It’s Not Fair! / I never promised you a rose garden

Life is not fair. It is filled with pain and sorrow. You can do everything right and everything can still go wrong. You obey the rules and laws and still be the one to be persecuted while those who break the law get away with it and even prosper. None of this is fair. You believe in God and Jesus is your Lord and Savior but you still suffer. It is not fair. It is not right.

We live in a broken world and there are many who call good evil, and what is evil good. So how do we hold onto faith, and how do we continue to believe in our loving God? You would think that coming into a relationship with Him that our lives would improve, right? Right now your life may be in rubble and you are wondering how could this happen. You have been faithful and obedient yet everything that could go wrong has. A relationship with Christ does not mean a life without trouble. He did not promise you a rose garden in this fallen world. he did tell us in this world we would face various trials and tribulations, and that there would be those would not only hate us but seek to destroy us. So you might be thinking then why bother having a right relationship with Jesus. I will tell you why, we choose this relationship not to escape the troubles in this world but to have the only One who will faithfully stand beside you no matter what you are going through. He will never abandon or reject you, even when fall He will be there to pick you up. He will not condemn you for the wrongs you have committed but love and forgive you, accepting you as you are. He will give you the strength to make it through this life with the promise that this world we live in is temporary and He has gone to prepare a place for us and that He will come back for us.

He did not promise us a trouble free life, but that He will always be there for you no matter your circumstance. He also promised you eternal life for those who believe in Him. Life in this world is temporary, no matter how long your story in this world will be, it will not end with this world but continue through out eternity with Him.

Life in this world will not be fair and like a rose garden life has its’ beauty but it also has thorns. When your faith is tested and you can barely hold on to hope remember that Jesus did not live a trouble free life on this earth. He was rejected, mocked, abused, hated and suffered the cross. He did not have to do this but because he loved us He chose to, so that we are forgiven and have the promise of eternal life with Him. He overcame the grave to give us the keys to life. Hold on and don’t give up, he will see you through this life.

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Isaiah 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Notes on message on love/personal thought on love

What is love? When love is mentioned we think about the emotion we call love. Emotions however are unstable, they can be tossed around like a small boat in the ocean. Ups and downs, they come and go. If you say a person is emotional you may also be calling them unstable. So again I ask, what is love? Christian rap group DC Talk have a song titled love is a verb.

If we look at love as only a verb then we say it is an action. Something that is performed. Is that all love is?
No! Love is so much more, it is not just a fleeting emotion, or an action. So again I pose the question what is love?
Love is alive, and is a being greater than any person on earth. God is Love, His Spirit is Love, His Son Jesus is Love. Everything God has done has been out of love.
What else can we say love is?
What do you say love is?

Call To Prayer / Listen!

There is a LOT of talking going on these days. Everyone has something to say about one thing or another. In 1 Corinthians 13 it is mentioned it does not matter if you speak in the tongue of angels or man, without love you are nothing more than a noisy cymbal. So we are making a lot of noise, complaining, arguing, demanding our voices be heard, etc…

Is our prayer life become a noisy mess? Are we too busy talking, that our prayer time has become more like speeches, than conversations? Yes, please tell God about your needs and make your requests known to Him. Intercede for those in need. Then remember to take the time to listen. As much as He loves hearing our voice, He also has things He wants to tell us.

We may hear something but if we are not listening, we will miss out on exactly what is being said. So pray, and pray without ceasing, but include time to listen in your prayer time.

Acts 13:16 Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

Luke 9:3-5 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline,
That you may be wise the rest of your days.

Proverbs 5:7 Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 8:32-34 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.
“Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
“Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

Leave any prayer requests you have, and we will pray together for each other and for those in need.

God bless and keep you safe.

Call To Prayer / 2 Corinthians 10-3-5

Corinthians 1:3-5

3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.…

Prayer is a conversation with our Creator, our Heavenly Father, and with Jesus. It is also how we fight our battles. We do not fight as the rest of the world fights, we get down on our knees, we go into our closets, and we cry out to Jesus. We bind and loose, we ask God for His Spirit to help us, for His warring angels to fight for us. Ours is not a physical fight, but a spiritual fight. We fight for our loved ones, our family and friends. For our churches, and communities. We fight for our neighbors, and for our nation, and for the people in this world who are lost, persecuted, abused, rejected and hated, and for so many other things. In the world today there are so many only concerned about their rights, they trample on the rights of others, and protest in anger and with violence. This is not how we fight. We pray, we love, we show mercy and kindness. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, and bless those who curse us. Yet I must admit I often fail at doing so. I get angry and I do not show love or patience. I say things I immediately have to repent for because I know my words and thoughts are not pleasing to God. So I hit my knees and cry out to my Heavenly Father, and ask not only for forgiveness, but for His Spirit to fill me with His love so that I can love those who I have judged in anger. To be able to pray for those who do harm to others. See through His eyes and not my own. To pray in the Spirit the things I cannot pray on my own. I pray to be a blessing and not a curse. This is how I am to fight my battles, with love and prayer, not with my fists and anger.

[Verse]
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles

[Chorus]
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You

[Verse]
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles, mm

[Chorus]
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You
ADVERTISING
[Bridge]
Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide, let me hide
Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide, let me hide
Let me hide myself in Thee

[Verse]
This is how I fight my battles, mm
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles, yeah
This is how I fight my battles

God bless and keep you safe.

Please leave any prayer needs in the comments so we can pray together and for each other. If you do not want to go into detail, you can just say pray.

Call To Prayer / Hymns – Sweet Hour of Prayer

When is the best time to pray? I would say any time you pray is a good time to pray. Here is another hymn on prayer, I hope you enjoy it.

Leave any prayer requests in the comments so we can pray together in agreement, and according to God’s will for each other.

God bless and keep you safe.

Call To Prayer / A Hymn – In The Garden

I wanted to share this hymn with you today, because it speaks of spending time alone with God. Walking and talking. A special time, and even though this song is not about Jesus in Gethsemane praying, being in a garden reminds me of how Jesus prayed there. I hope you take a minute to enjoy listening to this hymn.

Also I hope you will leave any prayer request, for what ever need you may have, or for any one or church, organization or ministry you support, so we can pray together and for each other.

God bless you and keep you safe, in Jesus name.

Call To Prayer / Crying out to God

Call To Prayer / Crying out to God
  • Psalm 107:19 “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.”
  • Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
  • Psalm 107:6 “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.”

Our prayers do not have to be perfectly worded, or eloquent. They do need to be honest. Pour out your heart to God. If you are hurting or afraid you can cry out to Him, and He is there. Crying is nothing to be ashamed of, even though many times I have been embarrassed for crying during a service or while praying, but I know in my heart that crying is okay. I know that while I was growing up I was taught not to cry, if I got spanked I was not to cry because if I did the spanking would continue until I stopped. This is my past but it still effects my present at times. Knowing that it is okay to cry has helped, but I still hate it when I cry.

So I have learned to cry out to God, and pray to Him when I feel broken. Crying out without shame, baring my soul to Him and letting Him turn my sorrow into joy.

Here a couple of songs that speak of crying out to God.

So cry to the Father , He will hold you and comfort you and gather your tears.

Please share any prayer request you may have in the comments so we can pray together and for each other.

God bless and keep you safe.

October 22, 2017 Rambling – Fires – Unity

This is me rambling. Once again I had a sleepless night but this time it was not because of my body was in pain (although it does it hurt today). At around 11 pm last night I heard the first sirens which since I live near an EMT station is nothing new but I realized that the sirens I was hearing did not come from an ambulance. So I stepped out on my porch to watch a firetruck go by. I did what came out of habit and prayed for the safety of those on the truck and prayed for God to send His angels to where they were going to be with those they were going to. Then a little while later another fire truck from another town passed my apartment. This got more than my prayers it got my attention. It had started raining but I didn’t go back inside but walked out in it. ( A little water doesn’t hurt. It  is not like I am in OZ and I am not the witch so I won’t melt) More trucks went by and I could finally see the flames above the trees from the next street over. The last fire truck to go by was another volunteer firetruck from a neighboring town around 1 am. I am not sure what time they finally put the fire out and how much worse it would have been if the rain had not come but I had finally came in at 3 am. Not knowing who  I was praying for or which house or houses were on fire I prayed. I asked others to pray. I didn’t have to know theses people but the ones fighting the fire didn’t have to know who they were fighting to save either. All of these firemen are volunteers. Our fire department here in Bridgeport is a volunteer fire department and so are those in the surrounding towns. They do not get paid to do what they do. They have other jobs, but if a fire happens they gear up get on the truck and put their lives on the line. I am grateful that none of these people got hurt last night but unfortunately the man who lived in the house did not make it. I pray for his family. So why am I writing about this? To be honest I am not sure what prompted me but as I have been writing one of things have come to mind. The first is unity. Neighboring towns got together to put out a fire. They worked together and they did so at risk to their own lives and without pay. *Think about that the next time someone wants to be paid 15.00 to flip burgers at McDonald’s.) I hate to say this but Christians are at odds with each other. Whether it is from one denomination against another, or division within the individual churches. Then how we respond to others outside of our religion. We too often speak with hateful and condemning words. We forget that even if they do not believe in Jesus that He still loves them and died for them to. Jesus taught for us to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us. Instead we play the role of judge and often condemn others, within our own families, churches, neighborhoods and so on and on. We need to learn to work together in Christ’s love for us all. This does not mean I condone sin. Sin is sin, but name one of us who is without sin. Well I will end this by adding a song I hope you enjoy it. I am done rambling for now.

First stone Dallas Holm