As I began to think about Loss & Greving - Phil 3.7-14 comes to
> mind. The passage begins by talking about ³loss² and in verse 8 it mentions
> ³gain.² In verses 12-14 the language (from the NIV) speaks of. ³I press on to
> take hold of, ³forgetting² and again ³press(ing) on.²
>
> I find it interesting in that as I have learned to appreciate the grieving
> process at the stage of acceptance, it seems that the main and most difficult
> task to do is to be willing to ³let go² of the thing that is already lost or
> gone. Though the object is gone, we continue to hold on. The fear that
> motivates us is that we will forget the loved one. That they will slip away
> from us as if they never existed.
>
> The process is that we start out by continuing to hold on though the loss is
> defined as gone. In effect there is nothing left to hold on to. But as we
> empty our grip we are then in a...

Sometimes people on road crews are not very popular. I appreciate the
work these crews do, but it seems they always do it at the worst time,
like during rush hour. What I have never understood is why they have
to close lanes miles before the work site. They block off the entire
freeway, while, they are way over on the other side doing their work.
Some people get rather angry with them.

John the Baptist was on God's road crew. The Bible describes him as
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the
Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every
mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made
straight and the rough ways smooth" (Luke 3:4–5). The word for
"crying" could be translated "howling." John was not known for
subtlety. He had a job to do, and he realized that he had a relatively
short period of time to do it. His job was much like that of a herald
who went...

Christmas is around the corner, and another opportunity to experience the
joy of being politically incorrect.

T'was 2 nights before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See, the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About shepherds and wise men and angels and things.
“It might hurt people's feelings, “ the teachers would say
“December 25th is just a 'holiday '.”
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks, and credit,
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, X BOX, and I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas – could not be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and...

CD Release Concert Tonight:

7pm @ CCM

Crazy... It's finally here. It's been 3 years since my last release. It took
6 months to record. And the band spent the last 4 weeks cramming like it's
the SAT. But we're ready, and we're so stoked. I just really hope Kanye West
doesn't show up screaming that Beyonce's CD release was infinitely better.
There's no way I can't compete with "Single Ladies". Or that Youtube video
with the dancing baby. Not a chance.

So, I know a lot of you are no where near Los Angeles. For those that are, I
really really hope to see you tomorrow night. For those that aren't, feel
free to check out the concert live on my church's website: [1] www.ccmtb.com .
Links:
1. http://www.ccmtb.com

If you don't have the CD yet, just click on the CD image above and...

Sometimes, worship and thanksgiving can be a sacrifice. That may be
because we are down or depressed or things aren't going all that well
for us. Maybe hardship or tragedy has struck our lives in some way and
we don't want to thank God.

Yet the Bible urges us to give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 106:1 says,
"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His
mercy endures forever."

We are told in Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through Him."

And Hebrews 13:15 says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name."

We are not told to give thanks to the Lord because we feel good; we
are to give thanks to the Lord because He is good.

As we approach God to ask for new blessings, we should never forget to
say...

“Walk humbly before your God.” What does it mean to be humble?

Being humble is the opposite of being proud. Pride says “I have done it all myself.” Humility says “Every good gift I have was given to me by God.” Pride says “I am the king of the world.” Humility says “Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and I am His servant.”

Pride says “I am the best.” Humility says “Let me prefer others above myself and give to others.” Pride and selfishness say “It is all about me.” Humility says “My time on earth is short; let God love others through me.” Pride says “What has been given to me is all for me to use and enjoy.” Humility and love say “What has been given to me is for me to bless others as well as to enjoy.”

It is not easy being humble. The Bible says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature...

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a
loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet,
giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
--Luke 17:15-16 (NKJV)


I remember the first time I said, "Praise the Lord!" It seemed like a
very awkward phrase to utter. All of my Christian friends would say
it, and I thought, I am going to say that now. I consciously thought
about it first. But I had a hard time getting it out. Once I did, it
felt kind of good. So I said it again. It is a wonderful thing when
"Praise the Lord" just flows from your lips.

In fact, that is what you were created to do. You were created to give
glory to God. It is the highest use of your vocal chords, your mouth,
and your lips. God wants to hear us give Him praise. We need to give
God what He deserves, and that is glory. Psalm 29:2 tells us, "Give
unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord...

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually...