All Blog Posts (3,413)

Preparing to See Jesus Down Here...

Our Preparation for the Messiah

Question of the day:

How are you preparing to see Jesus down here?

Remember, as Paul quoted, “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Romans 10:8), and Paul precedes that line from Deuteronomy with a challenge that I would repeat today, “Do not tell yourself that you have to bring Christ down!” (10:6). The mystery of the Incarnation is precisely the repositioning of God down here once and… Continue

Added by Dena Brehm on December 14, 2008 at 11:43pm — 3 Comments

Examining Your Foundation

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend.

This past week I spent some time with a man who is both a friend and trusted advisor. He has taken a great interest in my work over the past 18 months, but has taken particular interest in the church planting ministry that I launched in November. As we were talking, he addressed with me his concern over my foundation. As I probed into his statement, he accurately assessed that I was beginning to rapidly put together a structure, but my… Continue

Added by Carl Willis on December 14, 2008 at 11:38pm — No Comments

Linda's Journal - December 11-13, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Today was another good day… although it started out strange. I slept in way too late so I was frustrated that I didn’t have the time I needed to get things done before I went to Gerry and Faye’s. I think because it was dark and stormy outside my body did not respond to waking up since there was no light in the room. I also had a very strange dream about Obama… I don’t even want to describe it and I am not sure what that was all about but I am sure… Continue

Added by Linda Daniels on December 14, 2008 at 2:45pm — No Comments

God's Word

We need to be very careful to really start to eat God's Word. We need to just be able to have it rise up for our warfare. It has to be second nature. I found myself having a very hard week. Now I feel very weak. I needed somethings to be second nature to come out of my heart and do the warfare.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NASB)

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

5 We are destroying speculations and every… Continue

Added by Greg & Jennifer on December 13, 2008 at 2:34pm — No Comments

EVERYONE’S GOING TO BE SAVED EVENTUALLY…AREN’T THEY? (PART 2)

EVERYONE’S GOING TO BE SAVED EVENTUALLY…AREN’T THEY? (PART 2)

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Oct 2, 2008 in AM Missives, Current Issues

Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. (Psalm 139:21-22, NASB)

So How Does God View Sin?

In Everyone’s Going To Be Saved Eventually…Aren’t They? we began our look at this crucial issue but to answer the… Continue

Added by Miguel on December 13, 2008 at 6:14am — 1 Comment

HIS WOUNDS: OUR WHOLENESS

Forgiving, healing, enlightening, liberating, enriching all: From the wounds of the Savior of the World flows virtue to make us into His image and likeness.

His stripes: our healing provided.

His beard yanked out: our maturity secured.

His face beaten and disfigured as they mocked Him saying, "Prophecy, who hit you" while He was blindfolded: our identity displayed and our prophetic insight certified.

His crown of thorns: our peace of mind and wisdom… Continue

Added by James Rohde on December 12, 2008 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments

THE Living Christmas Tree

We went to see The Living Christmas Tree last night. It was awesome!!! It was the first time I had seen it. The choir was actually in the tree and they had an orchestra playing the music. Little kids sang to and they told the story of Jesus' birth. It was truly amazing! I will post pics later. I also have an urgent prayer request. My husband is no longer able to work because of his back and we don't know when he will get anymore money. He was getting shot term disability but it stopped two weeks

Added by Helena Hunter on December 12, 2008 at 8:47pm — No Comments

Linda's Journal - December 8, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

Here is a part of yesterday’s Oswald:

The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man's respectable "goodness." Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person's life (Gal_4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is… Continue

Added by Linda Daniels on December 12, 2008 at 4:05pm — No Comments

EVERYONE’S GOING TO BE SAVED EVENTUALLY…AREN’T THEY?

Interseting article on Universalism

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Sep 21, 2008 in Current Issues

The Church of Jesus Christ certainly seems to have lost its way in this increasingly pagan nation as it follows e.g. dreamers rooted in the semi-pelgian Church Growth Movement like Rick Warren and Rob Bell. Left here by our Lord to be the salt and light of the world, yet the evangelical community continues to grow ever more bland and is apparently looking for… Continue

Added by Miguel on December 12, 2008 at 8:08am — 10 Comments

End of year summary...

Blog...Family Christmas letter?

Well, I thought maybe it would work...

This was the year of reclaiming our home for our nuclear family. We have had a Grandpa or a Sister or Brother-in-law or child living with us for a while now and it seems a little funny with "just Us". Still we are blessed by God to be able to have a home which we are not now in a "crisis" over a mortgage situation like many Americans. And I am employed and have been for a year and in an organization which I… Continue

Added by Stephen (steve) Cornell on December 11, 2008 at 7:19pm — No Comments

George Barna Discusses New Trends for the 21st Century Church

With the present financial crises, many traditional churches are losing buildings, staff, etc. You can read George's conversation on some of the trends he is seeing in a recent interview we did at:

http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/new-interview-with-george-barna-and-frank-viola-organic-church-missional-etc/

Added by Frank Viola on December 11, 2008 at 7:36am — No Comments

What Kind of Simple Church?

Talking with our staff last week, I was further convinced of the value of simplicity. We have made some significant changes along the way that have pushed us into more simply being the church. I have not read the book Simple Church, but as I see it there are two kinds of simplicity–one that ignores complexity and the other understands it. It is the latter that is shaping our church.

Black & White Simple

One kind of simple church ignores complexity. This kind of… Continue

Added by Jonathan Dodson on December 10, 2008 at 9:21pm — No Comments

WHY Not do something!

WHY Not do something!

The church may seem to be a rag-tag group of weekend soldiers with

Low budgets, Untrained soldiers, Underpaid leaders, With highly criticized efforts. With a task which seems unattainable, unimaginable, and unfathomable

But God can. Amplify our voice, Magnify our work, Glorify our endeavors

He can also. Rectify our failures. Mystify our enemies. Gratify our labors

Many are waiting for God to move… Continue

Added by Bob Archer on December 10, 2008 at 3:14pm — No Comments

Some basic Early Church History

Early Christianity, which began within first-century Judaism, became clearly distinct from Rabbinic Judaism. It continued to revere the Hebrew Bible, generally using the Septuagint translation that was in general use among Greek-speaking Jews and Gentile Godfearers, or the Targums in use among Aramaic speakers, and added to it the writings that would become the New Testament, thus developing the first Christian Biblical canons. It defended… Continue

Added by Patrick on December 10, 2008 at 12:30pm — 72 Comments

Smile!

Here's a fun little place on the web I thought you might enjoy. Hope it helps you have a happy day!

ABSO Jesus

Much Love,
Kerri

Added by Kerri on December 10, 2008 at 10:55am — No Comments

Body of Christ

Last Friday my Wife, Son and I went to a Prophetic Meeting in NC. We knew the people putting on the meeting so we trusted them. I must tell you I was struck by two different things. One, the people who sponsored this meeting did not even know if they would be able to pay for the room. They had invited small churches and a very poor crowd. I was so struck by this correct picture of our Lord Jesus Christ ministering to the poor and down and out through His people. I was moved to tears by this… Continue

Added by Greg & Jennifer on December 9, 2008 at 8:14pm — 3 Comments

Christmas , Xmas, ????

I have worked retail for years, and I even served as a pastor for 7 years.

With the exception of cheesy nativity scenes and cards with a verse in them, Jesus is just about gone from this holiday.

Most of that stuff is made in countries where His followers are persecuted anyway. What hypocrisy that we remember Him with cheap trinkets that come from lands where His own people are made to suffer for His sake. The money we spend helps keep those unjust, not only to Christians,… Continue

Added by Karl Graff on December 9, 2008 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Don't Settle For Second Best

Don't Settle For Second Best

The story is told of a professor who stood before his class of 20 senior organic biology students, about to hand out the final exam.

"I want to say that it's been a pleasure teaching you this semester. I know you've all worked extremely hard and many of you are off to medical school after summer. So that no one gets their GPA messed up because they might have been celebrating a bit too much this… Continue

Added by Bob Archer on December 9, 2008 at 9:26am — 1 Comment

Amazing site

From everything I've seen this site is amazing. It would appear to be the most interactive site I've come across. I'm excited to have a chance to fellowship, even online with others on this journey. I've found it difficult locally to find other house churches in our area. We're hoping to find others that would be open to joint worship and fellowship times.

We've been meeting for about 4 years with 1 other family consistantly, 1 other less consistantly and a single individual just joined… Continue

Added by sherry on December 9, 2008 at 1:30am — 1 Comment

About me

I'll be 47 this coming Friday.

I'm a small buisness owner. I've a sewing studio. I teach sewing from beginning to dressmaking and design. I also always have more alterations and dressmaking clients than I can keep up with. I've 3 grown children, and a 4 year old. (who says God doesn't have a since of humor.)

I've been married to my sweet husband for 5 years. While I was a single parent for 15 plus years I worked as a seamstress/business owner and then for 8 years as an executive… Continue

Added by sherry on December 9, 2008 at 1:30am — 1 Comment