Monday, March 23, 2009

The Incarnation

I know, I know, you're freaking out. Wondering if you stumbled into the December archives? Nope. You're here. Who says that the Incarnation can't be discussed when it's not Christmastide? And, granted, we probably made a post about the Incarnation around Christmas. But I don't think we can have our minds blown too many times by the love of our God. So, here it is again.

We're actually going to start a long way back, as far as time, from Bethlehem. We're going to begin at the creation of the world. There was a God who spoke the words "Let there be light," and boom! there it was. Light. Ever seen a light that absolutely dazzles your eyes? God made all that light, and more of it, by speaking. After that, he made the land and the sky and the animals and the trees and the waters and the fish and everything else, and finally man. He breathed life into Adam and Eve. Then, they rebelled against Him. The pots decided to be the potter. God promised that, from them, would come a Saviour. This same God later worked through Abraham and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Joshua and Ruth and Saul and David and Elijah and Daniel... the list goes on, and I don't have the room or the time to tell all their stories. So, recount them with me in your head. Look at what God did for them and for Israel through them. Isn't that kind enough? After all, we're a pack of rebels! How often do we spit in God's face, tell Him, the King, "I'm running things my way now. Step aside, if you please, because I'm not going to submit to you. No fun, no friends, nothing in it for me. I'm doing what I think is best, and I don't care what you say." He breathed life into us, and we rebel! Isn't it amazing that he even aided Israel during the time of the kings and the exiles?
Now, with that still in your mind, think about this. The King of glory, who made the whole world, who has had people rebelling against His perfect reign for thousands of years, decides to become one of the creation. A man. With limits of space and time. With pain and suffering and temptation. Not only a man, though. It would have been amazing if He'd come in a golden chariot from the sky, surrounded by cherubim and seraphim, blasting trumpets. But no. He came as a baby, thought to be conceived out of wedlock. And he was born in a stable. Not a clean, neat stable with cute fluffy sheep, like the ones that go up as nativity sets in your living room, but a real stable. It probably smelled awful, and it was probably not the most comfortable place in the world to be. And, not only did He come as a baby, but He came with the intent of dying. And not only dying, but dying at the hands of those he created, betrayed by His friend. He came so that he could be scourged and beaten for hours, spit upon, and nailed through the feet and wrists to a Roman cross, where he slowly suffocated over the course of six hours.
Why?
Because He loves you. He loves us.
Why? That, I don't know. We certainly don't deserve it.
Marvel, though it isn't December 25th, at the amazing grace and mercy of our God.
"Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?"

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Hey all. Happy St. Patricks day! Because I lack to explain the story of St. Patrick well, please click on the link and enjoy the story of Why we celebrate St. Patricks Day!
nuff said. ~Kylie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TCB5QhHVJA

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Passion

Hey All! Kylie here. This is going to be a post on Passion for God, and I can't exactly promise it will be short... :) I'm going to touch on some of the message that Mr.Kauflin gave today and some of the 10:31 message last night. So here we go!

Many of my friends have asked for prayer for Passion, I've asked for prayer for passion also. Passion is a big struggle for alot of people. When something becomes part of your life, like Christianity it can become a habit and the amazement and wonder that comes with Gods word can go away.

Passion is Being Filled with the Holy Spirit. "Do not be drunk on wine which will ruin you, but be filled with the Holy Spirit." Ephesians 5:18. Here the author (Paul) is comparing/contrasting being drunk on wine with being full of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Kauflin pointed out today that both are under the influence of something else. When we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives will bear the marks of the presence of God. But when we're under the influence of alchohol...haha...lets not go there.

Here are some of the other points Mr.Kauflin gave:

1. Wise, Spirit filled Christians sing with others and to the LORD. I don't know about you, but when I sing to the Lord I just feel so refreshed and lifted. Singing praises is an amazing reminder of God's grace and love towards us.

2. Wise, Spirit filled Christians give thanks with others through the LORD. Really how often do you thank the LORD for all the blessings in your life? Its so easy to just ask God for things. My prayers often sound like this:

Dear God,
Thank you for this day. Thank you I got to spend time with my friends. Please help me to.....
....................................
Amen

Yah, not so much thanks. That is definitly one of the many areas I need to improve in. Don't we all? Here's a Challenge, write a LIST of all the blessings in your life. OK, maybe not ALL the blessings but make a list of the blessings-it will be big. Will that not refresh your passion, seeing how many times God has blessed us though we don't deserve it?

3. Humble yourself before others. Ask for prayer! "Teach and admonish each other...singing songs...with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16. Biblical friend will pray and worship with you. They will be so happy to help you in any situation (I also would encourage you to do what Mr.Brewer said last night concerning friends. Challenge yourself to encourage at least one of your friends each week. Good friends will turn your gaze to Christ and I can think of many ways I could encourage each and every one of you for blessing me in that way!)

That is my very simple understanding of Passion. If you want a more in depth talk on this I'm sure your parents would love to talk to you about it, or you could shoot a pastor an email. Or Both!!!

Please be praying for me in this area and I would be happy to pray for anyone who wants prayer.

In His Grace,

Kylie

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Face the Facts

I received this email, and thought I'd share it with u all :)


The latest Cry Action project is finally being announced -- it's
called Face the Facts and it's something we'll be doing for the whole
month of March. This project will be primarily focused on Facebook,
but I invite those of you who don't have Facebook accounts to still
get involved -- post blog entries advertising the event, send out
email blasts to your friends who may own Facebook accounts, post about
it at message forums and talk about the facts involved to your friends
at school and church. The key is raising awareness -- Facebook is a
great way to do this, but there are other great and effective ways.
Any questions or suggestions for ideas, feel free to contact me -- I
value your input.

Many more projects to come!

Thanks for being a voice for the voiceless -- and God bless you!


FACE THE FACTS --

Description:

Face the Facts is a campaign to spread the truth regarding the
overriding social justice issue of our day.

Slavery still exists. Poverty exists. We have not won against AIDS.
All of these things destroy the body, stealing life and freedom, and
are seen for what they are. But one issue is not. There is one thing
that destroys millions of human beings, stealing life and freedom from
human souls, that is still seen as okay -- justifiable.

If you don't believe me when I say this is abortion, maybe it's not
your fault. Maybe you haven't heard the truth -- maybe you've even
been lied to. Maybe the facts have been hidden. Well, I say it's time
we prove them, and face them. It's time we educate ourselves, and our
world.

When people heard about the extermination camps the Nazis instigated
during World War II, most didn't believe. 'Why would one group of
people kill another group of people?' 'That just doesn't happen these
days.' 'Things like that don't happen in a civilized society.'
Research history -- those are the kind of thoughts that went through
people's heads. Yet, horribly, they learned the truth -- near the end
of the war they found out it was all true.

You may argue that abortion is not murder. But let me just ask you,
What if it is? If there is even the slightest possibility, wouldn't
you want to know -- before it's too late? If I am wrong, I am a
lunatic. But if I am right, consider the possibility, the magnitude of
this crime, and don't allow history to repeat itself any longer --
don't let a holocaust continue while you turn your head.



Action:

This campaign is incredibly simple: "Attend" the event, invite your
friends, and commit to posting one fact/statistic in your status each
day for the 31 days of the month of March.

And then spread the word to every pro-life group/cause you know of --
several have already joined us and will be sending out action alerts
via their mailing lists, but we need your help spreading the word if
this will have the impact needed.

The Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=56429116740
The Facebook cause: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/121747
The Facebook group (NEW!): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51667160171



The facts:

1.
If you're a teenager, you should take abortion seriously. For every
two of you, there's one person missing. -Abort73.com

2.
Statistics show that a soldier's chances of survival in the front
lines of combat are greater than an unborn child's avoiding abortion.
-Abort73.com

3.
Emotional, mental and psychological disorders are 63% more likely
after abortion than delivery. -Abort73.com

4.
Abortion has affected the Black community more than slavery itself. If
the current trend continues, by 2038 the Black vote will be
insignificant. -Abort73.com

5.
More than 50 million unborn children have died in legalized abortions
-- over thirtyfold the number of Americans lost in all our nation's
wars. -Abort73.com

6.
Over 1 million children are killed by abortion in this country every
year. Over 3,700 each day, 12 every 5 minutes, 1 every 25 seconds.
-Abort73.com

7.
Planned Parenthood receives more than $330,000,000 in taxpayer money
each year. They kill more human fetuses than anyone in America.
-Abort73.com

8.
A Black baby is almost as likely to be aborted as he is to be born. He
is 4.8 times more likely to be aborted than a White baby. -Abort73.com

9.
It's impossible for you not to know a woman who has had an abortion,
because nearly one in four women have had one. -Abort73.com

10.
Women who abort are 6 times more likely to commit suicide than women
who carry their baby to term. -Abort73.com

11.
At 10 weeks from conception, a baby can smile, frown, wince or pout.
While still in the womb a baby will learn to recognize his mother's
voice. -Abort73.com

12.
Every year, more innocent children are killed by abortion in the US
than the combined total of Americans who have died in all wars in our
history. -Abort73.com

13.
Between 1882 and 1962, 3,446 Blacks were lynched. That number is
surpassed in less than three days by abortion. -Abort73.com

14.
What should be the safest place to live in America -- a mother's womb
-- is now the most dangerous place. -Abort73.com

15.
A woman who has had an abortion is at least 50% more likely to
contract breast cancer by age 45. 182,000 American women develop it
each year. -Abort73.com

16.
40% of minors having an abortion report that neither of their parents
knew about the abortion. -Abort73.com

17.
4D scans reveal that babies have REM sleep. This could be a sign that
the fetus, not yet born, is already dreaming. -Abort73.com

18.
A baby can survive birth at 6 months. A baby can see, hear and taste
at 7 months. Abortion is legal in the US throughout all 9 months of
pregnancy. -Abort73.com

19.
"We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro
population" (Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood).
-Abort73.com

20.
It is illegal to execute a pregnant woman because the fetus living
inside her is a distinct human being who can't be executed for
another's crimes. -Abort73.com

21.
Between 1970 and 1981, the time period in which abortion was
legalized, the frequency of ectopic pregnancies increased by 300%.
-Abort73.com

22.
At 3 weeks from conception, a baby's heart begins to beat; at 6 weeks,
brainwaves are measurable -- both before most of the earliest
abortions. -Abort73.com

23.
More than 70% of abortions -- at least 800,000 each year -- take place
after 6 weeks, bringing an end to the embryo's heartbeat and
brainwaves. -Abort73.com

24.
The Jews, as well as "unfit" Germans, had a "choice" most Germans did
not. This meant that the Nazis saw abortion as a very useful weapon.
-Abort73.com

25.
There is a twofold to threefold increased risk of miscarriage for
women with a history of two or more abortions. -Abort73.com

26.
Without abortion and the strategic placement of abortion clinics in
minority areas the Black community in America would be 30% larger than
it is. -Abort73.com

27.
If it's morally reprehensible to kill a developing human being after
birth, why is it permissible to kill a developing human being before
birth? -Abort73.com

28.
Every 2 1/2 weeks, year in and year out, there is an aborted child for
each of the 58,132 names on the national Vietnam Memorial.
-Abort73.com

29.
Each year in the US, the abortion industry brings in approximately
$831,000,000 through their abortion services alone. -Abort73.com

30.
If the pro-life position is correct, abortions are human casualties
and every day number nearly 1,000 more than all lives lost in the 9/11
attacks. -Abort73.com

31.
If the 50 million legally aborted children and their children were
alive to vote abortion would be illegalized by the popular vote.
-Abort73.com

I want to encourage u all to do this... even if u don't have facebook put it in your status on gmail or IM or whatever... also, just like it said about sending emails and whatever u feel could be useful

If u would like to contact the person who sends these emails, I will probablly post it in the comments soon, i need to get permission first.



~Allie~