1 John 3:16-18

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.


No matter how you look at it we need to be doing something...

www.i-heart.org (check it out)

an idol??

Lately i've been feeling God's pull on my heart to examine my heart, my motives and especially my priorities.

As i was searching and asking God to reveal the problems in my personal life i noticed that the biggest thing i've been worshiping is me...

i've been making sure i'm comfortable...
making sure i'm taken care of...
that i have enough money...
that i get what i need and that i'm happy...

I haven't been letting God be first in everything i do...
I've been so selfish...

i have asked God to be the center of my life, and that He would take control of everything, but i didn't completely let that go of everything...

I keep trying to hold on to those things i think i can control...
i want to make sure that everything i do is going to work out, so i figure the best way to make sure things work is if i take control...

i've been so wrong...

i need to let go...

i need to be uncomfortable...
i need to give 100%...
no more apathy...
no more judgment....
i need to stop thinking i know what's best...
i need to serve more...
i need to sacrifice more...

I've made myself an idol...
and i've been worshiping that idol more than i worship my Creator...

maybe you know what i'm talking about...
maybe you are saying "that's is exactly where i'm at joe"

i'm not going to try and give you advice on this one...
i mean...
i'm just as guilty...

here is what God's word says...

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said to him, "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love our neighbor as yourself."

Philippians 2:3-4
Let nothing bed done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others.

Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before me.

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

Matthew 19:30
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

1 Corinthians 10:24
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

1 John 4:7
...let us love one another...

slave or son!!??

Galatians 4:6-7 says,
"God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Do you ever wander away from God?? Do you ever just get so busy that there seems to be no time to give God attention??
It seems that there are so many things to do that we simply put God lower and lower on the priorities list because we think "well...God is always there...He'll take care of me"

I's gonna be honest with you...i do this...a lot

I get so busy and I seem to push God out...

but yet our souls are crying out!! they are crying out to God, the Creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Father.

then, when we don't turn to God with our time and our choices things seem to start to get harder.

problems start to arise
temptation seems to be overwhelming
everything seems to be going against us
we start to lose hope

we've all been there...it sucks

but the best part is this...
"WE ARE NO LONGER SLAVES, BUT A CHILD"

did you get that??

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!!!

we don't have to think we aren't worth it
we don't have to listen to the lies anymore
we don't have to think God has forgotten about us
we don't have to feel worthless anymore

we have a promise...
because we are God's children He has a plan for us..

a plan not to harm us
not to do us wrong
but a plan of hope
peace
love
joy


that is something to celebrate!!

Abba, Father
Thank you for giving us a future and a hope. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, your children.
We owe you our lives.
I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ who have forgotten that they need you. They have lost focus and have tried to go their own way.
Father! I pray that you be merciful to them and that you will show them a way back to your perfect will for their lives.
Thank you Father!!!

your servant,
joe

lately in life

I have not really updated what's been going on in my life in quite a while.
Soooo....I thought I would keep my peeps up to date :)

School is in full swing and it's keeping me super busy. I'm only taking 15 credits this semester because I had an A-Term class before the semester even started. I'm really enjoying my class on Postmodernism and the Emergent Church movement. The class is really engaging and the discussions are engaging.

I'm also working in the GBC Kitchen this semester. I'm only working about 10-12 hours a week, but it definitely keeps me busy on the days I don't have classes.

Personally: I'm doing really good. God is working in a new way in me each and every day. I was having a hard time with doing daily devotions and significant time to God. This last week thought I've been doing really good with that. God has been speaking to me about disciplining myself to organize my priorities and to give my top priorities more time.
I've been especially surprised about how content I've been so far this semester. I've definitely had a sense of God's presence throughout the days so far, and it has helped so much. I know a lot of that contentment has been because of you all praying for me.

Thank You!!!

Lastly I just want to encourage you with a verse God has been laying upon my heart. It's Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

To know that God is going to continue to use His children, no matter what happens in our lives is exciting for me to think about. He has a plan for us and He's going to complete it!!!

it's not about being attractive. it's about being real.

"It's not about being attractive. It's about being real."

This comment was made when talking about witnessing to unbelievers. Many people have this idea that in order to bring others to Christ we need to show how our lives are "awesome" and they can't live without what we have. It's become a competition to "out-attract" the world.

But in this new age the world's entertainment and attractiveness is out of our league. The Christian world has no chance at outdoing what the world offers to a non-believer. It is no longer a priority to go to church in our culture. It's become a competition to see who can win people's attention.

We don't have to compete in this game the Satan has created. The idea of being real with those outside of our faith may be a new concept to you, but I believe that our authenticity can bring a difference to unbelievers that will help bring them along in their process of finding Christ.

We don't need to defend God. We don't need to try and outdo the world. God is the ultimate Judge and Jury. He gives the final judgment to everyone. No matter where you've been, what you've chosen to believe, or where you've been, God will give the judgment on our lives. We don't have to put words in God's mouth. He'll take care of those who chose to not believe.

I believe that if we, as Christians, would be more authentic and real with those we come in contact with, instead of putting on our "masks" we will see a difference in how people look at us as Christians. If we would share what's really happening in our lives with others people would see a difference in us, as Christians.

Maybe we've been neglecting the power of the Holy Spirit and how it can convict people. We start to think that we need to convict people by our actions or words, so we put on those "masks" to show how attractive our lives are, when really we're giving them a fake.

Are we being real with those around us? Or are we putting on the "mask" to show others someone we are not?

Mark 4:1-20 (The Message)

He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.
"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don't understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."

He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
"The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.
"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

More Beautiful You - Jonny Diaz

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl