This prayer so moved me after I read it this morning, I 'adopted" it as my 2009 start off prayer - would you join with me?

.. --> @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in }Beloved Father, here I am, with You in the flames of Your Eternal Presence. I offer myself to You, presenting myself to be Your living sacrifice. I abandon and surrender my former independent, ego-centered, self-life, past, present ind future, to You. The sentence of death has always been within whatever I have been and done apart from You, Lord God. Forgive me Father, for I have sinned against You. What is corrupt in me is not worthy to be called Your beloved Son. Crucify all that I have been apart from Him. Plunge it into Christ's Death, that it may be stripped away from me, forever. Let only what pertains to Christ remain in me.

In exchange for that sinful, corrupt, independent self-life, give me Christ Himself. Let Him forevermore be my New and Eternal Life. I claim no other. I desire no other, only Him. The Lord Jesus, Your Perfect, Eternal Image and Likeness in Whom You are well pleased, is, forevermore, my one and only Lord. He alone is my Life.

Father, according to Your Eternal Covenant, breathe Your Spirit into me always so that whatever I am and do, in time and space, is Christ, that He may be revealed in me. Fulfill Your Covenant Promises in me and in my household. Transmit into our spirits, souls and bodies, and into our past, present and future, and into all our thoughts, choices, words, deeds and relationships, whatever pertains to our Lord Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and embrace Him, as our Identity, Agenda, Purpose and Motive. He, and He alone, shall be our Life, our being and our Love. Let the All-consuming Fire of Your Presence burn away from us all that is unworthy of You.

As I abide with You in Christ, by Your Spirit, beloved Father, in the Name of Jesus and the eternal union that we now have with each other, I dare to reach out with all of my Blood-cleansed heart—to touch You. In the Name of my Covenant Redeemer, I caress Your eternal, infinitely beautiful Face, O Lord. With all that is in me—all You have put within me – I respond, that I may obey You and become One with Your Eternal Purposes. I desire and choose to love You as much as it lies within the ability of a creature to love You. I am here, in Jesus' Name, to do Your will, O God, gladly, totally, and eternally.

(from "The Lord and His Levite" by John Marquez, (c) 2001 Christ Life Ministries)

On Dogmatism

Everyone is dogmatic. Everyone thinks that their way is right, whether it is warranted or not. So we have a world full of stubborn people.

Who is right? One person says that his religion is the only way. Someone else says that all religions are valid. Both of these are dogmatic. The former is easily seen, but the latter is dogmatic as well. The second is dogmatic because he asserts that there is not one way. He is very passionate about this; just as passionate as the former person. The person who believes that all faiths are valid has great disdain for the person who believes in one way. Does the fact of the universality of dogmatism preclude the possibility of one true way? Everyone is dogmatic. Does this mean that everyone is wrong? If it does then that means we are in a world with no truth. I cannot accept this.

Here is my stubborn belief. Truth isn’t a teaching, or the absence of teaching. Truth isn’t all teachings lumped together in a giant mass of contradictions. Truth isn’t subjective, the invention of one mind. Truth isn’t objective, being viewed from a distance. Truth is a PERSON. His name is Jesus Christ. The Truth came into a world of liars and declared Himself. Just because this world is confused doesn’t mean there is not a real state of things. Jesus is the real state of things.

So choose this day what you want to be dogmatic about. You must be stubborn about something, unless you stopped thinking. Jesus didn’t leave a question about His authenticity. If you look, you will see that God proved the authenticity of Jesus. I’ll give you a clue where to start. Daniel chapter nine, the seventy-sevens!

I heard a group of hateful speakers on the radio. They were talking against many ethnic groups, especially Jewish people. This was all done in the name of Jesus. The thing that surprised me was that after they were finished exhibiting their utter contempt for Jewish people, they started preaching right out of the law of Moses. I wondered what any Jews who might have been listening would have thought of them. A bunch of hateful imposters was my conclusion. If a real Christian wants to reach an unbeliever, whatever his ethnic group, he shouldn’t show hatefulness toward them. If someone doesn’t believe in Jesus, Christians should feel sorrow for them, not contempt. If you want to reach the Jews, show love , not hate. This was their first mistake. Their second mistake was preaching the law. Show them that Jesus fulfilled the law, and set them free by His actions. Don’t hate the Jews, and then preach the Old Covenant. Love them and preach the New Covenant. Tell both Jew and Gentile that Jesus crucified is the answer for all of us. Only then can we join as one Church, where there is neither Jew or Gentile. After their meeting of hatred, they bowed their heads and prayed in Jesus’ name. I heard this on the short wave radio because the AM stations would probably kick them off. I then wondered what Jesus thought of them while they were praying to Him. Put it this way. I would not want to be in their shoes. Jesus is the only way for all people. But there is a right way to speak the truth, and there is a wrong way. Speak the truth in love. Omit self confidence and pride. Never take a holier than thou attitude, because you are not holier. Everything we have, we’ve received by grace. If you forget this, you forget the Gospel.

Our cousin Annie was in an ATV accident on December 30, 2008, near Pueblo, CO. She was riding with our other cousins and friends, when two of the ATVs collided and she was thrown.Upon arriving at the hospital it was discovered that she had broken her neck in several places, she had a concussion, she has broken her pelvis clear through in three places,  several lower vertebrae had been fractured, and there is suspicion of a broken femur.The doctors have placed her in a halo to protect her spine from further injury. Praise God that she can move and has feeling in her limbs. It is obvious that He is watching out for her!
She is in surgery for her pelvis as of right now, please pray for her and the surgeons/doctors. Updates will be posted on www.caringbridge.org/visit/anniesandner, feel free to sign the guest book which is being read to her when appropriate.
Thank you so much, every prayer counts!
God bless all of you!
TK4

New year and new plans

Well my friends 2008 was a busy year but already the Lord is setting out the plans for 2009.
In September 2008 as a mission we sent a container of aid to Romania to help those in need after heavy flooding when many homes were destroyed and lifes lost.
As the Lord leads we are being called to visit Romania in the early part of 2009 to see first hand what can be done for the people. Please pray for this new outreach to Romania.
Also as you may already be aware plans are still on going to build the Christian school in Jinja Uganda.
Pastor David has been in Northern Ireland for 2 weeks and has meet all those involved in raising funds for the school. He was presented with a new laptop and digital camera as well as being encouraged to see for himself the things that have been accomplished to date. To date the Lord has touched hearts and the first £5000 has come in to start rebuilding the school.

God is moving and cares for those in need.

Have a blessed 2009 my brothers and sisters in Christ
Your servant in the Lord
Joseph beggs

You can read this. That means you can see. Does He who formed the eye not see? Does He who made the ear not hear?

Oh, you don’t believe the eye was designed. If this is the case, then that means you have closed your eyes. You have a lot of things you must ignore if you believe that. All the tiny mechanisms that make up your eyes and ears are more complex than this computer you’re using. It would be easier for your computer to have made itself than for your eye to come into being without a supreme Designer.

Let’s assume that you are not willfully blind for a moment. That means your Creator is seeing you right now. Does this cause you to fear? If so, good. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Let’s assume that your wisdom is starting. Let it grow until you realize that you should not be afraid. God loves you. God died for your sins and rose again. Reach the full growth of wisdom by believing this.

Oh, you want God without Jesus. But what about all your sins? They are not cleansed outside of Jesus. Don’t you realize that you must be prepared to meet God by faith in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you realize that you cannot approach God in and of yourself? Try looking at the sun for a few seconds and see how much it hurts. How much less can we approach God without the supernatural change wrought by faith in Jesus? Jesus did not allow Himself to be a mere option. LISTEN!! Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father BUT BY ME!!!”

Oh, you’ll take your chances without Jesus. If you gave your only son to die in order that we could have life, and someone mocked, laughed at, and ignored him, wouldn’t you be a bit upset? You will find out that 2 + 2 = 4, not 5 and not nothing. 4!!!! If this simplest of things is an absolute, what about the most important thing? You are storing up wrath against yourself because of your willful blindness. Do yourself a favor. Ask Jesus to show you He is real. If you are sincere, you will find Him.

Question: "What is the purpose of the church?"

 Acts 2:42 could be considered a purpose statement for the church, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” So, according to this Scripture, the purposes / activities of the church should be: (1) teaching Biblical doctrine, (2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, (3) observing the Lord’s supper, and (4) praying.

The church is to teach Biblical doctrine so we can be grounded in our faith. Ephesians 4:14 tells us, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” The church is to be a place of fellowship, where Christians can be devoted to one another and honor one another (Romans 12:10), instruct one another (Romans 15:14), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and most importantly love one another (1 John 3:11).

The church is to be a place where believers can observe the Lord’s supper, remembering Christ’s death and shed blood on our behalf (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The concept of “breaking bread” (Acts 2:42) also carries the idea of having meals together. This is another example of the church promoting fellowship. The final purpose of the church according to Acts 2:42 is prayer. The church is to be a place that promotes prayer, teaches prayer, and practices prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Another “commission” given to the church is proclaiming the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The church is called to be faithful in sharing the Gospel through word and deed. The church is to be a “lighthouse” in the community – pointing people towards our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The church is to both promote the Gospel and prepare its members to proclaim the Gospel (1 Peter 3:15).

Some final purposes of the church are given in James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” The church is to be about the business of ministering to those who are in need. This includes not only sharing the Gospel, but also providing for physical needs (food, clothing, shelter) as necessary and appropriate. The church is also to equip believers in Christ with the tools they need to overcome sin and remain free from the pollution of the world. This is done by the principles given above – Biblical teaching and Christian fellowship.

So, with all that said, what is the purpose of the church? I like the illustration in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. The church is God’s “body” – we are His hands, mouth, and feet in this world. We are to be doing the things that Jesus Christ would do if He were here physically on the earth. The church is to be “Christian” – “Christ-like” and Christ-following.

http://www.gotquestions.org/purpose-church.html

You don't know what life is going to throw at you, nor when

A new friend and co-writer of mine were working on a song, and in the midst of that process - they found out their dad was diagnosed with serious cancer.  Of course they were heartbroken as they love their dad very much and wished for many more years with him.

I was wandering around the house one day...thinking about this plight;  and this song 'birthed' itself out of me - I wrote as fast as I could and of course it went through a number of 'iterations' and tweaks over the past month or so before I posted it here.

I wrote it from the perspective of the person thinking about the brevity of life and how much time they still wanted to spend with their daddy and that they would make it 'less casual'....I think we can all relate to that.  We all tend to let good relationships become casual sometimes.

However - this is not necessarily a reflection of my friends situation - as they have been close with their daddy - but that's just the way I wrote it.  Just a clarification... :-D

Hope it speaks to someone....and perhaps even sounds good enough to be re-recorded by someone as well.

blessings - and may our relationships get all the energy and love they deserve.

dan