Nichole Nordeman-Legacy [LYRICS]

Holy - Klaus Kuehn with Kari Jobe

Mahalia Jackson - O Holy Night (unmatched and unforgettable)

Christy Nockels - Angels Lullaby

Amazing Christmas Light Show: just for fun - enjoy!

Winter Snow : Audrey Assad and Chris Tomlin

Jesus: The Name of Christmas

  

    Matthew 1:32  And she will have a son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins...

    Luke 1:30-31  "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, " for you have found favor with God." .  You will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus."

When God gave the name Jesus it is interesting to see that he spoke separately both to Joseph and to Mary. To Mary Gabriel explained all that Jesus would do as the Messiah, but to Joseph God defined the name. The name Jesus was given because God had given His Son, not only to teach us the ways of Heaven, heal our sickness, or give us a comfortable life; Jesus came to save His people from their sins.
One of the most beautiful sounds in all the world to each of us is the sound of our own name. We love to hear our name mentioned especially if it is linked with assurance, love or praise. The sound I want most to hear as I cross into eternity is my own name being called by God himself with the phrase "Well done good and faithful servant" Our name is what calls our attention at any moment.
Imagine now as Jesus entered the world cradled in Mary's arms in that stable in Bethlehem on the first Christmas morning. One of the first words Mary and Joseph would say was, "Jesus!"  God had kept His promise to them just as He said. From that day forward every time Jesus heard His own name it would be a reminder of why He had come. When He was growing up in the home with His brothers and Mary called out, "Jesus" he would remember that he was different. God had sent Him not just to be born in the humble stable, but also one day to give His life to save His people. Where ever Jesus went, whatever He was doing, when he would turn to the sound of His name He would be reminded of the reason He had come.
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Nazareth when He began to explain that He was coming to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah, the Bible tells us that they were so angry that they took him out and were ready to through him over a cliff! Yet miraculously Jesus slipped away because "His hour had not yet come" There was always that awareness through Jesus ministry and teaching of the approaching hour. He told his brothers one day, "Any time is good for you, but my hour has not yet come"
As Jesus prayed in the garden, struggling with the thoughts of the cross he said, "... should I pray, ' Father, save me from this hour.' ? But this is the very reason I came." John 12:27 Later when he finished praying he went back to the disciples and found them sleeping he said, "...Are you still sleeping and resting? Look the hour has come..."
All that God had promised in the name Jesus was about to be fulfilled and Jesus began the terrible process of paying for the sins of us all. He was determined that no obstacle would keep him back. He accepted no protection and looked for no escape. To the very end Jesus was true to His name, the name that is now above all names. Jesus is the name before which every knee will bow in both heaven and earth. It is a mighty name and a name that gives hope in dark places. Jesus is a name that brings healing and a name that forgives sins. 

Jesus is the name that never loses its power and it is the name given on Christmas for us all!
Jesus is the name given just for you. Jesus is the name of Christmas...

Kutless - This is Christmas

You're Here - Francesca Battistelli

BarlowGirl - Hallelujah (Light Has Come) [Official Music Video HD] Lyric...

Point Of Grace - One King

Remembering William

Cobre me                                                                         Hide me now under your wings

Com Tuas maos                                                               Cover me

Com poder Vem me esconder Senhor                             Within your mighty hand

Se o trovao e o mar se erguendo vem                             When the oceans rise and thunders roar

Sobre a tempestade eu voarei                                          I will soar with you above the storm 

Sobre as aguas Tu tambem Es Rei                                  Father you are King over the flood

Descansarei pois sei que Es Deus                                   I will be still and know you are God

Descansarei pois sei que Es Deus                                   I will be still and know you are God

 

 

Minha alma esta seguro em Ti                                        Find rest my soul in Christ alone

Sabes bem que em Cristo firme esta                               Know His power in quietness and trust

 

Se o trovao e o mar se erguendo vem                            When the oceans rise and thunders roar

Sobre a tempestade eu voarei                                         I will soar with you above the storm 

Sobre as aguas Tu tambem Es Rei                                 Father you are king over the flood

Descansarei pois sei que Es Deus                                  I will be still and know you are God

Descansarei pois sei que Es Deus                                  I will be still and know you are God
 

                                                                                          by Reuben Morgan

A life that has given to him is a letter to which God signs his name to at the very end.
God wants us to go back and read carefully the lines he has written in both the brightest days
and darkest nights. That is how I am now remembering William Sampaio. His steady quiet and deep faith has written on the pages of my life and on the lives of many others the message that God is good. William's life told us that God is good no matter what difficulties we are facing, or what questions we cannot answer. It has been such a privelege to share a small part of his life. My friend was carried safely into the arms of Jesus last night and we wept as that great heart came to rest in God. It is not good-bye, but until a little later dear friend. We will meet again at the throne of King Jesus!

 

Still - Hillsong with Lyrics

When Love was born - sung by Mark Schultz

My Hope With Billy Graham

Kari Jobe - When Hope Came Down - Where I Find You Christmas Edition

What does Hope look like?

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long...Psalm 25:5

 

In the Old Testament book of Ruth, we meet a woman named Naomi, for whom all natural hope seemed to be lost. She had followed her husband to a foreign land where he and both of their sons died. Naomi was alone in that strange place, a woman with no resources, no hope of a future and no idea where to turn. Her only choice seemed to be to return to her home village. She said, "Don't call me Naomi (pleasant) anymore,call me Mara (meaning bitter) because the Almighty has made my life bitter. 

 

...my hope is in you all day long!

Yet even at this lowest point in her life, God had already begun to work to bring a restoring hope to Naomi. That hope began in the form of her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Though no one else would go with Naomi and no one else would help, but Ruth chose to remain. Ruth chose to see Naomi through that dark time in her life. Ruth had no answers to give and no special abilities to offer. Ruth simply stood by her friend.

 

God has also begun a work in every one of our lives when we find ourselves at the mercy of unexpected sorrow. In Jesus' time He told the story of  a man dying at the side of the road. Two very religious people passed by and did nothing, but God sent a good Samaritan who stopped and had compassion on him. The Good Samaritan didn't work any miracle, but he gave him the help and the hope he needed that day. The Good Samaritan was a person that man might have normally never accepted, but in his weakness he discovered him to be his only friend.

 

God knows just the time and just the way to touch us when it seems all hope is lost. God is not depending at all on our ability to figure things out or to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. God takes special delight in sending for our rescue by the most unlikely people. He comes to heal the broken. He is not only the one who can save us when we face disaster, he is our God who we learn to hope in all the day long!

 

        When all seems dark God' Hope remains

Do You Have Room? (New Christmas Song by Shawna Edwards)

Chris Tomlin Feat. Watoto Children's Choir - Joy to the World

Selah - Rose of Bethlehem

Arms Wide Open - Misty Edwards

Steven Curtis Chapman - All I Really Want

Aaron Shust - Give It All Away

Christy Nockels - Angels Lullaby

Sara Groves (playlist)

Blow the Trumpets

Psalm 150: Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet...

In Bible days their trumpets were actually rams horns made into instruments to be used by God's priests.Specially chosen priests blew trumpets during the reading of the certain Psalms. Priests blew their trumpets before Jericho's walls fell down. Trumpets blew when the priests called the people to a meeting. The prophets were told to warn the people about sin by blowing a trumpet. 

A trumpet of praise, a trumpet of meeting, a trumpet of battle and a trumpet of warning. God linked all these with the sound that one day every man, woman and child will hear at the return of Jesus Christ. In the New testament Paul tells us about a day when...

The Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the arch angel and with the trumpet call of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Imagine the sound when not a priest, or even an angel with blow the trumpet. The day is coming when God takes Heaven's trumpet off the shelf, puts it to His lips and blows the last trumpet sound. The clouds themselves will tear apart, then Jesus will come down and we will be caught up to meet Him.There will be no second verse, no chance to turn things around or to even fall to our knees. The song will be played out to its end in less time than we take to blink our eyes. God's final chapter will be ended and at the sound of the trumpet call we will go to meet Him and we will be with Him forever. All our battles will be over, and we will begin a season of praise that will stretch into eternity. 

God's Trumpet plays one clear note. God is blowing trumpets all around us so that sleepers will wake up, enemies will turn and run, brave men can rally in battle. Jesus blows the trumpet for us to get ready. One day nothing else will matter.Now is the time when we so desperately need to ask God to open our ears and soften our hearts so we will hear and answer the trumpet call of God. Are we ready? Only God knows each of our hearts. 

Jason Gray - Remind Me Who I Am (Official Music Video)

Asaph Borba e Daniel Souza Irmãos e Irmãs

What does rejoicing look like?

Romans 5:2-3 ....and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only this but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance.

Just what does rejoicing look like? Is it in the quiet moment we look into the eyes of someone we love? Is it the time when we finally pay off the house; get into our new car, or receive some unexpected financial blessing? Is rejoicing at the moment of getting everything we ever wanted, or fame, acceptance or power?

These can be happy times that we are thankful for, but according to God's word rejoicing is something more, something deeper, something eternal. We rejoice in hope because of what God has already done,and we can rejoice in suffering because we know God is still at work! It sure doesn't feel like God's hands involved in our situations when they are filled with unanswered prayers, suffering, and rejection by our dearest friends.God promises us that at those moments of near despair He is more at work than ever. The eternal character of Christ is being formed inside our hearts and on the other side of our trials is a sunrise of astonishing beauty.

Our heavenly surgeon's hands that have cut into our infected wounds are the same hands that will close them back up again now clean and ready for healing. God has not only not abandoned us, He is most at work in our times of difficulty. He is giving us an opportunity to bring to Him a worship that is set free from the things of earth. He is opening the door to His inner chambers where we can come and look into the face of the one who loved us and gave himself for us! In that moment as He gives us just a glimpse of heaven He lavishes on us a rejoicing that He had as He was suffering on the cross for the joy that was set before Him!

Your Hands with Lyrics JJ Heller

who is like the lord - Paul Wilbur

What Am I Worth Today?

    Where does my value come from? Does it matter much money that I have in the bank? Is derived from my family's status or the color of my skin? Will you value me because of my beauty? My brains? My Strength? If I can do amazing things, will you love me more?

No matter what others believe, my true value comes from the simple fact that I am a creation of God. He has specially designed me.  He has chosen to give me the gift of life. There is nothing I can do to increase my worth to him and there is nothing the anyone can take away that steals my true value.


Life is God's special gift. It is not something to throw away, to be treated cheaply or to be forgotten. Even though everyone else says differently, it it God who has the last word. When we begin to devalue even a single life we begin losing a little of our own. How will you value a life today?

Lay Me Down - Chris Tomlin - Passion 2012 - White Flag - (WITH LYRICS) (HD)

Two Bracelets: A Compassion Story

Two Bracelets: A Compassion Story


 

Lessons From Cancer From Joni Eareckson Tada

Our Lost Generation

    They are sitting in empty seats next to us on the bus and in our classrooms. They are brides never given away and husbands never found. They are singers who never sang there songs,and runners who never ran their race. These are the spaces left open in our hearts. They are our lost generation. On spite of all the dollars we have heaped up and all the technology and entertainment there is a question that we will never find the answer for. Where in all of God's universe can we go to tell them that they should have been here with us. They should have shared together the tears and the triumphs, the struggles and the hopes which make up the many moments of our lives.

    When the declaration of Independence was written it recognizes three basic rights which God has given. The first is Life and the last is the Pursuit of happiness; we are the generation that has reversed that order. We have demanded our happiness and forgotten the value of life. Life is something we can take away but never give back. Life is a treasure in a fragile jar.

    Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, "Truly I say to you as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." 

Here in America we will one day be responsible and have to answer for how we have treated the most vulnerable and the weakest little ones. How we have valued others will one day be the measure by which God will value us. Jesus never asks us to give more than we have but he does ask us to do the best that we can to protect, to comfort and to cherish the least of these. Though there is a generation that will be lost to us forever, they are all found by God and are cherished by Him...
 

Chris Tomlin - Whom Shall I Fear (w/ Lyrics)

Worshiping or Grumbling?

James 5:9 Don't grumble about each other brothers and sisters or you will be judged - For look, the judge is standing at the door!

    Did you ever catch yourself turning in a bad report card to God about your brother or sister's behavior? Sometimes it might not even involve us. We say under our breath...just look at what they are getting away with, as if God has not noticed. We are not at all satisfied that they are getting the sort of consequences that we feel they deserve. But the longer we spend running to tattle-tale on others the less and less we will be able to worship.
Worship is in fact the exact opposite of grumbling. When we grumble and complain about someone to God we will find that our focus is fixed on them. But to worship God we must let go of everything else and give our complete attention to him. Then looking only at Jesus He draws us closer and closer to Him.

    Our spiritual enemy is always working to get our attention away from God. He is himself engaged in pointing out our failures and sins to God. He can never bring himself to fall down in worship, so let's not follow his example or help him do his job. When we begin to forgive others we are putting Christ at center stage. His mercy puts the spotlight where it belongs: on Jesus. Though our forgiveness is only a pale reflection of His it allows us to be filled with his joy. Our hearts are then light again and we find that we are free again to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

Joni Eareckson Tada Receives the Wilberforce Award

Hillsong - I Surrender - with subtitles/lyrics

First Love

In Revelation chapter two Jesus speaks to His church in Ephesus and begins by listing all the great things about them. They have been faithful, worked hard, held up under persecution and even stayed away from some false teachers. Sounds to most of us like the best church in town! But Jesus then brings up the burden of His heart; they have left their first love for Him.

While it might seem to some that our Lord is just being too hard on them, lets put the relationship into another light. The Bible tells us in several places that the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. He is our bridegroom, waiting at the altar in heaven, with His eyes focused on us. He has loved us and given us his very own life so we can live with Him forever. In His heart is a longing to be with His bride but we He looks down He sees something changing in her heart. That heart that once longed to run to His presence and just spend unmeasured time in His presence is now very busy. She still thinks from time to time of Jesus, but she is also quite involved in a lot of other things. Everything seems so important that soon her schedule is so full that there are only a few moments left for Jesus.

Then He looks and sees His people not only too busy for Him, but also too busy to bother much about telling others about their need for Him. They are holding on so tightly to His love and mercy that it seems very difficult to share it with anyone else! How His heart is longing to see us again totally living for him. What will it take for us to go back to our first love? Will it be just a season of tears at the altar? How will we ever return to where we once were? Jesus tells us so clearly! He does not say; "Feel really bad and cry and pray." He does not add, "Give some more money to the church." He doesn't even say, "Go out and start feeding folks at the soup kitchen." In fact all of these things are fine, but they are only a pale substitute for the "First Love" that Jesus has in mind. Jesus says, just start by doing the things you did at the beginning. Did we used to ask forgiveness of people we have hurt? Lets do that again. Did we once call our friends and family and tell them how Jesus has changed our lives? Lets try again, and not just give up. Have we taken some risks to get out and talk to others we come across in our daily lives about their need for him? Lets get back to work!

Jesus didn't say to wait for an impulse, a tear or a "leading", Jesus meant lets roll up our sleeves and return to the simple things we once did. We all know what those first things are and for each of us it will be something different. That is what is so amazingly clear about our Lord's command. I do not need to do what you once did, or discover some hidden purpose in God's mysterious plan. I just need to remember what I once did and then turn around and begin to do it again! How there is such clarity when we know God's will and then there is that amazing peace as we begin to do it fully again! 

Hillsong Live - Hope of the World │†│

Matthew West - Forgiveness (Lyrics)

Again I Say Rejoice - Israel New Breed

Phillips, Craig & Dean - Great I Am (Lyrics)

Praying for Iran's Christians

http://aclj.us/4sng

Refusing to be called the son of Pharoh's daughter...

Hebrews 11:24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter

    At his fingertips Moses had access to almost unlimited money, power and prestige. He could have gone anywhere and done almost anything he wished, if only he would accept being a part of the family of Pharaoh. But in Moses' heart a battle had been waged and his affections tested as to whom he truly belonged.
    At birth Moses had been ordered abandoned to die by decree of Pharaoh. Only by his true family's courage and faith had he been hidden and then miraculously spared. God had different plans for Moses than the Pharaoh! Yet now as an adult Moses was at a crossroads. He had followed one path as a child, growing up in the luxury and comforts of the royal household. But in spite of all that surrounded him, Moses knew where he had come from and why. He knew from his mother, who had been called on to help to raise him, that he was no Egyptian. Though God had chosen him, Moses also had to choose God, and the rejection that came with being known as one of God's people.
    Because of Moses' faith, he left the land of Egypt and trusted that the rewards of God were of far greater value the the pleasures of Egypt. After Moses left Egypt it would be forty years before God met him at the burning bush. Maybe people began to forget about Moses. Friends, family, and all that had been a part of Moses' life were left behind. In the land of Midian, Moses married and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. In that lonely place maybe even Moses began to forget his calling and purpose, but God never forgot! God put Moses in the wilderness till it was God's time for him to begin the work for which God had prepared him.

    God knew exactly where to find Moses. God called him by name from the burning bush and now it was not Moses choosing God, but God choosing him! God's eternal purpose and plan had never changed. Moses was precisely where he needed to be to hear the voice of God . "Take off your sandals for the place for you are standing on holy ground!"
    Wherever it is that God meets us is Holy Ground. God calls each of us by name. God has amazing plans for our lives, yet each of us must come to the same crossroads that Moses came to. Will we refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter? Will we be willing to accept rejection and the loss of privileges in order to be a part of God's family? Will we risk everything for God? Maybe there is a difficult choice that lies in front of you today. Maybe there is a decision that no one else can make for you. Trust God. His way is filled with hope and His rewards are way beyond anything we could ever imagine. The love and acceptance that come from Him are the only things that matter when life is done. Choose to be His, He has already chosen to be yours!

 

Great Great God - Gateway Worship (Worship with Lyrics)

Why will you come back to Jesus? Top Ten List!

Why will you come back to Jesus?

It seems so many find themselves wandering in a strange city far from home. But God in His goodness stands at the door calling each of us to come back. Here is my top ten list for
why we will hear the voice of Jesus and come back to him.

10, Only Jesus has the power to fix our problems/ Others only have the ability to point them out!

9. Only Jesus knows our hearts and still offers His friendship. Others are often only friends when they want something!

8. Only Jesus thinks we are important enough to listen to. Others ask how we are doing and leave before we say a word.

7. Jesus sees our fears and says "it's me. don't be afraid." Others say, "It's him, lets get out of here!"

6. Only Jesus understands our abilities and resources because they came from Him. Others only see us as someone else to be used.

5. Only Jesus is worthy. Others only think they are!

4. Only Jesus will forgive over and over, Others give us three strikes and we're out!

3) Only Jesus really knows the way home. Others say you can't get there from here!

2) Only Jesus can give us real life (That's what eternal means!) Others tell us to get a life!

1) Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!

carlinhos felix primeiro amor

Closer - Bethel Music featuring Steffany Frizzell

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani released, acquitted of apostasy | Christian News on Christian Today

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani released, acquitted of apostasy | Christian News on Christian Today

Testing Religions - The Bible vs. Joseph Smith - Book of Mormon BoM

Pakistan: A Mother Imprisoned

Tamela Mann Take Me To The King Lyrics

Andrew Peterson "Rest Easy" Music Video

Lincoln Brewster Kari Jobe Whom Shall I Fear

Our Heart Has Found its Rest in Him!

    Until we find our rest in God we will never really fully worship Him. When Jesus called out in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." he wasn't telling us we had to come and work!
    Worship and work are at complete opposite ends of the experience that God has for us. God's original plan was for six days of work then a day of rest. God rested when He finished His work and then He gave that day a special blessing.

    As long as we are working, trying to earn our way to acceptance we will not at all be able to understand and experience God's rest. There is a calm that comes after Jesus has quieted our storm. All around us our own ideas, desires and demands are rising up like a tidal wave that are continually working to sink our boat. Jesus is still with us but when we are working as hard as we can, we are bound by fear. It is as if we forget who told us to start this journey to begin with! If we could just try a little harder, row a little faster, bale the water out a it more efficiently, then we think we would get where we were supposed to be going. But Jesus and all His power is sleeping in our boat, unasked and unnoticed!

    How God's heart longs and waits for us to come and cry out to him, in faith, not fear. He is ready to show himself. Jesus has neither forgotten us nor our storms, yet we feel as if we are alone, He will not come until we ask. He cannot calm the storm and give us rest unless we give up and give it all to Him.
    We have such a hard time because it seems like we just have to do something. But resting is not doing nothing, it is a choice in which we say, "God I trust you completely, come and be Lord here and now in my life." Then He comes. He commands the storm and there is a great calm! Then we see Jesus alive and in control again. Then we worship because our heart has found its rest in Him!

Top Worship songs - freechapelworship@gmail.com (playlist)

Remembrance (Communion Song) by Matt Redman

Hope of the World - Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics)

10,000 REASONS [live] - Matt Redman (lyrics)

Heather Mercer discusses Ramadan

I Surrender - Hillsong Live (Cornerstone New 2012 DVD Album) Lyrics/Subt...

Vietnam: Wives of Prisoners

Lincoln Brewster - More Than Amazing (With Lyrics)

DEUS FIEL (EDITADO COM AUDIO CD) - Gateway Worship Diante do Trono

Hero boy, 4, dies after saving 3-year-old girl in pool

Hero boy, 4, dies after saving 3-year-old girl in pool

Greater love has no one than this, than someone lay down his life for his friends...John 15:13

Casting Crowns - If we've ever needed you

Hidden with Christ

This past week I was thinking over the idea of how God chooses to hide his people at various times and in different ways. Though we may often think of hiding as an act of cowardice, the Bible would not agree. In 1 Kings 17 it is astonishing to discover that the powerful prophet Elijah (best known for calling down fire from heaven) was told to go into hiding. God hid him by the brook and fed him by the ravens. It is not that God needs to conceal us, but that He wants to keep us in a quiet place until His time is right.
Looking back to the life of Moses we find that his parents hid him and when they could no longer keep him secret, Pharaoh's daughter found him and kept him safe. John the Baptist (Not known as a shrinking Violet) was kept hidden in the desert until his revealing to Israel. Even Jesus Christ himself was kept hidden in Egypt by his parents for some years until King Herod was dead. So what does all that have to do with our lives? Paul explains to us in his letter to the church at Colossae that as Christians God has also hidden us.

Col 3:3 For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

But why does God hide us? Maybe it is because of our internal GPS system. In our old lives we had certain destinations programed into us. We focused our energies and set our goals on earthly targets trying to hit the bull's eye. Even now as Christians we so easily start down the road towards those old places and familiar sights and sounds. Unless we see Jesus' goals we will keep going to wrong way. That is because sometimes God's true goals are hidden.
So in Christ, God reprograms the GPS system of our spirits. The old GPS will not be able to acquire our global position because we are hidden with Christ in God. As we begin the journey now with our new faith vision, God's satellite system (the Bible)  points out exactly where we are. God's GPS acquires our location, then begins step by step to call out when to turn, and when to keep going straight. As long as we continue walking in faith, the new system will work perfectly. We can see the old goals are really empty promises and the applause we hoped to get for temporary accomplishments has no satisfaction. As we remain faithful, God gives us His next amazing promise:

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life appears, then will we also appear with Him in glory!

So maybe now is God's time for you to remain quiet. He has put us in a hiding place for his own purposes and will bring out out in His own time. Elijah remained invisible to King Ahab for 3 1/2 years. John the Baptist remained in the desert till the beginning of his ministry. Jesus himself was unknown to anyone except his mother and Joseph until he was baptized by John. God also has a perfect time and place for each chapter of our lives. There is no braver thing to do than to trust God, allow Him to hide us in Christ, and wait for Him to do what He wants in His perfect time!

Carry Your Name - Christy Nockels

What the world calls weeds - God calls flowers!

Matthew 6:30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?


One Summer many years ago I remember sitting high atop the hay wagon, as we slowly headed back to the barn with one more load of hay. I took full advantage of that small moment of rest and took in all the sights and smells of the freshly cut field. I remember looking down into the hay where I could see an amazing assortment of wildflowers of every imaginable shape and color. There they were, nestled in among the remnants of the fresh-mown hay showing off their amazing array of beauty. That scene has always come back to me when I think of how richly God lavishes His artistry on the simplest things. All around us in our daily life God leaves behind reflections of His grace.

Try to imagine, that this same God who has taken such care in each detail of a single wild flower, has also crafted you and I with His own fingers. It often may seem that no one could possibly value anything about us. The world may be passing us by looking down and insted of seeing wild flowers, they see only weeds. Weeds are those plants that grow where no one wants them or where no one has planned. Maybe we ourselves pass people every day and never notice a single thing of beauty. But all around the world God's wildflowers are on display to remind us that He is intimately involved in every life and thzat every life has value.

What makes our lives different from the flowers of the field is their joyful abandonment. They are not at all concerned that their time here is short, or are they worried what others may think. In the brief hours that God has given them they simply give away all that they have. They are completely at peace knowing that the same hand that crafted them will care for them and keep them for ever. Why is it that the flowers understand this and we struggle to believe? Jesus told us to see the wild-flowers and know that God values us far more than them...

Holy - Matt Redman (Worship with lyrics)

I Surrender - Hillsong Live (Cornerstone New 2012 DVD Album) Lyrics/Subt...

What's in a Name?

    In Shakespeare's famous love story Juliet asks why she and Romeo cannot be friends just because of the name of their families. "What's in a name," she asks. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." But the tragedy unfolds simply because, for better or worse a name really is filled with meaning.
In Proverbs 22:1 Solomon advises us that "A good name is to be chosen over great riches."
    Because names are so important we find that even God gets involved in what someone will be named.

In Genesis we find that Abram (Mighty father) gets his name changed by God to Abraham (Father of nations). Later  God meets with Abraham and tells him he will have a son and his name will be Issac (Laughter)
    One of the most famous name changes happens when Abraham's grandson, Jacob, meets with an angel who wrestles all night with him. As the dawn begins to break the angel tells him, Genesis 32:26 "Let me go, for the day has broken," but Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." and he said to him, "What is your name?"...
    How strange that the angel has to know Jacob's name before he can give him his blessing. All Jacob's life he had struggled for blessings. Jacob had tricked Esau, his older twin brother into selling him the right of the first born (Quite a significant financial advantage in his day). Later when their father had decided to give Esau the family blessing, Jacob ran in ahead of Esau and fooled his blind father into giving him that blessing instead. When news of Jacob's deceit got to Esau there was murder in his heart and Jacob fled far away to his mother's family.Instead of getting his own father's blessings he spent 20 years working hard trying to get blessings from his uncle Laban. Finally after an entire life struggling to get blessings, God sent someone stronger than Jacob to confront him and wrestle with him until dawn.
    Imagine the scene. Jacob must have been entirely out of physical strength, yet something in him hung on to his attacker and refused to let him go. Jacob had gotten so much along the way. He was already rich, he had married the girl of his dreams and had many sons and daughters. He had only one great obstacle and that was the fact that in the morning his brother Esau was coming to meet him, and Esau had 400 friends with him! Yet in spite of all that was going on in Jacob's mind and the crisis that he faced, the angel of God was most of all interested in Jacob's name. ...verse 28 ... "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him, " from now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won."
    Won? What a strange description for what had happened. Yet Jacob's "victory" changed the course of history. One man met face to face with God and came away with a new name, a new future and a new hope. When we choose a name it can be changed. But when God changes a name it stays changed for ever. There in the very last chapter of the Bible we find again after so many thousands of years, the name of the children of "Israel" written on the foundation stones of God's city.
    The name God is prepared to give each of us can be our greatest blessing. It is what we will leave behind to our children, both physical and spiritual. The name God wants to give us is the one he has written down in Heaven. Our new name is something only God can give us. It is the name that Jesus will call out to us when we find him and hold on to him in faith and refuse to let go until he blesses us. Listen to God's question to your heart today, "What is your name?"

Chris Tomlin - Lord I Need You

Every Prayer Answered!

This morning as I was beginning to pray I realized I didn't need to pray for my father any longer. I remembered my first prayer for my Dad, that was answered when he came forward and received Christ as his Savior. Then as years went by I prayed for him to be guided by your will and to be closer to you. As Dad grew older I often asked for him to be healed and strengthened. when my step-mom; the love of his life slipped into eternity, I prayed for your comfort. As he lived out those last 6 years alone I prayed for him to experience your companionship. Now this morning, I see that every prayer has been answered. Dad is closer to you! Dad is healed completely and more than I ever thought to pray, he is young again! He is not ever lonely, or confused or tired. God has really heard every prayer!
Today as you look to God in prayer, it may give you greater strength, knowing that, one day, all your prayers will be answered. Orphans will find their Father in heaven, the poorest will be so rich, the hungry will eat to their heart's content at God's table. Nations that are now dark and closed will be openly worshiping Jesus on the streets of heaven. The weak and the abused will be rejoicing and fully restored. There will be no sadness, no pain, no separation, no rejection.
The Bible tells us to persevere, keep going, don't give up, and be strong.

Hebrews 12:12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

God's Word also tells us that: The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn which shines ever brighter until the full light of day..Proverbs 4:18

We see the hope of answered prayer in our own hearts. God himself has put the longings there for a world that reflects His purposes. Be faithful. Don't ever give up on any prayer. Prayers are like little birds that fly up to heaven into the presence of the King. We pray and sometimes even we forget what we have asked, but God who never forgets will hear. One day when we least expect it He will come and let us look through heaven's window. Then we will know that every one of our prayers have been answered: And more!

Waiting has rewards!

It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him that He might save us, This is the Lord we have waited for Him. Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Isaiah 25:9

Worship is the moment when praise lingers, we wait in God's presence and He begins to show Himself to us. At the moment that He draws close it is as if we have been asleep and God unexpectedly shakes us awake. He is present..it is really him! It is just like the disciples on the Emmaus road. Jesus walked and talked with them for all day, but when he suddenly revealed himself they were astonished and they remembered how their hearts burned when he spoke.

                                                                                    Or it is like Peter seeing his nets filling with fish

and suddenly realizing that it is Jesus who filled the nets and he jumped in the water and swam to be with Him. That moment of worship is the disciples hushed and fearful after Jesus calmed the storm. "What kind of man is this, even the wind and the waves obey him?" they said and then they worshiped.

Do you feel worn down by life's constant demands? Don't give up, keep waiting on God: He will come at just the right time.  Are you hungry and thirsty to know Him better? Remember that He has counted every one of the hairs on your head. Jesus has been walking and talking with you all along but your eyes have been closed and you have hurried on, and forgot to wait for Him. When we find our strength is gone and we finally stop to rest then Jesus will come. He has been waiting on us to stop and wait for Him!

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) - Matt Redman (Worship with lyrics)

Chris Tomlin- Here For You (Music Video Passion 2012)

He Could Not Be Hidden

    In the seventh chapter of Mark there is a story about Jesus' only trip outside of Israel. Mark tells us that Jesus did not want anyone to know that Je was in town (perhaps to give them all a day of rest) yet it could not be kept a secret. One woman when she heard of Jesus' presence in her village came running to Him. She did not allow racial or cultural barriers to keep her away. Matthew, when telling the story, says she cried out after Jesus until the disciples pleaded with Jesus to have her sent away. Sometimes it is a good thing when Jesus ignores his disciples' requests!

    What has always struck me most about this woman is her unswerving pursuit of Jesus. Nothing turned her away. She did not give up when Jesus would not answer. She refused to quit whe His first answer seemed like rejection. She remained at His feet until He opened His heart to her. How much we need to be like her today.

    Many times it does seem as though the Lord is far away or hidden on some misty mountaintop. Jesus at times seems asleep in the boat or just missing when our brother dies. Where has He been? What has He been doing all this time? To hearts that are like this woman, there is no pain, or circumstance that can keep Christ hidden. Even if no one else comes or if others beg for us to turn back, we must make our choice to go on.

    Jesus will open the door when we knock, silence our critics and listen to our hearts. When the answer seems to say that there are no blessings left - don't give up. God is never without a blessing!  When our hearts become humble and willing in His presence He will gladly give it. He is never far away at all. We will find Jesus in the hidden place when we look for Him with all our hearts.

Hillsong - Cornerstone (with lyrics) (New Album 2012) (Worship with tear...

Endless Hallelujah - Matt Redman (Worship with Lyrics)

Chris Tomlin - White Flag - Passion 2012 - YouTube.flv

Lord Teach Us How to Teach Them to Pray!!

     I was thinking today of prayers we gave our kids. If you are a parent and have been anything like us, you may have started with, "Now I lay me down to sleep" type prayers, then "Thank you for this food". Later on, we may have moved on to, "God bless the pastor and all the missionaries" Yet as I searched my memory banks, I could not remember a single time when I just opened the Bible, pointed, and started with "Our Father in heaven..."  I could have prayed and taught all the basics about of life in 63 words (depending on your translation).
  

     Isn't it amazing how simple Jesus made things and how complicated we think it is.One of the things God said he liked about Abraham was that he knew Abraham would teach his children about His ways.

     God knows that from our hearts we did make every effort to tell our children about God. How I wish I might have the chance to go back and start with Jesus' simple prayer. When the disciples saw Jesus praying they asked Him,  "Lord teach us to pray!" And so He did!

    We teach our children how to tie their shoes. We teach them to look both ways before they cross the street. We even teach our kids that they need to go to church: but have we inspired and taught them how to pray?  Lord teach us how to teach them to pray!!

A Christian in Egypt

http://blog.opendoorsusa.org/blog/bid/130014/Guest-Blog-Post-A-Christian-in-Egypt

Jesus Son of God - Chris Tomlin & Christy Nockels - Passion 2012 - White...

A Mother's Hopes and Dreams

I Will Sing!

But I will sing of your strength
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning
For you have been to me a fortress
A refuge in the day of my distress
O my strength I will sing praises to you
For you O God are my fortress
The God who shows me steadfast love  Psalm 59:16-17


     A refugee camp is a place where we enter for protection from an enemy, for provision in a famine or a place of hope when all seems lost! God also gives us a place of refuge, and the shortest path to the door is to begin to sing! In a day filled with difficulties, trials and unanswered questions, the most unlikely thing to our minds is singing. Yet in God's plan he designed us to be like the birds who do not wait for a better day to sing. Are we under attack..then sing about God as your fortress. Are there troubles that come and overwhelm your feelings...then make that song about Him being a refuge. In the moments of our praise then God comes and surrounds us with his own songs. In a place when we seem to be abandoned, God comes and builds a fortress around us. In a day when everyone else seems to have forgotten us, God remembers. As we sing praises, He promises to come and show us His steadfast love. As the sun begins to come up this morning we can choose to try to work things out in our own way or we can just begin to sing! 

Tune Your Heart to Brave Music with Saint Augustine | Radio | Joni and Friends

Tune Your Heart to Brave Music with Saint Augustine | Radio | Joni and Friends

Estás comigo - Diante do Trono cd Glória a Deus

For King & Country - The Proof of Your Love ~Lyrics

Memories of My Father

     How thankful I am to have stored so many happy memories of my Father who is now in the presence of the Father in Heaven. Not many remember my gentle father as one of the warriors who battled the armies of Hitler through Italy and France. Dad spent many weeks in a field hospital after being wounded by the bomb that sunk his landing craft. Yet of all the fighting and all the experiences, most important to him was one day when he was serving as artillery-man. The big gun was set and ready to fire,when suddenly Dad saw that the coordinates were wrong. His own fellow soldiers were in the gun sights! He called out just in time, the gun was not fired and lives were saved. How strange that with all the death and destruction that led to the final victory, Dad remembered how he had saved a life!

     Romans 6:23 tells us of another day in history. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." God's law had us in its sights. We had done terrible and selfish things that called out for our death sentence. Yet at the very moment when God's true and holy justice was to be carried out, the Father called out "Stop! Don't fire!"  Jesus came and drank the cup for us. He was struck down so that we could be given the gift of eternal life. Of all the wars and all the death and all the suffering of all time our Heavenly Father looked down and remembered life. Nothing else in all of the universe holds the value of a single soul to God. He gave His own Son for us, so we could live in Him.
As we remember Father's day today let's pause for a moment and really remember the most valuable treasure we have - the Father's gift of Life.

Obama immigration-policy change creates questions, challenges

Obama immigration-policy change creates questions, challenges

Right to Believe | Arab World

CFNI - You Are Holy

Kari Jobe Tu Eres Para Mi (Versión Espanõl)

Heal Our Land - Planetshakers (Worship with Lyrics) 2012 New Album

'Beautiful Saviour' Planetshakers

kari jobe - what Love is this - Where i find You

Steady my Heart - Kari Jobe - Acoustic version

Somalia: Al-Shabab Swears to Eradicate Christians

My Heart Sings Worthy // Christ For The Nations Worship

Holy Spirit Move - Klaus Kuehn & Marco Barrientos

Live from Ghana

Beneath the Surface.....

    Luke 16:19-22  Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered in sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried."
     Jesus tells us a story about two men, who on the surface were as different as night and day. One man was so rich, that he was the envy of everyone and he had every imaginable luxury of life. Then there was Lazarus, a man so miserably poor that other people carried him and laid him at the rich man's gate. There they were hoping that there he might receive something. Yet, in all the time Lazarus lay there, only the dogs came and had pity on him.

    In the end, both men die. When everything temporary is suddenly stripped away, what was on the surface suddenly changed in value. The rich man lost every opportunity he once had. He had financial resources and He had power, friends and every comfort. Yet, in all his short life the rich man did nothing that was important enough for us to even know his name. God had given him a page to write something with his life, and he left that page blank...There was nothing of any eternal value!
    Right at the rich man's gate , God had put Lazarus. Lazarus could have been a part of the rich man's life, yet he did not even receive a single crumb. On the surface was hopelessness, yet, Lazarus had an eternal hope. He put his faith in God. God gave him a page to write on and he wrote his life's story, then signed his name!

   Every one of us is given a different page to write on. Some of us are rich and some poor. Some of us have every opportunity, every advantage and every encouragement. But when we finish the chapter that is ours to write, it will not matter how many things we had, but how many we gave away. It will not matter how many places we went, but what we did when we got there. It will matter little how many people we knew, but how many we loved.
    How amazing that Jesus came with every imaginable advantage and blessing of heaven, then gave it all away. He healed a man with a withered hand, then his own hands were nailed to a wooden cross. Jesus stood by to protect the woman the religious leaders wanted to stone, but as he carried His cross no one was able to protect Him. They took away everything Jesus had and then gambled for his last piece of clothing. Then as Jesus breathed His last breath he left behind, signed in blood, the name that will never be forgotten. His enemies were sure they had taken his life, but Jesus left behind an eternal treasure for everyone who comes and looks beneath the surface....

You are still Holy - Klaus K. & Kari Jobe

Kari Jobe - Run To You (I Need You) (with Lyrics) (Worship with tears 30)

Deluge - Worshiping You

I Praise Him because part two....

     2 Samuel 22:2-4 The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God my Rock in whom I take refuge, my Shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord who is worth to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
     David was a guy who really knew how to praise God. He jumped in with both feet when He began to worship.  So much talk goes on today about how God is to be worshipped for who He is, and not for the things He has done. Though that does sound nice, all through the Bible we find men and women who are passionate about what God has done. They praise God for his help, his faithfulness, his miracles and His creation. Nowhere do we find God having problems with these people. In fact the Holy Spirit often makes sure that such expressions of praise are recorded in His word for us to know that it is not only okay with Him, but it is just awesome when we praise Him because...
      Sometimes when I tell my wife that I love her, she wants to know why. "What do you love about me?" She asks. She wants to hear it from my own lips. I cannot just say "Just because you are you.." It may sound nice but she needs more and so does our God. One leper out of ten came back and worshipped Jesus because He had healed him. The disciples worshipped because Jesus had stilled the dangerous storm. Mary magnified the Lord, when Gabriel brought her the message that she would give birth to the Messiah. They all came and worshipped because of what God had done in their lives.

     Maybe we are not worshipping God for what He has done in our lives, because we keep God in our own little box so much.  He has very little chance to come and do His work in us and with our real problems. It is way too easy to just close our eyes and say "I worship you because of who you are" and then pretend that our needs, desires and problems don't exist. That is not glorifying to God at all. Even when we do work our way through a battle we rarely stop to worship, because we think that God had nothing to do with our solution. Maybe we think God doesn't need to hear our praise for what He has done. Maybe we think He just wants us to keep showing up in church and putting money in the plate!

    Try to imagine living with a husband or wife who acted like that. You receive a gift or and act of unselfish love from that person and you just don't respond or you give some kind of lukewarm, "Hey thanks". Thank would fly like a lead balloon! The joy would be taken out of the moment and maybe the next time they might just figure it isn't really worth it to do things for someone who doesn't care!

    So when you go to praise God stop and remember the things He has done. Remind Him of how great He has been to you. Is He really your Rock, your Salvation, and the one giving you comfort in the middle of life's battles? God loves to hear His children praise Him for all He has done. He has joyfully given to us all we need. I know He longs to hear us praise Him with honest joyful hearts for what He has done!

Rita Springer - Holy is Our King

Our God - Steffy Frizzell, Bethel Church, Redding, CA

You Are Still Holy - Rita Springer

I Praise Him Because...

The Lord is my strength and my defense, He has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise Him, my father's God and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2
     Just in this one verse Moses remembers 5 reasons to praise...He is my strength..He is my defense...He is my God...He has become my salvation..He is my father's God! If we listen to King David over and over he tells us...God has heard my cry. The Bible is filled with reasons why we can praise God yet it seems our life is filled with moments when we doubt Him. Paul tells us in the famous chapter on Love, that love does not keep a record of wrongs suffered, yet it is not forbidden to make a list of reasons why in spite of any problem that we will praise God!
Psalm 59:17 O my strength I will sing praises to you, for you O God are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

    Throughout the Bible we find men and women exalting, magnifying, worshiping and praising God in all kinds of situations. When facing enemies, or when God has given victory we need to praise him. When we are afraid, or when He has stilled the storms, we need to praise him. When we are going through trials we need to count it all joy, and when the trials have passed and we are lead by quiet waters, He remains worthy of our praise. When we are young and filled with energy, and when we are older and facing times of weakness, we need to praise God. When we are beginning a new adventure in faith, or when we are nearing the end of life's journey we can say with David:
 Psalm 145:2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
   With every and any instrument God has given us we can praise him:
Psalm 43:4 I will Go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy and I will praise you with the lyre, O God my God!
    One day our work will be over, our possessions will pass to someone else and our plans will come to an end, but our opportunity to praise God will never end. As long as we have breath we can praise him and with our last breath we will find our selves face to face with Him. When we finish the journey here on this earth we will just be beginning an eternal journey in His presence where we will find amazing reasons we had never known to continue to praise Him forever and ever.
Psalm 30:12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God I will give thanks to you forever... 

Praying for Pastor Youcef

Here is the link to read Pastor Youcef's letter in full.... http://aclj.us/ehdv

Today in Iran our brother Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani released a letter telling us he is well both in his spirit as well as physically. What a great blessing to know that after having prayed for him how God is sustaining and strengthening his faith. What a challenge to hear his words on praying for those in authority over him! Our words are so important, not because of the mere sound of them but because they are a reflection of our hearts. Jesus told us in Matthew 15:18 The words that you speak come from the heart... If our hearts are truly resting in God's word then they become planted in our hearts and they will bring a harvest one day for God's glory. So let us continue to put our words into prayers for Pastor Youcef. Let us also be cautious of how we express our own opinions about the leadership in Iran. God loves Iran and has a great plan to reach the hearts of men and women in that great nation. That is the same reason Pastor Youcef is suffering with grace and setting us an example. God bless each of you who prays and keeps alive the passion for God's heart both for Youcef Nadarkhani his family and for the nation of Iran. 

When The Stars Burn Down w/Lyrics (Blessing & Honor) Phillips, Craig and...

In Christ Alone - Brian Littrell (with lyrics)

Sidewalk Prophets - "Live Like That"

Rt Rev Benjamin Kwashi: Religious persecution in Nigeria 2 of 2

Rt Rev Benjamin Kwashi: Religious persecution in Nigeria 1 of 2

One Thing Remains....Jesus Culture(Lyrics)

Jotta A Performing Hillsong's Still in Portuguese

À la croix (Stéphane Quéry) - At the cross Hillsong in French

Katinas - Eagles Wings