6/30/2010
Working To Make Your Dreams Come True
There is a legend of an artist who had found the sec ret of a wonderful 'red' which no other artist could imitate. The secret of his 'color' died with him. But after his death an old wound was discovered over his heart. This revealed the source of the matchless hue in his pictures. The lesson of the legend is . . .
no great achievement can be made,
no lofty attainment can be reached,
nothing of much value to the world can be done
--except at the cost of heart's blood!
~ J. R. Miller
I've met many people who are full of great ideas and plans and visions of what they will accomplish one day. Few of these people, however, actually see their dreams come true. Not because they aren't good dreams, but because their dreams are dreamt by dreamers and not doers. Many teenagers today are given so much, so easily, with so little required of them, that we are raising a generation of sluggards and failures. Work is hard and hard work is good. Good, hard work results in progress of the mind, body, and soul. The beautiful and rare things of life cost the most. As my wife has told me on more than one occasion, "Nothing good is cheap!" Jesus sweat great drops of blood for his bride. He drank the dregs of the cup of His Father's wrath for the glory that awaited Him. He chose to do the hard things because that's what it takes to win the prize. ~ Kirk Cameron
no great achievement can be made,
no lofty attainment can be reached,
nothing of much value to the world can be done
--except at the cost of heart's blood!
~ J. R. Miller
I've met many people who are full of great ideas and plans and visions of what they will accomplish one day. Few of these people, however, actually see their dreams come true. Not because they aren't good dreams, but because their dreams are dreamt by dreamers and not doers. Many teenagers today are given so much, so easily, with so little required of them, that we are raising a generation of sluggards and failures. Work is hard and hard work is good. Good, hard work results in progress of the mind, body, and soul. The beautiful and rare things of life cost the most. As my wife has told me on more than one occasion, "Nothing good is cheap!" Jesus sweat great drops of blood for his bride. He drank the dregs of the cup of His Father's wrath for the glory that awaited Him. He chose to do the hard things because that's what it takes to win the prize. ~ Kirk Cameron
Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach
(Repeat Chorus)
6/29/2010
I Choose To Be A Christian
I met a man the other day
He looked and me and said
I've seen your kind so many times before
You can't do this, You can't do that
Your bound by rules and restrictions
What a dreary life you Christians must observe
I said: "Hey I can chew & dip, snort & cuss, party all night until the sun comes up but there's better things in life I'd rather do...
I choose to be a Christian
I choose to be like him
Ain't noboby makin' me do it
Ain't nobody holdin' a gun to my head
This is how I want to live
You decide for you and I'll decide for me
the choice is mine this what I choose to be
Don't you look at me with your sympathy
To think that I've been cheated
By not doing all of those things you call fun
well sometime when you're heading down to that funky side of town
with that choice that i've made will be liftin' me out of here
(Chorus Repeat)
(I don't own the lyrics.)
He looked and me and said
I've seen your kind so many times before
You can't do this, You can't do that
Your bound by rules and restrictions
What a dreary life you Christians must observe
I said: "Hey I can chew & dip, snort & cuss, party all night until the sun comes up but there's better things in life I'd rather do...
I choose to be a Christian
I choose to be like him
Ain't noboby makin' me do it
Ain't nobody holdin' a gun to my head
This is how I want to live
You decide for you and I'll decide for me
the choice is mine this what I choose to be
Don't you look at me with your sympathy
To think that I've been cheated
By not doing all of those things you call fun
well sometime when you're heading down to that funky side of town
with that choice that i've made will be liftin' me out of here
(Chorus Repeat)
(I don't own the lyrics.)
6/28/2010
truth in politics, where's the equality?
ok i'm getting really tired of this now, why is it when democrats make federal laws it's "wrong" and "unconstitutional" and "takes away from state's rights," but when republicans make federal laws suddenly all of those things that democrats are condemned for are either ignored or even applauded, that is hypocrisy and a double-standard, where is equality? where is truth? it's goes the same way with democrats, why is it when republicans make federal laws it's just so "wrong" and "unfair" and "imposing" and against the "people's wishes"; total baloney, what a joke if i ever heard one, get real; you're pulling the same thing that republicans pull on you when they're not the majority; the truth is that everyone picks and pulls at everyone else as long as they themselves are the minority, but as soon as they become the majority suddenly there is silence, hmm, hypocrisy at its worse; i'm not a member of any political party, i don't care about parties, i care about truth and what's right, that's all i care about
Troubles
I'm so messed up because I've had to go through a mess my whole life. I can't even explain everything that has happened to me in my life or I could write you a book. But, I am so sick and tired of having to deal with everyone. I always have to be an adult from the time I was very young. A person can only take so much, especially a child. When I was 16 it finally became all too much and I completely broke down. I wanted to just die, but I couldn't. I developed bipolar disorder, panic/anxiety disorder and agoraphobia. It made me breakdown and revert to feeling emotionally like a little child. I needed protection, comfort, guidance. I couldn't handle life. I couldn't live in society. I was all alone, trapped in my house for 5 years. I had lost faith in God. Eventually I turned back to Him and I was given faith to believe and to overcome a lot of my struggles. I began to get stronger. I overcame depression and anxiety pretty much. I was a very different person in terms of that. Then a few years went by, but I'm still stuck in this doldrum life where I feel like I still wasn't ready to break away in my own life apart from my family. I felt like why should I have to, doesn't matter. Well, it doesn't matter that much. And I can live independently from them, I just didn't see any point because I liked it and it saved money. I didn't have much in the way of a job, couldn't hardly make money, so that is just how it was. I figured I would go back to school. I had gotten my GED already, had job experience eventually. I wanted to go to college like I had planned several years before as a teenager. At this point I'm in my early 20's. I decided to go back to school. I was going to maybe move to Japan with my brother. We would start a life there. I don't know everything, but we had some plans. But, then I met this guy on the Internet/Facebook. My life changed a lot after that. The main problem is that he was from a different country, lived in a different country thousands of miles away. So, already there was that difficulty. But, we found that we really got on with each other and it very quickly turned into love. We are both young. At first everything seemed great, then I started to see a side to him coming out, a very bad side. It was fear and anger. I started to realize that he had a lot of baggage from the past as well, but he obviously had a lot of struggles psychologically as well. It became very hard after that. Sometimes he was nice, other times he was angry, frustrated. He often took it out on me, but breaking up with me or arguing with me, calling me bad names. It really started to mess with me. I would always forgive him and because I loved him and believed he loved me, and because I believed in being loyal, I always stayed with him. I thought, maybe he's just scared of commitment. Maybe he's just in a way testing me, see if I will stand by him. Etc. Etc. All these different things I started to think. As time went on, in a way he seemed like he was getting a bit better over time, but he never really changed. He broke up with me a million times and always had the same issues. I did things for him that I never thought I would do. I started to change. I became much more emotional, upset, stressed a lot of the time. The way he was with me really really messed with me. I started to think that I was relapsing into being bipolar again or the anxiety attacks. Not sure the difference really. But, I was getting so hurt and betrayed so often that I just couldn't bare it. I would find myself wondering, why am I with this guy. Why do I let myself keep going through this abuse, this insanity? It was because I truly loved him and because I believed that he truly loved me, and just needed help and support. And because the thought of losing him seemed to hurt me more than being with him. So, I always stayed with him. I would always talk to him, tell him how wrong he was, that he needed to change, that I can't take this, I can't keep going through this. He would apologize, he would talk like he's willing to change. He would maybe get better for a little while, but he would always end up going back to the same old thing, "same old same old." One of the crazy things about it is that he would always somehow make himself out to be the victim of it all. He would always somehow find a way to blame me. He would always just see my reaction to his misbehavior. He never got it that the reason why I was so upset isn't because I'm just like it, but because of how he treated me. It's like he didn't want to come to terms with that. He just always wanted to blame me instead of changing his bad ways. He always wanted me to accept his misbehavior and "be understanding, supportive" of him. Like, as if I never was. He always found a way to insult me. Nothing I did was ever good enough, loving enough, strong enough, smart enough. I was always a failure in his eyes. But, I knew that it wasn't really me that had the problems. Yes, I could have handled some things better, yes I could have reacted differently at times. But, the main problem was him, not me. But, nothing ever changed with him. Always always the same thing over and over again. Whatever disorder, things he's been through in his life doesn't give him the right to mistreat me. It makes it more understandable because of those things, but never in the right. I just couldn't take it anymore. I always loved him, always stood by him through thick and thin. But, he wouldn't stop hurting me. I couldn't live in that anymore. It broke my heart too many times I cannot count anymore. It makes me sad and so disappointed that it would come to that. Things could have been great, could have been happy. But, he had too many issues and he kept pushing me away. But, I know that no matter what I've been through in my life, God has always been there for me. I don't know why or understand everything that's happened to me in my life. When did God make things happen, when was is that something happened because of my actions? I don't know everything. But, I have learnt already enough in my life that no matter what happens I am blessed. I have learnt that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and wiser, as long as you get through it and overcome. And that no matter what happens, God is always there, even when it doesn't seem like it. And He he listens and cares about you, even when it doesn't seem like it. It is also my belief that those who are hit the hardest in life that maybe it's because the devil knows that there is something great in them, they have a lot of potential for good in this life, and the devil wants to stop it. I don't know if that's true in every case. I know some people of God, strong believers and followers that seem to have fairly easy-going lives which I don't understand. But, there are others strong in the Lord as well that can have very difficult lives, but somehow manage to get through it and it makes them stronger and wiser because of it. I don't understand these two different kind of lives with people that all are strong believers and followers of God, but that's what it seems like to me. I don't understand everything, but I keep trusting in God and keep believing that everything I've gone through and will go through has a very special purpose. I feel as though I'm destined for great and special things. Maybe I won't even see it in this lifetime, maybe I won't truly see the results of it until I die and go to Heaven. I don't really know. But, that is my belief and my hope.
6/19/2010
Spare Change
Hollywood Connect Thursday E-mail - June 17, 2010
I’m happy to announce that we’ve got a pretty big change coming to Hollywood Connect in just a few weeks. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what is about to happen, but… okay, fine, just a hint or two: it’s something good and it’s been in the works for over a year now. We’re pretty excited about it. The countdown starts now.
How’s that for building suspense?
We all have different reactions to change in our lives. Some people, especially you early adopters out there, are enthusiastic about it. For others, however, change represents a departure from the comfortable and thus is to be studiously avoided. But if we really stop and think about it, we have to change in order to grow in any way – artistically, emotionally, relationally, physically, and more. After all, you can’t simultaneously change and remain the same. It would be like trying to go on a long sea voyage with one foot planted firmly on the dock.
Ultimately, change is inevitable (except from vending machines, as a much wiser man than me once observed). Even if you don’t happen to change, change will happen to you, whether you like it or not. That is to say, when you don’t make change for the better in your life with intent and purpose, change will occur by default anyway, and absent the intervening grace of God, with all the pressures of heat and time, such involuntary change will typically point downward.
As such, I don’t think we should change just for the sake of change, because not all change moves us forward. Change is only good when it is purposefully pointed in the right direction.
Even if you aren’t able to change your circumstances at the moment, you can still change yourself and the way you react to your circumstances. Give it some thought: what is the change happening in your life pointed towards? In many ways, that is up to you, both as an artist and as a human being. Life doesn’t have to stay the way it is. There is always room to grow.
You’ll be seeing some of that growth with Hollywood Connect in the next month or so, so keep an eye out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
All my best,
Shun Lee
Director
Hollywood Connect
© 2010. All rights reserved.
You should also follow us on: Twitter: @Shun_Lee
@HwoodConnect
Facebook: Hollywood Connect
I’m happy to announce that we’ve got a pretty big change coming to Hollywood Connect in just a few weeks. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what is about to happen, but… okay, fine, just a hint or two: it’s something good and it’s been in the works for over a year now. We’re pretty excited about it. The countdown starts now.
How’s that for building suspense?
We all have different reactions to change in our lives. Some people, especially you early adopters out there, are enthusiastic about it. For others, however, change represents a departure from the comfortable and thus is to be studiously avoided. But if we really stop and think about it, we have to change in order to grow in any way – artistically, emotionally, relationally, physically, and more. After all, you can’t simultaneously change and remain the same. It would be like trying to go on a long sea voyage with one foot planted firmly on the dock.
Ultimately, change is inevitable (except from vending machines, as a much wiser man than me once observed). Even if you don’t happen to change, change will happen to you, whether you like it or not. That is to say, when you don’t make change for the better in your life with intent and purpose, change will occur by default anyway, and absent the intervening grace of God, with all the pressures of heat and time, such involuntary change will typically point downward.
As such, I don’t think we should change just for the sake of change, because not all change moves us forward. Change is only good when it is purposefully pointed in the right direction.
Even if you aren’t able to change your circumstances at the moment, you can still change yourself and the way you react to your circumstances. Give it some thought: what is the change happening in your life pointed towards? In many ways, that is up to you, both as an artist and as a human being. Life doesn’t have to stay the way it is. There is always room to grow.
You’ll be seeing some of that growth with Hollywood Connect in the next month or so, so keep an eye out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
All my best,
Shun Lee
Director
Hollywood Connect
© 2010. All rights reserved.
You should also follow us on: Twitter: @Shun_Lee
@HwoodConnect
Facebook: Hollywood Connect
6/18/2010
this is good because believers of God must know and put God #1 in our lives, and to come to Him firstly in things; this is something that I learnt a long time ago when I decided to surrender myself to God, you realize that when you take away everything all you have is just u and God; your family can't save you in the afterlife, if u are going to hell your family can't do anything about it and no one can, only God can because only He has the power to save you; nothing can save you in this life or the next but God; God is our Creator and Redeemer, and He is above everything, therefore He needs and wants to be #1 in our lives and in our heart, and everything needs to revolve around God because at the end of the day it does anyway only you might be too closed off from it to see it and someday people will realize, God says that He tolerates no rivals (gods, idols, etc.) it says in the Bible that in the end everyone will bow their knees to God and shall acknowledge Him and praise Him, might as well do it now before it's too late, at the end of the day you're either with God or against Him, i choose to be with Him on His side not the devil's side, not the side of my selfishness of ignoring the reality of God; Joshua in the Bible said "choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord"
6/17/2010
6/15/2010
Even if others don't love you, God always does and He is above all and is the source of love and loves more than anything as His love is perfect. So there is always at least Him that loves you. But, most likely you have others in your life that love you too, even if they don't always show it and even if they have hurt you at times due to their wrong choices. We are called to love each other. "Love God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself (treat people as you would want to be treated)." I heard it once said, "you have to believe in others if you want them to believe in you."
Don't allow yourself to live in sin. Jesus Christ set us free so that we don't have to obey the sinful nature. Although we are not perfect and mess up sometimes, and God always forgives through Jesus, we are not meant to be under the power of sin any longer. "For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin." (Romans 6:7); "And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death." (Romans 8:2); "Christ has freed us so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Therefore, be firm in this freedom, and don’t become slaves again." (Galatians 5:21); "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh (sinful nature) with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit." (Galatians 5:24-25)
6/12/2010
spending quiet time with God; reflecting, discerning, renewing strength; oh if everything was easy, but alas it is not; these are the kind of moments that really push me to the brinking point; if only I just trust Him to work it all out, what is His will in situation, sometimes I really don't know and it makes it harder because then there's confusion on top of an already trying situation where I have to make a decision about something; but I Praise God who always gets me through somehow and promises Romans 8:28 my lean-on verse in life
6/11/2010
In Matthew 4 the account of when Jesus was tested in the wilderness is given. This took place right after Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. And it happened right before Jesus' ministry began. Jesus went into the desert (wilderness) for this purpose. He fasted 40 days and 40 nights and then the devil came to tempt Him. This was all a test for Jesus, and in the end He withstood and stayed faithful to the Father. The Bible teaches us that in the beginning there was Adam and Eve. They were perfect, sinless, and living in Paradise on earth. But, the devil came in and tempted Eve. She gave in and in turn tempted Adam to do the same. They both fell and that is when sin first came to us humans and entered the world. Ever since then we all struggle with it ("for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23). But, God always had a plan for our redemption. The Bible teaches that God gave us Jesus to be our redemption. Jesus became the "new Adam." It was like going through the same thing again, only this time the "new Adam" wasn't going to fall for it. When the devil came in and tempted Him, Jesus didn't fall for it. He remained faithful to God. He was always faithful, and ultimately fulfilled His mission to sacrifice His life for our sake. If Jesus wasn't perfect then He wouldn't be able to be our sacrifice, our redemption that makes it possible for us to receive complete forgiveness and to be put into a right place with God - in other words, "saved."
This is the account in Matthew 4:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took Him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
8 Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only Him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
This is the account in Matthew 4:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took Him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
8 Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only Him.’”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18; "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him." Psalm 33:18; "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry." Psalm 34:15; "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them." Psalm 145:18-19; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8; "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand."Psalm 37:23-24; "Jesus is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them."Hebrews 7:25; "For we do not have a High Priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."Hebrews 4:15;"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you in due time,casting all your care upon Him,for He cares for you."1Peter5:6-7;For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."1 Peter 3:17; "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and such as man can bear]; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13; "Likewise the Holy Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27; "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5
(Jesus said:)
*"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
* Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
* Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
* Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
* Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
* Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
* Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5.3-12)
(Jesus said:) "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14.27)
(Jesus said:) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.'' (John 10.27-30)
(Jesus said:)
*"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
* Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
* Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
* Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
* Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
* Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
* Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5.3-12)
(Jesus said:) "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14.27)
(Jesus said:) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one.'' (John 10.27-30)
6/10/2010
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18; "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him." Psalm 33:18; "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry." Psalm 34:15; "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8; "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand."Psalm 37:23-24; "Jesus is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them."Hebrews 7:25; "For we do not have a High Priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."Hebrews 4:15;"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,that He may exalt you in due time,casting all your care upon Him,for He cares for you."1Peter5:6-7
6/05/2010
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book." Psalm 56:8; "He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken." Isaiah 25:8; "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Revelation 21:4
Sadly, many people that say they are a Christian are not really, they just think they are. They wrongly assume that you are a Christian because your parents or grandparents were, etc. or because you go to church or read the Bible or because you were "christianed" in a church or because you were baptized or something like that. But, that is not what makes you, yourself, a Christian. Those are just aspects of a Christian life, but have nothing to do with your salvation and putting put right with God. What makes you a Christian is that you have received salvation from God (through Jesus) and have therefore been put right with Him, and are following Him. It is about faith for salvation, then good works comes as a result of living out that faith in your life as you follow Jesus. The word "Christian" means to be a believer and follower of Christ. The ancient Romans made up the term "Christian" long ago because they knew that the followers of Jesus called Him the Christ (the Messiah or Anointed One), but the early followers referred to themselves as "followers of the Way." Because Jesus said that He is "The Way, the Truth and the Life." Ever since then believers of Jesus have been called "Christians." This is mentioned in the Book of Acts in the Bible.
6/03/2010
Israel
I love Israel and stand with Israel.
Genesis 12:3: I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.
Zechariah 2:8: Anyone who harms you harms My most precious possession.
Psalm 137:5-6: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let My right hand forget how to play the harp. May My tongue stick to the roof of My mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.
6/02/2010
It amazes and angers and disappoints me that sometimes in western countries a person can be arrested or fined by police or taken to court simply for voicing their beliefs. Has nothing to do with violence or violating a person's privacy, but simply speaking your beliefs out in public. This is insane and an immense violation of rights and freedoms. But, yet it's okay for someone who's not a Christian to speak their beliefs??? Talk about racist and intolerant.
5/31/2010
One Night With The King (2006 movie)
A sweeping epic about Hadassah, the young Jewish orphan who becomes the biblical Esther, Queen of Persia.
5/30/2010
Trials & Faith
1 Peter 1:6-7
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Some trials come to our life because God has brought them. He has brought certain problems to your life, not because he hates you but because he loves you and as His child He is trying you in order to purify you, make you better. Sometimes it's because He's trying to make you see something that you didn't see. There is a lot that can come through a trial in your life. My pastor explained it like this: when you have problems in your life it can make you sin more, certain things come up in your life and that is what happens when your faith is test like fire. The impurities come to the surface, but then God wipes it away. It is a great illustration for me and even though I already basically knew about trials and God bringing certain trials to our lives and that these things only last for a season; it was just the way that my pastor explained it like that it made me feel like more insight into it. I have personally been going through a lot of problems/trials in my life and sometimes I feel like "when's it going to end?" or "why me" or "did I do something wrong, am I making my life like this?" and I get really confused sometimes and don't know what to do or how to look at it. I just keep trying to lean on God and continue to trust in Him despite whatever's going on in my life. Since He is my #1 and because He is completely loving and trustworthy, then I know that I can trust that no matter what happens in my life God is in control and He is here with me, not letting me out of His sight. He hasn't forgotten about me. He's right here. And I've heard it more than once before that it's often when God is "being quiet or silent" with us that He is actually the closest to us.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Some trials come to our life because God has brought them. He has brought certain problems to your life, not because he hates you but because he loves you and as His child He is trying you in order to purify you, make you better. Sometimes it's because He's trying to make you see something that you didn't see. There is a lot that can come through a trial in your life. My pastor explained it like this: when you have problems in your life it can make you sin more, certain things come up in your life and that is what happens when your faith is test like fire. The impurities come to the surface, but then God wipes it away. It is a great illustration for me and even though I already basically knew about trials and God bringing certain trials to our lives and that these things only last for a season; it was just the way that my pastor explained it like that it made me feel like more insight into it. I have personally been going through a lot of problems/trials in my life and sometimes I feel like "when's it going to end?" or "why me" or "did I do something wrong, am I making my life like this?" and I get really confused sometimes and don't know what to do or how to look at it. I just keep trying to lean on God and continue to trust in Him despite whatever's going on in my life. Since He is my #1 and because He is completely loving and trustworthy, then I know that I can trust that no matter what happens in my life God is in control and He is here with me, not letting me out of His sight. He hasn't forgotten about me. He's right here. And I've heard it more than once before that it's often when God is "being quiet or silent" with us that He is actually the closest to us.
Mainstream Acts Head Upstream
By Andy Argyrakis, senior music editor, gmclife.com
The changing dichotomy of today’s music industry finds a number of spiritually minded artists resonating with a growing fan base. Now that we’re a decade or two removed from Amy Grant conquering the pop charts, P.O.D. ruling MTV’s “Total Request Live” or Sixpence None the Richer sharing their faith on the late night talk show circuit, today’s climate is also marked by Christian press embracing mainstream acts, as much as the other way around, creating a phenomenon we’ll call “reverse crossover.”
Enter Collin Raye, the country mega-star with an astounding 15 chart-topping tunes and 24 consecutive tracks to hit the top ten (a rarely rivaled status shared only with Alabama and George Strait). The longtime Sony artist has since signed with Time Life for his latest CD Never Going Back and continues dominating the mainstream side of the dial, with spiritual stations also taking notice now that the lifelong believer is “upping the uplifting ante.”
“I’d always wanted to have a full-on Christian album because that’s where my heart and musical soul has been for quite a few years now,” relates Raye of the natural transition. “For some reason, prior to this record, every time I would attempt to make a Christian album, the ‘powers that be’ would always pull me back to the genre where I’d had so much success before. This project with Time Life was perfect for me because they basically gave me the green light to make whatever kind of record I wanted.”
Though Raye keeps performing concerts on the country circuit and maintains strong musical ties to the style, his foray into Christian music was also met with some curious observations about both scenes.
“I don’t think I’m being naive when I say that from what I know of the Christian market, everyone from Christian radio to each listener chooses the songs they like based on how good it is and what the song actually says and how much the singer ‘speaks’ to them, so to speak,” continues Raye. “By contrast, the country music market, for quite a few years now, has been going through an identity crisis, and the market itself seems to be content in just forcing whatever the labels seem ‘sellable’ down the listener’s throat under the premise that if you play it often enough, someone’s bound to like it.”
Even with their differences, the multi-million selling hit-maker feels many fans have always listened to country and Christian music simultaneously. And if Raye has his way when it comes to the acceptance of Never Going Back, he’ll be able to hang onto his original audience, while welcoming new listeners.
“I believe that a lot of my audience has already been listening to Christian music,” he suggests. “I don’t feel that the music actually changed very much – only in the label that’s put on it. I’ve always felt that the majority of my audience are believers and would expect a record like this from me. Obviously by putting out a mainstream Christian album, the hope would be to attract new listeners from that format. It is my fondest hope that the Christian market in general has already or will embrace me as one of their own.”
Next: Understanding Owl City
Very few one-man bands ever make it out of the basement, but thanks to some heavy duty social networking (resulting in 16 million profile views and over 80 million plays), Owl City went from a homespun affair to an international phenomenon.
Singer/songwriter/keyboard player/programmer Adam Young was literally living at his parents’ house in Owatonna, Minnesota one night and on a tour bus the next, complete with a Universal Republic record deal and an impressive debut on the Billboard Top 200 for last year’s Ocean Eyes, thanks to the disc’s chart-topping single “Fireflies.” Even amidst all the accolades, the leader is fearless when it comes to talking about his faith whenever asked, though there’s also plenty of evidence in his songwriting.
“I recognize the value of faith and morality and I acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ over mankind, and thus, choose to follow Him wholeheartedly,” assures Young. “I fully believe that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man goes unto the Father but by Him. I believe that Jesus Christ made the way to God for us by His death on the cross and that He purchased our salvation by the shedding of His blood and His death and resurrection made a new and everlasting covenant between God and humanity. I believe that the way to God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Intellectual acceptance of Christ is not enough. You must come to Him determined to turn from what displeases Him with a total trust in His saving power. That’s why I write music. That’s what Owl City is about.”
Blessid Union is back
To dedicated Blessid Union of Souls fans, the band’s spiritual allusions throughout its chart-topping days are no surprise. Hits like “I Believe,” “I Wanna Be There,” “Light In Your Eyes” and “Let Me Be the One” all incorporated subtle (and sometimes overt) inspirational references, even as the band became MTV staples for the monster hit “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)” and toured alongside Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel and Vertical Horizon.
“To me personally, it’s not really a stretch in the sense of where I am personally with my faith and especially because the band is working on a Christian record as a whole right now,” ponders frontman Eliot Sloan of the group’s reverse crossover goals. “It’s exciting for us because it’s something that’s been in us as individuals and now as a group. I try not to over-think it and just put in it God’s hands. I think it’s dangerous to over-analyze, but I don’t worry about it because we’re doing what’s in our hearts, and wherever that takes us, that’s where we’re gonna go.”
The changing dichotomy of today’s music industry finds a number of spiritually minded artists resonating with a growing fan base. Now that we’re a decade or two removed from Amy Grant conquering the pop charts, P.O.D. ruling MTV’s “Total Request Live” or Sixpence None the Richer sharing their faith on the late night talk show circuit, today’s climate is also marked by Christian press embracing mainstream acts, as much as the other way around, creating a phenomenon we’ll call “reverse crossover.”
Enter Collin Raye, the country mega-star with an astounding 15 chart-topping tunes and 24 consecutive tracks to hit the top ten (a rarely rivaled status shared only with Alabama and George Strait). The longtime Sony artist has since signed with Time Life for his latest CD Never Going Back and continues dominating the mainstream side of the dial, with spiritual stations also taking notice now that the lifelong believer is “upping the uplifting ante.”
“I’d always wanted to have a full-on Christian album because that’s where my heart and musical soul has been for quite a few years now,” relates Raye of the natural transition. “For some reason, prior to this record, every time I would attempt to make a Christian album, the ‘powers that be’ would always pull me back to the genre where I’d had so much success before. This project with Time Life was perfect for me because they basically gave me the green light to make whatever kind of record I wanted.”
Though Raye keeps performing concerts on the country circuit and maintains strong musical ties to the style, his foray into Christian music was also met with some curious observations about both scenes.
“I don’t think I’m being naive when I say that from what I know of the Christian market, everyone from Christian radio to each listener chooses the songs they like based on how good it is and what the song actually says and how much the singer ‘speaks’ to them, so to speak,” continues Raye. “By contrast, the country music market, for quite a few years now, has been going through an identity crisis, and the market itself seems to be content in just forcing whatever the labels seem ‘sellable’ down the listener’s throat under the premise that if you play it often enough, someone’s bound to like it.”
Even with their differences, the multi-million selling hit-maker feels many fans have always listened to country and Christian music simultaneously. And if Raye has his way when it comes to the acceptance of Never Going Back, he’ll be able to hang onto his original audience, while welcoming new listeners.
“I believe that a lot of my audience has already been listening to Christian music,” he suggests. “I don’t feel that the music actually changed very much – only in the label that’s put on it. I’ve always felt that the majority of my audience are believers and would expect a record like this from me. Obviously by putting out a mainstream Christian album, the hope would be to attract new listeners from that format. It is my fondest hope that the Christian market in general has already or will embrace me as one of their own.”
Next: Understanding Owl City
Very few one-man bands ever make it out of the basement, but thanks to some heavy duty social networking (resulting in 16 million profile views and over 80 million plays), Owl City went from a homespun affair to an international phenomenon.
Singer/songwriter/keyboard player/programmer Adam Young was literally living at his parents’ house in Owatonna, Minnesota one night and on a tour bus the next, complete with a Universal Republic record deal and an impressive debut on the Billboard Top 200 for last year’s Ocean Eyes, thanks to the disc’s chart-topping single “Fireflies.” Even amidst all the accolades, the leader is fearless when it comes to talking about his faith whenever asked, though there’s also plenty of evidence in his songwriting.
“I recognize the value of faith and morality and I acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ over mankind, and thus, choose to follow Him wholeheartedly,” assures Young. “I fully believe that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man goes unto the Father but by Him. I believe that Jesus Christ made the way to God for us by His death on the cross and that He purchased our salvation by the shedding of His blood and His death and resurrection made a new and everlasting covenant between God and humanity. I believe that the way to God is through personal faith in Jesus Christ. Intellectual acceptance of Christ is not enough. You must come to Him determined to turn from what displeases Him with a total trust in His saving power. That’s why I write music. That’s what Owl City is about.”
Blessid Union is back
To dedicated Blessid Union of Souls fans, the band’s spiritual allusions throughout its chart-topping days are no surprise. Hits like “I Believe,” “I Wanna Be There,” “Light In Your Eyes” and “Let Me Be the One” all incorporated subtle (and sometimes overt) inspirational references, even as the band became MTV staples for the monster hit “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)” and toured alongside Bon Jovi, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel and Vertical Horizon.
“To me personally, it’s not really a stretch in the sense of where I am personally with my faith and especially because the band is working on a Christian record as a whole right now,” ponders frontman Eliot Sloan of the group’s reverse crossover goals. “It’s exciting for us because it’s something that’s been in us as individuals and now as a group. I try not to over-think it and just put in it God’s hands. I think it’s dangerous to over-analyze, but I don’t worry about it because we’re doing what’s in our hearts, and wherever that takes us, that’s where we’re gonna go.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)