The Lord is my Shepherd with 12 Promises in beautiful verse as told by David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The Lord is my shepherd; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. 

The Lord is my shepherd; He leadeth me beside the still waters.

The Lord is my shepherd; He restoreth my soul. 

The Lord is my shepherd; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

The Lord is my shepherd; Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. 

The Lord is my shepherd; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Lord is my shepherd; Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. 

The Lord is my shepherd; Thou anointest my head with oil; 

The Lord is my shepherd; My cup runneth over. 

The Lord is my shepherd; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

homeless people smell http://jesuspress.posterous.com

Have you ever noticed, homeless people smell?  I bet most of you assumed it, but have never verified the obvious truth…. homeless people smell.  Why is that?

Why is it you can not bring to mind the smell of a homeless person?  Could it be you were born with a rare but never fatal disease that prevents your nose from smelling?  If so, I am so sorry you have missed the opportunity to smell the sweet if not offensive smell of the homeless.  

I once backpacked and wondered where I would get a shower.  I was told by those more experienced than I, after 3 days of hiking and no bath… the smell will get as bad as it will get.  It’s seems to be true and confirmed by the homeless.

For those of you who quickly recounted the remembered smell of a homeless person, thank you.  Keep the smell fresh in your memory as you look for the next opportunity God will give you to prove to the world He is alive and well.  

I believe God has a special place for those disadvantaged here on earth.  When God gives you the opportunity to minister to one of the least… be blessed.  God has honored you and blessed them.

Surf on over and see what Advance Him is up to… serving the least.

If this guy had a backwards collar, you might find him more believable. Regardless… he speaks truth.

“It took a TIDAL-WAVE of calamity to re-arrange my life.”~Robert Rutherford, pastor

Robert Rutherford

I remember the season of life when I answered the call of God to lay down my rituals. Father longed for me to spend time in His presence…. but, I was too busy performing my obligatory duties as a Christian and a minister. Every day…. I had a list of things I did, because other great men of God did them….and, told me I should. I was greatly admired in my sphere of influence. An example to the believers! BUT… Inside.. I was cold and empty.

I was told, from time to time, by messengers from Father, that I was more involved with religion, than relationship… but, I refused to believe it! I wasn’t DOING…. ANY of the BAD things my flesh craved and longed for. I was RESISTING temptation, and DOING all of the GOOD things that were expected and required of a well-balanced Christian. But… I felt FAR away from God.

It took a TIDAL-WAVE of calamity to re-arrange my life. After the dust settled…. and, after I finished blaming God….. Satan…. Others…… Myself….. I, finally found a Peace and REST I had never known. In the stillness of doing NOTHING FOR GOD…..I stumbled upon a great truth concerning His abiding presence…. and, His willingness to saturate me in His Unconditional LOVE.

It was hard for me to get it through my head… that God, neither NEEDED me…. or, WANTED me to climb back on the treadmill of WORKS. He whispered in my Spirit… ” Stop doing anything you feel obligated to do.” These simple words changed my world.

I learned how to say, “NO” to the GOOD things.. just as I had, previously, learned to say, “NO” to the BAD things. It was a great BLOW to my pride… when, I realized my GOOD… was no better than my BAD. They were BOTH products of the TREE of GOOD and EVIL… and, I had been SO BUSY at THAT tree…. that I had cut myself off from the TREE of LIFE!

It took some time to re-adjust my thinking. Many friends viewed me as BACK-SLIDDEN as I RE-GROUPED. While I was NOT in Attendance at all of the religious services and rituals…. I was finding a new way to live in the SPIRIT! I was learning how to LIVE in the presence of God. Before… His presence was like a visitor that came by to bless me.

I found out that the invitation was for me to DWELL there!! It was like trading an occasional glass of water for swimming in the ocean!

Are you empty, inside? Are you going through the motions… doing what is expected of you… yet, NOT feeling the fulfillment you desire and need? Maybe you will hear Him whisper, “stop doing anything you feel obligated to do.”

Maybe YOU will climb off the treadmill of expectancy and “disappoint” your “Christian inspection team.” Maybe YOU will TRADE religion for relationship. It will make your life WORTH LIVING!!! Fall in love with HIS PRESENCE… and, the LOVE you find, there… will motivate you, from the INSIDE…. to DO… and, BE what you are called to do and be.

He has an AMAZING LIFE planned for YOU…….. DON’T MISS IT!!!! RR

Praying the will of the Father guarantees an impact in your requests…. i have quit telling God what is best… instead… i ask…”for what shall i pray?”…. there is a big difference in the prayer… total submission is a big part of the prayer. yep.

Hell Fire, Damnation and Love are Strange Bed Fellows…

You can tell you’ve been in Africa a while when….

Jim Taylor is my friend and became a missionary when he sold out and moved to Africa… taking Jesus with him.  This is his thoughts about his stay…Enjoy!  Yep!

You can tell you’ve been in Africa a while when:

- Paying $40.00 for a pound of cheese seems normal.

- You don’t even glance the second time at bare-breasted women.

- A newcomer remarks about “all the trash” and you wonder what they are upset about.

- You don’t worry about going into a restaurant all hot and sweaty ‘cuz you know everyone else is in the same condition.

- Guys standing along side the road urinating don’t even catch your attention anymore.

- Buying your supper out of the window of your vehicle while you are stopped at an intersection seems perfectly normal.

- You no longer get upset at the Police stopping you and asking for your papers when they have no reason to.

- A Policeman carrying an AK seems perfectly normal.

- You can actually tell a joke in another language and it works!

- People can no longer tell which country you are from without asking you.

- By noon you can’t remember if you showered and put on clean clothes in the morning.

- You no longer check closely to see if there are bugs in whatever it is you are eating.

 

Does God wake you with a whisper or a shout?

Satan versus God…. Score please?

Satan choosing to be god must have been much like a chihuahua thinking he can whip a pit bull. The chihuahua is obviously not thinking. Sometimes I live life as a chihuahua, thinking I can win without the abiding of Jesus.

There Once Lived a Man in the Land of Uz…

I have many friends who currently live in the land of Uz.  You may be one of them.  My friends are in the struggle of a life time.  Their identity in Christ is being threatened by an attack of the evil ones. Some are personally experiencing the destructive beast of cancer. Others are having their eye sight stolen.  Still others are seeing their family destroyed or their possessions stolen.

Personally, the attack on me came in the form of a nonstop migraine for over a year. This was hell on earth. It was accompanied with a business collapse and loss of a lifetime of savings.  For you, the beast may come in some other form…. but it is likely if you live in the land of Uz, the beast will come.

“Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion.”

Consider Mary… opening a bottle of excessively expensive perfume worth thousands of dollars showcased against a poor and starving world, she pours the perfume on the head of Jesus and washes His feet with tears, wiped with her hair. Jesus loves her dearly and has a deep friendship with her brother Lazarus. Others with Jesus were furious at Mary’s wasteful attitude.

“Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper. While he was eating dinner, a woman came up carrying a bottle of very expensive perfume. Opening the bottle, she poured it on his head.”

Consider Lazarus… he is a personal loved friend of Jesus. I believe my friends living in the land of Uz to be personal loved friends of Jesus. Lazarus falls ill and dies even in the knowledge of Jesus. In hearing of his friends illness and possibly yours, Jesus hangs back and waits for the inevitable. Lazarus dies. I want to scream! How can that be? Jesus loves Lazarus and Jesus love you and I. Yet… He waits.

“Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days.”

Living in the Land of Uz, it seems time may stand still in the midst of suffering. At times it even seems God has forgotten you. In the Land of Uz, friends will judge you and find your life lacking. Some will avoid you hoping to avoid any suffering in their own life. Some will even believe you have committed great sin and God is punishing you, believing you are getting what you deserve and still Jesus waits…

But in the midst of suffering… one does not have to wait for Jesus. Jesus abides in the suffering. Jesus feels every pain you feel. Jesus weeps even as Mary weeps. Jesus is anointed with your tears. Jesus is the beginning and the end. If you choose to believe… Jesus abides. Jesus will save.

“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

THE REST OF THE STORY… it is really insignificant compared to the adventure lived out in the Land of Us. Lazarus is raised from the dead. Job goes on to have his family and possessions restored hundreds of times over. Mary is remembered for her passionate love of Jesus. The unfaithful friends in the Land of Uz likely meet with eternal damnation.

As for you and I currently living in the Land of Uz, we will believe and abide in Jesus… even in the waiting. We choose to believe, knowing that Jesus loves us and will not abandon us in the midst of our belief. In our believing, Jesus chooses to abide in us.

In our believing whether in life or death, Jesus will heal each of us and restore all the locust has eaten. In our believing, we will not just be an insignificant subtitle in history. We will be remembered for our courage and love of Christ.

In our memory… others may experience Jesus in their own personal Land of Uz.