Destiny - The Manger led to a Cross

Will you miss Christ this Christmas?

Thought provoking advice for young women

"A girl should get so lost in God,

that a guy has to seek God to find her."

Something to contemplate during the Season

Something to think about how we do church

The Borrower

Investing for today or eternity?

"As long as I see anything to be done for God, life is worth having; but O how vain and unworthy it is to live for any lower end."

~ David Brainerd

Thank You Veterans!

Happy Birthday Marines

Mr. Obama

You MUST watch this!!!

Selfless Service and Uncommon Valor

On Sunday, March 30, 2003, on a CNN Live interview from the front line with Martin Savidge:

Martin Savidge of CNN, embedded with the 1st Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division, was talking with 4 young Marines near his foxhole that morning live on CNN. He had been telling the story of how well the Marines looked out for and took care of him since the start of the war. He went on to tell about the many hardships the Marines endured and how they all looked after one another.

He turned to the four and said that their commanders cleared them to use his video phone to call home. None of these Marines had been able to talk with their families for many weeks. The 19-year-old Marine next to him asked Martin if he would allow his platoon sergeant to use his call to call his pregnant wife back home with whom he had not been able to talk to in over a month. A stunned Savidge, who was visibly moved by the request, nodded his head -- yes. The young Marine ran off to get the sergeant.

Savidge recovered after a few seconds and turned back to the three young Marines still sitting with him. He asked which one of them would like to call home first? The Marine closest to him responded without a moment's hesitation, "Sir, if it is all the same to you, we would like to call the parents of a buddy of ours -- Lance Cpl. Brian Buesing of Cedar Key, Florida, who was killed on the 23rd of March near Nasiriya. We would like to see how his folks are doing and let them know their son died bravely."

At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was, "Where do they get young men like these?"

Priceless

A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?' The father, who despite having a heart condition, says Yes.

They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.'

To which, his father said 'Yes'.

For those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island .

Father and son went on to complete the race together.

These men paid the price for our freedom

This INCREDIBLE picture was taken In 1918.

It's 18,000 men preparing for war in a training camp at Camp Dodge in Iowa.

Sin is never alone

"If a solitary man sins, he destroys himself.
If a family man sins, he destroys his family.
But if a Pastor sins, he unravels his whole church."
~ anon

"A bishop then must be blameless..." ~ 1 Tim 3:2

Thank You to the Heroes who have given their lives for our freedom

"Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends."
~ John 15:13

Letters From War - Thank you to our military men and women

Think upon what Christ did instead of contemplating sin

In the book "When God Weeps," Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson Tada give the following account of Christ’s death. As you read, refuse to let the scene be familiar. Let its reality shock you and break your heart.


The face that Moses had begged to see---was forbidden to see---was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the Earth’s rebellion now twisted around his own brow… “On your back with you!” One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier’s heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner’s wrist.

Someone must sustain the soldier’s life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on---he grants the warrior’s continued existence. The man swings.

As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm---the sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless---the nerves perform exquisitely. “Up you go!”

They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe. But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but his heart. He feels dirty.

Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being---the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father’s eye turns brown with rot

His Father! He must face his Father like this!

From Heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son see the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.

“Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped---murdered, envied, hated, lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent overeaten---fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled my name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk---you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp---buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves---relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I hate, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?”

Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this but the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.

The Father watches as his heart’s treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah’s stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.

“Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!”

But Heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.

The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished.

You Must See This Movie - For Intelligent People Only!

Gear Up

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy . . ." Luke 10:19

Have you ever tried to picture what life would be like without the U. S. military? A few words come to mind: insecurity, vulnerability, fear. The fact is that we would not survive as a nation without our military men and women because no matter how sincere some leaders are in their efforts to deal peaceably with the enemy, there will always be another country ready to bring a fight to our front door. We cannot rid the world of enemies simply by avoiding them; we must have a defense in place.

The same is true of our Christian faith; we must be prepared for opposition from our enemy, Satan, because he is ready to wage war on us at any given moment, especially when God is really working in our lives. And just as our brave men and women in uniform are trained and ready to meet this country's opposition head on, we must spend time training in the Word, learning how to defend and protect ourselves against the wiles of the Devil.

It's like the Roman strategist, Flavius Vegetius, said, "Let him who desires peace prepare for war." So, put on the armor of God and gear up!

"Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive . . ." Harry S. Truman

From Turning Point

The Cost of Freedom - The Blood of Heroic Patriots!

"On September 29, 2006, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor was part of a major clearing and isolating operation to root out enemy fighters holding parts of Ramadi, the Sunni insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad.

Monsoor was in a sniper position on a rooftop along with two other SEALs when a grenade flew into his location from out of nowhere. It bounced off his chest and landed in an area where it probably would have killed or seriously wounded all three of them.

Monsoor was in a position to escape before the explosion but instead leapt on the grenade.

"He recognized immediately the threat, yelled 'grenade' and due to the fact that two other SEAL snipers, our brothers, could not possibly escape the blast, he chose to smother it with his body, absorbed the impact and lost his life in the process," said Lt. Cmdr. Seth Stone, Mansoor's platoon commander.

The blast did not kill him right away; he hung on for 30 minutes. His two comrades were wounded but survived the shrapnel that ripped through their bodies.

Stone said: "He essentially saved [the] Navy SEALS on the rooftop and three Iraqi soldiers who were there."

President Bush presented Monsoor's parents with a posthumous Medal of Honor for their son at an emotional White House ceremony last Tuesday." CNN

To Whom do you serve?

"Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.
For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears,
I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction, their god is the belly,
they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven
and we also await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body
by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself."
~ Phil 3.17-21 (NET)

"I relied completely on the Lord, and he turned toward me and heard my cry for help.
He lifted me out of the watery pit, out of the slimy mud.
He placed my feet on a rock and gave me secure footing.
He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God.
May many see what God has done,
so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord!
How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and does not seek help from the proud or from liars!
~ Ps 40:1-4 (NET)

Who I Am In Christ

I am born of God - 1 John 5:1
I am redeemed - Gal 3:13
I am accepted in the beloved - Eph 1:6
I am loved by my Father - John 16:27
I am chosen by God - John 15:16
I am crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20
I am a new creature - 2 Cor 5:17
I am reconciled to God - Rom 5:10
I am complete in Him - Col 2:10
I am His workmanship - Eph 2:10
I am the righteousness of God - 2 Cor 5:21
I am the partaker of the divine nature - 2 Pet 1:4
I am a habitation of God - Eph 2:22
I am one with Him - 1 Cor 6:19; John 17:21
I am the salt of the earth - Matt 5:13
I am the light of the world - Matt 5:14
I am the savor of Christ - 2 Cor 2:15
I am precious to God - 1 Pet 2:4
I am blessed with all spiritual blessings - Eph 1:3
I am free - John 8:36; Gal 5:1
I am more than a conqueror - Rom 8:37
I am fearless - 2 Tim 1:7
I am forgiven - Eph 1:7
I am clean through the Word - John 15:3
I am rich - 2 Cor 8:9
I am justified by faith - Rom 5:1
I am delivered from this present evil world - Gal 1:4
I am an ambassador for Christ - 2 Cor 5:20
I am an heir of God - Rom 8:17
I am a joint heir with Christ - Rom 8:17
I am a child of God - Rom 8:16
I am a king unto God - Rev 1:6
I am a priest unto God - Rev 1:6
I am a citizen of Heaven - Phil 3:20
I am seated with Christ - Eph 2:6
I am an overcomer - 1 John 5:4
I am victorious - 1 Cor 15:57
I am triumphant - 2 Cor 2:14
I am one who reigns in life - Rom 5:17
I am married to Christ - Rom 7:4
I am free from condemnation - Rom 8:1
I am saved - Rom 10:9,13
I am sanctified - 1 Cor 1:2
I am bought with a price - 1 Cor 6:20
I am a member of Christ's body - 1 Cor 12:27
I am an epistle of Christ - 2 Cor 3:3
I am blessed with Abraham - Gal 3:9
I am adopted - Gal 4:5
I am a child of God - Gal 4:6,7
I am a light in the Lord - Eph 5:8
I am qualified to share in the inheritance - Col 1:12
I am delivered from the power of darkness - Col 1:13
I am richly supplied with all things to enjoy - 1 Tim 6:17
I am nothing without Him - John 15:5
I have the mind of Christ - 1 Cor 2:16
I have fellowship with Jesus - 1 Cor 1:9
I have eternal life - Rom 6:23; John 3:16
I have love, power, and a sound mind - 2 Tim 1:7
I have peace with God - Rom 5:1
I have the peace of God - John 14:27
I have the love of God - Rom 5:5
I have victory over sin - Rom 8:2, 6:14
I have faith - Rom 12:3
I have victory - 1 Cor 15:57
I have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God - 2 Cor 4:6
I always have sufficiency in everything - 2 Cor 9:8
I have mighty weapons - 2 Cor 10:4
I have been made alive together with Christ - Eph 2:5; Jn 3:4
I have love, peace, joy, long suffering, gentleness, faith, goodness, meekness, temperance - Gal 5:22,23
I have been crucified to the world - Gal 6:14
I have every spiritual blessing - Eph 1:3
I have redemption - Col 1:14; Eph 1:7
I have an inheritance - Eph 1:11
I have been sealed in Him - Eph 1:13
I have been saved - Eph 2:8
I have power that works in me - Eph 3:20
I have the armor of God - Eph 6:11,13
I have supernatural ability in Him - Phil 4:13
I have all my needs supplied - Phil 4:19
I have put on the new man - Col 3:10
I have a great high priest - Heb 4:14, 8:1
I have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness - 2 Pet 1:3
I have an advocate - 1 John 2:1
I have the greater one in me - 1 John 4:4
I have rest - Heb 4:3
I have received a special gift - 1 Cor 7:7; 1Pet 4:10
I have hope - Heb 6:19
I have a lively hope - 1 Pet 1:3

"See What A Morning" - He Is Risen!

Watch the Lamb!!!

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." ~ 1 Pet 3:18

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." ~ 1 Pet 2:24

The Last Meal - The disciples did not understand - Do You?

^"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. ²⁷ And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; ²⁸ For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹ But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. ³⁰ And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives." Matt 26:26-30

What is Saving Faith?

"Saving faith is, first of all, faith in the work of Christ on the Cross! It is impossible for us to understand the delivering nature of the Gospel and the assurance that He is ours in Christ because of His grace, without also considering the significance of His glorious Resurrection.

When the Apostle Paul explains the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 he reminds us that: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Forgiveness comes to us because of the death of Christ on the cross. But we must remember, however, that this forgiveness could not be assuredly ours apart from the testimony of the Resurrection.

The Resurrection of Christ is linked inseparably with His death on Calvary. Our destiny for eternity depends upon our knowing who He is, and having put our faith in what He accomplished on the Cross. …The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the great proof that Jesus is truly God and the Son of God. How majestically God speaks in Romans 1:4, telling us that Christ was . . . declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Believing this truth is absolutely necessary for our salvation." ~ Lance Latham

Questions that will bless the missionaries you support

1. How have you been encouraged this past year?
2. What have been your greatest blessings this past year?
3. What have been your disappointments this past year?
4. How have you been discouraged this past year?
5. How are your children?
6. Is there a way we can be a blessing to your children?
7. Will you give us two to five specific prayer requests that we can seriously pray for each month?
8. How may we as a church become more involved in your ministry?
9. When would be a good time for us to come and visit?
10. We would like to send a team to help you – what can they do?
11. How may we assist you in your work?
12. How can we as a church better support you?
13. What are your greatest needs?
14. Is there some project that we might be able to assist you with financially?
15. What are your greatest financial needs?
16. Are there items you can’t get that we may send or bring to you?
17. May we send you music or sermon cds from our church?
18. May I send you a book which has been a blessing to me?
19. Are you struggling with anything in which we may help?
20. May our church sponsor your next vacation or send you to an equipping conference?
    

For other great ideas on how to support missionaries please read Serving As Senders.

Have you considered your riches lately?

“Never be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, worldaltering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than a diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust.” ~ C. J. Mahaney

Attitude Check - How you doing?

"I discovered I always have choices,
and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude."
~ Abraham Lincoln

What defines you?

"My faith is my life -- it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. ... Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own."

A Tribute to Moms - Thanks Mom

Thank You to our "American Soldiers"

Dr. Wendell Kempton now with the Lord

Dr. Kempton, 75, president of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism from 1971 to 2001, died of complications related to melanoma on Sunday, January 6, in Lititz, Pa.

Read more HERE

Who reigns in your life?

Where does the Bible fit into your life this new year?

"The Bible is the Book to live by and the Book to die by.
Therefore read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
practice it to be holy."

~ A. W. Pink

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