Time

There's this saying.
Everyone has the same amount of time. It just depends on what every single one makes out of it.


I admit. Sometimes I am wasting my time.


But something really bothers me and every time I overhear or spot it, it makes my heart ache. Maybe it is "holier-than-thou", arrogant, fundamentalist?


I can't help it: people who are reading books/watching movies that glorify witchcraft like "Harry Potter" are not only wasting their God given time, they worship God's enemy.


Take some time to think about it...

Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? (...) Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:
"I'll live in them, move into them; I'll be their God and they'll be my people. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good," says God.
"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."

2 Cor. 6:15ff

post scriptum:
Jim encouraged me to add verse 14: Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war.and - as this was The Message translation - I will add a probably more familiar one: 

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

coincidence?

Quite a while ago, at least two years, a dear friend shared a short clip that showed her and some others singing a song a capella in a church. I loved it! I am not very familiar with contemporary Christian music - I do know "the Christian songs of old" much better -  so I didn't recognize it. Beside this, I was so "into" that song, that I forgot to ask my friend what kind of song it was.
Last year another friend showed me a totally different far-away-from-church song but a special part of the tune reminded me of that first said song.

Yesterday evening I played with my smart phone and the "tune-in" app that comes with all kinds of radio stations, local and internet and I clicked the category "religious" and picked one station without thinking about it. It was WGTS 91.9 FM. I listened to it all evening and started it right away when I got up this morning.

While I was taking a shower I couldn't hear the sound of the music that was still playing in my bedroom and so, suddenly this very tune that I had almost forgotten came back to my mind. I also remembered 3 words of what I thought must be the chorus.
When I got back to my room, the music was still on and I thought, well, this tune sounds familiar! I checked the RDS and exactly those 3 words I just had remembered were on there. VOICE OF TRUTH... if I had known it was from "Casting Crowns"...  I still can't believe, that it was playing on an internet radio station from the US right when I remembered it after such a long time!

I searched for it in youtube and found it - and reading the lyrics it was just getting better because it describes exactly how I felt during the last weeks!



Checking the song out more and more I realized that it is also soundtrack to one of my favorite movies, "Facing the Giants".

I love that song!!! With my Lord, I can face the giants and I don't care anymore if they are laughing back at me or not... for His Glory!

attacked!

9 days ago there was a huge attack placed against my thought life, my emotions and my body. I wish I have had the chance to see this video sooner but I am glad that I was not totally beaten during this attack but the situation "helped" to rise that feeling in me that AT ALL COSTS, I want to fight the sin! May I never forget... please take one hour out of the 24 hours that God gave you today and watch the movie. It will certainly save your life.


Eric Ludy - The 38th Parallel from Ellerslie Mission Society on Vimeo.

Martin

Yesterday evening, when I noted down some catchwords in my new Bible Diary, I wrote down 5 names of people I especially want to pray for. One person's name I didn't write down but I had thought of him recently. Every time his name comes to my mind, I also pray for him. It's Martin.

Martin turned 40 years in 2009 (I think) and although he grew up in a let's call it good Christian family as an only child he became a criminal and ended up in prison. I think it was 2 years before he was set free that he had an encounter with Christ and started to read the Bible. He thought his life had changed when he got out of prison in 2008 (or end of 2007, I don't know the exact time) and he also got baptized later. In summer 2010 - he was living in a christian community that time - something happened that made him almost attack a brother in Christ seriously with a sledge. Long story short, he moved out there and during summer last year I just heard about him he had fallen back into his old criminal-ish behavior.

Last Fall (I don't remember if it was October or November) his name came to my mind and I prayed for him. I don't remember if it was the exact night after I prayed or the following, that he called (I think it was 3-ish) to yammer how bad his life is and how bad and unfair people, especially all the Christians, treated him. I offered to have him over so we could go to church the following weekend and he agreed, but I never heard back from him. After 2 weeks I tried to call him several times but he never picked up his phone.

This morning, 2 o'clock, he called again. Same story. He said about himself he is an arrogant a*hole, but it was his character to be like that and nobody would treat him right, especially when he thinks about Acts chapter 2, all the Christians back then shared everything but all the Christians he knows are rich and would never help him and above all, this stupid Eve ate that fruit and caused all the problems in the world and he never wanted to be like that and that's why he actually never had a chance.

Although I am somehow amazed that he called again after I had prayed for him, I have no idea what to do and I need prayer warriors to join me!
At the end of the "conversation" this morning at almost 4.30 a.m, I asked him what I had to expect now, if he would want to come or call again and he said, he doesn't know. Then I asked him not to call again in the middle of the night. Today is Sunday so I can get over the lack of sleep somehow but the first time he called last year was a Thursday night, I think, and of course I had to work that day...

Seek More of God for Himself alone

I struggled with many questions during the last weeks and it almost drove me crazy. Yesterday evening when we met with our "Tuesday-Night-Bible-Team" I kinda freaked out when we came to discuss that God only listens to serious prayer and I said, how much more "serious" do I have to be I already feel like it's killing me! - and then I read this today:

Or despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth the to repentance? Romans 2:4

Why should a man write and distribute a tract instructing us on "How to Pray So God Will Send You the Money You Need"?
Any of us who have experienced a life and ministry of faith can tell how the Lord met our needs. Surely we believe that God can send money to His believing children - but it becomes a pretty cheap thing to get excited about the money and fail to give the glory to Him who is the Giver!
So, many are busy "using" God. Use God to get a job! Use God to give us safety! Use God to give us peace of mind! Use God to obtain success in business! Use God to provide heaven at last!
Brethren, we ought to learn - and learn it very soon - that it is much better to have God first and have God Himself even if we have only a thin dime than to have all the riches and all the influence in the world and not have God with it!
Jon Wesley believed that men ought to seek God alone because He is love. I think in our day we are in need of such an admonition as:"Seek more of God, and seek Him for Himself alone!"
If we become serious-minded about this, we would soon discover that all of the gifts of God come along with the knowledge and the presence of God Himself.

from "Renewed Day By Day" by A. W. Tozer
 ----
Lord, thank you for putting me back on track. Show me how to really find EVERYTHING only in YOU.

the enemy is doing a great job

there are so many thoughts cruising my brain and I don't know if I will be able to put the feelings that I have about it into correct words but I try.

basically it starts with the question: why am I one of the few who are privileged to be able to understand the concept of life? O yes, I know, to say something like that in our post modern world, it is arrogant and probably will be soon declared discriminatory because I say there is no other way to see the whole thing.
Well, of course you can see it differently. In these days everything is allowed, you can define your world the way you want to see it and do whatever you want as long as "it makes you happy" and no one else is harmed or at least not so much harmed.

Fact is, I had so many conversations with people recently, who are proud of being "modern" and able to do things the way "it makes them happy" no matter what and they fight for their right to be happy. Although in todays world you don't have to fight so much for what they are standing for, because today, it is cool for example to be homosexual. (but if someone dares to say homosexuality is not normal it is - again - discriminatory.) So why are they still - sometimes aggressivley - proclaiming their rights? They are already doing "what makes them happy", but you can almost smell it: deep inside they are not. I could list a lot more things like "take whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy" or "sleep with whoever you want if it makes you happy" or "leave me alone, I am having a nervous breakdown" when they realize this "happy feeling" didn't last. That's why I sum those "happy-makers" up by calling it sin.

WHAT??? don't you dare! sin is UNCOOL. And of course it is a religious invention/concept/fiction. Religion was always used to make you feel bad and guilty about things you have a right to do. It cuts down your self.

But why are those who live out their needs so extremely unhappy and distressed when you look underneath their happy surface?
And why do only a few realize, that as soon that they admit they are lost and (yes I dare to say it) sinners, something changes, the healing begins and the real happiness moves in? A happiness that is not dependent on the outer circumstances?

The enemy said to Eve, hey, eat that fruit because it is so beautiful to look at and so sweet; it will make you happy and you will be as wise as God. Eve did and she lost paradise.
And the enemy is still doing a great job.
A whole generation today is eating the fruit because it's so beautiful to look at and so sweet to eat. And they think they are as wise as God. [Excuse me? God?? What God? I am God!]
And they lost paradise.
Why are there only so few who can see the connection?
It breaks my heart - especially when I talk to those who I love. They reject the only thing that would make them happy, from deep inside, everlasting.

heartache of a different kind

If I only could some of my friends make realize that this "God thing" is not about religion and rules but about the Creator of the universe who loves us beyond understanding and desires so much that we love Him in return.

It breaks my heart to see some friends struggling with life to fill the void in their lifes by finding the right identity, or the right partner, the right job, the right house to live in or whatever. If they just could understand that this void is "God-created" and can only be filled by Him. Every other things (or person) we try to fill that void with might satisfy us for a moment, but it will never last and at the end of the day we are still standing there - alone.

And although it is actually easy to find God, it costs something - at least the understanding, that we really need Him, which is always kind of humiliating. It also costs time and some kind of energy. It is like searching for a treasure on a Treasure Island - if we would go there, we had to do a lot of preparation: Find a boat, a crew, supplies, have the right map - plus, there might be pirates who want to hinder us to get there.

But - as I also sometimes say - you have to dig deep and hard if you want to find diamonds. (This analogy fits in this case as well as for any aspect in our lifes.) And if we are willing to pay the costs, we will find something of prime importance, something that (or better somebody who) is brilliantly shining so that our life finally makes a complete sense.

(Spring ESR 2010 in a nutshell)

church, where are you?

Today a week ago I started to prepare the lesson for tonight's bible class. We started a new series about the letters to the churches in the first chapters of Revelation and today was the first one, the letter to Ephesus.
During the last week by preparing it, I realized it is a really serious, I mean a deadly serious topic.
Jesus tells them, I know, you are good guys. You are patient (greek: cheerful endurance, constancy) and you work a lot for me. But you don't love me anymore as it was in the beginning (greek: when I was the number one in your life and everything you did was to please me and not the world). Repent (greek: think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider [morally, feel compunction]) and do the first works (= let me be your number one again with your WHOLE heart and your whole being) otherwise I will move your candlestick from its place - sweep you off - execpt thou repent. Note: the "repent" is mentioned twice. This message is not only for the churches, it is valid for each of us personally today.

When I was studying and praying about that whole stuff last week I recieved a "commercial" from tangle and there I found the following video. This guy puts it better than I can say it.



I tried to present the topic tonight but it seems anybody understood how serious this is. They know the right answers but I am missing the action.

One thing that cheered me up a little bit when I came home was an email from Sheritha. I had sent her the link to this above video without a comment. And she immediately draw the connection to the churches in Revelation. At least somebody grabbed the message and, what I like even more, the holy spirit has revealed it to her.

Heaven's jubilant

After a long time of praying, waiting and crying my sister is now my real sister, she got baptized last Monday! I am still overwhelmed. Finally all she knows about christianity (and she know a lot, believe me, our mom is a great teacher) she is starting to put things into action. She's like a skyrocket!
As many countries and an ocean are seperating us, I asked her today if she would be interested in sharing our bible readings on a blog and here it is: 2 sisters and 1 bible (it is still under construction, though)
If you like that and maybe want to be one of our sisters as well, let us know and we will authorize you to be a contributor.

Halloween

Dear friend, I want to thank you for thinking of me when you sent out the Halloween greeting cards, I received mine yesterday. I know you had a good intent but I wonder, if you ever thougth about Halloween. I know it is normal to "celebrate" Halloween in the US but what the world does and/or think is normal is not always good for us, who want to serve the living God. [All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Cor. 10:23]

I also know that the origin of Halloween is controversial, some say the celtic druids chose a family who had to give a child to be sacrificed as a burnt offering (treat) otherwise they would burn down their house (trick) others just say the dead are honored or it's a kind of a harvest festival. I think it doesn't matter what the origin is, if you look at the outcome. It is a day/night, when people want to look like skeletons, zombies and other undead. They can turn to be witches, wizards and any kind of a creature that you will never find in heaven, everything is like a madhouse. Plus, people think they are are 'allowed' to play tricks, which in Germany sometimes ends up in scratched cars, ruined front gardens and smeared walls.
I do not want to be a part of that. As well as Paul said "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2) My heart is breaking to see people celebrate witchcraft and death while Jesus had to suffer beyond understanding to overcome all of that.

I hope you won't be too offended, but please put me off the list for next year to get a card like that. I want to follow up Phil. 4:8 (Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.) and do not want to think about who I can trust or not... Yes, we live in the world; but we are not supposed to live like the world.
Thank you so much for your understanding, may the glory and honor be to Him, who is light and not scary darkness.

Love, Tina

Made to love you - TobyMac

Toby Mac Made To Love Lyrics

Bible in 90 Days

Last week I told Damaris that another dear friend, Frances, gave me a OneYearBible as a "Thanksgiving-gift" last year. I started immediately to read it because I had tried to read the entire Bible before but I always "failed".
Three days ago Damaris told me, she found another website biblein90days. She started to like that concept and created a blog, so that whoever knows german and is interested can join us (or the project). So we don't need to meet "physically" every week to encourage each other - our bible group is only one click away.
Isn't that a cool idea?

Hope we will find many who are interested! You can visit/join us at Bibel in 90 Tagen.

definition of me

Everybody's got an opinion
Of what they want me to be
Everybody's got a condition
That I may never meet
So tired of looking in the mirror
‘Cause it always says the same thing
I want to be about something different
Something more than the mirror can see
Like joy, peace
Alive in me
When it comes to my identity
I want the love
I want the light
I want the beauty
On the inside
I want the one that you can't see
To be the definition of me
More than the face
More than the girl
More than the voice
More than the world
I want the truth that I believe
To be the definition of me
Pretty is cool for a minute
But it will always fade away
Trends are hot for a second
But they'll be gone the very next day
So before you get lost in the moment
Let’s get one thing clear
Only love will last forever
That's the reason that we're here
It's up to you ‘cause everybody's looking
Who do you want them to see?
I want Your love to be
The very heart of me
Jesus, I want You to be
Living inside of me
Lyrics of “Definition of Me” sung by Mandisa
Amanda, I didn’t know about Mandisa until I got a newsletter from tangle announcing her new CD “Freedom” a couple days ago. I’ve got 3 favorite songs from it and this is one of them. If you want, send me an email (see my profile), I’ve got something for you :-)

… to be better Christians…

Once in a while I heard people pray the phrase “that we can become better Christians”. Is it just that my German ears hear that sounding “holier-than-thou”? I am sure those people don’t want to be or sound arrogant, but for me this assertion is suggestive of different categories of Christians or rather different kinds of categories of people generally. For example

• bad people/sinner/non-Christians
• just some kind of Christians
• good Christians
• better Christians

Even if that phrase never had that meaning – can we become “better” Christians at all? What do you think? I’ve thought about this question for a couple of weeks and I’ve come to a personal conclusion. I’d really love to know your idea about that (no matter if you are Christian or not) and will come back later to make my statement.

sunday sermon # 1

UNTANGLING LIFE'S KNOTS

by Max Lucado

It’s your best friend’s wedding. “I’ll take care of the reception,” you’d volunteered. You planned the best party possible. You hired the band, rented the hall, catered the meal, decorated the room, and asked your Aunt Bertha to bake the cake.

Now the band is playing and the guests are milling, but Aunt Bertha is nowhere to be seen. Everything is here but the cake. You sneak over to the pay phone and dial her number. She’s been taking a nap. She thought the wedding was next week. Oh boy! Now what do you do? Talk about a problem! Everything is here but the cake …
Sound familiar?

It might. It’s exactly the dilemma Jesus’ mother, Mary, was facing. Back then, wine was to a wedding what cake is to a wedding today.
What Mary faced was a social problem. No need to call 911, but no way to sweep the embarrassment under the rug, either.
When you think about it, most of the problems we face are of the same caliber. We’re late for a meeting. We leave something at the office. A coworker forgets a report. Mail gets lost. Traffic gets snarled. The waves rocking our lives are not life threatening yet. But they can be. A poor response to a simple problem can light a fuse.
For that reason you might want to note how Mary reacted. Her solution poses a practical plan for untangling life’s knots. “They have no more wine,” she told Jesus (John 2:3). That’s it. That’s all she said. She didn’t go ballistic. She simply assessed the problem and gave it to Christ.
It’s so easy to focus on everything but the solution. Mary didn’t do that. She simply looked at the knot, assessed it, and took it to the right person. “I’ve got one here I can’t untie, Jesus.”
“When all the wine was gone Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine’” (John 2:3).
Please note, she took the problem to Jesus before she took it to anyone else. A friend told me about a tense deacons’ meeting he attended. Apparently there was more agitation than agreement, and after a lengthy discussion, someone suggested, “Why don’t we pray about it?” to which another questioned, “Has it come to that?”
What causes us to think of prayer as the last option rather than the first?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I got this "email devotional" from a dear friend of mine and just thought it would be good to share!

My BibleBlog

After preparing it for a while I am almost finished with my new bible blog and happy to start it tomorrow.

So if you want to read the bible with me online come and join at

Tina's Bible Blog

A Prayer For You

Today when I said a prayer

I asked the Lord above

To keep you safely in His care

and enfold you in His love.

I did not ask for fortune,

for riches or for fame,

I only asked for blessings

in the Holy Saviour's name -

Blessings to surround you

in times of trial and stress

And inner joy to fill your heart

with peace and happiness.

(Helen Steiner Rice)

The U in Jesus

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you'll see it's true,
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?

The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

"Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U."

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?

It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know, but it all starts with U.

At Wit's End

At their wit's end, they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out" (Ps.107:27, 28).

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner",
Christian, with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember - at "Wit's End Corner"
Is just where God's power is shown.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner",
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain,
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy, and dazed, and numb?
Remember - at "Wit's End Corner"
Is where Jesus loves to come.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner"?
Your work before you spread,
All lying begun, unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember - at "Wit's End Corner"
The Burden-bearer stands.

Are you standing at "Wit's End Corner"?
Then you're just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who faileth not:
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at "Wit's End Corner"
Is the "God who is able" proved.