November 21, 2014 
3 Comments
“The terrible, tragic fallacy of the last hundred years has been to think that all man’s troubles are due to his environment, and that to change the man you have nothing to do but change his environment. That is a tragic fallacy. It overlooks the fact that it was in Paradise that man fell.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
November 20, 2014 4 Comments
It is easy to follow a person’s footprints if we walk close behind him, but if we walk some distance back, we might fail to see them as clearly. Similarly, if we follow close after the Lord, we would easily see the footsteps along the way, but if we try to follow afar off, we would find it difficult to know the path of His will.
Andrew Bonar
November 19, 2014 2 Comments
“There is nothing which I know of which is more unscriptural, and which is more dangerous to the soul, than to divide doctrine from life… The reason for this is that if your life and your mode of living is not the outcome of your doctrine, it is not Christian living; it is something else.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans – The Gospel Of God
October 24, 2014 2 Comments
“Too often, we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated. We are simply disobedient. It might be good if we stop using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress in holiness. Rather, we should use the terms obedience and disobedience. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may in fact be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey.
We need to brace ourselves up and to realize that we are responsible for thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We need to reckon on the fact that we died to sin’s reign, that it no longer has any dominion over us, that God has united us with the risen Christ in all His power and has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us. Only as we accept our responsibility and appropriate God’s provisions will we make any progress in our pursuit of holiness.”
Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness
October 24, 2014 1 Comment
Ephesians 6:23-24 New International Version – UK (NIVUK)
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
October 22, 2014 6 Comments
“To make it quite practical I have a very simple test. After I have explained the way of Christ to somebody I say “Now, are you ready to say that you are a Christian?” And they hesitate. And then I say, “What’s the matter? Why are you hesitating?” And so often people say, “I don’t feel like I’m good enough yet. I don’t think I’m ready to say I’m a Christian now.” And at once I know that I have been wasting my breath. They are still thinking in terms of themselves. They have to do it. It sounds very modest to say, “Well, I don’t think I’ good enough,” but it’s a very denial of the faith. The very essence of the Christian faith is to say that He is good enough and I am in Him. As long as you go on thinking about yourself like that and saying, “I’m not good enough; Oh, I’m not good enough,” you are denying God – you are denying the gospel – you are denying the very essence of the faith and you will never be happy. You think you’re better at times and then again you will find you are not as good at other times than you thought you were. You will be up and down forever. How can I put it plainly? It doesn’t matter if you have almost entered into the depths of hell. It does not matter if you are guilty of murder as well as every other vile sin. It does not matter from the standpoint of being justified before God at all. You are no more hopeless than the most moral and respectable person in the world.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure
October 20, 2014 3 Comments
“Starts With Me”
What could I do to leave a legacy?
How can I speak with authority
When I can’t see You, I can’t see You
How can I know the dreams You have for me?
How can I believe beyond what I have seen?
When I can’t hear You, I can’t feel You now
No, no, no
[Chorus:]
You’re my revival song, You start where I belong
On my knees, on my knees
When I am weak or strong You meet me here
When I’m on my knees, on my knees
Oh, it starts with me
Why do I try to work outside of You?
Knocking down doors I should be going through
But I’m so tired, I’m so tired
You take my burdens off of my shoulders
You break the lies that hold me back
I’m not sure enough
I really wanna change the world
I really wanna sing Your song
But I know revival’s got to start with me
I really wanna change the world
I really wanna sing Your song
But I know revival’s got to start with me
October 20, 2014 2 Comments
Romans 13:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
October 20, 2014 1 Comment
“Love is amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Isaac Watts
October 16, 2014 3 Comments
“House Of Their Dreams“
A corner office was his dream
More like a prison now it seems
Somewhere on the corporate climb
He left his warrior behind
Now hes just a worker at a daily grind
Steals his years and numbs his mind
His strength is fading, his dreams are blind
This is not the life he had in mind
She lies awake cause hes up all night
Staring at a screen that tells him lies
That the grass is greener on the other side
So shes at the gym fighting off the years
To be young again and calm her fears
That shell never be enough for him
Just as a young man catches her eye
Now they’re trapped in their own worlds, in their own wars
With their cell phones and the closed doors
Its funny how quiet and peaceful that it seems
But they’re all alone together
In the house of their dreams
Little sister, shes a sixteen-year-old princess
Lost somewhere between the swing set
And her brand new crushs chariot awaits
And big brothers rooms glowing with trophies that shout his name
But he’d trade all his high school fame
For some backyard catch with his hero again
So now they’re all dressed up in Sunday best
Sit up straight just like the rest
And they sing the songs of peace and rest that Jesus freely gives
And then their kids look up as daddy stands
And he takes his bride with trembling hands
Brother kneels at his fathers side as princess looks in the mothers eyes
Their tears tear down the walls as daddy prays
Were trapped in our own worlds and our own wars
With our cell phones and our closed doors
God, only You can save our family
And on this Rock, well build
On this Rock, well build
The house of our dreams
October 11, 2014 5 Comments
“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is “T-I-M-E.”
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
October 7, 2014 4 Comments
“The Church has been trying to preach morality and ethics without the Gospel as a basis; it has been preaching morality without godliness; and it simply does not work. It never has done, and it never will. And the result is that the Church, having abandoned her real task, has left humanity more or less to its own devices.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers
October 6, 2014 3 Comments
Ephesians 4:1-6 New International Version
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
October 4, 2014 9 Comments
“It must be the rain knocking the smell out of it”
My lovely wife Sarah
Sarah & were walking home from town in the pouring rain this afternoon, and as we walked past the lovely lavender plant which is on the wall of a nearby house, we were gifted with a beautiful scent of this lovely plant.
Sarah then said “It must be the rain knocking the smell out of it“
After a little chuckle i said “lol, yeah doesn’t that remind you a little of the Christian walk? The Holy Spirit spends our whole lives trying to knock the smell (the amazing fragrance of Grace) of of us!” 🙂
October 3, 2014 5 Comments
“In teaching people what it means to be a Christian, we spend much of our time and effort bringing them to a point of belief without clearly calling them to follow. We have taken “believe” and we have written that in capital letters with bold print: BELIEVE. But everything that has to do with following has been put in small print: follow.”
“Jesus doesn’t hold back with Nicodemus.
Following Jesus would require a commitment that would cost Nicodemus a great deal….In fact, it’s true throughout all of Scripture….Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where no one notices. It’s a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life. That’s not the small-print–that’s a guarantee.”
Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
October 2, 2014 1 Comment
Proverbs 2:1-6 New International Version
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
September 30, 2014 2 Comments
Proverbs 31:30 New International Version
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
September 29, 2014 2 Comments
“If we believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten Son of God and that He came into this world and went to the cross of Calvary and died for our sins and rose again in order to justify us and to give us life anew and prepare us for heaven-if you really believe that, there is only one inevitable deduction, namely that He is entitled to the whole of our lives, without any limit whatsoever.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
September 29, 2014 2 Comments
Psalm 29:11 New International Version
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
September 27, 2014 3 Comments
“It is amazing how little we know about ourselves. God has to take us through all kinds of failures to reveal the self-focused pride that lies dormant in the corners or our character.
The only way we can be of any use to God is to respond with discernment to our disappointments. Discernment leads us to truth- and the truth punctures our pride, all for His purpose of molding us to the image of His Son.”
June Hunt, Success Through Failure
September 26, 2014 1 Comment
Proverbs 5:21 (NIVUK)
For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
This Proverb instantly reminded me of how alert Bruce used to be. If you tried to sneak anywhere (no matter how quiet you think you’re being) he’s stood watching you!
⇧ Bruce catching me thinking i’m sneaking up the stairs while he’s asleep! ⇧
September 26, 2014 4 Comments
“What most of us do not realize is that we are being transformed in our thinking all the time—either by the world’s value system or by the truth of God’s Word. The world’s values bombard us daily with thousands of messages on billboards, in movies, songs, video games, and television programs that all reinforce a worldview that tells me life is about “me.” Life is about what I can get, what I can achieve, who I can impress, what I can possess, where I live, what I drive, how much education I have, how much money I make, who knows my name, and how successful I am . . . and the list goes on. By contrast, God uses His Spirit, His Word, nature, great books, and the authentic community of fellow believers to remind us that life is about “Him.” And life in Christ is all about what I can give, who I can love, how God can use me, how significant and accepted I am regardless of what I make, where I live, what I drive, or who knows my name.”
Chip Ingram, True Spirituality: Becoming a Romans 12 Christian
September 25, 2014 8 Comments
“Love Me“
He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He’s the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, “Dear God won’t you please
Could you send someone here who will love me?”
Who will love me for me
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me
‘Cause nobody has shown me what love
What love really means
Her office is shrinking a little each day
She’s the woman whose husband has run away
She’ll go to the gym after working today
Maybe if she was thinner
Then he would’ve stayed
And she says:
Who will love me for me?
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
‘Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means
He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone
He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done
He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
“Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home”
Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside
And it said
“I know you’ve murdered and I know you’ve lied
I have watched you suffer all of your life
And now that you’ll listen, I’ll tell you that I…”
I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew.
September 25, 2014 1 Comment
Proverbs 25:19 New International Version
Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
September 25, 2014 2 Comments
“Vice does not lose its character by becoming fashionable.”
John Wesley
September 23, 2014 1 Comment
Proverbs 23:12 New International Version
Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.
September 21, 2014 4 Comments
Proverbs 21:23 New International Version
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.
September 21, 2014 1 Comment
“Grace is everywhere, like lenses that go unnoticed because you are looking through them.”
Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace?
September 20, 2014 2 Comments
“Empty & Beautiful“
My past won’t stop haunting me
In this prison there’s a fight between
Who I am and who I used to be
This thorn in my side is a grace
For because of it the flesh and blood of God
Was offered in my place, my place
You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Where did my best friends go?
In my defense they disappeared
Just like Your friends did to You, oh Lord
But You were there, You gave me strength
So this little one might come to know
The glory of Your name, Your name
You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Awaiting, set apart like incense to Your heart
A libation I’m pouring out
Empty and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me
You fought the fight in me
You chased me down and finished the race
I was blind but now I see
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Jesus You kept the faith in me
Savior, You kept the faith in me
September 20, 2014 3 Comments
“I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains.”
William Shakespeare, Othello
September 19, 2014 5 Comments
Proverbs 19:19 New International Version
A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
rescue them, and you will have to do it again.
September 16, 2014 3 Comments
“Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self—in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
September 15, 2014 1 Comment
“My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”
Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
September 14, 2014 1 Comment
“Lift My Life Up“
You brought me this far so why would I question You now
You have provided so why would I start to doubt
I’ve never been stranded, abandoned or left here to fight alone
So I’m giving You control
I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I leave it in Your hands
I lift my life, lift my life up
Have Your way in me
Have Your way in me
If peace is a river then let it sweep over me
If I’m under fire I know it’s refining me
When I hear You calling out I follow now wherever the road may go
I know You’re leading me home
I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I leave it in Your hands
I lift my life, lift my life up
Have Your way in me
Have Your way in me
Take my life and let it be all for You
Take my life and let it be all for You
I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
(Take my life)
I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
(Take my heart)
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I leave it in Your hands
I lift my life, lift my life up
Have Your way with me
Have Your way with me
Have Your way with me
Have Your way with me
Take my life and let it be all for You
September 13, 2014 2 Comments
It is one thing for sin to live in us; it is another for us to live in sin.
John Murray
September 12, 2014 1 Comment
To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. Power to become children! … Born, says John, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
N. T. Wright, Sermon at the Eucharist on Christmas Morning 2007
September 11, 2014 4 Comments
“Where Is Your Sanctuary? Where do you go when you’re hurting? Let’s say it’s been a terrible day at the office. You come home and go — where? To the refrigerator for comfort food like ice cream? To the phone to vent with your most trusted friend? Do you seek escape in novels or movies or video games or pornography? Where do you look for emotional rescue? The Bible tells us that God is our refuge and strength, our help in times of trouble — so much so that we will not fear though the mountains fall into the heart of the sea (Ps. 46:1 – 2). That strikes me as a good place to run. But it’s so easy to forget, so easy for us to run in other directions. Where we go says a lot about who we are. The “high ground” we seek reveals the geography of our values.”
Kyle Idleman, Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart
September 11, 2014 0 Comments
Proverbs 11:22 New International Version – UK
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
September 10, 2014 4 Comments
The story is told of a church that secured a new preacher, and the word spread around town about how well he preached. The church members were abuzz about what an improvement he was over their former preacher, and how much more attention they gave to his sermons. When the town cynic asked what made this new preacher so much better than his predecessor, he was told, “The old preacher told us that we’re all sinners, and that if we didn’t repent, we’d burn in hell forever!” This cynic then asked, “And what does this new one say?” The answer was, “That we’re all sinners, and that if we don’t repent, we’ll burn in hell forever!” When the cynic responded that he didn’t see any difference between the two of them, he was told, “This new preacher says it with tears in his eyes.”
Tony Campolo
September 8, 2014 5 Comments
“Man’s thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins. God’s thought is always of the glory man will miss if he sins. God’s purpose for redemption is glory, glory, glory.”
Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
September 5, 2014 4 Comments
“Don’t believe something just because you want to, and don’t embrace an idea just because you’ve always believed it. Believe what is biblical. Test all your assumptions against the precious words God gave us in the Bible.”
Francis Chan, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We’ve Made Up
September 2, 2014 11 Comments
“And so seated next to my father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, “Father, what is sexsin?”
He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the floor and set it on the floor.
Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said.
I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
It’s too heavy,” I said.
Yes,” he said, “and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”
Corrie ten Boom – The Hiding Place
September 2, 2014 5 Comments
Oh gently lay your head upon my chest
And I will comfort you like a mother while you rest
And the tide can change so fast, but I will stay
The same through past, the same in future, same today
I am constant and I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy, I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires
Oh weary, tired and worn, let out your sighs
And drop that heavy load you hold ’cause mine is light
And I know you through and through, there’s no need to hide
I want to show you love that is deep and high and wide
‘Cause I am constant and I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy, I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires
I am constant, I am near
I am peace that shatters all your secret fears
I am holy, I am wise
I’m the only one who knows your heart’s desires
Your heart’s desires
Oh gently lay your head upon my chest
And I will comfort you like a mother while you resthttp://www.songlyrics.com/jill-phillips/i-am-lyrics/#mzHRFrV4slW5s9cE.99
September 1, 2014 12 Comments
“You win over people just like you win over a dog. You see a dog passing down the street with an old bone in his mouth. You don’t grab the bone from him and tell him it’s not good for him. He’ll growl at you. It’s the only thing he has. But you throw a big fat lamb chop in front of him, and he’s going to drop that bone and pick up the lamb chop, his tail wagging to beat the band. And you’ve got a friend. Instead of going around grabbing bones from people… I’m going to throw them some lamb chops. Something with real meat and life in it. I’m going to tell them about New Beginnings.”
David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade
August 28, 2014 4 Comments
“Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.”
Wanda E. Brunstetter
August 27, 2014 3 Comments
“People think of faith as being something that you don’t really believe, a device in helping you believe simply it. Of course that is quite wrong. As Pascal says, faith is a gift of God. It is different from the proof of it. It is the kind of faith God himself places in the heart, of which the proof is often the instrument…
He says of it, too, that it is the heart which is aware of God, and not reason. That is what faith is: God perceived by the heart, not be reason.”
Malcolm Muggeridge, The End of Christendom
August 25, 2014 2 Comments
“The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.”
Francis Chan
August 22, 2014 0 Comments
“Faith in the biblical sense is substantive, based on the knowledge that the One in whom that faith is placed has proven that He is worthy of that trust. In its essence, faith is a confidence in the person of Jesus Christ and in His power, so that even when His power does not serve my end, my confidence in Him remains because of who He is.”
Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods
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