Friday, February 27, 2009
Whats in a number 37
parked in space 37 to pick up bus across america tickets. Was that a
coincidence? 60/60
It's not wise to go before an angry God.
My dad before he passed, shared this word of wisdom. "It's not wise
to go before an angry God" There was great substantiated truth in
the words. It is just as true today as when he told me a few years,
ago. God woke me up this morning with the thought that He was angry
because peoples' actions were threatening to invalidate His promises.
He was angry and was putting things in order.
Jonathan Edwards was one of the principals in a religious movement
known as the "Great Awakening," Edwards typified the "Hell, Fire, and
Brimstone" preacher. His classic sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God," reportedly had such a strong effect on his congregation
that some of its members ran screaming from the church in terror.
His sermon in part went like this...
As he that walks slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he
cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and
when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also
expressed in Psalm 73:18-19 “Surely thou didst set them in slippery
places: thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought
into desolation as in a moment!” The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and
the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at
your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere
pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or
obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made
drunk with your blood. .
Thus all you that have never passed under a great change of heart, by
the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your soul; all you that
were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being
dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexpereienced
light and life, are in the hands of an angry God….
And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ
has thrown the door of mercy wide oepn, and stands calling, and crying
with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to
him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from
the east, west, north, and south; many that were very lately in the
same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state,
with their hearts fillled wiht love to him who has loved them, and
washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in the
hope of the glory of God.
Then God's Word says this...
"But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and
wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over
truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes
and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has
created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such
can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine
being. So nobody has a good excuse.
What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they
didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized
themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither
sense nor direction left in their lives.
They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.
They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands
for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand." Paul from His
Word
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
What do i and 156 others have in common?
I follow you on Twitter. I want to tell you something. You are not just a TWIT. To me you are an evolving relationship. Forget what you just thought about your and my relationship. I'm not gay and I am happily married for 37 years, but this is a "COME ON". Surf over to http://37stories.wordpress.com. I saw God. Really! At least 37 times. Drop me a comment and tell me about the last time you saw God. Or have you?
archie
PS Don't forget to check out my bus/blog adventure across America. 8 days to go and counting. http://isrv.org/
its a grind with eric. Social networking
its great meeting new friends. Grace point church rocks or whatever
is cool to say about gpc. Is it bad in good way or do i get down w
gpc. I dont know...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
working on a new concept in social networking
The concept of life streams has yet to be defined. Www.37one.com is in the mix.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The man behind the curtain...
I blog for lots of reasons. For one, I look forward to creating
dialog with people I don't know. Something I've discovered is how
wrong I can be about people based on first encounters. It is easy to
forget, behind every blog is a person with likes, dislikes, is
friendly or mean, feels pain, may be healthy and maybe not.
I never really spent much time wondering about the person at the other
end of the sterile dialog. It seems judging another from a brief
encounter is easy, but may not be very fruitful. It's only after
dialog is created, one begins to appreciate the life being lived
"behind the curtain".
Since my blogging adventure began, I've made friends with a believer
in Barbados with a ministry of deliverance, a religious thinker with a
blog name meaning the spirit is gone, a friend who struggles daily
with pain and may have a terminal illness, an atheist who finds me
offensive, a school teacher who is encouraged, a counselor who moved
to Florida and the list goes on and on....
I've become impressed with the responsibility one has to others in
this world as information is exchanged. Although it is easier to pick
a fight than to be gracious at unkind words, I think the latter is
preferred. When hurt is revealed, it is easier to just to say,
"sorry" and move on. But with knowledge comes responsibility.
I added a fellow blogger to my prayer list today. The person has
suffered for many years. Who could have guessed from the excellent
blog written? It is insightful, witty, knowledgable and contains
great wisdom. Yet, the person is in great pain. I commited to pray
for body, soul and spirit.
My church has launched an awareness prayer program titled 60/60. We
have set our watches to beep every 60 minutes for 60 days. When it
beeps, we pray. I have added one more person to my list. I trust God
for "God Spots" in the way of miracles for my friends. We shall
see...
view archie's lifestream - http://www.37one.com
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I've lost my way at times...
When Daniel was thrown in the lion's den, did he lose his way? IF he
had lost his way, would he have been a snack pack for the lion's club?
When Moses was being chased by the whole Egyptian army, did he lose
his way? IF he had lost his way, would be have been yelling "surf's
up" as the Red Sea came crashing down?
When Esther was asked to go before the King unannounced, did she lose
her way? IF she had, would her head have ended up on a platter for
Ripley's believe it or not?
It seems to me, each of us have opportunity for calamity. Life seems
like a maze many times. We have the best of intentions to follow
God's lead, but the maze is paramount. Do I go left or right?
If I go left, will I suffer instant and total disaster? If I go
right, is the choice any better. I think God understands that with
physical eyes we can see very little. If may seem like catastrophy
regardless of the direction we go. What should we do?
We as believers have a responsibility to seek after the truth and
respond accordingly. First thing, check the Word. Is either of your
choices in conflict with the truth found in the Word? As an example:
You are really hacked at your spouse and you are contemplating murder.
No. The Word says don't do that. Discernment is easy.
Sometimes, the Word is seemingly silent about my choices. It's in
these times that I pray hard, read His Word and listen to what the
Holy Spirit might reveal. If still I don't hear, sometimes I will
pray what seems like the bad choice. It seems I can discern God's NO
better than His YES. Have you experienced that?
It's also in these times of silence, that I practice patience. I give
God plenty of time for revelation. If I am forced to make a decision,
I choose as best as I can. Then, I go forward with gusto. I trust
God is smiling and covers my backside with His grace.
He sees my heart and makes my inadequacies insignificant in comparison
to His power available through faith and obedience. He closes the
lions mouth, parts the Red Sea and charms the King.
Working on a Life Stream web page.
Always looking to refine my social web experience. Forget the links. I'm still working on them, but what do you think about the concept of a "Life Stream" page? I'll cook one up for you for the price of a cup of coffee (in Geneva, Switzerland) :)
archie
Friday, February 20, 2009
GOD SPOT! Don't miss it! Thx Faith!
My Thoughts:
Jeremiah 10:6
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
So...most of you know that this last week was pretty intense for my family. I received the call Friday evening from my parents telling me that my mom had been having chest pains, had been to a cardiologist, and that she would have a heart catheterization (with stints or bypass) on Monday. My entire family rushed to Missouri to be with my mom and dad. My mom was having all the symptoms of a heart attack on Sunday and was taking nitroglycerin. On Monday, the doctor told us that my mom had some anomalies (defects) and 2 clogged and calcified coronary arteries. He told us that he was pretty sure that she was going to have a triple bypass. We rallied, prayed, and hoped for the best.
An hour passed and the doctor came out with a perplexed expression on his face. He said, "She's fine. Actually she is better than fine. Her arteries have zero plague and no calcification. Being 65, she should have some but she doesn't. Not only is she plague free, but the abnormalities on the CAT scan just aren't there anymore. I cannot explain it, and I called 3 other doctors in to look...God must have performed a miracle."
My mom went home that evening and has had no chest pain or any symptoms. My mom says that all her symptoms went away shortly before they wheeled her into the procedure room and that it was fascinating to watch the doctors freaking out because they didn't see what they thought they would. They even checked to make sure they had the right CAT scan.
I am praising God because I truly believe He healed my mom...a mighty demonstration of His power. As you pray and listen to God this week, what is God demonstrating to you?
Faith
Monday, February 16, 2009
Dreamed of being in a mansion on a hill top
Last night I dreamed I made my way up a mountain to see the opulence of a new mansion being built on the top of a hill. It was positioned directly under an even bigger mansion.
I entered the smaller of the two mansions out of curiosity to see what it looked like inside and see what it was all about. It was obviously very beautiful. I sensed the mountain was actually one of those mountains created out of an abandoned garbage dump.
I and a friend met a man inside. He was of a false religion and had a book he wanted me to read. The book was about his false doctrine. The mansion above this man’s smaller mansion belonged to his master.
I sensed the presence of the evil one and ran from the building shouting Yahweh. Yahweh. Yahweh. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. My friend didn’t perceive the presence of evil, but ran out of the building with me. He really didn’t understand the need to leave, but left anyway.
Such is the dream I had last night….
Dreamed of being in a mansion on a hill top
Last night I dreamed I made my way up a mountain to see the opulence of a new mansion being built on the top of a hill. It was positioned directly under an even bigger mansion.
I entered the smaller of the two mansions out of curiosity to see what it looked like inside and see what it was all about. It was obviously very beautiful. I sensed the mountain was actually one of those mountains created out of an abandoned garbage dump.
I and a friend met a man inside. He was of a false religion and had a book he wanted me to read. The book was about his false doctrine. The mansion above this man’s smaller mansion belonged to his master.
I sensed the presence of the evil one and ran from the building shouting Yahweh. Yahweh. Yahweh. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. My friend didn’t perceive the presence of evil, but ran out of the building with me. He really didn’t understand the need to leave, but left anyway.
Such is the dream I had last night….
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Why is evil rude?
Recently i commented on a blog by an agnostic or atheist or whatever.
Believe it or not this guy gives the A's a bad name. IT would seem to
me you can catch more flys with honey than fly paper. SO the next "A"
u run across give him a big ol kiss and watch him spew.
Where is God in the Midst of Battle?
Is God a deserter? Does He put you on the front lines and then take
two steps back?
"Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples,
but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting
places that this Jesus was the Son of God…. But their suspicions
didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and
he plowed straight into the opposition…
After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill
him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around
the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples
engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket".
Is there anyone that does not believe God was in the midst of this
struggle? It is easy to believe God was there because Paul was all
about pursuing God's pleasure on his life. We are no different 2000
years later.
Jesus said something like, God I really don't want to be mutilated on
the cross. But if that is what You want, I am all in!
Here's the deal. God can use anything in your life to achieve His
objective. That being for you to bring glory to Him. Here's a tip.
Get your eyes off yourself and get them on Jesus.
When Paul, Jesus or whoever was being killed for their obedience,
where were their eyes? That's right! They were on God.
So, you are out of a job or you lost your retirement fund. Maybe you
are dieing of cancer. Maybe your wife cheated on you. Maybe your
kids are dirt bags. Pick your poison. It is all out there and will
splash on you someday. Where are your eyes?
Mechanically, what does that mean? That means pray without ceasing.
Read the Word with hunger and passion. Literally, fall on your face.
Stretch out on the ground. Cry out the name of Jesus. Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! God, put my eyes on you. Give me the strength to be
faithful. If you can save me and I still experience your abundance,
that would be good! If not, I choose to love you and experience your
abundance throught this incredible pain I am experiencing.
Do you get it, yet? It is not all about you. It is ALL ABOUT GOD!
Don't plead to get out of the fire. Plead to get through the fire
without the smell of smoke.
Where is God in the Midst of Battle?
Is God a deserter? Does He put you on the front lines and then take
two steps back?
"Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples,
but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting
places that this Jesus was the Son of God.... But their suspicions
didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and
he plowed straight into the opposition...
After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill
him, but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around
the clock so they could kill him. Then one night the disciples
engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket".
Is there anyone that does not believe God was in the midst of this
struggle? It is easy to believe God was there because Paul was all
about pursuing God's pleasure on his life. We are no different 2000
years later.
Jesus said something like, God I really don't want to be mutilated on
the cross. But if that is what You want, I am all in!
Here's the deal. God can use anything in your life to achieve His
objective. That being for you to bring glory to Him. Here's a tip.
Get your eyes off yourself and get them on Jesus.
When Paul, Jesus or whoever was being killed for their obedience,
where were their eyes? That's right! They were on God.
So, you are out of a job or you lost your retirement fund. Maybe you
are dieing of cancer. Maybe your wife cheated on you. Maybe your
kids are dirt bags. Pick your poison. It is all out there and will
splash on you someday. Where are your eyes?
Mechanically, what does that mean? That means pray without ceasing.
Read the Word with hunger and passion. Literally, fall on your face.
Stretch out on the ground. Cry out the name of Jesus. Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! God, put my eyes on you. Give me the strength to be
faithful. If you can save me and I still experience your abundance,
that would be good! If not, I choose to love you and experience your
abundance throught this incredible pain I am experiencing.
Do you get it, yet? It is not all about you. It is ALL ABOUT GOD!
Don't plead to get out of the fire. Plead to get through the fire
without the smell of smoke.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Frederico Joines Bus Across America!
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