wow!!! I am "chewing" on some scriptures and words that I heard Sunday morning (and last Sunday as well). Great stuff...but it is like trying to eat 5 crackers at once (without water)...close to impossible to swallow all at once. Brother Pastor has been speaking about being a light in the world and showing you "good" works. WoW!!! Some real basic stuff but if you go to the heart of it...some hard stuff. Being a light...a reflection of HIM! Someone who shines and illuminates goodness. Someone who people are drawn to...not because they are funny, beautiful, rich...no they are drawn to them because there is something "different"...something they "can't put their finger on"...something beyond "good". Wow!!! Someone who turns the other cheek, someone who knows people don't like them but likes them anyway! Someone who can treat others like they themselves want to be treated (WoW!!!)...and when i say this I mean really treat them like they themselves would like to be treated (respect, love, kindness, honesty, friendliness...). It means being that light when everything else around you is darkness...WoW!!! It means being a light when someone has come and blown your light out (notice i say someone...which means we allowed it to happen...), and yes it means being a light when we ourselves have let the light go out... How do we do this? Well, my guess is we return to the one who originally gave us the "light". He is the ONLY one who can rekindle that flame. If we try to light it ourself it will not be a "true" light and eventually people and yourself will see it for what it is..a flameless light! WoW!!! to be that kind of light? I know I am unable to accomplish this on my own...I know I have no flame on my own. Maybe that is where we start...admitting we are no light within ourself. But then the next step is so hard...to be a true light you MUST extinguish anyone (including yourself) and everything that is within you (kind of like pouring all the oil out of the tiki stand...without it there is no way it will light...even if you have the wick...it will not light). By doing this you are putting faith in HIM! And you are allowing HIM to fill you and when the time right light you up! And then...you will shine, you will glow and you illuminate HIM!!! WOW!!!! Such incredible thoughts to chew on...and at some point swallow...

good times...today was a wonderful day. it was full of family, God and church. good times. we started the day spending time in church. it was a wonderful time of worship. the Lords presence was felt and welcomed. The message was very good and important to the spirit. Making sure you see God in you at all times as a Christian is very important. Having joy and love in the life of a Christian is so vital and necessary. The message made me think(which is always important when listening to a message) about where I am and where I want/need to be. It about CHANGING!!!! Lot's of meat and I love Sunday morning meat!!! teeeehehehehehe
We also went to our favorite Chinese restaurant (yummy). Later on we went to a youth group fundraiser. It was a great time. They did a great job with the spaghetti dinner and the short play they did was a blessing! The LORD was so wonderful and blessed the group with $1,000.00!! He is truley incredible and AWESOME!!

Caution...Work Ahead

today Preacher had a very good start to a wonderful feast (i know it goes way back to when i was young...someone refereed to messages as "food" for the soul and i seem to compare out Sunday morning ones to meals....*sigh*). He is going to be speaking about "working" out my own salvation. Very good stuff. He also touched on a few verses before this scripture when it referred to treating others "better" than you would treat yourself...thinking of them as better than me! Wow!!! That is some amazing stuff. I think that has found a place in my heart and it might be taking root. (Ohh...do I want it to...that is the question. OK...if there is one thing I will say it is i can be very honest when something is coming at me at 100 MPH! I do not pretend it is not coming and i try to to move slowly to the right thinking it will miss me if i do.). Anyway... I digress. It was a good message and I cannot wait to get into it more and see what will happen (to me...see there i go thinking about myself instead of my fellow brothers and sisters...tsk). I love people but i tend to have a prideful streak and i am a very "me and mine" type of person. I cannot even imagine a life where you think and put everyone else above you. Hmmm...i guess this is the part where i need to "work" with this. I will need to process this and see where it goes....(my hope is i will come full circle and accept what God has to say...love others and yes...in my heart think more of them and less of me (mmmppphhh...that is even hard to say). But you know what that is what makes God incredible...He changes hearts and if we "work" at it he will be there at the end of each mile to greet us (I say miles because for me it is so much more easier to think in terms of "short" races which will result in 1 HUGE marathon when it is all said and done). *sighy* Good stuff!!!