God has a highlight reel of your best moments in life waiting for you in heaven! He’ll provide the popcorn (in heaven you can have all the butter on it you want!) as you are reclining together and watching His version of your home movies, He’ll say over and over again, “I love this part!”
I love this part when you gave your milk money to another child because they didn’t have any!
I love this part when you said a kind word that gave that lonely person hope in a dark moment!
I love this part when you patiently waited and even joked around with others in line when something went wrong with the cash register at the grocery store!
I love this part when you wiped the tears away from a child’s eyes, gave them a hug, and told them something that made them smile again!
I love this part when you sat down and cried with me and believed how good I was even in the midst of an extremely difficult situation.
I love this part when you lifted up your tear-filled eyes to me and said, “I trust you, Father!”
I love this part when you chose to forgive another who had wronged you because you remembered my mercy and released them!
I love this part when you smiled at someone,
when you stopped to open the door,
when you gave a lost person directions,
when you picked up the phone to talk to encourage someone,
when you took the time to listen as well,
when you helped another up,
when you gave a meal to someone who had none…
...and the list goes on and on.
And you’ll say, but Lord, what about the other parts that weren’t so good. And he will look at you with a quizzical face and say, “My child, I really don’t remember that.”
So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all. By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God. The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said, “When the time comes,
I will make an agreement
with them.
I will write my laws
on their minds and hearts. Then I will forget
about their sins
and no longer remember
their evil deeds.” When sins are forgiven, there is no more need to offer sacrifices. Hebrews 10:10,14-18 (CEV)
Jesus can’t get back up on the cross again because He did it all for you the first and only time! He has made you holy and put you right with God. It’s time to enjoy that relationship and live out your life true to your real self. It’s time to make more wonderful memories in this life that you and your heavenly Father will watch together again when you will hear Him say with delight,
“I love this part!”
Friday, February 22, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
We are going there Together! by Pastor Susan Fochler
At our recent Elder Retreat, Pastor Brent led the elders in looking deep into who we are as a church, and from there we formulated the Vision Statement above. One of the underlying themes that kept coming up is that we are going there together!
We are learning relationship, together
In seeking to encounter God, in exploring what it means to be family and in discovering the fullness of Who Christ is in us, we are together in this journey. As Leif Hetland reminded us last year, everything in the Kingdom is a matter of the heart. God is first and foremost relational. We are created to be in relationship with Him, and with one another. Together, interconnected. We learn from one another, encourage, inspire and sometimes challenge each another. Most of us did not come from a family background that gave healthy examples of communication and connection, so we are learning now, with God's love and Holy Spirits help.
We are growing up into Christ, together
In growing relationships with one another, we are growing up into Christ, as His one Body. We are the clothes He chooses to wear here on planet earth, and we each wear a different outfit that expresses a unique facet of His glorious presence. We surely are altogether lovely; (as we) look to Him we are radiant; (our) faces shall never blush for shame or be confused! (Ps. 34:5 AMP)
Keeping our love (and vulnerability) on: for others and ourselves
Those days when I have lost my focus it is typically because I have felt disconnected from God, and then start disconnecting from my own heart. It is a matter of not allowing myself to be vulnerable with God, which makes me lose touch with who I really am to Him. But often one of you has come alongside to help remind me that I still belong. By accepting me, showing patience and simply being present. This is, perhaps, our biggest challenge: to keep the connection with Him, and one another, and refuse to engage with our old independent, self-protective ways.
A quote from Madeleine L'Engle is a good reminder to me: "When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable."
We all Belong
Romans 8:15-17 from the Message gives an awesome expression of this temporary life we are living as His supernatural, beloved family:
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are: We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance!
With Courage, Compassion and Connection we can do it!
Yes we are going there together, and our Good God will give us all the courage, compassion and ability to connect that is needed!
Love,
Susan
We are learning relationship, together
In seeking to encounter God, in exploring what it means to be family and in discovering the fullness of Who Christ is in us, we are together in this journey. As Leif Hetland reminded us last year, everything in the Kingdom is a matter of the heart. God is first and foremost relational. We are created to be in relationship with Him, and with one another. Together, interconnected. We learn from one another, encourage, inspire and sometimes challenge each another. Most of us did not come from a family background that gave healthy examples of communication and connection, so we are learning now, with God's love and Holy Spirits help.
We are growing up into Christ, together
In growing relationships with one another, we are growing up into Christ, as His one Body. We are the clothes He chooses to wear here on planet earth, and we each wear a different outfit that expresses a unique facet of His glorious presence. We surely are altogether lovely; (as we) look to Him we are radiant; (our) faces shall never blush for shame or be confused! (Ps. 34:5 AMP)
Keeping our love (and vulnerability) on: for others and ourselves
Those days when I have lost my focus it is typically because I have felt disconnected from God, and then start disconnecting from my own heart. It is a matter of not allowing myself to be vulnerable with God, which makes me lose touch with who I really am to Him. But often one of you has come alongside to help remind me that I still belong. By accepting me, showing patience and simply being present. This is, perhaps, our biggest challenge: to keep the connection with Him, and one another, and refuse to engage with our old independent, self-protective ways.
A quote from Madeleine L'Engle is a good reminder to me: "When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability. To be alive is to be vulnerable."
We all Belong
Romans 8:15-17 from the Message gives an awesome expression of this temporary life we are living as His supernatural, beloved family:
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are: We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance!
With Courage, Compassion and Connection we can do it!
Yes we are going there together, and our Good God will give us all the courage, compassion and ability to connect that is needed!
Love,
Susan
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Call To Pray by Bobby Conner
Blazing Fire Family, be greatly encouraged to draw into the deeper places with the Lord with this word from Bobby Conner:
The Call to Pray
The Spirit of God is calling each and every Believer to come aside, approach the Almighty, and spend time with God in prayer.
Do you realize that there is absolutely nothing more powerful and productive in the whole earth than the prayers of the saints? It is a mystery of the Kingdom that God indeed restricts His actions when we do not pray. Without prayer, He does not move; with prayer, however, He can do anything. Through our prayers and petitions to God, all things are possible.
Truly, prayer moves the hand of God...and when the hand of Almighty God moves, nothing and no one can stop Him. Let's set our heart to activate the hand of God with our prayers.
Captured, Consumed, Compelled
It is time not only to petition the Lord in prayer but also to be still and truly know who God is (see Psalm 46:10). The Spirit of God is calling each of us to prayer, but this call is not just an invitation to make our requests known, as important as that is.
On a deeper level, God is inviting us to intimate communion with our Maker.
Imagine! We are being called to be captured by Divine Love.
We're invited to become consumed by the Holy Spirit.
And we are being compelled to ascend to the Throne of God.
When Jesus Christ was crucified and finally gave up His Spirit, the veil of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom, the veil that prevented access to the Holy of Holies to everyone but the high priest. What does this mean for us today? The Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ opened wide our access to the Almighty God.
What an outstanding honor: each of us has an open invitation to speak with our Father heart to heart. We as created beings are invited by the Creator Himself to communicate and commune with Him, to approach His Throne boldly because of the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
Who, Me?
Yes, you! The King of Kings and Lord of lords has issued an invitation to you to draw near to Him. What could be more magnificent and heart stirring than communicating with the Creator of the entire universe? What an awesome privilege you have been granted! You are called to talk to God and hear His voice in turn.
Why? God desires to commune with you because you are incredibly precious and unspeakably special to Him as His child. You are deeply cherished by your Abba-Father. Set your heart upon this thought. Contemplate and ponder this truth: your heavenly Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, yearns to hear your innermost thoughts and desires and share His heart with you.
In other words, God wants to engage with you personally, intimately, continuously, as you learn to abide in Him and practice His presence throughout the day. He is interested in every nuance of your thoughts and feelings that rob you of His peace or shalom; He wants to heal and deliver you from every offense and wound because He is deeply touched by whatever touches your life.
Beloved, set aside every distraction and all unnecessary activities, secondary interests and carnal, worldly pursuits, and contend with all of your heart to find that secret place with God. May the Spirit of God so motivate our hearts with a "holy hunger" that we, too, find immense joy spending time communing with our Heavenly Father and bear much fruit for His glory!
Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
The Call to Pray
The Spirit of God is calling each and every Believer to come aside, approach the Almighty, and spend time with God in prayer.
Do you realize that there is absolutely nothing more powerful and productive in the whole earth than the prayers of the saints? It is a mystery of the Kingdom that God indeed restricts His actions when we do not pray. Without prayer, He does not move; with prayer, however, He can do anything. Through our prayers and petitions to God, all things are possible.
Truly, prayer moves the hand of God...and when the hand of Almighty God moves, nothing and no one can stop Him. Let's set our heart to activate the hand of God with our prayers.
Captured, Consumed, Compelled
It is time not only to petition the Lord in prayer but also to be still and truly know who God is (see Psalm 46:10). The Spirit of God is calling each of us to prayer, but this call is not just an invitation to make our requests known, as important as that is.
On a deeper level, God is inviting us to intimate communion with our Maker.
Imagine! We are being called to be captured by Divine Love.
We're invited to become consumed by the Holy Spirit.
And we are being compelled to ascend to the Throne of God.
When Jesus Christ was crucified and finally gave up His Spirit, the veil of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom, the veil that prevented access to the Holy of Holies to everyone but the high priest. What does this mean for us today? The Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ opened wide our access to the Almighty God.
What an outstanding honor: each of us has an open invitation to speak with our Father heart to heart. We as created beings are invited by the Creator Himself to communicate and commune with Him, to approach His Throne boldly because of the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
Who, Me?
Yes, you! The King of Kings and Lord of lords has issued an invitation to you to draw near to Him. What could be more magnificent and heart stirring than communicating with the Creator of the entire universe? What an awesome privilege you have been granted! You are called to talk to God and hear His voice in turn.
Why? God desires to commune with you because you are incredibly precious and unspeakably special to Him as His child. You are deeply cherished by your Abba-Father. Set your heart upon this thought. Contemplate and ponder this truth: your heavenly Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, yearns to hear your innermost thoughts and desires and share His heart with you.
In other words, God wants to engage with you personally, intimately, continuously, as you learn to abide in Him and practice His presence throughout the day. He is interested in every nuance of your thoughts and feelings that rob you of His peace or shalom; He wants to heal and deliver you from every offense and wound because He is deeply touched by whatever touches your life.
Beloved, set aside every distraction and all unnecessary activities, secondary interests and carnal, worldly pursuits, and contend with all of your heart to find that secret place with God. May the Spirit of God so motivate our hearts with a "holy hunger" that we, too, find immense joy spending time communing with our Heavenly Father and bear much fruit for His glory!
Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
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