In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone

Stuart Townend, Keith Getty

In Christ alone, my hope is found.
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
‘Til on the cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied,
For every sin on Him was laid.
Here in the love of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again.
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip from me,
For I am His and He is mine,
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus controls my destiny.
No power of Hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I stand. 

I’ve had some things on my mind this week, and this song really summed it up for me. I couldn’t have said it better myself…. so, I didn’t try.  I just wanted to share the lyrics.

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 Opening night at the NACC was awesome and inspiring.  God is definately up to something!

NACC

Richard and I will be going to the NACC in Kentucky next week.  I'm really looking forward to it!  Anyone else going?

Brownie Poop

        A father of three teenagers set a rule that the family could not watch R-rated movies.  This created a problem when a certain popular movie opened in local theaters.  All the teens were bent on seeing the file, despite its "R" rating.  The teens interviewed friends and even members of their church to compile a list of pros and cons about the movie.  They hoped that the list would convince their dad that they should be allowed to attend.  The cons were that it contained only a few swear words that misused God’s name, only one act of violence (“which you can see on TV all the time,” they said), and only one sex scene (and it was mostly implied sex, off camera).  The pros were that it was a popular movie – a blockbuster.  If the teens saw the movie, then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it.  The movie contained a good plot and two hours of nonstop action and suspense.  There were fantastic special effects!  The movie also featured some of the most talented actors in Holly wood.  The teens were certain that the film would be nominated for several awards.  And Christian friends at their church who had seen the movie said it wasn’t “that bad”.  Therefore, since there were more pros than cons, the teens asked their father to reconsider his position just this once.  The father looked at the list and asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision.  The teens were thrilled.  Now we’ve got him! they thought.  Our argument is too good! Dad can’t turn us down!  So they agreed to give him a day to think about their request.   

            The next day the father called his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room.  They were puzzled to see a plate of brownies on the coffee table.  The father said he had decided that if they would eat a brownie, then he would let them go to the movie.  But just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons.  The pros were that they had been made with fresh walnuts and the finest chocolate.  These moist frosted brownies had been created with an award-winning recipe.  Best of all, they had been made with care by the hands of the teens’ own father.  The brownies had only one con.  They had a little bit of dog poop in them.  But the dough had been mixed well – the teens probably would not even be able to taste it.  And their father had baked the brownies at 350 degrees, so any bacteria or germs had probably been destroyed.  Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat a brownie that included “just a little bit of poop,” then they also would be permitted to see the movie with “just a little bit of smut.”  By now the teens had lost their smug expressions.  They turned down the tainted brownies, and only Dad was smiling smugly as they left the room. 

            Now when his teenagers ask permission to do something he is opposed to, the father just asks, “Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?” 

Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

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This is one of my favorite devo stories.  I told this story to my very first teen class.  I welcomed them to the class and served them warm homemade brownies just before the lesson.  It was pretty funny to watch their faces as the story progressed. ha!

There are so many ways that we allow sin in our lives.  Sometimes we justify it by saying "its just a little bit". 

James 1:27 tells me that I need to keep from being polluted by the world if I am to please God.  That is so simple to say, but very difficult to practice.  When making decisions, especially on entertainment choices, it helps me to just stop and ask myself "How much poop do I want in my brownies?". 

 

 

 

It’s still me!

Sorry for the change in color and theme…  you are at the right place.

[To add a counter to the sidebar required a change in my theme.  I will have to continue without any pink. ..sigh     ]

Growing a Fruitful Garden

My childhood memories are full of hours spent in my dad's garden - weeding, digging, scratching, sweating…  these are not good memories.  Now that I am married to "the world's greatest husband" and am the mother to two of "the world's greatest young men" – my life did not consist of such things.  I am "the girl" in a house full of men.  I am the one that does not lift heavy objects, bag up trash, kill bugs, or sweat.  I am protected and pampered and I love every minute of it. 

After almost twenty years of marriage I have finally given in to my husband's request to have a garden.  After all… he is "the world's greatest". :)  Not unlike the pain of childbirth, God allowed my garden nightmares to fade and I began to think "maybe it won't be so bad".  This past spring we began the work of preparing to plant our first garden together.  The memories have come flooding back to me as once again I have been exposed to weeds, dirt, bugs, and sweat.  However, this time around my gardening experiences have produced a new benefit that I did not experience before.  In my efforts to grow the best vegetables and fruit, God has grown my mind.

I never realized how much "gardening" is mentioned in the Bible.  While I have never tended a flock of sheep, and I have a limited experience with the use of fishing nets, or even salt – I do relate to the different types of growth that can occur in different types of soil.  I have direct experience with sowing, weeding, and reaping.  There are so many ways that gardening skills can be used to not only produce a great crop, but also to grow and improve your spiritual life. 

One of the first steps in preparing for our garden was to decide exactly what we wanted to grow.  We had to look at the end result we hoped to achieve so that we would know what direction to go to get there.  Different crops require different soils, moisture levels, sunlight exposure, planting seasons.  Each crop will need protection from different pests and diseases that attack it to try and inhibit the growth… I could go on and on.  But, to get the best blueberries, I had to plant them in the soil with the best pH levels for blueberries – or more accurately – work the soil to get it to the correct pH levels.  To have any hopes of juicy red strawberries, they had to be planted in an area that gives them lots of exposure to the sun.  My favorite vegetable, squash, required the building of small dirt hills to hold the seeds, and regular application of plenty of sevin dust to hinder the evil beetles that work against me.  Each kind of seed or plant had specific needs that had to be met to produce the best fruit possible.  Some of the needs are universally required by all and some are unique to each plant.

In Galatians 5:22 we are told that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This is the fruit that I would like to produce in my life.  I wonder what type of soil each of these require, and what is needed to prepare the best soil….  I wonder how much exposure to the "Son"….  I wonder what evils attack each one of these, and what is the best way to protect each fruit….  I wonder what preparations and continued care are needed to make sure that the best and healthiest fruit is produced….  And how do you best perserve each, after they are produced….  These are the thoughts that keep my mind busy while I am out in the heat, weeding, digging, scratching, and sweating.  I am making much better garden memories this time… and I also have "the world's greatest husband" working right there with me.