Man's Selfcenteredness

You’re on the way to work and stuck in traffic. You left the house with just enough time to have you at your desk at the scheduled time for you to be there. You grumble to yourself and try to see what’s ahead. What’s causing the traffic ? Are they doing construction again ? You finally pass the reason for the traffic – a 3 car accident. You see an ambulance and the EMTs loading someone onto a stretcher. One of the cars is totaled. As you look, you think to yourself – Finally, the traffic has cleared a bit; maybe I can still get to work on time!

You’re at the light, on your way to pick up your children from the after school program. It’s 5:55 and you’re 3 minutes away. If you pick them up after 6, you’ll get charged a $20 fee. You would rather not have to pay that $20 so you drive fast so that you can make it on time. While coming to the green light, you see a funeral procession. Argh! I have to pick up my kids! I wish they would hurry up… Man, how many cars ARE there!? And when the procession has passed, you accelerate, thinking – Now I have to pay this fee!

It’s been a long day and you are hungry! You don’t want to go out and get food; you have some at home plus you’re tired… and you bought those delicious veggie burgers that you absolutely love. Your mouth is watering as you open the oven door. You place the patty in the oven and suddenly, the electricity goes out. You grumble to yourself and get suitable to walk outside and find out what’s going on. You see your neighbor standing in front of his house. What happened ? The neighbor explains that someone ran into a poll and somehow the transformer blew. What!? You ask how long it’ll be out, and your neighbor, who happens to work for the electric company, tells you that it may be a few hours. Great! Now you can’t eat that veggie burger that you were craving. That means you have to eat something cold, wait, or go out and get food. This sucks! Why’d this have to happen now!?

We’re so self centered. At times, our behavior would seem to indicate that the world revolves around us. In the first situation, you have people who are hurt, possibly dead… and all you can think about is the fact that you’re late to work. The second situation ? People have lost a loved one and they’re coming from the funeral home to the cemetary, preparing to see the body one last time. Hearts are broken, people are grieved, and all you can think about is the inconvenience of a fee. The third ? Someone crashed into a poll. You find out later that it was a pregnant woman whose 4 year old somehow got out of his car seat and grabbed her arm, causing her to lose control of the car and send her into a poll. But all you can think of is the fact that you are hungry.

How many times do these things happen to us ? Peoples’ tragedies end up being our ‘inconveniences’. I can be honest and say that I have felt like the above quite a few times unfortunately. How many times do we see these types of situations and genuinely pray for these people ? It doesn’t have to be a lengthy prayer, but a simple plea of “Lord please help them and cause them to know where the help came from”. Even as Christians, we can get too caught up in our own ordeals to realize that someone needs us. Someone needs our prayers. I pray that our hearts would become softened, that we would realize that it’s not, and never has been, about us. Why focus on the temporal when someone’s eternity can be affected ?

I pray the Lord would use this to minister to us all, that we may think of others and not esteem ourselves higher than them.

… but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

Grace and peace.

Man’s Selfcenteredness

You’re on the way to work and stuck in traffic. You left the house with just enough time to have you at your desk at the scheduled time for you to be there. You grumble to yourself and try to see what’s ahead. What’s causing the traffic ? Are they doing construction again ? You finally pass the reason for the traffic – a 3 car accident. You see an ambulance and the EMTs loading someone onto a stretcher. One of the cars is totaled. As you look, you think to yourself – Finally, the traffic has cleared a bit; maybe I can still get to work on time!

You’re at the light, on your way to pick up your children from the after school program. It’s 5:55 and you’re 3 minutes away. If you pick them up after 6, you’ll get charged a $20 fee. You would rather not have to pay that $20 so you drive fast so that you can make it on time. While coming to the green light, you see a funeral procession. Argh! I have to pick up my kids! I wish they would hurry up… Man, how many cars ARE there!? And when the procession has passed, you accelerate, thinking – Now I have to pay this fee!

It’s been a long day and you are hungry! You don’t want to go out and get food; you have some at home plus you’re tired… and you bought those delicious veggie burgers that you absolutely love. Your mouth is watering as you open the oven door. You place the patty in the oven and suddenly, the electricity goes out. You grumble to yourself and get suitable to walk outside and find out what’s going on. You see your neighbor standing in front of his house. What happened ? The neighbor explains that someone ran into a poll and somehow the transformer blew. What!? You ask how long it’ll be out, and your neighbor, who happens to work for the electric company, tells you that it may be a few hours. Great! Now you can’t eat that veggie burger that you were craving. That means you have to eat something cold, wait, or go out and get food. This sucks! Why’d this have to happen now!?

We’re so self centered. At times, our behavior would seem to indicate that the world revolves around us. In the first situation, you have people who are hurt, possibly dead… and all you can think about is the fact that you’re late to work. The second situation ? People have lost a loved one and they’re coming from the funeral home to the cemetary, preparing to see the body one last time. Hearts are broken, people are grieved, and all you can think about is the inconvenience of a fee. The third ? Someone crashed into a poll. You find out later that it was a pregnant woman whose 4 year old somehow got out of his car seat and grabbed her arm, causing her to lose control of the car and send her into a poll. But all you can think of is the fact that you are hungry.

How many times do these things happen to us ? Peoples’ tragedies end up being our ‘inconveniences’. I can be honest and say that I have felt like the above quite a few times unfortunately. How many times do we see these types of situations and genuinely pray for these people ? It doesn’t have to be a lengthy prayer, but a simple plea of “Lord please help them and cause them to know where the help came from”. Even as Christians, we can get too caught up in our own ordeals to realize that someone needs us. Someone needs our prayers. I pray that our hearts would become softened, that we would realize that it’s not, and never has been, about us. Why focus on the temporal when someone’s eternity can be affected ?

I pray the Lord would use this to minister to us all, that we may think of others and not esteem ourselves higher than them.

… but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4 ESV

Grace and peace.

Better is one day in Your courts…

[audio:BetterIs.mp3]

How lovely is Your dwelling place, Oh Lord Almighty
My soul doth long and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your court than thousands elsewhere

My heart and flesh cry out to You, o Living God
Your Spirit’s water to my soul
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen; come once again to me
I will draw nearer to You
I will draw nearer to You

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your court than thousands elsewhere

1 + 1 + 1… +1

The other night I was thinking about how many of us, when faced with a long task, thing about the total time. What I mean by that is — For instance, some look at the Bible and think, Wow 66 books ? That’s a LOT of books, and almost every book has a lot of chapters. It is intimidating, especially with books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Genesis. We look at the task and think that it will take SO long to do it, and that alone leaves us in shambles. Next thing you know, there’s little to no reading of God’s Word because it’s such a huge book.

There was a time when I’d look at the Bible and think that I would NEVER get through the whole thing. I still haven’t, but my mindset has shifted. When I was laying in bed, I thought about my supplements that I take. I take a multivitamin and Omega 3 capsules. The multivitamins have 50 in the bottle and the Omega 3s have 60 in the bottle. You take 1 of the multivitamins per day and 2 of the Omega 3s per day. Now, when the bottles start off, they’re full, and sometimes we think about how long it will take for us to be done with that bottle. Each day passes and you take 1. It doesn’t seem like much because you’re only taking 1 or 2 a day, but surely enough, the supply diminishes. By taking 1 at a time, eventually, those ’1s’ add up and soon, those 50 will be gone. After 30 days, those 60 will be gone. And I think this is how we should look at our Bible intake.

1 does not seem like a lot at all. Sometimes, when I think of reading 1 chapter a day, I think to myself that I will NEVER be done. But if you take it 1 at a time, eventually you’ll be finished. And those 1s will add up 3 months later when you’ve almost finished Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Genesis. )

The Noise / Silence and Solitude

While reading the chapter called ‘Silence and Solitude’ in Donald S. Whitney’s book – Spiritual Disciplines, I became convicted on something I often do. To a certain extent, it seems that I cannot function without constant noise. While on the computer, I often listen to music. When I go to bed at night, I turn on Praise in the Night or my Phil Wickham CD. Music is always on in my car, when I clean, when I workout, and even when I study. When I’m about to study, I’ll usually open my Windows media player and put together a nice little playlist of Christian contemporary. Every now and then, I’ll wonder if my mind is overstimulated because at times, I find it hard to focus and it seems my mind is filled with thoughts, questions, and situations… none of which have to do with what I am reading. When this happens, I usually become frustrated and close the book. I was reminded of all of this when I read the following:

Many of us need to realize the addiction we have to noise. It’s one thing to turn on the TV, tape, or radio to listen to while ironing or doing other chores, but it’s another thing habitually to turn one of these on immediately upon entering a room just to have sound. Even worse is to feel that it’s necessary to have background noise during Bible intake or prayer. I believe the convenience of sound has contributed to the spiritual shallowness of contemporary western Christianity. The advent of affordable, portable sound systems, for instance, has been a mixed blessing. The negative side is that now we don’t have to go anywhere without human voices. As a result we are less frequently alone with our own thoughts and God’s voice. Because of this, and because we are the most urban, noise-polluted generation ever, we have an unprecedented need to learn the Disciplines of silence and solitude.

As I read the rest of the chapter, I had tears in my eyes and resolved to make it a point to have a time of pure silence and solitude before my Father every single day. I was also reminded of the verse that had been seemingly repeating itself over and over in my mind for the past few weeks. Although I knew it was in the Bible, I wasn’t 100% sure where… figured it to be part of a Psalm, and while reading through the chapter, Donald used it:

But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:20 ESV

For the past few weeks, the verse has been popping into my head at odd times… and I think I may understand why. God is reminding me of my need to seek Him in silence, to adore Him, to talk with Him, and just to BE in Him… in silence. No music, no outside things, just silence before Him. I will make it a point to be in complete silence before Him daily. Whether it be one minute or one hour, it’s a must. I believe it’s a must for all Christians and I believe that if we all would seek moments of silence and solitude before our Creator, our lives will be blessed. I’m not talking money or tangible things, but the peace of God, renewed spirits, focused minds, His fullness… things of much more worth than the things that are perishable. Our walks and relationships with Him could be so enriched if we’d take time to spend in His presence consciously.

May we consciously bask in His beauty, His loveliness, His love… May our lives be enriched for His purposes. May we look like Him more and more each day.

Grace and peace.

The Naked Truth ??? Part 1

An artist who has in the past classified himself as a Christian gospel artist, has recently released material which features him using much profanity, mainly his song ‘The Naked Truth’. On his myspace page, a picture of him shirtless covers the background. When you view his blogs, you see nothing but him justifying the sin and hundreds of people, claiming to be Christians, cosigning. He’s been compared to David, been labeled as someone who’s ‘real’, and he has been given many accolades. Why ?

That’s what I have been trying to figure out. This man, known to the music industry as ‘Tonex’ has been featured on Christian awards shows, in churches, at Christian venues, on compilations, and has done collaborations with well known artists such as Kirk Franklin. He helped pastor a church with his late father for the past few years. He even had a song called ‘Make Me Over’ in which he confesses to the Lord that he’s let Him down, failed Him, and what’s not like Him, please take it out. This song was an anthem at churches nationwide. The church I was attending at the time even sang it a few Sundays. And I have to admit, I liked it too… enough to go and buy the CD. I no longer have any of his CDs; they’re with the trashman.

So what is the case ? Many say to pray for him, that he’s just angry, etc. People have been advised just to ‘reach out’ to him because he’s ‘having a hard time’. True enough, he did lose his father and became divorced within a short time, but is that an excuse ? Not at all. You have many great men who have dealt with quite stressful situations and they have handled it with the grace that only comes from God. John Piper recently lost his father. Billy Graham recently lost his wife. Do you see these guys ‘acting out’ and sinning and rebelling ? Not at all. And it’s not even a case of maturity because even with a basic knowledge of God’s Word and character, you know what He expects.

I have to admit, it makes me VERY mad. It angers me and I hate it. I hate what Tonex is doing. It’s making a mockery out of Christ and His TRUE followers. It’s nothing but fodder for those who think Christians are hypocrites. It’s misleading many to hell because they say he’s just being real. This man has blog entries saying how profanity’s not bad; it’s what we make it. And of course, he justifies his use of it… But what really angers me and incenses me is the comments made by so-called believers:

Wow, now that is food for thought. Most religous Christians would find this replsive but I feel ya bro. Besides they being the ones who would point fingers at you or us probaly do far worst things than using or misusing the english vocabulary.
– Shannon

It is what it is!!! I’m happy u defined that for tha super “HOLY ROLLERS”. And “SUPER DUPER SAINTS”. Witch I’m sure slips out of everyones mouth from time 2time… lol. Step 1 in confession. I confess! I admit I have used some of these words, but not juss out of anger! I have had my days when I’m actn like ah “B****”.. Yes A female dog!! “THESE ARE MY CONFESSIONS”!!!!!!
– “VIRTUOUS” WOMAN!!!

I feel you on that. Just last week I had the word s*** in my headline and one of my “sisters in Christ” tried to correct me saying that as a Christian I should be living a “curse free life.” Really? I wasn’t using the word to be derogatory, but to express how I truly felt at that point in time. I don’t have a problem with people correcting me when i’m falling off, but save that for if I’m strung out on crack, cheating on my husband, abusing my children, taking the Lord’s name in vain, denying my Christianity, etc. Not because I said s***
– My name is Unique, and that’s what I am

Very insightful. I agree that we need to get back to the essence of why we are Christians. It’s not to discuss petty s*** like the words we use. Its to win people for the Kingdom of God, teaching and showing them the same principles and acts taught to us through Jesus Christ.
– KG

You are right on my brotha. I was always told that if you have to use profanity that means you don’t have much to say. That your vocabulary is limited. I hope that you are not going to let this shake you faith in God. I pray that God leads you in the right direction.
– 3rd Generation COGIC Preacher

Sadly, I had to ‘star out’ the profanity in the comments coming from those who claim to be Christian. I was shocked at first, but unfortunately, it’s wearing off. I am saddened because there are baby Christians who see this and think it’s okay. There are people claiming to be Christians who agree with him who will have the shock of the century come the day of the Lord (or maybe not). There are those who are NOT Christians who already think Christ is a joke, and now that feeling is confirmed.

Since when has being ‘real’ been a license to sin ? Never! No one will DARE say that when our lives are played back by the Lord to us. Will we dare say, “Man, God, you know I was just being real; my bad” ? No, we won’t. There are no excuses for sin – NONE. God does not take it lightly and neither should those who claim to be Christians. And on top of that, rebelliousness is not, and has NEVER been, an attribute of a child of God! As a matter of fact, willful sinning is a sign that you are NOT of God:

Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:4-9 ESV

Impossible to continue sinning and have His Holy Spirit. And those who hate the ones who are supposed to be their brothers and sisters ?

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:9-11 ESV

You hate your brother ? You’re not in Christ! Plain and simple! And profanity ?

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Ephesians 4:29-31 ESV

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
James 3:10-12 ESV

The Bible instructs the Christian how to live, so no one who claims to know Christ has an excuse because God has given us His Word. We are called to lives of Holiness, lives lived out to please God, not lives lived out to bring dishonor. As a Christian, if your desire is not to please God, but yourself, then I have news for you — You may not be a Christian at all. And this behavior coming from someone who used to be a PASTOR is outrageous and flat out amazing. I have to say – I am quite ticked off, angered, grieved, saddened, and have not felt like this about something in a long time. And it seems that those who are not in agreement with his ‘newfound’ discovery / truth are deemed ‘haters’ and it seems that he gets excited when people talk. Never has this been a trait of someone who loves, follows, professes, and is a part of, Jesus Christ.

In Need

I don’t like doing this; it’s hard for me, and embarrassing… but I’ll make it short. I’ve been without a job since mid February. I’ve been looking and looking, applying to numerous places, and no one has offered me a job. In the meanwhile, I have bills due (carnote, insurance, phone, etc.) and need gas money to go places. My credit card bill was due on the 14th – $68 – and since I couldn’t pay it, they tagged on a $39 late fee, which I just saw as I logged into my account just now.

I’m writing this blog entry, humbly asking for donations. I’ve been praying constantly about this and I believe the Lord has a reason for everything. I know my bills are my responsibility ultimately… I’m going through a rough time, and if anyone is able to donate and help, I’d be so thankful… honestly. And if you can’t, then your prayers are needed. Either way, your prayers are needed, but if you can help me out, I’d be extremely grateful.

If you can donate, you can do it by clicking the donation button to the right.

Grace and peace.

Stepha Henry

Stepha Henry’s name has not been heard much on the news, but she is missing and has been for almost 3 weeks at this time. She is from NY (Brooklyn). She flew to Florida on Memorial Day weekend and went to a club called Club Peppers in Fort Lauderdale, FL on the night of May 29th.

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=45754

She was at Pepper’s Café, in the 3800 block of North University Drive, Sunrise, on May 29, the night she vanished, wearing a black dress with a white T-shirt underneath.

She left with a man in a dark-colored Acura Integra.

Someone checked her cell phone voicemail around 4 a.m. the next day.

The cell phone now goes straight to voicemail, the signal practically untraceable.

Stepha Henry is black, about 5-foot-2 and 110 pounds. She has brown eyes and red hair that falls just past her shoulders.

Anyone who remembers seeing her on May 29, who has seen her since or who knows what happened to her is asked to call Detective Tom Romagni at 305-471-2400. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can dial Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

Please keep Stepha and her family in your prayers. If you know anything, call police please. This young lady’s missing and no one has a clue where she is or who she was with. No matter her present state (alive, etc.), please pray that she will be found and if foul play is involved, that they will be caught. Please, whatever the Holy Spirit moves you to pray, pray that as well. But, lets band together and pray for Stepha Henry.

Grace and Peace,
Jenn

I Need Thee…

This song is a great summary of my life as of now, and it should be, but moreso lately, I’ve realized how much I need Him, and when I do things that separate myself from Him, I suffer. I hate ‘feeling’ apart from Him, although I know what His Word says; He’ll never leave me. I must continue to remember that and remind myself of that when the days and times get so difficult… He is my strength, my comfort, my rock. He is the BEST comfort, the BEST friend, the BEST love.

[audio:INeedThee.mp3]

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour

I need Thee every hour in joy or pain
Come quickly and abide or life is in vain

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, every hour I need Thee
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour

Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee

I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee
Oh I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour
I need Thee, I need Thee, I need Thee every hour

Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee…

Give Him Glory

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/12/sextuplet.boom.ap/index.html

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) — Two sets of sextuplets were born in different states less than a day apart, a rare occurrence but one that fertility experts say could become increasingly common as more couples seek artificial methods of conceiving babies.

Brianna Morrison, 24, who used fertility drugs, gave birth just before midnight Sunday in Minneapolis, Minnesota. About 10 hours later, Jenny Masche, 32, who used artificial insemination, gave birth Monday in Phoenix by Caesarean section, the first successful sextuplet delivery in Arizona.

Upon learning Brianna Morrison was carrying sextuplets, doctors advised the couple to opt for selective reduction, in which women carrying multiple fetuses reduce the number of viable fetuses to two.

“However, we knew right away that this is not an option for us,” the couple wrote. “We understand that the risk is high, but we also understand that these little ones are much more than six fetuses.

“Each one of them is a miracle given to us by God.”

In Arizona, Jenny Masche used artificial insemination and medication to stimulate her ovulation cycle, Leonard said. Their children are named Bailey Elizabeth, Savannah Jane, Molli Grace, Cole Robert, Blake Nickolas and Grant William.

Father Bryan Masche, 29, said in an interview last week that the couple were terrified when they learned in December they were going to have six babies.

“We’re blessed and excited,” he said. “I keep coming back to the Bible verse that says, ‘God will never leave or forsake us.”‘