Now Faith Is…
There are times when faith is all we have left to stand on. Times, when life’s challenges appear to be more than our fair share. So we stay focused on the prize and keep pressing forward, while conquering obstacles along the way.
We look forward to your comments on faith and inspiration, share with us what God has done for you today!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A new insight "Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor , care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
NOW ... PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor , care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
NOW ... PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
Time to Fly Foundation
For National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
You are cordially invited to the
6th Annual Fallfest Gala
“A Season For Change!”
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2007
Time: 7pm to 10:30pm
Where: Grace Covenant Church/ Conference Center
4600 Brookfield Corporate Drive
Chantilly, VA 20151
Why? Help restore families from the pain of domestic abuse!
National Guest Speaker: Denise Brown…
Chair of The Board, Nicole Brown Foundation
Mistress of Ceremony; Angela Starke, WJLA Newcaster
Gala Chairperson: Diane Sill
Includes a lively evening of Jazz music, silent auction, delicious food and meeting others that are passionate to see the family unit changed.
Domestic abuse does NOT discriminate! Help us raise general operating funds to break the cycle in MORE families and resources to secure the Liberty House Holistic Training Center.
Time To Fly Foundation
Time to Fly a grassroots faith-based organization shares with us several testimonials of God's healing and restoration in the lives of formerly abused women— Be encouraged, there is hope!
MY TTF TESTIMONY
By Glennda Smith
Where do I begin? I suppose from the beginning would be best.
I grew up attending church and was already a believer and follower of Christ when I heard of the Time to Fly Foundation. I was attending a women’s Christian conference when I browsed the program and found a “class” that was not on the original class list; this only made me wonder what this “Time to Fly” was all about? At lunch one day during this 3 day conference, I sat next to a woman that I became connected with. She later shared with me what Time to Fly was and that it was an excellent program for women who had experienced domestic abuse. She recommended that I check it out. I was still unsure about it but when I perused the hallway of classes I was drawn to attending the workshop anyway. It was during this workshop where I realized that it was the Holy Spirit that led me to it and for good reason.
Let me take you back in time even further. I had been involved in a 10-year abusive relationship with my high school boyfriend. At first it only happened a few times but over the course of the next year it occurred more and more frequently and he became very controlling, to the point that I needed his permission to eat lunch with my friends (I was only 18 at this time, a senior in high school). I became further entangled in the web of lies and deceit and ended up moving in with him, sure that I was in love. The fights became so regular that I remember, at only age 19 or 20, coming home from work one evening feeling so down on life wondering “what are we going to fight about tonight?” My self-esteem had hit an all-time low; I no longer viewed myself as the smart, energetic, fun person my family and friends had known me to be. Heck, I was a cheerleader in high school; what cheerleader isn’t energetic? Instead, I saw myself as stupid, unable to make quality decisions, and dependent on him to carry me through life. I was led to believe that, after all the sexual mistakes I had made in life, that nobody else out there would love a person like me. That nobody would love me like he “loved” me. FULL FEATURE
Time to Fly a grassroots faith-based organization shares with us several testimonials of God's healing and restoration in the lives of formerly abused women— Be encouraged, there is hope!
MY TTF TESTIMONY
By Glennda Smith
Where do I begin? I suppose from the beginning would be best.
I grew up attending church and was already a believer and follower of Christ when I heard of the Time to Fly Foundation. I was attending a women’s Christian conference when I browsed the program and found a “class” that was not on the original class list; this only made me wonder what this “Time to Fly” was all about? At lunch one day during this 3 day conference, I sat next to a woman that I became connected with. She later shared with me what Time to Fly was and that it was an excellent program for women who had experienced domestic abuse. She recommended that I check it out. I was still unsure about it but when I perused the hallway of classes I was drawn to attending the workshop anyway. It was during this workshop where I realized that it was the Holy Spirit that led me to it and for good reason.
Let me take you back in time even further. I had been involved in a 10-year abusive relationship with my high school boyfriend. At first it only happened a few times but over the course of the next year it occurred more and more frequently and he became very controlling, to the point that I needed his permission to eat lunch with my friends (I was only 18 at this time, a senior in high school). I became further entangled in the web of lies and deceit and ended up moving in with him, sure that I was in love. The fights became so regular that I remember, at only age 19 or 20, coming home from work one evening feeling so down on life wondering “what are we going to fight about tonight?” My self-esteem had hit an all-time low; I no longer viewed myself as the smart, energetic, fun person my family and friends had known me to be. Heck, I was a cheerleader in high school; what cheerleader isn’t energetic? Instead, I saw myself as stupid, unable to make quality decisions, and dependent on him to carry me through life. I was led to believe that, after all the sexual mistakes I had made in life, that nobody else out there would love a person like me. That nobody would love me like he “loved” me. FULL FEATURE
Finding Her Voice
By Jenny S.
She had lost her voice at a young age because her childhood home was filled with too much shouting for her to discover it. As she married, the volatile union convinced her that any sound she might find was worthless in the eyes of others.
Jenny was born with the gift of an impacting voice, but for over thirty-three years, no one knew it because all she could dare to utter was a silent scream. Violence had initially silenced her but fear kept her mute. She had much to share but could not get passed the demons that held her in bondage to silence…
I shuttled into my first Time to Fly meeting like a bird-caged in mid-flight. My mind longed to tap into the untold gifts that I knew were buried within me if I could but simply unleash them and set them free. What I could become was inside of me, I had enough faith to believe that, but my heart had remained silent for so long that I had lost any hope that freedom might be possible for me.
Soaring through class, I integrated Biblical truths into my daily life, mind, and practice, and set my feet upon a good course. I thought myself to be fully healed on graduation day as the circumstances of my life were in good order and all around me. I was working the program and life was good.
But my healing had just begun, for on that last day, my teacher saw the next step that I must take, a step of finding my voice in a meeting with the Pastor of our city’s largest NextGen ministry. Rather than visiting the Pastor herself my teacher encouraged me to, “Go and tell.” So I did. She was the first person to trust my voice. FULL FEATURE
By Jenny S.
She had lost her voice at a young age because her childhood home was filled with too much shouting for her to discover it. As she married, the volatile union convinced her that any sound she might find was worthless in the eyes of others.
Jenny was born with the gift of an impacting voice, but for over thirty-three years, no one knew it because all she could dare to utter was a silent scream. Violence had initially silenced her but fear kept her mute. She had much to share but could not get passed the demons that held her in bondage to silence…
I shuttled into my first Time to Fly meeting like a bird-caged in mid-flight. My mind longed to tap into the untold gifts that I knew were buried within me if I could but simply unleash them and set them free. What I could become was inside of me, I had enough faith to believe that, but my heart had remained silent for so long that I had lost any hope that freedom might be possible for me.
Soaring through class, I integrated Biblical truths into my daily life, mind, and practice, and set my feet upon a good course. I thought myself to be fully healed on graduation day as the circumstances of my life were in good order and all around me. I was working the program and life was good.
But my healing had just begun, for on that last day, my teacher saw the next step that I must take, a step of finding my voice in a meeting with the Pastor of our city’s largest NextGen ministry. Rather than visiting the Pastor herself my teacher encouraged me to, “Go and tell.” So I did. She was the first person to trust my voice. FULL FEATURE
Friday, August 17, 2007
Coffee and Hot Buttered Biscuits
Two miles back down the road I smelled the freshly brewed coffee. The drive-through window lady always knew to put in three extra sugars and four creams. I could almost taste the hot buttered biscuits . . . At the entrance of the restaurant the traffic was behaving, so I pulled into the lot and wondered why it was not packed. I reasoned that the damp, dreary morning was still early and, after all, it was only Monday.
I maximized the moments by applying fresh mascara. Between the dark strokes I noticed there were only two cars in line, and in front of me was a stalled car. Just what I needed, I murmured. I had only minutes to arrive at Turner field. Unexpectedly, an anxious, nervous stranger hurried out of the stalled car toward me. She was in tears. Apologetically the stranger asked me to drive around her car. Observing her helpless situation I felt a great deal of compassion. But who was I? I certainly was no mechanic, besides I was now late for sure. The baseball parking lot would be filled by the time I would arrive. I hoped that I wouldn’t bump into Mr. Turner in the elevator.
But it seemed that God was directing me in a very strange way. The radio blasted my favorite song but I turned it off. Being a Christian for several years taught me to pray and listen to God in difficult circumstances. Suddenly, I felt impressed to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Stranger. I felt a little unsure, but I asked her if she would like me to pray for her car to start. She quickly agreed. Wow that felt good. She gave her heart to Jesus right there in the drive-through on that damp, dreary Monday. Soon afterward, she began to weep with joy and then speak with a new confidence. She bravely turned and asked someone to help push the car out of the drive-through line.
Before leaving, I gave her assistance to help with the much needed car repairs. Later that day she called to thank me for everything. She was bubbling over with excitement. She also said “several people had hurried around her that morning,” but no one had stopped to offer help. We gave God the glory for all that he did. Enthusiastically I shared scriptures from the bible with her (Romans 9:10) and (Mathew 18:18-20). I knew that this will help build her faith.
I learned that we all have spiritual assignments to help others even on damp, dreary mornings. Hopefully coffee and hot buttered biscuits will be waiting for me in the morning.
By Katie Lee
Two miles back down the road I smelled the freshly brewed coffee. The drive-through window lady always knew to put in three extra sugars and four creams. I could almost taste the hot buttered biscuits . . . At the entrance of the restaurant the traffic was behaving, so I pulled into the lot and wondered why it was not packed. I reasoned that the damp, dreary morning was still early and, after all, it was only Monday.
I maximized the moments by applying fresh mascara. Between the dark strokes I noticed there were only two cars in line, and in front of me was a stalled car. Just what I needed, I murmured. I had only minutes to arrive at Turner field. Unexpectedly, an anxious, nervous stranger hurried out of the stalled car toward me. She was in tears. Apologetically the stranger asked me to drive around her car. Observing her helpless situation I felt a great deal of compassion. But who was I? I certainly was no mechanic, besides I was now late for sure. The baseball parking lot would be filled by the time I would arrive. I hoped that I wouldn’t bump into Mr. Turner in the elevator.
But it seemed that God was directing me in a very strange way. The radio blasted my favorite song but I turned it off. Being a Christian for several years taught me to pray and listen to God in difficult circumstances. Suddenly, I felt impressed to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Stranger. I felt a little unsure, but I asked her if she would like me to pray for her car to start. She quickly agreed. Wow that felt good. She gave her heart to Jesus right there in the drive-through on that damp, dreary Monday. Soon afterward, she began to weep with joy and then speak with a new confidence. She bravely turned and asked someone to help push the car out of the drive-through line.
Before leaving, I gave her assistance to help with the much needed car repairs. Later that day she called to thank me for everything. She was bubbling over with excitement. She also said “several people had hurried around her that morning,” but no one had stopped to offer help. We gave God the glory for all that he did. Enthusiastically I shared scriptures from the bible with her (Romans 9:10) and (Mathew 18:18-20). I knew that this will help build her faith.
I learned that we all have spiritual assignments to help others even on damp, dreary mornings. Hopefully coffee and hot buttered biscuits will be waiting for me in the morning.
By Katie Lee
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Fear Not!
When God, Himself, speaks to your husband, and your life and the life of your stillborn son are miraculously restored, brevity is difficult but here is our story. Our ministry exposes the Truth About Fear. We had been sharing this revelatory truth publicly, when Satan got permission to attack my life during my pregnancy.
It was Nov. 24, 1998, about 12:30p.m. at South Fulton Hospital in East Point, Ga. All was normal and I was experiencing a perfect pregnancy when suddenly, I collapsed . My organs began to shut down and my blood pressure rushed toward zero. It was right then,when my husband Albert heard God say out loud and clearly, "What you see is not". From that moment, Al resolved that nothing that he would witness or be told would change his mind from believing that God would deliver me and as yet our unborn son, and that as he puts it, "... we all are going to walk out of this place". I was given up on during the horror that would follow, which included developing the DIC Syndrome (... the white cells destroy everything in the blood stream) and Al was told to make funeral arrangements for me. It was 21 days later, but God was faithful! Al's great faith was rewarded with lives being restored to the amazement of South Fulton doctors. I fully recovered and our son Lehman, was also blessed and is fine.
Much has been omitted but is available on cassette or CD, as are we to present God's message in word and song as The Sounds of Bliss. Arrangements can be made at 678 522 5361.
Member of the Body of Christ,
Dr. Lee Bliss,
When God, Himself, speaks to your husband, and your life and the life of your stillborn son are miraculously restored, brevity is difficult but here is our story. Our ministry exposes the Truth About Fear. We had been sharing this revelatory truth publicly, when Satan got permission to attack my life during my pregnancy.
It was Nov. 24, 1998, about 12:30p.m. at South Fulton Hospital in East Point, Ga. All was normal and I was experiencing a perfect pregnancy when suddenly, I collapsed . My organs began to shut down and my blood pressure rushed toward zero. It was right then,when my husband Albert heard God say out loud and clearly, "What you see is not". From that moment, Al resolved that nothing that he would witness or be told would change his mind from believing that God would deliver me and as yet our unborn son, and that as he puts it, "... we all are going to walk out of this place". I was given up on during the horror that would follow, which included developing the DIC Syndrome (... the white cells destroy everything in the blood stream) and Al was told to make funeral arrangements for me. It was 21 days later, but God was faithful! Al's great faith was rewarded with lives being restored to the amazement of South Fulton doctors. I fully recovered and our son Lehman, was also blessed and is fine.
Much has been omitted but is available on cassette or CD, as are we to present God's message in word and song as The Sounds of Bliss. Arrangements can be made at 678 522 5361.
Member of the Body of Christ,
Dr. Lee Bliss,
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Faith & Economic
The Association of Christian Economists (ACE) was formed in December, 1982, at the Allied Social Science Association meetings. ACE aims to encourage Christian scholars to explore and communicate the relationship between their faith and the discipline of economics, and to promote interaction and communication among Christian economists. ACE currently has approximately 300 members -- Christian economists in academia, business, and government, drawn from around the globe.
ACE-sponsored activities include:
The Association of Christian Economists (ACE) was formed in December, 1982, at the Allied Social Science Association meetings. ACE aims to encourage Christian scholars to explore and communicate the relationship between their faith and the discipline of economics, and to promote interaction and communication among Christian economists. ACE currently has approximately 300 members -- Christian economists in academia, business, and government, drawn from around the globe.
ACE-sponsored activities include:
- Faith & Economics, a review published by the Association of Christian Economists each spring and fall, includes news, book reviews, and articles dealing with the relationship between the Christian faith and economics.
- ACE Working Papers series.
- Professional sessions and an annual meeting, held as part of the annual gathering of the Allied Social Sciences Associations in the US every January.
- Occasional fellowship and professional gatherings held at other times and places.
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