I HOPE
Discover Windows Live Spaces:
http://jeffree7.spaces.live.com/blog/
Hello friends, this is a new poem to introduce a new blog I started called New Hope; the address is at the end. I haven't really done much with it but choose the background theme I want to use, ad a sunny picture of Ev and myself, title it Jeffrey and Evelyn in "Sun City" and post this poem. Hopefully, I'll have added a link or 2 or 3 to my brothers "Spaces" before you read this; they're the photogenic ones (especially our nieces!). I might share some pictures once I learn how to use all the gidgets, gadgets, widgets and whatnots. Anyway, enjoy and please leave an am(a)zing comment or 2 or 3 so I know you visited. Sarah, thanks for the great photos! You should definitely check out Windows Live Spaces and get some FREE "Space" for them. We're so glad you guys didn't float away; we're getting Dolly's leftovers in El Paso today (Sat). G-B-Y! Jeff&Ev'
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PROVERBS 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and
do not lean on your own understanding.
NEW HOPE
Before you know it,
Life is over and out;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Get rid of your doubt.
Before you know it,
Light is all but gone;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Go and share His love.
Before you know it,
Love will refresh light;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Get new hope for life.
Jeff POLLOCK
July 26, 2008
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord,
and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:7 ESV
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Five Meaningful Minutes A Day
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean
on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
God knows where we are going tomorrow, next week, and
next year. That's something we don't know. And I, for one,
am so glad I don't. If right now I knew everything that faced
me in the coming year, I would be scared to the point of
sleeplessness. But God knows. How gracious of Him to lead
us one step at a time.
Read Proverbs 3:1-7
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Discover Windows Live Spaces:
http://jeffree7.spaces.live.com/blog/
ISAIAH 12:1-2
"I will praise you, O LORD. Although You were
angry with me, your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me. Surely God is my
salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The
LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation."
MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG
Lord Jesus, help me find my true voice,
When I come to You expressing my joy;
Oh my Lord, I want to sing about You,
With all my heart God, all of my heart!
Oh Holy Spirit, help me walk by faith,
When I cross wide paths of unfamiliar ways;
I want to hold on, help me hold on to Jesus,
With all my strength God, all of my strength!
Father, help me live to worship You,
With all of my mind; all of my soul;
While the world serves its selfish way,
Lord God, take my life, all of my life!
My Father, help me stand with true courage,
When the Liar leads me down familiar ways;
God, let me have Your hope as my confidence,
With all of Your grace, all of Your grace!
Oh Jesus, let me hear Your song,
As the world spins its hopeless lullaby;
I will love You God with all of my soul,
And remain by faith Your spotless Bride!
I love you, Jesus! Your's forever, Jeffree!
Jeffree E Pollock
03/2003 -- 08/2004
The LORD is my strength and my song; He has
become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's
right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's
right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand
has done mighty things!" I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The
LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not
given me over to death. Open for me the gates of
righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the
LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which
the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for
you answered me; you have become my salvation.
PSALM 118:14-21
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The Reason for Singing
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save,
he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he
will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
What a word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people
in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices
to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless
might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church;
therefore may His people shout for joy.
We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His
choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving:
He takes His name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger,
for He is mighty to save.
Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same, He saves, He finds
rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy.
He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly
wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing but simply
said, "It is very good"; but when He came to redemption, then the
sacred Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song. Think of it, and
be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over His
chosen bride. She is to Him His love, His joy, His rest, His song.
O Lord Jesus, by Thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love
Thee, to rejoice in Thee, and to sing unto Thee our life-psalm.
/---------------------------------------------------------\
Be sure to check out our other devotionals
http://bible.christiansunite.com/devotionals.shtml
I've been reading through The MacArthur Daily Bible (NKJV) this year, and came across the following passage a day or so ago. This morning I concentrated my heart on it and tried to create a poem to match (you may have noticed I like to do that). The way I understand it , the original covenant God the Father made with God the Son (before time began) guaranteed our redemption in Christ. Jesus carried out His "mission" on earth to fulfill the plans and purpose of His Father. It is truly amazing
(an understatement) to realize that God has written His law (truth) on our hearts and supplied His Holy Spirit to guide and keep us. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was planned before the world ever began to make a way for us to be with Him forever. Jesus' prayer in John 17 confirms our hope that not one of us who are His will be lost. All things are possible with God! Thank you all for your many prayers and cards for Evelyn and I. Enjoy! Jeffreee!
1 CORINTHIANS 3:16 (NKJV)
Do you not know that you are the temple of
God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
YOU ARE CHRIST’S… CHRIST IS GOD’S
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
These words are heaven's comfort to my soul;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
This Truth is the essence of why I am whole.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
No greater encouragement is mine today;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
The Light of the world is leading the way.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
The hope of every Believer is defined here;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
We have the Spirit of love and not of fear.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
The life we live we live for the Lord Jesus;
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
We are redeemed in the price of His Blood!
Jeffree E Pollock
August 26, 2004
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:23 (NKJV)
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THE LOVE HE HAS
Thank You God for showing me how to win,
I will no longer acquiesce to compromising;
Peace for me is knowing I have all Your love,
My foundation in eternity is victory in Jesus.
Thank You Lord for sacrificing Yourself for us,
I am no longer a slave to Satan's temptations;
Hope for me is being cleansed in Your blood,
My stronghold in heaven is my faith in Jesus.
Thank You Holy Spirit for coming to live within,
I will no longer lean on my strength to make it;
Truth for me was crucified and rose to live again,
My joy on earth is helping others picture heaven.
Thank You God for making Yourself known to us,
I am no longer afraid to live, I desire only Jesus;
Love for me is Christ Himself interceding on my behalf,
My faith in You is built upon trusting in the love He has.
JEFFREE!
April 2004
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1CH 16:10 Glory in His holy name; let the hearts
of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the
LORD and His strength; seek His face always.
PS 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you
righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
PS 64:10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in
heart praise Him!
RE: REJOICE!
To revel in Your blessing!
To bow to Your wisdom!
To marvel at Your beauty!
To glory in Your presence!
To rejoice in Your splendor!
To dance in Your freedom!
To walk in Your righteousness!
To lean on Your love and mercy!
To praise Your holy name!
To worship in Your holiness!
JEFFREEE!
August2004
Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise His holy name. PSALM 97:12
Exult in His holy name; O worshipers of the
Lord, rejoice! PSALM 105:3
The stone the builders rejected has become the
capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is
marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD
has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PSALM 118:19-24
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful
trial you are suffering, as though something
strange were happening to you. But rejoice
that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory
is revealed. If you are insulted because of the
name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer,
it should not be as a murderer or thief or any
other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not
be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that
name. For it is time for judgment to begin with
the family of God; and if it begins with us, what
will the outcome be for those who do not obey
the gospel of God? 1PETER 4:12-17
GALATIANS 4:4-7 (THE PROMISE)
But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman
gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us
free from the Law, and we could become God's children. Now
that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You
are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be
given what he has promised.
GALATIANS 5:13 NIV
For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy
your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
GOD IS LOVE (Spiritual Fruit)
GOD... by any other name is not love
because God is love.
JOY... gained by means of selfish pride
is only diminishing happiness.
PEACE... if pursued and accomplished
by pushing down others is a lie.
PATIENCE... if not leaning on the Solid Rock
of Jesus Christ will not stand.
KINDNESS... if not practiced in your daily
walk makes no difference.
GOODNESS... that does not desire godliness
will not withstand the test of time.
FAITHFULNESS... that pleases God fortifies
and encourages more spiritual fruit.
GENTLENESS... without intercessory discernment
falls short of true compassion.
SELF-CONTROL... without true compassion becomes
a springboard to selfishness.
LOVE... by any other name is not God because
GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8).
Jeffree E Pollock
APRIL 28, 2004
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature,
your lives will produce these evil results: sexual im-
morality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful
pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities,
hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone
is wrong except those in your own little group, envy,
drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let
me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living
that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will
produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the pas-
sions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and
crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy
Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every
part of our lives. GALATIANS 5:19-25 NLT
My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes
from God, and when we love each other, it shows that
we have been given new life. We are now God's children
and we know Him. God is love, and anyone who doesn't
love others has never known Him. God showed His love
for us when He sent His only Son into the world to give
us life. Real love isn't our love for God, but His love for
us. God sent His Son to be the sacrifice by which our
sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this
much, we must love each other. 1 JOHN 4:7-11 CEV
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THE SPONTANEITY OF LOVE
Love suffereth long, and is kind ... 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, i.e., it bursts up
inextraordinary ways. There is nothing of mathematical certainty
in Paul's category of love. We cannot say - "Now I am going to
think no evil; I am going to believe all things." The characteristic
of love is spontaneity. We do not set the statements of Jesus in
front of us as a standard; but when His Spirit is having His way
with us, we live according to His standard with out knowing it,
and on looking back we are amazed at the disinterestedness of
a particular emotion, which is the evidence that the spontaneity
of real love was there. In everything to do with the life of God in
us, its nature is only discerned when it is past.
The springs of love are in God, not in us. It is absurd to look for
the love of God in our hearts naturally, it is only there when it
has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure
sign that we do not love Him. The evidence of our love for Him
is the absolute spontaneity of our love, it comes naturally. In
looking back we cannot tell why we did certain things, we did
them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us.
The life of God manifests itself in this spontaneous way be-
cause the springs of love are in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 5:5)
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers
MATTHEW 15:1-9
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came
to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your
disciples break the tradition of the elders? They
don't wash their hands before they eat!"
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command
of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,
`Honor your father and mother' and `Anyone who
curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
But you say that if a man says to his father or mother,
`Whatever help you might otherwise have received
from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to `honor
his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God
for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah
was right when he prophesied about you:
" `These people honor me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"
PAPER ARMOR
Dressed in the righteousness of tradition,
The world works out its phony salvation;
Impassioned by every passing fad, It is
no wonder so-called Christians are so sad.
Dressed in the righteousness of religion,
The naked hide in the shadows of delusion;
Confounded by Satan's pretty little lies,
It's not surprising so many give up the Fight.
Dressed in the armor of righteous works,
The fallen keep rising to fake another day;
Lost in a world turning on an axis of evil,
They miss the chance to follow God's Way.
Dressed in the self-righteousness of Pop Psychology &
Positive Thinking, beauty and brains reign supreme;
Deceived into believing money can buy everything,
the Creed of most people is, "It is all about me!!!"
Dressed to the nines just to turn someone's head,
The rich and famous have no place for Jesus' Sword;
The battle is already lost for those who choose death,
And don't guard their lives with God's Spiritual Armor.
If you hope to get to Heaven dressed in paper armor,
I will tell you now - you are never going to get there;
Unless you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ,
You're just going to burn in Hell with what you wear!
Confess & Repent, change and get dressed in the Armor of God,
Turn from your sin and walk by faith in the power of the Spirit;
Believe in Jesus Christ and attain salvation through His Cross,
Receive grace and be found holy and righteous because of Him.
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Jeffrey E. Pollock
August 20, 2004
MATTHEW 10:32-42
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also
acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But
whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him
before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to
the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn " `a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be
the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daugh-
ter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who
does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it.
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives
me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives
a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's
reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because
he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these
little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth,
he will certainly not lose his reward."
EPHESIANS 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to
stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness
in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all
this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can ex-
tinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. 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 saints.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus."
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NEHEMIAH 2:17-18
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in:
Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned
with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem,
and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them
about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what
the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began
this good work.
REBUILD THE WALL
BROKEN DOWN BY THE ENEMY'S LIES,
THE CASTLE IS WEAK AND FALLING;
BURDENED UNDER A LOAD OF GUILT,
THE MORTAR IS OLD AND CRUMBLING.
TRODDEN DOWN BY JOYLESS FOOLS,
THE OLD HEART IS TIRED AND DYING;
TRAPPED BENEATH TONS OF WEIGHT,
CAN THERE BE ANY USE IN TRYING?
TORN BETWEEN TO EARTHLY LOVERS,
THE HEART IS CALLOUS AND DIVIDED;
BURIED INSIDE A CAVE OF BITTERNESS,
FATE HAS LEFT IT COLD AND BLINDED.
DO NOT GIVE UP, DEAR CHILD OF GOD,
DON'T FALL FOR WHAT IS NOT TRUTH;
GOD KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE,
AND HE HASN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU.
YOU MAY BE DOWN, BUT YOU'RE NOT OUT,
SO PRESS ON - AND I SAY WITHOUT DOUBT -
YOU'LL FIND AGAIN THE BRIGHTNESS OF DAY,
IS CLOSEST WHEN YOU BE STILL AND PRAY.
SEE THE CROSS AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
WHO LOVED YOU MORE THAN HIS OWN LIFE;
YOU WILL FIND FAITH IN HIS FORGIVENESS,
GIVES YOU THE STRENGTH TO GET UPRIGHT.
BELIEVE GOD'S MERCY IS STRONG IN HIS LOVE,
HIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE EACH TIME YOU FALL;
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS,
START WHERE YOU ARE TO REBUILD THE WALL.
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CLIMB TO THE TOP AND SURVEY GOD'S KINGDOM,
THE STRENGTH IN YOUR BONES IS HOLY AND NEW;
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT, AND
YOU'LL KNOW HOW MUCH GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.
Jeffree E. Pollock
August 18, 2004
NEHEMIAH 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul,
in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this,
all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their
self-confidence, because they realized that this work
had been done with the help of our God.
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"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." 2 PETER 1:5-7
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No matter how bad things seem, deliberately letting your
mind dwell on positive thoughts will enable you to survive.
I frequently quote Philippians 4:8 to myself. I say,
"Okay, Chuck, it's time to let your mind dwell on better
things." And then I go over the list and deliberately replace
a worry with something honorable or pure or lovely, some-
thing worthy of praise. It never fails---the pressure begins
to fade and peace begins to emerge.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right....
let your mind dwell on these things. PHILIPPIANS 4:8
Bible Reading: ISAIAH 55:6-11
FIVE MEANINGFUL MINUTES A DAY -- Charles R. Swindoll
ARMOR OF HIS GRACE
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 1:41 PM
From:
To: jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com
Message contains attachments
ARMOR OF HIS GRACE.doc (21KB)
Therefore let us pursue the things which
make for peace and the things by which
one may edify another.
PEACE
As much as it is possible
It is my prayer to lift you up
And remind you Someone cares
Enough to die to share His love
As much as it is possible
It is my hope to make you smile
And bring to your hurting soul
The truth that you are God's child
As much as it is possible
It is my joy to share my heart
And tap your soul to Jesus' love
With peace that will not depart
As much as it is possible
And I know it is in Christ
I ask our God to give you rest
And take anxiety from your mind
As much as is possible
I believe through Jesus you will be free
And be delivered from your endless pain
To experience the joy of His eternal peace
JEFFREEE!
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do
not let your heart be troubled and do not
be afraid. JOHN 14:27
_____________________
Arm Yourselves
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
-Jesus of Nazareth (John 10:10)
We and the world, my children, will always be at war.
Retreat is impossible.
Arm yourselves.
-Leif Enger
We were running low on fuel, and still the fog refused to lift. Icy.
Straight spread out below us, beautiful and threatening. I've always
loved the ocean, the wilder the better. But clearly, this was no place to
run out of gas. If by chance we survived ditching the small plane, we'd
last about seven minutes in those waters. The nearest chance at rescue
lived more than forty minutes away. Great. This is just how it happens.
We'll make Reader's Digest. "Family on vacation lost in fatal crash."
Rain and mist smeared the windshield as we strained our eyes ahead,
searching for a break in the clouds. There's no radar in these planes;
bush pilots fly VFR - visual flight restrictions. If you can't see where
you're going, well, then, mister, you can't go there. And you can't keep
trying forever, either; the clock that's running is the fuel gauge. Three
more minutes, and we'll have to turn back.
"We'll give it one more pass."
"Fairweather Mountain" is a total misnomer. With a name like that, don't
you picture some lovely place in Hawaii or maybe Costa Rica - balmy
breezes, gentle green slopes, the weather always, well, fair? These
mountains explode 15,000 feet or more above sea level, right off the
coast of southeastern Alaska, sheer cliffs and foreboding glaciers. Some
of the world's worst weather hangs out here.
The pilot was yelling above the drone of the engine, "They get their name
'cause you can only see 'em in fair weather."
How cute. What idiot came up with that cleverness? Raw fear had swallowed
my sense of humor whole. They ought to have named them the Peaks of
Frozen Death or the Don't Even Think About It Mountains. Fair weather?
Around here, that means maybe twenty days a year - if you're lucky.
We got lucky.
And I have never seen anything more breathtaking in all my life. We
banked along vertical granite walls that rose and fell thousands of feet
on either side, like a sparrow gliding among the Himalayas. "Are those
waterfalls." I asked, pointing to several cascades of white falling
through thin air over the black cliffs.
Avalanches. It must be warm up here today."
Massive crevasses in the glaciers below held pools of clear water - a
color I never knew existed, something between azure and cerulean blue.
"Those cracks are so big we could fly right down 'em."
I pretended not to hear. I felt we'd slipped through Death's grasp, and I
didn't want to give him another swipe. The beauty that now engulfed us
was enough.
In Desperate Need of Clarity
Twenty clear days a year - that sounds about like my life. I think I see
what's really going on about that often. the rest of the time, it feels
like fog, like the bathroom mirror after a hot shower. You know what I
mean. What exactly are you perfectly clear on these days? How about your
life? Why have things gone the way they have? Where was God in all that?
And do you know what you ought to do next, with a deep, settled
confidence that it will work out? Neither do I. Oh, I'd love to wake each
morning knowing exactly who I am and where God is taking me. Zeroed in on
all my relationships, undaunted in my calling. It's awesome when I do
see. But for most of us, life seems more like driving along with a dirty
windshield and then turning into the sun. I can sort of make out the
shapes ahead, and I think the light is green.
Wouldn't a little bit of clarity go a long way right now?
Let's start with why life is so dang hard. You try to lose a little
weight, but it never seems to happen. You think of making a shift in your
career, maybe even serving God, but you never actually get to it. Perhaps
a few of you do make the jump, but it rarely pans out the way you
thought. You try to recover something in your marriage, and your spouse
looks at you with a glance that says, "Nice try," or "Isn't it a little
late for that?" and the thing actually blows up into an argument in front
of the kids. Yes, we have our faith. But even there - maybe especially
there - it all seems to fall rather short of the promise. There's talk of
freedom and abundant life, of peace like a river and joy unspeakable, but
we see precious little of it, to be honest.
Why is it that, as Tillich said, it's only "here and there in the world
and now and then in ourselves" we see any evidence of a new creation?
Here and there, now and then. In other words...not much. When you stand
them side by side, the description of the Christian life practically
shouted in the New Testament compared with the actual life of most
Chistians, it's...embarrassing. Paul sounds like a madman, and we look a
little foolish, like children who've been held back a grade. Why is it
that nearly every good thing, from taking the annual family vacation to
planning a wedding to cultivating a relationship, takes so much work?
It's almost as if there is something set against us.
Shell Shock
Some dear friends of mine just returned from a three-week vacation in
France. It had been their dream for nearly twenty-five years. What could
be more romantic than strolling the Champs Elysées in the evening, as
lovers do? It seemed an ideal way to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding
anniversary. They'd both served God faithfully for decades, but over the
years a European rendezvous seemed about as reachable as the moon. Then,
late last fall, things suddenly came together.
Friends of theirs were headed to Europe and offered two tickets to come
along. Time off was available. They were going to France. And right after
they made it to Paris, it all fell apart. Craig came down with walking
pneumonia; Lori wanted to leave the third day. All sorts of issues in
their marriage surfaced, but since they were with friends, the issues
mostly played themselves out in their own thoughts - which tended toward
divorce. It wasn't romantic; it was hard. Afterward, as we talked on the
phone about the whole thing, Lori said, "Life never seems to turn out the
way you think it will, about 90 percent of the time." No kidding. Haven't
we all got a story that goes with that little bumper sticker?
Just the day before, I received another call. that was the morning our
son Blaine was to have his final cardiologist appointment, and I was
anxious to hear the news. Now, I know that every parent thinks his child
is head and shoulders above the rest, but I'm telling you - Blaine is a
special one. He turned eleven this year, and he's one of the healthiest,
happiest kids I've ever known. His heart is so good, so spiritually
aware, so keen to the hearts of others. He's surprisingly compassionate
for a boy his age, and he's also the most courageous one of us all. When
it comes to rock climbing or cliff jumping or skiing, Blaine is always
the first to go for it. He's a great athlete and a talented artist and a
riot when it comes to his humor. He plays the violin; he memorizes cowboy
poetry; he blows stuff up; he wants to be a Jedi knight. I love this boy.
And it's a long story of prayer and hope and worry over Blaine. When he
was young, his pediatrician picked up an anomaly in his heart during a
routine checkup. the cardiologist confirmed through a battery of tests
that, indeed, Blaine had several holes in his heart. "He'll need
surgery," he said. We opted to wait until Blaine was older, to give God a
chance to intervene. The thought of putting my son under open-heart
surgery gave me the shudders.
Over the course of those years we spent many nights in prayer that God
would heal Blaine's heart. During one of those times, Stasi, not usually
given to visions, had a picture of a light penetrating his heart. At that
moment, she felt certain God had healed him. And just this morning, the
day for his annual checkup, as I began to pray for Blaine, I sensed Jesus
say, I've healed him. My heart rested, and I waited for the good report.
"Hi...it's me." A long silence. "Blaine needs surgery...right away."
Hope vanished, I felt that sick-in-the-gut feeling of an imminent free
fall, that feeling you get on top of a ladder that's starting to sway
under you. All kinds of thoughts and emotions rushed in. What? Oh,
no...Not after all this...I...I thought...My heart was sinking. Despair,
betrayal, abandonment by God. Failure on our part to pray enough or
believe enough. I felt moments away from a total loss of heart. It seemed
inevitable.
These moments aren't a rational, calculated progression of thought;
they're more like being tossed out of a raft in a storm. It comes fast
and furious, but the pull of the current is always toward a loss of
heart. Most of the time we are swept away; we give in, lose heart, and
climb out of it sometime later. Some never climb out.
Eyes to See
When Spillane (The Perfect Storm) treats injured seamen offshore, one of
the first things he evaluates is their degree of consciousness. The
highest level, known as "alert and oriented times four," describes almost
everyone in an everyday situation. They know who they are, where they
are, what time is is, and what's just happened. If someone suffers a blow
to the head, the first thing they lose is recent events - "alert and
oriented times three" - and the last thing they lose is their identity. A
person who has lost all levels of consciousness, right down to their
identity, is said to be "alert and oriented times zero. His understanding
of the world is reduced to the fact that he exists, nothing more. Almost
simultaneously, he understands that he is in excruciating pain. For a
long time, that is all he knows.
John Spillane is a para-rescue jumper sent into the North Atlantic, into
the worst storm of the twentieth century, the perfect storm, as the book
and film called it, to rescue a fisherman lost at sea. When his
helicopter goes down, he is forced to jump into pitch blackness from an
unknown height, and when he hits the water, he's going so fast it's like
hitting the pavement from eighty feet above. He is dazed and confused -
just as we are when it comes to the story of our lives. It's the perfect
analogy. We have no idea who we really are, why we're here, what's
happened to us, or why. Honestly, most days we are alert and oriented
times zero.
Has God abandoned us? Did we not pray enough? Is this just something we
accept as "part of life," suck it up, even though it breaks our hearts?
After a while, the accumulation of event after event that we do not like
and do not understand erodes our confidence that we are part of something
grand and good, and reduces us to a survivalist mind-set. I know, I know
- we've been told that we matter to God. And part of us partly believes
it. But life has a way of chipping away at that conviction, undermining
our settled belief that he means us well. I mean, if that's true, then
why didn't he __________? Fill in the blank. Heal your mom. Save your
marriage. Get you married. Help you out more.
Either (a) we're blowing it, or (b) God is holding out on us. Or some
combination of both, which is where most people land. Think about it.
Isn't this where you land, with all the things that haven't gone the way
you'd hoped and wanted? Isn't it's some version of "I'm blowing it"? in
that it's your fault, you could have done better, you could have been
braver or wiser or more beautiful or something? Or "God is holding out on
me," in that you know he could come through, but he hasn't come through -
and what are you to make of that?
This is the Big Question, by the way, the one every philosophy and
religion and denominational take on Christianity has been trying to nail
down since the dawn of time. What is really going on here? Good grief -
life is brutal. Day after day it hammers us, till we lose sight of what
God intends toward us, and we haven't the foggiest idea why the things
that are happening to us are happening to us. Then you watch lives going
down with the Twin Towers, read about children starving in Ethiopia, and
wham! If a good God is really in charge...all that.
I felt so bad that Paris wasn't what my friends hoped it would be, but I
wasn't sure what to say. Like most Christians in that situation, I simply
asked Lori how I could pray for them. "That we would have eyes to see
what's going on." My heart leaped. Brilliant! Perfect! That is exactly
what we need. Eyes to see. Isn't that what Jesus offered us - clarity?
Recovery of sight for the blind (Luke 4:18)? We need clarity and we need
it badly. A simple prayer rises from my heart: Jesus, take away the fog and
the clouds and the veil, and help me to see...give me eyes to really see.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
Thomas Nelson, 2003 All rights reserved
Dear Elizabeth, CONGRATULATIONS. Your POEM is beautiful. Here's a poem for you. I included Jerry's Letter at the end for Evee and some other friends and family to read. We love you. Jeff & Ev
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
"You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
In this world full of fallen men,
Lift your head up and live again;
Hear the Lord calling you into His line,
Follow His lead and let your light shine!
In this world of broken hearts,
Lay your burdens down and let the healing start;
Cast your cares upon the Lord and hear Him say,
"Now, they're Mine."
Follow His example and let your light shine!
In this world of token love,
Throw your treasures out and set your sights on what’s above;
Seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness is what you’ll find,
Join in His "great commission" and let your great light shine!
In this world of empty promises,
Put your faith in God who does what He says;
Trust Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Love Him with all your heart and let your light shine!
In this world full of lifeless idols,
Sing your praises, bow your heart to the Living God;
Know God’s Word (His Love, His Grace) is active and alive,
Share what you have and let your light shine!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
January 27, 2004
And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. [2] We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that. [3] If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. [4] Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. [5] We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. [6] For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 [New Living Trans.]
Subj: August Newsletter
Date: 7/31/2004 12:35:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: "Cross Way Publications"
To: Jeffree4ever@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Cross Way Publication's Monthly News
Poem of the Month
Remember My Chains
In the quiet stillness of the morning
People whisper silent prayer
They're not worried for their danger
Knowing too their Lord is there
Angry knocking breaks the stillness
Silently the prayers begin
Taken from their peaceful worship
Pray the Lord their battles win
In the darkness not forsaken
Singing praise from dusk till dawn
In the midst of fierce temptation
Still to God their hearts are drawn
The time has come, the question asked
They stand firm and won't deny
Knowing this day might be their last
But still they choose with Christ to die
Elizabeth Ann Perry
Scripture of the Month
Hebrews 13:1-15
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. 4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 7 Remember them which have the rulea over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftn2
The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Heb 13:1-15).
Quote of the Month
Have you been deceived and betrayed? My Master can meet that craving of your nature after friendship and sympathy. Confide in him, and he will never forsake you. http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftn1
http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftnref1Spurgeon, C. H. (1998). Vol. 13: Spurgeon's Sermons: Volume 13 .
What's New at Cross Way
1) Congratulations to Elizabeth Pearson, Leslie Sheryl Waller, and K. A. M. Hatcher the winners of our “Attributes of God” poetry contest. Be sure to stop by and read their poetry.
2) We reached the 7000 poem plateau this month. Keep that poetry comingJ
This Month's Devotional Thought
I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Do you feel all alone in the world? The Lord tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us. Three times in scripture God made this promise to His children. In each instance the people and the situations were different and yet, God remained faithful to His promise each time.
The first time this promise made is found in Genesis 28:15. Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau. Having cheated Esau out of both his birthright and his blessing Jacob is running for his life. He arrives at the edge of his father’s kingdom and, as he sleeps, a ladder comes down from heaven. The Lord makes a promise to Jacob that He will make of him a great nation and will not leave him until he returns him to his father’s land. Twenty one years later, after Jacob has been chastened by God and has matured in the faith God keeps His promise, bringing him back to his father’s land.
The second time scripture records this promise is in Joshua 1:5. Joshua is preparing to cross the Jordan River. He looks ahead at the vast armies that are waiting to confront him and looks at behind at the multitude of people he must lead through battle. As he stands in the midst of this great responsibility the Lord comes to him with a promise that He will remain true.
The Lord is true to His promise and all of Israel’s enemies fall in defeat before them. Israel receives all of the land and all of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45).
In Hebrews 13:5 the Jewish Christians are having second thoughts about their faith. Apostate Jerusalem is confronting them with the demand that they reject their faith in Christ and once again return to the sacrificial offerings of bulls and goats. The hordes of Rome are gathering on the horizon and it seems as though they have no where to turn. The Lord, through the writer of Hebrews, points them to the true sacrifice required of God, reminds them that this present life is not to be their main focus and promises them He will never leave them nor forsake them.
God kept his promise. Nearly two thousand years later the temple at Jerusalem in no longer in existence, the sacrificing of bulls and goats is gone, and the hordes of Rome are merely notations in a history book. Yet, the church continues to grow and flourish around the world.
Do you feel all alone in your current situation? Have you done something that you feel has made God turn His back on you? He may need to chasten you with His hand of love but, if you are His child, He will not leave you or forsake you.
Has the Lord called you to a task that seems too great? If He has called you to do it He will remain steadfast until it is accomplished.
Are you having second thoughts about your faith? Do the apostate armies of the modern church and the demonic hordes that are gaining strength in this world seem to have you surrounded? Do not be afraid. The One who has called you will remain faithful and He will never leave you nor forsake you. His promises are truth and our precious Savior will remain by our side until we are safely in His arms.
Jerry
Cross Way Publications
"Poetry Proclaiming Christ As King"
PO Box 3192
Williamsport, PA 17701-0192
http://www.christianpoetry.org
webmaster@ christianpoetry.org
phone: (570) 974-6225
Do you Yahoo!?
Before Christ comes it is useless to expect to see
the perfect church. -- J. C. Ryle
II CORINTHIANS 4:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry,
we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret
and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we
distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the
truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled to those who are perishing.
MISSING HEART
There is something more worth searching for:
THE TRUTH
That is found following Jesus in His Word.
There is something more worth looking for:
THE JOY
That comes from serving Christ the Lord.
There is something more worth living for:
THE HOPE
That waits for the soon-returning Lord.
There is something more I'm praying for:
THE LOVE
That fills up what is missing in my heart.
Jeffrey E Pollock
June 13, 2004
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so
that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
II CORINTHIANS 4:1-3 NIV
For God so loved the world He gave His only Son,
that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
JOHN 3:16
HOW MANY TIMES??
1.
How many times must you hear the truth...
That God loves you -- Jesus loves you;
And by His grace He saves your soul,
From the grip of Satan's stranglehold?
2.
How many times will you sing of God's grace...
That God saves you -- because of Jesus;
And by His sovereignty He keeps your way,
From the path of the enemies' destruction?
3.
How many times must we pray for peace...
That God stills us -- with righteous fruit;
And by His Holy Spirit makes us truly free,
From the world's pot of unrighteous stew?
4.
How many times will you presume upon God...
That He is going to forgive you -- inspite of you;
And by His mercy heal you through Jesus' Cross,
From the horrible death that was waiting for you?
1. How many times are you willing to believe and listen?
2. How many times are you willing to worship and praise?
3. How many times are you willing to surrender and pray?
4. How many times are you willing to trust what He says?
St. Jeffree!
JUNE 2004
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--
it is by grace you have been saved. -- Ephesians 2:4-5
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus is our mouth, through which we speak to the Father; He is
our eye, through which we see the Father; He is our right hand
through which we offer ourselves to the Father. Unless He
intercedes, there is no intercourse with God. -- St. Ambrose
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We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still:
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our soul from Thee to fill.
-- St. Bernard
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Our work here is brief but its reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by
the clamor of the world, which passes away like a shadow. -- Clare of Assisi
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God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you
can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8
When you are doing well in your faith, you might feel good about
what you are doing for God. But never forget the price Jesus paid
to bring you into his family.
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John Bunyan, seventeenth-century author of Pilgrims Progress, wrote,
"The best prayers have often more groans than words."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our
learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope
of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(The Book of Common Prayer, p. 236)
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Find out how much God has given you and take from it what you
need; the remainder is needed by others.
-- Augustine of Hippo
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We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
-- Winston Churchill
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LORD, MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF THY PEACE;
WHERE THERE IS HATRED, LET ME SOW LOVE;
WHERE THERE IS INJURY, PARDON; WHERE THERE
IS DOUBT, FAITH; WHERE THERE IS IS DESPAIR,
HOPE; WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS, LIGHT; AND
WHERE THERE IS SADNESS, JOY.
-- St. Francis of Assissi
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Mel Gibson's Next Act
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2004/apr30.html
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The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his
inmost being. (Proverbs 20:27 NIV)
The greatest danger in the Christian life is that we become satisfied with
our present spiritual state. It's then that we cease being conformed into
the image of Christ. It's then that we fall into the rut of nominal
Christianity.
The Christian life is a great adventure. It's one where a person never ceases
growing. It's a life in which God is the lamp of our souls. Why don't you
welcome the Lamp of the Lord into some of the dark parts of your life today?
You might be surprised what He will show you.
http://www.sammytippit.org
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..
From my mother I learned the value of prayer.
--Ronald Reagan
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Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental
Congress, in the first step-humble, heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for
the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance, and
the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the
resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our Nation, our friends
in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.
--Ronald Reagan in his 1988 National Day of Prayer Proclamation
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He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come. We comfort
ourselves in the knowledge that this is true for him, too. His work is
done, and now a shining city awaits him. May God bless Ronald Reagan.
--George W. Bush
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/teaserprinter.php
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But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--
it is by grace you have been saved. -- Ephesians 2:4-5
HOW MANY TIMES??
1.
How many times must you hear the truth...
That God loves you -- Jesus loves you;
And by His grace He saves your soul,
From the grip of Satan's stranglehold?
2.
How many times will you sing of God's grace...
That God saves you -- because of Jesus;
And by His sovereignty He keeps your way,
From the path of the enemies' destruction?
3.
How many times must we pray for peace...
That God stills us -- with righteous fruit;
And by His Holy Spirit makes us truly free,
From the world's pot of unrighteous stew?
4.
How many times will you presume upon God...
That He is going to forgive you -- in spite of you;
And by His mercy heal you through Jesus' Cross,
From the horrible death that was waiting for you?
1. How many times are you willing to believe and listen?
2. How many times are you willing to worship and praise?
3. How many times are you willing to surrender and pray?
4. How many times are you willing to trust what He says?
St. Jeffree!
JUNE 2004
For God so loved the world He gave His only Son,
that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
JOHN 3:16
HEBREWS 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had
taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God.
FAITH
Faith is a heart business,
A life career of submission;
Faith is an open confession,
A daily decision of purification;
Faith is a matter of conscience,
An hourly surrender to honesty;
Faith is a humble profession,
A minute by minute hourglass of opportunity;
Faith is a moral construction,
A moment by moment building of obedience;
Faith is an eternal institution,
A living servant of righteousness;
Faith is a soul business,
An occupation of love.
JEFFREE!
MAY 2004
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
HEBREWS 11:6
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance. --1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT
HEBREWS 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had
taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God.
FAITH
Faith is a heart business,
A lifetime career of submission;
Faith is an open confession,
A daily decision of purification;
Faith is a matter of conscience,
An hourly surrender to honesty;
Faith is a humble profession,
A minute by minute hourglass of opportunity;
Faith is a moral construction,
A moment by moment building of obedience;
Faith is an eternal institution,
A living servant of righteousness;
Faith is a soul business,
A holy occupation of love.
Jeffree E Pollock
May 19, 2004
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
HEBREWS 11:6
_____________
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not
give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid. --LUKE 14:27, NIV
SURRENDER
LET NOT YOUR FEARS RULE YOUR HEART
LET NOT PRIDE HIDE THE RIGHTEOUS PART
LET NOT YOUR ANGER WIN THE HOLY WAR
COME TO JESUS AND SURRENDER
LET NOT YOUR FAULTS REIGN OVER HIS LOVE
LET NOT IMPATIENCE BE ENTHRONED UP ABOVE
LET NOT YOUR PRIDE PRESUME YOU HAVE WON
COME TO CHRIST AND REMAIN PURE
LET NOT YOUR PREJUDICE DETERMINE THE TRUTH
LET NOT INFIDELITY BE THE ROOT OF YOUR FRUIT
LET NOT YOUR ATTITUDE ROB YOU OF BEING NEW
COME TO JESUS AND BE ASSURED
LET NOT YOUR LUST LEAD YOU TOWARD IMMORALITY
LET NOT YOUR SIN TURN YOUR FOCUS OFF PURITY
LET NOT COMPROMISE DESTROY YOUR INTEGRITY
COME TO CHRIST AND REST IN SAFE PASTURE
LET NOT YOUR WORKS BE CONFUSED WITH HIS GRACE
LET NOT YOUR WEAKNESSES DETER HIS STRENGTH
LET NOT YOUR STUBBORNNESS RUE THE NEW DAY
START THE MORNING WITH JESUS AND ENDURE
JEFFREE!
MAY 2004
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance. --1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT
God bless you all this Easter! These are a few more poems I wrote
focusing on Christ, His Cross and His Resurrection; ENJOY! My wife
and I got out to a Sunrise Service this morning that was wonderful;
so full of joy and singing I just had to write another before sending
this out. It was a cold and rainy Resurrection Celebration, but it was
beautiful. We sang some hymns, including "He Lives"; the song, "I Can
Only Imagine" was performed and The Holy Light Church of God in
Christ Choir belted out a few gospel songs, which were inspiring.
We, my wife and I, pray that your house is full of peace
today and always. IN HIS LOVE, Jeffree and Evee
ETERNAL HOPE
(Inside Out)
Immured within
The walls of sin
Condemned by conscience
Darkness ruled my senses
Trapped inside
These halls of time
Confounded by evil
Fear controlled my will
Pressured from without
The walls fell down
Enlightened by Truth
God's grace made me new
Freed from the inside out
Cleansed from haunting doubt
Befriended by ALMIGHTY God
Eternal Hope is mine at the Cross
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep." JOHN 10:11
THE CROSS
Father, lead me to the place of abandon,
Where I must leave my self behind;
Bring me to the point of absolute surrender,
Where all I see is Jesus Christ.
Jesus, lead me to the foot of Your sacrifice,
Where I must decide that You died for me;
Bring me to the very crux of spiritual obedience,
Where all I know is Christ and His resurrection glory!
Holy Spirit, guide me in the Shepherd's Way,
Where I must be faithful within holy bounds;
Carry me willingly to Heaven's awesome Gate,
Where I will lay aside these earthly crowns.
Oh God, thank You for this place of pain,
Where I must admit the Savior is mine;
Thank You Father for Your sovereign grace,
I am saved forever -- by the Blood of Christ!
______________
______________
______________
BLOOD FELL
Blood fell . . .
And washed me clean
Blood fell . . .
And set my spirit free
Blood fell . . .
And purified my heart
Blood fell . . .
And wiped away scars
Blood fell . . .
And opened blind eyes
Blood fell . . .
And left me justified
Christ's blood fell . . .
And healed me as I was falling
His blood fell on me . . .
And cleansed me from all sin
Thank You, Jesus!
______________
______________
______________
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He is risen! He is not here.
See the place they laid Him.
Mark 16:6 [NKJV]
HE IS RISEN!
I believe;
With my mind
Open to His truth
With my heart
I follow His way
With my strength
I confess my weakness
With my spirit
I desire holy fruit
With my eyes
I long to see His face
With my soul
I claim Eternal Rest
With my faith
I believe!
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to
write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
RESURRECTION CELEBRATION
It dawned on me again this morning,
As we watched for the sun to come up;
How the joy that makes our hearts sing,
Is alive bcause of Jesus.
Faith brought forth a joyful sound,
As we sang praise to God for life eternal;
And while cold rain poured down,
I was warmed by the words of the Apostle Paul.
Although the sun itself never was seen,
The Son of God shone through the mist;
Glad hearts looking on to resurrection glory
Was the True Light on everybody's lips.
In the joyful noise of faithful celebration,
Let the world know you are His by choice;
And with shouts of Alleluia and Amen,
Rejoice! Again, I say rejoice!
JEFFREE!
04/11/04
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
EASTER GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT
For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.
--George W. Bush
Photo courtesy of the White House.
Resurrection Celebration!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
April 11, 2004
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
Because I love You
I trust the words You say
I believe You guard my way
I worship You in spirit and truth
I train my heart to want to pray
I turn my eyes away from sin
Because I love You
Because I love You
I watch for Your return
I use each day I live to learn
I praise You for making me new
I conform my will to Your Word
I run the race I'm in to win
Because I love You
Because I love You
I ask Your Spirit to guide my steps
I seek Your peace and righteousness
I knock on Your Door til I get through
I humble my soul to honor me less
I hope to glorify You while I live
Because I love You
Because I love You
I stay at the foot of Your Cross
I choose to rejoice instead of not
I desire for my life to produce good fruit
I depend on the purpose and plan of God
Lord Jesus, I call myself a Christian
Because I love You
Jeffree E. Pollock
April 10, 2004
PROVERBS 3:5-6 NKJV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all you ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
FAITH WALK
Ahead of me I cannot reach
Without the Spirit of God today,
So in my heart I trust and lean
Against my faith in Jesus’ way.
Ahead of me I can’t believe
Without the mind of Christ,
So in my heart I trust and lean
On the peace I have in Jesus’ life.
Ahead of me I cannot see
Without the light of God,
So in my heart I trust and lean
Against my hope in Jesus’ cross.
I can’t be free from the old life of slavery
Without God's grace that makes me new,
So in my heart and mind I trust and lean
On the blood of Christ and Jesus’ truth.
Jeffree E. Pollock
MARCH 29, 2004
_______________
Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going,
and how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me.
JOHN 14:5,6 NKJV
__________________
14:6 This is the sixth I AM statement of Jesus in John (6:35; 8:12;
10:11,14;
11:25;15:1,5). In this verse, the exclusiveness of Jesus as the only
approach to
the Father is emphatic. Only one way, not many way, exist to God, i.e.,
Jesus
Christ (10:7-9; Matt. 7:13,14; Luke 13:24; Acts 4:12). -- The MacArthur
Daily Bible
__________________
John 10:7-9
so he explained it to them. "I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,"
he said. 8"All others who came before me were thieves and robbers.
But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9Yes, I am the gate. Those
who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will
find green pastures.
Matthew 7:13-14
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many
who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and
the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
Acts 4:12
There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name
in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
______________________
Footprints of Discipleship©
All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.
JOHN 13:35
Watch a small boy follow his dad through the snow. He stretches to step
where his dad stepped.
Not an easy task. His small legs extend as far as they can so his feet can
fall in his father's prints.
The father, seeing what the son is doing, smiles and begins taking shorter
steps, so the son can follow.
It's a picture of discipleship.
In our faith we follow in someone's steps. A parent, a teacher, a hero--none
of us are the first to walk the trail. All of us have someone we follow.
In our faith we leave footprints to guide others. A child, a friend, a recent
convert.
None should be left to walk the trail alone.
It's the principle of discipleship.
The Inspirational Study Bible
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
http://www.oakhillschurchofchrist.org/
"The One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks." ---Max
Lucado
JAMES 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance.
PURE JOY
Somewhere in the distance,
Perhaps just around the corner;
The last step of perseverance,
Is closer than you know.
Somewhere in the darkness,
Where you never knew the light;
The first step of commitment,
Began to work in you true life.
Somewhere in His Presence,
You will meet our Lord and King;
The final leg of your journey,
May be closer than you think.
Somewhere in the Light,
In the twinkling of His Eye;
All your patient, holy love,
Will glorify Jesus Christ.
___
Jeffrey E Pollock
MARCH 19, 2004
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything. JAMES 1:4
______________________
______________________
I have found that my spiritual growth is directly proportional to
the amount of time and effort I put into the study of Scripture.
--John MacArthur
______________________
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible
at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
______________________
For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen:
For the strong sense I have that this is not my home:
For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy: I give
Thee thanks, O God. For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy
Spirit: For all human love and goodness that speak to me of
Thee: For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
-- John Baillie
______________________
Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal
satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to
compare yourself to anyone else.
--Galatians 6:4, NLT
______________________
I believe a very large majority of church-goers are merely
unthinking, slumbering worshipers of an unknown God.
-- Charles H. Spurgeon
______________________
"The truth is that Christians need relationships to grow. We don't grow in
isolation from others. We develop in the context of fellowship. Over and
over again in the New Testament we find this basic truth: Believers need
relationships with each other to grow! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, 'Let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another... .' (NIV) God intends for us to grow
up in a family." -- Rick Warren
______________________
The Basin of God's Grace©
The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin.
1 JOHN 1:7
John tells us, "We are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of
Jesus." In other words, we are always being cleansed. The cleansing
is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck
of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of
filth land on the heart of God's child, and the filth is wiped away....
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives.
But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says,
"I can clean that if you want." And from the basin of his grace, he scoops
a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin.
But that's not all he does. Because he lives in us, you and I can do the
same.
Because he has forgiven us, we can forgive others.
Just Like Jesus
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
______________________
Barabbas missed his cross because another man took his place.
Jesus hung on the cross intended for Barabbas, just as He hung on
the cross in our place. Like Barabbas we were dead in our trespasses
and sins until Jesus' crucified body released the blood of substitution.
Like Barabbas, we were condemned to die until Jesus took our place.
Like Barabbas, we have been set free, and it is freedom for eternity.
The LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. ISAIAH 53:6
BIBLE READING: JOHN 3:16-18
March 19 -- FIVE MEANINGFUL MINUTES A DAY -- Charles R. Swindoll
___________________________________________________________
Hello everyone, Evelyn and I have been out of town visiting
family in San Antonio, TX. We flew out on SouthWest and drove
back to El Paso in our NEW VAN ~ God is so good!!! While in S.A.
we got to see Mel Gibson's "Passion" movie. The following poems
contain my thoughts and feelings about the movie: "The Passion
of the Christ" ~ BEFORE AND AFTER seeing it. I hope you enjoy;
and please feel free to tell me what you think. With love, Jeff
BEFORE
ISAIAH 53:4,5
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and He was pierced
through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our
iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
and by His scourging we are healed.
HEALED!
I don’t have to see Mel Gibson’s artistic vision,
Or watch Jesus Christ to remember what He said.
I don’t think that Jesus is dying again for my sins.
I know He withstood the torture to pay my debt.
I don’t have to see the Light fade out and go black,
Or watch the awful persecution of my Lord Jesus.
I don’t have to hear the words, "Behold the Man!"
I believe that Man lived and died to give me love.
I’m not going to see this movie to fortify my faith.
We must all be careful to follow Jesus and not Mel.
Keep your heart aligned with what the Word says,
Because every other voice will lead you into Hell.
I do not need to see a moving picture show to know,
Or watch a man pretend to suffer to imagine how it feels;
I don’t expect to cry again when I see his fake blood flow.
I realize what Christ endured is the reason I am healed!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
February 26, 2004
All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us
has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused
the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. ISAIAH 53:6
_______________________
AFTER
COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 (NIV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for
him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning
and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he
might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
SHOCK 'N' AWE
My family and I went to see "The Passion" of Jesus,
And witnessed in Living Color His unrelenting pain;
As the literal Body of Christ was broken for us,
To show The WAY for all to know God's grace.
I didn't want to believe I could find such true faith,
I was skeptical of (HIV) Hollywood's International Version;
I didn't think I'd be moved to tears or have to cover my face,
Then I saw The TRUTH tortured to obtain forgiveness for my sin.
I flinched, I cried, I broke again as He died,
I couldn't help myself as I felt God's heart break;
The perfect Son of Man was spit on and crucified,
To bring God's glorious LOVE to this world full of hate.
I was shocked, I was awed, how His stripes set me free!
My dearest lifelong friend, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
You suffered for us, and died to forgive us, and saved even me!
The Light of LIFE entered in ~ when my stone heart was rolled aside.
Thank You Jesus,
Now I love You even more;
I pray everyday that Your PASSION,
Will help me remember what I am living for.
______________
Jeffree Pollock
March 07, 2004
______________
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your
minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled
you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy
in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the
hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and
that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,
and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
COLOSSIANS 1:21-23 (NIV)
Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever He says, even
when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with God.
-- Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Life"
---
[When] Jesus Himself fasted, He was not fasting to repent or to
bring His desires under control, of course, but to demonstrate
His absolute dependence upon His Father.
-- Peter C. Moore
---
I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief
duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
-- Helen Keller
---
Prayer for Serenity
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
---
Search me, Oh God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts.
Psalm 139:23
TRY ME, OH GOD
Search me Lord,
And know my heart.
Find in me,
Every anxious part.
Indeed, my flesh is alive and well,
Not Thy will, God, but mine indwells.
Hold me Lord,
And mold my heart.
Break in me,
Every selfish part.
Indeed, my flesh is dead and often smells,
Not my will, God, but may Yours indwell.
Change me Lord,
And purify my heart.
Revive in me,
The humble part.
Indeed, my spirit is weak and useless,
Live in me, God, and find me less.
Use me Lord,
And strengthen my heart.
Redeem in me,
The holy part.
© Jeffree E. Pollock (Nov 2001)
http://www.comnet.ca/~ch-poets/page152.html
---
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in
our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins
of the whole world.
-- 1 John 2:1-2
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+John+2:1-2
---
Keep yourself as a pilgrim and a stranger here in this world, as
one to whom the world's business counts but little. Keep your
heart free, and always lift it up to God. -- Thomas à Kempis
---
God of Purpose©
He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.
MATTHEW 20:28
[Jesus] refused to be guided by anything other than his high call.
His heart was purposeful. Most lives aim at nothing in particular
and achieve it. Jesus aimed at one goal--to save humanity from
its sin. He could summarize his life with one sentence: "The Son
of Man came to seek and to save the llost" (Luke 19:10 RSV).
Jesus was so focused on his task that he knew when to say, "It
is finished" (John 19:30). But he was not so focused on his goal
that he was unpleasant.
Quite the contrary. How pleasant were his thoughts! Children
couldn't resist Jesus. He could find beauty in lilies, joy in worship,
and possibilities in problems. He would spend days with multitudes
of sick people and still feel sorry for them. He spent over three
decades wading through the muck and mire of our sin yet still saw
enough beauty in us to die for our mistakes.
Just Like Jesus
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
"The One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks."
---Max Lucado
---
"The unchurched are not asking that we change the message or even dilute it,
only that we show its relevance. Their big question is 'So what?' They want
to know 'What difference does it make? 'I’ve found that unchurched Americans
are intensely interested in Bible doctrine when it is applied in practical
and relevant ways to their lives." - Rick Warren
---
"All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the
ground, which cannot be gathered up again. That is why God tries to bring
us back when we have been separated from Him. He does not sweep away the
lives of those He cares about—and neither should you!" - 2 Sam. 14:14 (NLT)
---
http://www.insight.org/CDA/ToolsForGrowth/article_passion.asp
http://www.thepassionofthechrist.com/splash.htm
1 CORINTHIANS 13:8-12
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child,
I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When
I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
FACE TO FACE
Looking at the
Cross of Jesus,
I see the Man
Who died for me...
Looking into the
Heart of God,
I see the Love
That saved my soul...
Looking into the
Word of God,
I read the Truth
That changed my mind...
Looking into the
Spirit of God,
I'm flooded with Joy
That affirms my faith...
Looking into the
Light of God,
I sense His holiness
In waves of His presence...
Looking into the
Eyes of God,
I see the GLORY of eternity
Ahead of me...
Looking into the
Face of my Lord,
I finally see
The Face of my Savior!!!
+++
Jeffree Pollock
February 2004
++++++++++++++++++++++
CALLED OF GOD
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=isa+6:8&sr=1
God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying,
"Who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few, it
is for everyone. Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the
state of my ears; and what I hear depends upon my disposition. "Many
are called but few are chosen," that is, few prove themselves the
chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a
relationship with God through Jesus Christ whereby their disposition
has been altered and their ears unstopped, and they hear the still
small voice questioning all the time, "Who will go for us?" It is not
a question of God singling out a man and saying, "Now, you go." God
did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence
of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing
else for him but to say, in conscious freedom, "Here am I, send me."
Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with
compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there
was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiet passionate
insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men with every power wide
awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we
too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small
voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say, "Here am I; send me."
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- Oswald Chambers
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
"You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain,
glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under
a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In
the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
In this world full of fallen men,
Lift your head up and live again;
Hear the Lord calling you into His line,
Follow His lead and let your light shine!
In this world of broken hearts,
Lay your burdens down and let the healing start;
Cast your cares upon the Lord and hear him say,
"Now, they’re mine."
Follow His example and let your light shine!
In this world of token love,
Throw your treasures out and set your sights on what’s above;
Seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness is what you’ll find,
Join in His "great commission" and let your great light shine!
In this world of empty promises,
Put your faith in God who does what He says;
Trust Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Love Him with all your heart and let your light shine!
In this world full of lifeless idols,
Sing your praises, bow your heart to the Living God;
Know God’s Word (His Love, His Grace) is active and alive,
Share what you have and let your light shine!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
January 27, 2004
And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry,
we never give up. [2] We reject all shameful and underhanded methods.
We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God.
We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that. [3] If the
Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are
perishing. [4] Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of
who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the
Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message
we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
[5] We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ
Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants
because of what Jesus has done for us. [6] For God, who said, "Let there
be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the
brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6 [New Living Trans.]
1 JOHN 4:9-16a NIV
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and
only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love:
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if
we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete
in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given
us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has
sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
NO LOVE ABOVE YOU
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Abba, Father,
There is no God but You.
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Precious Savior, Lord Jesus,
There is no God but You.
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Holy Spirit, faithful Counselor,
There is no God but You.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
There are none above You;
Creator, Master, living Light,
There is no life outside You.
Sovereign Word,
GOD OF MERCY;
GOD OF GRACE,
I need Your sweet embrace.
O God, I love You;
There is no love above You!
---
Jeffrey E Pollock
January 22, 2004
---
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have
confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are
like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears
is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God,"
yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love
his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has
not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves
God must also love his brother.
1 JOHN 4:16b-21 NIV
100 A Thanksgiving Psalm (The Message)
On your feet now---applaud Yahweh!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: Yahweh is God, and God, Yahweh.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
For Yahweh is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
THANKSGIVING TODAY
Give God thanks today,
Praise Him for His love;
Surrender to His holy Way,
Thank Him for His Son, Jesus!
Give God thanks today,
Worship Him for His mercy;
Submit to His amazing grace,
Thank Him now...He is worthy!
Give God thanks today,
Exalt His Name for your daily bread;
Bless the Lord with everything you say,
Thank Him for redeeming you from death!
Give God thanks today,
Magnify His holiness with your life;
Laugh, cry, sing to Him as you pray,
Thank Him today for His beautiful light!
Jeffree E Pollock
November, 2003
Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful
in His glorious presence. Before time began and now and forever-
more, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.
JUDE 24, 25 (The Promise)
Amid the darkness of the Thirty Years' War, German pastor Martin Rinkart is
said to have buried nearly five thousand fellow citizens and parishioners in
one year, including his young wife. Conducting as many as 50 funerals a day,
Rinkart's church was absolutely ravaged by war and plague, famine and
economic disaster. Yet in the midst of that dark year, he sat down with
his children and wrote the following lines as a prayer for the dinner table:
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In Whom His world rejoices.
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath led us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us still in grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
in this world and the next.
In the midst of such gloom, Rinkart's expressions of thankfulness seem
either incredibly foolish or wonderfully important. Standing on a wholly
biblical truth, Rinkart saw the certainty of God and the significance of
thanksgiving. He saw that to be thankful in all things is to make the
bold confession that encountering the presence and glory of God far
outweighs everything we encounter in this life, whether a matter of
despair or delight. Amidst the heaviness of darkness, he saw the wisdom
in fixing his gaze on what he could not see—the light of the Gospel, the
life of Christ, the eternal weight of the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul has written, "For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we
look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.
For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen
are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16).
It is interesting to note that the general Greek word for "glory" used in
secular writing took a different shape in the New Testament. The word was
particularly influenced by its Hebrew counterpart meaning "weighted" or
"heavy," and hence, denoting something of honor and importance. The word
"doxology," referring to an expression of praise, comes from the same
Greek word. The etymology is fascinating because the word itself seems to
cry out for comparison. Will the things in which I have given most honor,
the things in which I have set my gaze, always measure up? Under the
heaviness of life, what weight does the hope I profess carry?
Paul proclaims the eternal weightiness of his hope in Christ as Lord,
adding powerfully, "for it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of
darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). It
is the God who first spoke light into darkness, who made light to shine in
the darkness of Christ's grave, and this inextinguishable light of Christ
now shines in our hearts. It is this God of intrinsic glory whose reign
is eternal, whose face we know, and in whom we know light and life itself.
Martin Rinkart's simple table grace was later made into a powerful hymn
and sung at a celebration service at the war's end. Adding a third stanza,
Rinkart's words continue with thanksgiving, concluding fittingly with words
of doxology, words proclaiming the weightiness of the glory of God.
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
with Them in highest heaven;
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
Let us therefore fix our gaze upon the light of the Gospel of the glory of
Christ who is the image of God, increasing in thanksgiving to the glory of God.
Copyright (c) 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of
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Copyright(c) 2003
GOD-BREATHED
Monday, November 24, 2003 11:33 PM
From: Jeffree4ever@aol.com
To: jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com
GOD-BREATHED
http://www.geocities.com/christian_sensation/Poetry/godbreathed.html
http://www.geocities.com/christian_sensation/Poetry/godbreathed.html
I got to thinking....
As I sometimes do,
And wrote this Christmas poem
Especially for you:
COMPLETE IN HIM (All Is Well)
My prayer for you
Is that you will be found in Jesus;
My prayer for you this Christmas,
Is that you will come to know Him
As your Master and your King.
My hope for you
Is that you would enjoy Him;
My hope for you in Jesus,
Is that your heart's smile
Is made complete in Him.
My prayer for you
Is that you love Jesus more;
My prayer for you at Christmas,
Is that you will want to know Him
As your Savior and your Lord.
My gift to you this Christmas
Is to let you in on the Lord Jesus;
My gift to you this Christmas,
If it be God's will to use me so,
Is to introduce you to the Cross.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but
have eternal life. [17] God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn it, but to save it." John 3:16-17 (NLT)
Final verse:
It is my hopeful prayer this Christmas season
that Christ Jesus came especially for you,
And if you know by faith that all is well....
Please send this gift to someone else.
Written with love, Jeffrey E. Pollock
December 11, 2003 El Paso, Texas
The Significance of a Gift
Jill Carattini 12/10/2003
A new television commercial shows a husband and wife shopping for Christmas
gifts. The wife moves through the store collecting what she came for and
checking off her list as she goes along. The husband, on the other hand,
has fallen prey to one of the center aisle's attention snatching exhibits.
Making fun of the professionally packaged, ready-made knickknack stations
diligently at work in every retail store, the commercial shows countless
victims stockpiling gifts from displays titled, "Armadillos and Things,"
and "Bobble Heads and Things." Mesmerized by the bobbling trinkets
himself, the husband reaches out as if convinced it is the perfect gift
for everyone, when out of nowhere his wife emerges to break the trance,
"That is not on anyone's list."
If we were to ask the question, "What makes a gift significant?" we would
find, especially this time of year, that there are many voices vying to
answer. According to this commercial, gifts should have meaning and
value, and should be something the receiver will find useful. (And of
course, as it is an office supply store running the ad, the other message
they hope we get is that there is nothing quite as useful as office
supplies.) According to popular psychology, a significant gift is never
just a gift, but something that successfully communicates how well you
know and understand the person. Jewelers love to capitalize on this
thought. If you really knew your wife, they hint, then you'd know she
wants a diamond.
In this season of to-do lists and wish lists and shopping lists, retailers
know that it is tempting to turn off the mind and move on autopilot. In
fact they plan on it, creating an environment where one can think less and
spend more, buy simply to buy, choose a gift because you know one has
been chosen for you. And they will use psychology and reverse psychology,
tradition and sentimentality, even guilt, to motivate you to buy the "most
significant" gift.
I heard a story recently about a department store known for its clever
gift selections. One year they decided to package frankincense, gold, and
myrrh as an extravagant, ready-made present for customers to buy. All
agreed that the gift would be a great success. The trouble was, however,
that no one knew what myrrh was or how to go about getting it. Myrrh,
they soon found out, was a rare and expensive spice most notably used in
embalming the dead. Predictably, they left this confounding bit of
information out of their advertising.
What a telling example of how we've lost the point or no longer care to
know it! We readily attempt to smuggle meaning and significance into
life, into holidays and gifts, while completely missing—or ignoring the
significance that is built-in. I am reminded of the conversation C.S.
Lewis once overheard on a bus. Passing a church with a nativity scene
outside it, a woman declared to her friend in disgust, "They bring
religion into everything. Look—they're dragging it even into Christmas
now!"
Making the long journey marked by a great star, the magi, we are told, saw
the child and "they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts" (Matthew 2:11). They offered him gold,
honoring the infant as a king. They offered him frankincense, worshipping
the child as God. And they offered him myrrh, revering the babe just born
as a man that would die. The significance of the gifts of the magi
reflected their understanding of and hope in the eternal significance of
the One before them.
In the giving of our lives to Christ, in the giving of gifts this
Christmas, let us hold before us the mystery of God made flesh, crowned
with gold at birth and thorns in death, the glory of God in the face of a
child, the wonder of a God who would come to die, that you might live.
This, this is Christ the King! Let us with loving hearts enthrone him,
missing not the significance of this gift.
Copyright (c) 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.
2 Cor. 3:17-18 (KJV)
...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
CHRISTMAS (MORE AND MORE)
________________________________________
As we exalt our Lord and Savior this Christmas,
And praise and worship the Baby born King Jesus;
Let us remember how He came to live and die,
As we present our gifts to honor Jesus Christ.
As we celebrate our Savior and King this year,
And lift our hearts in holiness and reverant fear;
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory,
As we search His Word and hear His story.
As we surrender to our Lord we sing,
And cry and bear our souls unto Him;
Let us come before His throne of grace and dance,
As we bury our burdens in the sands of repentance.
As we magnify our Light of Life we will shine,
And grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Let us be known less among the celebrities of this world,
As we reflect His glory and become like Him more and more.
Jeffreee Pollock
December 2003
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
1CO 12:27-31 (NIV)
Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had [the] veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
2 Cor. 3:17-18 (NLT)
Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
John 8:12 (NLT)
Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me,
you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have
the light that leads to life."
A CHRISTMAS HEART
I WILL SING OUT LOUD A CHRISTMAS SONG,
AND SHARE MY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST SO DEAR;
WITH JOY AND PEACE AND HOPE SO STRONG,
THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT GOD IS HERE.
I WILL TRY TO WRITE A CHRISTMAS TUNE,
AND MAKE A SONG FOR ALL THE WORLD TO CROON;
MIGHT THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH BE SWEET AND TRUE,
THAT YOU MAY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH JESUS LOVES YOU.
I WILL CREATE WITH LOVE A CHRISTMAS CAROL,
AND ADORE WITH MY PRAISE THE LORD ALWAYS NEAR;
WITH ACTS OF GRACE AND LOVE AND LIFE ETERNAL,
THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE YOU CAN BE FULL OF CHEER.
I PRAY I WILL HAVE A CHRISTMAS HEART,
AND GIVE MY LOVE AWAY THROUGH WORD AND DEED;
MAY THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON BE THE FOCUS OF MY LIFE,
THAT YOU MIGHT RESPOND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS IN ME.
JEFFREYEPOLLOCK
DECEMBER 20, 2003
May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the
Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned,
in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
Galatians 1:3-4 (NLT)
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the
full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his
Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you
are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son,
God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)
What he's been creating, since the first beat of your heart, is
a living, breathing, priceless work of art.
-- Stephen Curtis Chapman
___
The ministry of the Spirit of God strengthens us, too, for the
task that He knows lies ahead of us. We cannot survive or
complete this task using our own abilities. Like Peter and the
apostles, we need God's empowerment. We may not know what lies
ahead, but we do know that God is preparing us for the future He
has prepared for us.
-- David Edwards in "The God of Yes"
___
Jesus once said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"
(Matthew 11:28-29).
___
1873 - American lawyer Horatio G. Spafford's four daughters drowned
when their passenger ship, while crossing the Atlantic,
collided with another and sank. The following month, as his
own ship passed over the spot of the earlier tragedy, Spafford
penned the words to the enduring hymn, "It is Well With My
Soul."
___
1963 - Death of C.S. Lewis, 65, Anglican scholar, novelist and
Christian apologist. Well-known for his children's classic,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" (1950-56), Lewis also penned other
Christian classics, including "The Screwtape Letters" (1943)
and "The Great Divorce" (1946).
___
In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. -- C.S.
Lewis
___
"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing
of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle." -- Bishop
Phillips Brooks
___
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!
-- George Herbert
___
JOHN 3:16,17
For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that
everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal
life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it,
but to save it.
TRUE HEART
We can only live so long,
In this fallen world of sin....
Searching for love gone wrong,
In a corrupt game we cannot win.
We live our lives just once,
In this desert land of divided loyalties....
Seeking truth somewhere between obedience and fun,
In this me-first world of whatever-sets-you-free.
We can only find the true life,
In this spinning world of shadow & light....
Placing all our hope in Jesus, the Son of God,
Borne from Heaven to give His life on a cross.
We may with God gain a true heart,
In this painful place with so many choice idols....
Settling our faith in Jesus Christ - we can get a new heart,
In our Savior's grace - through His perfect, cleansing blood.
JEFFREE!
DEC. 2003
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for us who believe.
EPHESIANS 1:18,19
___
Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled
must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest
thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out
everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords
perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much
of God as we actually want.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
___
From David learn to give thanks for everything. Every furrow in
the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.
-- Jeremy Taylor
___
God has given a son to us. . . .
His name will be Wonderful Counselor,
Powerful God. . . Prince of Peace.
ISAIAH 9:6
Every Christmas I read this reminder that came in the mail several years ago:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But
since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
When God Whispers Your Name - Max Lucado
___
Christmas is a day to remember the most profound event in the history of
the world. On that first Christmas night (whenever it was), God came to
earth as a baby! He was born into the most humble circumstances, grew
and taught us His truths, died on a cross for our sin, and was raised to be
with The Father - all so we might live with Him for eternity. -- Steve Troxel
"http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm" God's Daily Word
Genesis 2:9
And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—
beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of
the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
TWO TREES
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Wisdom.
Two roads to travel,
Only two to choose from;
One pursues the flesh,
The other follows Jesus.
One Book of Light,
One bed of filthy lies;
One leads to true life,
The other denies Christ.
Heaven and Hell,
Two kingdoms, One King;
One righteousness, peace and joy in The Spirit,
One deceitfulness, confusion and every evil thing.
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Freedom!
JEFFREEPOLLOCK
(Galatians 5:13)
January 3, 2004
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
This is something I wrote after Christmas last year.
I suspect that now is as good a time as any to send it.
Hope you're enjoying the New Year so far, Jeff
Do you Yahoo!?
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Forwarded Message: IN-CAR-NA-TION
IN-CAR-NA-TION
Saturday, December 27, 2003 6:46 PM
From:
Jeffree4ever@aol.com
To:
ladybug7@mailbug.com
Hi all, we hope you had a nice Christmas. Ev and I had a
great time with family from San Antonio, TX and Malibu, CA this
year. This is something I wrote on the 22nd; I suppose the subject
matter didn't fit the "Christmas Heart" I prefer to have during
Christmas, but before Christmas got too far away and the New Year
began I wanted to share it; hope you enjoy my rambling. Love, Jeffree
And I sent along something else for you to read if you've got time.
***
JOHN 1:1,14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us."
IN-CAR-NA-TION
I had a thought I thought worth writing down
In hopes of remembering the answer;
Just a thought about life, death and God,
But as it so often is, Lord, I don't remember.
God, help me grasp once again that thought;
Holy Spirit, if You will, bring it back again....
The thought was: the exclusivity of Christianity,
And how the world is throwing out True Religion
(RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THE LORD).
It is not amazing,
It is not remarkable,
If anything it is predictable.
This country 'tis of Thee,
Is on the verge of losing
The Foundation on which
It was originally built.
I don't think it a coincidence
An earthquake struck
California today…
I believe this is just a
Precursor of the judgment
Coming upon America,
For turning its back on God.
There is no place to hide
from His fatal blow:
A nation bent on rebellion
Will feel His holy wrath.
God, what else?
The main thought I had earlier
was that now at Christmas,
The Manger Scene is not allowed.
But it is okay to display a Menorah
(eight candles representing the Old
Testament miracle when God caused
enough oil for 1 day to last for 8).
This and other religious symbols
are being put up and accepted,
but the humble birth of Christ Jesus
is not allowed for some reason.
Think about it … The Incarnation.
Every other symbol of religion
holds no claim as True Deity, but
only signifies a world religion.
Only Christianity unmistakably
points to the one true Savior Messiah:
Jesus Christ, who is God.
So don't be surprised,
Nothing has changed.
JEFFREE!
12/22/2003
Jesus Christ is the same
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Hebrews 13:8
***
Micah 5:2-5
2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the
clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler
over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who
is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join
the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the
strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will
reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And He will be their peace.
Luke 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for
the Baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.
10/7/08
Incarnation Application
Margaret Manning
For most of us, the study of doctrine is best left to academics and
theologians. Terms used in doctrinal formulations like supralapsarian, or
infralapsarian, incompatiblism, predestination, and compatibalism not only
leave one tongue-tied, but also confuse our minds. Many of us wonder what
doctrine has to do with our day to day lives, especially as we struggle
with terms we don’t understand, and principles we find so hard to
practice. If we’re honest, reading and studying theology is something
most of us would like to avoid just as we’d like to avoid a root canal.
Historically, of course, the formation of doctrine served to tell the
story of the gospel. Doctrines are composed of the central tenets of
belief, so an understanding of doctrine shapes what we think about
our faith. But how many of us have really taken the time to think through
the implication(s) or application(s) of doctrine to the living out of our
Christian lives? In other words, is a belief something we only think in
our heads? Or is a belief something we demonstrate in our lives? More
important, if what we think in our heads has no bearing over the ways in
which we live in this world, do we truly believe?
I was forced to think about these questions, as I studied the doctrine of
the Incarnation. By its very nature, the doctrine of the Incarnation is
application-oriented since it deals with the belief that in Jesus Christ
the whole fullness of God dwelt bodily. The more I thought about the
Incarnation, the more I realized that doctrine needs to be incarnational.
Doctrine must be “enfleshed” in our very beings, just as our skin encases
our bones and organs.
Another way of thinking about incarnational doctrine is to think about
eating. Food sustains our very being, and fuels us for living. In the
same way, as we digest ideas, they should emerge as a part of our very
being, just as food nourishes and sustains us by being incorporated into
our cells, tissue, and organs. In fact, being intentional about the
implications of the Incarnation can help our understanding of the true
nature of doctrine--as lived belief.
Of course the preeminent example of incarnation is in the person and
ministry of Jesus Christ. But incarnational doctrine begins all the way
back in the Old Testament. God comes to be with his people in their
wilderness wanderings as a pillar of fire and a cloud. God “dwells” among
the people in the Ark of the Covenant, and then in the Tabernacle. Later,
the Temple became the incarnational focal point of God’s presence with
God’s people.
Other vivid and concrete images of incarnation occur in the lives of the
Hebrew prophets. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is told “Son of man,
eat what you find; eat this scroll and go, speak to the house of Israel”
(See Ezekiel 2:9-3:3). This scroll is not just any scroll. It is the
book of the Law, the Scriptures, the teachings and the doctrines of belief
that guided the nation in its worship of God. Ronald Rolheiser suggests a
profound incarnational application for this image: “The idea is that they
should digest the word and turn it into their own flesh so that people
will be able to see the word of God in a living body rather than on a dead
parchment....We have to digest something and turn it, physically, into the
flesh of our own bodies so it becomes part of what we look like. If we
would do this with the word of God, others would not have to [only] read
the Bible to see what God is like, they would need only to look at our
faces and our lives to see God.”(1)
Could it be that we could so imbibe and ingest doctrine, and the beautiful
teachings that come from God’s word into our lives, that they would radiate
from our faces? That the way we lived, spoke, acted--even our very
countenance--would give witness to the truth of God’s word? This is
incarnation application. We incarnate God’s word, God’s truth and love,
as our lives bear witness to Him. Doctrine is lived out, and our beliefs
are enfleshed in our deeds and our actions, and even in our words. As St.
Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the word of God wherever you go, even use
words, if necessary.”(2)
Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) Ronald Rolheiser The Holy Longing: The Search for Christian
Spirituality (Doubleday Books: New York, 1999), 102.
(2) Ibid, 82.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2008 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
DAVID AND JESUS
No doubt history's best-known fulfilled prophecy is Micah's
prediction of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the little town
where Israel's King David also was born nearly 1,000 years earlier.
That link between David and Jesus is just one of many links.
Consider these:
David was of humble birth, born in an insignificant town, of parents
who had no claim to fame. As a boy, David was a mere shepherd--but
a bold shepherd with a reputation for risking his life to protect his
father Jesse's flock. While he was of humble family origin, he
eventually became the king of Israel. He took the throne in the
City of Peace: Jerusalem. In fact, David had led the forces that
took possession of Jerusalem, building his palace on the site of
the Jebusite fortress called Zion. So David became the first of
his lineage to reign in Jerusalem.
Jesus also was of humble origin, born--as Micah had prophesied--in
the place of David's birth: Bethlehem. Jesus too lived a simple
life--the son of a carpenter. Unlike David, though, Jesus did not
become a keeper of lambs. The Bible tells us He became a lamb--a
sacrificial lamb, who by His death bore the sins of the world
(Revelation 5).
Only after His resurrection did Jesus become a shepherd, the
"Good Shepherd" who now leads and protects His Father's flock,
the church. Further, Jesus is destined to be a king, as the apostle
John wrote: "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
To complete the parallels, Jesus will eventually reign--not just over
Israel but over all the earth. And His kingdom will exist forever.
Paul quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah and said, "The Root of
Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in Him" (Romans 15:12). Only Jesus is the
King of kings and Lord of lords.
"http://www.soul-journey.org"
[JOHN 14:6-7] Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
ANCHOR OF PROMISE
I AM THE WAY…
DON’T CHOOSE TO STAY LOST
BELIEVING that TRUE FAITH
COMES WITHOUT A COST.
I AM THE TRUTH…
DON’T BELIEVE THE LIE
TRYING TO BEAR GOOD FRUIT
WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST.
I AM THE LIFE…
DON’T CHOOSE DEATH in
LIVING JUST TO SIN AND DIE
WITHOUT BEING BORN AGAIN.
I AM THE HOPE…
DON’T EXPECT FREEDOM by
TURNING TO YOUR DAILY SOAP
WITHOUT THE HEART OF JESUS.
I AM THE PROMISE…
NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER
IN fervent PRAYER OR godly PASSION
WITHOUT LOVING ME FIRST.
I AM THE ANCHOR…
DON’T HOLD ON TO ANOTHER,
I AM THE LORD…
I AM ONE WITH THE FATHER.
JEFFree POLLOCK
JANUARY 17, 2004
Because God wanted to make the unchanging
nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of
what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who
have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us
may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as
an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters
the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
[HEBREWS 6:17-20]
Personal Life: The Need for Solitude
And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain
by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
--Matthew 14:23
Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all
but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and
beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might
drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world
again.
"The thoughtful soul to solitude retires," said the poet of other
and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can retire
today? Science, which has provided men with certain material
comforts, has robbed them of their souls by surrounding them with a
world hostile to their existence. "Commune with your own heart upon
your bed and be still" is a wise and healing counsel, but how can
it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the
radio and the television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger
cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to
devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a
positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world's intrusion.
A. W. TOZER [Of God and Men] http://lmi.gospelcom.net/tozer.php3
"If Tozer wrestled with this in his day, how much more are we
bombarded today! We have all the influences of which he speaks,
and much more all-pervasive, plus the internet and a host of other
'playthings' seeking to devour us. Lord, help us somehow to escape
today and retire to solitude, even if only for a brief time. Amen."
===========================================
LIKE JESUS DID
Believe in God,
Like Abraham did;
Give Him your Isaac,
And surrender to Him.
Show your heart,
Like King David did;
Give God due glory,
As you dance & sing.
Ask God for the best,
Like Solomon did;
Don't hide your talents,
If you have some to give.
Lift up Jesus,
Like John the Baptist did;
Warn people of their peril,
If they don't turn from sin.
Be first to step out,
Like Saint Peter did;
Your faith in Jesus,
Won't let you sink.
Speak out for Jesus,
Like Saint Paul did;
Teach unbelievers about
Purpose and discipline.
Walk and talk in love,
Like Saint John did;
Encourage one another,
Everyday that you live.
Pray to your Father,
Like Jesus our Lord did;
Humble yourself,
And glorify Him.
JEFFREE!
JANUARY
2004
===========================================
Genesis 2:9
And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—
beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of
the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
TWO TREES
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Wisdom.
Two roads to travel,
Only two to choose from;
One pursues the flesh,
The other follows Jesus.
One Book of Light,
One bed of filthy lies;
One leads to true life,
The other denies Christ.
Heaven and Hell,
Two kingdoms, One King;
One righteousness, peace and joy in The Spirit,
One deceitfulness, confusion and every evil thing.
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Freedom!
JEFFREEE!
(Galatians 5:13)
January 3, 2004
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
============================================
Happy New Year! Praise God from whom all good things come!
I love that, I love God! Another year stretches before us as God
beckons us to test the waters; to test His faithfulness; to live a
life of total trust and perfect peace; to love one another and love
Him with all our hearts. I like the sound of that, besides ALL things
are possible WITH GOD. I believe an angel of God first told those
words to a young scared Jewish girl who received the greatest
honor that could ever be imagined. I also believe each of us CAN
possess the same honor of bearing Jesus - on a different scale.
I find it wonderful how God changes things (people, places
and things) to fulfill His purposes. I read a beautifully encouraging
verse of Scripture on a Bible cover I saw in WalMart the other day
which said: The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love,
O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your
hands (PS 138:8). GOD WILL complete the purpose He has for
my life; that's the promise I'm starting this new year focusing on;
that and Galatians 5:13.
I hope you enjoy reading the following things; the first is a
reminder of what God has accomplished in the last year, the second
is something else. Both Evelyn and I want to wish each and all
of you a blessed New Year in the Lord. We'll keep praying and
keep watching God move in 2004. Enjoy! Love, Jeff and Evee
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #040101 - 01/01/2004
Looking Back, Pressing On
Reflections on 2003
A year ago, I looked at what was coming up in 2003: the imminent
war in Iraq, AIDS in Africa, the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade,
and human cloning. "The stakes," I said then, "have gotten higher,
but this is our appointed moment."
As I look back on 2003, I'm amazed and gratified by all that has gone
on in each of these areas.
The imminent war in Iraq became an actual war. Using tactics and
armaments that reflect a just war standard, our troops rushed from the
Persian Gulf to Baghdad in less than a week. And today we are doing
all we can to establish order and a democratic government. Of course,
on the evening news, you are going to hear a lot of carping about how
badly we're doing. This is not true. Noah Oppenheim writing in the
Weekly Standard after a trip to Iraq notes: "The story of America's
presence in Iraq is the story of ordinary people, with the best of inten-
tions, working ungodly hours, in unpleasant places, with no public
acclaim. Their quiet work will never make AP headlines—indeed, it too
seldom makes the wires at all—yet they are winning victories nonetheless."
The struggle for freedom in Iraq goes on, and freedom is winning—
especially now with the capture of Saddam Hussein.
As to the high stakes of AIDS in Africa—19 million already dead with
13 million AIDS orphans—soon after our broadcast, President Bush in
his State of the Union Address proposed $15 billion for AIDS relief. His
bill has been signed into law and maintains an emphasis on abstinence
and making sure that faith-based organizations are not denied access to
funds. This was a great foreign policy victory for the president and an
even greater victory for those suffering from that dreaded disease.
And while legalized abortion is still with us, 2003 saw some stunning
victories in the struggle to protect human life. The greatest was the
passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban this fall. And progress has
also been made on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (or Laci and
Conner's Law), the Informed Choice Act, and the Parental Right to
Know Act. And because of the tragic death of Holly Patterson, legislation
has been introduced to reexamine the safety of RU-486, the
controversial abortion drug.
On the biotechnology front, the United Nations continues to get closer
to calling for a worldwide ban on human cloning. Progress is slow, but
we're moving forward.
Yet though we've made progress in Iraq, on AIDS, and in the sanctity
of human life, we've still got lots work to do.
We lost some ground on marriage this year as Canadian courts, the
U.S. Supreme Court, and now the Supreme Court of Massachusetts
handed down decisions that strengthened the bids of homosexuals
and lesbians for marriage and legitimacy.
The Federal Marriage Amendment must be a priority in this election year.
And remember, it is a presidential election year. Our laws, our judges,
and the direction of the country hang in the balance. Now, I'm not going
to tell you for whom to vote. I'll tell you, however, that to be a good
citizen you must become informed about politics, and you must do your
civic duty and vote.
And finally, don't get discouraged in the struggles ahead. Remember,
God measures us by what Mother Teresa said years ago, and is
engraved on the sign on my desk: "Faithfulness, not Success."
BreakPoint is a production of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison
Fellowship.
THURSDAY
JANUARY 1
1 Peter 1:13-19
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;
set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ
is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil
desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as He who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written:
"Be holy, because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who
judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers
here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.
RESOLVE OR REGRET?
In a Classic Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown tells Lucy that this
is his year of decision. He shows her a list of things in his life he
wants to correct and announces that he's resolved to be a
better person.
Lucy says, "Not me. I'm going to spend this whole year regretting
the past. I'm going to cry over spilled milk, and sigh over lost loves."
She insists that it's too hard to improve. She tried it once and it
drove her crazy. "Forget the future," she says. "Regret the past.
Why did I do this? Why did I do that? Why? I regret it all! Oh, what
regrets! What remorse! What anguish!"
Charlie Brown sighs and throws his list away.
In one way Lucy is right. Regret is probably easier than resolve.
Lying down in a spiritual and emotional rut requires no risk,
no effort, and no strength of will. But it's no way to live. And it's
not how God wants us to approach life as His children.
Peter was an impetuous follower of Jesus who often put his foot in
his mouth. But his two letters in the New Testament are filled with
vivid images of how to live with resolve, not regret.
The phrase "prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13) is also
translated "gird up the loins of your mind" (KJV). It's a word
picture of a man tucking his long cloak into his belt to be ready to
move freely. It speaks of our determination to live for Jesus
because our hope is completely in Him (v.21).
A list of resolutions is a guide for what we do. But an attitude
of resolve encompasses how we live out our desire for holiness
each day. It springs from the grace and hope we've received
through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
Let's leave the remorse to Lucy and resolve to face this year with
purpose through the power of God. --Dave McCasland
DESTINATION POINTS
* How should a Christian's approach to New Year's resolutions
be unique? * What phrase in today's Bible reading encouraged
you most? * Write one sentence telling why you have decided
to face this year with resolve.
LINKS:
I Resolve To . . .
http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/newsletter/how01229.html
The Official Peanuts Web site:
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts
bottom line: Look forward from God's fresh perspective
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Soul Journey is also available in print in the US for
$5 a year and in Canada for $7 a year. To purchase a
subscription from Discovery House Publishers,
go to http://www.getsj.com/
Campus Life magazine gives you advice and encouragement
on issues like love, relationships, self-image, popularity,
and loneliness. To get a free copy, go to
***************************************************
Today's Soul Journey can be found at
http://www.soul-journey.org/20040101.php
***************************************************
Love, Jeff and Ev'
January 1, 2004
=============================================
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
December 15, 2003
A Triumphant Return
Return of the King
After seven years in the making, the final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy,
The Return of the King, opens this Wednesday. The good news is that, like
the others, it was worth the wait. The better news is that, even more than
the others, what we see on screen respects the Christian faith of the book's
author, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Tolkien wrote that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and
Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision." Director
Peter Jackson and screenwriters Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh knew this. So
they consciously honored the things that "were important to Tolkien." Many of
his beliefs, thus, come through on screen.
What sets Lord of the Rings apart from other stories about good versus evil,
aside from its extraordinarily imaginative treatment, is the way Christian
truth is portrayed, how it confounds the wisdom of the world. While the great and
powerful play a role in defeating evil, in the end, it's the humble and
unremarkable hobbits who save the day.
This paradox, the weak shaming the wise and the mighty, is most prominent in
The Return of the King, both the book and the film. At the end, the hero of
the third film isn't Aragon, the king-to-be, or even Frodo, the ring-bearer.
It's Samwise Gamgee, a gardener and arguably the humblest of the four hobbits.
Time after time, when it appears that the quest to destroy the Ring of Power
is about to fail, Sam somehow summons up the will to go on and, most
importantly, takes Frodo with him. The cinematic Sam mirrors what Tolkien wrote
of in his book: "His will was set and only death would break it."
Another instance of Tolkien's faith coming through occurs in an exchange
between Pippin, one of the hobbits, and Gandalf, the wizard. Hours before a battle
in which he is sure he will die, Pippin tells Gandalf that he "never thought
it would end like this."
Gandalf replies, "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. There's another path
we all must take. The gray rain curtain of this world rolls back, and it will
change to the silver clouds, and then you see it." When Pippin asks, "See
what?" Gandalf replies, "White shores and beyond, a far green country under a
swift sunrise." Gandalf's words, with a vivid picture of heaven, comfort Pippin
as he contemplates battle and possible death.
According to screenwriters Boyens and Walsh, The Return of the King is
ultimately about faith: faith in the need for good to oppose evil; faith in those
who join you in that struggle; and faith in a higher power that ensures good's
eventual triumph.
Seven years ago, bringing Tolkien's masterpiece to the screen in a way that
did the story justice was considered unlikely—even less likely that it would
honor Tolkien's faith. But that is what this film does. And that makes The
Return of the King an easy one to recommend. A great book has become a
great film precisely because it remembers what the author thought was "most
important"—the truths of a Christian worldview.
For printer-friendly version, simply visit http://www.breakpoint.org/ and click on
Today's Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.
Copyright (c) 2003
Prison Fellowship
Myth Meets Real Life
Lord of the Rings and the Present Crisis
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary December 16, 2003
Tomorrow, The Return of the King, the final chapter in J. R. R.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, opens in theaters across the
country. At the press event earlier this month in Los Angeles, the cast
and crew reflected on the experience of making the films: the
friendships, camaraderie, and hardships.
The film, of course, has a great message, but one cast member added a
powerful-if politically incorrect-perspective of his own. He talked
about how the crises and challenges depicted in Tolkien's mythical world
might help us cope with those we confront in our world today.
John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimli the dwarf, told writers that "the
older I get, the more certain I am of the presence of evil in the
world. Such a declaration by itself sets Rhys-Davies apart from many in
the entertainment industry. But the British actor didn't stop there. He
said that Tolkien was basically saying that there are times when a
generation may be challenged. And if that generation does not rise to
meet that challenge, you could lose an entire civilization.
According to Rhys-Davies, this message has a huge resonance for today. For
someone who, as he put it, believes in Judeo-Greek-Christian-Western
civilization, recent developments, especially in Europe, are a catastrophe.
The civilization that has given us democracy, the equality of women, the
abolition of slavery . . . and the right to true intellectual dissent is under
assault specifically, Rhys-Davies noted, under assault by radical Islam. Instead
of resisting that assault, parts of the Western world and here, he's referring
to Europe are committing cultural suicide.
Rhys-Davies pointed to demographic trends in Europe here, in some cases, the
majority of children being born are the children of Muslim immigrants. While it's
politically incorrect to notice this fact, it's folly to ignore the cultural implications.
The actor also expressed his support for the war in Iraq. He called it
"extraordinary" and called Americans "the most optimistic people in the
whole . . . world." He noted that no one believed that you could democratize
Germany and Japan after World War II. Now, we're trying to do the same in
the Middle East .
Now, views like these don't exactly endear Rhys-Davies to many of his
fellow actors. As he put it, he takes a "lot of stick" for his views. Still, the
benefits of Western civilization are so great that the alternative isn't some
multicultural paradise. It's darkness. In Tolkien's language, it's the Orcs,
Uruk-hai, and Sauron.
These are strong, but necessary words. Our culture is hesitant to use
the word evil, refusing even to recognize what's at stake in places like
Iraq. Nowhere is this refusal more adamant than in the industry of
which Rhys-Davies is a part. Yet, not a single one of Rhys-Davies's
critics (those giving him stick) would dream of giving up the benefits
of Western civilization. They're not willing to pay the price for its
defense, beginning with the acknowledgment that it's under attack.
But that price must be paid. As the trailer for The Return of the King
tells us, "there is no freedom without sacrifice." Tolkien understood
that, and so does the man who brought his heroic dwarf to life on the
big screen.
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary 12/17/2003
Escape into Reality
The Gospel According to Tolkien
The Return of the King, the final installment of the Lord of the Rings movie
trilogy, opens today, and like its predecessors, it shows every sign of
becoming a record-breaking success. The worldwide popularity of these movies,
like the continuing popularity of J. R. R. Tolkien's original masterpiece, reminds
us once again of the captivating power of a well-told story. And the response
to this particular story is especially encouraging. It shows us that even in a
world steeped in moral relativism people still hunger for tales of the
absolutes: the triumph of good over evil.
Of course, when some people look at Tolkien's tale of wizards, hobbits, and
elves, they believe that fans of his work are merely science fiction fans fleeing from
reality. And that may be the case for some. But in his new book, The Gospel
According to Tolkien, Ralph Wood argues that the Lord of the Rings helps
us to "escape into reality."
Wood points out that, far from being a shiny, happy escape fantasy, the Lord
of the Rings deals effectively and movingly with subjects like death, war,
hopelessness, tyranny, temptation, and the sinfulness of human nature. In short,
it clearly reflects the turbulent twentieth century that Tolkien experienced,
a time not very different from our own. As Wood writes, "Far from encouraging
us to turn away from such evils, Tolkien's book forces us to confront them.
Rather than grinding our faces in these horrors, however, it suggests a cure for
the ills of our age."
That's because Tolkien's work, though not explicitly Christian, is grounded
in his Christian understanding of the world. Unlike the pagan epics from which
Tolkien drew in writing his book—or the modernist novels of many of his
contemporaries—the Lord of the Rings conveys a profound sense of hope. For
although the story shows evil as horrifyingly real and destructive, it also shows the
power and strength of goodness. The heroic actions of small, ordinary creatures
against an overwhelming threat echo the biblical themes of God's strength being
made perfect in weakness and the last becoming first. As Tolkien wrote elsewhere,
a crucial theme in his work is "the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble."
At the same time, as characters struggle against their own personal temptations,
they show the weakness and fallibility of the human heart and our need for guidance
and grace. As C. S. Lewis wrote in his review of the Lord of the Rings, "As we
read we find ourselves sharing [the characters'] burden; when we have finished, we
return to our own life not relaxed but fortified." Lewis and Tolkien knew, and
Ralph Wood reminds us in his book, that there is a kind of escapism that
Christians ought to encourage—that is, the escape from a narrow, earthbound view
of our own circumstances. This kind of escapism helps us to look at the bigger
picture and understand the eternal moral truths governing our lives.
So why not take a skeptical friend to the movie? Engage the issues afterwards
over coffee. Tolkien's books, and now the movies, are giving people a whole
new perspective on reality—a perspective that prepares them for a better
understanding of the God who is ultimate reality.
Copyright (c) 2003 Prison Fellowship
http://christianitytoday.com/history/special/tolkien.html
Come Behind the Scenes of J. R. R. Tolkien's Life
=============================================
Hi all, we hope you had a nice Christmas. Ev and I had a
great time with family from San Antonio, TX and Malibu, CA this
year. This is something I wrote on the 22nd; I suppose the subject
matter didn't fit the "Christmas Heart" I prefer to have during
Christmas, but before Christmas got too far away and the New Year
began I wanted to share it; hope you enjoy my rambling. Love, Jeffree
And I sent along something else for you to read if you've got time.
***
JOHN 1:1,14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us."
IN-CAR-NA-TION
I had a thought I thought worth writing down
In hopes of remembering the answer;
Just a thought about life, death and God,
But as it so often is, Lord, I don't remember.
God, help me grasp once again that thought;
Holy Spirit, if You will, bring it back again....
The thought was: the exclusivity of Christianity,
And how the world is throwing out True Religion
(RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THE LORD).
It is not amazing,
It is not remarkable,
If anything it is predictable.
This country 'tis of Thee,
Is on the verge of losing
The Foundation on which
It was originally built.
I don't think it a coincidence
An earthquake struck
California today…
I believe this is just a
Precursor of the judgment
Coming upon America,
For turning its back on God.
There is no place to hide
from His fatal blow:
A nation bent on rebellion
Will feel His holy wrath.
God, what else?
The main thought I had earlier
was that now at Christmas,
The Manger Scene is not allowed.
But its okay to display a Menorah
(eight candles representing the Old
Testament miracle when God caused
enough oil for 1 day to last for 8).
This and other religious symbols
are being put up and accepted,
but the humble birth of Christ Jesus
is not allowed for some reason.
Think about it … The Incarnation.
Every other symbol of religion
holds no claim as True Deity, but
only signifies a world religion.
Only Christianity unmistakably
points to the one true Savior Messiah:
Jesus Christ, who is God.
So don't be surprised,
Nothing has changed.
JEFFREE!
12/22/2003
Jesus Christ is the same
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Hebrews 13:8
***
Micah 5:2-5
2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the
clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler
over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who
is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join
the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the
strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will
reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And He will be their peace.
Luke 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for
the Baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.
DAVID AND JESUS
No doubt history's best-known fulfilled prophecy is Micah's
prediction of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the little town
where Israel's King David also was born nearly 1,000 years earlier.
That link between David and Jesus is just one of many links.
Consider these:
David was of humble birth, born in an insignificant town, of parents
who had no claim to fame. As a boy, David was a mere shepherd--but
a bold shepherd with a reputation for risking his life to protect his
father Jesse's flock. While he was of humble family origin, he
eventually became the king of Israel. He took the throne in the
City of Peace: Jerusalem. In fact, David had led the forces that
took possession of Jerusalem, building his palace on the site of
the Jebusite fortress called Zion. So David became the first of
his lineage to reign in Jerusalem.
Jesus also was of humble origin, born--as Micah had prophesied--in
the place of David's birth: Bethlehem. Jesus too lived a simple
life--the son of a carpenter. Unlike David, though, Jesus did not
become a keeper of lambs. The Bible tells us He became a lamb--a
sacrificial lamb, who by His death bore the sins of the world
(Revelation 5).
Only after His resurrection did Jesus become a shepherd, the
"Good Shepherd" who now leads and protects His Father's flock,
the church. Further, Jesus is destined to be a king, as the apostle
John wrote: "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
To complete the parallels, Jesus will eventually reign--not just over
Israel but over all the earth. And His kingdom will exist forever.
Paul quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah and said, "The Root of
Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in Him" (Romans 15:12). Only Jesus is the
<"http://www.soul-journey.org"> King of kings and Lord of lords.
Christmas Stuffing
Thursday, December 25, 2003 3:15 PM
What he's been creating, since the first beat of your heart, is
a living, breathing, priceless work of art.
-- Stephen Curtis Chapman
___
The ministry of the Spirit of God strengthens us, too, for the
task that He knows lies ahead of us. We cannot survive or
complete this task using our own abilities. Like Peter and the
apostles, we need God's empowerment. We may not know what lies
ahead, but we do know that God is preparing us for the future He
has prepared for us.
-- David Edwards in "The God of Yes"
___
Jesus once said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"
(Matthew 11:28-29).
___
1873 - American lawyer Horatio G. Spafford's four daughters drowned
when their passenger ship, while crossing the Atlantic,
collided with another and sank. The following month, as his
own ship passed over the spot of the earlier tragedy, Spafford
penned the words to the enduring hymn, "It is Well With My
Soul."
___
1963 - Death of C.S. Lewis, 65, Anglican scholar, novelist and
Christian apologist. Well-known for his children's classic,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" (1950-56), Lewis also penned other
Christian classics, including "The Screwtape Letters" (1943)
and "The Great Divorce" (1946).
___
In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. -- C.S.
Lewis
___
"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing
of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle." -- Bishop
Phillips Brooks
___
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!
-- George Herbert
___
JOHN 3:16,17
For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that
everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal
life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it,
but to save it.
TRUE HEART
We can only live so long,
In this fallen world of sin....
Searching for love gone wrong,
In a corrupt game we cannot win.
We live our lives just once,
In this desert land of divided loyalties....
Seeking truth somewhere between obedience and fun,
In this me-first world of whatever-sets-you-free.
We can only find the true life,
In this spinning world of shadow & light....
Placing all our hope in Jesus, the Son of God,
Borne from Heaven to give His life on a cross.
We may with God gain a true heart,
In this painful place with so many choice idols....
Settling our faith in Jesus Christ - we can get a new heart,
In our Savior's grace - through His perfect, cleansing blood.
JEFFREE!
DEC. 2003
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for us who believe.
EPHESIANS 1:18,19
___
Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled
must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest
thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out
everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords
perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much
of God as we actually want.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
___
From David learn to give thanks for everything. Every furrow in
the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.
-- Jeremy Taylor
___
God has given a son to us. . . .
His name will be Wonderful Counselor,
Powerful God. . . Prince of Peace.
ISAIAH 9:6
Every Christmas I read this reminder that came in the mail several years ago:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But
since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
When God Whispers Your Name - Max Lucado
___
Christmas is a day to remember the most profound event in the history of
the world. On that first Christmas night (whenever it was), God came to
earth as a baby! He was born into the most humble circumstances, grew
and taught us His truths, died on a cross for our sin, and was raised to be
with The Father - all so we might live with Him for eternity. -- Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word
http://jeffree7.spaces.live.com/blog/
Hello friends, this is a new poem to introduce a new blog I started called New Hope; the address is at the end. I haven't really done much with it but choose the background theme I want to use, ad a sunny picture of Ev and myself, title it Jeffrey and Evelyn in "Sun City" and post this poem. Hopefully, I'll have added a link or 2 or 3 to my brothers "Spaces" before you read this; they're the photogenic ones (especially our nieces!). I might share some pictures once I learn how to use all the gidgets, gadgets, widgets and whatnots. Anyway, enjoy and please leave an am(a)zing comment or 2 or 3 so I know you visited. Sarah, thanks for the great photos! You should definitely check out Windows Live Spaces and get some FREE "Space" for them. We're so glad you guys didn't float away; we're getting Dolly's leftovers in El Paso today (Sat). G-B-Y! Jeff&Ev'
_______________________________________________________________
PROVERBS 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and
do not lean on your own understanding.
NEW HOPE
Before you know it,
Life is over and out;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Get rid of your doubt.
Before you know it,
Light is all but gone;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Go and share His love.
Before you know it,
Love will refresh light;
Obey God, avoid sin,
Get new hope for life.
Jeff POLLOCK
July 26, 2008
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord,
and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3:7 ESV
_____________________________________
Five Meaningful Minutes A Day
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean
on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
God knows where we are going tomorrow, next week, and
next year. That's something we don't know. And I, for one,
am so glad I don't. If right now I knew everything that faced
me in the coming year, I would be scared to the point of
sleeplessness. But God knows. How gracious of Him to lead
us one step at a time.
Read Proverbs 3:1-7
_______________________________________________________________
Discover Windows Live Spaces:
http://jeffree7.spaces.live.com/blog/
ISAIAH 12:1-2
"I will praise you, O LORD. Although You were
angry with me, your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me. Surely God is my
salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The
LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation."
MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG
Lord Jesus, help me find my true voice,
When I come to You expressing my joy;
Oh my Lord, I want to sing about You,
With all my heart God, all of my heart!
Oh Holy Spirit, help me walk by faith,
When I cross wide paths of unfamiliar ways;
I want to hold on, help me hold on to Jesus,
With all my strength God, all of my strength!
Father, help me live to worship You,
With all of my mind; all of my soul;
While the world serves its selfish way,
Lord God, take my life, all of my life!
My Father, help me stand with true courage,
When the Liar leads me down familiar ways;
God, let me have Your hope as my confidence,
With all of Your grace, all of Your grace!
Oh Jesus, let me hear Your song,
As the world spins its hopeless lullaby;
I will love You God with all of my soul,
And remain by faith Your spotless Bride!
I love you, Jesus! Your's forever, Jeffree!
Jeffree E Pollock
03/2003 -- 08/2004
The LORD is my strength and my song; He has
become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's
right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's
right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand
has done mighty things!" I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The
LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not
given me over to death. Open for me the gates of
righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the
LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which
the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for
you answered me; you have become my salvation.
PSALM 118:14-21
_______________________
The Reason for Singing
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save,
he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he
will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
What a word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people
in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices
to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless
might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church;
therefore may His people shout for joy.
We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His
choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving:
He takes His name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger,
for He is mighty to save.
Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same, He saves, He finds
rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy.
He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly
wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing but simply
said, "It is very good"; but when He came to redemption, then the
sacred Trinity felt a joy to be expressed in song. Think of it, and
be astonished! Jehovah Jesus sings a marriage song over His
chosen bride. She is to Him His love, His joy, His rest, His song.
O Lord Jesus, by Thine immeasurable love to us teach us to love
Thee, to rejoice in Thee, and to sing unto Thee our life-psalm.
/---------------------------------------------------------\
Be sure to check out our other devotionals
http://bible.christiansunite.com/devotionals.shtml
I've been reading through The MacArthur Daily Bible (NKJV) this year, and came across the following passage a day or so ago. This morning I concentrated my heart on it and tried to create a poem to match (you may have noticed I like to do that). The way I understand it , the original covenant God the Father made with God the Son (before time began) guaranteed our redemption in Christ. Jesus carried out His "mission" on earth to fulfill the plans and purpose of His Father. It is truly amazing
(an understatement) to realize that God has written His law (truth) on our hearts and supplied His Holy Spirit to guide and keep us. Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was planned before the world ever began to make a way for us to be with Him forever. Jesus' prayer in John 17 confirms our hope that not one of us who are His will be lost. All things are possible with God! Thank you all for your many prayers and cards for Evelyn and I. Enjoy! Jeffreee!
1 CORINTHIANS 3:16 (NKJV)
Do you not know that you are the temple of
God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
YOU ARE CHRIST’S… CHRIST IS GOD’S
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
These words are heaven's comfort to my soul;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
This Truth is the essence of why I am whole.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
No greater encouragement is mine today;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
The Light of the world is leading the way.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
The hope of every Believer is defined here;
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,
We have the Spirit of love and not of fear.
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
The life we live we live for the Lord Jesus;
And you are Christ's and Christ is God's,
We are redeemed in the price of His Blood!
Jeffree E Pollock
August 26, 2004
And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:23 (NKJV)
___________________________________________
THE LOVE HE HAS
Thank You God for showing me how to win,
I will no longer acquiesce to compromising;
Peace for me is knowing I have all Your love,
My foundation in eternity is victory in Jesus.
Thank You Lord for sacrificing Yourself for us,
I am no longer a slave to Satan's temptations;
Hope for me is being cleansed in Your blood,
My stronghold in heaven is my faith in Jesus.
Thank You Holy Spirit for coming to live within,
I will no longer lean on my strength to make it;
Truth for me was crucified and rose to live again,
My joy on earth is helping others picture heaven.
Thank You God for making Yourself known to us,
I am no longer afraid to live, I desire only Jesus;
Love for me is Christ Himself interceding on my behalf,
My faith in You is built upon trusting in the love He has.
JEFFREE!
April 2004
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1CH 16:10 Glory in His holy name; let the hearts
of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the
LORD and His strength; seek His face always.
PS 32:11 Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you
righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
PS 64:10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in
heart praise Him!
RE: REJOICE!
To revel in Your blessing!
To bow to Your wisdom!
To marvel at Your beauty!
To glory in Your presence!
To rejoice in Your splendor!
To dance in Your freedom!
To walk in Your righteousness!
To lean on Your love and mercy!
To praise Your holy name!
To worship in Your holiness!
JEFFREEE!
August2004
Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise His holy name. PSALM 97:12
Exult in His holy name; O worshipers of the
Lord, rejoice! PSALM 105:3
The stone the builders rejected has become the
capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is
marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD
has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
PSALM 118:19-24
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful
trial you are suffering, as though something
strange were happening to you. But rejoice
that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory
is revealed. If you are insulted because of the
name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer,
it should not be as a murderer or thief or any
other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not
be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that
name. For it is time for judgment to begin with
the family of God; and if it begins with us, what
will the outcome be for those who do not obey
the gospel of God? 1PETER 4:12-17
GALATIANS 4:4-7 (THE PROMISE)
But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman
gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us
free from the Law, and we could become God's children. Now
that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into
our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. You
are no longer slaves. You are God's children, and you will be
given what he has promised.
GALATIANS 5:13 NIV
For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy
your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.
GOD IS LOVE (Spiritual Fruit)
GOD... by any other name is not love
because God is love.
JOY... gained by means of selfish pride
is only diminishing happiness.
PEACE... if pursued and accomplished
by pushing down others is a lie.
PATIENCE... if not leaning on the Solid Rock
of Jesus Christ will not stand.
KINDNESS... if not practiced in your daily
walk makes no difference.
GOODNESS... that does not desire godliness
will not withstand the test of time.
FAITHFULNESS... that pleases God fortifies
and encourages more spiritual fruit.
GENTLENESS... without intercessory discernment
falls short of true compassion.
SELF-CONTROL... without true compassion becomes
a springboard to selfishness.
LOVE... by any other name is not God because
GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8).
Jeffree E Pollock
APRIL 28, 2004
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature,
your lives will produce these evil results: sexual im-
morality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful
pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities,
hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone
is wrong except those in your own little group, envy,
drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let
me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living
that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will
produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the pas-
sions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and
crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy
Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every
part of our lives. GALATIANS 5:19-25 NLT
My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes
from God, and when we love each other, it shows that
we have been given new life. We are now God's children
and we know Him. God is love, and anyone who doesn't
love others has never known Him. God showed His love
for us when He sent His only Son into the world to give
us life. Real love isn't our love for God, but His love for
us. God sent His Son to be the sacrifice by which our
sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this
much, we must love each other. 1 JOHN 4:7-11 CEV
______________________________
THE SPONTANEITY OF LOVE
Love suffereth long, and is kind ... 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, i.e., it bursts up
inextraordinary ways. There is nothing of mathematical certainty
in Paul's category of love. We cannot say - "Now I am going to
think no evil; I am going to believe all things." The characteristic
of love is spontaneity. We do not set the statements of Jesus in
front of us as a standard; but when His Spirit is having His way
with us, we live according to His standard with out knowing it,
and on looking back we are amazed at the disinterestedness of
a particular emotion, which is the evidence that the spontaneity
of real love was there. In everything to do with the life of God in
us, its nature is only discerned when it is past.
The springs of love are in God, not in us. It is absurd to look for
the love of God in our hearts naturally, it is only there when it
has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure
sign that we do not love Him. The evidence of our love for Him
is the absolute spontaneity of our love, it comes naturally. In
looking back we cannot tell why we did certain things, we did
them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us.
The life of God manifests itself in this spontaneous way be-
cause the springs of love are in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 5:5)
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers
MATTHEW 15:1-9
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came
to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your
disciples break the tradition of the elders? They
don't wash their hands before they eat!"
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command
of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,
`Honor your father and mother' and `Anyone who
curses his father or mother must be put to death.'
But you say that if a man says to his father or mother,
`Whatever help you might otherwise have received
from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to `honor
his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God
for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah
was right when he prophesied about you:
" `These people honor me with their lips, but their
hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'"
PAPER ARMOR
Dressed in the righteousness of tradition,
The world works out its phony salvation;
Impassioned by every passing fad, It is
no wonder so-called Christians are so sad.
Dressed in the righteousness of religion,
The naked hide in the shadows of delusion;
Confounded by Satan's pretty little lies,
It's not surprising so many give up the Fight.
Dressed in the armor of righteous works,
The fallen keep rising to fake another day;
Lost in a world turning on an axis of evil,
They miss the chance to follow God's Way.
Dressed in the self-righteousness of Pop Psychology &
Positive Thinking, beauty and brains reign supreme;
Deceived into believing money can buy everything,
the Creed of most people is, "It is all about me!!!"
Dressed to the nines just to turn someone's head,
The rich and famous have no place for Jesus' Sword;
The battle is already lost for those who choose death,
And don't guard their lives with God's Spiritual Armor.
If you hope to get to Heaven dressed in paper armor,
I will tell you now - you are never going to get there;
Unless you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ,
You're just going to burn in Hell with what you wear!
Confess & Repent, change and get dressed in the Armor of God,
Turn from your sin and walk by faith in the power of the Spirit;
Believe in Jesus Christ and attain salvation through His Cross,
Receive grace and be found holy and righteous because of Him.
______
Jeffrey E. Pollock
August 20, 2004
MATTHEW 10:32-42
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also
acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But
whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him
before my Father in heaven.
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to
the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn " `a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be
the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daugh-
ter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who
does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it.
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives
me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives
a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's
reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because
he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these
little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth,
he will certainly not lose his reward."
EPHESIANS 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to
stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness
in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness
that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all
this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can ex-
tinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. 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 saints.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus."
___________________________________________________
NEHEMIAH 2:17-18
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in:
Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned
with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem,
and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them
about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what
the king had said to me.
They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began
this good work.
REBUILD THE WALL
BROKEN DOWN BY THE ENEMY'S LIES,
THE CASTLE IS WEAK AND FALLING;
BURDENED UNDER A LOAD OF GUILT,
THE MORTAR IS OLD AND CRUMBLING.
TRODDEN DOWN BY JOYLESS FOOLS,
THE OLD HEART IS TIRED AND DYING;
TRAPPED BENEATH TONS OF WEIGHT,
CAN THERE BE ANY USE IN TRYING?
TORN BETWEEN TO EARTHLY LOVERS,
THE HEART IS CALLOUS AND DIVIDED;
BURIED INSIDE A CAVE OF BITTERNESS,
FATE HAS LEFT IT COLD AND BLINDED.
DO NOT GIVE UP, DEAR CHILD OF GOD,
DON'T FALL FOR WHAT IS NOT TRUTH;
GOD KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE,
AND HE HASN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU.
YOU MAY BE DOWN, BUT YOU'RE NOT OUT,
SO PRESS ON - AND I SAY WITHOUT DOUBT -
YOU'LL FIND AGAIN THE BRIGHTNESS OF DAY,
IS CLOSEST WHEN YOU BE STILL AND PRAY.
SEE THE CROSS AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,
WHO LOVED YOU MORE THAN HIS OWN LIFE;
YOU WILL FIND FAITH IN HIS FORGIVENESS,
GIVES YOU THE STRENGTH TO GET UPRIGHT.
BELIEVE GOD'S MERCY IS STRONG IN HIS LOVE,
HIS GRACE IS AVAILABLE EACH TIME YOU FALL;
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS,
START WHERE YOU ARE TO REBUILD THE WALL.
__________________
CLIMB TO THE TOP AND SURVEY GOD'S KINGDOM,
THE STRENGTH IN YOUR BONES IS HOLY AND NEW;
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT, AND
YOU'LL KNOW HOW MUCH GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.
Jeffree E. Pollock
August 18, 2004
NEHEMIAH 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul,
in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this,
all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their
self-confidence, because they realized that this work
had been done with the help of our God.
___________________________________________________
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." 2 PETER 1:5-7
___________________________________________________
No matter how bad things seem, deliberately letting your
mind dwell on positive thoughts will enable you to survive.
I frequently quote Philippians 4:8 to myself. I say,
"Okay, Chuck, it's time to let your mind dwell on better
things." And then I go over the list and deliberately replace
a worry with something honorable or pure or lovely, some-
thing worthy of praise. It never fails---the pressure begins
to fade and peace begins to emerge.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right....
let your mind dwell on these things. PHILIPPIANS 4:8
Bible Reading: ISAIAH 55:6-11
FIVE MEANINGFUL MINUTES A DAY -- Charles R. Swindoll
ARMOR OF HIS GRACE
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 1:41 PM
From:
To: jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com
Message contains attachments
ARMOR OF HIS GRACE.doc (21KB)
Therefore let us pursue the things which
make for peace and the things by which
one may edify another.
PEACE
As much as it is possible
It is my prayer to lift you up
And remind you Someone cares
Enough to die to share His love
As much as it is possible
It is my hope to make you smile
And bring to your hurting soul
The truth that you are God's child
As much as it is possible
It is my joy to share my heart
And tap your soul to Jesus' love
With peace that will not depart
As much as it is possible
And I know it is in Christ
I ask our God to give you rest
And take anxiety from your mind
As much as is possible
I believe through Jesus you will be free
And be delivered from your endless pain
To experience the joy of His eternal peace
JEFFREEE!
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do
not let your heart be troubled and do not
be afraid. JOHN 14:27
_____________________
Arm Yourselves
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
-Jesus of Nazareth (John 10:10)
We and the world, my children, will always be at war.
Retreat is impossible.
Arm yourselves.
-Leif Enger
We were running low on fuel, and still the fog refused to lift. Icy.
Straight spread out below us, beautiful and threatening. I've always
loved the ocean, the wilder the better. But clearly, this was no place to
run out of gas. If by chance we survived ditching the small plane, we'd
last about seven minutes in those waters. The nearest chance at rescue
lived more than forty minutes away. Great. This is just how it happens.
We'll make Reader's Digest. "Family on vacation lost in fatal crash."
Rain and mist smeared the windshield as we strained our eyes ahead,
searching for a break in the clouds. There's no radar in these planes;
bush pilots fly VFR - visual flight restrictions. If you can't see where
you're going, well, then, mister, you can't go there. And you can't keep
trying forever, either; the clock that's running is the fuel gauge. Three
more minutes, and we'll have to turn back.
"We'll give it one more pass."
"Fairweather Mountain" is a total misnomer. With a name like that, don't
you picture some lovely place in Hawaii or maybe Costa Rica - balmy
breezes, gentle green slopes, the weather always, well, fair? These
mountains explode 15,000 feet or more above sea level, right off the
coast of southeastern Alaska, sheer cliffs and foreboding glaciers. Some
of the world's worst weather hangs out here.
The pilot was yelling above the drone of the engine, "They get their name
'cause you can only see 'em in fair weather."
How cute. What idiot came up with that cleverness? Raw fear had swallowed
my sense of humor whole. They ought to have named them the Peaks of
Frozen Death or the Don't Even Think About It Mountains. Fair weather?
Around here, that means maybe twenty days a year - if you're lucky.
We got lucky.
And I have never seen anything more breathtaking in all my life. We
banked along vertical granite walls that rose and fell thousands of feet
on either side, like a sparrow gliding among the Himalayas. "Are those
waterfalls." I asked, pointing to several cascades of white falling
through thin air over the black cliffs.
Avalanches. It must be warm up here today."
Massive crevasses in the glaciers below held pools of clear water - a
color I never knew existed, something between azure and cerulean blue.
"Those cracks are so big we could fly right down 'em."
I pretended not to hear. I felt we'd slipped through Death's grasp, and I
didn't want to give him another swipe. The beauty that now engulfed us
was enough.
In Desperate Need of Clarity
Twenty clear days a year - that sounds about like my life. I think I see
what's really going on about that often. the rest of the time, it feels
like fog, like the bathroom mirror after a hot shower. You know what I
mean. What exactly are you perfectly clear on these days? How about your
life? Why have things gone the way they have? Where was God in all that?
And do you know what you ought to do next, with a deep, settled
confidence that it will work out? Neither do I. Oh, I'd love to wake each
morning knowing exactly who I am and where God is taking me. Zeroed in on
all my relationships, undaunted in my calling. It's awesome when I do
see. But for most of us, life seems more like driving along with a dirty
windshield and then turning into the sun. I can sort of make out the
shapes ahead, and I think the light is green.
Wouldn't a little bit of clarity go a long way right now?
Let's start with why life is so dang hard. You try to lose a little
weight, but it never seems to happen. You think of making a shift in your
career, maybe even serving God, but you never actually get to it. Perhaps
a few of you do make the jump, but it rarely pans out the way you
thought. You try to recover something in your marriage, and your spouse
looks at you with a glance that says, "Nice try," or "Isn't it a little
late for that?" and the thing actually blows up into an argument in front
of the kids. Yes, we have our faith. But even there - maybe especially
there - it all seems to fall rather short of the promise. There's talk of
freedom and abundant life, of peace like a river and joy unspeakable, but
we see precious little of it, to be honest.
Why is it that, as Tillich said, it's only "here and there in the world
and now and then in ourselves" we see any evidence of a new creation?
Here and there, now and then. In other words...not much. When you stand
them side by side, the description of the Christian life practically
shouted in the New Testament compared with the actual life of most
Chistians, it's...embarrassing. Paul sounds like a madman, and we look a
little foolish, like children who've been held back a grade. Why is it
that nearly every good thing, from taking the annual family vacation to
planning a wedding to cultivating a relationship, takes so much work?
It's almost as if there is something set against us.
Shell Shock
Some dear friends of mine just returned from a three-week vacation in
France. It had been their dream for nearly twenty-five years. What could
be more romantic than strolling the Champs Elysées in the evening, as
lovers do? It seemed an ideal way to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding
anniversary. They'd both served God faithfully for decades, but over the
years a European rendezvous seemed about as reachable as the moon. Then,
late last fall, things suddenly came together.
Friends of theirs were headed to Europe and offered two tickets to come
along. Time off was available. They were going to France. And right after
they made it to Paris, it all fell apart. Craig came down with walking
pneumonia; Lori wanted to leave the third day. All sorts of issues in
their marriage surfaced, but since they were with friends, the issues
mostly played themselves out in their own thoughts - which tended toward
divorce. It wasn't romantic; it was hard. Afterward, as we talked on the
phone about the whole thing, Lori said, "Life never seems to turn out the
way you think it will, about 90 percent of the time." No kidding. Haven't
we all got a story that goes with that little bumper sticker?
Just the day before, I received another call. that was the morning our
son Blaine was to have his final cardiologist appointment, and I was
anxious to hear the news. Now, I know that every parent thinks his child
is head and shoulders above the rest, but I'm telling you - Blaine is a
special one. He turned eleven this year, and he's one of the healthiest,
happiest kids I've ever known. His heart is so good, so spiritually
aware, so keen to the hearts of others. He's surprisingly compassionate
for a boy his age, and he's also the most courageous one of us all. When
it comes to rock climbing or cliff jumping or skiing, Blaine is always
the first to go for it. He's a great athlete and a talented artist and a
riot when it comes to his humor. He plays the violin; he memorizes cowboy
poetry; he blows stuff up; he wants to be a Jedi knight. I love this boy.
And it's a long story of prayer and hope and worry over Blaine. When he
was young, his pediatrician picked up an anomaly in his heart during a
routine checkup. the cardiologist confirmed through a battery of tests
that, indeed, Blaine had several holes in his heart. "He'll need
surgery," he said. We opted to wait until Blaine was older, to give God a
chance to intervene. The thought of putting my son under open-heart
surgery gave me the shudders.
Over the course of those years we spent many nights in prayer that God
would heal Blaine's heart. During one of those times, Stasi, not usually
given to visions, had a picture of a light penetrating his heart. At that
moment, she felt certain God had healed him. And just this morning, the
day for his annual checkup, as I began to pray for Blaine, I sensed Jesus
say, I've healed him. My heart rested, and I waited for the good report.
"Hi...it's me." A long silence. "Blaine needs surgery...right away."
Hope vanished, I felt that sick-in-the-gut feeling of an imminent free
fall, that feeling you get on top of a ladder that's starting to sway
under you. All kinds of thoughts and emotions rushed in. What? Oh,
no...Not after all this...I...I thought...My heart was sinking. Despair,
betrayal, abandonment by God. Failure on our part to pray enough or
believe enough. I felt moments away from a total loss of heart. It seemed
inevitable.
These moments aren't a rational, calculated progression of thought;
they're more like being tossed out of a raft in a storm. It comes fast
and furious, but the pull of the current is always toward a loss of
heart. Most of the time we are swept away; we give in, lose heart, and
climb out of it sometime later. Some never climb out.
Eyes to See
When Spillane (The Perfect Storm) treats injured seamen offshore, one of
the first things he evaluates is their degree of consciousness. The
highest level, known as "alert and oriented times four," describes almost
everyone in an everyday situation. They know who they are, where they
are, what time is is, and what's just happened. If someone suffers a blow
to the head, the first thing they lose is recent events - "alert and
oriented times three" - and the last thing they lose is their identity. A
person who has lost all levels of consciousness, right down to their
identity, is said to be "alert and oriented times zero. His understanding
of the world is reduced to the fact that he exists, nothing more. Almost
simultaneously, he understands that he is in excruciating pain. For a
long time, that is all he knows.
John Spillane is a para-rescue jumper sent into the North Atlantic, into
the worst storm of the twentieth century, the perfect storm, as the book
and film called it, to rescue a fisherman lost at sea. When his
helicopter goes down, he is forced to jump into pitch blackness from an
unknown height, and when he hits the water, he's going so fast it's like
hitting the pavement from eighty feet above. He is dazed and confused -
just as we are when it comes to the story of our lives. It's the perfect
analogy. We have no idea who we really are, why we're here, what's
happened to us, or why. Honestly, most days we are alert and oriented
times zero.
Has God abandoned us? Did we not pray enough? Is this just something we
accept as "part of life," suck it up, even though it breaks our hearts?
After a while, the accumulation of event after event that we do not like
and do not understand erodes our confidence that we are part of something
grand and good, and reduces us to a survivalist mind-set. I know, I know
- we've been told that we matter to God. And part of us partly believes
it. But life has a way of chipping away at that conviction, undermining
our settled belief that he means us well. I mean, if that's true, then
why didn't he __________? Fill in the blank. Heal your mom. Save your
marriage. Get you married. Help you out more.
Either (a) we're blowing it, or (b) God is holding out on us. Or some
combination of both, which is where most people land. Think about it.
Isn't this where you land, with all the things that haven't gone the way
you'd hoped and wanted? Isn't it's some version of "I'm blowing it"? in
that it's your fault, you could have done better, you could have been
braver or wiser or more beautiful or something? Or "God is holding out on
me," in that you know he could come through, but he hasn't come through -
and what are you to make of that?
This is the Big Question, by the way, the one every philosophy and
religion and denominational take on Christianity has been trying to nail
down since the dawn of time. What is really going on here? Good grief -
life is brutal. Day after day it hammers us, till we lose sight of what
God intends toward us, and we haven't the foggiest idea why the things
that are happening to us are happening to us. Then you watch lives going
down with the Twin Towers, read about children starving in Ethiopia, and
wham! If a good God is really in charge...all that.
I felt so bad that Paris wasn't what my friends hoped it would be, but I
wasn't sure what to say. Like most Christians in that situation, I simply
asked Lori how I could pray for them. "That we would have eyes to see
what's going on." My heart leaped. Brilliant! Perfect! That is exactly
what we need. Eyes to see. Isn't that what Jesus offered us - clarity?
Recovery of sight for the blind (Luke 4:18)? We need clarity and we need
it badly. A simple prayer rises from my heart: Jesus, take away the fog and
the clouds and the veil, and help me to see...give me eyes to really see.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
Thomas Nelson, 2003 All rights reserved
Dear Elizabeth, CONGRATULATIONS. Your POEM is beautiful. Here's a poem for you. I included Jerry's Letter at the end for Evee and some other friends and family to read. We love you. Jeff & Ev
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
"You are the light of the world -- like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
In this world full of fallen men,
Lift your head up and live again;
Hear the Lord calling you into His line,
Follow His lead and let your light shine!
In this world of broken hearts,
Lay your burdens down and let the healing start;
Cast your cares upon the Lord and hear Him say,
"Now, they're Mine."
Follow His example and let your light shine!
In this world of token love,
Throw your treasures out and set your sights on what’s above;
Seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness is what you’ll find,
Join in His "great commission" and let your great light shine!
In this world of empty promises,
Put your faith in God who does what He says;
Trust Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Love Him with all your heart and let your light shine!
In this world full of lifeless idols,
Sing your praises, bow your heart to the Living God;
Know God’s Word (His Love, His Grace) is active and alive,
Share what you have and let your light shine!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
January 27, 2004
And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. [2] We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that. [3] If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. [4] Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. [5] We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. [6] For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of
Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 [New Living Trans.]
Subj: August Newsletter
Date: 7/31/2004 12:35:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: "Cross Way Publications"
To: Jeffree4ever@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Cross Way Publication's Monthly News
Poem of the Month
Remember My Chains
In the quiet stillness of the morning
People whisper silent prayer
They're not worried for their danger
Knowing too their Lord is there
Angry knocking breaks the stillness
Silently the prayers begin
Taken from their peaceful worship
Pray the Lord their battles win
In the darkness not forsaken
Singing praise from dusk till dawn
In the midst of fierce temptation
Still to God their hearts are drawn
The time has come, the question asked
They stand firm and won't deny
Knowing this day might be their last
But still they choose with Christ to die
Elizabeth Ann Perry
Scripture of the Month
Hebrews 13:1-15
1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. 4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. 5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. 7 Remember them which have the rulea over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftn2
The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Heb 13:1-15).
Quote of the Month
Have you been deceived and betrayed? My Master can meet that craving of your nature after friendship and sympathy. Confide in him, and he will never forsake you. http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftn1
http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=9772914 - _ftnref1Spurgeon, C. H. (1998). Vol. 13: Spurgeon's Sermons: Volume 13 .
What's New at Cross Way
1) Congratulations to Elizabeth Pearson, Leslie Sheryl Waller, and K. A. M. Hatcher the winners of our “Attributes of God” poetry contest. Be sure to stop by and read their poetry.
2) We reached the 7000 poem plateau this month. Keep that poetry comingJ
This Month's Devotional Thought
I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Do you feel all alone in the world? The Lord tells us He will never leave us nor forsake us. Three times in scripture God made this promise to His children. In each instance the people and the situations were different and yet, God remained faithful to His promise each time.
The first time this promise made is found in Genesis 28:15. Jacob is on the run from his brother Esau. Having cheated Esau out of both his birthright and his blessing Jacob is running for his life. He arrives at the edge of his father’s kingdom and, as he sleeps, a ladder comes down from heaven. The Lord makes a promise to Jacob that He will make of him a great nation and will not leave him until he returns him to his father’s land. Twenty one years later, after Jacob has been chastened by God and has matured in the faith God keeps His promise, bringing him back to his father’s land.
The second time scripture records this promise is in Joshua 1:5. Joshua is preparing to cross the Jordan River. He looks ahead at the vast armies that are waiting to confront him and looks at behind at the multitude of people he must lead through battle. As he stands in the midst of this great responsibility the Lord comes to him with a promise that He will remain true.
The Lord is true to His promise and all of Israel’s enemies fall in defeat before them. Israel receives all of the land and all of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45).
In Hebrews 13:5 the Jewish Christians are having second thoughts about their faith. Apostate Jerusalem is confronting them with the demand that they reject their faith in Christ and once again return to the sacrificial offerings of bulls and goats. The hordes of Rome are gathering on the horizon and it seems as though they have no where to turn. The Lord, through the writer of Hebrews, points them to the true sacrifice required of God, reminds them that this present life is not to be their main focus and promises them He will never leave them nor forsake them.
God kept his promise. Nearly two thousand years later the temple at Jerusalem in no longer in existence, the sacrificing of bulls and goats is gone, and the hordes of Rome are merely notations in a history book. Yet, the church continues to grow and flourish around the world.
Do you feel all alone in your current situation? Have you done something that you feel has made God turn His back on you? He may need to chasten you with His hand of love but, if you are His child, He will not leave you or forsake you.
Has the Lord called you to a task that seems too great? If He has called you to do it He will remain steadfast until it is accomplished.
Are you having second thoughts about your faith? Do the apostate armies of the modern church and the demonic hordes that are gaining strength in this world seem to have you surrounded? Do not be afraid. The One who has called you will remain faithful and He will never leave you nor forsake you. His promises are truth and our precious Savior will remain by our side until we are safely in His arms.
Jerry
Cross Way Publications
"Poetry Proclaiming Christ As King"
PO Box 3192
Williamsport, PA 17701-0192
http://www.christianpoetry.org
webmaster@ christianpoetry.org
phone: (570) 974-6225
Do you Yahoo!?
Before Christ comes it is useless to expect to see
the perfect church. -- J. C. Ryle
II CORINTHIANS 4:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry,
we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret
and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we
distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the
truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is
veiled to those who are perishing.
MISSING HEART
There is something more worth searching for:
THE TRUTH
That is found following Jesus in His Word.
There is something more worth looking for:
THE JOY
That comes from serving Christ the Lord.
There is something more worth living for:
THE HOPE
That waits for the soon-returning Lord.
There is something more I'm praying for:
THE LOVE
That fills up what is missing in my heart.
Jeffrey E Pollock
June 13, 2004
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so
that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made
his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
II CORINTHIANS 4:1-3 NIV
For God so loved the world He gave His only Son,
that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
JOHN 3:16
HOW MANY TIMES??
1.
How many times must you hear the truth...
That God loves you -- Jesus loves you;
And by His grace He saves your soul,
From the grip of Satan's stranglehold?
2.
How many times will you sing of God's grace...
That God saves you -- because of Jesus;
And by His sovereignty He keeps your way,
From the path of the enemies' destruction?
3.
How many times must we pray for peace...
That God stills us -- with righteous fruit;
And by His Holy Spirit makes us truly free,
From the world's pot of unrighteous stew?
4.
How many times will you presume upon God...
That He is going to forgive you -- inspite of you;
And by His mercy heal you through Jesus' Cross,
From the horrible death that was waiting for you?
1. How many times are you willing to believe and listen?
2. How many times are you willing to worship and praise?
3. How many times are you willing to surrender and pray?
4. How many times are you willing to trust what He says?
St. Jeffree!
JUNE 2004
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--
it is by grace you have been saved. -- Ephesians 2:4-5
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Jesus is our mouth, through which we speak to the Father; He is
our eye, through which we see the Father; He is our right hand
through which we offer ourselves to the Father. Unless He
intercedes, there is no intercourse with God. -- St. Ambrose
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We taste Thee, O Thou Living Bread, And long to feast upon Thee still:
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead, And thirst our soul from Thee to fill.
-- St. Bernard
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Our work here is brief but its reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by
the clamor of the world, which passes away like a shadow. -- Clare of Assisi
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God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you
can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8
When you are doing well in your faith, you might feel good about
what you are doing for God. But never forget the price Jesus paid
to bring you into his family.
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John Bunyan, seventeenth-century author of Pilgrims Progress, wrote,
"The best prayers have often more groans than words."
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our
learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope
of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(The Book of Common Prayer, p. 236)
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Find out how much God has given you and take from it what you
need; the remainder is needed by others.
-- Augustine of Hippo
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We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
-- Winston Churchill
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LORD, MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF THY PEACE;
WHERE THERE IS HATRED, LET ME SOW LOVE;
WHERE THERE IS INJURY, PARDON; WHERE THERE
IS DOUBT, FAITH; WHERE THERE IS IS DESPAIR,
HOPE; WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS, LIGHT; AND
WHERE THERE IS SADNESS, JOY.
-- St. Francis of Assissi
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Mel Gibson's Next Act
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2004/apr30.html
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The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his
inmost being. (Proverbs 20:27 NIV)
The greatest danger in the Christian life is that we become satisfied with
our present spiritual state. It's then that we cease being conformed into
the image of Christ. It's then that we fall into the rut of nominal
Christianity.
The Christian life is a great adventure. It's one where a person never ceases
growing. It's a life in which God is the lamp of our souls. Why don't you
welcome the Lamp of the Lord into some of the dark parts of your life today?
You might be surprised what He will show you.
http://www.sammytippit.org
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..
From my mother I learned the value of prayer.
--Ronald Reagan
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Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental
Congress, in the first step-humble, heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for
the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance, and
the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the
resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our Nation, our friends
in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.
--Ronald Reagan in his 1988 National Day of Prayer Proclamation
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He always told us that for America, the best was yet to come. We comfort
ourselves in the knowledge that this is true for him, too. His work is
done, and now a shining city awaits him. May God bless Ronald Reagan.
--George W. Bush
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/teaserprinter.php
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But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made
us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--
it is by grace you have been saved. -- Ephesians 2:4-5
HOW MANY TIMES??
1.
How many times must you hear the truth...
That God loves you -- Jesus loves you;
And by His grace He saves your soul,
From the grip of Satan's stranglehold?
2.
How many times will you sing of God's grace...
That God saves you -- because of Jesus;
And by His sovereignty He keeps your way,
From the path of the enemies' destruction?
3.
How many times must we pray for peace...
That God stills us -- with righteous fruit;
And by His Holy Spirit makes us truly free,
From the world's pot of unrighteous stew?
4.
How many times will you presume upon God...
That He is going to forgive you -- in spite of you;
And by His mercy heal you through Jesus' Cross,
From the horrible death that was waiting for you?
1. How many times are you willing to believe and listen?
2. How many times are you willing to worship and praise?
3. How many times are you willing to surrender and pray?
4. How many times are you willing to trust what He says?
St. Jeffree!
JUNE 2004
For God so loved the world He gave His only Son,
that whosoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
JOHN 3:16
HEBREWS 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had
taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God.
FAITH
Faith is a heart business,
A life career of submission;
Faith is an open confession,
A daily decision of purification;
Faith is a matter of conscience,
An hourly surrender to honesty;
Faith is a humble profession,
A minute by minute hourglass of opportunity;
Faith is a moral construction,
A moment by moment building of obedience;
Faith is an eternal institution,
A living servant of righteousness;
Faith is a soul business,
An occupation of love.
JEFFREE!
MAY 2004
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
HEBREWS 11:6
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance. --1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT
HEBREWS 11:5
By faith Enoch was taken from this life,
so that he did not experience death; he
could not be found, because God had
taken him away. For before he was taken,
he was commended as one who pleased God.
FAITH
Faith is a heart business,
A lifetime career of submission;
Faith is an open confession,
A daily decision of purification;
Faith is a matter of conscience,
An hourly surrender to honesty;
Faith is a humble profession,
A minute by minute hourglass of opportunity;
Faith is a moral construction,
A moment by moment building of obedience;
Faith is an eternal institution,
A living servant of righteousness;
Faith is a soul business,
A holy occupation of love.
Jeffree E Pollock
May 19, 2004
And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
HEBREWS 11:6
_____________
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not
give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid. --LUKE 14:27, NIV
SURRENDER
LET NOT YOUR FEARS RULE YOUR HEART
LET NOT PRIDE HIDE THE RIGHTEOUS PART
LET NOT YOUR ANGER WIN THE HOLY WAR
COME TO JESUS AND SURRENDER
LET NOT YOUR FAULTS REIGN OVER HIS LOVE
LET NOT IMPATIENCE BE ENTHRONED UP ABOVE
LET NOT YOUR PRIDE PRESUME YOU HAVE WON
COME TO CHRIST AND REMAIN PURE
LET NOT YOUR PREJUDICE DETERMINE THE TRUTH
LET NOT INFIDELITY BE THE ROOT OF YOUR FRUIT
LET NOT YOUR ATTITUDE ROB YOU OF BEING NEW
COME TO JESUS AND BE ASSURED
LET NOT YOUR LUST LEAD YOU TOWARD IMMORALITY
LET NOT YOUR SIN TURN YOUR FOCUS OFF PURITY
LET NOT COMPROMISE DESTROY YOUR INTEGRITY
COME TO CHRIST AND REST IN SAFE PASTURE
LET NOT YOUR WORKS BE CONFUSED WITH HIS GRACE
LET NOT YOUR WEAKNESSES DETER HIS STRENGTH
LET NOT YOUR STUBBORNNESS RUE THE NEW DAY
START THE MORNING WITH JESUS AND ENDURE
JEFFREE!
MAY 2004
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and
endures through every circumstance. --1 Corinthians 13:7, NLT
God bless you all this Easter! These are a few more poems I wrote
focusing on Christ, His Cross and His Resurrection; ENJOY! My wife
and I got out to a Sunrise Service this morning that was wonderful;
so full of joy and singing I just had to write another before sending
this out. It was a cold and rainy Resurrection Celebration, but it was
beautiful. We sang some hymns, including "He Lives"; the song, "I Can
Only Imagine" was performed and The Holy Light Church of God in
Christ Choir belted out a few gospel songs, which were inspiring.
We, my wife and I, pray that your house is full of peace
today and always. IN HIS LOVE, Jeffree and Evee
ETERNAL HOPE
(Inside Out)
Immured within
The walls of sin
Condemned by conscience
Darkness ruled my senses
Trapped inside
These halls of time
Confounded by evil
Fear controlled my will
Pressured from without
The walls fell down
Enlightened by Truth
God's grace made me new
Freed from the inside out
Cleansed from haunting doubt
Befriended by ALMIGHTY God
Eternal Hope is mine at the Cross
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep." JOHN 10:11
THE CROSS
Father, lead me to the place of abandon,
Where I must leave my self behind;
Bring me to the point of absolute surrender,
Where all I see is Jesus Christ.
Jesus, lead me to the foot of Your sacrifice,
Where I must decide that You died for me;
Bring me to the very crux of spiritual obedience,
Where all I know is Christ and His resurrection glory!
Holy Spirit, guide me in the Shepherd's Way,
Where I must be faithful within holy bounds;
Carry me willingly to Heaven's awesome Gate,
Where I will lay aside these earthly crowns.
Oh God, thank You for this place of pain,
Where I must admit the Savior is mine;
Thank You Father for Your sovereign grace,
I am saved forever -- by the Blood of Christ!
______________
______________
______________
BLOOD FELL
Blood fell . . .
And washed me clean
Blood fell . . .
And set my spirit free
Blood fell . . .
And purified my heart
Blood fell . . .
And wiped away scars
Blood fell . . .
And opened blind eyes
Blood fell . . .
And left me justified
Christ's blood fell . . .
And healed me as I was falling
His blood fell on me . . .
And cleansed me from all sin
Thank You, Jesus!
______________
______________
______________
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was
crucified. He is risen! He is not here.
See the place they laid Him.
Mark 16:6 [NKJV]
HE IS RISEN!
I believe;
With my mind
Open to His truth
With my heart
I follow His way
With my strength
I confess my weakness
With my spirit
I desire holy fruit
With my eyes
I long to see His face
With my soul
I claim Eternal Rest
With my faith
I believe!
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to
write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
RESURRECTION CELEBRATION
It dawned on me again this morning,
As we watched for the sun to come up;
How the joy that makes our hearts sing,
Is alive bcause of Jesus.
Faith brought forth a joyful sound,
As we sang praise to God for life eternal;
And while cold rain poured down,
I was warmed by the words of the Apostle Paul.
Although the sun itself never was seen,
The Son of God shone through the mist;
Glad hearts looking on to resurrection glory
Was the True Light on everybody's lips.
In the joyful noise of faithful celebration,
Let the world know you are His by choice;
And with shouts of Alleluia and Amen,
Rejoice! Again, I say rejoice!
JEFFREE!
04/11/04
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
EASTER GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT
For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.
--George W. Bush
Photo courtesy of the White House.
Resurrection Celebration!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
April 11, 2004
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
Because I love You
I trust the words You say
I believe You guard my way
I worship You in spirit and truth
I train my heart to want to pray
I turn my eyes away from sin
Because I love You
Because I love You
I watch for Your return
I use each day I live to learn
I praise You for making me new
I conform my will to Your Word
I run the race I'm in to win
Because I love You
Because I love You
I ask Your Spirit to guide my steps
I seek Your peace and righteousness
I knock on Your Door til I get through
I humble my soul to honor me less
I hope to glorify You while I live
Because I love You
Because I love You
I stay at the foot of Your Cross
I choose to rejoice instead of not
I desire for my life to produce good fruit
I depend on the purpose and plan of God
Lord Jesus, I call myself a Christian
Because I love You
Jeffree E. Pollock
April 10, 2004
PROVERBS 3:5-6 NKJV
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding; in all you ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
FAITH WALK
Ahead of me I cannot reach
Without the Spirit of God today,
So in my heart I trust and lean
Against my faith in Jesus’ way.
Ahead of me I can’t believe
Without the mind of Christ,
So in my heart I trust and lean
On the peace I have in Jesus’ life.
Ahead of me I cannot see
Without the light of God,
So in my heart I trust and lean
Against my hope in Jesus’ cross.
I can’t be free from the old life of slavery
Without God's grace that makes me new,
So in my heart and mind I trust and lean
On the blood of Christ and Jesus’ truth.
Jeffree E. Pollock
MARCH 29, 2004
_______________
Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going,
and how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me.
JOHN 14:5,6 NKJV
__________________
14:6 This is the sixth I AM statement of Jesus in John (6:35; 8:12;
10:11,14;
11:25;15:1,5). In this verse, the exclusiveness of Jesus as the only
approach to
the Father is emphatic. Only one way, not many way, exist to God, i.e.,
Jesus
Christ (10:7-9; Matt. 7:13,14; Luke 13:24; Acts 4:12). -- The MacArthur
Daily Bible
__________________
John 10:7-9
so he explained it to them. "I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,"
he said. 8"All others who came before me were thieves and robbers.
But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9Yes, I am the gate. Those
who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will
find green pastures.
Matthew 7:13-14
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many
who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and
the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
Acts 4:12
There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name
in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
______________________
Footprints of Discipleship©
All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.
JOHN 13:35
Watch a small boy follow his dad through the snow. He stretches to step
where his dad stepped.
Not an easy task. His small legs extend as far as they can so his feet can
fall in his father's prints.
The father, seeing what the son is doing, smiles and begins taking shorter
steps, so the son can follow.
It's a picture of discipleship.
In our faith we follow in someone's steps. A parent, a teacher, a hero--none
of us are the first to walk the trail. All of us have someone we follow.
In our faith we leave footprints to guide others. A child, a friend, a recent
convert.
None should be left to walk the trail alone.
It's the principle of discipleship.
The Inspirational Study Bible
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
http://www.oakhillschurchofchrist.org/
"The One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks." ---Max
Lucado
JAMES 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance.
PURE JOY
Somewhere in the distance,
Perhaps just around the corner;
The last step of perseverance,
Is closer than you know.
Somewhere in the darkness,
Where you never knew the light;
The first step of commitment,
Began to work in you true life.
Somewhere in His Presence,
You will meet our Lord and King;
The final leg of your journey,
May be closer than you think.
Somewhere in the Light,
In the twinkling of His Eye;
All your patient, holy love,
Will glorify Jesus Christ.
___
Jeffrey E Pollock
MARCH 19, 2004
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything. JAMES 1:4
______________________
______________________
I have found that my spiritual growth is directly proportional to
the amount of time and effort I put into the study of Scripture.
--John MacArthur
______________________
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible
at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable.
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
______________________
For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen:
For the strong sense I have that this is not my home:
For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy: I give
Thee thanks, O God. For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy
Spirit: For all human love and goodness that speak to me of
Thee: For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ:
I give Thee thanks, O God.
-- John Baillie
______________________
Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal
satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to
compare yourself to anyone else.
--Galatians 6:4, NLT
______________________
I believe a very large majority of church-goers are merely
unthinking, slumbering worshipers of an unknown God.
-- Charles H. Spurgeon
______________________
"The truth is that Christians need relationships to grow. We don't grow in
isolation from others. We develop in the context of fellowship. Over and
over again in the New Testament we find this basic truth: Believers need
relationships with each other to grow! Hebrews 10:24-25 says, 'Let us
consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another... .' (NIV) God intends for us to grow
up in a family." -- Rick Warren
______________________
The Basin of God's Grace©
The blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin.
1 JOHN 1:7
John tells us, "We are being cleansed from every sin by the blood of
Jesus." In other words, we are always being cleansed. The cleansing
is not a promise for the future but a reality in the present. Let a speck
of dust fall on the soul of a saint, and it is washed away. Let a spot of
filth land on the heart of God's child, and the filth is wiped away....
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives.
But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says,
"I can clean that if you want." And from the basin of his grace, he scoops
a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin.
But that's not all he does. Because he lives in us, you and I can do the
same.
Because he has forgiven us, we can forgive others.
Just Like Jesus
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
______________________
Barabbas missed his cross because another man took his place.
Jesus hung on the cross intended for Barabbas, just as He hung on
the cross in our place. Like Barabbas we were dead in our trespasses
and sins until Jesus' crucified body released the blood of substitution.
Like Barabbas, we were condemned to die until Jesus took our place.
Like Barabbas, we have been set free, and it is freedom for eternity.
The LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. ISAIAH 53:6
BIBLE READING: JOHN 3:16-18
March 19 -- FIVE MEANINGFUL MINUTES A DAY -- Charles R. Swindoll
___________________________________________________________
Hello everyone, Evelyn and I have been out of town visiting
family in San Antonio, TX. We flew out on SouthWest and drove
back to El Paso in our NEW VAN ~ God is so good!!! While in S.A.
we got to see Mel Gibson's "Passion" movie. The following poems
contain my thoughts and feelings about the movie: "The Passion
of the Christ" ~ BEFORE AND AFTER seeing it. I hope you enjoy;
and please feel free to tell me what you think. With love, Jeff
BEFORE
ISAIAH 53:4,5
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and He was pierced
through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our
iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
and by His scourging we are healed.
HEALED!
I don’t have to see Mel Gibson’s artistic vision,
Or watch Jesus Christ to remember what He said.
I don’t think that Jesus is dying again for my sins.
I know He withstood the torture to pay my debt.
I don’t have to see the Light fade out and go black,
Or watch the awful persecution of my Lord Jesus.
I don’t have to hear the words, "Behold the Man!"
I believe that Man lived and died to give me love.
I’m not going to see this movie to fortify my faith.
We must all be careful to follow Jesus and not Mel.
Keep your heart aligned with what the Word says,
Because every other voice will lead you into Hell.
I do not need to see a moving picture show to know,
Or watch a man pretend to suffer to imagine how it feels;
I don’t expect to cry again when I see his fake blood flow.
I realize what Christ endured is the reason I am healed!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
February 26, 2004
All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us
has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused
the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. ISAIAH 53:6
_______________________
AFTER
COLOSSIANS 1:15-20 (NIV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers
or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for
him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning
and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he
might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself
all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
SHOCK 'N' AWE
My family and I went to see "The Passion" of Jesus,
And witnessed in Living Color His unrelenting pain;
As the literal Body of Christ was broken for us,
To show The WAY for all to know God's grace.
I didn't want to believe I could find such true faith,
I was skeptical of (HIV) Hollywood's International Version;
I didn't think I'd be moved to tears or have to cover my face,
Then I saw The TRUTH tortured to obtain forgiveness for my sin.
I flinched, I cried, I broke again as He died,
I couldn't help myself as I felt God's heart break;
The perfect Son of Man was spit on and crucified,
To bring God's glorious LOVE to this world full of hate.
I was shocked, I was awed, how His stripes set me free!
My dearest lifelong friend, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
You suffered for us, and died to forgive us, and saved even me!
The Light of LIFE entered in ~ when my stone heart was rolled aside.
Thank You Jesus,
Now I love You even more;
I pray everyday that Your PASSION,
Will help me remember what I am living for.
______________
Jeffree Pollock
March 07, 2004
______________
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your
minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled
you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy
in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the
hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and
that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,
and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
COLOSSIANS 1:21-23 (NIV)
Every time you trust God's wisdom and do whatever He says, even
when you don't understand it, you deepen your friendship with God.
-- Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Life"
---
[When] Jesus Himself fasted, He was not fasting to repent or to
bring His desires under control, of course, but to demonstrate
His absolute dependence upon His Father.
-- Peter C. Moore
---
I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief
duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
-- Helen Keller
---
Prayer for Serenity
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did,
this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
---
Search me, Oh God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts.
Psalm 139:23
TRY ME, OH GOD
Search me Lord,
And know my heart.
Find in me,
Every anxious part.
Indeed, my flesh is alive and well,
Not Thy will, God, but mine indwells.
Hold me Lord,
And mold my heart.
Break in me,
Every selfish part.
Indeed, my flesh is dead and often smells,
Not my will, God, but may Yours indwell.
Change me Lord,
And purify my heart.
Revive in me,
The humble part.
Indeed, my spirit is weak and useless,
Live in me, God, and find me less.
Use me Lord,
And strengthen my heart.
Redeem in me,
The holy part.
© Jeffree E. Pollock (Nov 2001)
http://www.comnet.ca/~ch-poets/page152.html
---
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in
our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins
of the whole world.
-- 1 John 2:1-2
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+John+2:1-2
---
Keep yourself as a pilgrim and a stranger here in this world, as
one to whom the world's business counts but little. Keep your
heart free, and always lift it up to God. -- Thomas à Kempis
---
God of Purpose©
He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.
MATTHEW 20:28
[Jesus] refused to be guided by anything other than his high call.
His heart was purposeful. Most lives aim at nothing in particular
and achieve it. Jesus aimed at one goal--to save humanity from
its sin. He could summarize his life with one sentence: "The Son
of Man came to seek and to save the llost" (Luke 19:10 RSV).
Jesus was so focused on his task that he knew when to say, "It
is finished" (John 19:30). But he was not so focused on his goal
that he was unpleasant.
Quite the contrary. How pleasant were his thoughts! Children
couldn't resist Jesus. He could find beauty in lilies, joy in worship,
and possibilities in problems. He would spend days with multitudes
of sick people and still feel sorry for them. He spent over three
decades wading through the muck and mire of our sin yet still saw
enough beauty in us to die for our mistakes.
Just Like Jesus
©2000 - 2004 Max Lucado
"The One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks."
---Max Lucado
---
"The unchurched are not asking that we change the message or even dilute it,
only that we show its relevance. Their big question is 'So what?' They want
to know 'What difference does it make? 'I’ve found that unchurched Americans
are intensely interested in Bible doctrine when it is applied in practical
and relevant ways to their lives." - Rick Warren
---
"All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the
ground, which cannot be gathered up again. That is why God tries to bring
us back when we have been separated from Him. He does not sweep away the
lives of those He cares about—and neither should you!" - 2 Sam. 14:14 (NLT)
---
http://www.insight.org/CDA/ToolsForGrowth/article_passion.asp
http://www.thepassionofthechrist.com/splash.htm
1 CORINTHIANS 13:8-12
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease;
where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge,
it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but
when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child,
I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When
I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know
in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
FACE TO FACE
Looking at the
Cross of Jesus,
I see the Man
Who died for me...
Looking into the
Heart of God,
I see the Love
That saved my soul...
Looking into the
Word of God,
I read the Truth
That changed my mind...
Looking into the
Spirit of God,
I'm flooded with Joy
That affirms my faith...
Looking into the
Light of God,
I sense His holiness
In waves of His presence...
Looking into the
Eyes of God,
I see the GLORY of eternity
Ahead of me...
Looking into the
Face of my Lord,
I finally see
The Face of my Savior!!!
+++
Jeffree Pollock
February 2004
++++++++++++++++++++++
CALLED OF GOD
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=isa+6:8&sr=1
God did not address the call to Isaiah; Isaiah overheard God saying,
"Who will go for us?" The call of God is not for the special few, it
is for everyone. Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the
state of my ears; and what I hear depends upon my disposition. "Many
are called but few are chosen," that is, few prove themselves the
chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a
relationship with God through Jesus Christ whereby their disposition
has been altered and their ears unstopped, and they hear the still
small voice questioning all the time, "Who will go for us?" It is not
a question of God singling out a man and saying, "Now, you go." God
did not lay a strong compulsion on Isaiah; Isaiah was in the presence
of God and he overheard the call, and realized that there was nothing
else for him but to say, in conscious freedom, "Here am I, send me."
Get out of your mind the idea of expecting God to come with
compulsions and pleadings. When our Lord called His disciples there
was no irresistible compulsion from outside. The quiet passionate
insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men with every power wide
awake. If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we
too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small
voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say, "Here am I; send me."
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- Oswald Chambers
Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your
good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
"You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain,
glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under
a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In
the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!
In this world full of fallen men,
Lift your head up and live again;
Hear the Lord calling you into His line,
Follow His lead and let your light shine!
In this world of broken hearts,
Lay your burdens down and let the healing start;
Cast your cares upon the Lord and hear him say,
"Now, they’re mine."
Follow His example and let your light shine!
In this world of token love,
Throw your treasures out and set your sights on what’s above;
Seek God’s kingdom first and His righteousness is what you’ll find,
Join in His "great commission" and let your great light shine!
In this world of empty promises,
Put your faith in God who does what He says;
Trust Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,
Love Him with all your heart and let your light shine!
In this world full of lifeless idols,
Sing your praises, bow your heart to the Living God;
Know God’s Word (His Love, His Grace) is active and alive,
Share what you have and let your light shine!
Jeffrey E. Pollock
January 27, 2004
And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry,
we never give up. [2] We reject all shameful and underhanded methods.
We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God.
We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that. [3] If the
Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are
perishing. [4] Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of
who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the
Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message
we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
[5] We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ
Jesus, the Lord. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants
because of what Jesus has done for us. [6] For God, who said, "Let there
be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the
brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6 [New Living Trans.]
1 JOHN 4:9-16a NIV
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and
only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love:
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if
we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete
in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given
us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has
sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
NO LOVE ABOVE YOU
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Abba, Father,
There is no God but You.
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Precious Savior, Lord Jesus,
There is no God but You.
I LOVE YOU,
There is no one above You;
Holy Spirit, faithful Counselor,
There is no God but You.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
There are none above You;
Creator, Master, living Light,
There is no life outside You.
Sovereign Word,
GOD OF MERCY;
GOD OF GRACE,
I need Your sweet embrace.
O God, I love You;
There is no love above You!
---
Jeffrey E Pollock
January 22, 2004
---
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have
confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are
like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,
because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears
is not made perfect in love.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God,"
yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love
his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has
not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves
God must also love his brother.
1 JOHN 4:16b-21 NIV
100 A Thanksgiving Psalm (The Message)
On your feet now---applaud Yahweh!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: Yahweh is God, and God, Yahweh.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
For Yahweh is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
THANKSGIVING TODAY
Give God thanks today,
Praise Him for His love;
Surrender to His holy Way,
Thank Him for His Son, Jesus!
Give God thanks today,
Worship Him for His mercy;
Submit to His amazing grace,
Thank Him now...He is worthy!
Give God thanks today,
Exalt His Name for your daily bread;
Bless the Lord with everything you say,
Thank Him for redeeming you from death!
Give God thanks today,
Magnify His holiness with your life;
Laugh, cry, sing to Him as you pray,
Thank Him today for His beautiful light!
Jeffree E Pollock
November, 2003
Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful
in His glorious presence. Before time began and now and forever-
more, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.
JUDE 24, 25 (The Promise)
Amid the darkness of the Thirty Years' War, German pastor Martin Rinkart is
said to have buried nearly five thousand fellow citizens and parishioners in
one year, including his young wife. Conducting as many as 50 funerals a day,
Rinkart's church was absolutely ravaged by war and plague, famine and
economic disaster. Yet in the midst of that dark year, he sat down with
his children and wrote the following lines as a prayer for the dinner table:
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In Whom His world rejoices.
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath led us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us still in grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
in this world and the next.
In the midst of such gloom, Rinkart's expressions of thankfulness seem
either incredibly foolish or wonderfully important. Standing on a wholly
biblical truth, Rinkart saw the certainty of God and the significance of
thanksgiving. He saw that to be thankful in all things is to make the
bold confession that encountering the presence and glory of God far
outweighs everything we encounter in this life, whether a matter of
despair or delight. Amidst the heaviness of darkness, he saw the wisdom
in fixing his gaze on what he could not see—the light of the Gospel, the
life of Christ, the eternal weight of the glory of God.
The Apostle Paul has written, "For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we
look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.
For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen
are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16).
It is interesting to note that the general Greek word for "glory" used in
secular writing took a different shape in the New Testament. The word was
particularly influenced by its Hebrew counterpart meaning "weighted" or
"heavy," and hence, denoting something of honor and importance. The word
"doxology," referring to an expression of praise, comes from the same
Greek word. The etymology is fascinating because the word itself seems to
cry out for comparison. Will the things in which I have given most honor,
the things in which I have set my gaze, always measure up? Under the
heaviness of life, what weight does the hope I profess carry?
Paul proclaims the eternal weightiness of his hope in Christ as Lord,
adding powerfully, "for it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of
darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). It
is the God who first spoke light into darkness, who made light to shine in
the darkness of Christ's grave, and this inextinguishable light of Christ
now shines in our hearts. It is this God of intrinsic glory whose reign
is eternal, whose face we know, and in whom we know light and life itself.
Martin Rinkart's simple table grace was later made into a powerful hymn
and sung at a celebration service at the war's end. Adding a third stanza,
Rinkart's words continue with thanksgiving, concluding fittingly with words
of doxology, words proclaiming the weightiness of the glory of God.
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
with Them in highest heaven;
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
Let us therefore fix our gaze upon the light of the Gospel of the glory of
Christ who is the image of God, increasing in thanksgiving to the glory of God.
Copyright (c) 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of
challenge, words of truth, and words of hope. If you know of others who
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Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of "A
Slice of Infinity" must set forth the following credit line, in full, at
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Copyright(c) 2003
GOD-BREATHED
Monday, November 24, 2003 11:33 PM
From: Jeffree4ever@aol.com
To: jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com
GOD-BREATHED
http://www.geocities.com/christian_sensation/Poetry/godbreathed.html
http://www.geocities.com/christian_sensation/Poetry/godbreathed.html
I got to thinking....
As I sometimes do,
And wrote this Christmas poem
Especially for you:
COMPLETE IN HIM (All Is Well)
My prayer for you
Is that you will be found in Jesus;
My prayer for you this Christmas,
Is that you will come to know Him
As your Master and your King.
My hope for you
Is that you would enjoy Him;
My hope for you in Jesus,
Is that your heart's smile
Is made complete in Him.
My prayer for you
Is that you love Jesus more;
My prayer for you at Christmas,
Is that you will want to know Him
As your Savior and your Lord.
My gift to you this Christmas
Is to let you in on the Lord Jesus;
My gift to you this Christmas,
If it be God's will to use me so,
Is to introduce you to the Cross.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but
have eternal life. [17] God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn it, but to save it." John 3:16-17 (NLT)
Final verse:
It is my hopeful prayer this Christmas season
that Christ Jesus came especially for you,
And if you know by faith that all is well....
Please send this gift to someone else.
Written with love, Jeffrey E. Pollock
December 11, 2003 El Paso, Texas
The Significance of a Gift
Jill Carattini 12/10/2003
A new television commercial shows a husband and wife shopping for Christmas
gifts. The wife moves through the store collecting what she came for and
checking off her list as she goes along. The husband, on the other hand,
has fallen prey to one of the center aisle's attention snatching exhibits.
Making fun of the professionally packaged, ready-made knickknack stations
diligently at work in every retail store, the commercial shows countless
victims stockpiling gifts from displays titled, "Armadillos and Things,"
and "Bobble Heads and Things." Mesmerized by the bobbling trinkets
himself, the husband reaches out as if convinced it is the perfect gift
for everyone, when out of nowhere his wife emerges to break the trance,
"That is not on anyone's list."
If we were to ask the question, "What makes a gift significant?" we would
find, especially this time of year, that there are many voices vying to
answer. According to this commercial, gifts should have meaning and
value, and should be something the receiver will find useful. (And of
course, as it is an office supply store running the ad, the other message
they hope we get is that there is nothing quite as useful as office
supplies.) According to popular psychology, a significant gift is never
just a gift, but something that successfully communicates how well you
know and understand the person. Jewelers love to capitalize on this
thought. If you really knew your wife, they hint, then you'd know she
wants a diamond.
In this season of to-do lists and wish lists and shopping lists, retailers
know that it is tempting to turn off the mind and move on autopilot. In
fact they plan on it, creating an environment where one can think less and
spend more, buy simply to buy, choose a gift because you know one has
been chosen for you. And they will use psychology and reverse psychology,
tradition and sentimentality, even guilt, to motivate you to buy the "most
significant" gift.
I heard a story recently about a department store known for its clever
gift selections. One year they decided to package frankincense, gold, and
myrrh as an extravagant, ready-made present for customers to buy. All
agreed that the gift would be a great success. The trouble was, however,
that no one knew what myrrh was or how to go about getting it. Myrrh,
they soon found out, was a rare and expensive spice most notably used in
embalming the dead. Predictably, they left this confounding bit of
information out of their advertising.
What a telling example of how we've lost the point or no longer care to
know it! We readily attempt to smuggle meaning and significance into
life, into holidays and gifts, while completely missing—or ignoring the
significance that is built-in. I am reminded of the conversation C.S.
Lewis once overheard on a bus. Passing a church with a nativity scene
outside it, a woman declared to her friend in disgust, "They bring
religion into everything. Look—they're dragging it even into Christmas
now!"
Making the long journey marked by a great star, the magi, we are told, saw
the child and "they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts" (Matthew 2:11). They offered him gold,
honoring the infant as a king. They offered him frankincense, worshipping
the child as God. And they offered him myrrh, revering the babe just born
as a man that would die. The significance of the gifts of the magi
reflected their understanding of and hope in the eternal significance of
the One before them.
In the giving of our lives to Christ, in the giving of gifts this
Christmas, let us hold before us the mystery of God made flesh, crowned
with gold at birth and thorns in death, the glory of God in the face of a
child, the wonder of a God who would come to die, that you might live.
This, this is Christ the King! Let us with loving hearts enthrone him,
missing not the significance of this gift.
Copyright (c) 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.
2 Cor. 3:17-18 (KJV)
...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
CHRISTMAS (MORE AND MORE)
________________________________________
As we exalt our Lord and Savior this Christmas,
And praise and worship the Baby born King Jesus;
Let us remember how He came to live and die,
As we present our gifts to honor Jesus Christ.
As we celebrate our Savior and King this year,
And lift our hearts in holiness and reverant fear;
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory,
As we search His Word and hear His story.
As we surrender to our Lord we sing,
And cry and bear our souls unto Him;
Let us come before His throne of grace and dance,
As we bury our burdens in the sands of repentance.
As we magnify our Light of Life we will shine,
And grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Let us be known less among the celebrities of this world,
As we reflect His glory and become like Him more and more.
Jeffreee Pollock
December 2003
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
But eagerly desire the greater gifts.
1CO 12:27-31 (NIV)
Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had [the] veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.
2 Cor. 3:17-18 (NLT)
Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
John 8:12 (NLT)
Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me,
you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have
the light that leads to life."
A CHRISTMAS HEART
I WILL SING OUT LOUD A CHRISTMAS SONG,
AND SHARE MY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST SO DEAR;
WITH JOY AND PEACE AND HOPE SO STRONG,
THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT GOD IS HERE.
I WILL TRY TO WRITE A CHRISTMAS TUNE,
AND MAKE A SONG FOR ALL THE WORLD TO CROON;
MIGHT THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH BE SWEET AND TRUE,
THAT YOU MAY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH JESUS LOVES YOU.
I WILL CREATE WITH LOVE A CHRISTMAS CAROL,
AND ADORE WITH MY PRAISE THE LORD ALWAYS NEAR;
WITH ACTS OF GRACE AND LOVE AND LIFE ETERNAL,
THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE YOU CAN BE FULL OF CHEER.
I PRAY I WILL HAVE A CHRISTMAS HEART,
AND GIVE MY LOVE AWAY THROUGH WORD AND DEED;
MAY THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON BE THE FOCUS OF MY LIFE,
THAT YOU MIGHT RESPOND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS IN ME.
JEFFREYEPOLLOCK
DECEMBER 20, 2003
May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the
Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned,
in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
Galatians 1:3-4 (NLT)
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the
full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his
Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you
are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son,
God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7 (NIV)
What he's been creating, since the first beat of your heart, is
a living, breathing, priceless work of art.
-- Stephen Curtis Chapman
___
The ministry of the Spirit of God strengthens us, too, for the
task that He knows lies ahead of us. We cannot survive or
complete this task using our own abilities. Like Peter and the
apostles, we need God's empowerment. We may not know what lies
ahead, but we do know that God is preparing us for the future He
has prepared for us.
-- David Edwards in "The God of Yes"
___
Jesus once said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"
(Matthew 11:28-29).
___
1873 - American lawyer Horatio G. Spafford's four daughters drowned
when their passenger ship, while crossing the Atlantic,
collided with another and sank. The following month, as his
own ship passed over the spot of the earlier tragedy, Spafford
penned the words to the enduring hymn, "It is Well With My
Soul."
___
1963 - Death of C.S. Lewis, 65, Anglican scholar, novelist and
Christian apologist. Well-known for his children's classic,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" (1950-56), Lewis also penned other
Christian classics, including "The Screwtape Letters" (1943)
and "The Great Divorce" (1946).
___
In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. -- C.S.
Lewis
___
"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing
of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle." -- Bishop
Phillips Brooks
___
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!
-- George Herbert
___
JOHN 3:16,17
For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that
everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal
life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it,
but to save it.
TRUE HEART
We can only live so long,
In this fallen world of sin....
Searching for love gone wrong,
In a corrupt game we cannot win.
We live our lives just once,
In this desert land of divided loyalties....
Seeking truth somewhere between obedience and fun,
In this me-first world of whatever-sets-you-free.
We can only find the true life,
In this spinning world of shadow & light....
Placing all our hope in Jesus, the Son of God,
Borne from Heaven to give His life on a cross.
We may with God gain a true heart,
In this painful place with so many choice idols....
Settling our faith in Jesus Christ - we can get a new heart,
In our Savior's grace - through His perfect, cleansing blood.
JEFFREE!
DEC. 2003
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for us who believe.
EPHESIANS 1:18,19
___
Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled
must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest
thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out
everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords
perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much
of God as we actually want.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
___
From David learn to give thanks for everything. Every furrow in
the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.
-- Jeremy Taylor
___
God has given a son to us. . . .
His name will be Wonderful Counselor,
Powerful God. . . Prince of Peace.
ISAIAH 9:6
Every Christmas I read this reminder that came in the mail several years ago:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But
since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
When God Whispers Your Name - Max Lucado
___
Christmas is a day to remember the most profound event in the history of
the world. On that first Christmas night (whenever it was), God came to
earth as a baby! He was born into the most humble circumstances, grew
and taught us His truths, died on a cross for our sin, and was raised to be
with The Father - all so we might live with Him for eternity. -- Steve Troxel
"http://www.gdwm.org/invite.htm" God's Daily Word
Genesis 2:9
And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—
beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of
the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
TWO TREES
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Wisdom.
Two roads to travel,
Only two to choose from;
One pursues the flesh,
The other follows Jesus.
One Book of Light,
One bed of filthy lies;
One leads to true life,
The other denies Christ.
Heaven and Hell,
Two kingdoms, One King;
One righteousness, peace and joy in The Spirit,
One deceitfulness, confusion and every evil thing.
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Freedom!
JEFFREEPOLLOCK
(Galatians 5:13)
January 3, 2004
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
This is something I wrote after Christmas last year.
I suspect that now is as good a time as any to send it.
Hope you're enjoying the New Year so far, Jeff
Do you Yahoo!?
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Forwarded Message: IN-CAR-NA-TION
IN-CAR-NA-TION
Saturday, December 27, 2003 6:46 PM
From:
Jeffree4ever@aol.com
To:
ladybug7@mailbug.com
Hi all, we hope you had a nice Christmas. Ev and I had a
great time with family from San Antonio, TX and Malibu, CA this
year. This is something I wrote on the 22nd; I suppose the subject
matter didn't fit the "Christmas Heart" I prefer to have during
Christmas, but before Christmas got too far away and the New Year
began I wanted to share it; hope you enjoy my rambling. Love, Jeffree
And I sent along something else for you to read if you've got time.
***
JOHN 1:1,14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us."
IN-CAR-NA-TION
I had a thought I thought worth writing down
In hopes of remembering the answer;
Just a thought about life, death and God,
But as it so often is, Lord, I don't remember.
God, help me grasp once again that thought;
Holy Spirit, if You will, bring it back again....
The thought was: the exclusivity of Christianity,
And how the world is throwing out True Religion
(RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THE LORD).
It is not amazing,
It is not remarkable,
If anything it is predictable.
This country 'tis of Thee,
Is on the verge of losing
The Foundation on which
It was originally built.
I don't think it a coincidence
An earthquake struck
California today…
I believe this is just a
Precursor of the judgment
Coming upon America,
For turning its back on God.
There is no place to hide
from His fatal blow:
A nation bent on rebellion
Will feel His holy wrath.
God, what else?
The main thought I had earlier
was that now at Christmas,
The Manger Scene is not allowed.
But it is okay to display a Menorah
(eight candles representing the Old
Testament miracle when God caused
enough oil for 1 day to last for 8).
This and other religious symbols
are being put up and accepted,
but the humble birth of Christ Jesus
is not allowed for some reason.
Think about it … The Incarnation.
Every other symbol of religion
holds no claim as True Deity, but
only signifies a world religion.
Only Christianity unmistakably
points to the one true Savior Messiah:
Jesus Christ, who is God.
So don't be surprised,
Nothing has changed.
JEFFREE!
12/22/2003
Jesus Christ is the same
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Hebrews 13:8
***
Micah 5:2-5
2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the
clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler
over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who
is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join
the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the
strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will
reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And He will be their peace.
Luke 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for
the Baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.
10/7/08
Incarnation Application
Margaret Manning
For most of us, the study of doctrine is best left to academics and
theologians. Terms used in doctrinal formulations like supralapsarian, or
infralapsarian, incompatiblism, predestination, and compatibalism not only
leave one tongue-tied, but also confuse our minds. Many of us wonder what
doctrine has to do with our day to day lives, especially as we struggle
with terms we don’t understand, and principles we find so hard to
practice. If we’re honest, reading and studying theology is something
most of us would like to avoid just as we’d like to avoid a root canal.
Historically, of course, the formation of doctrine served to tell the
story of the gospel. Doctrines are composed of the central tenets of
belief, so an understanding of doctrine shapes what we think about
our faith. But how many of us have really taken the time to think through
the implication(s) or application(s) of doctrine to the living out of our
Christian lives? In other words, is a belief something we only think in
our heads? Or is a belief something we demonstrate in our lives? More
important, if what we think in our heads has no bearing over the ways in
which we live in this world, do we truly believe?
I was forced to think about these questions, as I studied the doctrine of
the Incarnation. By its very nature, the doctrine of the Incarnation is
application-oriented since it deals with the belief that in Jesus Christ
the whole fullness of God dwelt bodily. The more I thought about the
Incarnation, the more I realized that doctrine needs to be incarnational.
Doctrine must be “enfleshed” in our very beings, just as our skin encases
our bones and organs.
Another way of thinking about incarnational doctrine is to think about
eating. Food sustains our very being, and fuels us for living. In the
same way, as we digest ideas, they should emerge as a part of our very
being, just as food nourishes and sustains us by being incorporated into
our cells, tissue, and organs. In fact, being intentional about the
implications of the Incarnation can help our understanding of the true
nature of doctrine--as lived belief.
Of course the preeminent example of incarnation is in the person and
ministry of Jesus Christ. But incarnational doctrine begins all the way
back in the Old Testament. God comes to be with his people in their
wilderness wanderings as a pillar of fire and a cloud. God “dwells” among
the people in the Ark of the Covenant, and then in the Tabernacle. Later,
the Temple became the incarnational focal point of God’s presence with
God’s people.
Other vivid and concrete images of incarnation occur in the lives of the
Hebrew prophets. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet is told “Son of man,
eat what you find; eat this scroll and go, speak to the house of Israel”
(See Ezekiel 2:9-3:3). This scroll is not just any scroll. It is the
book of the Law, the Scriptures, the teachings and the doctrines of belief
that guided the nation in its worship of God. Ronald Rolheiser suggests a
profound incarnational application for this image: “The idea is that they
should digest the word and turn it into their own flesh so that people
will be able to see the word of God in a living body rather than on a dead
parchment....We have to digest something and turn it, physically, into the
flesh of our own bodies so it becomes part of what we look like. If we
would do this with the word of God, others would not have to [only] read
the Bible to see what God is like, they would need only to look at our
faces and our lives to see God.”(1)
Could it be that we could so imbibe and ingest doctrine, and the beautiful
teachings that come from God’s word into our lives, that they would radiate
from our faces? That the way we lived, spoke, acted--even our very
countenance--would give witness to the truth of God’s word? This is
incarnation application. We incarnate God’s word, God’s truth and love,
as our lives bear witness to Him. Doctrine is lived out, and our beliefs
are enfleshed in our deeds and our actions, and even in our words. As St.
Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the word of God wherever you go, even use
words, if necessary.”(2)
Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) Ronald Rolheiser The Holy Longing: The Search for Christian
Spirituality (Doubleday Books: New York, 1999), 102.
(2) Ibid, 82.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2008 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
DAVID AND JESUS
No doubt history's best-known fulfilled prophecy is Micah's
prediction of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the little town
where Israel's King David also was born nearly 1,000 years earlier.
That link between David and Jesus is just one of many links.
Consider these:
David was of humble birth, born in an insignificant town, of parents
who had no claim to fame. As a boy, David was a mere shepherd--but
a bold shepherd with a reputation for risking his life to protect his
father Jesse's flock. While he was of humble family origin, he
eventually became the king of Israel. He took the throne in the
City of Peace: Jerusalem. In fact, David had led the forces that
took possession of Jerusalem, building his palace on the site of
the Jebusite fortress called Zion. So David became the first of
his lineage to reign in Jerusalem.
Jesus also was of humble origin, born--as Micah had prophesied--in
the place of David's birth: Bethlehem. Jesus too lived a simple
life--the son of a carpenter. Unlike David, though, Jesus did not
become a keeper of lambs. The Bible tells us He became a lamb--a
sacrificial lamb, who by His death bore the sins of the world
(Revelation 5).
Only after His resurrection did Jesus become a shepherd, the
"Good Shepherd" who now leads and protects His Father's flock,
the church. Further, Jesus is destined to be a king, as the apostle
John wrote: "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
To complete the parallels, Jesus will eventually reign--not just over
Israel but over all the earth. And His kingdom will exist forever.
Paul quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah and said, "The Root of
Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in Him" (Romans 15:12). Only Jesus is the
King of kings and Lord of lords.
"http://www.soul-journey.org"
[JOHN 14:6-7] Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
ANCHOR OF PROMISE
I AM THE WAY…
DON’T CHOOSE TO STAY LOST
BELIEVING that TRUE FAITH
COMES WITHOUT A COST.
I AM THE TRUTH…
DON’T BELIEVE THE LIE
TRYING TO BEAR GOOD FRUIT
WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST.
I AM THE LIFE…
DON’T CHOOSE DEATH in
LIVING JUST TO SIN AND DIE
WITHOUT BEING BORN AGAIN.
I AM THE HOPE…
DON’T EXPECT FREEDOM by
TURNING TO YOUR DAILY SOAP
WITHOUT THE HEART OF JESUS.
I AM THE PROMISE…
NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER
IN fervent PRAYER OR godly PASSION
WITHOUT LOVING ME FIRST.
I AM THE ANCHOR…
DON’T HOLD ON TO ANOTHER,
I AM THE LORD…
I AM ONE WITH THE FATHER.
JEFFree POLLOCK
JANUARY 17, 2004
Because God wanted to make the unchanging
nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of
what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who
have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us
may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as
an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters
the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus,
who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
[HEBREWS 6:17-20]
Personal Life: The Need for Solitude
And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain
by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
--Matthew 14:23
Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life all
but impossible. It wears us out by multiplying distractions and
beats us down by destroying our solitude, where otherwise we might
drink and renew our strength before going out to face the world
again.
"The thoughtful soul to solitude retires," said the poet of other
and quieter times; but where is the solitude to which we can retire
today? Science, which has provided men with certain material
comforts, has robbed them of their souls by surrounding them with a
world hostile to their existence. "Commune with your own heart upon
your bed and be still" is a wise and healing counsel, but how can
it be followed in this day of the newspaper, the telephone, the
radio and the television? These modern playthings, like pet tiger
cubs, have grown so large and dangerous that they threaten to
devour us all. What was intended to be a blessing has become a
positive curse. No spot is now safe from the world's intrusion.
A. W. TOZER [Of God and Men] http://lmi.gospelcom.net/tozer.php3
"If Tozer wrestled with this in his day, how much more are we
bombarded today! We have all the influences of which he speaks,
and much more all-pervasive, plus the internet and a host of other
'playthings' seeking to devour us. Lord, help us somehow to escape
today and retire to solitude, even if only for a brief time. Amen."
===========================================
LIKE JESUS DID
Believe in God,
Like Abraham did;
Give Him your Isaac,
And surrender to Him.
Show your heart,
Like King David did;
Give God due glory,
As you dance & sing.
Ask God for the best,
Like Solomon did;
Don't hide your talents,
If you have some to give.
Lift up Jesus,
Like John the Baptist did;
Warn people of their peril,
If they don't turn from sin.
Be first to step out,
Like Saint Peter did;
Your faith in Jesus,
Won't let you sink.
Speak out for Jesus,
Like Saint Paul did;
Teach unbelievers about
Purpose and discipline.
Walk and talk in love,
Like Saint John did;
Encourage one another,
Everyday that you live.
Pray to your Father,
Like Jesus our Lord did;
Humble yourself,
And glorify Him.
JEFFREE!
JANUARY
2004
===========================================
Genesis 2:9
And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden—
beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of
the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
TWO TREES
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Wisdom.
Two roads to travel,
Only two to choose from;
One pursues the flesh,
The other follows Jesus.
One Book of Light,
One bed of filthy lies;
One leads to true life,
The other denies Christ.
Heaven and Hell,
Two kingdoms, One King;
One righteousness, peace and joy in The Spirit,
One deceitfulness, confusion and every evil thing.
Two paths to take,
Two ways to walk;
One leads to death,
The other is called
Freedom!
JEFFREEE!
(Galatians 5:13)
January 3, 2004
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14
============================================
Happy New Year! Praise God from whom all good things come!
I love that, I love God! Another year stretches before us as God
beckons us to test the waters; to test His faithfulness; to live a
life of total trust and perfect peace; to love one another and love
Him with all our hearts. I like the sound of that, besides ALL things
are possible WITH GOD. I believe an angel of God first told those
words to a young scared Jewish girl who received the greatest
honor that could ever be imagined. I also believe each of us CAN
possess the same honor of bearing Jesus - on a different scale.
I find it wonderful how God changes things (people, places
and things) to fulfill His purposes. I read a beautifully encouraging
verse of Scripture on a Bible cover I saw in WalMart the other day
which said: The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love,
O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your
hands (PS 138:8). GOD WILL complete the purpose He has for
my life; that's the promise I'm starting this new year focusing on;
that and Galatians 5:13.
I hope you enjoy reading the following things; the first is a
reminder of what God has accomplished in the last year, the second
is something else. Both Evelyn and I want to wish each and all
of you a blessed New Year in the Lord. We'll keep praying and
keep watching God move in 2004. Enjoy! Love, Jeff and Evee
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #040101 - 01/01/2004
Looking Back, Pressing On
Reflections on 2003
A year ago, I looked at what was coming up in 2003: the imminent
war in Iraq, AIDS in Africa, the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade,
and human cloning. "The stakes," I said then, "have gotten higher,
but this is our appointed moment."
As I look back on 2003, I'm amazed and gratified by all that has gone
on in each of these areas.
The imminent war in Iraq became an actual war. Using tactics and
armaments that reflect a just war standard, our troops rushed from the
Persian Gulf to Baghdad in less than a week. And today we are doing
all we can to establish order and a democratic government. Of course,
on the evening news, you are going to hear a lot of carping about how
badly we're doing. This is not true. Noah Oppenheim writing in the
Weekly Standard after a trip to Iraq notes: "The story of America's
presence in Iraq is the story of ordinary people, with the best of inten-
tions, working ungodly hours, in unpleasant places, with no public
acclaim. Their quiet work will never make AP headlines—indeed, it too
seldom makes the wires at all—yet they are winning victories nonetheless."
The struggle for freedom in Iraq goes on, and freedom is winning—
especially now with the capture of Saddam Hussein.
As to the high stakes of AIDS in Africa—19 million already dead with
13 million AIDS orphans—soon after our broadcast, President Bush in
his State of the Union Address proposed $15 billion for AIDS relief. His
bill has been signed into law and maintains an emphasis on abstinence
and making sure that faith-based organizations are not denied access to
funds. This was a great foreign policy victory for the president and an
even greater victory for those suffering from that dreaded disease.
And while legalized abortion is still with us, 2003 saw some stunning
victories in the struggle to protect human life. The greatest was the
passage of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban this fall. And progress has
also been made on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (or Laci and
Conner's Law), the Informed Choice Act, and the Parental Right to
Know Act. And because of the tragic death of Holly Patterson, legislation
has been introduced to reexamine the safety of RU-486, the
controversial abortion drug.
On the biotechnology front, the United Nations continues to get closer
to calling for a worldwide ban on human cloning. Progress is slow, but
we're moving forward.
Yet though we've made progress in Iraq, on AIDS, and in the sanctity
of human life, we've still got lots work to do.
We lost some ground on marriage this year as Canadian courts, the
U.S. Supreme Court, and now the Supreme Court of Massachusetts
handed down decisions that strengthened the bids of homosexuals
and lesbians for marriage and legitimacy.
The Federal Marriage Amendment must be a priority in this election year.
And remember, it is a presidential election year. Our laws, our judges,
and the direction of the country hang in the balance. Now, I'm not going
to tell you for whom to vote. I'll tell you, however, that to be a good
citizen you must become informed about politics, and you must do your
civic duty and vote.
And finally, don't get discouraged in the struggles ahead. Remember,
God measures us by what Mother Teresa said years ago, and is
engraved on the sign on my desk: "Faithfulness, not Success."
BreakPoint is a production of The Wilberforce Forum, a division of Prison
Fellowship.
THURSDAY
JANUARY 1
1 Peter 1:13-19
13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;
set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ
is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil
desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as He who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written:
"Be holy, because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who
judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers
here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.
RESOLVE OR REGRET?
In a Classic Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown tells Lucy that this
is his year of decision. He shows her a list of things in his life he
wants to correct and announces that he's resolved to be a
better person.
Lucy says, "Not me. I'm going to spend this whole year regretting
the past. I'm going to cry over spilled milk, and sigh over lost loves."
She insists that it's too hard to improve. She tried it once and it
drove her crazy. "Forget the future," she says. "Regret the past.
Why did I do this? Why did I do that? Why? I regret it all! Oh, what
regrets! What remorse! What anguish!"
Charlie Brown sighs and throws his list away.
In one way Lucy is right. Regret is probably easier than resolve.
Lying down in a spiritual and emotional rut requires no risk,
no effort, and no strength of will. But it's no way to live. And it's
not how God wants us to approach life as His children.
Peter was an impetuous follower of Jesus who often put his foot in
his mouth. But his two letters in the New Testament are filled with
vivid images of how to live with resolve, not regret.
The phrase "prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13) is also
translated "gird up the loins of your mind" (KJV). It's a word
picture of a man tucking his long cloak into his belt to be ready to
move freely. It speaks of our determination to live for Jesus
because our hope is completely in Him (v.21).
A list of resolutions is a guide for what we do. But an attitude
of resolve encompasses how we live out our desire for holiness
each day. It springs from the grace and hope we've received
through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our sins.
Let's leave the remorse to Lucy and resolve to face this year with
purpose through the power of God. --Dave McCasland
DESTINATION POINTS
* How should a Christian's approach to New Year's resolutions
be unique? * What phrase in today's Bible reading encouraged
you most? * Write one sentence telling why you have decided
to face this year with resolve.
LINKS:
I Resolve To . . .
http://www.christianitytoday.com/teens/newsletter/how01229.html
The Official Peanuts Web site:
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/peanuts
bottom line: Look forward from God's fresh perspective
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Soul Journey is also available in print in the US for
$5 a year and in Canada for $7 a year. To purchase a
subscription from Discovery House Publishers,
go to http://www.getsj.com/
Campus Life magazine gives you advice and encouragement
on issues like love, relationships, self-image, popularity,
and loneliness. To get a free copy, go to
***************************************************
Today's Soul Journey can be found at
http://www.soul-journey.org/20040101.php
***************************************************
Love, Jeff and Ev'
January 1, 2004
=============================================
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
December 15, 2003
A Triumphant Return
Return of the King
After seven years in the making, the final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy,
The Return of the King, opens this Wednesday. The good news is that, like
the others, it was worth the wait. The better news is that, even more than
the others, what we see on screen respects the Christian faith of the book's
author, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Tolkien wrote that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and
Catholic work; unconsciously so at first but consciously in the revision." Director
Peter Jackson and screenwriters Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh knew this. So
they consciously honored the things that "were important to Tolkien." Many of
his beliefs, thus, come through on screen.
What sets Lord of the Rings apart from other stories about good versus evil,
aside from its extraordinarily imaginative treatment, is the way Christian
truth is portrayed, how it confounds the wisdom of the world. While the great and
powerful play a role in defeating evil, in the end, it's the humble and
unremarkable hobbits who save the day.
This paradox, the weak shaming the wise and the mighty, is most prominent in
The Return of the King, both the book and the film. At the end, the hero of
the third film isn't Aragon, the king-to-be, or even Frodo, the ring-bearer.
It's Samwise Gamgee, a gardener and arguably the humblest of the four hobbits.
Time after time, when it appears that the quest to destroy the Ring of Power
is about to fail, Sam somehow summons up the will to go on and, most
importantly, takes Frodo with him. The cinematic Sam mirrors what Tolkien wrote
of in his book: "His will was set and only death would break it."
Another instance of Tolkien's faith coming through occurs in an exchange
between Pippin, one of the hobbits, and Gandalf, the wizard. Hours before a battle
in which he is sure he will die, Pippin tells Gandalf that he "never thought
it would end like this."
Gandalf replies, "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. There's another path
we all must take. The gray rain curtain of this world rolls back, and it will
change to the silver clouds, and then you see it." When Pippin asks, "See
what?" Gandalf replies, "White shores and beyond, a far green country under a
swift sunrise." Gandalf's words, with a vivid picture of heaven, comfort Pippin
as he contemplates battle and possible death.
According to screenwriters Boyens and Walsh, The Return of the King is
ultimately about faith: faith in the need for good to oppose evil; faith in those
who join you in that struggle; and faith in a higher power that ensures good's
eventual triumph.
Seven years ago, bringing Tolkien's masterpiece to the screen in a way that
did the story justice was considered unlikely—even less likely that it would
honor Tolkien's faith. But that is what this film does. And that makes The
Return of the King an easy one to recommend. A great book has become a
great film precisely because it remembers what the author thought was "most
important"—the truths of a Christian worldview.
For printer-friendly version, simply visit http://www.breakpoint.org/ and click on
Today's Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.
Copyright (c) 2003
Prison Fellowship
Myth Meets Real Life
Lord of the Rings and the Present Crisis
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary December 16, 2003
Tomorrow, The Return of the King, the final chapter in J. R. R.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, opens in theaters across the
country. At the press event earlier this month in Los Angeles, the cast
and crew reflected on the experience of making the films: the
friendships, camaraderie, and hardships.
The film, of course, has a great message, but one cast member added a
powerful-if politically incorrect-perspective of his own. He talked
about how the crises and challenges depicted in Tolkien's mythical world
might help us cope with those we confront in our world today.
John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimli the dwarf, told writers that "the
older I get, the more certain I am of the presence of evil in the
world. Such a declaration by itself sets Rhys-Davies apart from many in
the entertainment industry. But the British actor didn't stop there. He
said that Tolkien was basically saying that there are times when a
generation may be challenged. And if that generation does not rise to
meet that challenge, you could lose an entire civilization.
According to Rhys-Davies, this message has a huge resonance for today. For
someone who, as he put it, believes in Judeo-Greek-Christian-Western
civilization, recent developments, especially in Europe, are a catastrophe.
The civilization that has given us democracy, the equality of women, the
abolition of slavery . . . and the right to true intellectual dissent is under
assault specifically, Rhys-Davies noted, under assault by radical Islam. Instead
of resisting that assault, parts of the Western world and here, he's referring
to Europe are committing cultural suicide.
Rhys-Davies pointed to demographic trends in Europe here, in some cases, the
majority of children being born are the children of Muslim immigrants. While it's
politically incorrect to notice this fact, it's folly to ignore the cultural implications.
The actor also expressed his support for the war in Iraq. He called it
"extraordinary" and called Americans "the most optimistic people in the
whole . . . world." He noted that no one believed that you could democratize
Germany and Japan after World War II. Now, we're trying to do the same in
the Middle East .
Now, views like these don't exactly endear Rhys-Davies to many of his
fellow actors. As he put it, he takes a "lot of stick" for his views. Still, the
benefits of Western civilization are so great that the alternative isn't some
multicultural paradise. It's darkness. In Tolkien's language, it's the Orcs,
Uruk-hai, and Sauron.
These are strong, but necessary words. Our culture is hesitant to use
the word evil, refusing even to recognize what's at stake in places like
Iraq. Nowhere is this refusal more adamant than in the industry of
which Rhys-Davies is a part. Yet, not a single one of Rhys-Davies's
critics (those giving him stick) would dream of giving up the benefits
of Western civilization. They're not willing to pay the price for its
defense, beginning with the acknowledgment that it's under attack.
But that price must be paid. As the trailer for The Return of the King
tells us, "there is no freedom without sacrifice." Tolkien understood
that, and so does the man who brought his heroic dwarf to life on the
big screen.
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary 12/17/2003
Escape into Reality
The Gospel According to Tolkien
The Return of the King, the final installment of the Lord of the Rings movie
trilogy, opens today, and like its predecessors, it shows every sign of
becoming a record-breaking success. The worldwide popularity of these movies,
like the continuing popularity of J. R. R. Tolkien's original masterpiece, reminds
us once again of the captivating power of a well-told story. And the response
to this particular story is especially encouraging. It shows us that even in a
world steeped in moral relativism people still hunger for tales of the
absolutes: the triumph of good over evil.
Of course, when some people look at Tolkien's tale of wizards, hobbits, and
elves, they believe that fans of his work are merely science fiction fans fleeing from
reality. And that may be the case for some. But in his new book, The Gospel
According to Tolkien, Ralph Wood argues that the Lord of the Rings helps
us to "escape into reality."
Wood points out that, far from being a shiny, happy escape fantasy, the Lord
of the Rings deals effectively and movingly with subjects like death, war,
hopelessness, tyranny, temptation, and the sinfulness of human nature. In short,
it clearly reflects the turbulent twentieth century that Tolkien experienced,
a time not very different from our own. As Wood writes, "Far from encouraging
us to turn away from such evils, Tolkien's book forces us to confront them.
Rather than grinding our faces in these horrors, however, it suggests a cure for
the ills of our age."
That's because Tolkien's work, though not explicitly Christian, is grounded
in his Christian understanding of the world. Unlike the pagan epics from which
Tolkien drew in writing his book—or the modernist novels of many of his
contemporaries—the Lord of the Rings conveys a profound sense of hope. For
although the story shows evil as horrifyingly real and destructive, it also shows the
power and strength of goodness. The heroic actions of small, ordinary creatures
against an overwhelming threat echo the biblical themes of God's strength being
made perfect in weakness and the last becoming first. As Tolkien wrote elsewhere,
a crucial theme in his work is "the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble."
At the same time, as characters struggle against their own personal temptations,
they show the weakness and fallibility of the human heart and our need for guidance
and grace. As C. S. Lewis wrote in his review of the Lord of the Rings, "As we
read we find ourselves sharing [the characters'] burden; when we have finished, we
return to our own life not relaxed but fortified." Lewis and Tolkien knew, and
Ralph Wood reminds us in his book, that there is a kind of escapism that
Christians ought to encourage—that is, the escape from a narrow, earthbound view
of our own circumstances. This kind of escapism helps us to look at the bigger
picture and understand the eternal moral truths governing our lives.
So why not take a skeptical friend to the movie? Engage the issues afterwards
over coffee. Tolkien's books, and now the movies, are giving people a whole
new perspective on reality—a perspective that prepares them for a better
understanding of the God who is ultimate reality.
Copyright (c) 2003 Prison Fellowship
http://christianitytoday.com/history/special/tolkien.html
Come Behind the Scenes of J. R. R. Tolkien's Life
=============================================
Hi all, we hope you had a nice Christmas. Ev and I had a
great time with family from San Antonio, TX and Malibu, CA this
year. This is something I wrote on the 22nd; I suppose the subject
matter didn't fit the "Christmas Heart" I prefer to have during
Christmas, but before Christmas got too far away and the New Year
began I wanted to share it; hope you enjoy my rambling. Love, Jeffree
And I sent along something else for you to read if you've got time.
***
JOHN 1:1,14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made
His dwelling among us."
IN-CAR-NA-TION
I had a thought I thought worth writing down
In hopes of remembering the answer;
Just a thought about life, death and God,
But as it so often is, Lord, I don't remember.
God, help me grasp once again that thought;
Holy Spirit, if You will, bring it back again....
The thought was: the exclusivity of Christianity,
And how the world is throwing out True Religion
(RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS THE LORD).
It is not amazing,
It is not remarkable,
If anything it is predictable.
This country 'tis of Thee,
Is on the verge of losing
The Foundation on which
It was originally built.
I don't think it a coincidence
An earthquake struck
California today…
I believe this is just a
Precursor of the judgment
Coming upon America,
For turning its back on God.
There is no place to hide
from His fatal blow:
A nation bent on rebellion
Will feel His holy wrath.
God, what else?
The main thought I had earlier
was that now at Christmas,
The Manger Scene is not allowed.
But its okay to display a Menorah
(eight candles representing the Old
Testament miracle when God caused
enough oil for 1 day to last for 8).
This and other religious symbols
are being put up and accepted,
but the humble birth of Christ Jesus
is not allowed for some reason.
Think about it … The Incarnation.
Every other symbol of religion
holds no claim as True Deity, but
only signifies a world religion.
Only Christianity unmistakably
points to the one true Savior Messiah:
Jesus Christ, who is God.
So don't be surprised,
Nothing has changed.
JEFFREE!
12/22/2003
Jesus Christ is the same
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Hebrews 13:8
***
Micah 5:2-5
2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the
clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler
over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who
is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join
the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd His flock in the
strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God. And they will live securely, for then His greatness will
reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And He will be their peace.
Luke 2:4-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for
the Baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son.
DAVID AND JESUS
No doubt history's best-known fulfilled prophecy is Micah's
prediction of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, the little town
where Israel's King David also was born nearly 1,000 years earlier.
That link between David and Jesus is just one of many links.
Consider these:
David was of humble birth, born in an insignificant town, of parents
who had no claim to fame. As a boy, David was a mere shepherd--but
a bold shepherd with a reputation for risking his life to protect his
father Jesse's flock. While he was of humble family origin, he
eventually became the king of Israel. He took the throne in the
City of Peace: Jerusalem. In fact, David had led the forces that
took possession of Jerusalem, building his palace on the site of
the Jebusite fortress called Zion. So David became the first of
his lineage to reign in Jerusalem.
Jesus also was of humble origin, born--as Micah had prophesied--in
the place of David's birth: Bethlehem. Jesus too lived a simple
life--the son of a carpenter. Unlike David, though, Jesus did not
become a keeper of lambs. The Bible tells us He became a lamb--a
sacrificial lamb, who by His death bore the sins of the world
(Revelation 5).
Only after His resurrection did Jesus become a shepherd, the
"Good Shepherd" who now leads and protects His Father's flock,
the church. Further, Jesus is destined to be a king, as the apostle
John wrote: "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
To complete the parallels, Jesus will eventually reign--not just over
Israel but over all the earth. And His kingdom will exist forever.
Paul quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah and said, "The Root of
Jesse will spring up, One who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in Him" (Romans 15:12). Only Jesus is the
<"http://www.soul-journey.org"> King of kings and Lord of lords.
Christmas Stuffing
Thursday, December 25, 2003 3:15 PM
What he's been creating, since the first beat of your heart, is
a living, breathing, priceless work of art.
-- Stephen Curtis Chapman
___
The ministry of the Spirit of God strengthens us, too, for the
task that He knows lies ahead of us. We cannot survive or
complete this task using our own abilities. Like Peter and the
apostles, we need God's empowerment. We may not know what lies
ahead, but we do know that God is preparing us for the future He
has prepared for us.
-- David Edwards in "The God of Yes"
___
Jesus once said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls"
(Matthew 11:28-29).
___
1873 - American lawyer Horatio G. Spafford's four daughters drowned
when their passenger ship, while crossing the Atlantic,
collided with another and sank. The following month, as his
own ship passed over the spot of the earlier tragedy, Spafford
penned the words to the enduring hymn, "It is Well With My
Soul."
___
1963 - Death of C.S. Lewis, 65, Anglican scholar, novelist and
Christian apologist. Well-known for his children's classic,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" (1950-56), Lewis also penned other
Christian classics, including "The Screwtape Letters" (1943)
and "The Great Divorce" (1946).
___
In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. -- C.S.
Lewis
___
"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks
equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing
of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle." -- Bishop
Phillips Brooks
___
Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!
-- George Herbert
___
JOHN 3:16,17
For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that
everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal
life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it,
but to save it.
TRUE HEART
We can only live so long,
In this fallen world of sin....
Searching for love gone wrong,
In a corrupt game we cannot win.
We live our lives just once,
In this desert land of divided loyalties....
Seeking truth somewhere between obedience and fun,
In this me-first world of whatever-sets-you-free.
We can only find the true life,
In this spinning world of shadow & light....
Placing all our hope in Jesus, the Son of God,
Borne from Heaven to give His life on a cross.
We may with God gain a true heart,
In this painful place with so many choice idols....
Settling our faith in Jesus Christ - we can get a new heart,
In our Savior's grace - through His perfect, cleansing blood.
JEFFREE!
DEC. 2003
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His
incomparably great power for us who believe.
EPHESIANS 1:18,19
___
Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled
must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest
thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out
everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords
perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much
of God as we actually want.
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
___
From David learn to give thanks for everything. Every furrow in
the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.
-- Jeremy Taylor
___
God has given a son to us. . . .
His name will be Wonderful Counselor,
Powerful God. . . Prince of Peace.
ISAIAH 9:6
Every Christmas I read this reminder that came in the mail several years ago:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But
since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
When God Whispers Your Name - Max Lucado
___
Christmas is a day to remember the most profound event in the history of
the world. On that first Christmas night (whenever it was), God came to
earth as a baby! He was born into the most humble circumstances, grew
and taught us His truths, died on a cross for our sin, and was raised to be
with The Father - all so we might live with Him for eternity. -- Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word
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