predictions came true far away,

But it could happen again about the same way.

The spirit of Christmas isn’t Just about the baby with kind face,

It’s God’s plan that’s full of grace

Christmas isn’t just believing the Bethlehem part,

No my friends; that was just the start

See he’s coming again, to finish the story,

to take all believers to heaven and glory.

A bit of explanation:

I’m not the first to borrow the rhythm of Clemet Moore. The text however; was given to me last year.

Actually;

“it wasn’t me; it was God; I just happened to be in the room and wrote down his message in about 45 minutes,” Never had anything happen like that before.

So, that’s what I got last Christmas; and I’m "re-gifting". Makes a nice alternative to the “regular” version…

Merry Christmas Knights!

Christmas - It's the Most Wonderful Time

Outdoor clothes / Sleepwear needed

Everyone:
Below is a detailed listing of the 3 families that popped up on the radar just recently.  They are looking first for warm outdoor clothes and/or sleepwear.  Used is not an issue.  Spread the word!  Rodney is heading up this project so let him know what you can provide!  Clean out the closets, print the list, take it to Goodwill, etc.  It's hard to imagine not being able to provide a lot of these needs from our own closets!  Did you know Goodwill has gift cards?  I just learned that, talk about bang for your buck!

1. Chavez Family
Angel      9/Boy - Large Boys
Erick 4/Boy-Small/Medium Boys
Jacqueleen 2/Girl - 24 mos
Lety      MOM- Large
Jaime DAD-Medium

2. Jaimes Family
Gabriel 9/Boy- Medium Mens Top, 30/30 Pant
Vanessa    11/Girl size 11
Maria MOM- Medium/Large
David DAD-Large


3. Rodriquez Family
Jesus 14/Boy-medium boys- snow pants?
Cesar 9/Boy-medium boys
Jasmine 8/Girl-medium
Rafael 5/Boy-size 6
Izubel MOM-Medium
Rafael DAD-large

Worth my weight in gold

If I was worth my weight in gold, I would be worth $5,157,856.  The holidays have helped, and that is not too shabby if I do say so myself!

Ok, so we need to shower a fellow brother, BIG TIME !!!! Dwayne was at our mens group this morning and shared his struggles. He is feeling the pressure as he tries to step up and be a man of God. He swerved to miss a dog on his way in this morning, I think, or last night. Several problems - 1- plpd, 2- damaged his van, 3- works in GR, 4- commercial driver (2 points, because he hit a car when he swerved). He is also struggling because he just found out his fiancee is pregnant and he isn't sure how they will pay for everything.

I noticed Dwayne on Sunday and was glad to see him this morning. You can see the struggles and anguish on his face. We have an opportunity to show Gods love to this young man who wants to do the right thing. The devil is putting a lot of doubt and trials in his way. I say it is time to Pabama !!!! Who is with me ???

Pabama Ham run - 2011

What to say?  To GOD be the Glory, and we have some amazing people serving God!  Pabama!

• 15 ham meals delivered
• 3 children joined the group, what an amazing exposure for them.  They are serving God and saying things like 'We couldn't be quiet, this is TOO MUCH FUN!', while they jump up and down (Sara Mitchem).  Or Jason Fogels kids (Drew & Marley):   'There were just giddy the whole time, and are begging to do it again. Drew kept saying, "it just feels good to do this." '  That is Pabama!!!
• We spent $260 on the meals around the hams, yet the fund grew $17 ....
• Part of this reason:  Pat.  Pat was in the soup isle, asked what we were doing, then pulled out a $5 bill, first time that has ever happened!
• 15 families touched.  We may never know how, but we leave it in the Spirit's hands, and I couldn't think of better hands to leave it in.
• Ok, maybe we get to know a little bit about 1 of the 15:

"I don't know what Pabama is" - To GOD be the Glory!!!

Your Mission Comes from God

Your Mission Comes from God
by Rick Warren

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
You have a mission; we all do. When we become a part of God’s family, our mission is given to us by God himself: to help others join that family, too. Since God loves everyone, there is no one in the entire world he doesn’t want to be in his family.

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV).

When Jesus tells the Church to go to “all nations,” he isn’t talking about countries; he’s talking about people groups. He tells us to go to every people group and make disciples.

Today, there are 13,000 people groups in the world; 6,350 of those people groups have churches among them, but less than 2 percent of the population is Christian. Christianity has spread to every major language group in the world.

Yet there are 3,800 people groups that, 2,000 years after Jesus’ death on the cross, still have no church in their language. Why? We simply don’t care enough. We’re too busy with our own lives to care about people who are dying spiritually. Instead of telling those 3,800 people groups about the love of Jesus, we tell them by default to “go to Hell.”

Certainly, it’s a huge task. God’s mission is global. But it’s not mission impossible; it’s mission inevitable. The Great Commission will be fulfilled. It’s a certainty. In fact, the Bible gives us a picture of its fulfillment in Revelation 7:9: “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

One day there will be people from every language group in the world standing before the throne of Jesus. The only question for us is, will our generation be the ones to do it? Or will we give up our responsibility and pass it on to someone else? Will another generation be the ones who get the privilege of fulfilling God’s great mission that he created the whole universe for in the first place?

What might keep you from fulfilling your mission? What is God asking you to do this Chrsitmas season to help fulfill the Great Commission?

Dyk-
Wow, that is some heavy, heavy stuff . . . What do you think?  Is it Biblical?  Is he right?  What does that mean for me then . . .

Lee Strobel - The Case for Giving

“Our neighbors are still in need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would want us to do.”

http://www.biblegateway.com/LeeStrobel/2011/12/a-christmas-story/?cm_mmc=ExactTarget-_--_--_-http%3a%2f%2fwww.biblegateway.com%2fLeeStrobel%2f2011%2f12%2fa-christmas-story%2f

When you get past the wrapping...

After a day that began at 6:00am and by 7:45, everyone was out of the house and off to the rink for an all-day Mini Mites cross-ice tournament...leaving the rink between games to get to church for program practice, a bite of lunch at Russ', back to the rink for two more games (in the middle of which our son took a 4 minute nap during a shift break), home for dinner and back to the rink for free family night out of seeing the Lumberjacks play Omaha -we walked in to the house at 9:35pm. I had just sat down at the table to check email when I heard a sound like the TV or music coming from where I thought was downstairs. "Crosby! Go tell your sister that I said PAJAMAS not TV!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Todd, somebody just knocked on the door," I said.

"Well get it," he lovingly replied.

"I'm not going to answer the door at 10:00 at night! YOU answer it," I lovingly retorted.

He opened the door and with a laudable sigh, said, "Come here."

I walked to the door and saw two boxes with a bow sticking out of the top. Then that same sound I had checked off as Regan schmoozing a few minutes of Disney channel into her bedtime routine became clearer.

"LOOK!" said Todd, "No way."

There, in the middle of our street was a truck pulling a trailer lit up just like the Jingle Bell parade. Bodies stood in the trailer and that music, Christmas music, was blaring for all to hear. Shouts of joy and celebration came from the lighted trailer and there we stood...victim again to what until now I have not been able to articulate.

You see, regardless of my thankfulness to know a family such as this - to have my husband bound on all sides by men of such faithfulness - to be considered by anyone for any reason, I do not receive gifts well. Immediately I feel shame and guilt. I want to run and I want to hide. I want to avoid having to face the people who gave me something. My unworthiness is overwhelming and I shrink inside. My first instinct is to give it all back. My second is to question the motive and expected return of giving by those who offered me such a gift. I do not like feeling like this and the guilt of not receiving well adds to my feeling of unworthiness because I must be a very ungrateful person.

I chose this time to talk to my husband about how I felt - afterall, he was in tears and couldn't get over how good people in this world are.

His response is what catapulted me onto the path that I now find my destination.

"You might not think we are still in need, but obviously God does. Those guys didn't do anything because they wanted to, they did it because God wanted them to," he said.

The thing is, being given a gift we know we don't deserve and can't return in kind is a very difficult experience. It humbles us to such a place as to leave us with but one question:

Do we turn and run from the gift that defines our unworthiness but worthiness because the giver deemed it so? Or do we accept it, albeit with hesitation, because we are unworthy but more so because the giver deemed us worthy of receiving what we don't deserve?

Last night I was challenged to look very closely at my reception of a gift on my doorstep as a metaphor for my reception of the gift of Jesus Christ from my Father in Heaven. How long I have turned and run. How many years I have spent hiding and avoiding the shame and guilt the evil one places in our hearts when faced with a kind offering that humbles us to just say, "thank you." How long I have feared my "thank you" not being adequate or enough. But the one thing I've never been able to run from, hide from, avoid, or deny is that the gift is there - I can't give it back and it won't go away. I can ignore it for only short periods of time because it exists and it is not something that can or will disappear from knowledge. The gift is real and the test is how I choose to receive it.

After a full 24 hours of quiet uneasiness, contemplation, and silence of my soul to hear what the gift of last night was for - I know now:

When you get past all the wrapping, the gift is that it is a gift. Plain and simple. A gift meant to be received with a humble heart and thankfulness for all that I don't deserve but somehow am deemed worth giving to. Past the wrapping exists a peace, an invisible sparkling shiny light that fills my heart and tells me, "You have done nothing to deserve this gift, but I give it to you still."

To all the Knights atop the lit-up trailer last night - Thank you for revealing for me exactly what God intended me to discern and know. Your obedience has once again made His kingdom stronger and HE gets all the glory my heart can give. May you all receive the gift of Jesus Christ this season with a humble heart, knowing - you don't deserve it, but Our Father gave Him still! Amen.

Sara

Be God's first impression today....

I was reminded recently of a story.

A newly remarried couple was out looking for a church to attend. They had a seven children between them so finding a place for the kids to connect was very important. They had attended churches without their kids first and were coming back now with the children. They entered the church and brought the kids back to the childrens area. The person behind the counter said " I am sorry but we just don't have room for your children today". Being that this was one of the major things that they were looking for in a church a quick decision was made to leave and realistically probably never come back. Before they could get far from the counter one guy who overheard the interaction said "wait!". He just happened to be in the area and was not volunteering that week. He said there must be something that we could do and offered to stay back there and open up a new room just for these kids. This single act of selflessness and showing of God's love was the reason that this couple stayed that Sunday. This guy did not have to do anything but he answered a nudge and allowed himself to be God's hands and feet. This couple has been at that same church for over 9 years. In fact they are both on staff now and are serving God by leading different ministry areas. There kids have had an opportunity to serve as well as be nurtured and trained through the years.

One act by one guy, one time impacted a family of 9 (10 now) and hopefully the cycle continues through them to impact others.

You just never know how God may use you.... tilling ground, planting a seed, watering or harvesting the crops...

So smile at someone today, hold a door, offer kind words, act when God nudges you.... You may be God's first impression on someone else today... You may never see the ripple effect that God used you to create....

Thank you God!

Sitcoms & Spiritual Warfare

A fellow Knight has had first hand experience with this lately, so I thought I would post it!  (Pray for his daughter over these next few days.  She needs God's peace, and the Spirit to convict her that she is a precious, precious child of God, and he finds her infinitely valuable.)

This Scene We're Living in Is No Sitcom

We are now in the late stages of the long and vicious war against the human heart. I know-it sounds overly dramatic. I almost didn't use the term "war" at all, for fear of being dismissed at this point as one more in the group of "Chicken Littles," Christians who run around trying to get everybody worked up over some imaginary fear in order to advance their political or economic or theological cause. But I am not hawking fear at all; I am speaking honestly about the nature of what is unfolding around us . . . against us. And until we call the situation what it is, we will not know what to do about it. In fact, this is where many people feel abandoned or betrayed by God. They thought that becoming a Christian would somehow end their troubles, or at least reduce them considerably. No one ever told them they were being moved to the front lines, and they seem genuinely shocked at the fact that they've been shot at.

Hello? That's what happens in war-you get shot at. Have you forgotten? We were born into a world at war. This scene we're living in is no sitcom; it's bloody battle. Haven't you noticed with what deadly accuracy the wound was given? Those blows you've taken- they were not random accidents at all. They hit dead center.

On and on it goes. The wound is too well aimed and far too consistent to be accidental. It was an attempt to take you out; to cripple or destroy your strength and get you out of the action. Do you know why there's been such an assault? The Enemy fears you. You are dangerous big-time. If you ever really got your heart back, lived from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him. You would do a lot of damage . . . on the side of good. Remember how valiant and effective God has been in the history of the world? You are a stem of that victorious stalk.

(Wild at Heart , 85-87)

What would you do if baby Jesus came to your house?

What would the reaction be if baby Jesus came to your house?

I came home from work yesterday to discover that he was at our house, 

and the reaction was pretty cool!  Check it out below:

(The end is my favorite part!)

(***Note:  The irony of all the crap we own lining up to see baby Jesus is not lost on me . . . At least the crap has it's priorities in the right place.  But I don't see any Barbies in the line, I have my eye on them . . . )

I love you God!!!!!!!

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:36-38

I love you God!!!!!!!

Discipline - Why? ... We are the Temple

As many of you know, my struggle and prayer request is for discipline.  So today's Oswald Chambers (Utmost.org) really hit home . . . .

"The Temple of the Holy Spirit"

Dec 05, 2011
. . . only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you —Genesis 41:40

I am accountable to God for the way I control my body under His authority. Paul said he did not “set aside the grace of God”— make it ineffective (Galatians 2:21). The grace of God is absolute and limitless, and the work of salvation through Jesus is complete and finished forever. I am not being saved— I am saved. Salvation is as eternal as God’s throne, but I must put to work or use what God has placed within me. To “work out [my] own salvation” (Philippians 2:12) means that I am responsible for using what He has given me. It also means that I must exhibit in my own body the life of the Lord Jesus, not mysteriously or secretly, but openly and boldly. “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection . . .” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Every Christian can have his body under absolute control for God. God has given us the responsibility to rule over all “the temple of the Holy Spirit,” including our thoughts and desires (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are responsible for these, and we must never give way to improper ones. But most of us are much more severe in our judgment of others than we are in judging ourselves. We make excuses for things in ourselves, while we condemn things in the lives of others simply because we are not naturally inclined to do them.
Paul said, “I beseech you . . . that you present your bodies a living sacrifice . . .” (Romans 12:1). What I must decide is whether or not I will agree with my Lord and Master that my body will indeed be His temple. Once I agree, all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law concerning the body are summed up for me in this revealed truth-my body is “the temple of the Holy Spirit.”

I am thankful for a home...

...and the PABAMA KNIGHTS in flight!

But maybe there's another way . . .

The Story of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared.
 He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours 
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
 Then it stopped, as if it couldn't go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. 
He took a pair of scissors and
 snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
 The butterfly emerged easily but 
it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, 
expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge
 and expand enough to support the body. 
Neither happened! 
In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life
 crawling around.
 It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness
 and haste did not understand: 
The restricting cocoon and the struggle
 required by the butterfly to get through the opening
 was a way of forcing the fluid from the body 
into the wings so that it would be ready 
for flight once that was achieved.

Sometimes struggles are exactly 
what we need in our lives.
 Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
 We will not be as strong as we could have been
 and we would never fly.

Fight Like Jesus Fights

I recieved this from a wise mentor today.....

By - Jon Walker
Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good. Jeremiah 10:5 (NIV)
Say this as a prayer –In faith, I know this to be true:
By God’s grace, I am able take control of my thoughts, weeding out the ones that don’t belong—those that might lead me away from God (2 Corinthians 10:5).This is a choice I make; I am not helpless in controlling my mind. God has given me the mind of Christ to teach me how to think like Jesus thinks.
God has already given me powerful tools “for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG).
These God-tools are ready for me to use and they clear the ground for my growth toward maturity (2 Corinthians 10:6 MSG).
It is true that I am more than a conqueror through God, who loves me (Romans 8:37).
I know that my fight is not against flesh and blood; it is not against my brothers and sisters. They may be used by the rulers, authorities, and dark powers of this world, but people of flesh, blood, and bone are not the ones who fight against me (Ephesians 6:12).
Because this is true, God tells me to use his weapons, such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23 NIV).
God renews my spirit and calls me to a single-minded purpose, aligned with his heart and mind (Psalm 51:10; James 1:5–8; James 4:8).
Lord, I hold all this to be true, and my objective is to rely on your divine power to demolish any strongholds.

Another one ?!?!?!

I knew something wasn't quite right about him, but I could never quite put my finger on it . . .

Reminder...

I am thankful for shoes

I am a little late for this, but I am thankful for shoes. Just out of curiosity, how many pairs of shoes do you own? I will have to go home and count mine . . .

Just when you thought you knew someone . . .

Steve Sabatino Class: Senior Hometown: Lockport, IL High School: Lockport Township Height / Weight: 6-2 / 190 Position: LHP Birthdate: 03/08/1990 Bats/Throws: L/L

AT NOTRE DAME: Two-year monogram winner will miss the spring following offseason Tommy John surgery ... enters junior season with a 5.00 career ERA and 6-7 record, plus 86 strikeouts, 54 walks and 112 hits allowed (.275 opponent batting average) in 22 appearances (19 starts) and 104.1 innings (12 hit batters, six wild pitches, 10 home runs allowed) ... in BIG EAST games, owns a 6.48 career ERA and 2-4 record, plus 40 strikeouts, 25 walks and 60 hits allowed (.299 opponent batting average) in 10 appearances (nine starts) and 50.0 innings (four hit batters, one wild pitch, eight home runs allowed) ... averaging 7.42 strikeouts and 4.66 walks per 9.0 innings pitched in his career ... another stellar pitching prospect ... one of the top left-handed pitchers entering college in 2009 ... can throw three pitches for strikes and fast ball touches the low-90s ... registered a 3.208 GPA in the fall semester of 2010.

Just Do Something...

I read this on the back cover of a book today....

It's time to try something new: GIVE UP!

Too often God's people tinker around with churches, jobs and relationships. worrying that they haven't found God's perfect will for their lives. Or - even worse- they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision waiting... waiting.... waiting for clear, direct, unmistakable direction. God doesn't need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He's already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His word and after that, to do what we like. No need for hocus-pocus. No need to be directionally challenged. JUST DO SOMETHING.

-Pastor Kevin DeYoung -(Just Do Something)

Or as Oswald Chambers says "Trust God and do the next thing".

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sternberg - Just for you: 'Merry Thanksgiving'

You guys cannot believe how thankful I am for you. Fellow Knights to lock shields with, as I struggle to live a life that on one hand seems so simple, and yet I seem to make so hard. Thank you!

I need to state how thankful I am for the basics that I usually take for granted (90% of the world does not have all these):
- Water
- Food
- Shelter
- Toilet
- Transportation

I'll sign off with this amazing video about some really fast Turkeys:

Advent Ideas

Gentlemen;
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
I know the turkeys not even cooked yet but I wanted to post some ideas that I was going to share with “the men” last year but just didn’t have the means to convey the ideas. Advent, Christmas, Year End Traditions I know you’ve got ‘em; good and … those chains to break… Well; I thought it’d be cool to have a spot where we could share the memorable “traditions” (traditions you strongly recommend avoiding or and those that have been inspiring) Now, just in case nobody wants to take the first step on the Ice; I found (literally) one of those “Life’s little Instruction Book” type books about Christmas. I’ve taken some highlights and then blended some of our family traditions to start off the list. Your mileage may vary depending on the make and model...so in no particular order or level of priority…
Advent Ideas
1. Offer to babysit new parents (or those without family support) so they can have a night out.
2. Help a child make red and green paper chains. Hang them all over their bedroom.
3. Call a nursing home and request names of residents who don’t often receive mail. Send each a beautiful card (signature optional)
4. Offer to get to together with someone who doesn’t have a big family (or the family is far away). (Our family often invites others to share Thanksgiving Dinner).
5. Write a letter to someone who had a positive influence on you this past year.
6. Make a promise to yourself that when you see someone taking a picture of their loved one or family; go to them and offer to take the picture so they can also be in the photo. (I’ve had this done and it is the best picture we have of the family and since then; whether on a trip, at a concert or the beach; I offer and it is a great feeling!)
Outdoors
7. Initiate a sledding day with homemade devices.
8. Start carrying an extra ice scrapper and give it to someone who might need one in a parking lot.
9. Stop and make a snow angel; whether you’re alone or with your teenager. Pull over and do it. (Remember dancing in Courageous??).
10. Remember to be courtesy and acknowledge courtesy with a wave in holiday traffic.
11. Shovel someone’s driveway and try not to get caught.
a. If you don’t get caught see how many times you can do it before they figure it out.
b. If caught don’t expect/accept payment or reward.
12. Take a basket of Christmas Goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor; being anonymous isn’t required.
13. Before going to bed every night of the Christmas Season; ask yourself; “whose life did I make brighter today?  And/or Did I make anyone’s life darker? If you did- make it better/right.
Gift Giving; i.e.: physical presents
14. Spread gift opening out over time.
15. Offer to hide the gifts of a friend with small children who might “snoop”.
16. Put pebbles inside children’s gift boxes to add some mystery sound effect to the gift.
17. Ask older children what they are giving for Christmas
18. If you Hide gifts (for your family or a friend) write down where you hid each of them!
19. If you’re disappointed; don’t complain or lecture, learn acceptance and forgiveness. Give them a clean slate in the New Year. (not limited to gift giving).
20. Purchase a special Christmas ornament each year for each of your children so when they move away they’ll have their own ornaments for their tree.
21. Throughout the holiday season, give your family the gift of a sweet disposition. (I like that one!)
Shopping
22. If you call a store; ask the clerk if they were helping another customer (before the phone rang); Offer to hold and wait your turn.
23. Be nice in the store and on the phone with a sales person; they’re often wearier than you are.
24. Don’t go into a store ten minutes before closing time. (As a former retail person; this is good all year long).
25. Trade places with someone in a line who looks like they’ve had a hard day.
Singing Fun
26. Go Caroling
27. Learn the second verses to popular Christmas Carols.
28. Make up your own silly verses to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
At Home
1. Although Clement Moore’s It Was the Night Before Christmas is part of culture it is fiction. Read Luke 2 with your loved ones on Christmas Eve. Taken further; don’t read the first story without reading Luke 2.
2. Set up Luminaries in the front of your driveway or sidewalk “just” for Christmas eve.
3. Offer to help wrap gifts for someone or help them set up their Christmas Decorations.
4. The “envelope” on the tree (posted earlier on this blog). Also it’s many variations.
5. Write to the men and women in the service (whether they’re deployed or state-side; either friends, relatives or members of your Church).
6. Don’t expect anything for Christmas; the Gift of Jesus should be enough.

Look forward to reading your responses,

Cheese

Pabama Tours...

The Bible says- Love Requires Risk

Good words from Rick Warren today.
Pabama!!

“Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’” (Luke 10:34-35 NLT)
To love your neighbor as yourself, you must be willing to take risks. Many times, the one thing that keeps us from doing for others is our own fears. Fear makes us unkind. The cruelest people are the most fearful people. Just imagine the fears the Good Samaritan could have had — they were all legitimate.
He could have said, “What if I go over and help this guy, but the robbers are still here? They’ll rob me, too, and take my clothes, my donkey, my riches.”
He could have said, “What if I go over and help this guy, and it’s a trap? He jumps up, beats me up, and takes all my possessions and leaves me by the side of the road?” or “What if he rejects my help?” (Jews and Samaritans were divided by race, religion, and politics) or “What if I get blamed for it?”
Today we might say, “What if he sues me?” or “What if I don’t know what to do?” or “What if I don’t know what to say?”
There’s one big fear we don’t like to talk about, but I need to mention it. We often don’t want to get involved in other people’s pain and brokenness because it reminds us of our own pain and brokenness. We have the pain in our lives pushed down, and we want to keep a lid on it.
That’s why we need to let God grow his love in us, so that we can love others the way God loves us. The Bible says, “There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear” (1 John 4:18a TEV).
What are the things you fear that may be keeping you from loving other people? How did those fears start? Take those fears to God and ask him to help you trust him: “Because GOD will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound” (Proverbs 3:26b MSG).

Captain Schmuck here!

Yup, a double post today, deal with it.

I was thinking how 'rough' my day was . . .
http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/saved-from-her-own-family/?cm_mmc=GFA-_-Email-_-377991-_-111115%20Digest%2084%20(1)

Finally - Something I Am Good At!!!

I was talking with Oswald Chambers at lunch, and I found something right up my alley:

Shallow and Profound

Nov 22, 2011

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God —1 Corinthians 10:31

Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow aspects of life are not ordained by God; they are ordained by Him equally as much as the profound. We sometimes refuse to be shallow, not out of our deep devotion to God but because we wish to impress other people with the fact that we are not shallow. This is a sure sign of spiritual pride. We must be careful, for this is how contempt for others is produced in our lives. And it causes us to be a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than we are. Beware of posing as a profound person— God became a baby.
To be shallow is not a sign of being sinful, nor is shallowness an indication that there is no depth to your life at all— the ocean has a shore. Even the shallow things of life, such as eating and drinking, walking and talking, are ordained by God. These are all things our Lord did. He did them as the Son of God, and He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher . . .” (Matthew 10:24).
We are safeguarded by the shallow things of life. We have to live the surface, commonsense life in a commonsense way. Then when God gives us the deeper things, they are obviously separated from the shallow concerns. Never show the depth of your life to anyone but God. We are so nauseatingly serious, so desperately interested in our own character and reputation, we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.
Make a determination to take no one seriously except God. You may find that the first person you must be the most critical with, as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.

Turkeys - Part 2

We've moved from a cartoon turkey in part 1 to well...another kind of turkey pictured here....:)

Well, God shown His power again this past Saturday to lead the PABAMA families to other families in need!  An absolute awesome time at church enjoying the famous "Pancakes by Dyk Sabatino" and meeting the wonderful families of the group.  How great to see the spouses and kids! Thanks to the organizers for that!

God delivers again:
We took to the streets of Muskegon to deliver meals that were so graciously prepared by so many people. Thanks to all who did so much in donating $, making the purchases, making cards, making bread and pies!  God has used you all in awesome ways!

A total of 12 fully-stocked banana boxes were loaded with all the fixins and delivered to families that we pray felt like they were directly touched by the hand of God, perhaps for the very first time!

And then we lent our hands in a different way....in raking and picking up leaves (and other stuff) for a woman whom we never met but whom God has always known.  We swooped in with our kids in tow to transform a yard in a matter of minutes.  A blessed time!

There were some pictures taken of this event and they will be shared shortly.....

Tooth Brushing Time??

Our small group is currently studying the book of James using Max Lucado’s Life Lesson’s series workbook. Somewhere in the past we got a copy of the book but never used it. We ordered books for the group but I figured I might as well use the old one; it’s in it’s 33 printing copyright 1996 but when the new books arrived; some chapters had revisions, and additions while taking who sections out. I still thought I could use it but after this week; there are just too many differences now. The catalyst was when I made the comment that; the best part of this week’s lesson was the concept of Addition and Subtraction. And I got (wait for it Scott) crickets… ok; they felt differently this should be some interesting discussion. When we get to that spot the newer version didn’t have it. Here's the section:

“According to Gallup surveys, confirmed by other polls taken over the past fifteen years, 33 percent of aqll Americans over the age of eighteen indicate they are evangelical or “born again” Christians. That translates into 59 Million Christians, or one in every three adults, who experienced a turning point in their lives as they made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.” (Quotation continues)

“This information should grip us with terror. It means that the greatest revival in history has so far been impotent to change society. It’s revival without reformation. … It’s a change in belief without a corresponding change in behavior…. The American gospel has evolved into a gospel of addition without subtraction. It is the belief that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior. It is spiritual experience without any cultural impact.” .. The proff of religious conversion is to demonstrate that we have both added a relationship with Christ and that we have subtracted sin (repentance) … And we multiply proof to a weary world by what we do - our deeds, our obedience. What we do must confirm what we say, Our deeds are the proof of our repentance. A changed life is one that has added Christ and subtracted sin, that attracts a world weary of worn-out-words. Obedience is the proof.” How easy it is to ask God to “re-enter” our lives when we’ve slipped- but we don’t take action to remove the “stuff” that has pushed him out. Just like the weight conscious person; who say’s I’m doing good but still haven’t’ lost weight; “I keep track of everything I ate at meal time”, when the truth would be to write down everything they put in their mouth at meal time and in-between.”

Advent is coming; (remember the old song; “Christmas is coming the geese are getting fat’? It’s on the Muppet Christmas CD…)… anyway; advent; a time when we all get busier. Sometimes it’s hard to get it all done because there just isn’t enough time but one part of my problem is in the past I wouldn’t let something else go. I wasn’t using my time wisely. Now; I’m not saying to examine how I spend every second of my life; and I’m not against breaking the agenda / routine to be a blessing to someone (wife; children, friend in need); I have to attack the innocent minutes. What’s a minute? I use to think that too until I didn’t pay attention to my two minute timer on my tooth brush; I told myself “it was just for a busy time” but my hygienist noticed that I had not dedicated myself to two minute brushing. If I didn’t change; I’d have even more fillings which would eventually affect my smile; then everyone could tell… I knew a guy who actually had himself convinced that he could brush poorly but then ten days before his checkup he would brush just a little bit better and he thought he had the hygienist fooled. Are you trying to fool the hygienist or yourself? I read a book to help people who want to write but have a full time job and family responsibilities; in that book; one way to “find the time” was to keep a note pad and jot down your ideas for plot and character…. while you’re standing there brushing your teeth! OK; maybe that’s extreme but Advent’s coming; I urge you to look for those “innocent minutes” in your life and maybe; prayerfully and carefully help someone else who admits they have trouble with time management or discipline; to get their work done, or read the bible. Because this fall I finally admitted I’m one of them; I had to be a subtraction and addition Christian and use the time better. So how are you brushing your teeth?

Cheese

All In

I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.

Though no one join me, still I will follow;
Though no one join me, still I will follow;
Though no one join me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.

Happy World Toilet Day!

Everyone, Happy World Toilet Day!

We have 2 toilets, clean and functional, and had thought about adding a 3rd!  2.6 billion people don't have access to proper, clean sanitation.  (That's about 1 in every 3 people.)

They are easy to take for granted, I haven't spent a lot of time admiring my toilet.  (It has gotten me out of some serious troubles, but that's another story).  Check out these pictures at the bottom of this blog to check out some of the lucky ones who don't fall inside the 2.6 billion.

Enough Said.....

Turkeys - Part 1

Wow, as always, God showed up, and he showed up big!

- 7 men showed up at Meijers
- Shannon closed her lane, and let us checkout 15 separate times.
- This saved us $9/turkey & we have $ left over to start the Christmas fund!
- 7 men drove around at 10pm, praying for the Spirit of God, and the love of God to be delivered along with 6 Thanksgiving dinners.  It was powerful.
- No one can beat Sara Riemersma's card making skills!

If you weren't there, be sure you are next time.  I say this every time, but it is so true:  You don't want to miss these food runs.  For me growing up, serving God always seemed like a chore and boring.  But we had a TON of fun, and I can't sleep since I am still riding the high!  Who ever thought serving God could be so much fun!!!  See you Saturday, there are 12 meals bought waiting to be delivered, and a yard to rake!

To God be ALL the Glory!  Pabama!!!

Now that's talking Turkey!

A story from a turkey dinner recipient last year:
(We have the potential to deliver 18 this year!)

''leaving the recipients feeling as if Jesus himself stopped by and dropped by groceries or money or clothing or whatever - in the middle of the night and they have no one to thank but Christ himself.  Last year when Melvin and I were at our worst place in hell, had lost our home and were living in a temporary rental house, we had no idea how we were going to feed our family the next meal, let alone Thanksgiving dinner.  One morning, Melvin was getting ready to leave for his job.  He opened our front door and yelled for me to come downstairs.  There, sitting on our porch was a bag full of canned food, stuffing mixes, pie fillings and a turkey.  There was single piece of paper attached to the bag that said, "For your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8.
We fell to our knees and though we knew someone had to have put this bag on our porch, WHO? and HOW? 
We were left that morning with no one to thank and praise but the Lord our God in Heaven and we worshipped Him in all His glory right then and there.


Now THAT IS PABAMA!!!!

EpicParent.tv

Hey Guys,
Here's a post today that is pretty cool.  Some stuff you've heard about no doubt...and perhaps some new things.  I even made a plug for the Resolution book in the comments section....for a chance to win some free stuff!!  Remember, the EpicParent blog is linked at the bottom-right of this PABAMA blog!  It's worth checking often!
http://www.epicparent.tv/5-must-have-parenting-products-3/#comment-2929

-Mitchem

Friendships Part 2 - Be intimate

Intimacy

Perhaps the greatest inhibition to deep friendships among men is this scary "I" word: intimacy. What man doesn't get slightly clammy and light-headed at the mention of the word — especially when the object of intimacy is another man! The word itself has been so associated with femininity that it seems to be the direct opposite of manliness or masculinity.
And yet, the Scriptures hold out plentiful examples of deep friendship between men without even the hint of the feminization of men. In other words, the problem with intimacy between men is in our heads, not rooted in reality.
The most powerful example of deep friendship evidencing this kind of intimacy is not the friendship between David and Jonathan, but the friendship between God and Moses. Exodus 33:11 records this striking assessment of God's relationship with Moses: "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." This description is powerful because the "face to face" nature of it, its intimacy, is embodied in that one word at the end of the sentence: "friend." Somehow, even if we've never thought of it, we know the intimacy meant to be conjured by this word. We know that "face to face, as a man speaks with his bank teller" or drive-thru window attendant or co-worker doesn't carry the same force. When our Lord called his disciples "friends" (John 15:13-15), could he have meant anything less than intimate affection and care?

Friendships - Choose Wisely

Godliness is perhaps the essential ingredient for building lasting, deep, God-ward relationships between men.
Without godliness, the temptation will be toward worldliness, sin and hostility toward God. Proverbs warns, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with the easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared" (Prov. 22:24-25). The Apostle John pens another strong warning. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:15-16). For this reason, the Lord commanded the Israelites to put to death their "closest friends" who secretly enticed them to worship false Gods (Deut. 13:6-10).
Friendship either powerfully strengthens or corrupts our worship of God. So godliness in our deep friendships is essential. Consider carefully the psalmist's declaration, "I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts" (Ps. 119:63), and the wisdom of Proverbs 12:26, "A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

All In - Not Lukewarm

'So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth' - Revelation 3:16

Matthew Henry's Commentary includes:  "If religion is worth anything, it is worth every thing"

I have to overcome my fears, none of this is about me, it's all about God.

I am 'All in'.

Toe Dipping?

It's time for me to be 'All in', I've been 'Toe-Dipping' long enough.

Proclaim this among the nations:
  Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
  Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
Beat your plowshares into swords
  and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
  “I am strong!”
Joel 3:9-10

With God, with you guys, I am strong.

Pabama Knights, I am 'All in', he deserves nothing less.

PMV Located

PMV (Pabama Mission Vehicle) for sale right now on Craigslist!