I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.
My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.
I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!*
*Source: A young, unknown African pastor from Zimbabwe, martyred in 1990 for his faith.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Will You Take the Call?
Shalom.
Here is another nugget from the New Man Magazine website's Daily Tune-Up section.
This blessed me because it showed me that I still have work to do on this earth. I have to decide which call I am going to take. I can't let the "phone" keep ringing. I can't keep checking the caller id and ignoring the call. It is sad for me to say that I have not been preparing myself for the call, or I have been very slow with my preparations. I hope we all can make a decision to answer the call for not our sakes, but for those that are lost, that are in need of hope, direction and love.
There is a high calling and a low calling. The high calling is a life lived on earth according to heaven’s standards; it is see the kingdom of God manifested through an individual life. People who live in the high calling control their surroundings. By staying in their authority, they change the spiritual climate from oppression to liberty.
Darkness cannot overpower light. Light expels darkness. The brighter the light, the more the darkness is displaced. This is how it is when we walk in the authority of God’s kingdom. We place our surroundings under its rule.
Jesus could eat with sinners because He controlled the atmosphere. If you are stronger in God than the unbeliever is in the devil, you will control the atmosphere. If a sinner is more dominant in evil than the believer is in righteousness, the unbeliever will control the spiritual climate.
When you decide to live in the high call, you will face opposition and resistance. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12, NKJV). Again we are told, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22, NKJV).
Yet many Christians settle for and live in the low calling. Why? They do not want to face the resistance that accompanies pressing toward the high calling. They would rather conform to their surroundings than change them by godly confrontation. It is much easier to blend in than stand out. When faced with opposition, some settle for compromise and seek the path of least resistance.
—John Bevere
Lord, I don’t want to settle for less. Regardless of the consequences, let me answer the higher call of a true disciple of Jesus.
John Bevere, Breaking Intimidation (1995), 195–196.
Here is another nugget from the New Man Magazine website's Daily Tune-Up section.
This blessed me because it showed me that I still have work to do on this earth. I have to decide which call I am going to take. I can't let the "phone" keep ringing. I can't keep checking the caller id and ignoring the call. It is sad for me to say that I have not been preparing myself for the call, or I have been very slow with my preparations. I hope we all can make a decision to answer the call for not our sakes, but for those that are lost, that are in need of hope, direction and love.
There is a high calling and a low calling. The high calling is a life lived on earth according to heaven’s standards; it is see the kingdom of God manifested through an individual life. People who live in the high calling control their surroundings. By staying in their authority, they change the spiritual climate from oppression to liberty.
Darkness cannot overpower light. Light expels darkness. The brighter the light, the more the darkness is displaced. This is how it is when we walk in the authority of God’s kingdom. We place our surroundings under its rule.
Jesus could eat with sinners because He controlled the atmosphere. If you are stronger in God than the unbeliever is in the devil, you will control the atmosphere. If a sinner is more dominant in evil than the believer is in righteousness, the unbeliever will control the spiritual climate.
When you decide to live in the high call, you will face opposition and resistance. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12, NKJV). Again we are told, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22, NKJV).
Yet many Christians settle for and live in the low calling. Why? They do not want to face the resistance that accompanies pressing toward the high calling. They would rather conform to their surroundings than change them by godly confrontation. It is much easier to blend in than stand out. When faced with opposition, some settle for compromise and seek the path of least resistance.
—John Bevere
Lord, I don’t want to settle for less. Regardless of the consequences, let me answer the higher call of a true disciple of Jesus.
John Bevere, Breaking Intimidation (1995), 195–196.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Undiluted, Uninhibited Jesus
Shalom.
I found the following to be a blessing. It is from Newmanmag.com's DAILY TUNE-UP section. The information in the entry is a reminder for me about the type of husband, friend, father and son I need to be.
The eternal One who established His kingdom in men two millenia ago is fully capable of producing it in us today. All we need is undiluted, uninhibited Jesus. All we need are hearts that will not be satisfied with something or someone less than Him.
If we argue church government and peripheral doctrines, we will miss completely the true purpose of the church, which is to make disciples of Jesus. Some of you want a pastor; others want elders. Still others will not budge without a deacon’s board. A few of you will be unsatisfied until apostles and prophets function interdependently.
Let me make it plain: God is not raising up “ministries”; He is raising up bondslaves. After we recognize that the goal is not ministry but slavery, we will begin to see the power of Christ restored to the church.
The pattern for leadership in the years ahead is simple: Leaders must be individuals whose burning passion is conformity to Jesus Christ. Is this not becoming the very passion of your heart, to possess the likeness of Christ? The issue with our churches is not merely one procedure over another; the issue is, will we become people who are seeking hard after Christ?
—Francis Frangipane
Lord, the church needs leaders who are seeking God, not their own promotion. Give us shepherds who are willing to serve as bondslaves of Christ.
Francis Frangipane, The House of the Lord (1991), 37–38.
I found the following to be a blessing. It is from Newmanmag.com's DAILY TUNE-UP section. The information in the entry is a reminder for me about the type of husband, friend, father and son I need to be.
The eternal One who established His kingdom in men two millenia ago is fully capable of producing it in us today. All we need is undiluted, uninhibited Jesus. All we need are hearts that will not be satisfied with something or someone less than Him.
If we argue church government and peripheral doctrines, we will miss completely the true purpose of the church, which is to make disciples of Jesus. Some of you want a pastor; others want elders. Still others will not budge without a deacon’s board. A few of you will be unsatisfied until apostles and prophets function interdependently.
Let me make it plain: God is not raising up “ministries”; He is raising up bondslaves. After we recognize that the goal is not ministry but slavery, we will begin to see the power of Christ restored to the church.
The pattern for leadership in the years ahead is simple: Leaders must be individuals whose burning passion is conformity to Jesus Christ. Is this not becoming the very passion of your heart, to possess the likeness of Christ? The issue with our churches is not merely one procedure over another; the issue is, will we become people who are seeking hard after Christ?
—Francis Frangipane
Lord, the church needs leaders who are seeking God, not their own promotion. Give us shepherds who are willing to serve as bondslaves of Christ.
Francis Frangipane, The House of the Lord (1991), 37–38.
Friday, June 27, 2008
When Being Too Smart Is A Bad Thing
Shalom.
I found this gem at NewManMag.com and thought I would share it with those in the "blogosphere."
The Pharisees possessed great knowledge of the Scriptures without knowing the spirit of them; therefore, their ministry produced death. It pulled and pushed people away from the heart of God rather than drawing them to Him. They separated people from God with their legalistic knowledge, representing God as they perceived Him—with their heads and not their hearts.
Jesus declared, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4, NKJV). Notice He did not say "proceeded." That would be past tense. The Scriptures alone are what proceeded out of the mouth of God. He said "proceeds," which is present tense. We must know the Lord of the Scriptures to know what is proceeding out of His mouth today.
Jesus said in John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (NKJV). With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can know what Jesus is saying.
You may ask then, "What good are the Scriptures?" They are guidelines to assist and direct us. They are God-breathed, and when quickened by the Holy Spirit they become alive in our hearts and not just in our heads. They are the standard we use to confirm that we have heard from the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit will never speak contrary to the Scriptures. But we can get hung up when we limit what the Holy Spirit can say or do to that which fits into our mental understanding of the Scriptures. This was the error of the Pharisees.
—John Bevere
Lord, please guard my heart for the legalism of the Pharisees. I want to teach others the spirit of Your Word, not the letter of the law.
John Bevere, Breaking Intimidation (1995), 172–173.
I found this gem at NewManMag.com and thought I would share it with those in the "blogosphere."
The Pharisees possessed great knowledge of the Scriptures without knowing the spirit of them; therefore, their ministry produced death. It pulled and pushed people away from the heart of God rather than drawing them to Him. They separated people from God with their legalistic knowledge, representing God as they perceived Him—with their heads and not their hearts.
Jesus declared, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4, NKJV). Notice He did not say "proceeded." That would be past tense. The Scriptures alone are what proceeded out of the mouth of God. He said "proceeds," which is present tense. We must know the Lord of the Scriptures to know what is proceeding out of His mouth today.
Jesus said in John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (NKJV). With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can know what Jesus is saying.
You may ask then, "What good are the Scriptures?" They are guidelines to assist and direct us. They are God-breathed, and when quickened by the Holy Spirit they become alive in our hearts and not just in our heads. They are the standard we use to confirm that we have heard from the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit will never speak contrary to the Scriptures. But we can get hung up when we limit what the Holy Spirit can say or do to that which fits into our mental understanding of the Scriptures. This was the error of the Pharisees.
—John Bevere
Lord, please guard my heart for the legalism of the Pharisees. I want to teach others the spirit of Your Word, not the letter of the law.
John Bevere, Breaking Intimidation (1995), 172–173.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
An Enchanted Afternoon
Shalom.
My daughter participated in her first dance recital today. Her performance was superb, for a three-year old. :-) I took her to the dress rehearsal on Friday, where her performance was less than spectacular (click here for dress rehearsal), even for a three-year old.
She more than made up for it at the actual recital. We arrived at the venue (which was Hatboro-Horsham High School) for the recital about a half our early. I wanted to get a parking spot that was close to the building and to the exit. And I wanted to make sure that we were well situated before the performance. We were so situated that an usher had to ask us to leave the auditorium because we entered too early. The recital didn't start until 12pm, however, we were i the auditorium at about 11:45am, but no one indicated that we were allowed to enter the auditorium. My daughter had to enter at the side entrance since she was one of the performers, you know. My mother, brother, in-laws, niece and friends were in attendance. We waited through 14 other performances before the main attraction -- my daughters group. They were dressed so beautifully. Their outfits were very pretty and had a sparkling effect. Their teacher was off stage "helping" them get through the routine.
I had wondered during the time when she attended her weekly classes how she would handle the recital. I wondered would she be scared? Would she just freeze in front of the audience? Would she run off the stage crying? Well, needless to say, she did nothing of the sort. She was a true performer. :-)
I was so proud of her. I was all smiles as I saw her following the direction of the teacher and not her fellow classmates. It was the beginning of something special. I am looking forward to my other daughter joining the dance school.
By the way, information about the dance school can be found here: Dance With M.E.
Blessings.
My daughter participated in her first dance recital today. Her performance was superb, for a three-year old. :-) I took her to the dress rehearsal on Friday, where her performance was less than spectacular (click here for dress rehearsal), even for a three-year old.
She more than made up for it at the actual recital. We arrived at the venue (which was Hatboro-Horsham High School) for the recital about a half our early. I wanted to get a parking spot that was close to the building and to the exit. And I wanted to make sure that we were well situated before the performance. We were so situated that an usher had to ask us to leave the auditorium because we entered too early. The recital didn't start until 12pm, however, we were i the auditorium at about 11:45am, but no one indicated that we were allowed to enter the auditorium. My daughter had to enter at the side entrance since she was one of the performers, you know. My mother, brother, in-laws, niece and friends were in attendance. We waited through 14 other performances before the main attraction -- my daughters group. They were dressed so beautifully. Their outfits were very pretty and had a sparkling effect. Their teacher was off stage "helping" them get through the routine.
I had wondered during the time when she attended her weekly classes how she would handle the recital. I wondered would she be scared? Would she just freeze in front of the audience? Would she run off the stage crying? Well, needless to say, she did nothing of the sort. She was a true performer. :-)
I was so proud of her. I was all smiles as I saw her following the direction of the teacher and not her fellow classmates. It was the beginning of something special. I am looking forward to my other daughter joining the dance school.
By the way, information about the dance school can be found here: Dance With M.E.
Blessings.
Friday, May 9, 2008
House: 1 Me: 0
Shalom.
The task of remodeling our new home continues. I took three days off of work to remove the enormous amount of existing wallpaper in the house. After three days of scraping the existing the wallpaper from the walls, I can testify that wallpaper is evil! I don't know who created wallpaper, more specifically, the glue, but they must have had a sadistic nature. (Of course I am joking.) However, once you have had to deal with multiple layers of wallpaper and glue on top of wallpaper that has been painted over (several layers), you may come to the same conclusion.
I hired some helpers and it took us three days to scrape wallpaper on the first floor and some of the second floor. We are still not complete. We have the third floor hallway, the remaining second floor rooms, and the second floor hallway. Thankfully, the third floor rooms do not contain wallpaper. And once all the wallpaper has been scraped, we will roll it up along with the carpet.
This house has seen many repairs and experienced quite a bit of damage in some areas. The damage is not extensive, just typical for a house that sat uninhabited for a year and through repairs/remodeling not done the proper way.
We are working to get estimates to remove asbestos from the old boiler, radiator pipes and a heater tank. I never would have guessed that I would be dealing with asbestos. Having asbestos removed by an asbestos abatement company is a pretty penny. We have heard suggestions that it would be cheaper to remove it ourselves or have someone else remove it. My concern is that the disposal must be done environmentally correct. I do not want to damage this earth any more than it already has been.
We are obtaining other quotes for different work that needs to be done. That process is a learning experience. The individuals I met while obtaining the quotes seem like good people and they love what they do. Some of the quotes were reasonable, other seemed a bit higher than what I was expecting. I hope to have made my decisions by next week.
I hope to have some photos posted soon.
Blessings.
The task of remodeling our new home continues. I took three days off of work to remove the enormous amount of existing wallpaper in the house. After three days of scraping the existing the wallpaper from the walls, I can testify that wallpaper is evil! I don't know who created wallpaper, more specifically, the glue, but they must have had a sadistic nature. (Of course I am joking.) However, once you have had to deal with multiple layers of wallpaper and glue on top of wallpaper that has been painted over (several layers), you may come to the same conclusion.
I hired some helpers and it took us three days to scrape wallpaper on the first floor and some of the second floor. We are still not complete. We have the third floor hallway, the remaining second floor rooms, and the second floor hallway. Thankfully, the third floor rooms do not contain wallpaper. And once all the wallpaper has been scraped, we will roll it up along with the carpet.
This house has seen many repairs and experienced quite a bit of damage in some areas. The damage is not extensive, just typical for a house that sat uninhabited for a year and through repairs/remodeling not done the proper way.
We are working to get estimates to remove asbestos from the old boiler, radiator pipes and a heater tank. I never would have guessed that I would be dealing with asbestos. Having asbestos removed by an asbestos abatement company is a pretty penny. We have heard suggestions that it would be cheaper to remove it ourselves or have someone else remove it. My concern is that the disposal must be done environmentally correct. I do not want to damage this earth any more than it already has been.
We are obtaining other quotes for different work that needs to be done. That process is a learning experience. The individuals I met while obtaining the quotes seem like good people and they love what they do. Some of the quotes were reasonable, other seemed a bit higher than what I was expecting. I hope to have made my decisions by next week.
I hope to have some photos posted soon.
Blessings.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A New Challenge Is Upon Me...
Shalom.
I am embarking upon a challenge that will stretch me physically and mentally. We purchased a home that is about 5,000 square feet and the house was in pretty good shape. It was a foreclosure and sat vacant for about a year.
My wife and I happened across the house in March of 2008. We saw the house and liked it. We put a bid in and the bid was rejected. We had requested a $10,000 credit based upon the results of a home inspection. (By the way, make sure when you are about to buy a house, that the contract includes an escape via the home inspection.) So, we returned from vacation and the house was put back on the market for less (yes, LESS) than our offer price. Well, needless to say, we pursued the property again. This time our initial offer was countered and we agreed to the counter offer. We thank God that the house came around again.
Now, we are in the process of remodeling the kitchen and two bathrooms. We are removing the plethora of wallpaper in the house and painting the walls where there was wallpaper. We are removing the 16 trees that are on the property and adding a quarter bath next to bathroom. That way, people can eat and not be slowed down too much by having to relieve themselves. The work will be very involved and detailed, but when the work is complete, what a home it will be!!
This process is teaching me that I still have a ways to go when communicating with my wife. We thought we understood each other concerning a change for the side yard of the house. She was saying one thing and I was hearing another. :-)
The fixing up of the house is keeping me very busy. I am trying to keep up with my life outside of the house, but believe me, it is a challenge.
When this season has passed, I will be taking a vacation!!
Blessings.
Jason
I am embarking upon a challenge that will stretch me physically and mentally. We purchased a home that is about 5,000 square feet and the house was in pretty good shape. It was a foreclosure and sat vacant for about a year.
My wife and I happened across the house in March of 2008. We saw the house and liked it. We put a bid in and the bid was rejected. We had requested a $10,000 credit based upon the results of a home inspection. (By the way, make sure when you are about to buy a house, that the contract includes an escape via the home inspection.) So, we returned from vacation and the house was put back on the market for less (yes, LESS) than our offer price. Well, needless to say, we pursued the property again. This time our initial offer was countered and we agreed to the counter offer. We thank God that the house came around again.
Now, we are in the process of remodeling the kitchen and two bathrooms. We are removing the plethora of wallpaper in the house and painting the walls where there was wallpaper. We are removing the 16 trees that are on the property and adding a quarter bath next to bathroom. That way, people can eat and not be slowed down too much by having to relieve themselves. The work will be very involved and detailed, but when the work is complete, what a home it will be!!
This process is teaching me that I still have a ways to go when communicating with my wife. We thought we understood each other concerning a change for the side yard of the house. She was saying one thing and I was hearing another. :-)
The fixing up of the house is keeping me very busy. I am trying to keep up with my life outside of the house, but believe me, it is a challenge.
When this season has passed, I will be taking a vacation!!
Blessings.
Jason
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