Oh Lord – Thank You for spending time with me. I know You are always available for me and yet I stay away too often. But alas, I loved our time together – You and me. You taught me so much again. I am forgiven, I am clean, You are the Restorer, You have plans for me, In You there is Hope, You will strengthen my inner-self, You alone are worthy of my praise.
Valley of Dry Bones November 13, 2008
Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ “
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ “
Romans 5 October 12, 2008
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
this is what it means to believe April 30, 2008
Here’s what sunk into me during last Sunday’s service.
- God is asking us to put all of our eggs in 1 basket and that basket is the Jesus. God wants us to believe the truth – that Jesus is the only way to salvation. The path is narrow. To really believe we place all our hopes in Jesus – knowing that these hopes are secure in the arms of the true God.
- When we believe that Jesus is our Savior we “hear His voice” and “we follow Him.”
- Belief requires the knowledge of Jesus and the actions must be aligned with Him
Hiding Places March 19, 2008
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
These words are quoted from Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman whom God used to change the trajectory of so many people’s lives. She and her family were part of an underground operation that hid Jews during World War II. They were eventually discovered and sent to the concentration camps and even there she did God’s work to change the lives of so many people. She survived and continued her work as a missionary who constantly listened to God’s Voice and spread His Gospel wherever she went. I consider her one of my heroes. In my own life, I have always looked for the “certain” and “sure” things but these are not the things that faith are made of. It is when we take a leap into the hands of our Mighty God which is the truest of all hiding places - that we experience and are exercising faith.
Hebrews 10:21-23
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
this City . . . greater things have yet to come. March 11, 2008
You’re the God of this city, You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation, You are
You’re the Light in this darkness, You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless, You areThere is no one like our God, there is no one like our GodFor greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this cityGreater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here
“God Of This City” sung by Chris Tomlin, written by Bluetree, found on the newest Passion cd
I live in the Detroit Area. I love where I live – despite the perception of many including Forbes who claims that I live in the most miserable city in the U.S. It simply is not true. Yes, we might have hard economic times right now but this city is full of people who love and who are loved by the Mighty God! And yes, I believe He has plans for this city.
Lord – Bless Your Faithful People. We claim that You have greater things yet to come. Amen
Fixin’ Your Hope February 26, 2008
1 John 3:3
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Song of Hope February 23, 2008
all things bright, and beautiful You are
all thing wise, and wonderful You are
in my darkest night, You brighten up the skies
a song will arise, i will sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just to know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
all things new, i can start again
Creator God, calling me Your friend
sing praise my soul, to the Maker of the skies
a song will arise, i will sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
i’ll sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just to know you and be loved is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
hallelujah, sing
hallelujah, sing, sing
hallelujah, sing, sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just to know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
i’ll sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just to know You and be loved is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
we’ll sing
a song of Hope, sing along
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
just to know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down
song title: Song of Hope by the Robbie Seay Band
I Have a New Hope February 13, 2008
What a relief it is to know
I’m a slave to Christ
Of all the masters I have known
I’m compelled to live this life
Free for you
I’m on the other side of something
I’m on the other side of something
I have a new hope that blows away
The small hopes I knew before
And at the end of the day I am yours
And I am compelled
You’ve written on my very heart
Where no man can legislate
The law of your love has taken hold
With your holiness and grace
There’s no mistake
I’m on the other side of something
I’m coming out the other side, the other side
I have a new hope that blows away
The small hopes I knew before
And at the end of the day I am yours
And I am compelled
I am drawn and driven, I am compelled
You have written it, I am compelled
You live in me
And I can’t help myself
Song Title: Compelled by Sara Groves
