December the 26th

The children's and cousin's and friend's film entry in the 12 hour film contest

Breath Of Heaven

Matthew 1:21 (Amplified Bible)

"She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God]."

Casting Crowns #9 Mercy

Here I am a sinner
Broken and in need of You
Take my life and wash my fears away
For You are the Great I AM
Rest assured, I feel Your hand
Holding me until the darkness clears
A Father to the fatherless
Redeemer of my soul
My Life is Yours forever
I want the world to know

Your mercy saved me
Mercy made me whole
Your mercy found me
Called me as Your own

Here I stand a child of Yours
Broken and in need of You
Break these chains and wash my guilt away
Healer of my brokenness
My weary soul will find its rest
You are my strength, the lifter of my head
You're greater than my yesterdays
You hold me close today
You're the Lord of my tomorrows
My heart will always say
You're greater than my yesterdays
You hold me close today
You're the Lord of my tomorrows
My heart will always say

You called me as Your own
You called me as Your own
Thank You for Your mercy
Thank You for Your mercy

You called me as Your own
Your own

"HE IS" Aaron Jeoffrey

Amazing, powerful song revealing Who God is from every book in the Bible

Be Still and Know (high quality)

Take a walk and enjoy His creation... a gift from our Father to His children!!

Voddie Baucham - Brokenness (1 of 6)

Very eye opening... a message to listen to over and over... this is the first part, you tube has all 6 parts for viewing... be challenged and blessed!

Becoming Unoffendable

I needed to revisit this message again...
Lord, help me be like You and have your way in my heart!!!

"People don't usually stumble over boulders; they stumble over stones, relatively small things."

Becoming Unoffendable
by Francis Frangipane

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26).

God has a new heart for us that cannot be offended, an "unoffendable" heart. Beloved, possessing an unoffendable heart is not an option or a luxury; it's not a little thing.

Consider: Jesus warns that, as we near the end of the age, a majority of people will be offended to such a degree that they fall away from the faith. Listen carefully to His warning:

Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another?and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:10-12 KJV

"Many" will be offended; the love of "many" will grow cold. My prayer is that we will hear His words with holy fear.

When we allow an offense to remain in our hearts, it causes serious spiritual consequences. In the above verse, Jesus named three dangerous results: betrayal, hatred, and cold love. When we are offended with someone, even someone we care for, we must go to them. Otherwise, we begin to betray that relationship, talking maliciously behind their back to others, exposing their weaknesses and sins. We may mask our betrayal by saying we are just looking for advice or counsel, but when we look back, we see we have spoken negatively to far too many people. Our real goal was not to get spiritual help for ourselves but to seek revenge toward the one who offended us. How is such an action not a manifestation of hatred? For an offended soul, cold love, betrayal and hatred go hand-in-hand.

People don't usually stumble over boulders; they stumble over stones, relatively small things. It may be that the personality of someone in authority bothers us and soon we are offended. Or, a friend or family member fails to meet our expectations, and we take an offense into our soul. Beloved, if we will "endure to the end," we will have to confront the things that bother us.

When Jesus warns that we need endurance, He is saying that it is easier to begin the race than finish it. Between now and the day you die, there will be major times of offense that you will need to overcome. You might be in such a time right now. Do not minimize the danger of harboring an offense.

No one plans on falling away; no one ever says, "Today, I think I'll try to develop a hardened, cold heart." Such things enter our souls through stealth and it is only naiveté that assumes it couldn't happen to us. I know many people who consistently become offended about one thing or another. Instead of dealing with the offenses, these people carry them until the weight disables their walk with God. You may be doing fine today, but I guarantee you, tomorrow something will happen that will inevitably disappoint or wound you; some injustice will strike you, demanding you retaliate in the flesh.

THE ROOT OF OFFENSE
An offense can strike at our virtues or sins, our values or our pride. It can penetrate and wound any dimension of the soul, both good and evil. I once brought a series of messages about gossip. Most people saw their sin and repented, but a core group of gossips were greatly offended and ultimately left the church. When the Holy Spirit exposes sin in someone's soul, if we refuse the opportunity to repent, we often become offended at the person who brought the teaching. Instead of humbling our hearts, we are outraged at the pastor or teachers in the church. Truthfully, most of the time, I have no idea who specifically needs to hear what I'm teaching, but God knows.

Paul told Timothy to "reprove, rebuke, exhort" (see 2 Tim. 4:2). He didn't say, "exhort, exhort, exhort," but exhortation is what we receive in most churches. Certainly, we need to be encouraged, but there are also times, beloved, when we need to be reproved and rebuked. Today, there are preachers who are afraid to preach truth for fear people will react and leave the church. The end result is a church of easily offended people who cannot grow beyond their inability to accept correction.
People don't change by exhortation alone.

There are areas in all of us that need to be confronted and disciplined. The pastor who refuses to discipline and correct those in sin is in disobedience to God. He is unable to lead people into any truly transforming changes in their lives; they will not "endure to the end" if they cannot be corrected (see Matt. 24).

We need to become a people who say, "Lord, show me what needs to change in me." I'm talking about growing up. A wise man will receive a rebuke and he will prosper. But a fool rejects his father's discipline (see Prov. 15:5).

PERSONAL OFFENSE
An offense can wound our pride when we are not recognized for our good works or ministry. This happened to my wife and I long ago while in California. We were young pastors at a conference when the main leader decided to personally greet each minister and wife. He greeted the couple on our right and then turned to his staff to ask a question. A moment later he returned, but passed us by and went to the couple on our left. Everyone around us saw we were bypassed. We were embarrassed and offended. But my wife wisely observed that we could allow this thing to hurt us or we could see it as an investment in sensitivity toward other people's feelings. The offense taught us how others feel when they are ignored. Do you see this? You must make that offense become an opportunity to become more Christ-like.

The occasions for taking offense are practically endless. Indeed, we are daily given the opportunity to either be offended by something or to possess an unoffendable heart. The Lord's promise is that He's given us a new heart: a soft, entreatable heart that can be filled with His Spirit and abound with His love.

Lord, forgive me for being so easily offended and for carrying offenses. Father, my heart is foolish and weak. Grant me the unoffendable heart of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Nothing Causes Them to Stumble
"Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another?and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matt. 24:10-12 KJV).

In the last section we looked at the lethal effect an offended spirit has upon our lives. We discussed how the only way to not be permanently offended was to attain the unoffendable heart of Jesus Christ.

Attaining Christ's heart is not a minor issue. Remember, Jesus warned that, in the last days, "many" would be offended. There is a difference between being wounded and being offended. We will frequently be wounded by an insensitive remark or injustice that occurs. But a "wounded spirit" is not the same thing as an "offended spirit." An offended spirit occurs when we do not process our wounds in a Christlike manner. Indeed, an offended spirit, left unattended and brooding in our minds, will soon manifest as betrayal, hatred, and cold love. Jesus said offenses would be the ultimate cause that would lead many to fall from faith.

Listen well: Jesus linked the real cause of apostasy not to wrong doctrines, but wrong reactions.

Aren't right doctrines important? Of course, but we can have right information and still have a wrong response. Doctrinal information can be upgraded and refined, but Proverbs warns that someone "offended is harder to be won than a strong city"; and "contentions" between people "are like the bars of a castle" (see Prov. 18:19).
Yes, beware of false leaders, but more deceitful than false prophets or teachers are our own hearts when they are offended (see Jer. 17:9). Are you living with an offended heart? If so, you are gradually slipping away from true Christianity, which is known for its agape love.
Thus, dealing with an offended heart is vital in maintaining ongoing spiritual maturity. For this reason, we need to look again at the things which offend us.

FALSE EXPECTATIONS
Sometimes offenses come because we expect people to fulfill our lives rather than God. Unrealistic or exaggerated expectations inevitably will cause others to fall short and offend us. Some desire their spouse or pastor or friends to meet their every need. God may, indeed, use people to help us. However, at the deepest level, our soul was created to find its security in God, not man. When the Almighty truly becomes our security, our peace flows from His love, wisdom, and unlimited capabilities, and we can live comfortably with imperfect people around us.

Still, the very power of our expectations can choke out the sweetness of a personal relationship. Suppose that, instead of burdening people with our expectations, we simply learned to appreciate them for themselves - no strings attached. The fact is, our loved ones are not under any obligation to fulfill our desires. If they do fulfill them, it is their free choice, not our demands, that makes for a loving relationship.

Part of our problem is the affluent world we live in. We are served by hundreds of nonhuman "slaves," remarkable mechanical devices created just to serve us. Our slaves do laundry, clean dishes, figure bookkeeping and entertain us. They carry us across town and country - and for all they do, we are offended if their service does not meet or exceed our expectations.

Yet, your spouse, friends, or pastor aren't your slaves. Our loved ones didn't come with money-back guarantees. We didn't buy them and we can't trade them for newer models. This may come as a shock, but we don't own our loved ones.

Some act as though they signed a contract with their spouse, such as they would with a carpenter or plumber - do such and such or you won't be paid. If you are an employer, a teacher, or one who trains and holds people accountable, certain expectations are reasonable, but personal relationships are different. What I'm saying is this: What if, instead of expecting my spouse to love and serve me, I put the demand upon myself to love and serve her, no strings attached?

You say, 'But we said vows together. I expect my spouse to fulfill what was promised.' What if she is fulfilling her vows to the best of her ability, but you can't even discern her efforts because you are looking for something else? I'm not saying there shouldn't be times when we openly and honestly talk about our relationships. Certainly, open communication would be helpful, but what if we put the weight of the burden to change upon ourselves instead of our spouse?

Jesus said the greatest among us would be servant of all. We, in our modern world, have things reversed - we are the ones who are supposed to be the slaves. It is only our pride that thinks otherwise.

Suppose that a husband, instead of expecting a full course dinner from his wife each night, learned to appreciate whatever she was able to offer him? Then, instead of his failed expectations becoming an offense, there would be a living, sincere appreciation for the food his wife prepared. I know we have arrangements by common consent, but in reality, a wife is under no obligation to cook special meals or do housekeeping. You did not marry her to be your housekeeper, but to become one with her.

Or imagine a husband who works at a long, tiring job. However, his wife expects that he will work another two hours at home or go shopping with her or listen attentively about her problems. What if, instead, she welcomed him at the door and sincerely thanked him for daily giving himself to support their family? What if she met him, not with demands, but with appreciation? Maybe she would even rub his shoulders when he came home and, because of love, prepare his favorite meal.
You see, expectations can seem to be legitimate parts of a relationship, but they can also cause us to be offended and disappointed when people fall short. We should approach personal relationships with only one expectation: to serve - a demand we should put upon ourselves, not others. Let us expect of ourselves to always show love and thanksgiving for whatever we receive from our loved ones.

The psalmist wrote, "Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble" (Psalm 119:165). There is a place in God where, as we mature, we can possess Christ's perfect response to all things. If we, as pastors and congregations, put away false, unrealistic expectations and focus on becoming Christ-like to one another, we will have great peace. Beloved, nothing will cause us to stumble.

(Taken from It's Time to End Church Splits by Francis Frangipane, copyright 2002. Used by permission of Arrow Publications, a ministry outreach of Francis Frangipane.)

Biopsy Blows and the Helmet of Hope

Biopsy Blows and the Helmet of Hope

July 28, 2009 | By: John Piper
Category: Commentary

The helmets referred to in the Bible are for protection in mortal battle. A blow to the head with a mace or a bludgeon would crush your skull and kill you.

So when Paul says that we should put on “for a helmet the hope of salvation” he means that there are blows that come to our spiritual life that could destroy us, if we were not protected by the hope of salvation.

The hope of salvation—that we will not perish but obtain eternal life in the presence of Christ—absorbs the blow and keeps it from killing us. Blows still come in war and in life. Helmets don’t prevent blows. They just prevent them from destroying us.

One of my clearest experiences of how this works was in December, 2005. The urologist said there was an irregularity in the prostate. He would like to do a biopsy. When? Right now. I’ll be back in a few minutes with the instrument. You can wait on that table.

In those ten minutes of his absence I felt a blow. He thinks I have cancer. He wants to do the biopsy instantly. As the blow descended on my head, the Lord positioned my helmet with loving firmness so that it wouldn’t fly off.

This is the “hope of salvation” that he gave me: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

He brought this text to my mind as I sat on the table awaiting the biopsy. It did its work. It fixed hope on my head. It put brass between me and the blow.

I didn’t notice till later that the “for” at the beginning of the promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (“For God has not destined us for wrath...”), was connected to the helmet of 1 Thessalonians 5:8: “...having put on for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation.”

In retrospect, God covered my head with the promise that this blow was not his wrath. He positioned the helmet of hope perfectly without my even thinking of helmets. I simply thought: This is not wrath; and if I live, I live with Christ, and if I die, I also live with Christ. With that he covered my head.

So go to the arsenal of God’s word and get your armor. The blows are going to come. Without a helmet they will crush your skull. God has a helmet of hope fitted for your head. Put it on.

“Ultimate Proof of Creation”?

Is There an “Ultimate Proof of Creation”?

by Dr. Jason Lisle, AiG–U.S.

Many creationists are searching for a “magic bullet”—a proof of creation so powerful that there can be no true rebuttal. But is there such a proof? In our brand-new book The Ultimate Proof of Creation we find that there is!

When many people think of “proof,” they often think of a particular piece of scientific evidence that they believe supports their position. They might be thinking of a particular fossil series or a specific rock or a DNA sequence. The problem with such evidences is that there is always another way to understand them.

An evolutionist looking at a fossil series is thinking in terms of common descent, whereas a creationist is thinking in terms of variation within a kind. An evolutionist looks at the similarities in DNA and concludes that there is a common ancestor. But a creationist, looking at those same similarities, sees evidence that there is a common Creator.

We all have access to the same physical evidence. But creationists and evolutionists interpret that evidence differently because we each have a different view of history. We have two distinctly different views of the world that constrain how we understand the evidence. So, there simply is no “magic bullet” if we are thinking in terms of specific scientific evidences. Nevertheless, there is a proof of creation.

Competing Worldviews

The debate is really a matter of competing worldviews. So, we need to ask, “Which worldview (way of interpreting) is the correct way to understand the evidence?” The Ultimate Proof of Creation demonstrates that it is the Christian worldview alone that makes science and reasoning possible. The methods and procedures of science require a universe that is orderly and logical: a universe that obeys relatively simple mathematical relationships that human beings can understand and use.

But if the universe were really the result of a chance big bang and if the human mind were simply the accidental result of billions of mutations, then there would be no reason to think that the mind could understand the universe. Why should one accident be able to understand another accident? If creation were not true, how would science make sense? So, we do not have to look for a specific scientific evidence to prove the Bible. Rather, the fact that science is possible at all demonstrates that the Christian worldview is true.

Is “More Evidence” the Answer? ...continue reading at

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/06/15/is-there-an-ultimate-proof-of-creation

Is There a God? Does God Exist?
http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html?gclid=CLOz146qoJsCFQq3sgodDS1XBw

GOD BELIEVES IN YOU When you start to doubt if you exist God believes in you Confounded by the evidence God believes in you When your chances seem so slim When your light burns so dim And you swear you don't believe in him God believes in you When you rise up just to fall again God believes in you Deserted by your closest friends God believes in you When you're betrayed with a kiss Turn your cheek to another fist It doesn't have to end like this God believes in you Everything matters if anything matters at all Everything matters No matter how big No matter how small When you're so ashamed that you could die God believes in you And you can't do right even though you try God believes in you Blessed are the ones who grieve The ones who mourn, the ones who bleed In sorrow you sow But in joy, you'll reap God believes in you Oh, God believes in you --Pierce Pettis Pierce Pettis ©1997, Polygram Music Publishing/ Universal Music Publishing (ASCAP)

STEP BY STEP thy Lord is leading thee

As Thou Goest, Step by Step,
I Will Open Up the Way Before Thee
Proverbs 4:12 Hebrew Translation
From the notebook of Arthur E. Ritchie

Child of My love, fear not the unknown morrow,
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee;
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow
Since what thou knowest not is known of Me.

Thou canst not see the hidden meaning
Of My command, but thou the light shall gain;
Walk on in faith, upon My promise leaning,
And AS THOU GOEST, all shall be made plain.

One step thou seest -- then go forward boldly,
One step is far enough for faith to see;
Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee,
For STEP BY STEP thy Lord is leading thee.

Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting,
Dare every peril, save to disobey;
Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting,
for I the Strong, WILL OPEN UP THE WAY.

Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee,
Having My promise, needing nothing more
Than just to know, wher'er the future find thee,
In all thy journeying I go BEFORE.

I first read this while enjoying "a little piece of heaven" at the Emmanuel's Children's home on Cape Cod with our hostess Genie Lombard

Better to trust God than enjoy life

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
It is far better for us to learn to trust God than to enjoy life
"We are troubled on every side." (2 Cor. 7:5.)

Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to be so hard and constant? Well, in the first place, it shows His all-sufficient strength and grace much better than if we were exempt from pressure and trial. "The treasure is in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

It makes us more conscious of our dependence upon Him. God is constantly trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us absolutely in His hand and hanging upon His care. This was the place where Jesus Himself stood and where He wants us to stand, not with self-constituted strength, but with a hand ever leaning upon His, and a trust that dare not take one step alone. It teaches us trust.

There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust God than to enjoy life.
The lesson of faith once learned, is an everlasting acquisition and an eternal fortune made; and without the trust even riches will leave us poor.
-Days of Heaven upon Earth.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Discipline of Faith
"All things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark 9:23.)

The "all things" do not always come simply for the asking, for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.

Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith. You have made your request to God, but the answer does not come. What are you to do?

Keep on believing God’s Word; never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God’s Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.

Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes.

In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus. Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning, but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.
For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in the Psalms:

"The word of the Lord tried him.” It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honor which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when ever step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocency, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone.

These were hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development that, “when his word came” (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.

No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.
-from Streams in the Desert

Get more truth to cling to from Cari’s blog: “Life is pain Highness” at www.youmockmypain.blogspot.com

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
from the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"

FORGIVENESS: The Gate to your Heart

THE GATE TO YOUR HEART
by Victoria Boyson
www.boyson.org

Your Father in heaven wants you to be freed from the wounds and disappointments of your past. He wants you to be free to move on and fulfill your destiny in Him.

If we can look at our hearts like a walled city, we can see that the gate to that city is forgiveness. Forgiveness is a powerful tool we can use to protect our hearts against the enemy's attack. That is why Satan is always eager to get us caught up into offenses that cause us to become bitter.

Forgiveness is the very pinnacle of our faith in Jesus Christ. And it is only through forgiveness that we can be truly free, free to move forward, unchained from our past. Forgiveness is a gift to us, but it is a gift we must be equally willing to give to others.

Christ Forgave Us
His love for us is unconditional (see Lamentations 3:22 23), but his forgiveness is conditional (see Matthew 6:14 15). There are no exceptions to this rule. We can say that the offense that we feel in our heart is too great for us to forgive and let go of, but if we do not forgive we will be tortured by that misdeed for the rest of our lives. The person that wounded us continues to cause us pain each time we remember it, until we release that person to God and forgive. This is what Christ did for us and this is what He expects of us.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14 15).

He Expects the Same from Us
As Christ hung on the cross, He knew He was being brutally murdered by hatred. The hatred His murderers felt toward Him was indeed a great offense. They not only killed Him, but while He was hanging on the cross, beaten and humiliated, they continued to mock and insult Him (see Matthew 27:39). He was innocent and they were guilty. He was dying for them, and they mocked Him. Yet, enduring their torture, Jesus reached down into the reservoir of His strength and labored in His weakened condition to speak in their defense. He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

Their offense was great, but His forgiveness was greater. [He wants to pour that same forgiveness through us]. He knew that the people who were hurting Him were not His enemies. He saw them as innocent victims who had been manipulated and used by His enemy, Satan. We need to see that behind every offense is our adversary, the devil. And “he is seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). His target is not the person who offended you, but his target is actually you. His plan is to get you to hold onto the offense and open the doors of unforgiveness. When he does this, he can bring in a multitude of torturers to torture us with our past. Our past is allowed to take hold of our present, and the sinful behavior that we have been forgiven of and delivered from suddenly returns and tries to take root in our hearts.

The Bible, in Matthew 18, tells the story of "a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants." He realized that one of his servants owed him ten thousand talents, so he had the man brought to him. He ordered that the man and his entire household should be sold to make payment for the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go" (Matthew 18:26 27).

As soon as the servant left his master, he found a man who owed him money and demanded payment of the debt. When the man could not pay and asked for mercy, the servant had him thrown into prison until the debt could be paid in full. Seeing the entire situation played out before them, the other servants in the household went to the king and told him what their fellow servant had done. "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed" (Matthew 18:32 34).

Free from Offense
When we choose not to forgive our brother, we open the door for our past to come back on us and torture us. There is a very painful side to unforgiveness that Satan does not like us to discuss. He wants to make you feel as though you will lose something by forgiving, but really you have everything to gain and very little to lose. You gain peace and joy, you lose the constant torture of remembering the offense. You gain the love and acceptance of your heavenly Father. You lose the chains of the fear of the incident recurring again. And you lose the agonizing entitlement of living in the cozy little jail cell of your past.

Suddenly you are free to move on. You only need to look back now to see how far you have come from the "old you" who kept every offense locked away in the treasure chest of your mind. The "old you" would pull out (at Satan's request) the woundings from your past, only to let them wound you again and again as you toss them around in your mind.

Dear ones, do not forget: You are a child of the King! Your heavenly Father rules the world and you are His heir. Your life belongs to Him, including the painful events of your past. He cares about you very much! He has provided a way out of the pain: you have only to open the locks and remove the chains . . . you have only to forgive.

Your Father in heaven wants you to be free from the offense; free to move on and fulfill your destiny in Him. As you move closer to fulfilling the call God has on your life, Satan will try to bring about circumstances that lead to unforgiveness. Disappoint him and forgive. Satan does not want you to fulfill your destiny, and he knows if he can get you into unforgiveness, you won't.

The very person who has offended you might be the one that God wants to use to release you into your destiny. Offense is the test of graduation. Forgiveness gives you an A+! Unforgiveness leaves you with a failing grade and you will repeat the course again and again until you have passed.

A Thorough Cleaning
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13).

I went through a season in my life when God chose to do a thorough cleaning of my heart. I use the word thorough because in Webster's Dictionary it means "complete and absolute." My heavenly Father laid the ax to the roots of unforgiveness in my heart and did not let up until the job was done. The word thorough is also appropriate because the root word of thorough is rough, which in Webster's means "lacking comforts and conveniences." During this season in my life, God would not permit me to give any comfort or convenience to the sin of unforgiveness, no matter what the offense was or who had been used to offend me.

Often those closest to us will be the ones Satan uses to hurt us the most. It is easy to forgive the checkout lady at the grocery store who does not show us the proper respect. However, when those we love betray our trust, it is a much deeper wound and we need to be aggressive in our ongoing love for them. Our love for them will keep us from retaliation (see 1 Corinthians 13:5).


An Aggressive Defense
The enemy will seek to use our mouths to accuse the ones we love. We can stand in aggressive judgment toward them, with our finger wagging in their face and Satan's words of condemnation flying out of our mouths.

~ or ~

We can be used by God to aggressively defend those who have wronged us. Satan cannot condemn them if we, as the people they have offended, will stand in their defense.

When Aaron and Miriam spoke against their brother Moses, (see Numbers 12) for having a Cushite wife, the anger of the Lord burned against them. Miriam was struck with leprosy, but Moses interceded for her. "So Moses cried out to the Lord, "O God, please heal her!" (Numbers 12:13). Moses was not the one who sinned, but he is the one who cried out for God's forgiveness for his sister. He had the authority to intercede for her because he chose to forgive. If we love, we will not let Satan use us to condemn and accuse. We can be used by God to cover their sins. Next time it might be our turn to be forgiven, and they may be used by God to defend us.

In our home, when our children have a disagreement and one is clearly in the wrong, we often let the child who has been wronged choose "punishment" or "forgiveness" for the offending sibling. We remind them that next time it may be them in the hot seat, and they should choose for their brother or sister what punishment they would want chosen for themselves. Almost without exception, they choose forgiveness.

It is not always easy to forgive, but it is necessary; it is what Jesus is asking from us. He expects us to do as He Himself did. And yet, while they were killing Him, He was interceding for their pardon.

Pray this with me:

Dear Father,
Please uncover areas of unforgiveness in my heart and help me to release them to You. I choose to forgive those who have been used to wound me, because I want more of You.

Say out loud the names of those who have offended you. See them as victims of Satan's manipulation to hurt you, and release them by saying that you forgive them. Pray for them and bless them... and do so over and over if that's what it takes.


This message was taken from The Birth of Your Destiny, by Victoria Boyson.

The Cost of Progress / man's wisdom vs. God's

This witnesses with the cry of my heart... because I loved my life growing up as a child... as below, I have such fond memories of my childhood, life was simpler, you had time for each other and relationships were invested in and thoroughly enjoyed, and that's what I long for, for my children and grandchildren...I know you can't go back, but you can step off the roller coaster and seek God's ancient paths... his word is full of guidance according to His design for the family.

This is what the LORD says:
"Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' Jer. 6:16

When I was a young boy, I walked to my school every school day for seven years [so did I}. After school, I rode my bike to the ball park for my Little League games. {there was only little league for boys and I didn't feel left out] Every Sunday we walked a few blocks to church. The recreation park was a little further away than the ball park and a little closer than the school. Scout Hall was behind the school, so we also rode our bikes, or walked to Boy Scout meetings. Life was simple for us kids and our parents. In the suburbs of Los Angeles, the epitome of the commuter city, we lived life within a mile radius of our home. We even walked to the doctor's office.

Most people used to live this way. Before the automobile, everything had to be within walking distance, or at least horse-and-buggy distance. Communities had to develop accordingly. Each neighborhood had its local grocer, clothier, druggist, school, church, and so on. People knew their neighbors because they could not be avoided. One was constantly rubbing shoulders with them as one worked, worshiped, played, ate, and lived in the same area.

I like our cars. I can hardly imagine life without them. But as I was driving to school, work, the store, and a ball game the other day, I kept wondering, Is this really a better way of life? Our city, Savannah, Georgia, like every other community in America, now sprawls. We have big malls, big parks, big hospitals, big medical practices, nice roads in every direction, and nice air conditioned cars in which to drive. But is this a more humanly satisfying way to live?

While driving through town one evening, I noted the remarkable differences between poor and middle-class neighborhoods. The poor neighborhoods are older, more rundown, and yet abuzz with life. Some folks are sitting out on their porches, rocking and talking. Others are walking on the sidewalks. Still others are congregating on a street corner or at a storefront. What do you see in the middle class neighborhoods? Nothing. Not a soul. Why not? Air-conditioning. In the poor neighborhoods the deprived have no air-conditioning, but do have community. The affluent neighborhoods have air-conditioning, but consequently everyone stays inside, and minimal human interaction takes place. Who then is truly deprived? From air-conditioned offices to air-conditioned cars to air-conditioned houses, the socially impoverished move about, while the economically impoverished, though sweltering, enjoy a rich community experience.

We are technologically superior to previous generations. But are we losing too much in the process? First we walked, then galloped, then rode on rails together. Now we drive, largely with the window up, and go home to hermetically sealed homes, only coming out to take out the trash or grab the newspaper. Once we entertained ourselves at home by reading books aloud. In the 1920s families gathered around the radio. In the 1950s, they gathered around the T.V. Now there is a T.V. in each room. Computers only make it worse. Once the home was a castle, a place of refuge for the family. When behind its doors, the family conducted its affairs without interruption and without outside influence. Now one can hardly eat a meal or conduct family worship without the phone ringing. Sacrosanct family time is violated daily. Friends and strangers alike barge right into the middle of the family's most private and intimate moments via technology. Again my question is, Is this progress? When does life slow down enough so that we can talk? When do we enjoy our neighborhoods? Where do we experience community? In the last hundred years we have gone from life on a porch with family and neighbors to life in isolation in front of a cathode tube. Is the quality of life improving? Is ours a richer human experience? Frankly, I do not believe it anymore. Call it romanticism.

Call it naïveté. Call me a Luddite. We have wonderful toys today. But they have cost us too much. Growing prosperity and technological advancement do not necessarily or automatically mark human progress.

I have labored this point because I believe the church has largely failed to recognize the death of family and community or to compensate for it. Rather than reaffirm traditional practices that build family life and stimulate community, it tends to baptize secular trends that do the opposite. The small neighborhood church gives way to the large commuter church. The friendly country parson is replaced by the suburban CEO/pastor. Older practices such as the family altar and the family pew receive token attention, while new programs are devised that divide families and segregate the ages. In many ways we have become too clever for our own good. We are just as guilty of "chronological snobbery," as C. S. Lewis calls it, as the rest of society. Tried and proven ways of transmitting the heart and soul of the Christian faith to others have been abandoned in favor of exciting, entertaining, novel, but ineffectual alternatives. We pride ourselves in being modern. We look down our noses at previous generations. We have a love affair with the novel and the new. Educational, political, social, and religious fads sweep over us again and again, first possessing the field and all right-thinking people, and then in a matter of months, fleeing to the curiosity shelf in our cultural museums, replaced by yet another untested novelty. The time has come to admit our error and pause to look back, before we again look ahead.

What we hope to demonstrate in the pages ahead is that by returning to the practices of previous generations we may be able to revitalize the family and the church of today. The "ancient paths" of Sunday worship, Sabbath observance, family worship, and catechizing {family discipleship} are where spiritual vitality for the future will be found.

-from The Family Worship Book: A Resource Book for Family Devotions by Terry L. Johnson

If you want to read the intro to this book I can email a pdf file of the introduction...

http://www.cbmw.org/Journal/Vol-9-No-1/A-Call-to-Family-Worship

obstinate adhesion to our own counsels, which may be in conflict with His eternal purposes

National Day of Prayer

Today (Thursday 5/7/09) is the National Day of Prayer, and for the first time in nine years there won't be a White House ceremony in observance of this day. President Barack Obama will reportedly pray privately, but will make no public acknowledgement other than a White House proclamation.

According to The American Presidency Project website, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for the first National Day of Prayer in 1864. The proclamation reads as follows:

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Whereas the Senate and House of Representatives at their last session adopted a concurrent resolution, which was approved on the 2d day of July instant and which was in the words following, namely:

That the President of the United States be requested to appoint a day for humiliation and prayer by the people of the United States; that he request his constitutional advisers at the head of the Executive Departments to unite with him as Chief Magistrate of the nation, at the city of Washington, and the members of Congress, and all magistrates, all civil, military, and naval officers, all soldiers, sailors, and marines, with all loyal and law-abiding people, to convene at their usual places of worship, or wherever they may be, to confess and to repent of their manifold sins; to implore the compassion and forgiveness of the Almighty, that, if consistent with His will, the existing rebellion may be speedily suppressed and the supremacy of the Constitution and laws of the United States may be established throughout all the States; to implore Him, as the Supreme Ruler of the World, not to destroy us as a people, nor suffer us to be destroyed by the hostility or connivance of other nations or by obstinate adhesion to our own counsels, which may be in conflict with His eternal purposes, and to implore Him to enlighten the mind of the nation to know and do His will, humbly believing that it is in accordance with His will that our place should be maintained as a united people among the family of nations; to implore Him to grant to our armed defenders and the masses of the people that courage, power of resistance, and endurance necessary to secure that result; to implore Him in His infinite goodness to soften the hearts, enlighten the minds. and quicken the consciences of those in rebellion, that they may lay down their arms and speedily return to their allegiance to the United States, that they may not be utterly destroyed, that the effusion of blood may be stayed, and that unity and fraternity may be restored and peace established throughout all our borders:

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, cordially concurring with the Congress of the United States in the penitential and pious sentiments expressed in the aforesaid resolution and heartily approving of the devotional design and purpose thereof, do hereby appoint the first Thursday of August next to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of national humiliation and prayer.

I do hereby further invite and request the heads of the Executive Departments of this Government, together with all legislators, all judges and magistrates, and all other persons exercising authority in the land, whether civil, military, or naval, and all soldiers, seamen, and marines in the national service, and all the other loyal and law-abiding people of the United States, to assemble in their preferred places of public worship on that day, and there and then to render to the almighty and merciful Ruler of the Universe such homages and such confessions and to offer to Him such supplications as the Congress of the United States have in their aforesaid resolution so solemnly, so earnestly, and so reverently recommended.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington. this 7th day of July, A. D. 1864, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President:

WILLIAM H. SEWARD,

Secretary of State.

An amazing adoption story

Thought you might like to follow this story of a family trying to adopt from Uganda who eventually had to move there to be his foster parents for 3 years before they'd be allowed to adopt him... long and amazing story and lots more to read on their blog... http://oneroofafrica.blogspot.com/

Boy, has this rekindled my desire... Lord, Here I am, send me!

October 23, 2008

The Story.

So. Why are we here? Why have we established an internet presence under the name "One Roof?"

I'm glad you asked. It's a long story, so pull up a chair, obtain a mug of your favorite hot beverage, and read on.

My name is Adam Palmer. My wife is Michelle. We have four biological children, named Emma, Noah, Dorothy, and Charlotte. And we have a son in Africa that we've been trying to adopt since July of 2005. This is him, back when we started:


And this is him now:


It all began, as these things often do, at church. Our church supports an orphanage in Jinja, Uganda, called Amani Baby Cottage. We sent a team that summer on a short-term missions trip to Uganda, which included a few days of help and love at Amani. Someone brought a video camera to document the trip, and they showed the video on a Sunday morning.

Both Michelle and I were moved as we watched these precious children, their hope-filled smiles lighting up the screen. Yes, they were orphans, forgotten by much of the world, but we still sensed their destiny and knew that, given a loving family, these kids could really thrive. The paternal instinct within me leapt up, and my heart cried out, "I want them all!"

My brain then went on the defensive: "You can't take them all, but you can take one."

Unbeknownst to me, at that very same time, Michelle was sitting next to me, thinking the exact same thing. The thought pestered our hearts: "You can't take them all, but you can take one." We talked about it after church, and, within hours of being exposed to these precious orphans, we succumbed.

That afternoon, we looked up the Amani website and filled in our kids as to what we were considering. Noah, the only boy, four years old at the time, began jumping up and down, pointing at the photos of the kids on the site, saying, "Let's buy a boy! Let's buy a boy!"

We were on the phone with Amani Baby Cottage the next day.

We got the information we needed and found out that adoption through Uganda is actually fairly inexpensive as far as international adoptions go, and that the process should go fairly quickly. We were matched with a little 14-month-old boy named Francis, and we began doing everything on our end that we needed to do (getting a homestudy done, filing the appropriate paperwork, driving down to Oklahoma City to get fingerprinted, etc.) and, in March of 2006, we got the call: we were going to court to get our boy.

After much deliberation, we decided that sending the whole family was cost-prohibitive. We'd raised enough money from friends, family, and anonymous donations from church members to get at least one of us there, and, since we don't have money coming out of our ears, decided that Michelle should be the one to go, since she's a stay-at-home mom and would be spending the most time with Francis. With about a week's notice and absolutely zero travel experience, Michelle winged her away across the world to meet our little guy for the first time.

It was a long pair of flights (Chicago to London, about eight hours of layover, then London to Entebbe, Uganda), but the flying was over soon enough and, much to Michelle's delight, she was surprised at the airport when she saw our adoption coordinator, Holly, holding Francis. The tears began to flow as Michelle clutched our son to her chest. The bond was immediate. It was a natural mother/son moment, as natural as the first times Michelle had held any of our biological children.


From that moment, Michelle and Francis were inseparable. They went to court shortly afterward and were told that guardianship was essentially in the bag--they just had to come back in a week to get their ruling. They passed the week seeing Jinja, visiting Amani frequently to hold the babies, and just generally getting acquainted with each other.

The next week they went back to court and were told it would be another week. No big deal--just waiting on some paperwork that needed to get filed. It was fine. I was at home having a blast with the other kids, eagerly anticipating the arrival of our new guy, and we were okay with putting in another week if it meant bringing Francis home.

The extra week went by much in the same way the first week had done. And then the ruling was put off again. Another week.

And then, when Michelle went back to get the ruling, she got the greatest shock of our adoption process so far.

The judge denied our guardianship.

The reasons for his denial are murky, so it's tough to go into here, but we honestly don't believe he was malicious in his decision. In our opinion, he was doing what he felt was best for Francis and for all the future children of Uganda.

Be that as it may, however, we were faced with a decision. We were obviously going to appeal the ruling and take it to a higher court, but what should Michelle do in that time? If the appeal was going to be soon, should she wait in the country? Or should she leave Francis and come back to the States to wait it out over here? If she came back, she'd have to leave Francis, a child who'd already had to deal with being abandoned. If she stayed, she would be leaving our other children without a mother for an extended (and unknown, though likely lengthy) period of time.

Ultimately, Michelle came back, her hands empty and her heart broken. The rest of us were disappointed, naturally, but Michelle had spent a good four weeks bonding with our son, and leaving him in Uganda was beyond a disappointment to her--it was devastating. The only thing that kept her going was the knowledge that our appeals court date would be set soon and she would be heading back to be reunited with Francis and, this time she would bring him back with her.

Three months later, in late June, we got the call: our appeals court date had been set, and it was in one week. One. Week. We hurriedly got everything together for Michelle to make the trip again, and, with anticipation, looked forward to this second trip.

Two hours after she got off the plane in Uganda, Michelle was in court with Francis (who recognized her immediately), and the hearing went well. The appeals court judge saw that Francis and Michelle had a mother/son bond, and that he truly loved her and she him. It looked like we were going to get a favorable ruling.

But the problem became: when would we get that ruling? We thought it would be in a couple of weeks, but two weeks after appearing in court, there was still nothing. And this time, our time apart as a family was less than desirable. I had started a full-time job, so I wasn't able to spend nearly as much time with the kids as we had during the first trip. And since the ruling could come at any time, Michelle pretty much had to sit on her hands and wait. Her accommodations were much different, so she wound up spending all of her time basically in a room with a lovable--but overactive--toddler.

After three weeks of waiting, the writing became apparent on the wall: this was going to take a long time, and we couldn't afford a moommy-less existence at home for much longer. We began to look at options to get Michelle home, but since it was peak tourist time, the first flight available out of Uganda wasn't for another two weeks.

Five 1/2 weeks after she left home for the second time to bring Francis to his family, Michelle returned for the second time, again empty-handed. When she left Uganda the first time, she was able to leave Francis as he slept, hoping that he would understand why his mommy wasn't there when he woke up. This time, though, she had to take him back to the orphanage just before bedtime, and she heard his plaintive cries as he was taken back to a familiar room and put back in his familiar bed.

Michelle left much of her heart in Uganda that second time around. She came home, back to the States, back to this part of our family, but she wasn't the same. It hurt too much to leave him. And it hurt too much to wait for the ruling that would come unannounced.

It was a long wait. Nine months of waiting, actually. But in March of 2007, we finally got the word: we'd been granted legal guardianship! Uganda recognized us as Francis's parents! It was a time of joy, except...

The ruling had a little hitch in it. There was a provision in it, one little sentence, that stated we had to appear in Ugandan court three years later to finalize our adoption. They'd granted us guardianship, and now we only had to foster Francis for three years to prove that we really wanted him as our son. After that foster period was over, we had to appear in court one more time to finalize and then everything would be okay.

The hitch: the United States would not grant a visa for Francis as long as that provision was in there. As we understand it, this is the case in all international adoptions--an unbendable rule to prevent, I guess, excessive fees and gouging from other countries. That's just me editorializing, though. Regardless of the reason, the law remains: no visas granted unless the child can come into the U.S. and stay in the U.S. as long as the child wants to.

So, what to do? We petitioned the court to please remove that little line from their ruling so that we could, as they say, "take up the child" and bring him home. But the court didn't want to change their ruling, and was offended that we'd even suggest such a thing. That would make them look weak, which was no good. We could've appealed again to the Ugandan Supreme Court, but we were gun-shy about whether that would actually work, we were pretty much out of money, and Michelle was pregnant with our fourth biological child and couldn't really make the trip.

We decided instead to pursue a loophole in the U.S. law called Humanitarian Parole, basically asking the government for special permission, on humanitarian reasons, to allow Francis into the country without a visa. We began corresponding with our senator's office to see if anyone in Washington could help us out, and got the wheels into motion.

And this is where we made a decision that we now regret--we put the Humanitarian Parole on hold. We were about to have our new baby, and we had some other, non-adoption things going on in our world, including some challenges with another one of our children, and so we made the difficult decision to delay applying for Humanitarian Parole.

Honestly, we were almost in a place of cynicism, feeling that, since we'd been stymied every time before in our attempt to bring Francis home, there was no guarantee that this would work, either. Our hearts, over time, and in an attempt to protect ourselves, were being hardened, though we still loved our little guy.

Also, Francis was getting older and older. At this point, he was 3 1/2 years old, and he was getting less and less adoptable. As we understand it, children are only allowed to stay in an orphanage until the age of 5, at which point they graduate to a new facility and, for the most part, become orphans for the rest of their lives. After all, who would adopt a full-on kid when there are babies in the country that need adoption as well?

We didn't want that to happen to Francis and, looking at our ever-more-dire situation, made the incredibly difficult decision to release our guardianship of him. We knew that he was a bright light at the orphanage, and that more than one couple had made inquiries about adopting him--we didn't want him to miss his chance at a family because our case was mired in red tape.

We contacted Amani and began to discuss the possibilities of releasing Francis's guardianship. They put us in contact with their lawyer, who told us to write up our story so that he could take it to the court and explain why we were relinquishing our guardianship. I wrote it up, sent it off, and we didn't hear anything further.

But in March of 2008, we found out that another couple whose adoption was tied to ours had applied for Humanitarian Parole and had received it. They actually got it. Something went right.

Since we hadn't heard back about relinquishing our guardianship, we contacted the orphanage to see if we were still Francis's guardians and to find out if we could still apply for Humanitarian Parole. Turns out that our initial story write-up was too long and that the lawyer had edited it and emailed it back to us--an email we never got. The release had not proceeded and we were still guardians.

We got our application submitted in record time, and got back on the phone with our senator's office. Michelle stayed in close contact with them as they received the application and got it into the processing department.

On September 13, 2008, we received the letter in the mail. We just knew it would be the answer we'd hoped for. Michelle gathered the children around, opened the letter, and read that... we were denied.

Denied.

We did not receive the Humanitarian Parole. We don't know why.

And so, having exhausted all our options, we began to face the realities of the situation: we could either move to Uganda and wait out our fostering period there, or we could again pursue the release of our guardianship of Francis so that he could be adopted by someone else. We even knew of a precious missionary family who had already volunteered to take him.

Michelle and I had a lunch where we talked it over, and we both agreed that the only thing keeping us from going to Africa was money and a clear directive from God. It was such a huge life change for our entire family--we didn't want to make the decision lightly. If we were going to go, we wanted to be sure it was something we were supposed to do. But whatever happened, we needed to make a decision soon.

A few days later, Michelle got a phone call from some good friends of ours, offering us a sizeable amount of money to pay for airfare and a little bit more. "We just don't think it's right for a family to be apart like that," she said, "and we want to give you this money so you can move to Africa and be with your son."

That was on a Friday afternoon. That night, Michelle attended a women's retreat sponsored by our church, and, in the middle of it, the speaker made her stand up. This woman had no idea what we were going through, no idea that we'd just hours before secured funds to move, and she pointed at Michelle and said, "This isn't your home; you were made for the nations. Pack your bags, you're going."

I don't know what you believe about God and Jesus and all that stuff, but I'd say that's a pretty clear directive.

It took me about a day to come around, but I eventually got on board, and we made the decision that weekend: we're moving to Africa.

And so that's why this website exists. Because we're going.

Because we're finally taking the steps we need to take to get our family under one roof.

And because we want you to go with us.

As you've read, this has already been a crazy journey, and it's only going to crazier. This website will be our story hub on the internet. We hope to post stories, photos, and videos as we undertake this mammoth, and slightly insane, task. And as we do that, we hope you'll send us notes of encouragement, your prayers, and, if you are so moved, any donations you might want to make.

Please pass this link on to others. And keep checking back. And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send them to oneroofafrica (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks for reading. There will be (much) more to come.

Posted by Adam at 12:42

Thomas Jefferson

"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvements, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned , this is the sum of a good government." Thomas Jefferson

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Thomas Jefferson

Every generation needs a new revolution.
Thomas Jefferson

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.
Thomas Jefferson

Two ways of doing life

Two ways of doing life

From Jesus' point of view, there are two fundamentally different ways of doing life. One way, you're connected to a God who's involved in your life. Psalm 23 is all about this: "The Lord is my shepherd ... and his goodness and mercy surely follow me all the days of my life." The other way, you're pretty much on your own and disconnected. Let's call this the antipsalm 23: "I'm on my own ... and disappointment follows me all the days of my life." We'll look first at the antipsalm way of doing life.

Antipsalm 23
I'm on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless. I'm easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It's a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It's a desert — I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone ... facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can't really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I'm left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
It's a living death,
and then I die.

The antipsalm tells what life feels like and looks like whenever God vanishes from sight… "I'm-all-alone-in-the-universe" …. The antipsalm captures the drivenness and pointlessness of life-purposes that are petty and self-defeating. It expresses the fears and silent despair that cannot find a voice because there's no one to really talk to.

[Lives] are spinning out of control. They might implode. Something bad gets the last say when whatever you live for is not God.

And when you're caught up in the antipsalm, it doesn't help when you're labeled a "disorder," a "syndrome" or a "case." The problem is much more serious: The disorder is "my life." The syndrome is "I'm on my own." The case is "Who am I and what am I living for?" when too clearly I am the center of my story.

But the antipsalm doesn't need to tell the final story. It only becomes your reality when you construct your reality from a lie. In reality, someone else is the center of the story. Nobody can make Jesus go away. The I AM was, is and will be, whether or not people acknowledge that.

When you awaken, when you see who Jesus actually is, everything changes. You see the Person whose care and ability you can trust. You experience His care. You see the Person whose glory you are meant to worship. You love Him who loves you. The real Psalm 23 captures what life feels like and looks like when Jesus Christ puts His hand on your shoulder.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Can you taste the difference?

You might want to read both antipsalm and psalm again, slowly. Maybe even read out loud. The psalm is sweet, not bitter. It's full, not empty. You aren't trying to grab the wind with your bare hands. Someone Else takes you in His hands. You are not alone.

Jesus Christ actually plays two roles in this most tender psalm. First, He walked this Himself. He is a man who looked to the Lord. He said these very words, and means what He says. He entered our predicament. He walked the valley of the shadow of death. He faced every evil. He felt the threat of the antipsalm, of our soul's need to be restored. He looked to his Father's care when He was cast down — for us — into the darkest shadow of death. And God's goodness and mercy followed Him and carried Him. Life won.

Second, Jesus is also this Lord to whom we look. He is the living shepherd to whom we call. He restores your soul. He leads you in paths of righteousness. Why? Because of who He is: "for His name's sake."

You, too, can walk Psalm 23. You can say these words and mean what you say. God's goodness and mercy is true, and all He promises will come true. The King is at home in his universe.

Jesus puts it this way, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). He delights to walk with you.
* * *
this article starts with a description of 4 people and their life struggles. Each of the four lifestyles earned a label for a person: addictive personality, eating disorder, OCD, and so forth. To read the entire article go to
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001827.cfm
Why does God explain behavior, emotion and the human heart in such a different way from the labels? And why do the therapeutic answers never offer anything remotely like the intimacy of Psalm 23? The answer to these questions... go to...
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001828.cfm
-from an article entitled "Sane Faith - Part 1" Copyright 2008 David Powlison. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. This article was published on www.Boundless.org on August 26, 2008. Focus on the Family has a staff of more than 20 licensed Christian counselors available to talk with you. If you would like to talk with one of them, please call (719) 531-3400 Monday-Friday 9-4:30 (Mountain time), and ask for the Counseling department at extension 7700. One of the counselors' assistants will arrange for a counselor to call you back at no charge to you.

God Is the Gospel

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By John Piper November 13, 2002

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Have you ever asked why God’s forgiveness is of any value? Or what about eternal life? Have you ever asked why a person would want to have eternal life? Why should we want to live forever? These questions matter because it is possible to want forgiveness and eternal life for reasons that prove you don’t have them.

Take forgiveness, for example. You might want God’s forgiveness because you are so miserable with guilt feelings. You just want relief. If you can believe that he forgives you, then you will have some relief, but not necessarily salvation. If you only want forgiveness because of emotional relief, you won’t have God’s forgiveness. He does not give it to those who use it only to get his gifts and not himself.

Or you might want to be healed from a disease or get a good job or find a spouse. Then you hear that God can help you get these things, but that first your sins would have to be forgiven. Someone tells you to believe that Christ died for your sins, and that if you believe this, your sins will be forgiven. So you believe it in order to remove the obstacle to health and job and spouse. Is that gospel salvation? I don’t think so.

In other words, it matters what you are hoping for through forgiveness. It matters why you want it. If you want forgiveness only for the sake of savoring the creation, then the Creator is not honored and you are not saved. Forgiveness is precious for one final reason: it enables you to enjoy fellowship with God. If you don’t want forgiveness for that reason, you won’t have it at all. God will not be used as currency for the purchase of idols.

Similarly, we ask: why do we want eternal life? One might say: because hell is the alternative and that’s painful. Another might say: because there will be no sadness there. Another might say: my loved ones have gone there and I want to be with them. Others might dream of endless sex or food. Or more noble fortunes. In all these aims one thing is missing: God.

The saving motive for wanting eternal life is given in John 17:3: "This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." If we do not want eternal life because it means joy in God, then we won’t have eternal life. We simply kid ourselves that we are Christians, if we use the glorious gospel of Christ to get what we love more than Christ. The "good news" will not prove good to any for whom God is not the chief good.

Here is the way Jonathan Edwards put it in a sermon to his people in 1731. Read this slowly and let it waken you to the true goodness of forgiveness and life.

The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption. He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls. God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory. They have none in heaven but God; he is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they are to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God, he is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem; and is the ‘river of the water of life’ that runs, and the tree of life that grows, ‘in the midst of the paradise of God’. The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will forever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another: but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in anything else whatsoever, that will yield then delight and happiness, will be what will be seen of God in them. (The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999], pp. 74-75)

Savoring God through the gospel, with you,

Pastor John Piper at Desiring God. www.desiringGod.org