Friday, August 21, 2009
Carts, Ladders and IHOP
I went to Walmart with my daughter-in-law Amy one time.
When we got back to the car with our stuff, I didn't take the cart back to the cart place. She said that putting the cart back was one of her pet peaves.
One of my pet peaves is not putting the cart back.
My Dad always said that if you took the cart back to the store, you would make the "cart guy" lose his job. He didn't want the guy to lose his job for lack of work.
What do you do when confronted with two opposing pet peaves.
I took the cart back to it's proper spot, because making Amy happy is very important to me.
Sorry mister walmart cart guy, hope you can find another job.
.
That . . .
We have had a wooden 12 foot ladder at the shop for a long time.
Back in 1980 it was falling apart.
Good friends Max and Dora came to visit Mom and Dad.
Max is a longtime carpenter, and so he fixed up the ladder pretty good.
I started using the ladder for taking pictures about 25 years ago.
Football teams, reunion groups, graduating classes, etc.
Many, many photographs have been made from atop that ladder.
Everyone around would always ask if that ladder was safe (it was pretty wobbely)
Many times, several concerned for my safety would gather around and hold the ladder, saying things like, "Oh, My!"
We used that same ladder today to take a photo of the MHS Football team.
Taylor climbed to the top and took the picture, I held it steady at the bottom and said, "Oh, My!"
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This is That . . .
The International House Of Prayer (IHOP) began 24/7 Praise, Worship & Intercession on September 19, 1999 in KC.
They will celebrate their ten year anniversary on the week-end of September 19 next month.
I am hoping to be able to go,
to review their 30 year prophetic history, ten years of 24/7 worship and intercession, and to hear the vision of what is yet to come.
It is all about Jesus . . .
His love for us and His plans to come rule and reign over us and the planet.
I want to be ready and help others to be ready as well.
.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
The Biggest Day
A really cold, really good watermelon, is really good.
On my way home last night, I had a watermelon in the passenger seat.
My car kept beeping, warning that the watermelon didn't have a seat belt on.
Obviously, a watermelon is not a person.
What a dumb car.
On the other hand I guess an accident could cause the melon to projectile thru the front window and strike an unknowing person in the head.
Maybe that's what the car was thinking?
.
That . . .
Try to think of the most important day or days of your life.
Being born is pretty big.
I received Jesus when I was five - really big.
I can think of several noteworthy days in high school, sports, etc.
The day I got married was certainly important.
My children's birthdays.
.
This is That . . .
The biggest day for each of us?
Seeing Jesus face to face.
Looking into his eyes and realizing how loving, merciful and kind he is.
And then fully knowing our missed opportunities to live a life more devoted to Him.
I believe it will be a great and wonderful day, but also a day of regret.
Why didn't I live a life more devoted to Him and the desires of his heart?
I know how much He desires my heart to be wholehearted towards Him.
The minutes, hours, days, months and years go by.
Good intentions, but much time wasted.
Oh, that I would love Him more and more.
.
What about you?
.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I had a girl helping me print t-shirts today.
I figured out we were printing four shirts every two minutes.
So I said to her, "If we can print four shirts every two minutes, how many can we print in 40 minutes?"
She thought about it for a little bit and then said,
"Quite a few."
.
That . . .
My mom had a pacemaker put in and the whole ordeal zapped her strength and caused a considerable amount of confusion.
She has been staying at Woods of Monticello in a medicare bed for the past couple of weeks to aid in her recovery.
I've been able to bring her home every evening for a few hours.
Last week I brought her home each evening just to help her.
This week I've been bringing her home each evening to do the dishes.
.
This is That . . .
She's coming home on Saturday.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
No Pants and A Pace Maker
One of my favorite comments from the 9 yr. old
baseball tournament in Magnolia.
"Madilyn. (A two year old) MADILYN!
Madilyn . . . get out of the trash!"
.
That . . .
I opted to stay in Magnolia at a hotel Saturday night
to save a two hour drive to get home,
and then a two hour drive back Sunday morning.
My room was directly across from the vending and ice machine.
It was about 10:oo and most of the 9 year olds
had stopped jumping on their beds
and had settled down in their rooms.
I was on the bed in my underwear
and wanted to get some ice.
I decided that a t-shirt was mandatory, but
I wouldn't go to the trouble of putting my pants on.
Just a quick dash across the hall, get my ice,
and right back. No problem.
So I got the ice bucket and opened the door to find
no fewer than seven moms sitting outside my door
quietly visiting, and now all looking up at me.
One of them said, "Do you need some ice?"
I wanted to say, "No, I need my pants".
But what the heck, I just carefully stepped over
each pretty young mother, got my ice,
then crawled back into my room.
"Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"
.
This is That . . .
My mom has had a hard week.
When I got home from Magnolia Friday night,
she was unable to get up out of her chair.
All her strength was gone.
She was weak, winded and confused.
Come to think of it, so was I.
Long story short, I took her to the hospital,
they transferred her to the Ark Heart Hospital
and put in a pacemaker yesterday.
My sister Jeanette and husband Brian
are bringing her home tomorrow.
I am praying that God would take away any spirit
of confusion, and that she would have clarity of mind.
Please say a prayer for her.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Enid Valentine
is written by Enid Valentine.
Preserving A Generation.
http://babies-live.blogspot.com/
.
That . . .
.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ME NOW?
By Enid
What do you think of Me when you fall into trials of various kinds?
What do you think about Me when your prayer doesn’t seem answered?
What do you think about Me when you can’t seem to overcome depression though you fast and pray and fight and fight?
What do you think about Me when your closest friend has forsaken you, when your father has abandoned you?
What do you think about Me when you’re still single after so many years?
What do you think of Me when you’ve lost your job?
How about when you couldn’t raise support or the mission field didn’t work out and you felt like a failure?
What do you think about Me when your pastor was exposed of secret sins?
What do you think about Me when the people you most loved and trusted were the ones who hurt you?
What do you think about Me when your adoption doesn’t go through?
What do you think about Me when your baby doesn’t live?
When your spouse abandons you?
What do you think about Me when you just faithfully press on and on no matter what, it just gets dryer and dryer, colder and colder; now what are your thoughts about Me?
.
This is That . . .
.
I’ll tell you what I think about you…
You are the ones I was dreaming about before the foundations of the earth were laid.
My dance over you began when you said, ‘yes’ to Me,
when you first said my Name, and I am singing over you even now.
My song is about that place in your heart that never gives up,
that never forgets, no matter how hot the flame,
no matter how fiery the trial.
As My eyes search the earth I see you standing at the foot
of that mountain, you are so small in comparison.
You continue to say yes to Me, although you
have no human ability to endure these things.
All you have is Me. Oh how you move Me!!
I know you are dust, I know you are looking through a glass darkly.
Don’t you understand how much it means to Me when you choose
to love Me, the One who you cannot see?!
I know that you cannot see Me, yet you love Me!
OH MY BEAUTIFUL ONES!!!
Believe Me when I say, you move My heart
by just choosing to love Me in the trials.
You could’ve walked away when you saw the mountain,
you could’ve given up when I didn’t come immediately,
but I choose to try your love, TO MAKE IT MORE VALUABLE!
Because I knew you’d come forth as gold.
You may not realize it because you sometimes feel weary,
but you’ve never given up. I count this as faithfulness.
I credit this to you as faithfulness.
This is what I think about you, My small ones,
standing at the foot of that mountain.
I see, I hear, and I know.
Not one single sigh has escaped My notice.
I promise, I promise, we WILL leap upon this mountain together,
though I tarry, I will come!
.
“They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength,
they will mount up with wings like eagles,
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sleepin' for Lester Barrett
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because some goofball built a million dollar bridge.
.
I spent the week-end selling t-shirts and
photographing a girls softball state tournament.
8 yrs old thru 16 yrs old. 32 teams.
A lot of girls. Really hot.
Go to http://www.taylorjamesdesign.com/
and click event login to see about 5,000 action photos.
The 8 year olds were particularly impressive.
They use a pitching machine.
One third base girl could continuely throw people out at first base.
One time the bases were loaded with no outs.
The batter hit a pop up to third.
Everyone ran. This third base girl caught the ball,
stepped on third (two outs) then threw the ball to first.
The runner got back by a half a step.
Almost an eight year old triple play.
.
That . . .
Back in high school, I drove a tractor one summer
for a farmer (Lester Barrett) in western Kansas.
There were two tractors, I drove one and
an old farmer guy drove the other one.
He didn't talk much. Mostly just one word at a time.
First thing each day, "Morning".
When we would stop he would say,
"Hot", or sometimes, "Dirty" depending
on which he was thinking about the most.
As one tractor goes around it has a disc that
makes a mark for the other tractor to follow.
You just keep your right tire on that mark and all is good.
One morning I went to sleep and drove off into the middle of nowhere.
I woke up and got back in line,
but no way to hide this from the other guy.
When we stopped for lunch he asked, "Sleepin'?"
.
This is That . . .
Jesus?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
It's ALL about ISRAEL
Israel is 280 miles long and 70 miles wide.
The land has forests, green valleys, deserts,
fertile farm land, and a mountain range.
.
The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth.
The Jordan river, where Jesus and many
others were baptized, flows into the Dead Sea.
There is no life in the Dead Sea.
.
About 6 million Jews were killed in the holocaust.
About 6 million Jews live in Israel.
About 6 million Jews live in the USA.
There are about 17 million Jews worldwide
.
That . . .
586 BC
The kingdom of Israel conquered by the Babylonians.
538 - 333 BC
Exiled Jews return to land and build 2nd Temple.
0 - 70 AD
Life, death and resurection of Jesus.
Apostles, Pentecost, early church.
70 AD
Roman army conquers Jerusalem.
Jewish people exiled and dispersed.
Temple destroyed.
May 14, 1948
After almost 2,000 years,
State of Israel becomes a nation again.
1967
Arab armies threaten to annialate Israel.
Against impossible odds,
Israel is victorious in six day war.
Israel occupies Sinai desert, the Gaza Strip,
the Golan Heights and the West Bank.
Jews return to Judea and Samaria which was
part of Biblical Israel.
.
This is That . . .
Romans 11
God has not forgotten the Jews or the land of Israel
It's all about Israel and the Jews.
The Jews have had and have a blindness to who Jesus is.
.
Gentile believers have been carrying the spread of the Gospel,
but the Jews are still God's primary chosen people.
Jews and non-Jewish believers in Yashewa will eventually come into unity.
At the return of Jesus, all living Jews will be saved.
All the nations will gather to Israel to war against
Jesus, Israel and raptured believers.
Jesus wins.
The earth is cleansed from sin as
Jesus rules the world from Jerusalem.
.
"What in the world is going on?"
God is after his people.
.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Working On It
What if some big "in charge of TV guy" called
you up and offered you the opportunity to speak
to the whole world for one hour on TV.
What would you say?
What if you were the editor of the world
newspaper for just one week.
What would you publish?
.
That . . .
What if you had an opportunity to talk to
just one person, for just a little while?
.
This is That . . .
I'm not sure either, but I'm working on it.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Jesus - You're My Idol
I didn't watch American Idol this year.
But I have to admit that a Christian worship leader
from Conway got my attention . . .
and so I watched last night and tonight.
.
That . . .
The world is very tempting, very talented, very enticing.
KISS, Santana and Black Magic Woman.
Lucifer was the head musician (worship leader)
in heaven before his fall.
He has imparted much to the enemy camp.
Who can endure?
.
This is That . . .
Watching American "Idol" seemed like a prophetic
picture of what's going on in the world.
The battle is raging.
Judgement is coming.
Sin is on the rise and on the way to coming to fullness.
Unity, perfection, and
the full power of God are coming.
God is raising up an army of love sick worshipers.
God is very merciful, loving and kind.
Both in His judgements and His blessings.
Wholeheartedness is required.
This is no time time to sit back,
back off or turn on the cruise control.
Don't back off, press in.
Prayer matters.
So pray.
.
We are NOT the champions.
God is the Champion . . .
The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
In the end . . . JESUS wins.
.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Wrong is Wrong
I saw this story in the Arkansas Democract this week.
Jermaine Cooper led officers on a 90-mph chase
before stopping suddenly at a Taco Bell in an
unsuccesful attempt to get a burrito before
going to jail.
.
That . . .
Here is the "James" recipe for bacon spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti, it's too crunchy raw.
Fry up some diced bacon and then add
a diced up onion. Drain the grease.
Add tomato sauce and season however.
It doesn't hurt to add a little water
if the sauce is too thick.
Add tobasco sauce and you're good to go.
.
This is That . . .
President Obama had this to say about abortion.
"Sometimes we need to just agree to disagree."
What?
We need to agree to disagree that killing babies is OK?
We can agree to disagree about what kind of spaghetti
sauce is best, or which green shirt goes best with the
yellow pants, but abortion is in the right or wrong
category and we cannot agree
that a wrong thing is right.
.
I heard this conversation on the news this week.
Liberal: "Since you think waterboarding is OK,
how would you like to be waterboarded?"
Conservative: Since you think abortion is OK,
how would you like to be aborted?"
.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Don't Not Know This Is That
I saw a guy walking two rats this morning.
Let me tell you, these were some big rats . . .
almost as big as dogs.
.
That . . .
I just got back
from photographing a 1949 Class Reunion.
Not very many were in attendance.
I was waiting for the go ahead and noticed the
lady in charge carefully counting the class members.
I waited til she had finished and then asked,
"How many are here?"
She immediately turned around
and started counting again.
.
This is That . . .
"It doesn't matter much to me whether Jesus
comes back before the tribulation (pre-trib) or if
he comes back at the end of the tribulation (post-trib).
I know it will work out in the end."
.
This sounds right, sounds good and seems wise.
But I believe,
this attitude is wrong, bad and not wise at all.
Please pray this prayer . . .
"God, WAKE ME UP!"
.
We are in the generation of the Lord's return.
It is a BIG thing. Bigger than Abraham's adventures;
Bigger than Moses leading God's people out of Egypt.
Even bigger than Jesus' first coming.
The end of this age will be more "Earth Shaking"
than the beginning.
.
Jesus is coming back to Jerusalem
as a Jewish man to be King of the earth.
You might want to read that again.
The present leadership of the earth will be out.
Jesus will be in.
At his return, everything will change.
The rulers of all the nations who are not
believers in Jesus will be tossed out and killed.
(They won't be happy about this.)
The dead in Christ will be raised and given resurrection
bodies along with all the living believers.
We aren't going to heaven, heaven is coming to earth.
The bride of Christ will live in the New Jerusalem . . .
the place Jesus has prepared for us.
We will be joint heirs and rule with Him for a
1000 years in the millennium.
I believe it will really get good after that.
.
This transition has already begun.
The pieces have been being put in place
since the fall in the garden.
This IS what God is doing.
This is the gospel that we share.
This is why people need to repent and be saved.
When tribulation escalades into the
GREAT TRIBULATION
believers need to know and understand what is
happening, and trumpet to all on the earth the truth
of God's sovereign intent to cleanse the earth of sin.
He will use the least amount of trouble possible,
to bring the greatest number of people,
to the deepest level of love,
without violating their free will.
.
Don't cast the knowledge of eschatology aside.
People get ready. Jesus is coming.
.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cast out Stupidity
This . . .
When you're driving down the road in your car,
do your tires turn clockwise or counter-clockwise?
.
Which is worse?
Getting peanut butter in the jelly;
getting jelly in the peanut butter;
or licking the knife in between?
.
That . . .
I photographed a wedding today.
The groom was not very big, and not very tall.
The bride was considerably taller and fairly buxom.
So the preacher says to the groom,
"Turn towards your bride, and look her in the eyes.
"No, no, . . . her eyes, her EYES!"
.
This is That . . .
What we have in the world today,
is a considerable amount of stupidity.
It would be more accurate to say,
that there is an epidemic of deception.
I hear some people talk and I think,
"What is wrong with their brains?"
No, really, I can't figure out
how they can be so completely idiotic.
People who call the truth a lie,
and believe that lies are true.
People who think a tea party is a terrible thing.
People who see nothing wrong with
killing babies, but get very upset at the
thought of mistreating a whale.
People who embrace immorality and feel good about it.
People who believe Christianity
is the problem, not the solution.
Between the deception and the truth
is all this gray area which just makes
stupidity look less stupid, and more scarey.
So, what meanest thou this?
Satan is raging, but so is God.
Sin is on track to come into fullness while
believers in Jesus are on track to come into perfection.
The light of the Word of God is getting brighter,
while darkness is getting darker and darker,
causing those in the shade to be more and more
decieved, and in need of a Saviour.
There is still time to pray, still time to tell,
still time to cast out the darkness and be salt and light.
God, set us on fire with love for you,
and empower us to do and be all that you desire.
We cast out deception and speak forth light and truth.
Help us God, Amen.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ben Hur
Maybe I'm the only one. Maybe not.
Have you seen Ben Hur?
I saw it when I was about ten.
I watched it again tonight.
.
That . . .
The only thing I could really remember
about the movie was that it was so long
it demanded an intermission, and the chariot race.
This one bad guy had a spike sticking out from his
wheels. They tore up a lot of the chariots,
but Ben Hur (Charlton Heston) won the race.
It was good prevailing over evil.
.
This is That . . .
Is that all I could remember?
Are you kidding me?
I think this just became my most favorite move ever.
If you haven't seen it . . . see it.
If you have seen it, see it again.
Particularly if you think it's about a chariot race.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Honey, Trumpets and Jesus Fanatics
This . . .
Don't ever let honey in your car.
If the girl at Popeye's offers you
honey for your biscuit . . .
call 911.
.
That . . .
There is something very, very important that happens
on the earth, right after the third trumpet in the
in the book of Revelation.
Do you know what it is?
.
This is That . . .
There are those who would say,
"The only enemy we have
is those Jesus fanatics."
But the truth is, the only hope for the world
is the "Jesus Fanatics" praying under the
zealous, loving leadership of Jesus.
Mike Bickle.
.
The fourth trumpet.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
King of Kings
I was born in the nineteen hundreds.
A bird (I think) pooped on my car in a huge way today.
I'm guessin' a really big robin or
a medium sized penguin.
You know that we know,
and we know that you know that we know
that what is happening here is nonsense.
Speaking of job creation,
what is a racism awareness counselor?
.
That . . .
A Democracy is the worst form of government
except for all the rest.
God has never suggested that we should vote on it.
The United States has done well as a democracy
because we have mostly been a Christian nation,
have mostly had Christian leaders,
and have mostly voted accordingly.
Corrupt judges. Corrupt politicians.
Corrupt leaders. Corrupt people.
Lions, tigers, and bears . . . oh, my!
Don't worry "The Calvary" (Jesus) is coming.
Don't worry unless God is your enemy,
then pray that the rocks will hide you.
There is not a trace of a democratic government being recommended in the Bible.
It is God's desire and intention for us to live in a kingdom, which requires a king.
This is That . . .
Jesus.
King of Kings.
Lord of Lords.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The New Jerusalem
In 1820 the earths population was 1 billion.
By 1930 the population had doubled, to 2 billion.
1960 - 3 billion
1974 - 4 billion
1988 - 5 billion
2008 - 6.7 billion
2025 - estimated 8 billion.
.
Revelation 6
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Revelation 9
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed . . .
.
Between the fourth seal and the sixth trumpet, half of the world's population will be killed.
.
That . . .
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE
Troposphere - 11 miles high - weather - Mt. Everest - Airplanes
Stratosphere - 31 miles high - weather balloon - Ozone Layer
Mesosphere - 50 miles high - meteors
Thermosphere - 400 miles high - Space Shuttle - Aurora Lights
Exosphere - 500 miles high - Outer Space
New Jerusalem - 1,500 miles high
Moon - 250,000 miles high
Mars is 49 million miles from earth
The sun is 93 million miles away
.
This is That . . .
The New Jerusalem - 1,500 Miles High
Revelation 21
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth.
And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs (About 1,500 miles). Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
.
The New Jerusalem will descend to the earth and be 1,500 miles wide, deep and high.
This is where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us,
that where He is, we might be also.
If there was an elevator that went 100 miles an hour,
it would take 15 hours to get to the top, but WOW what a view!
I think it will take us only a minute or two to visit someone on the top floor, providing we don't stop to see someone else on the way.
Being 1,500 miles wide and 1,500 miles deep, diagonal visits might take a little longer.
1,500 miles square measures a little larger than half of the US.
From the top, we'll have to parachute down about 1,100 miles to visit the space shuttle, only we won't need a parachute.
Friday, March 13, 2009
When The Rain Comes
I had a dream last night. Most of the time, my dreams seem wierd and completely meaningless, but this one seemed different.
Whether it was a "God Thing" or not, I don't know. It was encouraging and then again it was discouraging.
I think I will share it and let the rain fall where it will.
.
That . . .
I was at a gathering of believers in an outdoor stadium.
Not much was happening. There seemed to be a lack of unity, as different believers were expecting and presenting different things.
Suddenly, a large black cloud formed right over the stadium and it began to rain. These were big rain drops that glistened as they came down without wind.
I immediately stood up and began to shout, "Hallelujah!" because I knew this was an outpouring of God's presence.
Then I realized that I was one of only a few.
Most were responding negatively, because the rain was spoiling the day.
Not wanting to make a scene, I sat down and began to softly whisper the name of Jesus over and over.
.
This is That . . .
I am not sure of what "this is that" is.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Loving God First and Best
This . . .
Here's a kind of funny quote from Mike Bickle at tonight's Passion for Jesus Conference. "No, I really mean it - I'm not serious!" Reminds me of the time he miss spoke saying, " I may not finish the notes tonight,
I might run out of town". . .
Of course he meant "time".
That . . .
Mike spoke tonight on "The First and Greatest Commandment".
It was good to be reminded again of my first and greatest calling . . . to love you, God.
Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:26, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. .
This is That . . .
Oh, that I could love Jesus like that.
That I would love Jesus the same way the Father loves Jesus, and that I would love God the same way that Jesus loves God.
Is that even possible?
I believe in miracles, and Jesus' prayer is my prayer.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Stand and Fight
I didn't write this, but I wish I had.
That . . .
Randy Bohlender did.
.
This is That . . .
I’ve always been interested in the varied ways that people respond under pressure. Pressure, danger, peril….it has a remarkably condensing affect on people. Their bravado, their facade, it all collapses together in to one dense ball of what they are.
And there you have it….the essence of them. Some are full of steely resolve. Others are full of hot air. It’s hard to tell who’s who when life is all sunshine in the park, but a well placed lightening strike can make the distinction in a nanosecond.
In being intellectually and spiritually honest, you cannot think too much about life without thinking about death, and you cannot think to much about this age without anticipating the next. To focus on life while not dealing with death or to be consumed with this world at the expense of preparing for the next is to admit your thoughts and emotions are half baked.
I’m pained with watching the tight grip the church has on the here and now, living lives largely no different than their neighbors…maybe a little more moral (though not necessarily) but surely reflecting the same meta-values for self preservation and delaying pain, often at the expense of growth.
Jesus knew we’d struggle with this…being afraid of all the wrong things and being brave about things that demand no bravery at all….when he said the words recorded in Matthew 10:27
“…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
So what are you afraid of anyway? What causes a quaking within you? The thought of a premature death….or the thought of a life you failed to live? The ironic part is that those who cling to this life with a death grip really don’t get to keep it anyway. They die as dead as the rest, perhaps a few years later….but just as dead, and often more so, having died inside long before the shell stopped moving.
Revelation 12 speaks of a group of overcomers…those who conquer evil by the work of Jesus and the purity of their spoken creed. It seems counterintuitive, but those He singles out as overcomers actually lose their lives….yet they win it all, and they win because they do not love their lives to the point of being afraid to die.
The man who is not afraid to die is truly free to live. Cower now and you’ll cower for eternity. Stand and fight - even unto death - and you’ll stand forever.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
God and his servant Lia.
is about a little girl, Lia, who gave a really great speech about life.
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That . . .
The article about it.
The mother of a 12-year-old girl whose pro-life speech has become a hit YouTube video says her daughter's passion for the unborn is genuine.
Lia is a preteen from Canada who decided to speak out against abortion in her school's speech contest, despite teachers and school officials who encouraged her to pick a different topic.
"What if I told you that right now someone was choosing if you were going to live or die? What if I told you that this choice wasn't based on what you could or couldn't do, what you had done in the past, or what you would do in the future? And what if I told you that you could do nothing about it? Fellow students and teachers, thousands of children are right now in that very situation," she says in her speech.
Kimberly, Lia's mother, says Lia was told by school officials that if she chose the topic of abortion, she would not be allowed to participate in the speech contest. But both were surprised when Lia's pro-choice teacher had a change of heart. "Her teacher was really impressed by this speech and perhaps moved by it, and therefore her teacher kind of was a real supporter of Lia winning for the class," Kimberly notes.
"And she had to go through a couple of hoops and get clearance from a couple of other teachers before she could be declared winner of the class."
Another controversy erupted when the panel of judges had a supposed big disagreement and one stepped down. Initially Lia was disqualified, but later the panel declared her the winner.
She was asked to take out this portion of her speech: "Fetuses are definitely humans knit together in their mother's womb by their wonderful Creator who knows them all by name." Kimberly says after Lia was told to remove that portion of her speech, she took time to think about her decision and ultimately decided to leave it in.
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This is That . . .
The speech.
Lia also competed in a regional speech competition but did not win. However, her speech has been viewed by over 200,000 people on YouTube.
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Go, Lia - Go, God!
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Sunday, February 01, 2009
Prayer Time - Prayer List
It is hard to imagine a
$1 trillion dollar stimulus package.
How long is one trillion seconds?
How tall would a stack of one trillion dollar bills be?
If we divided up
$1 trillion dollars among every American,
how much would each one get?
.
That . . .
I know what time I get up in the morning.
I know when I go to work.
I know when I eat lunch.
I know when I get off work.
I know when I watch TV every day.
I know what time I go to bed.
When do I pray?
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This is That . . .
Well, I do spend time in prayer every day, but it is not really set in stone.
And I am not very focused on what to pray.
If I was me, here is what I would do.
1. Set apart a designated hour every day.
2. Use a prayer list.
I,ve got the time. I've got the list.
The national anthem has been sung.
It's gametime.
.
3,200 years.
Half way to the moon.
$3,300 each.
I think if the government would give every
American $3,300 that would stimulate the
economy "much more better" than what
they currently have planned.
What if they required the $3,300 to be used to
reduce any personal debt before being used for
any other purpose?
Hmmmm.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Could I Please Get You A Glass Of Water?
What if you knew for sure that Jesus was coming back tomorrow?
What would you do tonight?
I know I would be frantically going after all the oil I could get.
I would be looking for a thirsty person to give water to.
I would pray.
I would read the book of Revelation, Matthew 24,
and I Thessalonians, etc.
I would be shouting to my relatives and friends
to get ready.
I would want to get with other believers to pray,
search the scriptures, and cry out for mercy.
I would not be politically correct and
I wouldn't be very interested in eating,
or watching Idol on TV.
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That . . .
Well, He's not coming back tomorrow,
He's COMING BACK NEXT WEEK!
So I have more time than I thought!
Only kidding, but not really.
He's coming in a minute.
Our whole lifetime is but a minute.
Believers will live for eternity with Jesus.
Our lives are like whispers in the wind,
but God has his ears wide open - He's listening!
He is looking to and fro to see if he will find faith on the earth when he returns.
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This is That . . .
So what do you think?
Is Jesus coming or not?
I believe he is, and I'm not ready,
but I'm working on it.
If you believe he is, are you ready?
I want to be with him in all of his plans to return.
I want to be with him and not against him when
he begins to remove sin from the earth,
and I want to be a part of his pure and spotless bride.
I want to be like John . . .
I want to be like one crying in the wilderness,
"Prepare the way for the coming of our Lord".
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Harlot Babylon
And on her forehead a name was written
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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That . . .
A religous system is being raised up that the Bible calls, "The Harlot Babylon".
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This is That . . .
The devil is raising up a worldwide religious system of toleration. That's what is happening right now.
It's being set up right now.
The big religions of the world are coming together on the basis of no absolutes.
Everybody is right. Toleration is the rule of the day.
Everyone is happy. There are no standards.
There is no judgement. This is a complete falsehood but
that is how religious unity will happen first.
We can see the signs of that very clear right now
Many leaders in the church and in the world are moving in this direction on a global level.
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"You know there is no real difference between Judiasm and Islam and Christianity and all the other religions.
They all are different ways to the same God.
They all lead to salvation."
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That is an absolute decpeption.
They do not all lead to salvation.
One leads to salvation the others lead to the lake of fire.
Still, many leaders in the body of Christ are leaning in this direction and many leaders in the world are proposing this with great joy.
Satan knows it is too big of a step to get a compromising Christian, a compromising Jew, a compromising Muslem to go from compromise straight to satan worship.
That is too big of a step, so he is going to have them join a tolerant, all embracing movement that will cause them to turn their back from their religious tradition.
They will step away from their religious tradition. They will step away from the absolutes and the ideals they were brought up with and they will join the new peace religion where all the religions are right. The new justice movement that has no absolutes will look and feel great.
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That's the first step, but that is not the end of Satan's plan. After he has defiled their conscience and they get comfortable, a few years will go by and then the antichrist will pull his mask off and say, "Guess what? This everyone is right religion thing is no longer going to work. You have to worship me or die."
Then after their consciences have been defiled, some will say, "we have already left Christianity, we already left the religion we grew up in, we might as well go the next step, it seems like the right thing."
They take the next step and begin to worship the anti-christ.
This anti-christ worship movement will have no toleration.
There will be zero toleration. You worship satan or you get killed.
This will be a shock to many who have embraced the Harlot Babylon religion.
This will be a new idea. They won't see it coming.
In the beginning,none of them believe that this will happen but it will.
They won't realize that they are being decieved.
Many in the church are moving toward this toleration harlot system even now.
They don't know where it is going.
.
God is raising up faithful witnesses to expose even the early stirrings of people moving in this direction.
In the last ten years the amount of men and women of God moving in this direction is staggering.
This direction of toleration, this false justice system
this humanitarian movement that's doing good, but on man's terms with no allegiance to Jesus
They have no idea that this will bring them to satan worship at the end of the day.
This is the deception of the Harlot Babylon.
The only people who know and understand what is happening are Bible believing people who believe with understanding what the Bible has to say about this deceptive harlot.
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Based on Onething 08 notes.
Monday, January 05, 2009
You Want To Know This
The 2008 Onething Conference gets better each year. By better I mean it's impact on the hearts of believers is more critically overwhelming and mind wrenching combined with relative wisdom and revelation that crunches your body, soul and spirit causing a rending of hearts that sets fire to the urgency of the days we are living in.
In other words . . . I can't quite express it.
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That . . .
This years focus was the book of Revelation and the return of Jesus.
When God created the heavens and the earth,
that was a big deal.
When God made a covenant with Abraham,
that was a big deal.
When Moses delivered God's people out of Egypt,
that was a big deal.
When John the Baptist said, "Prepare the way",
that was a big deal.
When Jesus was born, when Jesus shed His blood for our sins, when Jesus was resurrected,
that was a big, big deal.
When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost,
that was a big deal.
When Jesus comes again to remove sin from the earth and rule and reign forever with his bride,
Oh, my goodness . . . I can't quite express it.
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This is That . . .
You can watch the archives of the conference here.
Onething Conference
You Want To Know This Stuff!
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Saturday, January 03, 2009
People Get Ready by Misty Edwards
This is That . . .
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He's Coming.
Awake, Awake.
People get ready, Jesus is coming.
Awake, awake, oh sleeper.
He's coming. He's alive.
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of David.
He was born to be a King.
He's alive. A Jewish man. He is coming.
People get ready.
He is not a man that he should lie.
He said he would come again and he will come again.
Who is this King of glory?
He's alive.
He's coming.