Keep on praying

~Friday for Friends~

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

I love when Paul prays over a church. When he shares about the outpourings his heart makes to the Father on the church's behalf. And while we should not necessarily memorize and simply recite these prayers, they are a good reminder for us to pray for our fellow believers. 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)

Who can you pray for right now? 

How mighty and glorious is our Father

~Tuesday Thoughts~

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place

  throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born

  or you brought forth the whole world,

  from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:1-2 (NIV)

It's easy to forget just how mighty and glorious our Father is. But He has existed forever and ever. His strength is unending. His holiness is awe-inducing. He is both just and loving, both holy and forgiving of sinners. He is the One who controls the world, and He is the One who He hears our prayers. 

And we should join the chorus praising the One who made us:

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”" Revelation 5:13 (NIV)

Can't Live Without

~Monday Movies & Music~

Hollyn has an amazing song out: "Can't Live Without." Here are the lyrics. 

Her new album is releasing February 10th, and I'm so excited for it! Here's the trailer for the album, "One Way Conversations". 

"“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."" John 15:5 (NIV). Read the full chapter here. 

It's so crazy. Really, it's so crazy to believe that we can do NOTHING OF VALUE without our Savior. It's so easy to forget that by ourselves, we cannot bear any fruit whatsoever. But with Christ - oh, the wonders of what can happen when we remain in Christ! 

It'd be crazy to...

~Tuesday Thougths~

"God's creation is so vast it'd be crazy to think we could ever understand it all." -Jake, Angel Eyes

This is so true. We serve a God whose creation is wonderful. And He Himself is the most glorious, magnificent, powerful, omniscient, merciful, loving, righteous and generous One in the world. 

About this election

I want to gather up a bunch of stuff I've shared on Facebook about the U. S. election this year. I did vote; I do not think it necessary for me to mention who I voted for. Let us remember who the King is!

PLEASE, let us not hate each other here in the States. And let us trust our Savior with our future!

These were shared with my personal Facebook page. Here is my blogger Facebook page .

No Gentile or Jew

~Tuesday Thoughts~

This is the third post in the series on Colossians 3 and 4. The first is On Things Above, while the second is Put to Death Your Sins . The first category in the NIV Bible for this passage is called "Living as Those Made Alive in Christ." Let us do so!

"Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:11-14 (NIV)

Woah! Hard passage! So many things we are called to do. But God has loved us first, and, with His power, we can do this too! 

The battle is not with human beings

~Saturday Stories~

I wrote this after reading Shannon Dittemore’s amazing book Angel Eyes. 

The world is full of

Noises we do not hear

Sights we do not see

Truths we do not understand

We think this world is all there is

But how blind that idea

How ignorant, how destructive

Does God’s Word not warn us

That the battle is not with human beings

But with the powers of darkness

That we as humans do not see

But that are nonetheless existent

Yet let us not forget

A truth so bright it blinds in a new way

That God has power over all

And the enemy has no chance

Against the might of the Almighty 

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4 (NIV)

Amen! 

"You can't expect yourself to turn it off like a light switch" and more quotes

~Saturday Stories~

"Dear God, help me. I feel like I'm lost in the wilderness trying to find my way and I'm not even sure which way to turn." - Caitlin, Becoming Me

“That’s the power that comes with allowing God to have control of your life. You’re capable of so much more.” - Heather, Me, Just Different

"So, do you think that fashion and beauty are sinful?"
... "I'm not really sure, Emily. I just think that getting obsessed with it is wrong. I can feel that inside of me. And trying to make myself look like something I'm not... well, that was wrong too." - Emily & Leah, Faded Denim

"You've been into one way of thinking for so long, you can't expect yourself to turn it off like a light switch. Was there a time when you would have done it without batting an eye?"

"Probably."...

"Then you've made progress. Let God forgive you and get on with it." -Ms. Race & Norie, "B" is for Bad at Getting into Harvard

How about you? Do you feel like you're lost? Have you seen that through God you can do so much more than without Him? Have you been obsessing about fashion and beauty? Have you been expecting yourself to turn around very quickly and been disappointed with how long change can take? 

The beauty

~Saturday Story~

The description is based on this picture by I. I. Levitan (seen by me without the frame).  

  As I stand on the bank of the Kama river, I marvel at the beauty of nature. The water glitters, reflecting the sun and woods. Somehow little birches and other trees manage to grow right in the water. The setting sun casts long shadows on the bank. Not far away a small old rowboat rocks back and forth on the waves. I wonder whose it is and why it is there. On the other bank, about a mile away, I can see little cabins.
  After a while, I go home, but this scene will never leave my mind.


"3 For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:3-5 (NIV)

Isn't it amazing how beautiful God's creation is? 

King of my heart

~Monday Movies & Music~

"King of my Heart" is a song by Love and the Outcome. Here are the lyrics. 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)

  "I will exalt you, my God the King;

    I will praise your name for ever and ever." Psalm 145:1 (NIV)

Who is the king of your heart? 

Call on Jesus

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Call on Jesus" is a song by PureNRG. Here are the lyrics. 

"“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."" John 15:5 (NIV)

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;

    never will I forsake you.”[a]" Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

How about you? How has God helped you this year? 

Too much technology?

~Thursday Thoughts~

  
Sorry I didn't post on Tuesday. Here's the "Thursday Thoughts." This was written as a response to CGP Grey's video "Humans Need Not Apply."


   Life today differs greatly from life a century or two ago. One of the biggest changes is the machines. We no longer use horses as the major source of transportation, nor do we need as many people to work in agriculture. We have made machines that drive us, that work the ground, that carry things from place to place. This all has made manual labor less in demand and mental labor more in demand. Now we might be coming to an age when even mental labor is not needed that much.

   It might seem that machines with minds and at least some of the five sense are science fiction. Indeed, there have been many predictions about them that have not come true. An example of this is the film Back to the Future. However, some things are not just objectives and goals of programmers anymore. They are reality. From self-driving cars to virtual doctors to coffee made entirely by machines in a network that remembers your favorites, we are entering an entirely new arena. As we do we need to remember that, as creatures made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we will always be loved by Him (Romans 8:38-39). He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11); we need not be afraid for He is always with us (Joshua 1:9).

   I’ll look at two professions that have a prospect to change dramatically and soon. High school teaching can be very much affected by automation. More and more classes can be done online, making the need for teachers less.  It is said that employment will increase 6% over the 2012-2022 decade, which is less than the average¹. The reasons said to be behind it were a smaller student-to-faculty ratio and an increased number of students. However, the webpage didn’t seem to take under account the numerous possibilities and challenges online learning has brought upon us. Today one teacher can teach many students without having to ever engage with them personally. This has impacted education at the college level, and we should be ready for it to impact high school also. Teachers need to understand technology and how to implement it in the classroom. Some should be ready to enter online teaching. However, as Bill Gates said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

   Writers and authors have an even smaller projected growth, only 3%². It is thought that the publishing industry will decrease. However, there are online outlets available to almost anyone from self-publishing to websites to blogs. There are, supposedly, machines that can even make creative work. However, God has made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). I believe that no machine will ever completely annihilate our creative expression of ourselves.

   New skills and abilities will be important as we enter the age of even more technology. If/when I become a teacher, I hope to learn technological skills to keep my classroom up-to-date. However, the person factor is just too important for all teachers to leave the classroom altogether, and I’m not planning on doing that. As a writer, my first priority is to produce good material. If I do not do that, there is no purpose to learning where to post it and how to promote myself. These are important things, but they are secondary.

   As we are enveloped by technology we need to remember that technology is not God. It cannot do everything. Another Bill Gates quote says, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Many stuff will still depend on people, and we know that everything depends on God (Romans 9:16). Everything is in his hands (Job 12:10).

References:

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8). High School Teachers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-6
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8). Writers and Authors : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/writers-and-authors.htm#tab-6

What about you? What do you think about the amount of technology around us? What is some other area that you feel afraid of but know that God is in control?

Step by step

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Step by Step" is a song by Rich Mullings. Here are the lyrics.

Christianity isn't just one leap (with God's help) from unbelieving to being perfect. It's also about doing, not just listening, about picking up our crosses and following. Through God we can do anything, and He can lead us day by day, step by step.

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

God of wonders

~Monday Movies & Music~

"God of Wonders" is a song here sung by Third Day. Here are the lyrics.

Our God is definitely awesome. He is holy. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is worthy of our praise.

Let us praise Him!

Nothing is impossible

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Nothing is Impossible" is a song sung by Planetshakers. Here are the lyrics.

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
It is true! God can give us strength. And through Him we can do anything!

God completely controls nature

~Tuesday Thoughts~

Our Lord controls nature. He spoke it into existence and controls its every act. He performs mighty things through it. 

God spoke and created “the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). He made the light, sky, the land, the seas, vegetation, the sun, moon, and stars, the creatures of the sea, the birds, and the living creatures (ch. 1:3-25). He formed man and woman on the sixth day (v.26-28). 

God controls the ground and water. When Adam and Eve sinned, He cursed the ground because of man (Genesis 3:17-18). Years later, He sent a flood on an earth full of corrupt men (ch. 6:5, 17; 7:11-12). However, God spared Noah (ch.7:1). After the flood, He gave the rainbow as a sign that He will never again destroy the world with a flood (ch. 9:8-17). 

God controls all physical occurrences. He employed them as He freed His people, the Israelites, from Egyptian slavery. In Egypt He executed many miracles, such as turning water into blood (Exodus 7:14-24) and the plague of flies (ch. 8:20-32). God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites walked on dry ground (ch. 14:21-22) and then closed it on the Egyptians (v.26-28). He turned bitter water sweet (ch. 15:22-25); He gave water from a rock (ch. 17:1-7). He provided manna and quails to eat (ch. 16:11-15). 

God controls the land and its productivity. In Leviticus and other passages He promised fruitful land if the Israelites obeyed Him (Leviticus 26:3-5) and infertility if they disobeyed (26:14-20). 

God controls the weather and used it to fight for the Israelites. In one battle He brought hailstones on their enemies and stopped the sun (Joshua 10:11-14). In another He “thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines” and the Israelites won (1 Samuel 7:2-11). 

God controls rain and rivers. He parted the Jordan for the Israelites (Joshua 3:7-17). By His word, rain did not shower on the land (1 Kings 17:1, 7). Only in the third year did He send rain (ch. 18:1, 45). The Jordan parted for God’s prophets Elijah (2 Kings 2:7-8) and Elisha (v.13-14). 

God controls storms and fish. When Jonah ran away from Him, God sent a great storm (Jonah 1:3-4). When the sailors threw Jonah overboard, a big fish swallowed him (v.15, 17). Inside it, Jonah prayed and God had the fish spit him out (ch. 2:1, 10). 

Jesus controls nature. Throughout His years of ministry, Jesus healed the sick (Mathew 4:23-25; Luke 17:11-19 and more). He predicted two large catches of fish (Luke 5:4-7 and John 21:1-6). Jesus calmed the storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25). He raised people from the dead: a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17), Jairus’s daughter (Mathew 9:18-19, 23-25; Mark 5:21-24, 35-43, Luke 8:40-42, 49-56), and Lazarus (John 11:38-44). Jesus walked on water (Mathew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21). The fig tree withered at His words (Mathew 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-14, 20-26).

God controls natural disasters and can use them as punishments. While the Israelites were in the desert, the ground swallowed up those who “treated the LORD with contempt” (Numbers 16:28-33). In Revelation God shows John numerous punishments that will come on unrepentant people in the last days. These include earthquakes (Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13; 11:19), hail (ch. 8:7; 11:19), the sun turning black (ch.6:12), and mountains moved from their places (ch.6:14). 

Jesus’s triumph over death (Mathew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-14, Luke 24:1-49, John 20) remains the greatest instance of God controlling nature. Our Christ is alive (Hebrews 7:23-25)!

Our God, the Almighty Creator, controls each and every aspect of nature.

How about you? What instances of God controlling nature have you found in the Bible? 

If He can calm a storm, He can definitely calm the storm in us. If He can raise people from the dead, He can revive our souls. 

Blessings, children of the King!

Mighty to save

~Monday Movies & Music~

Mighty to Save is an awesome song by Hillsong United. Here are the lyrics.

Our God, our Savior is really mighty. He can do anything. 

The Lord your God is with you.

    He is mighty enough to save you.

He will take great delight in you.

    The quietness of his love will calm you down.

    He will sing with joy because of you.” 

Zephaniah 3:17 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Amen!