Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…

I am often amazed at the whole concept of God's grace.  In the old testament before the "new deal" of God's grace, it was tough being a sinner.  It seems in the stories of old that God was patient with His people, then judged and punished.  It wasn't unusual for whole generations or nations to be wiped out as a result of God's judgement.  Today is different.

Today God continues to be amazingly patient, but He has also become amazingly graceful.  His grace or unmerited favor falls on us every day  in very tangible ways.  I wonder how many traffic accidents were avoided because of God's intervention.  I wonder how many illnesses were prevented because of God's grace.  It is really tough to know for sure, but I believe God loves us and constantly intercedes in our best interests.

I believe the opposite is equally true.  I believe the evil ones are constantly attempting to kill, steal and destroy us.  They are dead set at drawing us prematurely to hell.  It is only by the grace of God that we escape the devil's planned destruction of everything good in our life.

Today.  Now.  Take a moment and thank God for His grace on your life…

Surf to: http://www.1stchurch.org for FRESH CONNECTIONS..

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Vengeance is Mine. ~God

It is said God is a jealous God.  He really does not like us to worship other gods.  A god can be defined as anything that gets between you and the real God.  An easy example to understand is the love relationship you have with your credit cards.  When you have a need and you go to your credit card god of choice instead of going to your real God, you offend God. God has the right to judge.  God is the creator.  God sent His Son that you might have life, not that you might have credit.

 “And the bloody slaughter began. 

The officers and guards threw the corpses outside and cleared the way to enter the inner shrine of Baal. They hauled out the sacred phallic stone from the temple of Baal and pulverized it. They smashed the Baal altars and tore down the Baal temple. 

It’s been a public toilet ever since.”

I guess I really stepped into it this time.  Probably just lost some readers.  Oh well.  It is what it is…
 
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A Soul is Saved!

Ever wondered what that expression means? "A soul is saved."  The thought raises all kinds of questions.  One can wonder what a soul is and then what it is saved from.  This picture is a real life image of a person who is in the process of exchanging her life for the life of Christ.  ie. "A soul is saved."  Does that make it even more confusing?  Maybe.  Let me try something else.

There is a part of us that lives way before we are born and way after we die.  That is our soul.  It has nothing to do with our physical body.  It has everything to do with our eternal body.  There are angelic beings doing battle for our soul.  Demonic angels are doing everything in their power to take you with them to an eternity in hell.  Heavenly angels are doing everything in their power to take you to spend eternity with the Father, God.  

There is an incredible mind bending battle going on between the two forces.  The battle is for your soul, but neither side has the power to determine your eternal destination.  The miracle and mystery of it all is that only you have the power to decide.  It matters not how big the battle, you decide the outcome.  The lady in this picture has just decided to spend eternity in heaven and has told satan and his demonic angels to GO TO HELL!

That is the beauty of the statement, "A Soul is Saved!"

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TWEETING FROM LAREDO..

Fred and I are waiting for kids to show up and load on the bus. Flyers
were passed out for games food and medical help. Looking forward to
seeing my first God spots. God is a great God! Heading bak to the
community center. It is warming up and feeling like Texas…

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Tweeting to Laredo on a mission

On a bus heading to a little mission outside of Laredo. Plan on being
the church while there. Hugging on kids is call of the day. Taking
trailor which holds all the contents for a block party. Mr.Fred is
driving the bus. He is the friend who took the crazy God Spot bus ride
with me to California and back. Am looking forward to todays God
Spots. More later. Follow 37stories on twitpic for pictures of the
day.

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God loves us extravagantly!

As long as we have hunger, God will feed. He never tires of providing for our needs in body, soul and spirit.  Today as we go to Laredo, I pray He will choose to abundantly flow through us and into the live of those we touch.  Amen.

"Don't worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you've said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what's left for you and your son. This is the word of the Godof Israel: 'The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.'"

Surf to: http://www.1stchurch.org for FRESH CONNECTIONS..

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Heading to Laredo, Texas for God Spots!

I’m looking forward to Saturday.  I will be getting up early and heading out with about 30 other friends to Laredo, Texas.  We will be visiting a small church out in the middle of nowhere and see what we can do to help.  It is amazing it doesn’t matter where you go to serve, God is always there waiting.

 

I especially look forward to mission trips, because God never fails to display His God Spots in ever living color.  I will be taking my netbook and assuming I can find a “Hot Spot” somewhere in Laredo, I will blog from there.  Follow me on facebook or surf to: http://1stchurch.org to keep up with the adventure and enjoy the FRESH CONNECTIONS.

 

archie

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Sin waits. Don’t look. Keep walking.

Solomon found favor in the sight of God.
King Solomon became wiser and richer than all the kings of the earth.
But, King Solomon was obsessed with women.
King Solomon openly defied God in worshipping other gods.
God was furious with Solomon.
Things didn’t end well for Solomon’s family.

Surf to: http://www.1stchurch.org for Fresh Connections.

Coloring outside the lines can be beautiful…

Some think coloring outside the lines is wrong.  It seems out of place to them.  It even seems counterproductive.  But consider the crippled handicapped child and how beautiful it is to even see the child pick up the crayon.  Any color is good.  It matters not where the color goes.  It is just beautiful to see the color at all. 

David colored outside the lines.  In his experiences and with God's wisdom, he developed some rules to live by.  These rules give insight into his life and can be applied to those like him.  

You stick by people who stick with you, 
you're straight with people who're straight with you, 
You're good to good people, 
you shrewdly work around the bad ones. 
You take the side of the down-and-out, 
but the stuck-up you take down a peg. 

"I am but a crippled child.  There is beauty in the colors I pick and the place I lay them down."  ~the janitor

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Whatever! With God, bad might turn good…~the janitor

Everyone knows David as the man after God's heart.  He was king and a good king he was.  God loved David and blessed him many times over.  Blessings on David was not unusual.  It was a way of life for him.  Wouldn't you have loved to live the life of David?  

But wait! What about the time Absalum, his son rose up in rebellion against the David and set out to kill him and crown himself king.  That surely was not a good time in David's life.  Or what about another son of his dieing because of David's sin with Bathsheba?  Or what about the time…  The list goes on.

It seems obvious to me, life is meant to be what it is.  Sometimes events make us happy.  Sometimes events make us sad.  We need to remember, events are nothing more than happenings.  They do not define who we are or who God is.  They are just events.  

In the good and bad, thank God for what you have and look forward to the next day with Jesus.  Who knows, maybe God will see the trouble you are in and make something good out of it?

"And who knows, maybe God will see the trouble I'm in today and exchange the curses for something good." ~David

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