Trusting God

Did you ever try to teach a child how to swim? You can do all the talking and all the illustrations on the beach or on the pool side that you want. But no one ever learn how to swim on the beach or beside a pool. Folks, sooner or later you got to get into the water.
I can well remember Debi and I getting into a pool in Charlotte NC with Landon when he was 5 or 6 years old. I went out into the deep end and said "swim to me Landon." I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, you’re not going to drown. Just swim to me. And because Landon trusted me he ventured out into the deep water with me. I believe we don’t venture out into the deep water with God anymore than we do because we don’t trust God anymore than we do. It’s as simple as that.

Christianity-Lite

There was a cartoon not long ago that really caught my eye and slapped me in the face all at the same time. There was a church building and the sign out front read. “Welcome To The Lite Church.” And below the name it read…..
We have 50% fewer commitments than the regular Churches.”
We are the home of the 10 minute sermon.
And the 45 minute worship service.
And the 5% tithe.
We have 7 commandments, take your pick.
We have everything you ever wanted in a church and less.

We live in the Lite generation. The alcohol consuming portion of our population loves light beer. We have light salad dressings, lite margarine and even lite ice cream. We have Diet Coke and we drink it in the hope we can eat more lite ice cream. Is it any wonder then that we are sometimes drawn to lite Christianity?

Christianity-Lite, it taste great but doesn’t make demands upon us. Christianity-Lite, it taste great but doesn’t have any consequences.
Christianity-Lite, it taste great and doesn’t require any commitment.

The world is lost and what we many times have to offer them is a decaffeinated Christianity. It tastes like the real thing but it won’t keep you awake at night. A decaffeinated Christianity that ignores the 2000 verses of scripture that talks about the poor and outsiders.
A decaffeinated Christianity that ignores the hundreds of verses that talk about evangelism and reaching the lost.
A decaffeinated Christianity that ignores the over 150 verses of scripture that talk about giving of our means.
And a decaffeinated Christianity that ignores almost 100 verse in the New Testament that talks about service and servant hood.
If Jesus Christ were here today what would he have to say about our brand Christianity.

GO HERD! Beat The Green Wave!

Mocked God Lately?

This is from an email I received from one of my wonderful Sister's at Hurricane.
It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7): "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and women who mocked God:

JOHN LENNON: Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said: "Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple. Today we are more famous than Him". (1966) Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than JesusChrist, was shot six times.

TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil): During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party,not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, buthe got sick a day before being made President, then he died.

CAZUZA (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet): During a show in Canecão Rio de Janeiro , whilst smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: "God, that's for you." He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

THE MAN WHO BUILT TITANIC: After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: "Not even God can sink it". The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

MARILYN MONROE: She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spiritof God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: "I don't need your Jesus". A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

BON SCOTT: The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang: "Don't stop me, I'm going down all the way, downthe highway to hell". On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was founddead, he had been choked by his own vomit.

CAMPINAS/SP IN 2005In Campinas, Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter - holding her hand, who was alreadyseated in the car: "MY DAUGHTER, GO WITH GOD AND MAY HE PROTECT YOU." Sheresponded: "ONLY IF HE (GOD) TRAVELS IN THE BOOT, CAUSE INSIDE HERE IT'SALREADY FULL." Hours later, news came back that they had been involved in afatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized whattype of car it had been, but surprisingly, the boot was intact. The police said there was no way the boot could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the boot was a crate of eggs, none were broken..... Boot means trunk.

Many more important people have forgotten that there is noother name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus. Many have died but only Jesus died and rose again, and HE is still alive. JESUS!!!

Why John Kerry Isn't President

Two Voices

Listen!
Two Voices
Which Is Louder? THE CROWD OR THE CROSS

The Crowd says follow us, The Cross says follow Me
The Crowd says rely on yourself, The Cross says rely on Me
The Crowd says earn your worth, The Cross says I Am your worth
The Crowd says bear your burdens,The Cross says nail them to Me
The Crowd says be happy, The Cross says be Holy

The Crowd says honor yourself, The Cross says humble yourself

The Crowd says DO, The Cross says DONE!

WE ARE.....MARSHALL

Casting Crowns "I Praise You In This Storm"

David Crowder "O Praise Him!"

The Gratitude Attitude

This blog makes me think of my grandmother Stricklin. She never had much earthly wealth. A small house, old cars, living month to month. She spend most of her life in poor health, but was always thankful for everything God have given her. She puts me to shame; I’m sure every one of you has someone in your mind that reminds you of that grateful attitude.
How much do we need to make us grateful? And when I say us I mean me too. It's been going on since the Garden of Eden, even paradise was not enough for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were a lot like us they wanted just one thing. More!
The story of mankind is a story of God’s grace and man’s ingratitude. That’s what it is, from start to finish, that's what it's about. The story of the fall is not a story of a fall from human perfection to human imperfection. It’s a story of a fall from grace to ingratitude.
And you know what, it sounds simple but the way we get to God is to come back into that state of gratitude.
I think one of the fundamental sin’s of humanity is ingratitude. If we in one moment could see and know everything that God has done for us. Every blessing, every yes miracle, every time he has moved us out of harms way. I don’t think our hearts or our minds could contain it.
It seems like only when we lose something do we realized what we had. Do we have to get sick before we are grateful for our health and for our life? Do we have to go broke before we are grateful for all the material blessings God has given us?