High Places

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law? Maybe you've looked down at your speedometer and discovered you were driving JUST a few miles over the speed limit? Or burned a pile of brush when you didn't know there was a burning ban that day? 🤔 Well.... I sure have.

Let me tell you about Josiah, King of Judah. He discovered that HE was breaking the law - God's Law. Uh-oh. 😯

One of Josiah's buds, Hilkiah the high priest, found The Book of The Law, abandoned in the Temple of The Lord. Again, uh-oh. This was the law that God had dictated to Moses back in the day.

After Josiah read The Book of The law, he said this:

“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” - 2 Kings 22:13

Kind of like the world we live in today . . .

So, what did Josiah do? Amongst other things, he removed all of the "high places" and "asherah poles" and burned them outside of the city. What is a high place? This is from GotQuestions.org

High places, very simply, were places of worship on elevated pieces of ground. High places were originally dedicated to idol worship (Numbers 33:52; Leviticus 26:30), especially among the Moabites (Isaiah 16:12). These shrines often included an altar and a sacred object such as a stone pillar or wooden pole in various shapes identified with the object of worship (animals, constellations, goddesses, and fertility deities).

And what did God think of these high places? Places where the people worshipped gods that THEY THEMSELVES had made?

"I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you." - Leviticus 26:30

Well, okay then. That raises a question of two.

Do WE have things that WE worship rather than God? What, or who, do we put up on a pedestal (a high place)? These are high places of our own making. God must be #1 in our lives. Not family, or friends, or work . . . or the Packers. And definitely not the Chiefs.

Worship God, and God alone. This isn't about going to churchand saying all of the "Christian" catch phrases. We must allow God to change to change our hearts. We must reject all of our high places and follow HIS ways, not our own.

High Places - Gotquestions.org

Woke Yet?

Someone asked me recently, "What does 'woke' mean?" I explained as best I could, then verified my answer with some research.

Woke is defined as being "being awake (makes sense) to social injustices in our society. It's a slang term.

Continuing my research, I read numerous articles about 'woke'-ism. I saw phrases like 'Black Lives Matter,' 'Social Justice,' and 'Cancel Culture.' These three phrases are synonymous with the "progressive" left, Socialism, and Marxism. And Woke-ism.

Feeling satisfied with the definition I gave, I looked over at my Bible and wondered. "What was it Jesus had to say to His churches in The Book of Revelation?"

(The first three chapters of Revelation consist of letters written to seven churches, dictated by Jesus and written down by John).

These seven churches were in need of correction and Jesus called them out for their errors. Here's a sampling:

"You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.: - Revelation 2:4-5

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God." - Revelation 3:1-2

"You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. " - Revelation 3:17

Just for grins I then picked up my phone and Googled 'woke denominations'. I wondered what kind of letter Jesus would write to any present-day churches in need of correction. I found this listing:

The Five Woke Churches (a link to the article is below)

The Presbyterian Church, The United Methodist Church, The Episcopal Church, The Southern Baptist Church, and The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

Being on this list of apostate churches is not a good thing. If a church's teachings do not line up with what the Bible says, what kind of church is it? Is it really a "Christian" church?

If we choose to stay in a church despite it's straying from Biblical truths, are we worshipping that church rather than the Word of God? Are we worshipping a man-made god? I'm no Biblical scholar but that seems like an extremely bad thing to do.

A word of advice: When Jesus returns, I wouldn't go running to any of the churches listed above. The wrath of God is not a pretty thing to behold. Run to Jesus! Run to Him now!

Five Signs Christian Churches Are Going 'Woke'

T-E-S-T

I downloaded an app for my phone the other day. I uninstalled it today. Why? Because it was taking the place of something very near and dear to me. My God.

Phones can be a distraction all by themselves, but add an addictive game app or social media to your daily routine and it can quickly become an obsession.

Some people can control their phone usage. When it comes to puzzles and games, I can't. I tend to obsess. When our obsession takes the place of our time with God, that's a problem. It's called idolatry. It's a sin.

I think that we Christians need to constantly be examining ourselves when it comes to things like this. If there is anything that interferes with our time with God, it must be eliminated.

This story is a day late in coming to you. Why? Yep. I was too busy playing my new little game to write one. I also discovered that, even though I tried to write one, the inspiration never came. It was lacking. Not good.

Is there something in your life that is getting in the way with your time with God? Perhaps you should take a look. We are to be "set apart" from the world. Not to be a consumer of it.

If my little word game could offer advice to the Christian it would be

E-X-A-M-I-N-E

T-E-S-T

D-I-S-C-E-R-N

Nothing should be coming between us and God.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" - 2 Corinthians 13:5

The Coming Persecution

Are you ready for the coming persecution? I hope so. It's already here.

You have seen in recent weeks how the big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter have permanently disabled certain accounts of politicians and conservatives who preach a different narrative than what THEY do. That has already happened. What I am writing about today is also happening, right now. You just may not know it.

No, this is NOT a conspiracy theory. You are actually being tracked and analyzed as you read this story. So am I. We are being tracked when we go to work or school and when we go shopping. We are tracked when we go to church or go walking in the park. Don't believe me? Then answer me this one question. Do you have a smart phone?

My wife was surprised a few years ago when she was about to enter the old Younkers store at the Fox River Mall in Appleton. Before she got to the front door her new phone went "ding." Thinking it might be one of our kids, she quickly checked the phone. Nope. It was a message from Younkers. They were offering her a coupon for the store that she was just about to enter.

Some might think, "Gee, that's nice." Others, like me, might find that just a little bit creepy.

Try this fun little exercise. Search for something on Amazon. Anything. Select an item and look at it. Now close out of that and see if you don't notice that item appearing on Facebook as an ad in the future. It happens all the time. How do you think these big companies get so big? They sell all of your information to other big companies.

Do you carry your phone with you to church? I do. Do you think anybody in The Cloud knows where you go to church? They do. The algorithms are already in place on your phone, transmitting data back to the mother ship.

What happens if your pastor starts preaching against homosexuality for example. God's word speaks about same-sex acts as "an abomination" yet the practice of it is promoted in our culture.

Are your church services posted on-line? Many are during this Covid time. They are there for "anyone" to listen to. Anyone.

So, when your pastor delivers a message that doesn't conform to the new "equity" that the current administration just laid down, they know where his church is and they know who attends it. You have already been tracked and labeled.

Socialism and Communism are always against the Bible-believing church. Why? Because the church preaches the truth of God's Word. At least it should. But the church also is a danger. Their ideology wants you dependent on them instead of depending on God. That is not good.

I am not suggesting that you wear a tin foil hat on your head to church. But I am warning you to be aware of your surroundings and technology which includes your wonderful new iPhone.

Our hope is in Christ, not in any technology or creation of men. Yet many of us are still in bondage. Still slaves of the very technology that already has us addicted to its use. Our task master is convenience. It WILL be our undoing.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes." - Matthew 10:16-23

Enemy of The State Trailer (1998)

Totalitarianism - Rod Dreher interview via Alisa Childers

I, Robot

An interesting string of events has led me to write this morning's story. First, the local channels feature on our DirecTV have stopped working. And lastly, I prayed, sang worship songs in my head, and quoted Bibles verses until I fell back asleep early this morning.

I'll keep this as brief as I can. I spent most of the day yesterday trying to get our local channels back. They disappeared on Friday. I don't really miss them but my wife sure does. I was on the phone with tech support, staring at "the guide" for our satellite dish, and trying all sorts of things to get those channels back. Checking connections, cutting limbs off trees to make sure we had "a clear view f the southern sky."

While staring longingly at "the guide" I kept noticing the movie I, Robot. Hence the title of today's post. Perhaps I should have called this story I, Idolater instead. Let me explain.

I spent hours trying to figure the missing channel thing out. HOURS. Do I spend that much time reading my Bible? In prayer? At worship? No. Why not? That's just "too much time." But I have enough time to devote to an electronic device?

Isn't that idolatry? Worshipping something more than God?

So I started an investigation, just like I, Robot's Will Smith, and guess what? I AM an idolater! Actually, we probably ALL are.

Time spent on our phones, on the computer, in front of the television set, that all adds up to hours of screen time. In fact, my wife and I got a data usage warning from the phone company yesterday. Too much time!!

That brings me to the time spent quietly singing hymns, praying and going through Bible verses in my head this morning. Do you know what that's called? That's called repentance. And this morning I am changed. But will it stick?

Last night already I had dismantled my phone. I even took the battery out!

I am reading the Book of Psalms right now. Perhaps that is where all the verses, prayers and praise came from. Those things don't usually get a prominent place in my daily life. That must change.

I don't want to be an idolater. Nobody should. So how do we change that? Verse 11 below has the answer.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

We were washed, sanctified and justified! By whom? Jesus! And by The Holy Spirit! God is worthy of our praise. Let's not forget to do that today. And let us devote more time to doing that. More so than anything else. Amen.

No Answer To Prayer?

Have you ever felt like God is not answering your prayers? There's probably a reason for that.

I have heard a lot of people tell me that they don't feel like God is hearing their prayers. He's just not answering them, they say. I'm not sure they understand who God really is. He is not a magic genie - rub his belly three times and make a wish and he grants it. Read these two verses and see if you don't learn a little about God and His answering our prayer.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." - Isaiah 59:1-2

It won't hurt to read that again. Our sin causes God not to listen. So when someone tells me God is not hearing their prayer my next question is, 'So what's going on in your life that would cause God not to answer?"

I have a friend who stresses out about many things at work. Her husband has had a series of injuries or medical conditions. She prays but things just aren't getting any better. So I ask, "How has your worship been?"

"Well, we haven't been to church for quite a while. Just can't find the right church."

"So, why would God answer your prayer then?"

Another person struggles at work too. "The people don't like me. If feels like they're ganging up on me. I pray about it but nothing improves."

"Hmm. Have you examined yourself to see if there's something God wants you to change first before He answers?"

"No. Not really."

She has never been married but has had two children and seldom goes to church. Yet, nothing seems to be wrong in this person's mind.

I'm not innocent either. I pray, but not as often as I should. Is my pitiful prayer life keeping me from receiving answers to MY prayers? I also am a great procrastinator. Maybe if I would get after the tasks God has for me my prayers would be more readily answered? Don't get me wrong. God has blessed me greatly already. But how much more awaits if I would only, completely, surrender all?

There is a great misunderstanding in many people's minds about who God is and what His character is like. God does not need us. He is the Creator of The Universe. What makes us think that He should answer OUR prayers? We should be praying for mercy and forgiveness and worshiping on bended knee! But God often proves to inconvenient for us. Still we want Him to answer our prayers. Really?

God is an amazingly loving and gracious God. He would move mountains and part oceans for His faithful children. He has done that for Israel. He has done that for present day people as well. He is still on His throne! He still works miracles!

The question we need to ask ourselves is this. Are we truly His children? Or is our "religion" a faith of convenience? Look, all are welcome into God's family. But it is to be on HIS terms that we enter in to it, not ours.

"The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." - Isaiah 29:13

Have we truly placed our faith in Jesus? Are we walking in obedience to God's Word? Have we removed all the "idols" from our lives and placed our faith in Christ alone? Is He worthy of our worship and praise? Yes! Then let's do those things . . . first! Let us worship and praise Him. Let us seek forgiveness for our sins, FIRST. Let God see the change in us. Then let us see what God is willing to do in our lives. Open the flood gates!

In Christ Alone - Keith and Krysten Getty
Is He Worthy? - Chris Tomlin

My Delilah

I just got done reading the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson sure was a pitiful character. Kind of a wanty, needy fellow who liked his women and also liked killing Philistines. Everybody has to have a hobby I guess.

He seemed to me to be angry and never satisfied with his life. It was almost as if he was frustrated by it. Do you have times when you feel frustrated with the way things are going? Unsatisfied with the results in life? How do we fix that?

First off, I don't think we should be doing what Samson did. His life was filled with lusts of the flesh and killing. That doesn't seem like what a man, devoted to God since his birth, should be up to.

If we go back through the story I think we can find the problem. I think it was his parents. They weren't strict enough.

"Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” - Judges 14:1-3

Pretty demanding for someone devoted to the Lord. He is supposed to honor his father and mother yet he defied their wishes and disobeyed God's command not to marry outside his people. But then we read this . . .

"4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)" - Judges 14:4

God wanted Samson to do this? Confusing. Another question to ask when I get to heaven.

Later on in Samson's life he meets Delilah. Same song, different verse. Samson fell in love with someone who betrayed him. And that made me stop and reflect. Do I have a Delilah in my life?

It doesn't necessarily have to be a person. Is there something I love doing that distracts me from God's will for my life? What if it's eating things I shouldn't. I am a Type II diabetic. I shouldn't eat sweets, yet I do. We all struggle with things like that. They're called vices or addictions.

It could be gluttony, drinking, drugs, video games, sex, idolatry . . . there's all kinds of things distract us from God, yet we do them. Is that why we get frustrated? Frustrated like Samson did?

Since Adam and Eve Satan has been trying to keep us away from God. We ALL have something that does that for us. What is it in YOUR life? What is YOUR Delilah?

Delilah - Tom Jones

Artificial Intelligence

Have you seen this young lady? I hope not. She's a robot. A sex robot. "It" was designed by humans, men probably, to provide themselves with pleasure and to satisfy their lustful desires. Looks pretty real doesn't she? All TOO real I'm afraid.

In a related story, I read an article this weekend about how some  rogue scientists have created human-pig "chimeras" so they can grow human organs for transplant - and profit. This raises a question in my mind.

What the heck are we doing!?!

In the Book of Genesis we read a story of the people of Babel in chapter 11. They were pretty advanced for their day. They decided to build a tower to heaven. Why? Verse 4 gives us the reason - "so that we may make a name for ourselves."

They were setting themselves up to be their own gods. That did not sit well with The One True God.

"5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." - Genesis 11:5-6

Are we approaching that point again as humans? We are creating things for our enjoyment and for our own exultation. We are becoming our own gods - creating this and that. Even creating and selling body parts. We are sinning against Almighty God! How long will God let this go on?

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator." - Romans 1:24-25

We were made to worship. However we are worshiping the wrong things. It seems as if we are worshiping anything but God, mainly worshiping ourselves. This is unacceptable in the eyes of the Lord and soon he will come down and set things right. It won't be pretty.

It will be coming up on Halloween in a few weeks. If you'd like to watch a really scary horror movie, watch this 15 minute AI video. It will leave you speechless. This in not the future. It is happening now.

Artificial Intelligence - Jay Tuck
Human-Pig Chimera - WorldHealth.net

Pity Party

Do you ever feel like people are working against you? Like nothing is going right and no one seems to care? I guess we could have a pity party and whine about things. OR we could take a step back and ask ourselves one simple question.

I am building a tiny home right now and the exterior shell is all done. Now comes the interior work, much of what I don't know how to do. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical. I know ABOUT them but don't really know how to DO them.

So I decided to hire a plumber. Before my wife and I went on vacation I called up our usual plumber in town and made arrangements for them to come out and rough in the bath and kitchen in my tiny home . . . as soon as we got back.

I was glad that would be taken care of. I know plumbing basics but have never done any plumbing installation. When I called them yesterday to set up a time, I was told that they wouldn't be coming, at all. "We're too busy with septic systems right now."

Perfect. Just perfect. Now I had no one to do my plumbing. Time for a pity party and I was the only one of the guest list. Or so I thought. Someone else was coming however.

Later that afternoon I received an e-mail newsletter from the tiny home guys who sold me my trailer. The title of the article read, "Face Your Fear - Tiny House Plumbing".

Seriously? So I stepped out of my pity party and asked myself THEE question. The question every pity party attendee should ask themselves.

"God, what are you trying to teach me in this?

When we do that, suddenly things take on a different perspective. What IS God trying to teach me? Does God want me to do this myself so I can teach others? What is my fear in doing plumbing? Lack of knowledge. SO. Read a book! Watch a Your Tube video,  or 12. Basically, let's take care of this!

That pity party you had the other day. What was God trying to show YOU?

Maybe you think nobody likes you. What is God trying to show you? Have you retreated into a shell so deep that no one can find you? What is God trying to point out about you? About life? About Him?

We must trust in the Lord! He attends every one of our pity parties. He's probably wondering, "When is he going to stop looking at himself and start looking at me?"

Good question.

The party's over. It's time to call it a day.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." - Psalm 9:10

Father, forgive me for I have spent way to much time concerning myself with "me" instead of seeking You. It is IN YOU that I find my hope, not in me. May I seek you first in ALL things, in good times and in bad. It is YOU that calms the storms and erases doubt. May I trust in you always for your ways are not my ways. And that's a good thing. You are God, not me. Help me remember that. Amen.

The Party's Over - Sammy Davis Jr

Satisfy Me

Why do foods that are bad for us taste so good? Why do things that are bad for us feel so good? Why do we do the things we do knowing it will get us into trouble later on? There are a couple of reasons. That's easy. We're not thinking about the consequences of our actions and we're thinking about ourselves and our desires.

Think about it. What's the first thing we do when we're born? We cry and complain because someone removed us from our warm, comfortable mommy and turned the lights on! Why?

Chef's like to cook up wonderful tasting things. They taste good and they look good. They also contain a bazillion calories.

When we open the refrigerator door looking for something to eat, why don't we just grab the first thing we see and eat it? I have even opened the door, looked and closed the doors without taking anything out. Why? We're always searching for something that will satisfy our every desire.

Look at our relationships. Why do we continue to "look" when we're already in a relationship? We're always looking for prettier, sexier, more voluptuous, hunkier partners. We're looking for someone to satisfy our sinful desires.

What's the problem? Time to go look in that mirror again.

Have you ever read Romans 1? The whole chapter is quite revealing but I'll just end with the last paragraph.

"28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." - Romans 1:28-32

Where is the hope? How can we end this viciously repetitive cycle of consuming?

Jesus. Pain and simply. Forget self, focus on Jesus and set your self free. Free indeed.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:36

Gimme Gimme Gimme - Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss

To Whom Do We Pray?

When we are desperate . . . when we are willing to try anything to get something we want . . . we can sometimes make a mistake. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is in doing something many Christians have done their lives. Pray.

Now, wait a second. Prayer is not wrong. Let's get that straight right off the bat. The ability to pray is a gift from God. You and I can "approach God's throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16). But who should we pray to? Do we pray to God? To Jesus? Who?

Let's start with examining how Jesus Himself told His disciples they should pray. Matthew 6.

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." - Matthew 6:5-6

That seems pretty clear. We are to pray to God, our Father, who is in heaven. Let's keep reading.

"Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." - Matthew  6:6-8

Again, Jesus tells them to pray to The Father. Let's keep reading. It doesn't get any clearer than what you are about to read next.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven," - Matthew 6:9

That sounds pretty definitive to me! So how come I hear people saying they pray to others besides God? I'm confused. Why do some of us pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit? How do we pray "in Jesus' name" if we are already praying to Jesus? Isn't that redundant?

I found this description at GotQuestions.org. It seemed pretty reasonable to me.

"Perhaps the best way to understand the role of the Trinity in prayer is that we pray to the Father, through (or in the name of) the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. All three are active participants in the believer’s prayer. "

Seems reasonable to me. We pray to God, in the name of the Son, through the Holy Spirit.

I have Catholic friends who pray to Mary. These friends also pray to saints or anyone who can intercede on their behalf. Is that right? Isn't Jesus our intercessor?

Jesus is our high priest (Hebrews 4:14). There is no longer anyone who stands between us and God, behind the veil. Back in the day there was a high priest who went before God on our behalf, behind the curtain. He walked into the Holy of Holies and spoke directly to God.

When Jesus died the curtain was torn, top to bottom. Top to bottom - from heaven to earth. We no longer need anyone to intercede for us in our prayers to God. But we DO need an intercessor between us and God when it comes to our sins. The punishment for our sins should be death, but Jesus interceded for us on the cross, taking our punishment upon His shoulders.

^"51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open." - Matthew 27:51

Who do we pray to? We pray to God, in the name of Jesus, through His Holy Spirit. Scripture tells us the God's Holy Spirit interprets out prayers and makes them presentable to God.

^"26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27

Jesus intercedes for us. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Can we be in any better position when we come before God on our knees in prayer?

Yolanda Adams - The Lord's Prayer
Intercession - Eric Ludy

Fanatical Fanatics!

Duke beat the Wisconsin Badgers Monday night in the NCAA Basketball National Championship game. The Facebook posts prior to the game were varied. People were nervous, excited, confident, doubtful and enthusiastic. All the typical emotions of a fanatic - a fan.

I only watched a few minutes of the game. I had a Bible study scheduled for that night so I went to that. Nobody else showed up. It was pretty much me and the waitress at the restaurant. I gave her a $5 tip for my glass of water and left. No sense everybody's night being a total loss.

Well, it wasn't a TOTAL loss. I did go home and read two chapters in The Book of John. I was reading the account of the betrayal and death of Jesus and began to think about all the things Jesus gave up for me. For us.

He gave up His life . . . obviously. But that's not exactly true. He is alive today! Come to think of it, Jesus didn't really give up anything at all. He actually has everything He could have dreamed of. Hmm. I wonder. Does Jesus dream? If so, what does He dream about? But I'm off on a tangent.

God didn't really lose anything either. We are fond of saying that "God gave His only Son" but God's One and only Son is currently sitting right by His side. God didn't give up anything either.

For the Badger basketball team and their fans the night WAS a total loss. Some people spent thousands of dollars to travel to Indianapolis, rent hotel rooms, pay for dinner, tickets, taxi fares, tips. All to see their team lose. Of course, they might have won! But they didn't. Thousands of dollars lost, time lost for absolutely nothing. But that's past of the cost of being a fan.

After the game many Badger fans posted congratulatory messages for their Badgers. "Thanks for the season Badgers." "We'll get 'em next year." "Thanks Bucky!"

Always thinking about those Badgers (or whatever teams name you want to use). Which brings me to the point of this blog post.

I wonder . . . with all of the basketball games being played in March and now baseball starting up, how much time does the average sports fan have for Jesus?

Do you remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment? Here's hint.

"36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:36-40

I struggle with that command. It's not that I don't want to obey it. I can't!

Let's talk about the word "ALL" for a moment. All . . .  that kind of means everything, doesn't it? How many minutes are there in an hour? ALL the minutes. Every one. Well, there's 60 minutes in an hour.

How many minutes in a basket ball game? 40 minutes. That's the whole game. That's ALL of it.

We have no trouble thinking about basketball for 40 minutes but most of us can't think about God for 4 minutes, let alone 40 minutes.

Do we love God with ALL our hearts? Or do we save some of our hearts for the Badgers? See what I mean? God wants all of us and we refuse to let him have us. That's a problem.

So, how do we let God have all of us? We could start by getting rid of the extra stuff.

I probably spend too much time on the computer. I work on a computer at work drawings architectural plans. I also  write this blog on a computer. If I wanted to think about God all the time I would have to give up my job. Is that what God wants?

The question actually is do we LOVE God with all we have? My answer, sadly, is no. Do I love God more than I love my best friend? More than I love my wife? My kids? Myself? The answer MUST be yes!

Thank about that for a moment. Do you love God more than anything? Is YOUR answer yes? I want my answer to be yes, yet I still fail at living that out. It's probably the same for you. So what do we do? We stand back up and try again tomorrow. Our highest goal must be to please our God and when He wants us to give him our EVERYTHING, our ALL, We MUST be fanatical about doing that.

You Are My All In All - Hillsong Kids

The Commands of Jesus: Repent!

[This is the first in a series of articles about The Commands of Jesus.]

When I was in the second or third grade I went shopping with my mom downtown. I saw a shiny nail clipper in the store that came in a really neat leather pouch. So I took it home.

Later that day my mom saw me playing with it and asked me where I had gotten it. I told her. She explained to me that I had done something wrong and that we needed to take it back.

When we got back to the store, the owner loomed over me like a giant as I sheepishly gave him back his nail clipper. That store owner seemed so incredibly tall. Perhaps it was because I was feeling so incredibly low. I had no concept of sin and repentance at that time in my life. But I sure knew that I had done something wrong. To this day I have not forgotten that imposing father-figure looming over me. A good image to remember when we do things that are contrary to the will of God.

After Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil He began His teaching ministry. And what was the first thing He taught? Repentance.

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent. For the kingdom of heaven has come near." - Matthew 4:17

So what is repentance?

The Greeks used to word metanoia (met-an'-oy-ah) back in Jesus' day which meant a change of mind or a change in a man's heart. If Jesus felt we needed to repent, what were we doing that we needed to repent of? Well, reading the Bible can fill us in on the things we need to repent of - our sins.

So what is sin? It is anything contrary to the will of God. There are many examples of sin in the Bible. Galatians 5 has a short list.

"19  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions   21  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." - Galatians 5:19-21

Sexual immorality is a big one these days but it is a sin that has ALWAYS been with us. Adultery, fornication (sex outside of marriage), homosexuality, lust, even thinking impure thoughts about someone else is a sin. We must repent of these things is we are to please God.

Impurity. Have you ever heard of a purity ring. Usually girl wear these to remind themselves of a promise made not to have sex before marriage. We Christians are to remain pure as well and not have any other gods besides the One True God. More on that later.

Debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures) is usually associated with  sex but it could also be a form of gluttony if we get a sensual desire about the food we eat. Put down the Twinkies and repent!

Idolatry is a MAJOR sin we all are good at. Some people are obsessed with sports, some people love their cars or their job. They spend so much time talking about these things that they often forget about God. NOT good. Repent!

I don't know too many people who are witches but they DO exist. Before you shrug this sin off and think you're pretty safe, think about it. Have you ever used a Ouiga board? Calling on spirits is a form witchcraft. Repent!

Hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, envy - all these are against God's will for our lives. We need to repent of these things whenever they happen to us.

Drunkenness. This is a big one in the state of Wisconsin or on any college campus for that matter. Drinking to excess is against God's will. Drinking, in moderation, is acceptable. But drinking too much is not. A friend of mine lost his daughter at the hands of a drunk driver. Hmm. Drunkenness AND murder. That guy is going straight to hell! Unless, of course, the driver knew Jesus . . . which I doubt. If He truly knew Jesus he wouldn't have been drinking to excess.

Our lives are full of opportunities to sin. I can't make it through the day without stumbling in some way. We should repent of our sins on a daily basis. Repent on an "as they happen" basis. The important thing is that we seek forgiveness from God. We are God's children. We should act like it.

The Birdcage - The Skit Guys

We Are An Adulterous People

Do you recognize this image? You might. It's from The Passion of The Christ movie. It is the story from John 8 about the adulterous woman. We read . . .

"2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” - John 8: 2-11

This is an interesting story. Many people read it and think, "Gee, Jesus didn't condemn her. He let her off without punishment. It looks like Jesus broke the law!" Did He? The law clearly states that both the man and the woman should be put to death.

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." - Leviticus 20:10

According to the law she should have been put to death. Why did Jesus let her off?

Jesus knew she had sinned and that she was guilty; hence the "go and sin no more" statement. But do you see anything that is missing from this story? Something required according to Mosaic law?

There are several thing missing in this story. Ready?

Where was her partner in the alleged adulterous act? Hmm. Nowhere. Interesting. The law clearly states that "BOTH the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Where's the dude.

Something else is missing. Turn to Deuteronomy 17 . . .

"On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness." - Deuteronomy 17:6

There are no witnesses present. It says the woman was "caught in the act" yets the witnesses were not present at this potential stoning. Let's keep reading in Deuteronomy.

"7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst." - Deuteronomy 17:7

The two witnesses are supposed to throw the first stones at the adulterous couple. None of the Pharisees were willing to throw the first stones. My guess is because the actually witnesses, if there were any, were not even present.

So Jesus obeyed the law. AND He turned the situation around to confront the Pharisees - questioning them about THEIR sin? Interesting.

So let's talk about you and me for a moment. When we sin, and we ALL do, are there witnesses? Are there TWO witnesses present to convict us of our sin? I would submit that there ARE two witnesses - ourselves and God. We know what we did. So does God. Are our sins on the level of adultery though? I also say yes.

Today there is a big football game. Our Green Bay Packers are in THE NFC Championship game. Many people will be tailgating at Lambeau Field . . . even though the game is in Seattle! Packers fans will be partying it up all over the planet. Will they be passing up worship today to do so? Will they be getting drunk out of their minds? Some WILL get "stoned" in a different way than described in The Bible.

In the Old Testament days people were stoned for adultery. I am grateful we don't do that to each other today because I would be one of those to be stoned. How many times have I put off reading His Holy Word to us? How many times have I not prayed? In other words, how many time have I cheated on my God by spending time with someone or something else? Yeah. I am worthy of death. So are you I'm guessin'.

However, we serve an amazing God. A God of grace and forgiveness. A God of mercy and compassion. As a matter of fact, God is SO gracious and merciful, so loving and forgiving, that He makes me want to worship and praise Him more!

My prayer is that we each would think about the adulterous lives we ALL lead, lthe time we spend ignoring God or replacing worship with something else, and come to Him on our knees in humility, seeking His forgiveness. Please, won't you join me in doing so today? The Packer game isn't until later. What are you doing right now?

Mighty To Save - Hillsong

I Once Was Blind But Now I See

Scrolling down through my Facebook news feed yesterday, I came upon this quote. "If the whole world was blind, who would you impress?" - Boonaa Mohammed.

I thought about that statement for a moment and wondered what the world would be like if none of us could see. "You know, there might just be something to that statement, " I thought to myself. At least at first blush.

Think out it. We wouldn't have to worry about what to wear because no one could see us. For that matter, we wouldn't have to wear ANYTHING! We would probably just wear something comfortable - to keep us warm instead of wearing something that looks good in the eyes of someone else.

If we couldn't see, we wouldn't be tempted by members of the opposite sex who like to flaunt their "stuff". No more "heaving breasts", as my wife calls them, by women trying to get a man's attention. There also would be no more ogling a man's abs or his "ripped" physique for the women. None of these things could be seen.

There would be no need to design fancy, eye-catching sports cars if we all were blind. "Sounds nice" could be our only comment. No need for beautiful architecture. We couldn't see a building until we ran into it!

And if you were walking towards a 1000-foot cliff, wouldn't you rather have your sight?

If we were totally blind, physical beauty would mean nothing. The most beautiful man or woman in the world could be standing next to us and we wouldn't notice. The same could be said for the ugliest person. Beauty and ugliness would not have the same meanings as they do now. So is that opening quote correct? I think not.

The quote I opened with DOES have true meaning if you live a life without Christ. The quote only rings true from a secular world view and therefore, in my opinion, falls short.

So I thought I would modify the quote by Boonaa Mohammed, whoever that is, and come up with one of my own. One that fits the life God wants us to live.

"If the whole world could see through the eyes of God, who would be left to impress?" - Bob Hall

Think about that for a moment. If everyone worshiped the God of The Bible there would be no more war. There would be no more fighting, only peace. There would be no more beauty contests. There would be no need for People Magazine to designate the Sexiest Man Alive. No one would care about that. Only love for ALL.

When we see a beautiful landscape before our eyes, I would rather praise God and admire His Creation. If I was blind I would not even know that beautiful view was there. I would be missing the beauty I was meant to see when God gave me my two eyes.

Tough question of the day: If a person could only know Jesus by what they saw in you, would they see Him? Or would they still be blind to the truth?

Ouch.

I will leave you with a few verses today.

“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" - Luke 6:39

And this one . . .

"29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29

This is a sculpture of the veiled Christ . . . by blind sculptor Felice Tagliaferri. Incredible!

Valuable?

I saw a post on Facebook a few weeks ago that made me stop and scratch my head. Perhaps it's just me and my way of looking at things but in my mind I questioned what the text in the picture was saying. It was a nice, warm picture with some writing about God on it. So it has to be good, right? Right?

The text read, "We don't shine because of what people say and do. We shine because God sees us as valuable."

Is that true? Do we shine because God sees us as valuable? The answer to that question is . . . no. We shine because we are redeemed sinners, grateful to be given the gift of salvation through our belief in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for OUR sins. So where did this picture come from if it is untrue?

If we look a little closer at the image we can see a name in the lower right hand corner - Victoria Osteen. Hmm, Osteen . . . where have I heard THAT name before. Have you ever heard of JOEL Osteen? He is the pastor of America's biggest church. Victoria Osteen is his wife. It appears that Joel's "feel good" Christianity is rubbing off on his spouse. That is NOT a good thing.

I have written about Mr. Osteen before. He is what's known as a FALSE TEACHER. He only tells PART of the story when it comes to Christianity.That whole sin and repentance thing? Yeah, he doesn't say too much about that. He definitely is encouraging though! He's encouraging his followers straight to hell! Well, that wasn't fair. I should have said he preaches a false gospel. I don't KNOW if his followers believe him or not. I DO know that the apostle Paul feels that false teachers should be accursed by God.

"6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -  7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." - Galatians 1:6-9

Along with her picture, Victoria Osteen had some other things to say. Here they are, along with some comments by yours truly. She writes . . .

"God chose you before the foundation of the world . . ."

That's true. Ephesians 1:4

". . . because you are valuable to Him."

No, God chose us because He has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:1). She makes it sound like God NEEDS us. That's not true.

He chose you because He knows your worth, and He’s not willing to let you perish!

Wrong. The actual verse is from 2 Peter 3:9 and it says that God WISHES that none of us would perish. He is perfectly willing to let us die. That is what sin is all about! He was willing to let Jesus die . Are we more special than Jesus? No!

There were many other Biblically-questionable statements made by Victoria but I'm getting a little nauseous, knowing that there are many who follow these false teachers and are not hearing the TRUE Gospel. Isn't the Bible sufficient for us anymore? Some people feel we need to take out the bad parts, the condemning parts, because we want everyone to be happy and feel good about themselves. The fact is we are all sinners, deserving of death on judgment day, but through the grace and mercy and sacrifice of Jesus, we can be saved from all that.

I commented back on Victoria's Facebook picture. I'm guessing she probably doesn't read the comments. Too busy feeling good about herself. This was my reply:

"If we shine, it is because we are reflecting the grace and love of Jesus Christ in our lives, not because God sees us as valuable. Read your Bible. God sees us as sinners. It is only through our belief in His Son that we appear righteous in God's eyes. God does not NEED us. We need HIM!"

We must pray for Victoria and her husband Joel, that they might preach the TRUE Gospel. In only bring forth part of the Gospel their followers are only learning about an edited, customized God . . . a different god. And that is breaking the very first commandment. Please, say a prayer for them today and all those who worship false gods.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." - Exodus 20:2-6

Pastor Steve Lawson on Joel Osteen's Larry King appearance

Interupted

The other night I was lying, face down, on the living room floor . . . trying to think. My wife was watching one of her TV shows. I don't really remember which one. It doesn't matter. The point was, I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing with the television on.

Lowering my head onto my Bible, I said a prayer - a prayer interrupted by the voices filling the room - the voices coming from . . . the television.

Did you ever sit down and analyze the things this world throws at us? Whether it is through the television shows the networks feed us or through the movies that Hollywood offers, we are inundated with worldly, mind-numbing drivel. Can you tell I have an opinion?

I love my Bible dearly. I take it with me everywhere I go. After particularly moving times within it's 66 books, I have been known to kiss its cover upon completion of my reading. I treasure time spent exploring and discovering the hidden secrets, the foreshadowing of things to come, and the promises of a God who loves us enough to send His Son to die for OUR sins.

It's pretty easy to figure out what's happening here as we find ourselves slowly being entertained . . . to death.

The following lyrics are from a little-known song by Roger Waters (formerly of Pink Floyd). It perfectly describes where we are headed as a society if we continue devoting our time to ourselves - the television watchers and the movie goers. We will soon be amusing ourselves to death.

We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over
We ooh-ed and ahh-ed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar
And somewhere out there in the stars
A keen-eyed look-out
Spied a flickering light
Our last hurrah
And when they found our shadows
Grouped around the TV sets
They ran down every lead
They repeated every test
They checked out all the data on their lists
And then the alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed
But on eliminating every other reason
For our sad demise
They logged the only explanation left
This species has amused itself to death
No tears to cry no feelings left
This species has amused itself to death

Satan is VERY good at what he does. He gives us everything we want, right when we want it. We hardly even notice the little breaches in the walls surrounding our souls. Slowly he picks away at us.

"Work a little later tonight."

"Oh, no one showed up for your Bible study? Too bad. You must be failing. You fail at a lot of things, don't you."

We've all heard the voices of doubt in our heads. We let those thoughts enter into our minds because we are a forgetful people. We tend to forget about how we have been given the power to resist such things. We were bought with a price, yet we forget about our intercessor, the one who paid our price to begin with.

My wife often says to me, as I am picking up my Bible and walking out of the TV zone . . .

"You're leaving me!"

It's not like I'm "leaving my wife." It hurts me a little every time she says that. But there is someone I love more than her. I must find time to invest in that relationship as well. I MUST find time in my daily schedule for God. I must find some time for my King. The one who stands in the gap for me.

"8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." - 1 Peter 5:8-11

Please watch this video by Pastor Eric Ludy of the Elerslie Bible Institute, Windsor, CO. See if Eric doesn't get us fired up for Jesus. :)

Intercession by Pastor Eric Ludy

Rims

My friend and I were out walking at lunch on one of the few warm, summer days we have left here in Wisconsin, when we saw an SUV stopped at a traffic light. "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen!" my friend said. I was just about to say the very same thing. The SUV itself looked normal enough, but the rims . . . oh, my goodness . . . the rims!

What would possess someone to put such incredibly gaudy rims on their daily driver? Isn't it enough that someone drives a gas-guzzling SUV and spends hundreds of dollars on fuel each month? Why would somebody want to to blow MORE money on rims like these? Only a fool would spend thousands of dollars to make their car look like a Warner Brothers cartoon?!? Right? Right?? Hmm.

"19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

The rims we saw the other day are only one example of people storing up earthly treasures, the ones that Jesus talked about in Matthew 6. There are other examples.

Have you seen the latest iPhone? This is the iPhone 5s. It's gold. It's expensive. And in my opinion, it serves the same purpose as the rims do, it's like "rims" for the human ear. No wait, that's what earrings are. Argh! They are both simply a means of storing up earthly treasure for ourselves.

I would be willing to bet that they guy in the SUV with the austentatious rim had an earring or two as well. Does it sound like I an stereotyping people? Yes it does. That's because I am. I would also be willing to bet that the guy with the fancy rims and the diamond stud in his ear doesn't know Jesus. Why?

We in this country love to spend money on ourselves. Unfortunately, we tend to spend it on "wants" rather than "needs." Custom rims, iPhones and earrings are "wants." Food is a need. Water is a need. GOD is a need.

I met a kid about a year ago after the death of one of his friends. He a nice enough guy but he was really affected by that loss and ever since that day this kid has been angry at the world. Actually, that kind of normal in a secular society. We go out and get drunk, we might dabble in drugs, our relationships fail more often than not. We as a people can make some really bad choices in life. Can anyone among us say they haven't? Did I ever tell you about the Corvette I once had? 100 MPH on the freeway? Really? Mhmm. Bad choice. Been there, done that.

One recent Facebook post by my young friend brings us back to the title of this story. He has a hot little car that he loves. He is planning to get some new rims for his little toy. My friend "wants" a lot of things.

He WANTS the pain caused by the death of his friend to go away. He WANTS to deal with it himself. He WANTS someone to love him but he wants that love to be on HIS terms. What he really NEEDS is Jesus. Hey, that's all ANY of us really need! Plus the food and the water thing. But I would submit to you that we don't really "need" that either.

If we self-centered humans can only replace our earthly, selfish "wants" with a healthy NEED for Jesus, our whole life will begin to change. When our insatiable NEED for Jesus finally becomes fulfilled we soon find out that our WANTS begin to change. We no longer want rims for our cars or expensive phones. We WANT to do God's will. We WANT to serve Him. We WANT to follow Him for the rest of our lives. Pretty soon, all we want . . . is Jesus!

Rims? Who needs them? We've got Jesus! Or do we? Let's take a closer look at ourselves. Let's get REALLY close to the mirror and see what we can find out. Yikes!!

"I really want to sleep in tomorrow. I've worked hard all week, getting up at 4:30 every stinking day. I want to sleep in!" Well, I might "want" to sleep in but I "need" to get up and get going because I "need" to give the cat a shot (he's diabetic) and I "need" to exercise (I'm diabetic too). And, quite honestly, I "need" to spend some time in prayer and reading my Bible. We all need that, but often we don't want to.

If all of us were to focus our wants and needs on Jesus and on others, do you think the world would be a different place to live in? Hmm. Maybe we should begin thinking and acting that way today. God WILL provide our every need.

"18 . . . I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." - Philippians 4:18-20

I Need - a short video clip of Bill Murray from the movie What About Bob?

Lord, I Need You by Chris Tomlin