I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone
A Merry Christmas this year ...
My way of saying that I am celebrating
The birth Of Jesus Christ.
So, I am asking my email buddies,
If you agree with me,
To please do the same.
And if you'll pass this on to
Your email buddies, and so on...
Maybe we can prevent one more Canadian/American
Tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".
To One and All ! ! ! ! !
Well, yet again it's been a long while since I've been able to post. If you're reading this it means that I'm in Africa with the most amazingly godly, beautiful, and wonderful in every way, love of my life, Priscilla and her family of similar character. It also means I was able to pull off this post's opening statement perfectly by typing this album along the trip. PTL! God is so good! PTL! I love you, Priscilla! <3 :-))))))) I'll try to just 'hit the highlights' and keep it relatively short, but we all know how that goes! LOL! ;-) It has been another wonderful time in the Lord since my last post. PTL! All the usual stuff like spending quality time with the Lord, visiting with Priscilla, visiting with family and friends, CBC, FBI, working out, riding the dirt bike, etc., has been great! PTL! Here's a little bit about a few of the unusual occurrences during this time. As you can see Dad cut wood for the fireplace because of the cold weather which is something all Hawaiians, including me, think is unusual. LOL! Monster Truck Sunday back towards the end of October was really good! PTL! In fact including all services/ministries both in the morning and evening services there were over 40 people who got saved! PTL! PTL! PTL! That same Sunday evening I was headed home from church and saw a man stopped on the side of the road. I stopped to see if I could help, and he'd ran out of gas. So, I had him get in the truck with me to go get some gas. Along the trip I started talking with him and realized I had stopped to help him when he was in a different vehicle which was actually broke down a few months ago. However, at that time he already had folks coming to help him out. So I left him a track and my number and headed on home. Then I asked if I could talk to him about the LORD. He'd didn't really seem interested but I guess felt obligated to listen since I was helping him out. At this point we had reached the gas station so I told him I'd talk to him about it once we headed back to his SUV. I bought him a gas can and some gas, and in the process I was asking the Lord what he'd have me say to this man. The LORD had put it on my heart by the time we started back towards his vehicle that him being stranded, me offering to help, him accepting my offer, etc., would be a great illustration to use in witnessing to him. The Lord started working on his heart, and by the time we got back to his truck he was crying. He told me he was saved early but now backslidden, and he asked me to pray with him. We prayed together and afterwards got his car going again. He seemed a little better at this point but something still seemed to be bothering him. However, I didn't know anything else to do so we both got in our own vehicles and headed home. We happened to be going the same direction and in just a few minutes he pulled over and put his flashers on again. I stopped behind him again, and he came and told me that he'd just accepted Christ as his Saviour driving home, and how grateful he was to God! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! I was blessed of the LORD to get to help out with several different areas of service during this time period such as hauling a 'literature trailer' to the fair for an evangelist, playing music at CBC for Old Fashioned Sunday, getting to play 'Walking Thru The Flames' for special music, working with the prison ministry (which was neat and about 20 got saved, I helped a couple of them who were already saved with assurance from God's Word, and it's the first time I ever equated hate to murder and have the person tell me that the reason they were here was because they were a convicted murder), teaching CBC C&C Sunday school, helping out as an usher at CBC, getting some materials to help out Ezekiel House Ministries, etc.! PTL! PTL! PTL! I've also been blessed of the Lord to read a couple good books during this time: What It Costs To Be A Good Christian by John R Rice, Over The Hill and On A Roll by Bob Phillips, and 20 Years With Billy Sunday by Homer Rodeheaver. PTL! Dad and I have been able to hunt, kill, and eat a few squirrels which was a very fun, tasty blessing too. Mom and I have gotten to share some good lunches and trips to the chiropractor together. PTL! She got Bell's Palsy unfortunately, but it is starting to get better. PTL! Uncle Rusty and Aunt Lor came for a visit this past week which was another blessing. Andi is growing like crazy and will probably be walking in no time. She's already standing and balancing by herself for 3-5 seconds. PTL! I did get terribly sick for about a week during this time but the Lord brought me through it. PTL! During the time I was sick there was a crazy stud horse that got loose. I saw it out the window and decided I'd go outside and let it in our fence until its owner came, but the crazy thing jumped the fence almost on top of me. I just barely managed to dodge him. PTL! Speaking of craziness getting all the tickets, passports, visas, documents, gathering items to pack, etc., for a one month trip to Africa fits the bill, but it will be totally worth it! I love you Priscilla! <3 :-) I also printed the labels and burned music my Dad made on to CD's which was a surprisingly more difficult task than I had initially anticipated, but the Lord blessed and saw that through too! PTL! The usual meals, visits, naps, etc., with the John Rogers and Smith families have been wonderful blessings too. PTL! I've been able to talk with lots of my Ohana during this time as well, and several of them like Emily and Andrew have started updating their blogs, all of which has been WABE! I also had a good blessed and lazy Thanksgiving Holiday with my family! PTL! God is so good! PTL! Regarding the Fire Department Exam results, they notified me that I had failed. I was shocked and am currently trying to get a copy of my test, exam, and answer key to see what actually happened. To make a long story short, in the process it seems to be coming more and more evident that most likely the Laurel Fire Department knew who they were going to hire beforehand, the test was just a formality, and they made the grades 'fit'. However, I don't know that for sure and at the rate it's going I've about decided I never will because of all the run-around they're giving me. So I'm going to check once more when I get back to the states and if they don't answer I'll take that as the Lord explaining that he doesn't want me in that job. I finished the yard's trim work for the last time this year. PTL! In family devotions we've mainly been reading a biography on Dwight L. Moody which has been a great blessing. It was also super good to finish this semester in FBI with passing grades. PTL! I only have one semester to go before I complete the FBI course. PTL! Yet, at the same time I'll definitely miss that class. It's wonderful! PTL! God is so good! The OBC devotions this past month have been good too, but you can read them all on the OBC website.
The spiritual realm for this past month and a half has been wonderful in the Lord too! PTL! I've went through 10 books (Hosea through Haggai) in the Old Testiment in that time and I've just started Zechariah! PTL! The CBC messages, lessons, etc., have all been really good too. Hosea is somewhat of a strange book of the Bible in which God tells Hosea to take a wife unto himself who is a prostitute in order to provide a picture of the spiritual adultery Israel commits against God. Some good truths from it are that while God isn't obligated in the least to make sense to us, we're under every obligation to trust and obey him. We need to be careful that we don't place God in a 'box' of our own finite minds. God hates sin but loves sinners! PTL! Sin never satisfies. Sin loves darkness. Our life lived for or against God affects others accordingly. God isn't interested in 'lip service' devotion to him, but rather true worship with genuine humility, repentance, faith, clean hands, a pure heart, etc. If you claim the name of Jesus Christ, then don't shame his name. We need to be careful that we don't forget and forsake God. Woe unto those which call good evil, and evil good. God doesn't want all things done for his glory out of arrogance. The fact is he's God, he loves you, and he's the only way of salvation. If he didn't work all things together for his glory he would ultimately be sending you to hell. Sins blinds us to the truth of God's Word. Jehovah-Shamma: The LORD is there. PTL! :-) Some good points from Joel are that God's man is to seek and speak God's message. We ought not drink alcohol or entice others to do so. God always has a faithful remnant. God is to take first place in every area of our lives. Our God is a consuming fire! Sin will blind us from discerning right from wrong. Amos was a country farmer God called to be a preaching prophet to the city folk of Israel! PTL! He shows we need to speak God's Word in boldness, truth, and love. There's no respect of persons with God. If we're to walk together with God, make no mistake it's us going God's way, not vice versa. All of God's ways are in perfect harmony with his perfect, wholly holy character. God knows everything and owns everything. We should hate evil. We should be careful not to presume upon God's grace. We should compare our lives with the standard of God's Word, not one another. We ought to have a reverent fear and respect for God's man. The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much. We've got to be focused on seeking God's face to see the direction of his eyes with which he guides us as Priscilla pointed out to me as we talked about the Psalm 32:8 principle in Amos. Your relationship with God will affect every area of your life, including music. Obadiah is about the judgement of Edom. A few of its points are that God's judgement is complete, purposeful, and sure. We reap what we sow and in greater proportions. Jonah was fabulous as always. PTL! God will empower us to do anything he calls us to do. God is sovereign. God disciplines and chastens his children in love. Jonah was from Galilee proving the Pharisees who claimed no prophet ariseth out of Galilee were either mistaken or lying. My FBI notes had a neat observation that God's call to Jonah was arise (refuting active church members who only sit on a pew), go (which is essential to soul winning), cry (refutes lifestyle evangelism alone), against (refutes social, poetically correct positive thinking 'gospels') Nineveh. Did you know they're are at least two others in addition to Jonah on record in history as having survived being swallowed by a whale? God always longs to hear and answer our genuine heartfelt prayer to repent no matter how far we've strayed. Salvation is of the LORD. God told us about mountains in the ocean long before 'science'. Anything short of complete repentance isn't repentance. Service for God that doesn't flow from a heart filled with love for God will harden the heart. Micah is set up like a court case with God bringing his charges against Israel with the whole world as jury. It has some great truths like how sin will enslave you. We need to give the most earnest attention to read, heed, and hearken unto the LORD! We need to recognize the urgency in responding to God. Our flesh wants anything but God. Genuine humility is the result of recognizing the truth of who God is, and it's proportional to how fully we understand God. We need to be doers of God's Word, not just hearers. God will not hear our prayers if we regard iniquity in our heart. FBI had a neat note about the prophecy here that Zion would be plowed, and to this day that remains the case and it's the only portion of Jerusalem which has ever been plowed. Micah propecies that Jesus Christ would be born in Bethlehem. You can't bribe or 'buy off' God. God will set all things right in his perfect will, way, and time. Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good and what doth the LORD require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Nahum is an amazing book on the judgement of God upon Nineveh. It occurs about 150 years after the great revival of Jonah's time and warns of spiritual erosion between following generations. It's full of extremely detailed prophecies about Nineveh's fall to Babylon which all came to pass exactly. For just one of numerous examples, this book explains that the palace would be dissolved which literally happened when the LORD sent a great storm which overflowed the Tigris River which ran under walls and subsequently caused them to dissolve. WGB quote regarding the judgement of Nineveh. Although God's patience in infinite in depth; it is not eternal in duration. Habakkuk is a very neat book. He was a choir leader, and at least the last chapter of the book is written as a song, if not the entire book. Habakkuk was the doubting Thomas of the Old Testament, and much of the book resembles the themes of Job. Habakkuk asks some of the age old question of, 'Why don't you hear my prayers LORD?, Why don't you solve my problems LORD?, LORD, how come the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper?', and the LORD answers that he would use the Babylonians as his chastening tool against Judah. Then Habakkuk is even more confused of how God could use an heathen, wicked ungodly, much more sinful nation than Judah to administer the judgement of Judah. However, he trusts God even though it's beyond his understanding and eventually God gives Habakkuk a vision of his glory which, like Job when in God's presence, didn't have his question answered but they were removed with renewed complete humble trust in God. A neat thing about his vision though was that it was almost as if he took a trip back in time and was able to see the invisible hand of God at work in Creation, parting the Red Sea and Jordan, slaying the Canaanites before Israel, etc. PTL! Some good truths from this passage are we need to fully trust and obey God even when we don't understand his ways. We need to pray openly and honestly to God with respect. God will reconcile all sin in his perfect will, way, and time. The great statement of just shall live by faith is a quote God gave to Habakkuk. Satan often uses alcohol as a 'gateway' sin. Songs should praise, worship, glory, exalt, honor, etc., God, and they can even be prayers unto the LORD. PTL! Zephaniah is a book that's focused mainly on the day of the LORD, referring somewhat to the Babylonian captivity, but more importantly to the tribulation and millennial reign of Jesus Christ. The wheels of God's judgement grind slow steady and sure. Tendencies of parents both good and bad will be inherited by their children, but each individual is responsible for their own sin. God often uses word pictures, illustrations, etc., in his Word to convey his truth. We should use similar methods, as applicable, when sharing his Word with others. We've got to come unto God his way not our own. We've got to actively seek God to find him! Anyone with any sense at all, apart from divine guidance to the contrary, should never side against Israel. Judgement starts at the house of God and spreads outward. What a neat external picture the millennial reign of Jesus Christ of what the internal life of the Christian is to be right now: Purity, prayer, God's presence, service, worship, giving, no shame, forgiveness, humility, holiness, comfort, healing, clean hands, pure heart, pure religion, no fear, singing, gladness, joy, justice, righteousness, peace, etc. PTL! Haggai is a great book in which God has Haggai rebuke Judah for their wrong priorities and sin resulting in his temple not being finished. It has many great truths like God has to have first place in every area of our life. Where no vision is the people perish. We ought to have a mind and heart set on serving God fully with our life, a living sacrifice, out of gratitude for his salvation which is but our reasonable service. If we find ourselves or the LORD shows us that we've become complacent or hard-hearted, we should immediately 'get right' and get going for God! PTL! The things we do for God should be done at least as good a level as we'd do for ourself, and we should try to do them better whenever possible. Faith without God's promise is presumption. However, no active faith in God's promises, clear guidance, etc., even when it's beyond our understanding is also sin. Yet, the majority of the time the LORD desires us to live by faith reasoning with him together. Enthusiastic living for God is contagious. We need to obey God, even when we don't feel his presence, and his stirring will follow. We shouldn't let humble beginnings in a work for the LORD be a discouragement to us, but we should be careful not to loose our humility, focus, dependance, etc., on God as a work for him grows. If you don't give to God, he will take from you in love to teach, discipline, and chasten you for your greatest good. If you have constant problems, consider your ways. Good things in a sinful life don't cleanse it, but sinful things in a good life do defile it. I'll wait to speak about Zechariah in my next post.
I guess now about the only thing left to mention is good points I've seen and / or learned from the sermons I've heard during this past month and a half. Pastor Miller preached a great salvation message on Monster Truck Sunday titled 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved' from the passage in which that question was asked by the jailor in Acts 16. He also preached a related message in the evening service that day which prompted for witnessing of that salvation to others. The following Wednesday night Pastor Miller gave a great message on the wisdom of God as it related to holiness. He gave three reasons to live a holy life: It pleases God. It's why God created us, and it's the power of our message / testimony. He also made this quote which I liked, "God didn't create you and then try to figure out what he wanted you to do". Jason Kendrick preached a good message on Old Fashioned Sunday from John 14:6 about how Jesus was the way for salvation, forgiveness, holiness, and heaven, the truth about salvation, eternal life, and the resurrection, and the life who without results in death, doom, and defeat. PTL! In the evening he preached an encouraging message about giving genuine thanks to God for the faithful soul-winners, the faithful givers, and the faithful to live holy before God. He also made this statement which was very good. He said, "Many today are not faithful to God while trying to please themselves. Meanwhile God longs to bless us abundantly for our faithfulness to him!" PTL! We also had a conference for preacher in the area that Tuesday and Brother Mike Norris gave a great message about 'seeing the hungry'. PTL! He told how Jesus wants his disciples to be observant to others' needs, have compassion on them, have faith in God, and obey God. I also noticed something that he didn't point out about how those people with the need whom he had compassion on had been earnestly seeking to know the LORD better for three days without food. PTL! Pastor Miller gave a good message from Job near the beginning of November with several good points like you can't draw near to God and remain in your sin. It's amazing what people will do before God that they wouldn't do before anyone else which is because we so often don't retain God in our knowledge as Romans explains. Godly fear is the removal of dread for God that's replaced with a dread of displeasing God that's mixed with love. Another message Pastor Miller preached was about how God's will is for men to be free. He explained that the power of liberty comes from God alone, it comes by the shedding of blood, and it comes with responsibility. We should use our liberty to love God and others. I also liked this quote from that sermon, "Communism can put a new coat on an old man, but Jesus Christ can put a new man in an old coat". PTL! In another of Pastor Miller's message he preached about how Jesus couldn't do many miracles in his hometown because they thought they knew him enough and thus did not believe, and the disciples couldn't do miracles at that time because they had gotten a hard heart from service without basing it in God's love. "If you never come apart to rest, you'll come apart," was a good quote I liked from that sermon. One mid-week service Pastor Miller gave a great message on the words of the wise and how the we need a bridle for our tongue with our mind. "T-H-I-N-K bridle" before speaking is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind? If not don't say it. A few other good points from that message are that the only folk who ever come to him complaining about not being able to pay bills are "non-tithers". Gossip is the most deadly microbe; It has no head or wings but is composed of tails with stings. Pastor Miller also preached great salvation message on the idea of how hell hath enlarger herself, yet God's hand was stretched out still! PTL! Brother Brent Bartlett gave a good message in the preacher's absence about murmuring. He explained that before God gave the law he endured Israel's murmuring, but after the law was given he judged their complaints. Murmuring is generally practiced in secret which he pointed out from the facts that Israel complained and gossiped in their tents for the most part. Murmuring reveals rebellion against God. Chad Farber and Caleb Sobin gave some good messages at the prison revival meetings. Brother Farber pointed out that we serve a mighty God, who loves us and cares for us, and thus we can cast all our trust and care on him. Brother Caleb made a good point about how when we're with the light, it rubs off on us! Pastor Miller also preached some great messages about defeating the Devil by being filled with the Spirit, fleeing Satan and sin, and following scripture. In preaching a message about what the Church is he had a neat 'rabbit trail', in addition to the great message, about gossip which I call the 'drama stopper'. He said the best thing you can do when someone comes to you with a 'concern' about another person is to say, "I can see that you're really concerned about this person. Why don't we pray about this matter? You start and I'll close." PTL! The message on the Church was more practical focused than theological. He explained how various aspects of the Church were similar to a family, army, farm, and school. The Thanksgiving mid-week service Pastor Miller preached was neat and discussed several things which we should sacrifice to the LORD that we don't usually think of in that manner such as prayer, praise, and thanks. PTL! Another of Pastor Miller's messages on faith explained how that we need to trust every aspect of our life to God's Word, not our soul only. One of the most important points Pastor Miller made in a message about Pastors and Deacons was that if God would call us to such an office we need to be living 'worthy' of such an office now. Pastor Miller also preached a message about getting your Nikes on in which he preached against nearly every sin of the 'good Christian'. PTL! The first week in December we had the privilege of Phil Kidd and Dean Miller Sr. preaching at CBC. The evening service in particular was amazing. Dean Miller Sr. preached a simple, yet powerful message about having unwavering faith in God's Word, and gave illustrations of how he'd had to do that in his own life getting vandalized, shot at, etc., as he started a Bible preaching church in Colorado Springs, Colorado the same city in which the second largest 'Satan church' in the world is located. PTL! Then Phil Kidd preached and excellent message from Jeremiah 18 about 'Staying on the Potter's Wheel". In another message Pastor Miller preached about beating the Devil he explained that we have to fight the Devil in the power of God by resisting him. Some other great points from that message were that the greatest thing Satan can take from a child of God is God's will and to have to have our own way is the same pride of life which was found in Lucifer.
Well, I hope this album's been a blessing to you. I apologize that it's quite a bit rougher and less detailed than normal due to a good bit in part of writing it along my trip and busy schedule this past week. I'll leave you with the verses I'm currently trying to memorize. Have a wonderful day in the LORD! PTL! God is so good!!! I love you Priscilla! PTL! :-)))))))
Psalm 119:9-11 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I his in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Praise the Lord! Finally, the promised new, exciting and long awaited post! :-) I plan to write this post differently than usual, in a more of a subject matter vice daily journal form, in order to allow its length to remain somewhat more like that of a short essay instead of an entire book as over a month has elapsed since my last update. WOW! LOL! PTL! :-) I hope this album gives you a great blessing. The time period it covers holds some of the most wonderful and dearest times I've ever had or will have in my entire life, such as the totally wonderful, amazingly beautiful and godly love of my life, Priscilla Rogers, accepting my marriage proposal!!!!!!!! :-))))))) Praise the Lord! God is God and good all the time! Praise the Lord! :-)))))))
My quality time spent together with the Lord in prayer and his Word each day through chapters 16-47 of Ezekiel has been fantastic! PTL! It has numerous great truths and principles! PTL! As we grow in the Lord, every aspect of our life is to be changing into the image of Jesus Christ which includes how we see, feel, and think about every aspect of all sin. As an example, when God points out some of the sins for which Sodom was judged, he lists, in this order, pride, fulness of bread, abundance of idleness, not strengthening the poor and needy, haughtiness, and abomination which is usually exactly opposite of how we would list them! Yet, we need to see both the dangerous progression of sin and every sin as a wicked, vile, vain, abominable offense against the just, holy, righteous God with consequences which must be reconciled by God. The reconciliation comes either through forgiveness in Jesus Christ, for which there is therefore now no condemnation by choosing to receive, with our God-given grace enabled free will, his atonement and forgiveness through repentance and confession of our sin unto the Lord, receiving the gift of his mercy and grace of salvation by placing all our faith and trust in him once for all, or one can refuse salvation and allow his sin to be reconciled by the judgement of Jesus Christ to spend eternity separated from him in the lake of fire!
One of my favorite phrases God uses in scripture is 'the beauty of holiness' and the reciprocal of that amazing principle being a lack or lapse in holiness results in a lack or lapse of beauty was clearly shown in chapter 16. The Bible here clearly shows that to rebel against God-ordained authority, which is anything short of forcing us to disobey God, is actually to rebel against God as could be seen in Zedekiah's rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. Amen, I find that truth much easier said than done. God can use anyone, but most often he uses those who are tender toward and seeking him! PTL! The principle that God owns everything was also pointed out in these passages which is an amazingly simple concept that has a profound impact upon how we live our lives depending on how well we truly understand the concept. It's also amazing and challenging to think about the concept that how we live our life can delay or advance God's judgement falling not only on ourself but others too!
Here's another great truth from these and numerous other passages, we ought never to flinch in a battle following the Lord but should immediately surrender anytime we find ourself fighting against him. PTL! Amen! God often uses 'word pictures' and illustrations to help convey his message. We should use the same principle and methods, as appropriate, when sharing his Word with others too. PTL! The truth that God should have the first and pre-immanent part in every aspect of our life like Matthew 6:33, Colossians 3:2, etc., explain was shown numerous times in these chapters! PTL! In chapter 28 which talks about Satan being created with pipes, most likely for music, I was reminded about his massive wicked influence in the enormous amounts of worldly, sinful, ungodly music of almost all today's radio which is extremely tragic and dangerous! This truth was also clearly shown in these passages, what you believe determines how you behave. Amen! PTL!
The principles that to whom much is given, much will be required, where no vision is the people perish, and we need to be hearers and doers of God's Word were very evident in these passages too. Anyone with any sense, apart from divine guidance otherwise, will never side against Israel could easily be learned from these chapters. PTL! God's holiness seems to be his most often emphasized attribute in scripture as a whole, these chapters being no exception, and the reason I think he does so is because the holiness of God is the 'balancing board of perfection' which ties all his attributes together. PTL! PTL! God is so good! Judgement starts at the house of God, as he disciplines and chastens his own in love, and spreads outward, while always keeping a faithful remnant.
The great God, our Saviour Jesus Christ knows and cares about every detail as could be clearly seen in the dimensions, designs, etc., given for the millennial temple, new Jerusalem, etc. Additionally I thought it neat that only palm trees were specifically mentioned to used in numerous places in the millennial temple, but cedar wasn't mentioned specifically to be used anywhere in it, contrary to Solomon's temple. I wonder if that's a picture to show that the engrafted Gentiles onto the branch of Israel has now taken at that point and they're fused as one. It's definitely a neat thought. PTL! The unveiled holy presence of God invokes genuine humility and worship in Spirit and truth is an amazing principle seen all through of Ezekiel and God's entire Word. Sin can damage our testimony before God and others to the point that God can no longer use us to the capacity which he desires, but even then he longs for us to come unto him and be used in as great a capacity as possible. PTL! The contrasting principle that there is great reward in faithfully living humbly and holy before God can also be seen in these chapters. PTL! I also noticed God put some, I think, neat 'pictures' of salvation in the millennial temple both of how the priests entered and exited through the same gate like Jesus Christ is God eternally before, during, and after Calvary while the common people entered in one gate and exited through the opposite gate like how prior to salvation we are children of Satan but being born again we are new creatures, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and how a river of 'living' infinitely deep water flows out from the altar so that any and all who desire to take of that water may freely come! PTL!
I've noticed several principles which are repeated in almost every chapter. Some truths were that when we're in a right relationship and fellowship with the LORD, we'll commune together with him often, and we've got to be near the Lord to hear the Lord. PTL! God's man is to obediently seek and speak God's message to the applicable audience, which is the truth of God's Word in love, without any concern regarding its popularity, his own or others' opinions, persecutions, circumstances, consequences, etc., while completely and solely trusting in and depending upon the LORD for the enabling, empowering, wisdom, results, etc. PTL! God's authorship of the Bible is clearly seen in numerous ways. One of which is the enormous amount of extremely detailed, 100% accurate prophecy which occurs in these chapters and throughout its entirety. PTL! We need to always remember that knowing God is the LORD is a vital aspect of every facet of all things! PTL! :-)
The OBC devotions were also a blessing this past month but I won't go back and list them all in this post. I think the majority of folks who read this my posts get them already anyway. LOL! Additionally if you'd really like to know about them, I'm almost certain you can pull them up at the OBC website which is linked at the lower right hand corner of this site's home page. Plus, most of them went along with principles I've already mentioned in my last album or the above paragraphs, and a few of the others will be covered as I talk about various sermons, lessons, and classes throughout this past month in the remainder of this album.
Faith Bible Institute classes this past month have been outstanding as usual. I've learned and been blessed from those classes with far to many lesson, truths, etc., from God's Word to list them all here, but I can't help hit a few of the highlights from the life of Christ Jesus. It was amazing to learn in about in great detail, which I'll summarized here, about the days around the celebration of the feast of tabernacles at the time of Jesus Christ ministry shortly before his death. Some things like how with all that had been occurring since the start of his ministry, building towards the coming events of his death, burial, and resurrection, the subject which was on and in everyone's mind and conversation almost constantly at this point was, 'Is Jesus Christ the promised Messiah?' In addition to those thoughts, everything that is going in this Jewish celebration such as the decorations, Psalms sung, scripture recited, responsive readings, rituals, etc., is all symbolic pictures to remember God's provision thus far and the ultimate provision in the promised Messiah. Now with a little of the 'stage set' so to speak, the climax of this celebration ended each time with a sort of responsive reading prayer of a certain section of the Psalms known as the Hallel which ultimately was a deeply emotional, heart felt, prayerful, cry unto the Lord to send the promised Messiah with the palm branches being shaken and rubbed together more and more vigorously as an outward showing of this intense prayer of their heart. Then at the conclusion of the prayer this Jewish people would immediately and simultaneously silence their voices and palm branches and kneel before God awaiting his answer to their prayer, and it's at this point Jesus Christ stands and cries, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hat said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water!” Woah! Wow! PTL! The great God, our Saviour Jesus Christ! Praise ye the Lord! :-)
Then the next day while Jesus Christ is again teaching and preaching to the multitudes as he so often did, the Pharisees have toiled all the night trying to devise a way to trap him. The resulting decision is to bring a woman caught in adultery before while he's before these multitudes and ask what should be done unto her. They figured that Jesus wouldn't say she should be stoned based on his teachings of love and forgiveness, and thus he'd show himself to sin against God's law and validate the Pharisees who had 'watered down' the law of God's Word. As most everyone knows the story of how he writes in the ground, then answers them, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Then he continues writing in the ground and everyone leaves starting with the eldest, even unto the last. I had never before noticed that it wasn't just a small group of Pharisees who left, but the entire multitude, which I thought was very neat. While on that point there seems to be an enormous amount of people who want to end the story at that point and use it as an excuse to sin. Let us not forget the conclusion of the story where Jesus Christ tells this woman, “Neither do I condemn thee: GO AND SIN NO MORE!” (emphasis mine) Additionally, though what Jesus wrote on the ground is unknown, it's often guessed to be a list of sins or names, or maybe even a combination of the sins of the people there with their name, etc. Pastor Yates didn't claim to know any different, but did point out another scripture reference I'd never before heard used referencing as a possible reference to this event, Jeremiah 17:13 which may at least indirectly gives some weight to the idea that names was at least a part of what Jesus wrote on the ground.
Another neat thing Pastor Yates pointed out in class was that on a special Sabbath called Octave. The day following the feast of tabernacles with all these things in mind about whether Jesus Christ was the Messiah, even more so intensified now, four 75 foot high candelabras, which had been lit each evening during the feast of tabernacles and had been kept burning throughout each night of the feast to symbolize the Shekinah glory of God which once dwelt in the temple were now extinguished, and the reality that God's glory is currently departed from the temple is set in everyone's mind. It's at this point, in plain view of these four huge extinguished light stands and all these things in mind that Jesus Chris declares unto them, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Wow! PTL! We also went over the transfiguration of Jesus Christ in this past month which contained a neat 'picture', I found interesting and had never before noticed, of the people who would be in the millennium: disciples showing saved survivors of the Tribulation and their descendants, Moses showing those who had died and been resurrected, Elijah showing those who had been raptured, and Jesus Christ showing himself as God. PTL! :-)
Life has been super wonderful in the time since my last post! God is God and so very good all the time! Praise ye the Lord! I cannot thank and praise him enough for his great love for me, and blessing me exceeding abundantly above all that I could ever ask or think with the amazingly godly and beautiful lady, Ms Priscilla Joy Rogers, who he wrote a detailed description about in the last 21 verses of Proverbs 31! Praise the LORD! I love Priscilla with all my heart, and I'm smitten in love with her completely too! PTL! The LORD is so good! PTL! I've found that every time I get to visit with Priscilla whether it's in person, on the phone, via email, or skype she becomes more wonderfully beautiful and godly too, though at the conclusion of each previous visit I was sure that such a task would have been impossible. In a similar manner I've found that, though I constantly love her with all my heart, the Lord slowly and constantly grows my heart's capacity to love Priscilla. PTL! It's amazingly wonderful and totally of God! PTL! I look forward to it continuing throughout the rest of our lives together. PTL! I love you Priscilla! :-)))))))
In these next few paragraphs, I'll try to write about the daily highlights from September 8th until the present which is the time period this album will cover. Starting that Wednesday evening at CBC Brother Bill Breland gave a simple but excellent message about having respect for God and making sure he's got the first part of every place in our life. PTL! Then the Rogers family invited me over first to the Blakeman's home and then their own to have some wonderful fun and God-focused fellowship! PTL! One of the things we did was listen to Rich Tozour's sermon about Abraham which was a great blessing. PTL! Thursday evening the Lord really blessed me by allowing me to genuinely surprise Priscilla by showing up unexpectedly to her home in order to go with the Rogers family to visit her grandparents in Wiggins. Friday evening the Satcher, Gambill, Rogers, and Reddoch families all gathered here to eat a great meal and visit with Josh Satcher before he deployed which was a very hard and sad time. However, on a not sad note, I had prayed alone and with my family about whether Priscilla was the lady God wanted me to marry specifically since the Lord had allowed us to start a courtship, and we all thought that he was answering that indeed this was his will. I also knew Pastor Miller and the Rogers family had been in prayer about this matter too. So Friday evening I was able to ask Brother Daniel for his permission to marry his daughter Priscilla, and of course he paraphrasedly answered, “We've kind of being thinking and praying in that direction too. We'll discuss and pray about the matter some more and let you know soon as the Lord lets us know.” Saturday was a wonderful day in the Lord. I was blessed to travel with the Rogers Family to Rock Hill Baptist Church in Louisiana for Brother Jason Meza'a deacon ordination. It was a great day filled with lots of God-focused fellowship. PTL! We listened to one of my favorite messages titled 'On Purpose' by Rich Tozour along the ride to LA, and a great message titled, 'Love with Shoes On' by Darrel Champlain along our trip back to MS. During the time we were there Brother Leonard Garlington gave the charge to the church which had several good points one of which was God's call to all is salvation followed by service. Brother Daniel Rogers gave the charge to the candidate and a few of the great points he made from God's Word were that we need to have a reverent fear for God in all we do, the support structure for all God's business in the world is his Word through the Church at this time, and it's impossible for us to do anything for God that is 'too low' or beneath us. PTL! Another great blessing was that during a reception following the service the Lord gave Priscilla and I the time and opportunity to share our life and salvation testimonies with each other in more detail than we'd been able to until this point. PTL! I love you Priscilla. :-)
The Lord started the week of September 12th with some great messages by Pastor Miller for Homecoming Sunday Celebration. PTL! Some good points from the messages were that the Israelities' carnality resulted in a trip from Egypt to Canaan that should have taken 11 days instead taking 40 years. When God calls us to heaven, we ought to have our Bible in hand. We need to be separated both from the world and unto God. If we stand for Jesus Christ our message and position will undoubtedly offend some, but our manner and disposition should never be an offense to others. PTL! It was also great blessing that my family and the Blakeman family came out and joined us for the special day at CBC. PTL! The Rogers family also allowed me to visit with them between and after services which as always was great. Priscilla and I were able to have our daily devotion time together that day too which I found a wonderful blessing. After the evening service, I had the privilege of introducing the Rogers family to videos of a comedian-pianist named Victor Borge, and we had a great time full of laughter watching some of his routines. PTL! The Lord really blessed me on my birthday too. My love, Priscilla gave me a happy birthday call first thing in the morning which made my heart happy, and that evening my parents, Priscilla, and I went out in my Grandpa's new Camaro to eat a good steak at Conestoga. PTL! Then while we were gone, unbeknownst to me, the rest of the Reddoch and Rogers families had gotten together at the Rogers home to throw me a surprise birthday party upon our return. It was wonderful! The loads of food, fellowship, gifts, fun, etc., were all wonderful. Thank you all again so much. PTL! Tuesday and Wednesday were wonderful days in the Lord with a great mid-week message by Pastor Miller on personal devotions from Psalm 119. A couple of the neat points he made were that out of that Psalm's 176 verses, all but 3 of them reference God's Word, and later he made a great analogy using marriage as an example to show how anything less than being completely faithful is unfaithfulness.
Thursday September 16 was an amazingly wonderful day in the Lord. On CBC visitation with Brother Mark Jones, I was blessed with the privilege of helping lead at least one if not two people to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour and LORD! PTL! PTL! PTL! Afterwards I went by the Rogers' home to visit with them and Priscilla as usual, and then Brother Daniel called me outside to speak with him privately for a great conversation. He explained that they too believed that it was the Lord's will for his daughter Priscilla and I to be married, and then he gave me his blessing and permission to ask her to marry me. I'm still amazed and in shock over the whole thing of the Lord blessing me with the most beautiful and godly lady in the world! PTL! God is so good! Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Brother Daniel and Cindy Rogers. After I expressed some of that shock and thankfulness to Brother Daniel, I asked, “When would be the best time to ask Priscilla ?” He replied, “Whenever you like even tonight if you are ready.” PTL! PTL! I ran to the truck and got my Bible and the engagement ring which had been passed down from my grandmother, to my mother, and then to me which I had been keeping in close proximity at all times for the last week hoping and praying for just such a time. :) I then met Brother Daniel again, and we went back inside. My love, Priscilla was sitting on the couch just as beautiful and godly as always. I sat down beside her and told her that I had some things I wanted to tell her. I shared Song of Solomon 4:7 with her which states Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee, and explained that's how I'd come to know her even in this short time. I also told her that I didn't know how to be any more sure that this is what the Lord wants me to do. Then I got on one knee, told Priscilla for the very first time that I loved her, and asked her to marry me. She replied, “Thank you. (and after a second or two pause which seemed like an hour ) Yes. I love you too.” PRAISE YE THE LORD! GOD IS SO WONDERFULLY GOOD ALL THE TIME! It was an indescribably amazing, joyous, wonderful occasion for sure. I became and am the most blessed man in all the world. PTL! PTL! PTL! Thank you so much Priscilla. I love you with all my heart! :-))))))) Then all the rest of the family came over to join in our celebration which was great too! PTL! PTL! PTL! :-)))))))
I told my family the news Friday evening at supper, and we too had a great time rejoicing in the Lord together too. Afterwards I went over to visit Priscilla and the Rogers family. Priscilla played some hymns for me on the piano which blessed my heart. We had a wonderful time together singing hymns. PTL! Then we all watched a great story of a Missionary Pilot named Paul Dye. The whole evening was a great time together in the Lord! PTL! :-) Saturday and Sunday I was again blessed of the Lord to go on another trip with the Rogers family back to Rock Hill Baptist Church in LA for Brother Daniel to preach. PTL! It was great to visit with Priscilla and the Rogers family over the weekend for some more wonderful God-focused fellowship. PTL! We got to hear Brother Ben Laird preach a revival service Saturday night from Hebrews 1 about some of God's attributes which was very good. Billy Gammial gave a neat Sunday school story about some scientists were trying to figure out some calculations for satellite orbits. Yet their time calculations for the orbits kept ending up with an unaccounted for day. One of the scientists remembered somewhere the Bible mentioned the LORD 'making time stand still' for a day. So they looked that up in Joshua and found it to say about a day which was true. Once they refigured they're calculations with this information it accounted for 23 hours and 20 minutes of the unaccounted for day. Then one of the men remembered somewhere the Bible talked about the LORD moving the sun back 10 degrees. They found where God did do that in an answer to Hezekiah's prayer, and they also discovered that 10 degrees correlated to exactly 40 minutes. Thus accounting perfectly the 'missing day' the scientists were then able to finished their orbit calculations correctly. PTL! Brother Daniel preached a good message in both the morning and evening services. A few of the points he made were that God came as man so that man could come to God. Man's emnity toward God is totally unrational. Obedience is the result and proof of faith. Missions aren't based on the Great Commission as much as they're based in the nature and character of God. The best way to take a stand for the Lord is on your knees. PTL! PTL! We also listened to a good sermon on the four personality types by Pastor Surface along the trip. PTL! :-)
The week of September 20th was another great week in the Lord. Monday my family and I went over to the Rogers home to discuss wedding arrangements, plans, etc., and set the date for April 16th 2011. PTL! I can hardly wait! :-) Tuesday after FBI class I visited and witnessed to an old high school friend of mine that happened to be in town. He told me he was saved after I witnessed to him. I don't know if that's the truth, but I hope that's the case. He certainly is going through some hard times and was very distracted while I tried to talk with him about the Lord. Wednesday I witnessed to a lady at work named Stacy who is a Jehovah's Witness. However, no matter how many scriptures I showed her refuting some of the things she believes, it didn't seem to change anything at all. I found that to be an extremely sad situation. I was also super blessed to eat lunch at Walker's Dairy Bar with ladies of the Rogers and Reddoch family who had been out taking care of sizing Priscilla's ring, getting a birthday manicure and pedicure, picking out wedding napkins and invitations, etc. PTL! Pastor Miller's mid-week message on the Family Altar was a blessing, and afterwards I went with the Rogers family to the Blakeman's home for family pictures. PTL! After a good CBC visitation with Brother Barry Edwards, I went over to visit the Rogers family. I had a wonderful time singing and playing hymns again with Priscilla for several hours! PTL! WABE! PTL! Friday we had a Taco Lunch at work which was good. PTL! Saturday Priscilla and I went to Zales and bought wedding bands, which I found a delightful experience. Afterwards we went back to the Rogers' home and I helped them hang sheet rock the remainder of the day which was good too. PTL! It was great! Priscilla would often come visit me, and it was also neat that we had lentiles for lunch. These folks even eat Biblical food! PTL! LOL! :-)
The week of September 26th started with wonderful services at CBC. Sunday school was a special blessing in addition to a good lesson by Brother Heath because Priscilla was able to attend. PTL! Pastor Miller preached a great message about witnessing in the morning service and about being completely 'sold out' to the Lord in the evening service. PTL! In between services I was blessed to go with Priscilla and the Rogers' family to have lunch and visit with her grandparents in Wiggins. PTL! Monday evening my parents took the Rogers family and I out to eat a great steak supper at Logan's Steakhouse which was wonderful. Afterwards Priscilla and I started a registry at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and have since started one at Target too. PTL! Then I went back to their home, and I bought my plane tickets to go visit them in Africa this December, Lord willing. PTL! Tuesday's big event was help the Rogers finish packing for their return to Mozambique, Africa as missionaries working with Trevo Baptist Church which they were used of God to start several years ago. Wednesday, I went to the coast with the Rogers family in order to 'see them off' at the Biloxi Airport. It was good in spite of having to be separated from Priscilla, for we'd both prayed separately about that matter prior to beginning our courtship and know that the Lord wanted her to return to Africa for this present time with her family. PTL! Additionally the Lord really blessed in numerous other ways too such as having the airport dismiss all the extra bag fees which would have amounted to over $1000 dollars, providing them safety along the entire trip, etc. PTL! The Lord is continuing to bless their way over there as they follow his leading as always. First through allowing them housing with another Missionary family, the Trosters, while the Rogers found a place of their own, and now the Lord has provided the Rogers family with their own place in the Lord's perfect timing exactly when they had to leave the Troster's home. PTL! PTL! The John Rogers family and I had a good steak meal at the Golden Corral on the way back to CBC for another good mid-week service and message by Pastor Miller on the Family Altar. PTL! :-) Thursday and Friday were good days in the Lord but the only highlight I'll mention is that Brother Heath and I had a good visit with a college age fellow that seemed really interested in getting involved with CBC. PTL! Saturday I was finally able to visit with Priscilla on skype since they'd left which was a tremendous blessing! PTL! We had a wonderful visit and also started listening to the 'Picture Perfect Marriage' sermons from Pastor Surface together online. PTL! I already miss Priscilla tons and love her so much! It's surely wonderful that the Lord has allowed us to visit nearly every day at least for a few minutes and many times he's allowed us to visit for over an hour! PTL! God is God and soooo good all the time! Praise the Lord! :-)))))))
The first week of October was another good week in the Lord! PTL! On the way to church the Lord had really put it on my heart to pray for someone who was lost this morning though I didn't know any specifics. The Sunday School lesson Brother Heath gave on Church Covenants was very interesting, and afterwards I met a new guy named Mario who had came to Sunday School. It was really neat for I knew that's who the Lord wanted me to pray about although I can't explain it exactly. Then Pastor Miller preached a great message in the morning service about being 'Translated by Jesus' Blood'. PTL! During the invitation, the Lord again laid it on my heart to pray for Mario so I did and I found as I watched him get baptized that he indeed had just came for salvation at that invitation! PTL! PTL! As an additional encouragement, he's been out to lots of the church services since then, and I was privileged to give him a KJV Bible and a copy of Josh McDowell's 'More Than A Carpenter'. I hope he'll let them be a help to him in his new life in Jesus Christ. PTL! PTL! In the evening service Pastor Miller preach a good message too. PTL! Some of the points were that there is no other kind of Christian than the born again Christian. One reason God will at some point chasten a wayward foolish saved sinner with death is his great love for the lost because it's better that a wicked saint go home to glory for his sin than to continue living in sin and influence others for evil. Amen! PTL! The rest of the week was pretty slow. The biggest things Monday and Tuesday were helping John Rogers move furniture and FBI class. Pastor Miller also preached a good message on the how wisdom relates to our personal devotions with the Lord in the mid-week CBC service. A couple of the points were that true wisdom comes from God, and it starts with a heart full of faith not a head full of knowledge and facts. Thursday Brother Puckett and I had a seemingly unsuccessful trip on visitation, but we still had a good time. PTL! Afterwards I helped the John Rogers family finish moving. PTL! Friday and Saturday's main events were yard work and helping Dad haul a new horse home.
The second week in October was very good in the Lord too. Yet, it has very few 'highlights' to mention that haven't already been covered by some other part of this album. PTL! Pastor Miller preached some wonderful messages in both the morning and evening Sunday services. PTL! He preached on loving the unlovely in the morning and compassion in the evening. A couple good points from them were that though it's right to do right even when we don't feel like it, we should aim to make our feelings match. You can't truly love sinners without hating sin any more than you can truly love flowers and kids without hating weeds and kidnapping. In order to have compassion we need to focus on Jesus Christ, all he's done and does for us, and the needs of others. PTL! Pastor Miller preached a great message Wednesday night too about understanding's importance in relation to wisdom and knowledge as the 'why' behind the way we live for God. PTL! Other than the things already covered the biggest news of this week was FBI class, having fun with Barry Edward on CBC visitation, getting sized for my wedding tux, having my hairs cut, and studying for the fire fighter exam. PTL! PTL! :-)
I've had a great week in the Lord this past week too. PTL! Pastor Miller's morning message about 'how to hear' from the parable of the sower was really good. One great point was that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the seed which is the Word of God! PTL! In the evening message he preached about the rapture which was good, but with a focus on the urgency to live for God right now! PTL! Pastor Miller also preached a great message about how wisdom related to lay people that was just chocked full of testimonies of great working and businessmen of God like Henry Crowel, R. G. Laterno, William Colgate, Charles Welch, Albert Hyde, etc. PTL! WABE! PTL! A couple of great points he made were that God invests wisdom in his children according to what kind of stewards of it they will be, and God's economy is just fine. PTL! The only other highlights of this week have been having a neat adjustment by Dr. Puckett at Petal Chiropractic clinic, running (if you can call that a highlight), and working on this album. PTL! PTL!
The 'normal' stuff over this past month and a half has went fairly well too. PTL! I've been blessed to have several good lunches and workouts with Mom during this time. However, we did have to change the workouts down to twice a week because there wasn't enough time between work and church on Wednesday to allow for us to go to the gym. I also had several weeks where I did the workouts alone because Mom got very sick, but she's doing much better now. PTL! In fact, this past week we've been almost completely back on schedule. PTL! Since the schedule has been extremely busy over this time period, unfortunately a few family devotions were missed or shortened, but they've still been really great times together in the Lord. We had a few more devotions from James, one time of prayer together only, another time we discussed some things from Daniel, and just recently we started adding reading a biography of D. L. Moody as part of the devotions when we're able. PTL! It's one of my favorite times with my family! PTL! I've also read 'Guys and Girls' and started reading 'What It Costs To Be A Good Christian' both by John R Rice during this past month. It's also been good to have some good food, fun, and God-focused fellowship with the John Rogers and David Smith families after many of the services the last couple of weeks. PTL! I've found Raisin' Canes to be some good eats, and I've also come to really enjoy the Mexican Chipotle Chicken Strips at La Fiesta Brava. PTL! :-)
Work had been going great over this last month until last Friday. I'd been learning and getting better at every aspect of it, and even began to enjoy some parts of it. However, last Friday I was 'laid off' from Howse Implement Company, which makes various farm implements, due to them having insufficient amounts of work to be able to keep me hired during the winter. I had been praying the previous week that he'd show me what he wanted me to do with regards to witnessing at the job because I'd already given a track and tried to witness to everyone at work, though unfortunately none had much interest, and I really just tend to think though that the Lord was done using me there for present, and had me 'laid off' as an answer to my prayer. Additionally, the same week I'd been praying about that situation, the Laurel Fire Department mailed me a letter explaining that the exam for the entry level fire fighter position would be occurring this coming Saturday. Thus I was 'laid off' from Howse Implement Company with a week to 'ramp up' my cardio exercise for the exam. God's timing is amazing! He's never in a hurry and always on time! PTL! Please pray that the Lord will continue to clearly guide and show me his will regarding this job. PTL! :)
Well I hope this album is as big a blessing to you as the things it's about were to me. Since I've been writing this album over the last couple weeks I've completed reading Ezekiel and Daniel in my daily devotions. I'll leave you with several wonderful verses from these passages. Have a wonderful day in the Lord! God is so good! I love you LORD. I love and miss you Priscilla. :-)))))))
Ezekiel 48:35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Daniel 2:27-28 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. ...
Daniel 3:16-18 … we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliever us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 4:37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Daniel 5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
Daniel 6:3-5 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Daniel 6:16 … Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Monday was an awesome day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from 1 Samuel 12:14-25 about not getting 'wrapped around the axle' of past sins or victories which hinder our service for the Lord, but instead keeping on, keeping on for God was a blessing! PTL! Then I spent some good time with the Lord from his Word in Ezekiel 7. PTL! A few of its good points were: When we're in a right relationship and fellowship with God we'll regularly commune with him; God's judgement is to reconcile any sin that we refuse to allow him to forgive through Jesus Christ; A major cause for sin, in general, is a lack of knowledge that God is the LORD!; You can't buy or bribe God!; etc. PTL! Reading Acts 4 and 5 for FBI was a blessing for it reminded me of a good Rich Tozour message titled 'The High-steppin', Hallelujah-shoutin', Hitherto-handicapped Hebrew' which is super good and I'd highly recommend you listen to it from the link to the OBC website at the lower right portion of this screen. PTL! Work went well today, and then it was followed by a good workout at the gym with Mom too. PTL! It was also great to have a short family devotion from 1 Corinthians 13 while sharing a steak supper meal together. PTL! WABE! PTL! Then it was a super great blessing to visit the Rogers family for a wonderful time of games like Pictionary and Clue, and good God-focused fellowship as Priscilla and I with our parents prayer, approval, supervision, blessing, and godly wisdom officially began our courtship together!!! PRAISE THE LORD! THANK YOU LORD! GOD IS SO GOOD! :)
Tuesday was a great day in the Lord! PTL! I got up and spent some good time in devotions with the Lord at 5 a.m. PTL! It was really good! The OBC devotion from Malachi 3:7-18 was a blessing for it contains several of my favorite scriptures. PTL! The one I'd like to point out is Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: ad the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. Wow! PTL! WABEC! (What A Blessing & Encouragement & Challenge!) It's amazes me that God keeps track of each time we think or speak about him! PTL! How big is the book he's written for you? Then Ezekiel 8 was another great blessing with many good points. PTL! Some of which were: A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump! Sin is vile, wicked, utterly corrupt, devastating, disgusting, vain, abominable, etc., and permeates every part of our being which is why we must know, love, heed, and hearken unto God's Word so that it can cleanse and purify us! PTL!; Truly recognizing who God is results in true humility; God's perfect longsuffering is amazing! For as he explains how sin is before him there's no way if we were in his place would we not have 'wiped us all out' long ago. Then I read about Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 and 12 for FBI which was a blessing too. PTL! God is so good! It was a pretty good day at work. I was able to pick up a handy bit of information about some of the equipment drivelines which helped remove some of the confusion between various parts. PTL! FBI was wonderful! PTL! In Exodus John Yates pointed out one of those interesting things I'd never noticed before, as he so often does, which is that when God calls Moses, one of the things God does to show Moses the power and presence of God is to have Moses throw down his rod (which had become his entire life and lively hood at this point) which turns into a snake and then take it again by faith after which it would then become the rod of God! PTL! On the way home I was blessed to have the privilege to have a good God-focused conversation with Priscilla about a variety of subjects several of which I've already mentioned. PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS SO GOOD! :-)))
Wednesday was another great day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Romans 1:14-17 about having boldness in witnessing to others was really good. Then I spent some great time with the Lord in prayer and his Word from Ezekiel 9! PTL! It had quite a bit I didn't understand, and focused mainly on tribulation prophecy if I'm not mistaken, but it still had other good points too like the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know his voice; God's sovereignty in judgement is holy, just, pure, righteous, etc.; We ought to sorrow for the lost and backslidden, such that we weep and pray for them while doing everything we can to help them get to God! PTL! Work today went well, and then I had a good hamburger steak supper and visited with the Rogers at CBC. PTL! Pastor Miller preached a great message from 2 Samuel 6:8-11 about our personal devotions with the Lord! PTL! A couple of many good points in the message were that one can't be casual without casualties, and it's foolish to have devotions without being devoted to God! PTL! I was also blessed to get to sit by Priscilla during the service and then have a great God-focused phone conversation with her on my drive home! PTL! God is so good! PTL! I'm still in shock that the Lord is allowing me to court such a godly and beautiful lady as Priscilla!!!! PTL! PTL! PTL! :)
Thursday was a great day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Matthew 4 about being 'Fishers of Men' was real good. Then I spent some good time with the Lord in Ezekiel 10. PTL! It had a good bit that I didn't understand but also a few clear points that I found a blessing and help like: Every aspect of God is beyond our capacity to fully understand and know! PTL! God is BIG! O that we'd often muse and meditate on such things and find ourselves more and more frequently in awe and worshipping God in his very presence! Wow! PTL! We should live such that the brightness of God's glory would shine through our lives to others! PTL! It was also neat to see the unity of the Trinity in this passage. PTL! I also read Exodus 18-19 for FBI. PTL! Work went well today, and I went jewelry shopping to find Priscilla a birthday present throughout the day, which ended up being tougher than I expected for none of the jewelry shops seemed to have what I had in mind to get for her, and I was having to try to find it on my lunch break, and between getting off work and going to church, etc. Finally I was able to find something I thought she'd like which was a small silver matching bracelet and necklace with a heart on it. Then I had it engraved with Priscilla's initials on one side and Philippians 1:3 on the other side. PTL! It certainly doesn't hold a candle in comparison with her beauty, but I hope she'll like it and the verse is definitely how I think about her even in the short time of our courtship. PTL! Then I went to CBC visitation with Brother Barry Edwards. We had a great time, handed out several tracks, and talked with one lady and hopefully helped her with assurance of her salvation. PTL! I was blessed afterwards to visit with the Rogers family. Priscilla and I had a great time visiting and talking while looking at photo albums together. PTL! :)
Friday was a superb day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Proverbs 11:30-31 about how winning souls to Jesus Christ makes you wise was a blessing and challenge. Then I had a good devotion with the Lord from his Word in Ezekiel 11. PTL! Some of the wonderful points from that passage: We've got to be near the Lord to hear the Lord. A sure sign of the immanence of God's judgement soon to fall is when 'his own people' are wicked, corrupt, adulterers, sinful, etc. God knows everything. Anytime we think we know better than God, we're treading on 'dangerously thin ice'. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way as Psalm 37:23 states. Etc. Then I read about the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20-21 for FBI which was great. PTL! Work went very good. PTL! Afterwards I went over to Josh and Rachel Roger's home to celebrate Brother Daniel and Priscilla's birthdays. PTL! I also got to meet Brother Daniel's parents which was a blessing. One of the neatest things was that as Pepaw was at the table eating with us, and Memaw was eating behind him in the living room at one point he asked, “Is Memaw over there?” Brother Daniel said, “Yes Dad. Do you need me to get her or help you get over to her?” Pepaw smiling replied, “No.” Wow! It was so great! He didn't need anything, but to know she was there. PTL! WABE! PTL! :))) I also got to meet Josh Hower (Janell's boyfriend) and his Dad Solomon who'd came into to visit the Rogers as well which was a blessing too. PTL! We all had a wonderful time with some good, fun, and great God-focused fellowship! PTL! Priscilla really liked my gifts to her as well! PTL! WABE! PTL! I still haven't gotten over the Lord's goodness in allowing me to court such an awesome, godly lady! PTL! PTL! GOD IS SO GOOD! :)
Saturday was a wonderful day in the Lord! PTL! :) The OBC devotion from 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 about looking for the doors God opens around you for opportunities to share the gospel was a blessing. PTL! Then I spent some good quality time with the Lord from Ezekiel 12. PTL! It had many good points like: We need to see and hear God's Word with our eyes and ears instead of having a hard rebellious heart. God longs simultaneously for his glory and the absolute greatest good in all things, especially of them that love him and even when he must discipline, chasten, and judge them. God often uses word pictures and illustrations to convey his truth, and we should do likewise as appropriate when sharing his Word with others. I was again amazed at how clearly God's authorship of the Bible was shown through its 100% accurate extremely detailed prophecy over 400 years in advance which came to pass exactly regarding Israel and Judah's siege and captivity, Zedekiah's eyes being put out, etc. We need to live by faith in Jesus Christ loving him such that others are drawn to him through our lives. PTL! Then I read some more of the law in Exodus for FBI. Then Mom and I had a great workout and time of fellowship at the gym before I went over to visit the Rogers family. PTL! We had a great time there going to the zoo, watching one of my favorite sermons by Kenny Baldwin on Matthew 6:33, having tons of just good godly and God-focused fellowship, eating a great catfish supper, and playing Pictionary. PTL! I also found visiting with Priscilla to especially be a blessing! PTL!! :-))) Thanks Rogers family it was a superb day! PTL! :))
Sunday was an amazing day in the Lord! PTL! :) I had a great time with the Lord in devotions! PTL! The OBC devotion from Mark 1:29-39 about Jesus Christ preparing for ministry with prayer was a blessing and challenge. Then Ezekiel 13 expressed several good truths, points, and principles: God's man seeks and speaks God's message. God's Word is truth and will withstand any amount of legitimate scrutiny it undergoes. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death as Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 state. Know God, know peace; No God, no peace. I also studied a little of the law in Exodus 24-25 for FBI before heading to CBC for the continuation Sunday School lesson about the present judgements of the Bible which was good! PTL! Then I got to meet up with Priscilla at choir practice to give her my favorite shell lei and a flower for her LEFT ear (PTL!) to wear for CBC's annual Hawaiian Sunday! She was so happy, all smiles, grateful, glowing with beauty in holiness like she was at her birthday too! PTL! WABE! PTL! It was also just a wonderful blessing to visit and talk with her throughout the entire day on numerous subjects. PTL! Pastor Miller preached a phenomenal message from Psalm 92 about the palm and cedar trees! He showed numerous spiritual parallels to the Christian life like: Both palm and cedar trees are evergreens and live in extreme climates. The cedar gives off a pleasant odor and has sweet fruit. The palm tree was a symbol of joy and triumph. Palm tree branches were used to welcome guests. Palm trees were fashioned on the inside walls of the Most Holy Place. Palm trees are rooted in sand but draw their roots go deep to get sustenance from clean pure water. The palm tree is beautiful, tall, and useful. A palm tree indicates where water is located. A palm tree's fruit is the sweetest between 30 -100 years of age. A palm tree grows 'down' to water before it starts growing 'up' in the sky. Etc. PTL! PTL! WABE! PTL! PTL! The message was a wonderful challenge, blessing, and encouragement. PTL! I was also blessed to rejoice with him in the Lord after the service sharing a few other things about the palm and cedar trees I had learned from some of Pastor Surface's messages like how a palm tree can bend almost double without breaking which is how it endures drastic storms for it's firmly rooted, yet flexible, and the cedar trees used to make the temple were imported! PTL! :) Then I ate lunch at Cracker Barrel with the Rogers family, and got to meet Josh and Rachel's parents. PTL! Afterwards we all had a some fun playing Cranium before the evening service. Pastor Miller's message in the evening service from 2 Timothy 4:1-13 about Demus the Quitter was great too, and it was followed by a good luau for our Hawaiian Sunday. PTL! :)
Yesterday was a fantastic day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Luke 14:15-24 about compelling people to come to the Lord was good! Then I spent some wonderful tie with the Lord in Ezekiel 14! PTL! It had several great points: Though age wisdom are usually related that is not always the case, and we must seek God and his wisdom above all else. Another point which is extremely challenging is that Ezekiel is proclaiming that God's judgement is coming upon Israel and Judah as a nation, and they need to repent on an individual basis! Yet, to show how his own people's national judgement is fixed, God has Ezekiel make the statement that even if righteous, holy people like Noah, Job, and Daniel were present the judgement of the Lord would not be withheld. Now here's the challenge, for we often read right over that never thinking about the fact that Daniel was alive when this was written. He was a contemporary of Ezekiel! So the question comes if God were giving a list of the righteous today could he name your name among a list with Noah and Job because you're living holy unto the Lord! Wow! PTL! Then the Rogers invited me over to visit with their family for the holiday! PTL! I had a wonderful time visiting with them and especially with Priscilla! :) PTL! Thank you Lord for letting me court such an awesome, beautiful, and godly lady! PTL! Mrs. Joanne Bourne had us all over for a wonderful lunch together the food and fellowship was great. Thanks Mrs. Joanne! Then we went to have the Rogers family passport pictures taken before heading over to Josh and Rachel's for Anna Laurie's birthday, ping-pong, and other games! PTL! It was just a super great day all around of good, fun, godly, and God-focused fellowship! PTL! Thanks again Rogers family! PTL! :)
Today was a good day in the Lord! PTL! I had some good time in devotions with the Lord in the morning. PTL! The OBC devotion from 1 Peter 3:8-16 had a couple of my favorite verses which was a blessing. 1 Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. PTL! Ezekiel 15 also made another good point that at our absolute best, we're nothing without God. PTL! So true! Work today was good but a little rough because we had problems the entire day with our computer system. (Of course, as everyone with a little common sense knows, all those problems could be eliminated by simply purchasing MAC products. I'm just sayin'! ;-) LOL! ) I did get to eat lunch at Walker's Dairy Bar with Mom which was great. PTL! I love my Mom! She's the best! I had a great FBI class tonight studying through the plague of blood and frogs, the miracle of Jesus Christ awaking from sleep and calming the storm, and pentecost! PTL! I was also super blessed to get to call Priscilla and have a wonderful God-focused conversation. PTL! WABE! PTL! :)
Monday was a great day in the Lord! PTL! I got up early to spend some good time with the Lord in devotions before starting my new job. PTL! The OBC devotion from Mark 9:33-41 which was focused on the question 'What have you done in the Lord's name today?' was a blessing. PTL! Then I read Lamentations 5 which had several great points. PTL! A few of them were how shameful it is that we as Christians, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords, loved beyond our greatest imagination capacity by God so often instead of living as such rather live carnally in our own sinful lust; God will never leave or forsake his own; sin will blind and weaken us towards God's truth; etc. PTL! Then I read and studied some in John which was a blessing and challenge. PTL! I also managed to squeeze in a little Spanish study and 'Crazy Love' before heading to House Implement Company to start my new job. PTL! It was a good day at work. PTL! The job is mainly ordering farm equipment and parts for customers which thus far hasn't been terribly difficult or complicated. PTL! The building is also air-conditioned which is a huge blessing. PTL! The Lord also allowed me to give a gospel track to all but one of the employees in the service center, and I hope to give him one tomorrow. PTL! After work, Mom and I had a good workout at the gym. PTL! Then the Rogers family called to invite us over to share a meal and some good God-focused fellowship with them Friday evening which is a huge blessing I'm already looking forward too. PTL! After supper, we read James and discussed a few of it's highlights for family devotions which was followed by a super great time of prayer together with the Lord! PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS SO GOOD! :)
Tuesday was a super good day in the Lord! PTL! It started with some super wonderful time spent with the Lord in devotions! PTL! The OBC devotion from John 13:1-20 about different things we can learn from Jesus Christ's example of being a servant was good, and Ezekiel 1 was amazing! PTL! PTL! It focused on the magnificent, unimaginable, incomprehensible glory and holiness of Almighty God! The very presence of God results in Ezekiel's acute awareness of this truth as well as his own unworthiness and sinfulness. Thus Ezekiel responds by falling on his face in genuine humility, reverence, and fear attentively worshipping God in Spirit and truth! PTL! The same way Ezekiel responded to God's glorious presence is how we'll respond every time we truly recognize who God is and enter his presence focused on him! PTL! It's indescribably amazing! PTL! We ought to constantly seek to see, know, hearken unto, love, and be in God's presence more and more and more! PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS SO GOOD! Additionally, this was the FIRST vision God revealed to Ezekiel which is a great point in and of itself. PTL! Another point which is so clearly seen from this passage is the wonderfully amazing beauty of holiness! PTL! Then I had a good 2nd day working at Howse Implement Company. PTL! During my lunch break I read John 7 and 8 for FBI which was a blessing. It had Jesus statement to 'Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgement' and story of the adulterous women brought, among many other things, which were all great blessings! PTL! The Lord also allowed me to give out a track to Mike, who I'd missed yesterday. PTL! Near the end of lunch we also got to have a short but great God-focused talk and I found out he's saved! PTL! God is so good! After work I went by Southern Images to finish reading Crazy Love (Which is a great book I'd highly recommend about actually living by faith in Jesus Christ as God commands vice just claiming to falsely. My only caution is that the book often quotes from commentaries on God's Word, like the ESV, NIV, etc., instead of the actual Word of God in the KJV.) by Francis Chan and study a little Spanish before going to yet another great FBI class! PTL! It was full of great truths and points like the pictures of God's redeemption in Exodus, the unpardonable sin discussed in Matthew, the distinction between apostles and disciples in Acts, etc. PTL! I was also blessed to get to talk with a friend of mine on the drive home I've been praying for lately, who I don't think is saved, and he informed me that he's been reading his Bible lately and hopes to be able to come see sometime in the near future. PTL! WABE! PTL! God is God and good all the time! PTL! :)
Wednesday was a really good day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion was about serving the LORD with gladness from Psalm 100 which is one of my favorites! PTL! Then I spent some great time with the Lord and his Word in Ezekiel 2. PTL! This passage is the continuation of the first vision God gives Ezekiel of God in all his magnificent, wondrous glory where he calls Ezekiel preach to Judah in hopes of their repentance and revival! PTL! PTL! God loves us more than we can ever fully fathom! PTL! It's amazing that he wants, allows, and enables us to come boldly into his presence. Wow! PTL! Another good point from this passage is that the Word of God is the means by which the Holy Spirit fills, enables, empowers, leads, cleanses, convicts, etc., us for faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! PTL! Then I studied a little Spanish, and started reading Fairground Relationships by Phil Kidd which has been very good thus far. PTL! I also had a great time of prayer together with the Lord on the way to work, while meditating on my 'review scriptures' today. PTL! God is so good! Work at Howse Implement Company today went well. I'm starting to get more efficient and familiar with the job. PTL! I managed to grab a needed haircut on the way to another great CBC mid-week service by Pastor Miller from 2 Samuel 6:1-12 titled 'If the Ark of the Covenant was in Your Home' about living daily in the presence of God in every aspect of our life. PTL! It was a blessing and encouragement for it went right in step with what I've been reading in Ezekiel and also the family devotions we've started. PTL! God is so good! A few points from the message were that we should never treat God's presence carelessly; God dwells in the believer's heart, the home, and the Church; People should spend less time focused on God's long term earthly will for their life, and more time focused on living God's will and presence in their life each day by faith in Jesus Christ! PTL! I also found that really neat because it was a major point of the book 'Crazy Love' that I just finished, and afterwards the choir practiced a wonderful song titled 'Be Ye Glad' that reminded me again of Psalm 100 from the devotion earlier today. PTL! It was also a blessing to get to have a little wonderful God-focused fellowship with the Rogers family before the service began. PTL! :)
Thursday was a great day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Acts 20:17-24 about serving the Lord with all humility of mind was very good. PTL! Then I spent some wonderful time with the Lord in Ezekiel 3. PTL! It had a plethora of great principles, truths, and points some of which were: Man doesn't live by bread alone but by every word that procedeth out of the the mouth of God like Matthew 4:4 explains; God's Word is both good to us and good for us!; Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life as Proverbs 4:23 states; Sometimes the hardest folks to 'reach' are religious folks and family; God's man is to seek and speak God's Word boldly through God's enabling, in love, whenever and to whomever he's instructed to tell, without concern for its popularity, opinions neither of others or his own, persecution, circumstances, etc., while fully trusting and obeying God in every aspect including the results, as is shown by the 'watchman' principle of how God judges our faithfulness of responsibility in witnessing to others vice their response! PTL! Wow! How simultaneously encouraging, convicting, and challenging principle! The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints an marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, Hebrews 4:12. PTL! Then I read Exodus 8-9 for FBI studies. PTL! Thursday, at work I actually started dealing with the phone customers for parts which is fairly challenging, and the manager said, 'It's rare that folks who work here can start that before about the end of the second week.' So I guess that's a good thing. PTL! Although I'm very slow right now, I can tell that I'm picking up speed and knowledge slowly but surely in this part of the job. PTL! I finished reading Fairground Relationships by Phil Kidd before going on CBC visitation with Brother Travis Clark. PTL! It was a great time of good God-focused fellowship, and the Lord allowed us to share the gospel with several folks all of which except for one claimed to be saved. PTL! One lady who didn't allow us to talk with her about Jesus Christ basically slammed the door on us, but at least she took the tract before doing so. PTL! It was extremely saddening for she I don't think I've ever seen anyone that looked as 'down' as she did. It was heartbreaking too for as Travis and I talked about on the way back how she had this big, beautiful, house, apparently lots of money, etc., and not the slightest amount of joy or happiness. I surely hope and pray she'll read the tract and get saved. Then the John Rogers family and I had a good quick bit to eat and fellowship at Wendy's which was a blessing. PTL!
Friday was a super wonderful day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from Job 1:1-11 was a blessing about how we need to be careful that we are serving and worshipping God genuinely, not just because of the blessings he loads on us. Then I spent some great time with the Lord in his Word from Ezekiel 4. PTL! In this passage God has Ezekiel use an illustration to show how the seige and fall of Israel and Judah would occur. He instructs Ezekiel to build a 'miniature' on a tile of the land Israel and Judah dwell in; then he has him build a fort against it and lay siege to it all around with battering rams; he then has Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days and his right side for 40 days with an iron pan between himself and the city, all the while he has to eat rationed food and drink that was cooked over man's dung. These things were all symbolic of the things that would and did come to pass exactly as God had foretold. A couple points I liked were that God often used illustrations and word pictures to communicate effectively and we should do likewise, as appropriate, when sharing the truths of God's Word with others. God's Word is completely trustworthy in every way! PTL! Ezekiel also asked God to allow him to not be defiled by the man's dung, and God allowed him to use cow's dung instead. Thus another example of how God reasons his truth with us in his Word of how he sees the heart like the 1 Samuel 16:7 and how it's not the outside but rather the inside which defiles a man like the Matthew 15:10-11 principle. PTL! I also read Exodus 10-11 for FBI. PTL! Work went well and I learned a good bit more about the cutters / gearboxes. PTL! I also started reading Being A Daddy Isn't For Sissies by Phil Kidd before my family headed over to the Rogers Family home for a wonderful visit. PTL! We had a great time! PTL! The food was fantastic! I don't remember what kind of steaks Mrs. Cindy said they were that we had, but they were the sure enough good kind. PTL! Then we had some delicious dessert of pound cake with whim cream and strawberries! PTL! We also played Cranium which Priscilla, Dad, and myself dominated. LOL! It was just a wonderful time of good God-focused fun and fellowship all around! Thanks Rogers Family! PTL! PTL! WABE! PTL! :-)))
Saturday was a great slow day in the Lord with some much needed rest because getting up at between 4 and 5 each morning to allow for some good quality time with the Lord each day before work starts hasn't allowed for much! PTL! The OBC devotion from Romans 12 about fervently in Spirit, serving the Lord, as well as many other great blessings and challenges from such a wonderful passage of scripture, was really good! PTL! Then I read Exodus 12-15 for FBI which entailed Israel's crossing of the Red Sea where they 'stood still and saw the salvation of the Lord' which was great! PTL! Then I spent some good time with the Lord from his Word in Ezekiel 5. PTL! It was a continuation of the illustration of the siege upon Israel and Judah where God has Ezekiel shave his head and beard weigh out the hair into thirds, except for a few which God has Ezekiel place in his clothes; then at the end of the symbolic siege time, God has Ezekiel burn the first 1/3rd in the midst of the 'miniature city', mince the second 1/3rd, scatter the last 1/3rd to the wind, and finally take and burn those few God had Ezekiel keep for a time in his clothes. This represented the different ways that the people of Israel and Judah would be judged a third to die by famine in the city, a third to die in and around the city by the sword, and a third to be scattered by the enemies' sword most of which would die as well except for a very small remnant. All of this too came to pass exactly as God foretold through Ezekiel! God's Word is completely trustworthy in every aspect, 'O that we'd trust and obey it more and more!' PTL! The few hairs that were keep in Ezekiel's clothes for a time and then later burned made me think of how your sin will find you out, and Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. PTL! The principles that to whom much is given, much is required and God will and must judge sin that we refuse to allow him to forgive through the blood of Jesus Christ are also clearly seen in this passage. PTL! Another thing I noticed was that even the faithful remnant was punished and scattered, which reminded me that our thoughts and actions always affect others in addition to ourselves, and how those who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. PTL! Other than that I finished reading Being A Daddy Isn't For Sissies by Phil Kidd which means I finally completed the 'stack' (approximately 4 ft tall) that I've been working on for several years now. :) PTL! Then I studied some Spanish, visited with the family, and watched Pride and Prejudice which was a decent movie. PTL! I had planned to cut grass but the rain didn't allow for that to occur. I guess it can wait until Monday. :)
Sunday was a super awesome day in the Lord! PTL! The OBC devotion from 2 Timothy 2:19-26 about the expectations of a servant of the Lord was a blessing. Then I spent some wonderful time with the Lord from Ezekiel 6! PTL! It had lots of good stuff like how the Lord always keeps a faithful remnant; his purpose in all things is always simultaneously for his glory and the absolute greatest good especially of them that love him; sometimes we need to add emphasis to points we make so that they're importance isn't missed; etc. PTL! This passage also showed that the most prominent cause for idolatry, and sin in general for that matter, is not knowing the Lord our God as we should. It was good to have some more good God-focused conversation with Janell before Brother Heath gave a good Sunday school lesson on the judgements of the Bible which Pastor Miller followed in the morning service with a great message on that same subject. PTL! It focused on the statement from Matthew 9:1-6 where Jesus Christ said, 'The Son of man hath power to forgive sins on earth'! PTL! PTL! Then I had a great steak lunch with my family between services, and find out through text some wonderful decisions Emily M. has been making for the Lord. PTL! In the evening service, the choir sang 'Be Ye Glad', a great song, which was a tremendous blessing to me, and I was also blessed to play 'Brethren We Have Met To Worship' with Brother James. PTL! Pastor Miller preached a wonderful message from 2 Timothy 2:1-11 about how we need to be obedient to God, faithful to God, dissatisfied with how intimately we know and serve God, and at peace with God. PTL! He also made a great statement during the sermon that, 'Jesus Christ preached on hell and money more than any other subjects because hell was where most folks were going and money was most often the reason why!' After the evening service we had a going away meal for Bethany at Peppers which was fun, and it was a special blessing to get to talk with Priscilla about her reading lately in Judges about Gideon! PTL! Then the Rogers family had me over to visit, which was wonderful time of good God-focused fellowship. PTL! It was also an extremely exciting event for I'd asked Priscilla's parents last week for their permission to begin a courtship with her, and they gave their approval tonight! PRAISE YE THE LORD! I don't really know what else to say about that except that I'm super happy, excited, and kind of in shock! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! PTL! WABE! GOD IS SO GOOD! :-)))))))