I Gave My Pants Away

Posted by Pastor Mark

Yes. I really did give a pair of my pants away.
You see? The young man in the photo right there is John. He showed up at our home today totally soaked from the rain. He was riding to town in a van full of 'hippies' to get some supplies for the group staying at the "holding camp" for this year's "gathering".

They were supposed to get some baby food and diapers, some other food and yes some booze for the "A-campers". On the way, the sister driving the van made the decision that they would spend the entire amount of money they had pan-handled on hard liquor. The families with the children could get others to care for them easy enough, she said. John didn't like that idea, told her and the others that he wouldn't put up with it, and consequently got thrown out onto the road about 4 miles from here. He walked with his half-wolf/half-huskie to the ministry property.

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EL PUEBLO ANIMISTA TAPEBA DE BRAZIL

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

EL PUEBLO ANIMISTA TAPEBA DE BRASIL

FEBRERO

DIA 01

Este pueblo perdió su idioma, el cual actualmente es considerado por algunas personas como un lenguaje “sucio”. También ellos perdieron su tierra, y ahora pertenece a otras personas. Sin embargo, ellos aún retienen su religión nativa que es el animismo. Ellos creen que los espíritus habitan en el mundo natural y que ellos deben adorarlos o si no, sufrirán las consecuencias de no hacerlo.

El pueblo Tapeba del Estado brasileño de Cerara, es un pueblo indígena que trabaja en la agricultura, o en pueblos y ciudades. Ahora ellos hablan el portugués, el idioma nacional de Brasil. Tienen una pequeña reserva en el Río Cerara. Aunque, por ley, existe libertad para evangelizarlos en Brasil, los gobiernos estatales o tribales a menudo restringen el acceso de extranjeros a las reservas indias.

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DI LA VERDAD Y DEJA LA MEDIA MENTIRA

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

DÍ LA VERDAD Y DEJA LA MEDIA MENTIRA
FEBRERO
DIA 01
“Por eso, desechando la mentira, hablad verdad cada uno con su prójimo, porque somos miembros los unos de los otros” (Efesios 4:25)
Sara era una hermosa mujer, pero su esposo la celó y cuando vivió en otro lugar, hizo pasar a Sara como su hermana, y esto le trajo problemas, porque el rey quiso que ella fuera su mujer y Abraham le dijo la verdad y esto le costó, una reprimenda de parte de Abimelec.
Abraham dijo un media mentira, pues, Sara era su hermana, y también su esposa. Al final se supo la verdad, es que la mentira nunca tiene sólidas bases, no hay mentiras piadosas, ni medias verdades. Es verdad o falso. Uno debe inclinarse a decir la verdad con prudencia.

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A recipe for America

Posted by Buddy

The President wants to give out another $800 million. He thinks that our problems can be solved with money and more jobs. But our problems are not economic.

People want more gun laws. But our problems are not guns.

Ever since 2001, we have been going after terrorists. We have even freed a country. But our problems are not terrorists.

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Instinct Written by Chris Tutwiler

Posted by Christopher Tutwiler

Instinct Written by Christopher Tutwiler

Are we so much an animal
That we must claw to succeed
Are we the primate variety
Thinking strength is a need
Are we so much an animal
We can’t resist an urge
To our keep hormones centered
When we get a surge
Are we so much an animal
With claws backstabbing our friends
Living for what is right now

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LA ANCIANA

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

LA ANCIANA
FEBRERO
DIA 03
La pequeña, bien perfumada y orgullosa anciana de 92 años, completamente vestida cada mañana a las 8 en punto con su cabello arreglado a la moda y el maquillaje perfectamente aplicado, aunque es legalmente ciega, se muda hoy a un asilo.
Su esposo de 70 años murió recientemente, lo que motivó la mudanza. Después de muchas horas de esperar pacientemente en el recibidor del asilo, sonrió dulcemente cuando se le dijo que su cuarto estaba listo.

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This Is Your Brain On Joy

Posted by Bishop Susan Storm Smith

The first thing I liked about "This Is Your Brain On Joy" is the cover. The colors and title give hope for great inspiration inside and the reader is not disappointed. Many of the Christian television shows have had physicians and specialists on their programs speaking about how to improve the brain, how to heal the brain, but I must say they turned me off by weird concoctions to eat and drink, even though I was interested in improving brain power as we grow older or after disease and accidents. ,Instead, Dr. Henslin and Dr. Amen bring a delightful infusion of understanding into the brain's functioning on all levels, they supply the necessary elements of what to eat, how to alter moods and the most common of ailments that the brain processes., Such topics as "Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia, and Good Old Southern Cooking", Stomping on the ANTs", "Cinematherapy and Support Village", have to do with a development of a healthy brain. Easy to understand do's and don't's are included, so the gues work is taken out. Or maybe you've had problems with "Sticks and Stones and Harmful Words", don't miss that chapter. It may help you help your children grow into healthy thinkers in a collapsing moral value system.

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things to be said

Posted by stacy

I was obviouslly trippin bout my court date but everything turned out ok I am a child of God and because i gave my attention to him with what went into my ears and the fast that I did he once again provided for me my step dad hasn't found a job yet but God is in contoroll as always and he will provide for his children who come to him with prayer and petition and though things may not go as planned he will give you peace for the trials you go through and not only that but remember always he sometimes puts us through the fire to refine us and bring us closer to him in all things when things are good praise him when they are bad praise him the devil is not the winner but he definately tries to break us but remember also that God will not give us anything that we can not handle sometimes it feels like we can't handle things and the truth is without Gods grace and mercy we can't we need him in all things....

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In The Eyes Of The World

Posted by Bishop Susan Storm Smith

Republished by Permission from Olive Press Muse
In The Eyes Of The World
"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" James 2:5 NIV

This verse struck a chord within my heart this morning as I was listening to the audio Bible. The Holy Spirit had given me a Word many months ago to go to the "unloved" and tell them that Jesus knows them and loves them.

So often we think of the "unloved" as the homeless, the street people, or those who are just have fallen on hard times. Perhaps the definition might be those who are hard to get along with and so society pushes them aside. But this morning I am reconsidering that the "unloved" could even be those within our congregations every Sunday morning.

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BUSQUEDA DE DIOS

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

BÚSQUEDA DE DIOS

FEBRERO
DIA 04
Alguien dijo encontrar a Dios en la naturaleza. Y yo corrí hacia el mar, crucé campos y senderos, miré en espigas y en flores. Todos hablaban de Dios, de su poder, de su cuidado y esmero. Pero no vi a Dios, no estaba allí.
Sólo había noticias de El, rumores y recuerdos. “Pregunta a los sabios de Dios”, otros dijeron. Busqué al místico, al teólogo y al lama. Acudí a templos y monasterios. Escuché santas ideas, comentarios, oraciones, sentimientos... Ellos vivían con Dios, pero yo... ¡no logré verlo!
“Dios bajó hace ya tiempo; busca en los barrios, en la lucha del hombre por el hombre”, sugirieron. “Busca en la selva, en la cárcel, en chabolas...” Y solo hallé recuerdos. Recuerdos de algo que El dijo, de interpretaciones, de ideas y de sueños. Pero Dios no estaba allí. Se había ido hacía tiempo.
Entonces, desencantado, creí que no estaba en ningún sitio, o que estaba demasiado lejos. Y busqué en mi corazón otros asuntos. ¡Que siguiera Dios allá en su cielo! Y al mirar allí, en mi corazón, sentado entre injusticias y entre miedos, entre dudas, rencores y esperanzas, entre buenos y malos sentimientos, estaba Dios, ¡Sentado y esperando!

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"Restoration, In Times Of Trouble"

Posted by Ann Marie Rush

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. ~Proverbs 24:16

The Message Bible says, Don't interfere with good people's lives; don't try to get the best of them. For, no matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don't stay down long. For soon, they're up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

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"Cheer Up,...! Don't Be Afraid"

Posted by Ann Marie Rush

If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.
The Message Bible says, If you fall to piece in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place.

Therefore, times of trouble can be useful. For they can show you who you really are - & what kind of character you have developed. In addition, they can help you grow stronger. ...
So, don't complain about your problems. For the trouble you face today is training you to be strong for the more difficult situations you will face in the future.

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Whats love got to do with it...? EVERYTHING!!!!

Posted by Tricia Sturgeon

Love. Whatever language that word is used in, it's universal. And with Valentine's day only a few weeks away that word will be used more now than at any other time of the year.

Love is the over riding theme of the Bible. In fact love is the key character trait of God Almighty! The Bible says that God IS love. So what's this love thing all about anyway? Here are some of my thoughts.

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How can Jesus be God, when he calls the Father the only true God?

Posted by SLAVE2JC

A Series of Answers to Common Questions

Sam Shamoun


Question:

Jesus himself admitted that the Father is the only true God. Since Trinitarians believe that the Father and the Son are distinct Persons, that they are not the same Person, wouldn’t this prove that Jesus denied that he was God?

Answer:

The person who raises this question is obviously assuming Unitarianism, that there is only one Person who is God (namely the Father), and then imposes this assumption onto the reading of the text. The only thing one has to do in order to understand Jesus’ point here is to simply read the entire context:

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PERSONAS VIGOROSAS Y DE VALOR

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

PERSONAS VIGOROSAS Y DE VALOR

FEBRERO

DIA 05

“También de su hijo Semaías nacieron hijos que fueron señores sobre la casa de sus padres; porque eran hombres valerosos y esforzados” (1 Crónicas 26:6)

En un congreso internacional de líderes y en un trabajo con grupos grandes es importante saber organizar a la gente. Hay información, secretarias, productores, oradores; en fin, una gama de gente lista para realizar su función y servir al público.

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When Life Doesn't Fit

Posted by Bishop Susan Storm Smith

This is for all the women who have been there and done that; who have baked the cookies, changed the diapers, and attended all the PTA meetings. We may have been married and had the support of a loving companion, been a single mom, or married and felt single--either way, we have been there and done that. Now it's our turn to develop or well, just do. When life doesn't fit any more, change your life!

It is so exciting to see women in their 50s and 60s starting new careers and major projects. Remember, Moses didn't get called to ministry until he was eighty but was put on the training cycle at birth. If you're in that fifty- to sixty-year old category, that also means you're part of the Baby Boomer Generation and we don't stop, we change. I also believe that's what some of our younger generations need to see: that we can change with the seasons of life, take what we have learned through experience, and create a new future.

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What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Posted by Bob Bushman

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
A Spirit filled life is a Spirit controlled life. There is a reason why we are not experiencing a Spirit filled life. That reason is that we haven't developed a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Let us look at the Scripture to get some insight about Him, so we can begin to build that relationship with Him, then we will be more willing to turn the control of our lives over to Him.

The Holy Spirit is a person
He is not just a force or something that happens at a pep rally. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity that is God. Jesus told His followers not to do anything until they were endued with power from on high by the Holy Spirit. (Luke 24:49)

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Life Is UnPredictable but God is Still the Same

Posted by Marie

In life, sometimes you will see and hear things happening that you have no idea how it could happen. I have seen and experience these things in my family. I have often wondered how these people live their lives like that everyday without any consciousness. It seems to me they have no consciousness. It looks as if they don’t care about no one but themselves. The only way they seem to have any involvement with a person is when there is something in it for them.

I have read in the Bible about these kinds of sins, but I have never been in contact with people that lived as these persons.


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Why do bad things happen to good people....?

Posted by Demarismom

Why does it seem like bad things happen to good people and bad people have good things happen to them and then screw it up? Why do good people keep subjecting ourselves to hurt from people we need to just walk away from?

When I was younger, the only person I cared for was myself. I didn't care back then who I hurt in the process of me trying to get what I wanted. After my dad passed and that security nest was gone, I learned quick that's not the person I wanted to be. It got me no where very fast. I could love you one day and not care for you the next, my emotions were like a light switch.

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a small prayer request, actually :)

Posted by Lori

I was just discussing something with a friend, and I realized there's something that I need prayer about. It may not seem like a big thing, but it's pretty major that I actually thought to PRAY about it! (I'm a little thick-headed sometimes!)

I've realized that I'm instilling some very bad habits in my two little girls (6 and 3). The one I would like to address first is the habit of procrastination/untidiness. This has been revealed to me a lot over the past few weeks because my girls have been playing a lot of creative games-- which I LOVE!-- but, they make HUGE messes, then they don't want to clean up. And, the problem is that I've never taught them HOW to clean up. We've always been in such a rush to go here or there... or else I've just not paid attention until the mess is enormous, then the mess gets out of hand pretty quickly, and it's too overwhelming for them to manage alone.

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INVENTARIO DE PERSONAS Y COSAS

Posted by LUCY RIVERA

INVENTARIO DE PERSONAS Y COSAS
FEBRERO
DIA 06
“Estos son los principales de los hijos de Israel, jefes de familias, jefes de millares y de centenas, y funcionarios que servían al rey en todos los negocios de las divisiones militares que se relevaban cada mes durante todo el año. Cada división era de veinticuatro mil hombres” (1 Cr. 27:1)
Hay lista para todo. Se la necesita en un inventario, para registrar la asistencia de los estudiantes, trabajadores. Se la usa en lo militar y en lo civil. Una lista ayuda mucho en el área administrativa.

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THE CORNER STONE

Posted by Bob Bushman

THE CORNER STONE

"The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone." ( Psalm 118:22 NAS )
In ancient times the cornerstone was the stone at the corner of two walls that united them. It was the visible corner of the foundation of the building and the starting point of all future building above the foundation. It was the most costly stone due of its beauty and strength. It was also the largest, most solid and carefully constructed stone of the foundation.

"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily." ( Isaiah 28:16 NAS)

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When is enough just simply enough?

Posted by Tracy Ann

I wrote this blog back during the summer a few months after Kevin had his knee surgery. He had really been working hard to get better so he could get back to work and start installing alarms again. He had made really good progress but as he was driving home from what was supposed to be a temporary line of work (now it is all he can do) he basically had a melt down... He went home and cried and knelt down to pray to God for strength and whammo, he pulled his hamstring. HUGE setback! He just laid there on the floor and wept... I got so upset because here he was really trying to reach out in spite of his pain and there he got hit with one more setback... I will tell you this version of the blog was changed a bit because the first one really showed my raw emotions. This one was revised after God walked me through that and showed me some things. Anyways, I truly hope someone receives something from this blog because I will tell you it is truth. Kevin has since gone through many things and now here recently has been diagnosed with AS (Ankylosing Spondylitis) but in spite of it all, and in spite of my flesh which many times says why God, why us, why now? I am still trusting Him because that's all I can do...

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Feeling better today

Posted by Demarismom

I am definitely feeling better today. I slept so good last night. When I woke up this morning I thought I was dreaming.
I have definitely enjoyed reading everyone's comments, thank you so much they are so helpful. It seems the closer you get to God the harder things get. I am an introvert, so all I do is stay home and go to work. I have found myself and my own way that way. I read my bible and follow Joel Osteen, I love this guy no matter what anyone says about him. Through following him and reading the bible, it's definitely made my situation easier to bare. But sometimes I get down and need that recharge you know. And I am getting that. I feel like Job.

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Is Jesus God because he did mighty miracles?

Posted by SLAVE2JC

A Series of Answers to Common Questions

Sam Shamoun


Question:

Some Christians believe that Jesus’ miracles prove that he is God. The problem with this claim is that almost every single miracle performed by Jesus finds a parallel within the OT. There are many OT prophets that performed the very same kinds of miracles that Jesus did. If the miracles of Jesus make him God then why don’t the miracles of the other prophets prove that they are God/gods as well?

Answer:

Before responding to this question, we first would like to provide a few examples from the OT which Muslims often point to. In fact, we will simply quote from a Muslim article (*) which presents some examples for us:

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