Your Connection

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light. — Matthew 11:29–30



As I got out of the shower this morning I had running in my head the song lyrics "I will wait upon the Lord, I will wait upon the Lord. He reigns! He reigns forever!" Not sure of the name of the song or who wrote it, but I took a deep breath and said to myself, "there, that's better. I have connected with my Lord!"

I love it when He does that! When He reminds me that life is so much easier with Him. That's not to say that we are given a free pass on hardship or upheaval. It just means we can lean on Jesus to get us through not only the day, but the rest of our lives!

This from Greg Laurie's Harvest Daily Devotion:

The Two-Part Invitation

In Matthew 11, Jesus follows His invitation to rest with the invitation to take His yoke and learn from Him. He is telling us there is more; His invitation to rest is a package deal. If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, then we will take His yoke upon us. But what does that mean?

The concept of a yoke would have been readily understood by the people of Jesus' day. It was a steering device that was placed on animals to guide the plows or carts they were pulling.

So Jesus, in essence, is saying, "Take my steering device upon you." He is saying, "Let me be in control of your life. Let me guide your life. Let me direct your life."

You might be thinking, "Here Jesus says that He will give me rest. Now He is saying to put on His yoke and learn. That sounds like work."

I want you to know that it will be as much of a weight to you as wings are to a bird. It will be a joy, because now, instead of wasting your life serving yourself or living for pleasure or success or whatever else one lives for, you will be channeling your energies into following and serving Jesus Christ.

You may give up some things to follow the Lord. But what you give up can't begin to compare to what He has given you. It is not just a great thing to do with your life. It is the most satisfying to do with your life.

It's OK To Run the 'Opposite Way'

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. - 1 Corinthians 1:21 NIV

I found myself getting weak this political season...defending my positions, getting tired of the fight, the attack on Jesus...and the numbers of the lost. However, my hope is in Him...I will stand my ground with His help...and remember that it's okay to run the opposite way! - Alexander

OPPOSITE WAY by LEELAND



Living in the same town
For all these years
Doing the same old things
Hanging with the same crowd
And it’s starting to get crippling
You’ve never felt in place
And you tell yourself it’s all okay
But something’s different today
You want to run the opposite way

And it seems like you’re locked in a cage
And you need to find a way of escape
When everyone is setting the pace
It’s okay to run the opposite way - "Opposite Way" by Leeland

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GRAMMY-nominated, 5-piece rock band Leeland, from Baytown, Texas, goes the 'opposite way' with its second in-studio release, Opposite Way. Produced by Matt Bronleewe (Jars of Clay) and engineered by Ben Grosse (Ben Folds, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Opposite Way is passionate and progressive music that provides an unforgettable, emotional experience for all who listen.

There's No Debate

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. - John 1:14 NKJV

This morning I needed to reconnect. I dropped on my knees and prayed. I told God I was sorry for being such a loser...and you know what? He told me it was OK, that He loved me no matter what, and to be strong in Him. I started to cry and after a few good heaves, He told me to get up and start my day.

At work, at my computer, before I started doing my job, I read a blog post from wafererjon at walking with Father. His journal-style blog was titled "Why Do I Write This Blog?" For me, it was encouraging, and yet another way to reconnect with the one who loves me no matter what.

One more attempt at bolstering up my day brought me to a devotion by Max Lucado...and now I think I'm ready to start my day! There's no debating that God loves me...sometimes I feel it, sometimes I don't. But, that doesn't matter. He loves me all the time.

I hope and pray you find the encouragement you need to do this day, walking strong, knowing He loves you!

This from Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment, Volume 2:

"The Word became flesh," John said. In other words…he was touchable, approachable, reachable. And, what’s more, he was ordinary. If he were here today, you probably wouldn’t notice him as he walked through a shopping mall. He wouldn’t turn heads by the clothes he wore or the jewelry he flashed.

"Just call me Jesus," you can almost hear him say.

He was the kind of fellow you’d invite to watch the Rams-Giants game at your house. He’d wrestle on the floor with your kids, doze on your couch, and cook steaks on your grill. He’d laugh at your jokes and tell a few of his own. And when you spoke, he’d listen to you as if he had all the time in eternity.

And one thing’s for sure, you’d invite him back.

____________________

Max Lucado has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. Awards and accolades follow Max with each book he writes. Max is the first author to win the Gold Medallion Christian Book of the Year three times—1999 for "Just Like Jesus," 1997 for "In the Grip of Grace" and 1995 for "When God Whispers Your Name."

Max Lucado is a fixture on the national bestseller lists – a Max Lucado title has appeared on the CBA hardcover bestseller list every month for the past dozen years. He has appeared on the Publishers Weekly, USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. He has won eight ECPA Gold Medallion awards. - MaxLucado.com

Go to Max Lucado's Book Selection at Amazon to order now!

Philadelphia Harvest '08 With Greg Laurie

Big weekend coming up in Philadelphia. If you aren't in the area or can't make it, be sure to click on the links found here to watch the event live.

More than 350 area churches have invited Pastor Greg Laurie and the Harvest Crusades team to partner with them in an evangelistic outreach in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Harvest 08 will be held October 3–5 at 7:30 P.M. at the Wachovia Center. The event will feature some of the top names in contemporary Christian music, along with an evangelistic message from Pastor Greg.

For more than 18 years, Harvest Crusades has put on large-scale evangelistic outreaches around the United States and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. More than 3.5 million people have attended a Harvest Crusades event in person, and more than 275,000 people have registered decisions of faith in Jesus Christ.

Harvest Crusades events are designed to be opportunities for Christians to invite unsaved family members, coworkers, friends, and acquaintances to hear the life-changing message of the gospel in an environment that is entertaining, yet nonthreatening.

The cornerstone of each event is the presentation of the gospel by Pastor Greg Laurie. Biblically-sound and culturally relevant, Pastor Greg brings a clear gospel message, providing an opportunity for people to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

See you there!

Our Security in God

Wanted to post a prayer from the Presidential Prayer Team, a ministry aimed at "mobilizing millions of Americans to pray for our President, our Leaders, our Nation, and our Armed Forces." - 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Be blessed...


September 29, 2008

Dear Friend,

Treasury Secretary Paulson has worked with President Bush, leaders in Congress, both presidential candidates and other advisors on a plan to rescue our failing economy. Congressional leaders toiled through the weekend creating a plan deemed acceptable by members on both sides of the aisle.

Today, the House of Representatives failed to pass that bill. Members from both parties pointed fingers as the stock market plunged. Commentators are saying that the economy is doomed and the next Great Depression is inevitable.

Interestingly, some pundits are saying that this crisis has but one source—greed! Greed is a spiritual problem, not an economic one. And a spiritual problem requires a spiritual answer.

In this time of unprecedented uncertainty, we need God’s intervention. We need His solution, and we need Him to reveal it in such a way that we know it’s Him—and only Him—acting on our behalf.

Please, join me in praying for God’s help in this potentially disastrous time in our nation’s history. Pray that God will guide the leaders into the solution He desires. Pray for wisdom for all involved—for Secretary Paulson, President Bush, Fed Chairman Bernanke, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader Boehner, House Financial Services Committee Chair Barney Frank and others as they work together.

Thank you in advance for praying with us in this insecure time in our country. Together we place our security in God, and in His answers to our prayers. It will be exciting to see how He provides.

Prayerfully yours,
John Lind
President/CEO

P.S. Please help our country by forwarding this email to as many people as you can.

DIGG!

Help Doesn't Come From a $700 Billion Bailout

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. - Psalms 124:8

Once in awhile we get that "ah-ha" moment when we realize that there absolutely was a reason for that pastor to have been hammering out a point in that sermon long ago or maybe not so long ago.

I had such a moment when I was reading through a couple Psalms the other night and got to the last verse in Psalms 124...Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Oh, ya! My help doesn't come from a $700 billion bailout package! My help doesn't come from John McCain or Barack Obama (not even Sarah Palin)! My help doesn't come from the Republicans or the Democrats!

Then, when I was meditating on this verse some more, I remembered something else: God's word is comforting and healing. That's why it's important to have it ingrained in our hearts.

Now convicted, and recalling that I've often heard from pastors and Christians trying to embold others, I awakened again to the fact that memorizing scripture is important. Ah-hah, it certainly is!

Psalms 124

Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,"
Let Israel now say,
"Had it not been the Lord who was on our side
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their anger was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have engulfed us,
The stream would have swept over our soul;
Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul."
Blessed be the Lord,
Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;
The snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
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Photo by Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times