Sunday, April 20, 2008
Monday, December 17, 2007
Making little one's Christmas
My kids were full of joy tonight as they finally got real beds for Christmas handed down from some generous families in the church body with new sheets and comforters. They were ecstatic! They were so surprised, screamed and cried. My son cried for quite some time. The girls were cheezin' ear to ear. Praise God for His family.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Agloco on Hold
Sorry folks! Received through email:
We would like to update you on the status of AGLOCO's operations. We continue to believe in the AGLOCO concept, but our revenue is currently not sufficient to give Members a meaningful distribution. And though there are increases in membership, the resulting revenue is not enough to support operating costs. As a development team we are unable to continue to use our savings to fund the operations. If any Member would like to pursue continuing the operations of AGLOCO, you may contact us at agloco1@live.com .
We would like to thank every Member for supporting our effort to bring a piece of the Internet directly to the user. We hope that we can find a way to keep the operations going.
AGLOCO Development Team
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Cloak & Dagger Christians
Something occurred to me last night as I lay awake in bed: Christianity can be two things for us- a cloak or a dagger. Here's the difference:
If we use Christianity as a covering over our weaknesses and sinful natures, as a mask that conceals what is really in our hearts, then it is a cloak, a disguise. We just play the part, trying to ask ourselves in every situation, "What would Jesus do?" as if imitating Him externally will make us pure. Cloaked Christians tend to feel less compassion towards those who struggle, looking down on their weaknesses, and feeling proud of their own moral superiority. These are the ones in Jesus' parable who pray, "Thank you, God, that I am not like this tax collector."
A cloak is imposed from the outside and only covers over what is underneath, the heart of a person. We only reveal what seems "Christian-like" in us, and keep the rest tucked away in the depths of our heart. But God knows our hearts, and in smaller degrees so do other discerning individuals.
If our Christian experience acts as a dagger, however, then it pierces our hearts, changing our entire beings from the inside- out. It exposes every part of us, whether pretty or ugly, strong or weak, and it allows the love of Jesus to inhabit and eventually transform our very nature.
The scary part of dagger Christianity is that it requires transparency, admitting weaknesses and mistakes, and confessing our sins to one another. It demands that we take an honest look at ourselves and allow others to look into our hearts. This makes us vulnerable, but in the end it reveals what we truly are- fallen creatures who are fully dependent on His love and mercy. And we become so thankful that He made the sacrifice to love and die for us, even when we were still His enemies.
Let's not be mysterious cloak-wearers, hiding ourselves under a garment of false pretenses and Norman Rockwell-ian, "all is peachy with me" guises.
Let's become warriors, battling with unsheathed dagger the desires to hide our real selves in the closet of prideful shame. Jesus wants to use us in our weakness, even because of our weaknesses. Only then will we remain totally dependent on Him and compassionate and merciful toward others who struggle. And then we will truly be doing what Jesus called us to do- love one another as He loved us.
http://glory-story.blogspot.com/2006/05/cloaks-daggers.html
---
Lord, I want to be where You are.
If we use Christianity as a covering over our weaknesses and sinful natures, as a mask that conceals what is really in our hearts, then it is a cloak, a disguise. We just play the part, trying to ask ourselves in every situation, "What would Jesus do?" as if imitating Him externally will make us pure. Cloaked Christians tend to feel less compassion towards those who struggle, looking down on their weaknesses, and feeling proud of their own moral superiority. These are the ones in Jesus' parable who pray, "Thank you, God, that I am not like this tax collector."
A cloak is imposed from the outside and only covers over what is underneath, the heart of a person. We only reveal what seems "Christian-like" in us, and keep the rest tucked away in the depths of our heart. But God knows our hearts, and in smaller degrees so do other discerning individuals.
If our Christian experience acts as a dagger, however, then it pierces our hearts, changing our entire beings from the inside- out. It exposes every part of us, whether pretty or ugly, strong or weak, and it allows the love of Jesus to inhabit and eventually transform our very nature.
The scary part of dagger Christianity is that it requires transparency, admitting weaknesses and mistakes, and confessing our sins to one another. It demands that we take an honest look at ourselves and allow others to look into our hearts. This makes us vulnerable, but in the end it reveals what we truly are- fallen creatures who are fully dependent on His love and mercy. And we become so thankful that He made the sacrifice to love and die for us, even when we were still His enemies.
Let's not be mysterious cloak-wearers, hiding ourselves under a garment of false pretenses and Norman Rockwell-ian, "all is peachy with me" guises.
Let's become warriors, battling with unsheathed dagger the desires to hide our real selves in the closet of prideful shame. Jesus wants to use us in our weakness, even because of our weaknesses. Only then will we remain totally dependent on Him and compassionate and merciful toward others who struggle. And then we will truly be doing what Jesus called us to do- love one another as He loved us.
http://glory-story.blogspot.com/2006/05/cloaks-daggers.html
---
Lord, I want to be where You are.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Joyful in hope
Romans 12 Christian
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 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.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
---
Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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.
---
Why is it so difficult to not let Satan's lies of God's wrath be upon His own?
Why can't we as Christians rest in the finished work of the Cross?
If there is no condemnation for those in Christ why the extra rules?
The accuser loves to whisper lies on God's own.
Do you see the lies he tries to feed you throughout the day?
Do you have scriptures to counter his lies when they attack?
We do need to regularly confess our sin, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, and not grow too comfortable in where we sit.
The work of Jesus on the Cross was finished, complete, accomplished. It's all forward focused. Mission-oriented.
If the Father sees us through His son Jesus, what does that make you?
His child.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 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.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
---
Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
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.
---
Why is it so difficult to not let Satan's lies of God's wrath be upon His own?
Why can't we as Christians rest in the finished work of the Cross?
If there is no condemnation for those in Christ why the extra rules?
The accuser loves to whisper lies on God's own.
Do you see the lies he tries to feed you throughout the day?
Do you have scriptures to counter his lies when they attack?
We do need to regularly confess our sin, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, and not grow too comfortable in where we sit.
The work of Jesus on the Cross was finished, complete, accomplished. It's all forward focused. Mission-oriented.
If the Father sees us through His son Jesus, what does that make you?
His child.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Giving Thanks
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Thank you, Jesus!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Trading My Sorrows
This week God has continuously shown me that He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider.
I've been a little vulnerable with lack of finances. Its been a couple months that I joined the unemployed. Although I keep myself pretty busy with homeschool and ministry; enjoying what I do, it doesn't have a paycheck to it. Recently my husband released me to home and children duty while I remain patient with him, as he cannot care for the kids at this time, maintain upkeep of our home, work, and church activity, along with his own life of things he wants to do. I've worked for a long time, so this made it a bit uneasy, but I agreed to wait on the Lord.
-Last week I met with a bunch of ladies as part of the WMU praying for Christian churches around the world. It was a very uplifting time, as God reminded me through their prayers to be grateful for everything. I think my heart had become hardened with the expectation of God's provision when it did not come through, and I was doing everything I thought in my power to have it come through (spending time with Him, careful in my decisions, tithing, etc). Those incidents told me, God would provide through another avenue. After hearing the graciousness in these women's prayers (who were older and wiser than I BTW), and their pleas before God, I had some repenting to do. It was a reminder that anything we receive from God is truly a blessing from His hand. He showed me His eyes of compassion, and the stubborness in my heart that I repented of long ago thinking, "Lord, you owe me". I was very humbled, and just wept over my pathetic heart of stone. While waiting on God earlier this week, I checked the Classifieds and been looking for ways to make money. Is that trusting? Doesn't look like it to me. In my anxiety, God would remind me He is my provider, and not some paycheck. We had decided a few months ago that for Thanksgiving we would open our home to anyone that has no where to eat/stay. Going with that, we tried to minister to other families with what we had inviting them over for dinner, or shoveling snow for them. We wanted them to see God and not us. In doing this God released us from some unsettling issues we were having at church as well. My husband has been home for two days this week. While he is home at times that has been my opportunity to work, but this client I had been cleaning for sold her home, and I have not worked for her. While waiting, I would feel uneasiness as the bills came in, and would tell myself God will provide. He had continuously brought verses to mind about seeking His kingdom first, don't worry about tomorrow, do not be anxious for anything, etc.
-Wed I had exterminated the church kitchen down for silverfish. Thurs. I went to clean it up. I was tired, low on fuel, but glad to finally have this overdue job done. I had some reward coupons from the store I frequently shop, and was told I could not use them towards fuel. Bummer. That told me God would provide another way. I had $7.00 in my acct., and pondered as I filled my car how I was going to make it to payday which wasn't for another 1 1/2 weeks. Fretting over this driving out of the parking lot, a raven God allowed me to see up ahead and pass, swooped down in front of my windshield as I turned out. They're a bit of a nuisance in the winter, kinda like seagulls in Summer. I thought it was going to hit my windshield as it turned while I turned in front of my car. God centered my eyes on his beak eventhough its back turned toward us in front of me and my windshield. It had something that looked like a piece of bread in its mouth. Immediately I broke down in tears. It soared forward across the street and parked itself at a corner stoplight eating what it had in its mouth. The scripture that came to mind as I looked at its mouth was the story of Elisha, and how God used the ravens to feed him when he was weak. Also, the birds of the air. He said, "are you not of more value than these?" How much more would my Heavenly Father provide for me! I could not contain the emotion and broke down in tears, agreeing with God that I would change my sorrows for His joy!-When I came home Thurs. Night after 10pm, there was a turkey and two bags of stuffing at my door.
-When Pastor heard that we were going to open our home to others in the church for Thanksgiving, he pitched in some money to pay for the meal, and fuel. What can I say, except Praise Him! Even in that I cannot praise Him enough. This is only a glimpse of His glory. Hallelujah!
I've been a little vulnerable with lack of finances. Its been a couple months that I joined the unemployed. Although I keep myself pretty busy with homeschool and ministry; enjoying what I do, it doesn't have a paycheck to it. Recently my husband released me to home and children duty while I remain patient with him, as he cannot care for the kids at this time, maintain upkeep of our home, work, and church activity, along with his own life of things he wants to do. I've worked for a long time, so this made it a bit uneasy, but I agreed to wait on the Lord.
-Last week I met with a bunch of ladies as part of the WMU praying for Christian churches around the world. It was a very uplifting time, as God reminded me through their prayers to be grateful for everything. I think my heart had become hardened with the expectation of God's provision when it did not come through, and I was doing everything I thought in my power to have it come through (spending time with Him, careful in my decisions, tithing, etc). Those incidents told me, God would provide through another avenue. After hearing the graciousness in these women's prayers (who were older and wiser than I BTW), and their pleas before God, I had some repenting to do. It was a reminder that anything we receive from God is truly a blessing from His hand. He showed me His eyes of compassion, and the stubborness in my heart that I repented of long ago thinking, "Lord, you owe me". I was very humbled, and just wept over my pathetic heart of stone. While waiting on God earlier this week, I checked the Classifieds and been looking for ways to make money. Is that trusting? Doesn't look like it to me. In my anxiety, God would remind me He is my provider, and not some paycheck. We had decided a few months ago that for Thanksgiving we would open our home to anyone that has no where to eat/stay. Going with that, we tried to minister to other families with what we had inviting them over for dinner, or shoveling snow for them. We wanted them to see God and not us. In doing this God released us from some unsettling issues we were having at church as well. My husband has been home for two days this week. While he is home at times that has been my opportunity to work, but this client I had been cleaning for sold her home, and I have not worked for her. While waiting, I would feel uneasiness as the bills came in, and would tell myself God will provide. He had continuously brought verses to mind about seeking His kingdom first, don't worry about tomorrow, do not be anxious for anything, etc.
-Wed I had exterminated the church kitchen down for silverfish. Thurs. I went to clean it up. I was tired, low on fuel, but glad to finally have this overdue job done. I had some reward coupons from the store I frequently shop, and was told I could not use them towards fuel. Bummer. That told me God would provide another way. I had $7.00 in my acct., and pondered as I filled my car how I was going to make it to payday which wasn't for another 1 1/2 weeks. Fretting over this driving out of the parking lot, a raven God allowed me to see up ahead and pass, swooped down in front of my windshield as I turned out. They're a bit of a nuisance in the winter, kinda like seagulls in Summer. I thought it was going to hit my windshield as it turned while I turned in front of my car. God centered my eyes on his beak eventhough its back turned toward us in front of me and my windshield. It had something that looked like a piece of bread in its mouth. Immediately I broke down in tears. It soared forward across the street and parked itself at a corner stoplight eating what it had in its mouth. The scripture that came to mind as I looked at its mouth was the story of Elisha, and how God used the ravens to feed him when he was weak. Also, the birds of the air. He said, "are you not of more value than these?" How much more would my Heavenly Father provide for me! I could not contain the emotion and broke down in tears, agreeing with God that I would change my sorrows for His joy!-When I came home Thurs. Night after 10pm, there was a turkey and two bags of stuffing at my door.
-When Pastor heard that we were going to open our home to others in the church for Thanksgiving, he pitched in some money to pay for the meal, and fuel. What can I say, except Praise Him! Even in that I cannot praise Him enough. This is only a glimpse of His glory. Hallelujah!
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