just some awesome quotes....

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.”

Dr. Martin Luther King

"Isn't it staggering when you think that one sermon on the day of Pentecost produced 3000 Christian people? And we had some cities yesterday where 3000 sermons were preached and nobody was saved. And it doesn't even faze us. The church used to be a lightning bolt, now it's a cruise ship. We are not marching to Zion - we are sailing there with ease. In the apostolic church it says they were all amazed - And now in our churches everybody wants to be amused. The church began in the upper room with a bunch of men agonizing, and it's ending in the supper room with a bunch of people organizing. We mistake rattle for revival, and commotion for creation, and action for unction. Look, I think this is a critical hour in history, the most critical hour in history; the Middle East is ready to blow up... the prestige of this nation we love has gone down ... As someone said, "We live in a theater of the absurd...
When did you last tiptoe out of the sanctuary when you dare not say a word? The church has to rediscover two things. One, the majesty and the Holiness of God, and the other, the sinfulness of sin." ---Leonard Ravenhill

United we stand....

Something new is happening in my blog-world!
My friend, Robin, and I will be starting a Bible study/accountability blog.
We will be sharing the space as authors and sharing ideas about our mutual studies.
Our hope is that we can gleen insight from one another as we, together, seek the Lord's will and His wisdom through the study of His Word.
We are so excited to see where God will take us as we journey together through the Bible and as we seek the Lord in all understanding.
I am also committed to faithfully praying for all my bloggy friends as we, together, enter a new year and as we, together, seek to give glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through our testimony and our shared blogs.

"For where two or three are gathered together in MY name, I am there in the midst of them..."---Matt. 18:20

Taking Chance.....

This movie was on of the most beautiful stories I have ever seen told on film and every American needs to watch it.
It is the story of a decorated Marine Colonel who volunteered to escort the remains of a young fallen soldier killed in Irag back to his family and hometown.
This movie is simply his observations along the way.
Stunning....beautiful....

I don't know what to call this...

A fresh word was spoken into my ear which has quite literally stopped me in my tracks: "We don't go to church.....we ARE the CHURCH."
(much pondering going on in my head...around and around and around she goes...where she'll end up....nobody knows.....)
Hebrews 10:24-25 says this:

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

To "consider one another" literally means: to observe, to contemplate, to have an intelligent insight into."
All those things require us to have a relationship with one another out side the walls of the church building in order to accomplish those things.
Note that "love and good works" need to be stirred up, they don't just occur. It speaks of a convulsion and forcefully of the tremendous impact believers can have on each other, which is why the author compels them to gather together, right?
I get all that, I really do...I am UBER relational and I have no problem with this scripture so far as it applies to our fellowship with believers....beyond Sunday morning.
But, and here's the BUT....is this a description of why we gather together for worship? or is it more of a recipe for good fellowship minus the building???
That's where I keep landing.
For me and my family, corporate worship is for seeking God and God alone in worship and praise and adoration, for when you try to add in "stirring up love and good works" it sort of muddies things up when the focus is put back on temporal things(man) instead of eternal things(God).
We so desire that pure worship, pure devotion to God...I hear of worship services in India, for example, that go on for hours into the afternoon where afterwards they eat together and share their experiences with fellow their believers.
Worship/praise and seeking God's face are TOTALLY separate from the time of fellowship with other believers.
Do you see that?
I do.
I believe that the author of Hebrews was not describing what our Sunday morning worship should look like but, rather, it is a beautiful description of true fellowship which occurs usually Monday-Saturday and it speaks to the purpose of fellowship as well.
I think we are so used to trying to "have it all" on Sunday morning that we have crammed it all together and have ruined the whole thing, for us, at least, which is why we have chosen to worship elsewhere,(gasp) but yet we still seek the fellowship with believers and friends where we have served along side of them and served God for many years.
The absolute best part of this whole situation is that it was through God's leading that brought us to where we are at. It has been a process of revealing Himself to us a little here and a little there until we came to see the whole picture.
First came discontent, but He used that to move us in a different direction. Then He revealed to me His design for true worship and then, he began to show me how to LOVE-really LOVE people which has led to understanding and purposeful/meaningful fellowship. Along the way He has showed Himself in mighty ways and He has asked that I OBEY HIM even if I don't understand His ways, I believe, in preparation for showing us His will and showing us how to please Him instead of man. Can we talk about the "huge" awareness of ETERNITY that He has placed in my heart???? I know I make people nuts, I am a broken record, I know, but it is obviously a gift from the Lord, a calling, because He has asked that I be a HERALD, for the Morning Star has risen in my heart and I cry out in the darkness in preparation for the LIGHT. Now, this year, He has asked that we "SEEK AFTER HIM"... we have.....which has brought us here.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we are EXACTLY where God would have us to be.
I stand in awe.....

"YOU'RE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL......AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT I COULD LET GO...CUZ YOU'RE SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL......"

Theme for 2010....

It's a New Year and what comes with that is a new Theme, or possibly the same theme?
I was looking over last year's posts and reading over the Journey to LOVE theme that the Lord gave me.
WOW-what a journey!
It was very emotional for me to read over the things God spoke to my heart over the last year...He was ALWAYS there...guiding me...loving me, in spite of me, surrounding me with people who held me to that standard.
I feel so blessed-thank you, Father, your many blessings.
So, what is my Theme for 2010: SEEKING THE LORD
Seeking the Lord, as Mary did, sitting in His presence in utter adoration, not in the dutiful/busy/performance manner, as Martha chose.
I am throwing off those encumbrances that so easily ensnare me and choosing instead, to seek His Holy presence, to worship Him without abandon, to seek His will and His will alone, to not move until I hear Him say-"MOVE".
Tall order...because it is so easy to get lost in our SERVICE to the LORD that we forget to actually SEEK HIM first.
I encourage you to ask the Lord to give you a Theme for the coming year. Then ask Him to show you how to live it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you.

"Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God."
I Chronicles 22:19