Our Heavenly Dwelling

2 Corinthians 5

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on[a] we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

Peace

Hair

A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, "I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible a little, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about the use of the car."

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, "Son, I’ve been so very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your haircut." The young man waited a moment and replied, "Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, even Jesus had long hair..." His father interrupted him at that point and said, "Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!

Peace

el Augustinos

Saint of the day : St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Augustine of Hippo famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and in false beliefs , he is the patron of brewers because of his conversion from a former life of loose living, which included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions. His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break.

Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much, that he could not see or understand the Divine Truth anymore. Through the prayers of his holy mother (St. Monica) and the marvelous preaching of St.Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

Peace

Fear Not

In the Old Testament, God told His people, Fear Not.

In the New Testament, Jesus told His people, Fear Not.

The Angel Gabriel said to Mary  Fear Not.

·        Because we are afraid of what others think we keep quiet and go along with the crowd

·        Because we are afraid of the unknown our faith is neutralized and we never take that leap of faith and go on that missions trip, or volunteer to help in a new ministry.

·        Because we are afraid of being out of control, especially of our finances, we are reluctant to say Jesus is Lord - allowing him to take control, because then anything can happen.

·        Because we are afraid of making mistakes we don't explore our spiritual gifts and take risks

·        Because we are afraid of opposition and conflict we don't say 'No' when we should and resist leadership opportunities

·        Because we are afraid of sacrifice we always remain on the fringe of the church and never get involved

But God wants to say to us, 'Do not be afraid...'. This phrase occurs 365 times in the Bible.

What a comfort to believe that there is one for every day of the week. And yet, one “Fear not” from Jesus is enough, right?

Peace

Allons sur l’autre bord

Si la mer se déchaîne,

si le vent souffle fort,

Si ta barque t’entraîne,

n’aie pas peur de la mort.

Il n’a pas dit que tu coulerais

Il n’a pas dit que tu sombrerais

Il a dit: allons sur l’autre bord !

Peace

Let us make man in our image

It's vital to love yourself (who you are in Christ)

You need to love yourself, and not  the stuck-up, prideful, worldly type of loving oneself (also known as self-worship); we're talking about a concept of being thankful, and appreciating the person who God has made in you. The worldly type of loving yourself is where you are stuck up, prideful and arrogant, whereas this type of loving yourself is based upon humility and thankfulness. The two could not be more different!

Be thankful

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1:26

King David appreciated and thanked God for what God gave him. It's vital that we develop this same attitude about what God's given each of us as well.

Forgive yourself!

"See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled" Hebrews 12:15

"I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."  Isaiah 43:25

"as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

When we associate ourselves with our past failures, after God's Word has assured us that they have been removed from us... then do you realize that you aren't really believing what God's Word is saying? It's time that we make that choice to forgive ourselves, and then align our thinking with what God's Word has to say. If God says it's removed from us, then we need to take Him for His Word, and believe what it has to say!

Peace

His Will

I can say from experience that 95% of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is. Donald Grey Barnhouse

Peace

Into your understanding

The Lord said, "I have not called you to walk this walk alone.I have not called you to walk through testing, trials, and triumphs, alone. I have not caused you pain that was unnecessary. I've not given you more than you're able to carry. Perhaps within yourself, but you must learn, 'Lean upon Me.'

"For tonight I am going to pour fresh oil into your understanding. For I spoke, and I said, 'I understand.' I do not want you left to your own understanding. I want My understanding to bring you under Me, to stand up in Me. So that no matter what happens – on your left, on your right, below or above – you are standing under Me.

Prophetic word  given by Eileen Fisher on June 11, 2013 

Peace

The paradox of love

To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart. St. Bernard stated this holy paradox in a musical quatrain that will be instantly understood by every worshipping soul:

We taste Thee? O Thou Living Bread,
  And long feast upon Thee still:
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead
  And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

Peace

Boomerangs

BOOMERANGS AND GREED

by Tom Conant

The world we live in says, "Grab on, hold tightly, squeeze till get what you want." Jesus teaches a paradox: "You can never touch what you grab for, and you can’t keep what you think you’re holding. As soon as you think you have piled up the good life – made your mark – it will come crashing down like the Twin Towers on 9-11. Wanting to be served, we lose it all."

A well-known fact about a boomerang is, once thrown, it returns to the thrower. The least remembered fact is that the boomerang is intended to be a weapon and only returns if it misses the target. I can keep thinking I’m throwing myself at life with more effort, wisdom, money, more, more, more – and it will somehow change all in my favor. But instead I find everything I’ve thrown has missed the target of a better life and comes back slightly more used than when I threw it. The paradox is that, in keeping our lives, building our lives, and living our lives for ourselves, we waste all the life that is in us.

Peace

The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 12

The Woman and the Dragon

12 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon,with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

...

Peace

Keep calm

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Peace

begin it now.

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born.. and the day you find out why.

Peace