I can't believe it. 2 days ago Craig pulled out of our driveway in what used to be my 1969 Ford Bronco. Yes, the rumors are true... "the big nasty" has been sold:(
I recieved my passport in the mail this week! Have you ever looked through one before? Very cool stuff inside! It even has some sort of electronic device or code in it. Call me 007...
I am now nearly immune to Hepatitus A and B as well. The doctor on Monday made sure of that with a painful shot in my left shoulder. I have to go back two more times to complete the series of shots required for our Fiji trip next month. It's less than a month away!!!! We are all really excited.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Why should we tell others about Jesus?
Have you ever asked yourself, "Why should I witness?" Several reasons should come to mind. First, because Jesus commands you to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matt. 28:19). Also, Ezek. 3:11 says, "and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not..." Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don't, you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel in hopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one of the fruit of the Spirit. It is love's nature to give. Take for example John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want to give to others. Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Prov. 11:30 says, "...he who is wise wins souls." Now, I know I am not a very wise person. But, since God says I'll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, let me at it. I want to be wise in God's sight. Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place of utter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not saved go there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell. Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name. And finally, witness so they may find the love and fellowship of God (1 John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater gift than salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost from damnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don't know Him. The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn't we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn't we weep over the lost? Shouldn't we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly! The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is your motive. Is there anything greater? So, give.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Thanks for tht little release! haha. Well, right now I'm working on our Mexico Trip to build a home for a needy Mexico family in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), our Fiji trip in August, Trick or Treat in October, and our Christmas Eve service... obviously in December, and lastly Celebrate Recovery. LOTS!!!
We had a great response to our Celebrate Recovery Announcement for Leaders and participants over the last 2 weeks. I'm excited to see how tomorrow night goes.
Tonight we're having our second Fiji trip Meeting. We'll be praying for every aspect of the trip tonight among other things. Keep praying for our fundraising efforts!
Also, pray for our Maricopa Food bank. They are really running short on emergency food supply so... pray and bring some food by:) COC just donated some funds to help them through. "F.O.R." (Maricopa food bank) is a ministry that we frequently send needy people outside our church to for benevolence help.
Anyway, have a great day! If you get time check out Vision Abolition. You can find their link here on the right in my blog. Just click on the picture.
Also, make sure you vote on how equipped you feel to share your faith. This is helping me shape our next Reach class in September.
Love you guys!
We had a great response to our Celebrate Recovery Announcement for Leaders and participants over the last 2 weeks. I'm excited to see how tomorrow night goes.
Tonight we're having our second Fiji trip Meeting. We'll be praying for every aspect of the trip tonight among other things. Keep praying for our fundraising efforts!
Also, pray for our Maricopa Food bank. They are really running short on emergency food supply so... pray and bring some food by:) COC just donated some funds to help them through. "F.O.R." (Maricopa food bank) is a ministry that we frequently send needy people outside our church to for benevolence help.
Anyway, have a great day! If you get time check out Vision Abolition. You can find their link here on the right in my blog. Just click on the picture.
Also, make sure you vote on how equipped you feel to share your faith. This is helping me shape our next Reach class in September.
Love you guys!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Prep for Fiji...
So today Josh and I went to REI and bought our Katadyn water bottles for our Fiji trip in August with Vision Abolition. $50.00!!! Yikes... They'll filter out 99% of all the bad stuff from any type of water outside of salt water. This is to ensure that we don't get sick when we drink the water over there. I've been told they're worth every penny.
I'm really getting excited about our trip. FYI. There will be a follow up trip in 2009 for 12-15 of us so... :) There will be more to come in early August about this.
Also, there will be more to come for some of you about Mexico next week. If you have any questions in the meantime at all, let me know. If you happen to know anyone that owns a condo there...preferrably 2 and they'd be wiling to donate them for the week of Nov.6-10, let me know.
I'm really getting excited about our trip. FYI. There will be a follow up trip in 2009 for 12-15 of us so... :) There will be more to come in early August about this.
Also, there will be more to come for some of you about Mexico next week. If you have any questions in the meantime at all, let me know. If you happen to know anyone that owns a condo there...preferrably 2 and they'd be wiling to donate them for the week of Nov.6-10, let me know.
Monday, July 7, 2008
...it's Monday...
...it's Monday and I'm preparing for my next two messages. I actually began the day with a dead battery. After fixing that issue I ran into a friend from church that ran out of gas in front of Auto Zone... (God rocks) So after helping them out I got to the office late and finished our supporter update letter. In the process of doing this I realized that I never sent out our April letter which means that our supporters haven't had an update since the beginning of February...(yikes!) Sorry guys!!! Well now, it's back to the First commandment.
I realized that I've been talking to myself being that no one besides my family and staff knew about this blog unitl recently. Yes, you can laugh!
When you finally get here go through the other posts. There's also a survey below to the right that you should take part in. It's only one question.
Yesterday before the girls got up for church, I read the book of Collosians and it was the breathe of God for me! If you get a chance read the entire letter in one setting from the New Living Translation. If you don't have one, look on www.Biblegateway.com. It should only take you about 20 minutes. WOW! God is awesome! Anyway...have a great day!
I realized that I've been talking to myself being that no one besides my family and staff knew about this blog unitl recently. Yes, you can laugh!
When you finally get here go through the other posts. There's also a survey below to the right that you should take part in. It's only one question.
Yesterday before the girls got up for church, I read the book of Collosians and it was the breathe of God for me! If you get a chance read the entire letter in one setting from the New Living Translation. If you don't have one, look on www.Biblegateway.com. It should only take you about 20 minutes. WOW! God is awesome! Anyway...have a great day!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence Day
On July 4, in a thousand hamlets, loyal Americans will march in parades as millions of their fellow citizens watch with pride. The passing of the Stars and Stripes will cause many backbones to stiffen and bring smart salutes from the military as well as the placing of hand over heart by those who pledge again their allegiance to "one nation under God."
But many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no allegiance to the flag.But many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no allegiance to the flag. Some will not respond because of indifference or calloused hearts. Others will be working to tear the fabric of our national life to shreds; to worsen, not heal, our sickness; to destroy, not to build; to bring disunity, not unity, to the nation. For them, patriotism is dead; love of country is archaic. Far from echoing the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, right or wrong," they will even refuse to say, "My country when it is right."
Perhaps the time has come for us to read again the stirring words of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience bath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
We do well to ask: Has the time come for us to abolish what our forefathers created? Has their vision of liberty, justice, and happiness proved unattainable? Ought we now to burn the flag, send our congressmen home, and close the doors of the White House?
Are we ready to say that the mythos, the heroes, and the folk tales that have bound us together as a people for almost two hundred years no longer enthrall us? Are we willing to forget our common heritage, dilute our sense of fraternity and destiny, and dissolve the cohesiveness that made us one?
The American dream that drew millions of immigrants as a magnet attracts metal has not been wholly fulfilled. We are faced with grave and challenging problems in our national life. We see many things we dislike, and can point to many injustices that have not yet yielded to truth and righteousness. But even as we acknowledge the defects we cannot forget the victories. The slaves have been freed; universal suffrage has become a reality; startling advances have been made to assure all our people of life and liberty as well as the right to pursue happiness.
Unlike millions of people in Russia, Czechoslovakia, China, and Cuba, our people walk as free men across our broad prairies and along our city streets; unlike the avantgarde Communist writers who languish in concentration camps or lie in unmarked graves, our people are able to write freely and to dissent vigorously while the whole weight of government, court, and police protects them in their rights and in their persons. The doors of our churches are open, the Bible is read, and the pulpits are free to sound forth the glories of our God. Church is separated from state and freedom of religion is no fond dream—it's real. Our coins say: "In God we trust." Our presidents take their oath of office on the Bible. We still pledge allegiance to a nation "under God." In a spirit of hope and pride we can sing: Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Christians ought to be the best citizens and the finest patriots. Certainly they have a prior allegiance to God Almighty. But this can only make them better Americans. They need not gloss over the nation's defects or sweep its failures under the rug. They need not claim that their country is always right. When it is right, they will support it; and when it is wrong, they will love it and work to correct it. Even as the Apostle Paul could speak proudly of his Roman citizenship, so should every American Christian speak proudly of his. The day that patriotism ceases, that day we will have ceased to be a people.
Patriotism is not dead; our nation is not finished. Let us rally behind our flag; let us love our country with all its faults; let us work to improve it with all our strength; let us defend it with all our resources; let us hand it on to generations unborn better than it was when we received it; let us instill in our children the hope of our forefathers for the ultimate fulfillment of their dreams. But above all, let us tell them that the greatness of America lies not simply in the achievement of the ideal but in the unrelenting pursuit of it.
This article originally appeared in the July 4, 1969.issue of Christianity Today.
But many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no allegiance to the flag.But many of our people will offer no salutes, feel no sense of pride, and pledge no allegiance to the flag. Some will not respond because of indifference or calloused hearts. Others will be working to tear the fabric of our national life to shreds; to worsen, not heal, our sickness; to destroy, not to build; to bring disunity, not unity, to the nation. For them, patriotism is dead; love of country is archaic. Far from echoing the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, right or wrong," they will even refuse to say, "My country when it is right."
Perhaps the time has come for us to read again the stirring words of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience bath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
We do well to ask: Has the time come for us to abolish what our forefathers created? Has their vision of liberty, justice, and happiness proved unattainable? Ought we now to burn the flag, send our congressmen home, and close the doors of the White House?
Are we ready to say that the mythos, the heroes, and the folk tales that have bound us together as a people for almost two hundred years no longer enthrall us? Are we willing to forget our common heritage, dilute our sense of fraternity and destiny, and dissolve the cohesiveness that made us one?
The American dream that drew millions of immigrants as a magnet attracts metal has not been wholly fulfilled. We are faced with grave and challenging problems in our national life. We see many things we dislike, and can point to many injustices that have not yet yielded to truth and righteousness. But even as we acknowledge the defects we cannot forget the victories. The slaves have been freed; universal suffrage has become a reality; startling advances have been made to assure all our people of life and liberty as well as the right to pursue happiness.
Unlike millions of people in Russia, Czechoslovakia, China, and Cuba, our people walk as free men across our broad prairies and along our city streets; unlike the avantgarde Communist writers who languish in concentration camps or lie in unmarked graves, our people are able to write freely and to dissent vigorously while the whole weight of government, court, and police protects them in their rights and in their persons. The doors of our churches are open, the Bible is read, and the pulpits are free to sound forth the glories of our God. Church is separated from state and freedom of religion is no fond dream—it's real. Our coins say: "In God we trust." Our presidents take their oath of office on the Bible. We still pledge allegiance to a nation "under God." In a spirit of hope and pride we can sing: Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Christians ought to be the best citizens and the finest patriots. Certainly they have a prior allegiance to God Almighty. But this can only make them better Americans. They need not gloss over the nation's defects or sweep its failures under the rug. They need not claim that their country is always right. When it is right, they will support it; and when it is wrong, they will love it and work to correct it. Even as the Apostle Paul could speak proudly of his Roman citizenship, so should every American Christian speak proudly of his. The day that patriotism ceases, that day we will have ceased to be a people.
Patriotism is not dead; our nation is not finished. Let us rally behind our flag; let us love our country with all its faults; let us work to improve it with all our strength; let us defend it with all our resources; let us hand it on to generations unborn better than it was when we received it; let us instill in our children the hope of our forefathers for the ultimate fulfillment of their dreams. But above all, let us tell them that the greatness of America lies not simply in the achievement of the ideal but in the unrelenting pursuit of it.
This article originally appeared in the July 4, 1969.issue of Christianity Today.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Today I'm working on trying to figure out how to upload our weeds day pictures. To be honest I'm pretty frustrated about it. Can anyone help me???? Hello???!!!
Ok, I'm done.
FYI...this blog is still under construction. Eventually it will serve as a tool of communication and education as it relates to COC's mission to "GO". Please be patient with me as I do this....it's my first time. :) If you have suggestions, let me know. I will entertain all and reserve the right to say no to most...hehe.
Ok, I'm done.
FYI...this blog is still under construction. Eventually it will serve as a tool of communication and education as it relates to COC's mission to "GO". Please be patient with me as I do this....it's my first time. :) If you have suggestions, let me know. I will entertain all and reserve the right to say no to most...hehe.
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