graduation

I've taken my comprehensive exam and turned in my creative component. If all goes well, I will be graduating from OSU on May 5th.

Hallelujah!! Easter means Jesus has risen!

Romans 5:8, NLT
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Matthew 28:5-6, NLT
"Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying."

God definately demonstrates His love for us. I pray that each day I fall more in love with Him.

Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV
"Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, says my soul,
Therefore I hope in Him!

Casting Crowns sings this:

"Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant

Chorus:
Spread wide in the arms of Christ there's a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known; You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again"

Running the Race

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." Jackie Robinson

The apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Cor. 9:24 (NASB)"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win."

Active participation increases our faith. Reading the Word, hearing the Word preached, preaching the Word, memorizing the Word, evangelism, praise and worship, missions, tithing, fellowship, church planting, and studying the Word sometimes require endurance on our part so that we don't give up, so that we keep "running".

I think Audio Adrenaline may have more fans now that they have retired. Their songs are still on the radio. What kind of legacy are you and I leaving? I heard this today in the background of one of their songs called Underdog "Underdog, I wince everytime I say the word, especially in connection with Jesus, yet as I read the great stories about Jesus, I cannot help but conclude, that although the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God Hallelujah, in His mercy is tilted toward the underdog."

Thank God that this underdog receives God's mercy!!

stressed out

"Faith is asking your soul to go beyond where your eyes can see."

I saw this in an email today and I was really blessed by it. This week, I've been working on my master's comprehensive exam. It's been difficult with the distractions of the TV, the dog, the family, and the weather. On top of that, I've been battling fatigue this week. It has been really hard just to stay awake. So today, I'm at the computer lab on campus where I hope to really get some work done.

I saw a commericial the other day where the pastor at First Baptist Church in Tulsa mad the comment that God is a God of 2nd chances, 3rd chances, and as many chances as we need to make Him a priority in our lives. I know I've deviated a lot from making God my priority. It doesn't make it any easier when society makes you feel like you don't deserve God's love or forgiveness. Man in his limited wisdom ranks sin and the higher you are on the sin ladder, makes God unreachable for you. On the contrary, God doesn't rank sin. God has infinite wisdom. God bridged the gap between us and Him with His Son Jesus Christ.

What I really need to do is to stop listening to the nay sayers in my life and trust only in what God has said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly".

Father, I admit I care too much what others think about me and about what I have done. I want to change. I want Your Word to be the standard that I look at my life. Transform my life, my way of thinking, and renew my mind. Imprint on my mind and my heart to listen only to Your Word and to turn from the word of man. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Romans 8:6 NAS "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace".

Bible Study tools

a great Easter message

1 Timothy 1:15 (Amplified Bible) "The saying is sure and true and worthy of full and universal acceptance, that Christ Jesus (the Messiah) came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost."

Here in 2008, I struggle with the man that people see and the one I see when I look at myself. I am not proud of that man. I'd have to say that I am the top sinner. Most days I can reconcile this discrepancy with the knowledge that the blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins including my huge amount of sin. Some days though it really gets me down that I'm not the man God wants me to be and really not even close to the man that I want to be. It is difficult for me to understand why I don't line up more with the man that God created me to be. I do know that much love is given to one who has had much forgiven. Luke 7:47

I used to think that if I just believed in God enough that would make me sin less. I somehow equated faith with belief. I guess I still don't know if they are the same thing or not. I have a hunch that they are not the same. After all, if faith is the evidence of things not seen, doesn't that mean that faith and belief are not the same. Faith also is not some mystical force; it is not, I don't think, produced by mere physical tedious effort. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Faith to some extent is like muscle, it must be exercised to grow. That being said, the exercise that makes faith grow isn't mere physical tedious effort. Thus, is willing myself with much physical grunting and groaning to belive God more and have more faith producing more faith in me? From my perspective, my view of myself, I honestly don't think it is. Faith I think has more to do with trust. And since I don't trust myself very much, I'm guessing this makes it harder to trust God. God is trustworthy. He is worthy of trust. I can trust in His plan of salvation; I can trust the blood of Christ; I can trust the resurrected glorified Christ; I can trust the Word of God; I can trust His unfailing love, His faithfulness, and His infallibility.

The father of the demon possessed boy asked Jesus to help his weak faith be stronger. Jesus said the the faith of a mustard seed can move spiritual mountains.

Well for the regular readers of my blog, you've probably guessed by now that music is one of the ways that the Holy Spirit ministers sanity in my life, removes doubt, and produces praise for the living God. I post a lot of lyrics on here. After all, I read my own blog. LOL

The lyrics I post here have all ministered to me and produced faith in me as I'm learning to trust God more.

Holy Fire

I've been a fan of Delirious? for awhile now. So it's no surprise that a song I heard on Air1 today driving home from church was one of theirs. I got home and did a google search. The song is called "Rain Down" and goes like this:

"Looks like tonight, the sky is heavy
Feels like the winds are gonna change
Beneath my feet, the earth is ready
I know its time for heaven's rain, it's gonna rain

Cos it's living water we desire
To flood our hearts with holy fire

Rain down all around the world we're singing
Rain down can you hear the earth is singing
Rain down my heart is dry but still I'm singing
Rain down rain it down on me."

I know I am in need of some holy fire. How about you?

unfailling love

"Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!" Psalm 63:3, NLT
"Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone." Psalm 33:22, NLT

More reflection

Okay, I've just about played Robbie Seay Band's cd Give Yourself Away so much that I almost have every song memorized as I sing along with them while driving down the road. Such as this chorus from "Eternal One":

"You have saved us
You have changed us
You have set us free
Liberating King"

and this from "Love Wins":

"There is hope, there is hope for my lonely soul
There is hope, there is hope to be made whole
There is life, there is life to be set free
There is life there is life surrounding me
There is hope, there is hope for my broken heart
There is hope, there is hope for a brand new start
There is life, there is life give me eyes to see
There is life, there is life you have captured me"

refining silver

I got this in my email a few weeks ago. I liked so much I thought I'd post it here.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them.

And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."