God Of Creation

It's the way your stars shine Sometimes so bright I swear I could hear And it's the way your moonlight Falls on your mountain lake so clear And it's the way your sunshine Paints your evening sky And it's the way your rain falls To sing me to sleep at night and… I fall into you God of creation take my breath away God of the heavens in this very space It's the way you lead me The way we walk by your water's still It's the way you hold me The way you've felt all that I feel And it's the way you touch me The way you know when it's needed most It's the way you form your words On my heart while I rest in you… Carry me away God of creation take my breath away God of the heavens in this very space And you enter suddenly And I am lost again Inside the mystery I am lost again And you come suddenly And I am lost again Inside the majesty I am lost again… - David Crowder* Band (Can You Hear Us) Psalm 104:1-2 Colossians 1:26-28 Hebrews 4:12-14 1 Chronicles 16:26-28 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 Isaiah 2:10 Ephesians 3:3-5 Ephesians 6:19 Colossians 1:26-28

Jake Shimabukuro

American National Anthem -Jake Shimabukuro (Ukulele) While My Guitar Gently Weeps Lets Dance

Please LORD, Help me

"I was astonished that although I now loved you . . . I did not persist in enjoyment of my God. Your beauty drew me to you, but soon I was dragged away from you by my own weight and in dismay I plunged again into the things of this world . . . as though I had sensed the fragrance of the fare but was not yet able to eat it." Aurelius Augustine, Confessions, trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin (New York: Penguin, 1961), 152 (VII.17).

Reflections on Micah 7 & Habakkuk 3

(I’m guilty…) Though I sit in darkness Though I fall Though the fig tree should not blossom nor the flowers spring up in spring But as for me, I will look to the LORD I will wait for God The God of my salvation My GOD will hear me The LORD will be a light to me I shall rise I’ll bear the punishment of the LORD ‘Cause I’ve sinned against Him O my enemy, Rejoice not over me He pleads my cause Executes judgment for me I shall look upon His Salvation Yes, I will rejoice I will take joy In the God of my salvation O my LORD!!! You are my strength

Micah 7 (I'm Guilty, But...)

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her; now she will be trampled down like the mire of the streets.

Micah 7:7-10 (from The Message) But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what GOD will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me. Spreading Your Wings Don't, enemy, crow over me. I'm down, but I'm not out. I'm sitting in the dark right now, but GOD is my light. I can take GOD's punishing rage. I deserve it--I sinned. But it's not forever. He's on my side and is going to get me out of this. He'll turn on the lights and show me his ways. I'll see the whole picture and how right he is. And my enemy will see it, too, and be discredited--yes, disgraced! This enemy who kept taunting, "So where is this GOD of yours?" I'm going to see it with these, my own eyes-- my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter.

Songs from the Voice, Volume 1: Please Don’t Make Us Sing This Song

Friends from all over the country flew to Kansas City, and in four days, we recorded an album of worship songs. There were no overdubs; we did it all live together in the studio, playing everything from acoustic guitars to organs to auto harps to synthesizers and DJ rigs. The songs are written pretty much verbatim from the texts of Psalms in a new translation of the Bible that’s being put out by World Publishing (under Thomas Nelson). It should be available in stores any day now. If you don’t buy it here, go to your local Christian bookstore, and ask them about it. You may need to tell them that Thomas Nelson is selling it (they’re a bookseller, not a music seller). -waterdeep It's a great album. I've been enjoying listening to it. I recommend buying this album and support Christian artists like these. You can hear it on this website http://www.hearthevoice.com./ To buy the album click on the above album cover picture or the "waterdeep" link. Track List

1. Call Him Good (Psalm 104) - Sandra McCracken | by Sandra McCracke, Derek Webb and Don Chaffer
2. As If That Were Not Enough (Psalm 40) - Sara Groves | by Lori Chaffer
3. Let The Name Of God Be High (Psalm 113) - Derek Webb | by Don chaffer
4. Go Outside (Psalm 149 & 150) - Robbie Seay Band | by robbie Seay, Chase Jenkins, Ryan Owens & Seth Woods
5. Sing With Great Affection (Psalm 108) - Don Chaffer | by Don Chaffer
6. Remarkable Things (Psalm 126) - Jami Smith | by Matthew Perryman Jones and Don Chaffer
7. So Much You Have Made (Psalm 104) - Jill Phillips | by Phil Keaggy and Don Chaffer
8. He Will Not Rest (Psalm 121) - Christena Graves | by Christena Graves
9. Those Who Walk The Fields To Sow (Psalm 126) - Various Artists | by Lori Chaffer
10. Please Don't Make Us Sing This Song (Psalm 137) - Lori Chaffer | by Lori Chaffer
11. O The Death We Would Have Known If You Had Not Been With Us (Psalm 124) - Seth Woods | by Seth Woods
12. Oh, That You Would Be (Psalm 108) - DonChaffer | by Andrew Osenga and Don Chaffer
13. OverWrought (Psalm 42) - Don Chaffer and Derek Webb | by Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb and Don Chaffer

Those Who Walk The Fields To Sow (Psalm 126) by Lori Chaffer Across the hills Over the oceans wide Your goodness would not hide We shook our heads All of us were stunned To see what You had done Those who walk the fields to sow Casting their seed in tears Will one day tread those same long rows Amazed by what's appeared And still, Lord, some Are held captive and poor Release them, and restore Like river beds- If dry, let them taste rain- And spring to life again Let The Name Of God Be High (Psalm 113) by Don Chaffer All of you who call yourselves the children of God Lift His name to the high place in your hearts From the moment the sun rises From the place it crests the earth To the moment the sun sets, and To the place it slips into the sea Let the name of God be high Let the name of God be high In the hearts of His people Let the name of God be high Let the name of God be high In the hearts of His people Morning to evening Midnight to noon At this moment And for all the moments that are yet to come Let His name ascend in the hearts of His people

I Will Praise Him, Still

When the morning falls on the farthest hill I will sing his name, I will praise him, still. When dark trials come and my heart is filled with the weight of doubt, I will praise him, still. For the Lord, our God, he is strong to save from the arms of death, from the deepest grave, and he gave us life in his perfect will, and by his good grace I will praise him, still.

What Good Am I?

What good am I if I'm like all the rest, If I just turned away, when I see how you're dressed, If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry, What good am I? What good am I if I know and don't do, If I see and don't say, if I look right through you, If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin' sky, What good am I? What good am I while you softly weep And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep, And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try, What good am I? What good am I then to others and me If I've had every chance and yet still fail to see If my hands tied must I not wonder within Who tied them and why and where must I have been What good am I if I say foolish things And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings And I just turn my back while you silently die, What good am I? -Bob Dylan Oh Mercy (It's for you...)

Fear-Of-The-LORD

For couple of months, now, I have been thinking about things that have shaped my life and things that continue to transform me, daily. I have been thinking about my upbringing by my parents – the things that they did and taught has truly impacted my life and right now I can see the fruits of their labour, prayer, dedication, love and discipline.

I remember this very clearly and vividly; every morning we (my brother and I) use to go to our parent’s bedroom and sit by the foot of their bed. My parents would be drinking their morning tea and reading their Bible and praying. There, by the foot of their bed, they taught us many things but primarily both of them taught us strongly about “Fear-Of-The-LORD”.

My father, through proverbs, taught us that Fear-Of-The-LORD is the beginning of all knowledge and all wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 2:5

…then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

And, my mother, through the Psalms, taught us how to practically live out the Fear-Of-The-LORD.

Psalm 34 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 22:23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

See the rest of the Psalms by clicking here.

Fear-Of-The-LORD is not something that we are afraid of, scared of or hide from. It is not something that we our self can do. We can not make it happen on our own. It comes from God, by the Grace of God, by His Holy Spirit, through faith that He has allotted to us; Because, because of our righteousness, who is in heaven and is always constant and never changes, we are righteous. Because of his steadfast love and abundant mercy. Because, in all, it brings glory and honour to Him and we can enjoy Him forever.

(While I am writing this I can see my mother humming the song, a loose translation from Nepali, “Be quite and be still and know that I am your God”)

On the foot of my parents bed, in prayer and cooperate family worship, I learned the first steps of the walk in being immersed in the “Fear-Of-The-LORD” - I learned to be in awe of our awesome God, I learned to love and to cry and sacrifice, I learned to pray and to be in worship of our LORD and saviour Jesus Christ…

We primarily sang three songs as our family worship songs; almost every morning we sang these songs. The first one is a translation from a Nepali song and the other two we sang it in English. (The first one, I can see so vividly my dad singing the song along steady beat of his claps - with his eyes closed softly; And the third one, I can see so clearly my mother singing it out loud with tears rolling down her cheeks).

Psalm 40

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Steadfast Love Of The Lord

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases His mercies never come to an end They are new every morning New every morning

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord Great is Thy faithfulness

Make me a servant

Make me a servant, humble and meek, Lord, let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, Make me a servant, make me a servant, Make me a servant today.

These songs have continued to ring through my mind and my heart almost every day. Oh!!!! How blessed I am and how thankful I am that God had me be born to such a faithful and obedient servants.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6

Also see this article (Click Here)

"...But when we let the biblical contexts provide the conditions for understanding the word we find that it means something more like a way of life in which human feelings and behavior are fused with God’s being and revelation. There are upward of 138 occurrences of the term in a wide range of Old Testament books but most prominently in Proverbs, Psalms, Isaiah, Chronicles, and Deuteronomy. God is active in the term; the human is active in the term. “Fear-of-the-Lord” designates a way of living that cannot be dissected into two parts, any more than a baby can be dissected into what comes from sperm and what comes from egg. “Fear-of-the-Lord” is a new word in our vocabularies; it marks the way of life appropriate to our creation and salvation and blessing by God. ..."

Harmful Spirit From The LORD

Last night my pastor asked me to look up and study what or why or how “harmful spirit from the LORD” means in 1 Samuel 19:9. We’re studying about Biblical characters as a church and this week’s character is Jonathan. This verse really intrigued me and as I’ve been thinking quite a lot about sovereignty of God it intrigued me more.

First verse that popped into my head as my pastor was telling me about the "harmful spirit from the LORD" was “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” - Ecclesiastes 14 - 15.

I started looking into more about the sovereignty of God. I came across these verses.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,..

What are these “All things”?

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.

Psalm 44:11 You have made us (God’s people) like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations.

Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

Exodus 4:11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

2 Samuel 12:15 And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick.

1 Samuel 2:7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.

1 Peter 4:19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

James 4:15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Hebrews 12:4-7 (Persecution) In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

2 Timothy 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

Philippians 1:29 For it (salvation from God) has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

1 Samuel 2:6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

Acts 4:27-28 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

God governs all, from the least to the biggest, from death to life, damnation to salvation.

Isaiah 46:10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

God saves for His name’s sake. God’s grace is based on His love for His own name, to preserve and display His glory. If we repentant sinners look upon Him for mercy and lean on His name, He will honor his name and those who lean on it. It pleases Him to make us His own people.

1 Samuel 12:22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

Stars

You should see the stars tonight How they shimmer shine so bright Against the black they look so white Comin down from such a height To reach me now, reach me now

You should see the moon in the flight Cuttin cross the misty night Softly dancin in sunshine Reflections of this light Reach me now, you reach me now

And how could such a thing Shine its light on me And make everything beautiful again

And, you should feel the sun in the spring Comin out after a rain Suddenly all is green Sunshine on everything I can feel it now, i feel you now

And how could such a thing Shine its light on me And make everything beautiful

And, you should hear the angels sing All gathered round their king More beautiful than you could dream I've been quietly listening You can hear 'em now, i hear em now

And how could such a king Shine His light on me And make everything beautiful And i wanna shine I wanna be light I wanna tell you it'll be alright And i wanna shine and i wanna fly Just to tell you now It'll be alright, it'll be alright It'll be alright.

‘Cause I got nothing of my own to give to you But this light that shines on me shines on you And makes everything beautiful, again. It'll be alright, it'll be alright.

-David Crowder

I really recommend this album and "A Collision"

Work Heartily

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 Inheritance "...I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” - Jesus Christ

Thermostat or Thermometer

"There was a time when the church was very powerful – in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. . . . But the judgment of God is upon the church [today] as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century."

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968.
Letter from Birmingham Jail

Read the rest of the letter

The Full Assurance of Faith

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Read More

Righteousness Through Faith

One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven. And methought, withal, I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there, I say, was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before [in front of] him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, "The same yesterday, today and, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed. I was loosed from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away; so that from that time those dreadful scriptures of God left off to trouble me; now went I also home rejoicing for the grace and love of God. (John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, [Hertfordshire: Evangelical Press, 1978, orig. 1666], pp. 90-91) Permalink Romans 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1 Corinthians 1:30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

The test

I took this test quite a while ago. It'll be fun to see what you guys' world views are? I'm not sure about all the questions on the test, so, I don't know what to think of the result?? What do you guys think?

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 79% Reformed Evangelical 75% Neo orthodox 57% Fundamentalist 50% Emergent/Postmodern 39% Roman Catholic 39% Charismatic/Pentecostal 25% Classical Liberal 21% Modern Liberal 0% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Take Joy In The God Of My Salvation

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Psalm 38

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.

There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me. My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.

Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps for me; they make plans to ruin me. They think up treacherous deeds all day long.

But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.

I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply.

But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

I prayed, "Don't let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall."

For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me. I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty, and many are those who hate me wrongfully. Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.

Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!

Permalink 1

Permalink 2

Do you think "The Message" distorts The Bible?

John 10:30

English Standard Version "I and the Father are one." The Message "I and the Father are one heart and mind." John 14:28 English Standard Version "...the Father is greater than I." The Message "...the Father is the goal and purpose of my life."

John 6:44

English Standard Version No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. The Message You're not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me--that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. Refrences:

• Crossroad
• Biblegateway
• NavPress
• English Standard Bible

Furnace Of Affliction

“For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried (I have chosen) you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

Isaiah 48:9-11