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.