VIDEOS: ENCOURAGING, INFORMATIONAL, AND INSPIRATIONAL

"THAT'S MY KING" by the late SM Lockridge (presented an incredible message, describing our God) JESUS AMONG OTHER gods 9/9 Ravi Zacharias- Ravi Zacharias is in my opinion one of the great minds of our time. He is considered to be one of the world’s leading Christian apologist. God has given him a great ability to articulate difficult concepts and provide concrete evidence for the defense of Christian truth. I recommend you take the time to listen to the audio clip below, as Ravi shares the way God reached out and saved an ordinary Indian boy at the point of suicide, making him a child of God and using him as a tool to reach this blind world with the truth of the Gospel. http://truthwar.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/testimony-of-ravi-zacharias-a-must-listen/ "The reality is that if religion is to be treated with intellectual respect, then it must stand the test of truth, regardless of the mood of the day. This book is a defense of the uniqueness of the Christian message." Thus begins Ravi's most important work to date in which he contrasts the truth of Jesus Christ with the teachings of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi examines the truly unique message of Jesus in distinction to other major religions of the world. Is Jesus Christ really that different from other religious teachers? Aren't all the major religions basically the same? Ravi looks at six vital questions that Jesus answered in a way that no other claimant to divine or prophetic status would have answered. Some may resist Jesus' answers, but, as Ravi states, "antagonists will not be able to challenge his uniqueness." This is a powerful and moving portrayal of the trials that befall us when we stray from the Lords side and how God's love (longsufferng...He longs for us to return) is faithful and victorious. Lifehouse's song, "Everything" An excerpt from C.S. Lewis' famous book, Mere Christianity. put together with various clips from Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" "LORD, LIAR, OR LUNATIC" "TEAM HOYT" http://www.teamhoyt.com/about/index.html The Early Years Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. As a result of oxygen deprivation to Rick's brain at the time of his birth, Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Dick and Judy were advised to institutionalize Rick because there was no chance of him recovering, and little hope for Rick to live a "normal" life. This was just the beginning of Dick and Judy's quest for Rick's inclusion in community, sports, education and one day, the workplace. Dick and Judy soon realized that though Rick couldn't walk or speak; he was quite astute and his eyes would follow them around the room. They fought to integrate Rick into the public school system, pushing administrators to see beyond Rick's physical limitations. Dick and Judy would take Rick sledding and swimming, and even taught him the alphabet and basic words, like any other child. After providing concrete evidence of Rick's intellect and ability to learn like everyone else, Dick and Judy needed to find a way to help Rick communicate for himself. More... The Beginning of Team Hoyt In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). Also adding to their list of achievements, Dick and Rick biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days. More... Ravi Zacharias - CAN MAN LIVE WITHOUT GOD 1:10:09 - 1 year ago Ravi Zacharias - Can Man Live Without God In Singapore CARDBOARD TESTIMONIES from College Park Church
Cardboard Testimonies from College Park Church on Vimeo.
Life and Legacy of Rachel Joy Scott- Rachel's Tears: 10 Years After Columbine...Rachel Scott Lives On By Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott with Steve Rabey Forward by Chuck Norris New! "I am not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus . . . If I have to sacrifice everything . . . I will." –Rachel Scott The Columbine tragedy in April 1999 pierced the heart of our country. We later learned that the teenage killers specifically targeted Rachel Scott and mocked her Christian faith on their chilling, homemade videotapes. Rachel Scott died for her faith. Now her parents talk about Rachel's life and how they have found meaning in their daughter's martyrdom in the aftermath of the school shooting. Rachel's Tears comes from a heartfelt need to celebrate this young girl's life, to work through the grief and the questions of a nation, and to comfort those who have been touched by violence in our schools today. Using excerpts and drawings from Rachel's own journals, her parents offer a spiritual perspective on the Columbine tragedy and provide a vision of hope for preventing youth violence across the nation.

Expect God To Move

Good morning!! :)

Something jumped-out at me this morning when reading Genesis 48... This past month, when I read Genesis, I felt myself doing so in an academic way...hoping that my heart would engage and absorb new insights from above about God, life, life with Him, etc.  It was heavy on my heart to have it engage- to slow down and anticipate God to speak through something I had read.

Genesis 48:11 (New Living Translation)

¹¹ Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!”

Jacob didn't expect to see his son, Joseph's, face again as Jacob thought Joseph was dead.  He later was reaquainted with His son- discovering that Joseph was indeed alive, well, and had children. THAT is how good God is...  God gave Jacob MORE THAN he had expected. :)  It connected another verse with my heart:

Ephesians 3:20 (English Standard Version)

 ²⁰Now to Him (God/Jesus) Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

What do we expect of God?  Do we feel as if He is distant and not invovled/engaged with us?  To we feel as though we need to "take care of it (whatever "it" is) " for God?


"Now to HIM Who IS able..."  "IS" is a present-tense linking verb.  It connotates a sense a time as well as action.  God IS present as well as engaged and involved with you, me, us...


It all comes down, it seems :), to what we expect of God (which shows what our hearts think of His character).  Oswald Chambers does a brilliant "job" in expressing this:


Perseverance is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with absolute assurance and certainty that what we are looking for is going to happen.Perseverance means more than just hanging on, which may be only exposing our fear of letting go and falling. Perseverance is our supreme effort of refusing to believe that our Hero is going to be conquered. Our greatest fear is not that we will be damned, but that somehow Jesus Christ will be defeated. Also, our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated.

If our hopes seem to be experiencing disappointment right now, it simply means that they are being purified (God is growing you- giving you freedom from past constraints and helpling you know Him more). Every hope or dream of the human mind will be fulfilled if it is noble and of God. But one of the greatest stresses in life is the stress of waiting for God. He brings fulfillment, "because you have kept My command to persevere-" ( Revelation 3:10 ).

All of us can say that it is a battle of trust and control.  If we fear and expect God not to come come through on His promise(s) to be with us, lead us, help us, etc then we take it all into our own hands.  God, in His love for us, allows us to do just that.  We can choose.  We're not puppets but valuable in His eyes- beyond what we can fathom.  Who wants to be controlled?  Not me :).  God doesn't control us... It's through seeking Him out and learning FIRST HAND that He is real, loves you/me/us, walks WITH us through the trials of life, and saves us from ourselves and the unseen (more than we realize) that we let go of our choice to control into His hands...one minute at a time, each day.

Today, let's ask God, "God, please help me see this (whatever is on your heart...) through your eyes.  Show me Your way and help me to know Jesus more."  As you pray this you will see Him move throughout your heart and your day.  If you want His leading, He will... He loves you.  We might fail, but He NEVER does... His wisdom sees so much more than our eyes and minds can comprehend.  God knows the desires of your heart - if that desire has not happened yet, then He is protecting you.  His timing is perfect.

Expect GREAT things from Him.  Expect God to move...  Ask.  :)

His,

Mer.