The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Discovering God's Will - Fun, Fun, Fun

The Lord's Prayer - Pray

Discovering God's Will - George Mueller

About George Mueller.
George Mueller
Probably no better brief statement on how to discover the will of God has ever been written than that by which George Mueller, one of the outstanding Christian leaders of the last century, guided his own life for Christ.

1. "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has not will of its own in regard to given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord's will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is."

2. "Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions."

3. "I see the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them."

4. "Next I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God's will in connection with His Word and Spirit."

5. "I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright."

6. "Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective."    S. Maxwell Coder, God's Will For Your LIfe

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace

taking as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to your will

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Get Your Own Dirt

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that humankind had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they chose one scientist to go and tell God that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. "We're to the point where we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and mind your own business?"

God listened very patiently to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, "very well how about this? Let's say we have a people-making contest, "to which the scientist replied, "Okay, we can handle that!"

"But, "God added, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."

The scientist said, ''Sure, no problem," and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God looked at him and said, ''No, no, no. you go get your own dirt!"

Trust

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.I believe in love even when I am alone.
I believe in God even when He is silent.

Trust in God until the light returns.  A.W. Tozer

Matthew 6:9-13 The Message

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Unique

In the life of faith each person discovers all the elements of a unique and original adventure. We are prevented from following in one anothers footsteps and called to an incomparale association with Christ. - Eugene Peterson

The Lord's Prayer

Christianity's Symbol

Speak

Speak kind words and you will hear kind echos.

A Great Prayer For Offering

Lord Jesus,
all that we have is yours,
and all that we are is yours.
In offering these tokens of our lives,
may all that we do
serve you to the glory of God.Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

When The Early Church Prayed Together

Let's go to the book of Acts and just walk through it together and see for ourselves.
Acts 1:14
After Jesus had ascended to heaven the 11 apostles gathered to pray: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." There were about 120 in all and they prayed for about ten days.

The result of this season of praying together was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost described in 2:1–4.

Acts 2:42
After Peter's sermon at Pentecost, and the conversion of 3,000 people, Luke describes their life together like this: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

The following verse describes the result of this life together: "And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles."

Acts 4:24–30
Peter and John were arrested for teaching in the temple about Jesus. They kept them over night, threatened them, and then let them go. They went to their friends who were praying together. Acts 4:24–30 records the prayer that went up from the group—a prayer that magnifies the sovereignty of God and glories in his power.

Then verse 31 records what happened because of this praying together: "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness."

Acts 6:6
When the first deacons were chosen in the early church, it says in Acts 6:6, "These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them."

Verse 7 describes what happened next: "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

Acts 12:5, 12
Herod was holding Peter in prison after killing James the Lord's brother. The response of the church was to get together to pray: "So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church."

The result was that an angel of the Lord released Peter. And right there in the middle of the night Peter goes to the house of Mary the mother of John Mark because this must have been the prayer house. Verse 12: "He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying." So the prayer of the gathered church was powerful to rescue Peter from prison and keep the gospel advancing.

Acts 13:2–3
In Antioch some teachers and prophets were together worshiping and fasting, and the Lord spoke to them that Barnabas and Saul should be set aside as frontier missionaries. So they prayed and fasted some more and then laid hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 14:23
In all the churches that Paul and Barnabas established they prayed together as they appointed leaders for the churches.

Acts 16:25
Paul and Silas are in prison in Philippi. It is midnight and they are singing hymns and praying. The result: an earthquake, an open jail, the conversion of the jailer, and a new church.

Acts 20:36
At his final departure from Asia, Paul met the elders of the Ephesian church on the beach at Miletus and spoke to them one last time. Then verse 36 describes their final act together: "And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they wept and embraced Paul and kissed him."

Jesus taught us to pray, "OUR Father," not just my Father; and so he led the church toward the powerful experience of praying together and not just alone. We as followers of Jesus Christ must have personal time of prayer as our Lord did, but we must also pray together and realize that as we pray others are praying.

This information was taken from a message by John Piper.

Thoughts About Growth and Goals

"One of the great discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do."  Henry Ford
"Man is a goal seeking animal. His life has meaning only if he is reaching out and striving for his goals." Aristotle

"People with clear written goals accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine."  Brian Tracey

"Only those who will risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go."  T.S. Elliot

"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."  Conrad Hilton

These quotes were taken from Achieving Goals, Kathleen Schienle, published by Collins Best Practices

An Encounter

Prayer Is Limitless From God's Perspective

The promises Jesus gave concerning prayer were limitless. His emphasis was on the human activity - ask and receive, seek and find, knock and watch the door open. The implication is that God reacts favorably to the earnestness of His people. There can be no limitation on the divine ability to perform or the divine good will to give. If there is a limitation, it will be on the human imagination or faith. The imagination may be limited by a small conception of God's nature and resources, by a lack of understanding con¬cerning the goodness of God, or by any number of spiritual disabilities. Faith may be limited by inadequate knowledge of the Word of God, by spiritual blindness, and sometimes by inexperience. Much that is experienced in daily living tends to dull spiritual imagination and faith. Jesus chal¬lenged us out of the quagmire of unbelief by giving promises that cannot be bound by human conception; we may ask "whatever" or "anything" (John 14:13-14).        The Doctrine of Prayer, T.W. Hunt

leadership

People will not go along with you if they can't get along with you.

1 Minute on Spiritual Growth and Leadership

Tommy Speight is the pastor of Courtland Baptist Church in Courtland ,VA. He is a great leader and the Kingdom of God is expanding as Courtland Baptist Church touches many lives and people accept Jesus Chirst, begin to grow in their walk with God and lead in various ministries.

APM - reverendfun.com

Time For Prayer - Bill Hybels

Prayer - God Work Through Me

"I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked God if I might help Him. I ended up by asking God to do His work through me."  Hudson Taylor

Information About Hudson Taylor

Missions

"We need to understand that missions is to the person that God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do and going wherever God wants us to go. We are all missisonaries."  Abel Perez, Engineer and Pastor in Panama

Prayers Out of the Book of Psalm - NIV

Prayers of Praise and Worship
I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. (Psalm 30:1-2)
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. (Psalm 59:16-17)
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)
I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you-- I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion. (Psalm 71:22-24)
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth. (Psalm 108:1-5)
Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. (Psalm 72:18-19)
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (Psalm 57:9-11)
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Psalm 145:1-3)
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. (Psalm 138:1-3)
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I love, and in your name I will lift up my hands. (Psalm 63:3-4)
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:20)

Prayers of Confession
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2)
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant so that you may be [reverenced] . (Psalm 119:36-37)
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. (Psalm 40:11-12)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are [reverenced]. (Psalm 130:1-4)
Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake. (Psalm 79:9)

Prayers for Help
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love my be delivered. (Psalm 60:5)
O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from [our enemies] forever. (Psalm 12:7)
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:1-4)
Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. (Psalm 86:1)
Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and deceitful tongues. (Psalm 120:2)
Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant. (Psalm 123:3-4)
In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. (Psalm 31:1-5)
O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God... (Psalm 59:9-10)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. (Psalm 57:1)
Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. (Psalm 6:2-4)
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. (Psalm 51:6)
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, "Oh that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and stay in the desert. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm." But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption; bloodthirsty and deceitful men will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you. (Psalm 55:4-8, 23)
When I am afraid, I will trust in you... Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll-- are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me... For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling that I may walk before you in the light of life. (Psalm 56:3, 8-9, 13)
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless... You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless... You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. (Psalm 10:12, 14, 17-18)
I am in pain and distress; may your salvation, O God, protect me. (Psalm 69:29)
Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered. (Psalm 108:6)
Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. (Psalm 3:7)
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not s#863A63. (Psalm 69:1-4)
Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers is on their lips. Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet. (Psalm 140:1-4)
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13)
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. (Psalm 16:1)
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. (Psalm 25:16-21)
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow week. Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends-- those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear the slander of many; there is terror on every side; they conspire against me and lot to take my life. But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. (Psalm 31:9-16)
Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. (Psalm 71:12)
Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before. (Psalm 68:28)
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. (Psalm 141:3-4)
O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. (Psalm 143:1)
Help me, O LORD my God; save me in accordance with your love. Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it. (Psalm 109:26-27)
Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me; redeem me because of my foes. (Psalm 69:16-18)
O LORD, I say to you, "You are my God." Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy. O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle-- do not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD; do not let their plans succeed, or they will become proud. Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused. (Psalm 140:6-9)
Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. (Psalm 102:1-2)
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me. (Psalm 142:6-7)
Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke. Send forth lightning and scatter the enemies; shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters... (Psalm 144:5-7)
For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant. (Psalm 143:11-12)
In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 118:5-7)

Prayers of Trust
You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn. (Psalm 18:35-36)
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways O LORD, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love; for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. (Psalm 25:1-7)
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. (Psalm 27:8)
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. (Psalm 71:14)
But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. (Psalm 3:3)
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:11-12)
Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. (Psalm 119:49-50)
I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings... And I-- in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. (Psalm 17:6-8, 15)
May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. (Psalm 119:41-42)
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:3-8)
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge -- do not give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety. (Psalm 141:8-10)
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. (Psalm 138:7)
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (Psalm 43:3)
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. (Psalm 86:2)
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for you and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. (Psalm 90:14-15)
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:21-26)
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me... (Psalm 86:15-16)
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. (Psalm 119:114)
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people. (Psalm 77:11-14)
You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! (Psalm 68:35)
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. (Psalm 143:8-10)
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, and your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your words are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do not I hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139)

Tidewater Transportation Ministries, Inc.

I attended the Tidewater Transportation Ministries (TTM), Inc. Van Dedication Ceremony today and it was a great ceremony. When you give to Horizon you are helping this ministry touch lives from all over the world. Find out more about TTM at www.ttm-va.org. George and Glenn give of their time to serve and lead in this ministry.

Luke 18:1-8 Stay At It, Praying

Luke 18:1-8 The Persistent Widow

A Good Article For the New Year, 2012

Three Challenges You Will Face In 2012

Prayer Position

I Asked...

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Prayer - Quote

"We ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen."         Brother Lawrence

When You Haven't Got A Prayer - A Prayer For The Past

"Fill up that which our lives have left behind. Undo that which we have done amiss. Repair the places we have wasted, bind the hearts we have wounded. Dry the eyes which we have flooded. Make the evil we have done work for good so that we ourselves would not know it."

Prayer - A Little Sarcasm

John 3:16

Become A Mary

³⁸ As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”                                  Luke 10:38-42  NLT

We Do Not Attend Church

The church is the people of God.  We attend a worship service, a Bible Study and we participate in various ministries on Sunday mornings or on weekends, but we do not attend church. Today as you and I are out and about we are the people of God on His mission of redemption, the Church. In our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our employment, in our shopping, in our lives we are the Church, the people of God and His Kingdom. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are a part of the church. You are "God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus" (Eph.2:10).
No more attending church. Make worshipping God with others a priority, get in tune with other believers, and seek to help others enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ as the people of God, the Church.

For The New Year - For Me

Listen
Pray more specifically
Ask more questions
Fewer negative thoughts
More positive thoughts
Better communicator
More ministry
Expand connections
Help others grow spiritually
Discover, memorize and practice two key leadership principles
Lead, follow or get out of the way
Help people Celebrate, Connect, Contribute

Spread The Cheer

"The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing aloud for all to hear." - Buddy The Elf

Little Drummer Boy - Jars of Clay

From Pain To Gain

The only monument in the world built in the shape of a bug to honor a bug is located in Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 1915 the Mexican boll weevil invaded Southeast Alabama an destroyed sixty percent of the cotton crop. In desperation, the farmers turned to planting peanuts. By 1917 the peanut industry had become so profitable that the county harvested more peanuts than any other county in the nation. In gratitude the people of the town erected a statue and inscribed these words,"In profound appreciation of the boll weevil, and what it has done as the herald of prosperity." The instrument of their suffering had become the means of their blessing.

Worship does not satisfy our hunger for God—it whets our appetite. Our need for God is not taken care of by engaging in worship—it deepens. It overflows the hour and permeates the week.” - Eugene Peterson

Choose Thankfulness - Powerful

Big

"If you partner with God make your plans big." - D.L. Moody

Thanksgiving

$10.00 Word - Thanks

Rudyard Kipling, who was the author of “The Jungle Book”, was so popular that his writings were earning him about $10 per word. A few college students however didn’t appreciate Kipling’s writings, so they sent him a letter, enclosing with it ten shillings (about $10). It read simply, “Please, send us your best word”. They received a letter back that simply read, “Thanks”.  - Source Unknown

Psalm 100

86,400

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" - William A. Ward

Psalm 136:1-9

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Funny!!

The Resurrection Of Jesus Is Historically Accurate, As Real As "Real" Can Get And Life Altering

The evidence for our Lord's life and death and resur­rection may be, and often has been, shown to be satis­factory; it is good according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Thousands and tens of thousands of persons have gone through it piece by piece, as carefully as every judge summing up on a most important cause. I have myself done it many times over, not to persuade others but to satisfy myself. I have been used for many years to study the histories of other ti mes, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.

Taken From Did The Resurrection Really Happen, Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett, Page 50. This is  quote from Thomas Arnold who was the famous headmaster of Rugby and author of the three volume History Of Rome.

The REAL Symbol For Christiainity

Share Your Faith - INVITE

Ways To Keep People In A Church Family

Good Article From Pastors.com

Pray then like this—‘Our Heavenly Father, may your name be honoured; May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the bread we need, Forgive us what we owe to you, as we have also forgiven those who owe anything to us. Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil’.”   Matthew 6:9-13 J.B. Phillips Translation

Thy Will Be Done

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened. ”  C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce   

Psalm 33:6-9

⁶ By the word of the LORD were the heavens made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Central Message Of The Church

The Central Message of the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said." I Corinthians 15:3-4.  The Gospel is the Good News Of Jesus Christ.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the life changing and central message of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is transformational. Change is a word that many churches have disregarded for years, but is the central message of the church.  The Gospel, accepted, or rejected will transform your life. Accepting the Gospel will change the way you think about life, death, the future, your past, the church, your vocation, others and rejecting the Gospel will do the same. Change is not optional for those following Jesus Christ, it is the norm, it is the message of the Gospel and the central message of the church.

The Gospel is relational. Christianity is all about relationships.  A relationship with God which will impact your relationships with others.  God loves you and desires to be a part of your life.  He desire to have a real, meaningful and life-changing relationship with you and others.  Christianity is about loving God and loving others as you love yourself. The primary message of the local church is the life changing message of the Good News of Jesus Christ. God provides for us hope in a relationship with and hope in our relationship with others. Most, if not all, of the world religions focus on being good, doing good, living in such a way that will get you a good reward at the end of your life, and focus on the self. Christianity centers on God and His desire relate to the human race.

The Gospel is intentional. God is purposeful. Life is meaningful and more purpose can be experienced in life when the life changing message of the Gospel is experienced. Entering into a relationship with God will place within you a new purpose and new meaning. You will become much more intentional in your personal life, vocational life, family life and church life.  For many years it seems that the local church has "been doing what we have always done." This must change because the Gospel is so intentional and purposeful. The central message of the church will remain "The Gospel", and yet the methods and ethos of the church must evolve so that others can hear and experience the central message of the church.

The Good News of Jesus Christ is the central message of the church. As we share this message we glorify God and hep others experience the hope we live in because of the Gospel.

Labor Day

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  Proverbs 14:23

I'm So Busy

I'm so busy..
..I must pray
..I must listen
..I must be in a small group
..I must help
..I must have fun
..I must offer an encouraging word
..I must learn
..I must spend time with God
..I must spend time with my family
..I must develop friendships
..I must share my faith
..I must stop being so busy to make more time for the above.

Time In The Morning

And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He (Jesus) rose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.  Mark 1:35  NASB