SOUND BITES: Something to chew on that is good for the soul™

WHAT GOD WANTS

2012-03-06T07:27:00.001-06:00

"You shall worship the LORDyour God, and Him only you shall serve." (Matthew4:10b NKJV)

Do you really think God needs usto do things for Him? Isn't He theCreator who stepped out on the balcony of heaven and scooped out the seven seaswith the palms of His hands? Wasn't itGod who pinched the earth to make the mountains? Then obviously He doesn't need you to"do" anything. What He wantsis your worship.

-- TommyTenney in The Heart of A God Chaser

#2944

THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

2012-03-05T07:15:00.000-06:00

"Choosefor yourselves this day whom you will serve,… But as for me and my household,we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Wehave been given the freedom to choose what we see, what we pay attention to, whatwe rest our awareness on. There are zillions of things that can attract us,call us to themselves. Our task is to choose which ones we want to payattention to, which ones we want to invest our energy in, for we cannot endurefull consciousness of everything. We must focus on something more limited.

-- Jane Marie Thibault in ADeepening Love Affair

#2943

MISSING THE MARK

2012-03-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

"For all have sinned and fall short…" [miss the mark] "…of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

I was a "good kid;" active in church, a model citizen, knowing that everybody in town would tell my folks if I showed bad behavior. What did I need to repent from? Over the years, I have learned that just when I think I'm good, God reveals a sin, a place where I've missed the mark. I have made many plans, charting my life's direction, only to have God call me to repent and go another way.

-- Lee Greenawalt

#2942

TRUE SPIRITUAL WORSHIP

2012-03-01T13:40:00.000-06:00

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." (John 4:23 NKJV)

Whenever His people gather and worship Him, God promises He will make His presence known in their midst. On the other hand, where God's people consistently neglect true spiritual worship, His manifest presence is rarely experienced.

-- Ralph Mahoney

#2941

EXPRESSING PRAISE

2012-02-24T09:11:00.000-06:00

Our entire being is fashioned as an instrument of praise. Just as a master violin maker designs an instrument to produce maximum aesthetic results, so God tailor-made our bodies, souls and spirits to work together in consonance to produce pleasing expressions of praise and worship. When we use body language to express praise, that which is internal becomes visible.

-- Lamar Boschman in A Heart for Worship

#2940

HOLY OBEDIENCE

2012-02-23T08:06:00.000-06:00

As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience. Holy obedience saves worship from becoming an opiate, an escape from the pressing needs of modern life.
-- Richard Foster

#2939

A PLACE OF REPENTANCE

2012-02-22T08:02:00.000-06:00

"They set out from Kadesh, and the Israelites, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor. ... Moses stripped Aaron of his vestments, and put them on his son Eleazar; and Aaron died there on top of the mountain." (Numbers 20: 22, 28)

Aaron died on [Mount] Hor and was gathered to his ancestors. God takes us up our own Mount Hor, not to end our lives but to let us see what we are missing and to give us the chance to change. In this place of repentance, we are shown the kingdom of God and how far we are from being ready for it. Confronted with our sin, we have the opportunity to strip ourselves of self-interest, self-will, and self-importance. We have the chance to repent and to take up the work of building the kingdom of God in the world by doing the will of God.

-- Mary Anna Vidakovich in Meeting God on the Mountain

#2938

WAIT FOR HIS WORKING

2012-02-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

It's safe to give ourselves up to God's love. He created us out of love and His love is never wearied or worn out by our sins. He is relentless in His pursuit of us and in His determination that one day we will be pure love, at whatever cost to us or to Himself.

"Good and upright is the Lord," the psalmist reminds us, "therefore He instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way" (Psalm 25:8-9, italics added). The only requirement is humility and the patience to wait for His working. God is not known for haste, but He does mean business.

-- David Roper in Growing Slowly Wise

#2937

FORGETTING GOD

2012-02-20T07:29:00.000-06:00

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us!

-- Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation of 1863

#2936

THREE PRINCIPLES TO CHANGE THE WORLD

2012-02-17T09:22:00.001-06:00

Rev. H. S. Vigeveno in his book, Thirteen Men Who Changed the World, asks how the disciples changed the course of history given they had “no financial backing, no elaborate organization, no social pull, no prestige, no churches in which to worship and no committees. They were outnumbered, persecuted, forbidden to preach and finally killed.”

In the prayer recorded in the Gospel of John chapter 17, Jesus spoke three phrases which I believe distinguished the disciples and made them the leaven that changed the world. These three phrases – “… these are in the world” (Vs 11), “… they are not of the world” (Vs 14) and “… I also have sent them into the world” (Vs 18) – appear to represent three principles:

Principle #1

God has called us to be “in the world”. Unlike the Pharisees who separated themselves from all secular association, Jesus taught us to be “in the world” - because God loves the world.

Principle #2

God has called us to be “not of the world”. Unlike the Sadducees who compromised their stand with the secular authority, Jesus taught us not to be conformed to the secular age but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Principle #3

God has called us “into the world”. This is the thought form of the missionary. Unlike the Zealots who sought to overthrow secular power, Jesus taught us to be zealous, not for the world’s power but for the world’s welfare.

The first principle is incarnation; we must be in the world, not separated from it. The second principle is transformation. We must be transformed inside out by the Word and not outside in by the world. The third principle is reformation. We are to live for a missionary purpose.

We are “in the world” by incarnation, we are “not of this world” by transformation and we are “sent into the world” for reformation.

-- Peter Geizer

#2935

RAINING QUAIL

2012-02-10T08:35:00.000-06:00

"Now the LORD sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels!" (Numbers 11:31-32 NLT)
One of the reasons I love this miracle is because it is a miracle pun. This miracle is recorded in the book of Numbers, and the Greek name for Numbers is arithmoi. That's where we get our word arithmetic. Recorded in the book of arithmetic is a miracle that doesn't even begin to add up.

Moses could have never anticipated this answer to prayer. It was unpredictable and unprecedented, but Moses had the guts to circle the promise anyway! And when you circle the promise, you never know how God will provide, but it's always cloudy with a chance of quail.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker

#2934

MANNA MIRACLES

2012-02-09T08:05:00.000-06:00

"The people of Israel also began to complain, 'Oh for some meat!' they exclaimed. 'We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!'" (Numbers 11:4-6)

The Israelites were complaining. I know, shocking! Instead of manna, they want meat to eat. And as a hardcore carnivore, I understand that. If you haven't eaten at an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse, you aren't ready to die yet. But talk about selective memory! The Israelites longingly remember the free fish they ate in Egypt, and forget the little fact that the food was free because they weren't. The Israelites weren't just slaves; they had been the victims of genocide. Yet they missed the meat on the menu? And isn't it just a little ironic that the Israelites were complaining about one miracle while asking for another one? Their capacity for complaining was simply astounding, and we scoff at the Israelites for grumbling about a meal of manna that was miraculously delivered to their doorsteps every day, but don't we do the same thing?

There are miracles all around us all the time, yet it's easy to find something to complain about in the midst of those miracles. The simple act of reading involves millions of impulses firing across billions of synapses. While you're reading, your heart goes about its business circulating five quarts of blood through a hundred thousand miles of veins, arteries, and capillaries. And it's amazing you can even concentrate, given the fact that you're on a planet that is traveling 67,000 miles per hour through space while spinning around its axis at a speed of 1,000 miles per hour. But we take those manna miracles, the miracles that happen day in, day out, for granted.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker

#2933

THE CONCEPT OF OBEDIENCE

2012-02-08T07:41:00.000-06:00

Many Americans have difficulty with the concept of obedience. We are used to a democracy that gives us many different choices and opportunities for input and involvement. We can choose where to live, what to do for a vocation, whom to marry, and the organizations we will join. We even choose what we want to believe or not believe... At the heart of a democracy lies the concept of freedom of choice. Jesus, however, did not come proclaiming a democracy. He came proclaiming [God's] kingdom.

-- Michael Slaughter in Beyond Playing Church

#2932

AT ONE WITH GOD

2012-02-07T07:33:00.000-06:00

Deeper than acts of wrongdoing, sin is broken relationships. God is offended. Barriers are erected. Guilt and shame come rushing in. Neighbor is alienated from neighbor. The human soul begins to fight a civil war within itself...

The ancient Israelites ritualized their expressions of guilt with carefully prescribed worship experiences. They confessed their sin and expressed their guilt and shame as a corporate community of faith. They made amends directly to the One who was offended -- their Creator, Redeemer God.

Leviticus 16 helps us understand the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and atonement sacrifices. Once a year the chief priest (Aaron) cleansed himself, put on holy garments, killed a bull as an offering. The blood sacrifice was a sin offering for himself and his house. Then Aaron chose two goats to bear symbolically the sins of the people. He offered one as a blood sacrifice for atonement. Aaron then laid both his hands on the head of the second goat, confessing "all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins." He put their sins upon the head of the goat and sent the goat into wilderness (Leviticus 16:21). The goat vicariously carried the sins away, freeing the people from their guilt and shame. Hence the name "scapegoat."

Many teachers have explained atonement as AT-ONE-MENT. Through atonement we are reconciled to God, made AT ONE with God. We are freed to be in fellowship and no longer need carry the load of guilt.

-- U.M. Bishop Richard Wilke in DISCIPLE: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study

#2931

THE HABIT OF WORSHIP

2012-02-06T08:10:00.001-06:00

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25 NIV)

My wife and I recently had a dinner conversation with a couple who said that they left another church as a result of a pastor, had tried another church with no success, and now were not worshipping anywhere. They said it was too easy to get out of the habit.

Let me encourage you to be in the habit of worshipping every Sunday, not just when you feel like it, not just when you're in town, not just when the kids have Sunday school. Make it your habit to worship and you'll find that God has made it His habit to show up as well.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson

#2930

EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM

2012-02-03T08:28:00.000-06:00

During the span of my adult life, I've witnessed dozens of evangelistic fads. Perhaps you can remember some of the eras I've seen rise and fall. Let's see, there was the Tract Era. The Televangelist Era. The Bus Ministry Era. There were eras revolving around saving professionals, saving women, saving men, saving the rich, the poor, homemakers, movie stars, you name it.

And to the extent that any of these approaches brought people to Christ, I am genuinely grateful.

But each time a new approach surfaced, I secretly wonder how long the wave would last, how long the movement could possibly be sustained. Sure, even I hopped on a few of them, but I knew they all lacked longevity.

In the next few decades, I'm quite certain there will be even more "new and exciting" approaches to evangelism. And I'll say it again: If people find faith as a result of them, who am I to criticize? But as far as I'm concerned, there is only one paradigm that will not wear thin with the passing of time. These days, I'm more convinced that ever that the absolute highest value in personal evangelism is staying attuned to and cooperative with the Holy Spirit.

You read it right. The only thing you need in order to sustain an effective approach to evangelism year after year after year is an ear fine-tuned to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

-- Bill Hybels in Just Walk Across the Room

#2929

PRIDE LIES IN WAIT

2012-02-02T08:51:00.000-06:00

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them.

-- St. Augustine

#2928

PRAYER BLESSINGS

2012-02-01T07:22:00.000-06:00

Even as the cloud foreshadows the rain, so prayer foreshadows the blessing; even as the green blade is the beginning of the harvest, so is prayer the prophecy of the blessing that is about to come.
-- Charles H. Spurgeon

#2927

PROSPERITY

2012-01-31T07:35:00.000-06:00

Prosperity depends more on wanting what you have than having what you want.

-- Geoffrey F. Abert

#2926

TRUSTING THE SAVIOR

2012-01-30T07:32:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for something to fill that void that only Christ can fill? Are you looking for something besides success and pleasure to give you the happiness that has always seemed elusive? Are you wanting to know you are loved just for who you are and not because of any accomplishments or accolades? Trust Jesus as Savior.

-- Mike Sweeney, retired Major League Baseball player, in Sports Spectrum magazine

#2925

RELYING ON THE FREE LOVE OF GOD

2012-01-27T08:43:00.000-06:00

Faith is rest, not toil. It is the giving up all the former weary efforts to do or feel something good, in order to induce God to love and pardon; and the calm reception of the truth so long rejected, that God is not waiting for any such inducements, but loves and pardons of His own goodwill, and is showing that goodwill to any sinner who will come to Him on such a footing, casting away his own poor performances or goodnesses, and relying implicitly upon the free love of Him who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.

-- Horatius Bonar (1808-1889) in The Everlasting Righteousness

#2924

CHRISTIAN UNITY MATTERS

2012-01-26T07:34:00.000-06:00

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'." (1 Corinthians 12:21)

We cannot say, "I have no need of you." The megachurch needs the smaller church. The liberal needs the conservative. The pastor needs the missionary. Cooperation is more than a good idea; it is a command. "Make every effort to keep unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3) Unity matters to God. There is "one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:16)

-- Max Lucado in Outlive Your Life

#2923

THE STILL SMALL VOICE

2012-01-25T06:41:00.000-06:00

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:12)

Retire from the world each day to some private spot… Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God's presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the inward voice till you learn to recognize it.

-- A. W. Tozer

#2922

THE GREATEST TRAGEDY IN LIFE

2012-01-24T09:34:00.000-06:00

"You have not, because you ask not." (James 4:2b AKJV)

As I look over my shoulder, I'm grateful for the miracles God has done, and I'm keenly aware of the fact that every miracle has a genealogy. If you trace those miracles all the way back to their origin, you'll find a prayer circle. Miracles are the by-product of prayers that were prayed by you or for you. And that should be all the motivation you need to pray.

God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be expressed in response to prayer. Simply put, God won't do it unless you pray it. We have not because we ask not, or maybe I should say, we have not because we circle not. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker

#2921

A THREATENING DARKNESS

2012-01-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

The thread of life is fragile. A few cells within a healthy body grow erratically and we receive the diagnosis of cancer; a second's misjudgment at an intersection, and a life is lost; a heart that keeps its cadence for decades skips a few beats and we find ourselves in intensive care; a friend loses her baby during pregnancy; an aging parent shows signs of Alzheimer's; violence strikes someone we know. None of us is immune to such devastating experiences for ourselves, our families, or among our friends. Inexpressible suffering barges in at unexpected moments. And everyone balances the more common (yet anguishing) anxieties, setbacks, and losses that challenge our ability to cope – conflict at home, financial loss, trouble with teenagers, struggles with alcohol, feelings of loneliness. No one lives without facing a threatening darkness.

We overestimate our capacity to handle these things all by ourselves, and we underestimate the power of community to help. Belonging to a caring community, we discover a sustenance that does not answer all our questions or end all our challenges, but which keeps us connected, rooted, grounded. When the worst happens, God doesn't promise us an answer; God provides us a relationship. Through sustaining relationships, we discover that God is not aloof from life and disinterested in us. Instead, God gets in the trenches and suffers with us. We are not alone. God is with us. God's presence reaches us through the people who love us. The thread of life is fragile, but the fabric of life is eternal.

-- Robert Schnase in Five Practices of Fruitful Living

#2920

OUR GUIDE FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY

2012-01-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

Henry Ward Beecher once said, "Sink the Bible to the bottom of the sea, and man's obligation to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and his guide would be gone; he would have the same voyage to make, only his compass and chart would be overboard."

I was reminded of that recently in regards to the cruise ship running aground in Italy and the disaster that followed. A deviation from the ship's charted course caused it to hit the rocks. And a deviation from the Bible's charted course for our lives can have similarly dire consequences. The Bible is the lamp and guide for our path and the compass and chart for our voyage. We dare not head off on life's journey without it.

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson

#2919

KNOWING GOD MORE INTIMATELY

2012-01-19T09:12:00.001-06:00

The fruit of Intentional Faith Development is not merely to know more about God but to know God, to see through the idea of God to God Himself. Spiritual knowledge arises in us in mysterious ways. A memorable insight is mulled over and replayed dozens of times during the week that follows a Bible study. We think of it as we wait at the stoplight on the way to the grocery store, it comes to mind as we ride the subway to work, it surfaces during a staff meeting at the office or during dinner with family. Spiritual knowledge is not information we apply to a problem that provides the solution; it's not like a number we plug into a formula that solves everything. Rather, a new awareness takes root; a new perception is formed; a new confidence is discovered; a new connection made; or a new hope recovered that changes how we think, feel, and act. The impact is real, and with the continued practice of spiritual exploration, we experience an increasing benefit, a greater openness to grace, a more refined shaping of ourselves by God. We begin to know God more intimately.

-- Robert Schnase in Five Practices of Fruitful Living

#2918

GOD'S MEGAPHONE

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000-06:00

Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, and shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

-- C. S. Lewis

#2917

SORROW TURNED TO JOY

2012-01-17T09:07:00.000-06:00

Your sorrow itself shall be turned into joy. Not the sorrow to be taken away, and joy to be put in its place, but the very sorrow which now grieves you shall be turned into joy. God not only takes away the bitterness and gives sweetness in its place, but turns the bitterness into sweetness itself.

-- Charles Spurgeon

#2916

READY TO FACE ANYTHING

2012-01-16T08:18:00.000-06:00

For my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. prayer was a daily source of courage and strength that gave him the ability to carry on in even the darkest hours of our struggle.

I remember one very difficult day when he came home bone-weary from the stress that came with his leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the middle of that night, he was awakened by a threatening and abusive phone call, one of many we received throughout the movement. On this particular occasion, however, Martin had had enough.

After the call, he got up from bed and made himself some coffee. He began to worry about his family, and all of the burdens that came with our movement weighed heavily on his soul. With his head in his hands, Martin bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud to God: "Lord, I am taking a stand for what I believe is right. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I have nothing left. I have come to the point where I can't face it alone.

Later he told me, "At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear a voice saying: 'Stand up for righteousness; stand up for truth; and God will be at our side forever.'" When Martin stood up from the table, he was imbued with a new sense of confidence, and he was ready to face anything.

-- Coretta Scott King in Standing in the Need of Prayer

#2915

SAYING "YES" TO JESUS

2012-01-13T08:46:00.000-06:00

Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in His commandments. -- Psalm 112:1 (NRSV)

Do you remember a time when you obeyed some directive from your parents but your heart was not a willing participant? That is, you obeyed out of fear rather than from love. When this happens in following the precepts of our Lord our relationship greatly suffers. We become bitter and a gulf begins to develop in our walk with Jesus. We must not only learn to say "yes" to Jesus but to do so with a full willingness in our soul.

-- Rev. Gary Stone

#2914

READING YOUR BIBLE

2012-01-12T09:14:00.000-06:00

Seven ways to know you're not reading your Bible enough:

1. You think Abraham, Isaac and Jacob may have had a few hits during the 60's.

2. You open the Gospel of Luke and a WWII Savings Bond falls out.

3. Your favorite Old Testament patriarch is Hercules.

4. You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn't listed in either the Bible concordance or the table of contents.

5. Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand, "Who gave you this stuff?"

6. You keep falling for it every time the pastor tells you to turn to First Condominiums.

7. The kids continue to ask too many questions about your usual bedtime story, "Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of Many Colors."

-- Ginghamsburg (Ohio) UMC Newsletter

#2913

OPENING OURSELVES TO GOD

2012-01-11T10:04:00.000-06:00

God is in the depth, and we lose touch with God when we focus only on surface things. God is in the silence which we neglect and fear, and we close ourselves to the whisperings of the Spirit when we constantly surround ourselves with artificial sounds. God is in the questions that arise when we break free of the distractions, and we cut God off when we avoid contemplations of purpose, value and priority. God is in the mystery, and we turn God away when we live as if the only things that matter are those we can see, touch, explain, or possess. God is in the love of others, and we drive God out when we neglect the deepening of relationships. God is in the feeling of being still, and we overlook attempts by God to reach us when we run constantly from one activity to another. God is in the discovery and exploration of the interior life, and we say No to God when we deny there is a spiritual side to our own lives. There are elements to existence that we only discover when we open ourselves to God.
-- Robert Schnase in Five Practices of Fruitful Living

#2912

STRUGGLING WITH GOD

2012-01-10T09:46:00.000-06:00

Go off by yourself and, like Jacob on the mountain (Genesis 32:24-28), struggle with God until you are spiritually exhausted. Then, in that time of resignation that follows giving up (because there is nothing left in you with which to carry on the struggle), the Spirit will come. The Spirit will come by grace. When you surrender, it is then that there may come a rushing in of the One who is Totally Other. Then, filled with the Spirit, you will be ready to relate to others in love. You will be able to reach into others and know others in ways that are truly miraculous. You will have, in truth, arrived back at the heart of old-time religion in the midst of our postmodern world.
-- Tony Campolo in Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God

#2911

WORSHIP IS…

2012-01-09T08:26:00.000-06:00

Worship is when you're aware that what you've been given is far greater than what you can give. Worship is the awareness that were it not for His touch, you'd still be hobbling and hurting, bitter and broken. Worship is the half-glazed expression on the parched face of a desert pilgrim as he discovers that the oasis is not a mirage.

Worship is the "Thank You" that refuses to be silenced.

We have tried to make a science out of worship. We can't do that. We can't do that any more than we can "sell love" or "negotiate peace."

Worship is a voluntary act of gratitude offered by the saved to the Savior, by the healed to the Healer, and by the delivered to the Deliverer. And if you and I can go days without feeling an urge to say "Thank You" to the One who saved, healed, and delivered us, then we'd do well to remember what He did.

-- Max Lucado in In the Eye of the Storm

#2910

BOLD PRAYERS

2012-01-06T10:34:00.000-06:00

Bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. God isn't offended by your biggest dreams and boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren't impossible to you, they are insulting to God. Why? Because they don't require divine intervention. But ask God to part the Red Sea or make the sun stand still or float an iron axhead, and God is moved to omnipotent action.

There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulfilling dreams. That is who He is. That is what He does. The bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory. The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect -- and they intersect when we draw a circle around the impossible situations in our lives and invite God to intervene.

-- Mark Batterson in The Circle Maker

Note: As you may know, most of the quotes I share through SOUND BITES come from my own reading. Today's quote comes from an author (note the Author's Blog to the right) I have shared before, but from a brand new book called The Circle Maker. Using the true legend of Honi the circle maker, who prayer-walked his way around devastating drought in the first-century BC Israel until the rains came, Batterson encourages us to identify the dreams and future miracles we need to draw circles around to find our answers from God.

#2909

ENGAGING PRESENT AND EMERGING GENERATIONS

2012-01-05T08:44:00.000-06:00

When our memories of the past are more exciting than our vision for the future, we have begun to die. This applies both personally and organizationally. It is easy to understand the sense of security felt by those who have retreated into their sanctuaries of tradition, where the comforting patina of familiarity obscures change. Nevertheless, missional leaders recognize the comfort of living in nostalgic niches comes with a price. People who live in the past exchange it for irrelevance in the present and extinction in the future. This does not seem like a good exchange. Leaders must refuse to worship the trappings of the past. Instead, they must choose to worship Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is always encouraging His people in the mission of God and empowering them to engage present and emerging generations….
-- Dr. Don Detrick in the Enrichment Journal

#2908

HIS STORY

2012-01-04T07:21:00.000-06:00

The Bible is one book, one history, one story, His story. Behind the 10,000 events stands God, the builder of history, the maker of the ages. Eternity bounds the one side, eternity bounds the other side, and time is in between: Genesis -- origins, Revelation -- endings, and all the way between, God is working things out. You can go into the minutest detail everywhere and see that there is one great purpose moving through the ages: the eternal design of the Almighty God to redeem a wrecked and ruined world.

-- Henrietta Mears in What the Bible Is All About

#2907

OUR ONLY SOURCE FOR TRUE HOPE

2012-01-03T09:24:00.001-06:00

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:1-2)

The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ.

-- D. James Kennedy in Christmas Stories for the Heart

#2906

WHAT EVERY SOUL NEEDS

2011-12-26T10:00:00.001-06:00

And the angel said to the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

How is it that the world didn’t get that message? They think that what came in Jesus was a religion or a philosophy or a teacher or a role model, but the world already had plenty of religions, too many philosophies and all sorts of role models.

What the world needed -- and what every soul in it needs – is not a religion or a role model but a SAVIOR…

Here is the good tidings -- the gospel – which shall be to all people…

“Unto you is born EXACTLY what you need.”

“Unto you is born PRECISELY what you yearn for.”

“Unto you is born what you cannot get from anyone else but God.”

“Unto you is born this day in the city of David a SAVIOR.”

-- Rev. David J. Kalas in his Christmas Eve 2011 message

#2905

THE GREATEST GIFT

2011-12-24T09:28:00.000-06:00

"But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12)

The greatest gift you will ever receive will never be found under a Christmas tree. It is far too valuable to be stored in any other place but in the depths of your heart.

-- Author Unknown

#2904

NO ROOM FOR CHRIST

2011-12-23T09:08:00.000-06:00

One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was preoccupied. This is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity.

-- Billy Graham

#2903

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is "hurry". And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries -- twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem. Regarded in this manner, the pre-Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize. With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal.

-- Burton Hills

#2902

SHRINKING INTO HUMAN FLESH

2011-12-21T06:53:00.000-06:00

What self denial! What self abasement! What self emptying! He, whom no infinitudes can hold, is contained within infant’s age, and infant’s form. Can it be, that the great ‘I AM THAT I AM’ shrinks into our flesh?"

-- Henry Law

#2901

A PICTURE OF ADVENT

2011-12-20T09:16:00.000-06:00

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes... and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

#2900

THE DIRT AND DUNG OF A STABLE

2011-12-19T08:45:00.000-06:00

Many times those of us in the church forget that Jesus was not born in a church or cathedral; He was born "off-site" in the dirt and dung of a stable for animals. He was born in the midst of the reality of life, not as in some stained-glass portrayal of a royal birth. This was a real God, for real people, in real life. That's what Emmanuel, "God with us," means.

The true miracle of Christmas is not found in the pageantry of a great Christmas Eve service. The true miracle of Christmas is the truth that God is with us in the dirt and dailyness and in the reality and imperfection of our lives.

-- J. Mack Strange

#2899

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-16T08:19:00.000-06:00

The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine Person. That makes all the difference in the world.

-- Stuart Briscoe

#2898

GOD BECAME MAN

2011-12-15T09:10:00.000-06:00

"To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:11 NRSV)

At the heart of the nativity narratives in both Matthew and Luke, is a simple fact: amid the struggle of a people who had longed for 500 years for God to act in the world in new ways, God came to be with them in a way that totally identified Himself with us, as human beings. Amid the most unlikely of circumstances, to the most unlikely of people, God became man for the salvation of all people.

-- Dennis Bratcher, The Christian Resource Institute

#2897

OBSCURING THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-14T09:23:00.000-06:00

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)

Commercialization has obscured the meaning of Christmas. The commercial has become more important than the carol. The sales pitch more important than the Good News. What man has to sell more important than what God has given.

-- Author Unknown

#2896

JESUS IDENTIFIED WITH THE HOMELESS

2011-12-13T07:45:00.000-06:00

As we prepare for our traditional celebrations, let us remember those who will not be looking forward to this festival. Let us remember too how Jesus identified with the oppressed and the homeless. Let the joy of the festival touch more of the people of our world this year than ever before. May God be glorified and may people of good will once again experience His peace.

-- Denzil John

#2895

FAN OR SHAREHOLDER

2011-12-12T09:17:00.000-06:00

I’m no longer a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

I’m a shareholder. There is a big difference between those two things. On Tuesday I purchased a share of stock that is only worth the paper it’s printed on, but it feels different. I have now invested in the Packers. I’m a part-owner.

I think Jesus has lots of fans, but God demands more than that. We’ve got to own it. How? By allowing Him to own us. The game changes when you start investing in the kingdom of God.

Are you a fan? Or a shareholder?

Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:37-40)

-- Mark Batterson, from his blog http://www.markbatterson.com/

#2894

GOD BECAME MAN

2011-12-09T08:26:00.000-06:00

[God] works on us in all sorts of ways. But above all, He works on us through each other. [We] are mirrors, or "carriers" of Christ to others… Usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. It is so easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objectives -- education, building, missions, holding services…The Church exists for no other purpose than to draw [people] into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other reason. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.

-- C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

#2893

A HEART PREPARED

2011-12-08T09:09:00.000-06:00

In the same manner in which we clean and prepare our homes in the anticipation of welcomed guests and family members this Christmas season, let us also prepare our hearts in anticipation of the Lord's coming. Christ, our most honored and eagerly anticipated guest, desires to meet with us in a heart prepared for His arrival. So eager is He to meet with us that He offers to help us with our spiritual housecleaning, working with us; creating a resting place for Himself within our hearts.

-- Katherine Walden

#2892

GOD WITH US

2011-12-07T07:17:00.000-06:00

As a result of the emotional distance they experienced as children, many people develop an image of God as unsympathetic and emotionally distant. God is seen as cold and unapproachable. He is seen as being interested only in facts and in performance. People who have experienced emotional distance in their families may ask: "How could God understand my problem? Does He even care about what I feel?"

The image of the emotionally distant God is dramatically different from the biblical image of Christ, who is called Immanuel which means "God with us." God came and lived with us, as one of us. He felt our temptations and struggles and feelings. He offers an intimacy with Himself which includes the emotional closeness for which we long.

-- Dale and Juanita Ryan in Recovery from Distorted Images of God

#2891

GOD OF THE DETAILS

2011-12-06T07:21:00.000-06:00

"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of deer? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time they give birth, when they crouch to give birth to their offspring, and are delivered of their young? Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open; they go forth, and do not return to them." (Job 39:1-4)

This passage comes in the middle of God's long response to Job and his friends. In this response (which continues through the remainder of Chapter 39), God reminds Job that it is God who created each living thing, that it is God who watches over the earth and all that God made. But what's beautiful about this proclamation is the intimacy of God's knowledge. This isn't the voice of a distant overseer. Rather, the voice of the One who made each living thing. God speaks of the smallest details of these creatures' lives -- when they give birth, what they eat, where they sleep, their flying patterns. It is a reminder to Job that God is a God of details, of the smallest moments, that God pays attention to the first steps of a deer and to the nest of the eagle. The animals are not held up as superior to humans (Job 39:9-12 is all about the ox as an animal meant for work). Instead, they are examples of the fullness of God's care for all of creation -- human being and animal alike… [God is] not a removed Creator but one who is in and around every detail of creation.

-- from The Green Bible Devotional

#2890

WE SAY WE BELIEVE, BUT…

2011-12-05T07:58:00.000-06:00

"But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." (Psalm 1:2)

People who are passionate about the writings and ideas of the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung are sometimes call Jungians. And the Jungians were pretty excited a few years ago. A huge journal he kept of his innermost thoughts and feelings was published after being hidden away and unavailable for nearly 100 years.

I'm not a Jungian; his teachings don't line up too well with Scripture, in my view. But I can understand why you'd be excited to read the long, lost insights of the person you've patterned your whole life after. The Jungians couldn't wait to get their hands on that book.

You know where I'm going. We tell everyone that we believe the Bible contains the very thoughts of God -- that the God of the universe went to the "trouble" of getting down in language His ideas for us. We say we believe that, but I'm not sure we're convinced.

If we were, it seems like we'd be a lot more delighted to dive into the thoughts of God every day. We'd be less likely to categorize studying the Book along with eating green vegetables, getting exercise, and flossing.

-- Christopher Lyon

#2889

HARK, THE ANGELS

2011-12-02T08:08:00.000-06:00

Too often... we ignore the role that angels play. Many Christians are afraid that talk of angels will distract from the power and majesty of God. And many others have a hard time taking angels at all seriously. But as John Calvin has said, "The angels are the dispensers and administrators of the Divine beneficence toward us; they regard our safety, undertake our defense, direct our ways and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us."

Like it or not, angels are important players in the drama of salvation. Isn't it time we paid a little more attention to these powerful and loving allies that God has given us?

-- Ann Spangler in An Angel a Day

#2888

GOD HAS MADE A WAY

2011-12-01T09:28:00.001-06:00

There is a nostalgia for religious faith, but not one that makes annoying demands; instead, the market calls for spiritual bonbons, little angel-fairies that grant wishes and look so reverent you just have to chuckle.

Christianity is declining in part because we can't, and shouldn't, pander to this current demand for sentimental spiritual delights. Our message is unfashionably tough: that the humanists are wrong, and we are not perfectable under our own power -- that we are more lost than even our panicky despair indicates...

But God has made a way. We can stop denying our sinfulness and stop fooling with ersatz gods. Jesus Christ alone paid the price, and He is the way -- the only way -- to make sense of our lives and make peace with God. There's nothing exclusive here. Salvation through Jesus is offered to all who will respond.

The worn words are overly familiar, but you don't get a new truth just because the old one got to looking old fashioned. Many are looking for this toughness; they're fed up with Cocoa Puffs and are searching for real food.

-- Frederica Mathewes-Green, excerpted from the Religious News Service, July 25, 1995. For the complete article click Looking for Religious Truth in All the Wrong Places

#2887

THE LORD'S PRESENCE

2011-11-30T07:56:00.000-06:00

Once your heart has been turned inwardly to the Lord, you will have an impression of His presence. You will be able to notice His presence more acutely because your outer senses have now become very calm and quiet. The Lord's chief desire is to reveal Himself to you. He touches you, and His touch is so delightful that, more than ever, you are drawn inwardly to Him.

-- Madame Jeanne Guyon (a seventeenth-century believer who spent almost twenty-five years in prison for her religious beliefs), quoted by Foster and Smith in Devotional Classics

#2886

BLOCKING OUR VIEW OF GOD

2011-11-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

People want signs from God but tend to ignore them when they are present. Even while God was making the "mountains quake" at Sinai in Exodus 32, talking with Moses on the mountaintop, and giving him the Law, the people of Israel were at the bottom of the mountain complaining against God and Moses and crafting their own god in the form of a golden calf. No matter how spectacular the sign or evidence, humans are easily blinded to God's presence and power because of sin -- the serious human drive for self-interest and self-indulgence. Sin has a way of blocking our view of God by putting up a mirror that causes us to fall in love with our own reflection.

-- Robert Kaylor in Come to the Manger

#2885

OUR ONLY HOPE

2011-11-28T06:50:00.000-06:00

"Some were sick through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress;
He sent out His Word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction." (Psalm 107:17-20 NRSV)

Our experience tells us that sin does not stand alone. A sinful act begins a string of events that cannot be undone. Sin causes much suffering: It dashes dreams, it ruins relationships, it deepens despair.... When we are drowning in a sea of sinfulness, wandering in a wilderness of despondency, cut off from everything that is good, our only hope is to cry to the Lord. ...

God will not relieve us of the responsibility for our sin or treat us like spoiled children. God will not restore what we have ruined or rebuild what we have destroyed. But God WILL give us faith to rebuild.

-- Jerry L. McGlone in The Upper Room Disciplines 2003, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN. Used with permission.

#2884

FEELING GRATEFUL

2011-11-23T07:11:00.000-06:00

Do you know why you should feel grateful? You are a part of God's plan, you are touched by God's tenderness, and you are a victor in God's victory. What greater blessing could there be?

-- Max Lucado

#2883

HELP ME

2011-11-22T08:44:00.000-06:00

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.

-- Samuel F. Pugh

#2882

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

2011-11-21T08:07:00.001-06:00

To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us -- and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a gift of grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God.

-- Thomas Merton in Thoughts in Solitude

#2881

SENSITIVE AND AWARE

2011-11-18T08:06:00.000-06:00

To be aware and sensitive is more than the notion of "touchy-feely" that many men seem to dislike. It simply means to be aware of the abundance of good and the presence of God in your life and your relationships with others. When you are aware, you are able to take responsibility for your own feelings and needs in order to take into consideration the feelings and needs of others close to you… You begin to see others as children of God and not people who make demands on you. Sensitivity becomes a movement of the Spirit upon our hearts that causes us to ask, "What does this child of God need that I can offer?"

-- Eugene Blair in What Kind of Man Was Joseph and What Kind of Man Are You?

#2880

A PERFECT FIT?

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Nothing can choke the heart and soul out of walking with God like legalism. Rigidity is the most certain sign that the disciplines have spoiled. The disciplined person is the person who can live appropriately in life.
Consider the story of Hans the tailor. Because of his reputation, an influential entrepreneur visiting the city ordered a tailor-made suit. But when he came to pick up his suit, the customer found that one sleeve twisted that way and the other this way; one shoulder bulged out and the other caved in. He pulled and struggled and finally, wrenched and contorted, he managed to make his body fit. As he returned home on the bus, another passenger noticed his odd appearance and asked if Hans the tailor had made the suit. Receiving an affirmative reply, the man remarked, "Amazing! I knew that Hans was a good tailor, but I had no idea he could make a suit fit so perfectly someone as deformed as you."

Often that is just what we do in the church. We get some idea of what the Christian faith should look like; then we push and shove people into the most grotesque configurations until they fit wonderfully! That is death. It is a wooden legalism which destroys the soul. (Scripture: Mark 7:9; Luke 11:52; Romans 2:28-29)

-- Richard J. Foster in "TSF Bulletin," Nov.-Dec. 1982. Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 2.

#2879

ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE

2011-11-16T09:42:00.000-06:00

“For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)

There are a few fundamental questions we do well to pose to our own hearts: How am I being rooted and grounded in love? Do I know, with the depth of authentic knowing, that Christ dwells in my heart by faith? Where do I experience being strengthened in my inner being with power through the Spirit? These questions have bearing on the health of our spiritual practice. As church leaders, do we offer ourselves to God before and through all the ways we offer ourselves to those we serve? I invite you to ponder these questions and to note your reflections in response. They are not abstract questions. The way you answer them will reveal a great deal to you about the health of your root system for the growing plant of your active ministry. If our spiritual roots do not dig deep into the soil of God’s love, if they have not yet twined around and beyond some of the buried stones blocking nourishment from that soil, then our ministry will be stunted, top-heavy, or easily uprooted.

-- Marjorie J. Thompson, excerpt from an article entitled “Rooted and Grounded in Christ,” in “Leading from the Center”

#2878

PASSIONATE WORSHIP

2011-11-15T13:34:00.000-06:00

"How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed faints for the courts of the Lord." (Psalm 84:1-2)

Vibrant, fruitful, growing churches offer Passionate Worship that connects people to God and to one another. People gather consciously as the Body of Christ with eagerness and expectancy; encounter Christ through singing, prayer, Scripture, preaching, and Holy Communion; and respond by allowing God's Spirit to shape their lives. Lives shaped by God's Spirit become the nucleus for congregations with extraordinary warmth, graciousness, and belonging. People are searching for worship that is authentic, alive, creative, and comprehensible, where they experience the life-changing presence of God in the presence of others.

-- Robert Schnase in Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations

#2878

LOVING GIVING

2011-11-14T09:02:00.000-06:00

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31 NKJV)

It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.

-- Richard Braustein

#2876

DEEDS AND WORDS

2011-11-11T08:14:00.001-06:00

Sometimes we are tempted to believe that deeds, not words, are the most important part of our witness for Christ. But upon deeper reflection we realize how very important words are. A record of only the deeds of Jesus would be a treasure, of course. However, to add His words to the record of His deeds adds infinite richness to our understanding of Jesus. The words of Jesus help interpret for us His deeds, and His deeds help give credibility to His words. The same is true of the person who witnesses for Christ.

-- Harold K. Bates in Witness for Christ

#2875

SACRED AND SECULAR

2011-11-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

e tend to confine the sacred to a fenced-in area, the "spiritual," reserved for church activities. Many people rarely give God a thought apart from an hour on Sunday morning, when they sing songs of praise, listen to a sermon, and then reenter the secular world as if passing through an air lock. My pastor tells me that church members tell off-color jokes in the parking lot that they would never repeat in the sanctuary. When the doors close behind them, they believe they leave sacred space, as if the world neatly divides between secular and sacred.

-- Philip Yancey in Rumors of Another World

#2874

RISING AGAIN

2011-11-04T08:19:00.000-05:00

What is our death but a night's sleep? For as through sleep all weariness and faintness pass away and cease, and the powers of the spirit come back again, so that in the morning we arise fresh and strong and joyous; so at the Last Day we shall rise again as if we had only slept a night, and shall be fresh and strong.
-- Martin Luther

#2873

"COME UNTO ME"

2011-11-03T08:44:00.000-05:00

"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mathew 29:11 KJV))

"Come unto ME." A call not to join an organization, to follow an ethic, a new teaching, or even a way of life, but a call to meet a Person -- an invitation to come directly to Him, and through Him to God. He is the Door. He is the Way.

God desires to be approached. God can be approached through Jesus. Can anyone hold an intimate conversation with one of the Greek gods or with the Holy Other of the Old Testament? But the Father of Jesus Christ offers Himself to us: "Come unto Me."

And if we come -- "salvation." That is, the burden lifted, the weight removed. "I will give you rest." The release of sin. The removal of every fear. Freedom of conscience. Everlasting life. "Salvation comes only as the result of a vision of God," says D.T. Niles. Jesus brings us the vision of God -- the God Who desires to be approached. "It is not the fear of sin but the love of God which sets men free." (D.T. Niles, Seeing The Invisible)

-- H.S. Vigeveno in Jesus the Revolutionary

#2872

SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR CHRIST

2011-11-02T06:53:00.001-05:00

Sacrifice yourself for once for the sake of God's will. It will not be in vain. Sacrifice yourself for truth, for justice. Sacrifice yourself for once against all human sense for something that is truly good. Sacrifice yourself for Christ in all things, and seek the kingdom of God. There is great strength in this… Stand for something; then your joy will be unbroken and lasting.
-- C.F. Blumhardt in Freude im Herrn

#2871

ONLY BY GRACE

2011-11-01T07:02:00.000-05:00

Only by grace can we enter, only by grace can we stand
Not by our own endeavors, but by the blood of the Lamb.
Lord, if You marked our transgressions who could stand,
But by Your grace we are saved by the blood of the Lamb.

-- Petra

#2870

GOD'S STRATEGY TO TOUCH THIS WORLD

2011-10-31T07:01:00.000-05:00

Salvation is always granted on God's terms, and it reflects the nature of God Himself. The most identifiable characteristic of salvation is the quality of our love, first toward God and then toward His people. Without a love relationship on both levels, vertically and horizontally, we have not experienced God's salvation. If we get this basic truth wrong, we are in desperate trouble.

God's strategy to touch this world is vitally linked with these two basic relationships. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He said in Matthew 22:37--40, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

-- Henry Blackaby and Melvin D. Blackaby in Experiencing God Together: God's Plan to Touch Your World

#2869

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

2011-10-28T08:31:00.000-05:00

Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:14-35)

To the loved, a word of affection is a morsel, but to the love-starved, a word of affection can be a feast.

-- Max Lucado

#2868

FOLLOWING JESUS

2011-10-27T07:06:00.000-05:00

Who is this Jesus? What is His mission and message? What is it to follow? To walk in His footprints? To hear ourselves called beloved daughters and sons? To know ourselves as children of God? To be sent? Missioned? These are the questions laid before us…

The invitation is clear. We must wrestle with having heard ourselves called, like Peter; like Paul; like Mary of Magdala. Like generations of Christians who have entered deeply enough into the drama of the Scriptures to have allowed the threads of their lives to be incorporated into the fabric of the divine mystery... We are called to be both more than we ordinarily are and what we are; in fact, [we are] created to be holy, saints.

Will we follow? What will that following look like?

-- Wendy M. Wright in The Time Between

#2867

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

2011-10-26T07:19:00.000-05:00

By definition, a disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the teachings of a Master. A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Christian discipleship is the process by which disciples grow in faith and are equipped by the Holy Spirit for ministry. This process requires believers to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to examine their thoughts, words and actions and compare them with the Word of God. This requires that we read, study and apply biblical teachings; pray regularly; participate in worship and fellowship with other believers; and reach out in witness and mission sharing the love of Christ in word and deed.

-- from www.gotquestions.org

#2866

THE MULTITUDES OF HEAVEN

2011-10-25T07:07:00.000-05:00

"Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You." (Nehemiah 9:5b–6 NIV)
During the French Revolution many leaders were determined to do away with Christianity forever. One lovely, clear night an atheist boastfully proclaimed his satanic doctrine to a poor countryman. "Everything," he ranted, "will be abolished--churches, Bibles, clergymen. Yes, even the word 'God' itself! We shall remove everything that speaks of religion." The listener gave a quiet chuckle. "Why do you laugh?" demanded the other. The peasant pointed to the stars and replied, "I was just wondering how you and your crew would manage to get them down!"

-- James R. Davis

#2865

SPURRING ONE ANOTHER ON

2011-10-24T08:11:00.000-05:00

"Christianity is as much caught as it is taught." ...The importance of solid teaching about the basics of the faith cannot be denied. But... some of the most significant spiritual lessons I have learned through the years have been "picked up" observing others share real life experiences in a small Bible study or prayer group, a Sunday school class, or in one-on-one conversation. "If that's occurring in someone else's life... then, it could happen in my life too!" is a frequent thought pattern I experience in such situations. Spending time with other believers in formal and informal settings has "spurred me on toward love and good deeds," to borrow a phrase from Hebrews 10:24. Because of this I want to enthusiastically echo the verse that follows, "Let us not give up meeting together... but let us encourage one another..." (Hebrews 10:25). I believe this encouragement or prodding process is usually more productive in smaller (instead of larger) groups... Make certain you're a part of one!
-- Steve Bell in The Chapel Newsletter

#2864

RESTORING SOULS

2011-10-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

The city dump caught the attention of a young black woman named Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904. Mary didn't see just a dump, she saw a way to fulfill her dream that, with God's help, she could teach illiterate black women to read and write. She shared her dream, and others came alongside her to help build a shack on the desolate place. They built desks from wooden crates and used blackberry juice for ink.

If you wander among the tall buildings, classrooms, and dormitories of [the United Methodist related] Bethune-Cookman University, you will find a headstone that commemorates where Mrs. Bethune's body was laid to rest at the age of seventy-nine. The inscription on the stone tells her story: "She has given her best so that others might live a more abundant life."

It takes a unique personality to see ruins and dream of restoration… God saw our desolate lives and was delighted to send our Deliverer to restore our souls. He gave His Son so that we, who were dead, might live.

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians

#2863

THE DISCIPLINED LIFE

2011-10-20T08:25:00.000-05:00

You need discipline, you need to be committed, you need to work hard, and you always need to be ready. You've got to do all those things both as a Christian and as an athlete.

-- Mark Brunell, in Sports Spectrum

#2862

ON THE HIGH SEAS

2011-10-19T08:20:00.001-05:00

God calls the church to "aqua-esce" in God's mission -- to leave the harbor, lift anchor, and launch out into the joy and risk of the deep sea. Our mission is not to hug harbors, or drop anchors where it is safe, or cheer as other boats sail into the deep. The place for the church is on the high seas where it is turbulent and dangerous, where storms gather with their fiercest intensity. In early Christian art, the church was portrayed as a boat driven upon a perilous sea.

-- Leonard Sweet in A Cup of Coffee at the SoulCafe

#2861

VISITING DAY

2011-10-18T09:31:00.000-05:00

He was looking forward to this moment all week long. After 6 days of labor, it finally arrived - Visiting Day! The man with the keys arrived to swing open the large, heavy doors. The cold, gray hall springs to life in the warm glow of light. He could hardly control his emotions. The families began to arrive. He peers from the corner of the room longing for the first glimpse of his loved ones.

He lives for the weekends. He lives for these visits. He watches intently as the cars arrive. He loves them so and would do anything for them. They embrace, eat a light lunch and reminisce about how things used to be. At one point, they break into singing, with interruptions of laughter and applause.

But all too soon it is over. A tear comes to his eyes as they depart. Then the man with the keys closes the heavy doors. He hears the key turn in the lock marking the end of a special day. There he stands, alone again. He knows that most of his visitors will not contact him again until next week.

The last car pulls away from the parking lot... Jesus retreats into loneliness as He waits until next Sunday - Visiting Day.

-- Author Unknown

(If you know the source of this quote, please let us know.)

#2860

GRACE-FULL WORDS

2011-10-17T07:31:00.001-05:00

How powerful words are when they speak to our heart! When they strengthen us in our weakness. When they impart peace amid turmoil. When they build us up when others have been tearing us down. When they refresh our weary spirit…

The New Testament… urges us to be men and women who speak grace-filled words. In Ephesians 4:29 we read, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear" (NASB). This is a powerful thought that the apostle Paul is urging on his hearers. Can you hear him saying, "Your words can communicate grace. They can be God's words to someone else"?

It's true. Our words can build others up… Our hearers can feel strengthened, refreshed or affirmed by our words. As men and women who are empowered and led by God's Spirit, our conversations can literally be a means whereby the Spirit communicates His grace to the one who is listening to us. That's why the next statement Paul makes is "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God" (Ephesians 4:30). Do you see what he's driving at? When we are not speaking to others in a grace-full manner, we deny God's Spirit the opportunity to encourage or strengthen someone else.

We think that's a powerful truth. We think it's exciting to know that we can be our Lord's ambassador of good news to those around us.

-- Dr. Norm Wakefield & Jody Brolsma in Men Are from Israel, Women Are from Moab

#2859

WORDS THAT BUILD OR TEAR DOWN

2011-10-14T08:09:00.000-05:00

It is said that when Robert Fulton was building his steam engine, his wife came to him in his workshop and said, "You'll never get that thing to work and even if you do you'll never be able to get it out." Well, miraculously, according to his wife, he got it to work.

The engine sat in his front yard as he worked to fit it on a boat. His wife came to him and said, "I don't know why you are spending so much time on that thing, you'll never get it to the river." Well, miraculously, according to his wife, he got the steam engine attached to a boat and got it down to the river.

His wife came down to the river and said, "I don't know why you are wasting your time, you'll never get that thing to start." Well, miraculously, it did start and Fulton began moving down the river. He was happy on two accounts: one, his invention worked, and, two, he left his wife back on the dock. But just then, he heard a voice calling out from the bank. It was his wife running after him saying, "You'll never get that thing stopped. You never will."

-- Rick Ezell in Strengthening the Pastor's Soul

#2858

ETERNALLY UNCHANGING

2011-10-13T08:52:00.000-05:00

"God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given us both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to His promise with confidence." (Hebrews 6:17-18, NLT)

The perfect and the absolute and the infinite God cannot become anything else but what He is ….

If you remember that, it will help you in the hour of trial. It will help you at the time of death, in the resurrection and in the world to come, to know that all that God ever was, God still is. All that God was and is, God ever will be. His nature and attributes are eternally unchanging. I have preached about the uncreated selfhood of God; I'll never have to change or edit it in any way… I go back over some of my old sermons and articles, and I wonder why I wrote them like that. I could improve them now. But I can't improve on the statement that God is always the same -- He is self-sufficient, self-existent, eternal, omnipresent and immutable. There would be no reason to change that because God changes not. His nature, His attributes, are eternally unchanging.

-- A.W. Tozor in Tozer on the Almighty God

#2857

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

2011-10-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

The nature of mankind is to blame someone or something for our problems. If you don't believe that just go back and read the story of Adam and Eve. They were both well engaged in "finger pointing" efforts to take away their own personal responsibility. We grow up with all kinds of expectations of what adult life will be like and the thing that keeps smacking us in the forehead is the need for accepting responsibilities in our life. We can try and avoid it or we can accept it as from God but in either case we cannot escape the fact that we are responsible for our own behavior. Sooner or later it comes back home to roost.

-- Pastor Gary Stone

#2856

A COMPASSIONATE FRIEND

2011-10-11T06:49:00.000-05:00

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." -- Romans 12:15

A four-year-old child lived next door to an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

-- Unknown

#2855

CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM

2011-10-10T08:45:00.001-05:00

The day started out rotten. I overslept and was late for work. Everything that happened at the office contributed to my nervous frenzy. By the time I reached the bus stop for my homeward trip, my stomach was one big knot.

As usual, the bus was late -- and jammed. I had to stand in the aisle. As the lurching vehicle pulled me in all directions, my gloom deepened.

Then I heard a deep voice from up front boom, "Beautiful day, isn't it?" Because of the crowd I could not see the man, but I could hear him as he continued to comment on the fall colors, calling attention to each approaching landmark. This church. That park. This cemetery. That firehouse. Soon all the passengers were gazing out the windows. The man's enthusiasm was so contagious I found myself smiling for the first time that day.

We reached my stop. Maneuvering toward the door, I got a look at our "guide": a plump figure with a black beard, wearing dark sunglasses and carrying a thin white cane. Incredible! He was blind!

I slipped off the bus and, suddenly, all my built-up tensions drained away. God in His wisdom had sent a blind man to help me see -- see that, though there are times when things go wrong, when all seems dark and dreary, it is still a beautiful world. Humming a tune, I raced up the steps to my apartment. I couldn't wait to greet my husband with "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

-- Unknown, quoted by Barbara Johnson in So, Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy!

#2854

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

2011-10-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34--35)

Someone once said that the church is a lot like Noah's ark. If it were not for the storm on the outside, one could hardly stand the smell on the inside. The church is not perfect. That should not come as a surprise to anyone. The church is, after all, a very human institution as well as a divine instrument… Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment. He insisted that they love one another, and He explained His commandment in strategic terms. The disciples should love one another so that others would find their witness credible. The disciples' love would cause people to know that these were true disciples of Jesus. How the disciples live their love toward one another would undergird their credibility to the others they hoped to reach with the gospel of Jesus.

-- Harold K. Bates in Witness for Christ

#2853

GOD'S SELF-REVELATION

2011-10-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

Revelation is understood as an experience of light. Light is God's self-communication. The difference between "God is nowhere" and "God is now here" is but the addition of a span, a space of light. Creation itself was the first self-revelation of God.

-- Leonard Sweet in A Cup of Coffee at the SoulCafe

#2852

RELYING ON THE SPIRIT

2011-10-05T07:58:00.000-05:00

We live in an age where "Christian leaders" can quite simply be created with the help of wealth and technology. Men and women, in the name of Christ, are wielding great influence over the lives of hundreds of thousands of believers.

And yet their own lives may be in moral shambles.

A true Christian leader is one whose public moral influence is simply an extension of a deeply nurtured and mature innermost private life in Christ.

The rapid pace of modern society often forces us to react on the spot out of who we already are. To meet those demands we must rely on the much deeper resource of the Spirit. How we are guided becomes a reflection of our core values.

We need a fresh call to the holiness and integrity of the Christian way.

-- Gordon Aeschliman in Leadership in the 21st Century

#2851

SURPRISED BY THE ABILITIES

2011-10-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

When we let go of our usual categories and the productivity-oriented measuring systems so common in our culture, we can be surprised by the abilities that people with developmental disabilities often reveal - their keen sensitivity to interpersonal situations, the depth of their empathy, their willingness to overlook and to forgive, their faithfulness, their acceptance of difference, their originality, their capacity to be present and to cut through pretense, their resilience, the creativity of what they produce, and their gift for celebration.
-- From More Than Inclusion, L'Arche Canada, 2005

#2850

MAGNIFY THE LORD

2011-10-03T08:37:00.000-05:00

Max DePree said that the first task of a leader is to define reality. God, being the ultimate Leader, takes that task quite seriously. And worship fundamentally is about the definition of reality.

Now, in worship I use every tool at my disposal -- memory, imagination, music, Scripture, images, pictures, and dance -- to magnify God in my life. In worship, I remember that reality is more than what I can see and touch. In worship I acknowledge that I look at a shrunken God on a regular basis, looking at Him through the wrong end of the telescope.

So in worship, at its heart, we magnify God. One of the Greek words for worship begins with the prefix mega, meaning large, which gets attached in our day to everything from malls to churches. In worship I remember again that we worship the great God, the Mega God, the Lord of lords. In one of the classic songs of worship in the New Testament, Mary cries out, "My soul magnifies the Lord." Worship enlarges my capacity to experience and understand God.

-- John Ortberg in If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat

#2849

THE ETERNAL ARTIST

2011-09-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

In the created world around us we see the Eternal Artist, Eternal Love at work.

– Evelyn Underwood (1875-1941), as quoted in The Green Bible

#2848

THE WARMED HEART

2011-09-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

God moved dramatically in [John] Wesley's heart because Wesley had put himself in the position for his heart to be warmed. That morning he read his Bible; he prayed for an hour or more. He attended a worship service at St. Paul's cathedral, he went to a small Christian fellowship group on Aldersgate Street -- and he did these things on that day after many years of daily Bible study, prayer, fasting, visiting the prisons, and traipsing off on a mission junket to another continent. Americans tend to wait until the heart is warmed... and then I will serve, then I will pray, then I will go out in mission. But this is as if I wish to converse comfortably in a language I have never studied, as if I want to propose to a woman I've never met, as if I'd like to make a hole in one without ever swinging a club on the driving range.

-- Dr. James Howell, Senior Minister of Myers Park UMC in Charlotte, NC

#2847

NIGHT OF FIRE

2011-09-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

When French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal died, a piece of paper was found sewn in his cloak. He had written it nine years earlier, on Monday, November 23, 1654. Before then he had been wildly successful and deeply unhappy. On that Monday night, he met God.

People knew that Pascal had changed. One day he had been drowning in confusion; the next he was free of it. One day he had been unhappy with his life, disgusted with his world and himself, and then there was a change in his world. My own favorite indicator was that he began to make his own bed. He began to rely less and less on his servants. He became one of the servants.

But Pascal never told anyone about his "night of fire," never breathed a word. No one would have known, except after Pascal died, his nephew and a servant were sorting through Pascal's clothing when the servant found what he thought was extra padding. It turned out to be a piece of crumpled parchment with a faded piece of paper. Pascal had sewn it into his clothes so he could wear it next to his heart. These were the words he had penned:
      Fire.
      GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob.
      But the God of the philosophers and of the learned.
      Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.
      GOD of Jesus Christ . . .
      Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except GOD.
      Grandeur of the human soul.
      Joy, Joy, Joy, tears of joy …

-- John Ortberg in Faith & Doubt

#2846

A COMMON LOVE

2011-09-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

From a Christian perspective, human relations reach toward full realization when there is a common love, when there is shared faith in God and joint commitment to God. To love God together with others is to be drawn into the deepest sharing of life with one another. It is to find the true base of community and it is to extend community. A new dimension of relationship is established by common life as each person is drawn out of his or her subjectivity into a new way of being as "we" is created. Love is the bearer of this new way of being, and this new way of being is the inclusive expression of Christian love.

-- Thomas A. Langford in Christian Wholeness

#2845