Nikke & Angies Blog

Something on my mind

2009-06-09T11:18:00.001-07:00

I have had something on my mind the last day or two. Children.

I think we as Christians (myself included) don't give children of all ages enough credit.
I believe that children can work miracles, evangelize, get visions or use any of the spiritual gifts just as an adult can.
I believe the Spirit of God is powerful and it can work through anyone regardless of age and for that matter regardless of how long you have been a believer.

As a parent myself of a wonderful little girl I look at her and think she could impact and change lives for the Lord. When thinking about this my mind actually drifts to when she is "older."
I think the Lord has been convicting me the last couple days showing me NO Nikke she can impact and change lives now, a year from now or even 4 years from now.
I thought I had always believed this but I guess I haven't completely when I take a deeper look at my minds process.

I think it is time as Christian parents (again me included) to tell our kids and really believe it that they can do ANYTHING through the Spirit of the Lord.

I do not want to be the one that has held my daughter back from doing God's work because I thought she was too young.

This has just been on my mind and heart lately and I hope I have made some sense here.

So, in closing.

Lord, I pray that you would shape and mold me as a parent to guide and direct Chloe as You see fit. I pray that I can be a good example and I can teach her of your ways and not my own. I pray that You will use her mightily to expand your kingdom.
Lord, she is your child and you have blessed Adam and I with her and we thank you and praise you!

Amen.

20 seconds of revelation

2009-01-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

angie here..
i haven't blogged in a long time.

too long.
i got into the bad habit after a while of feeling that i didnt really need God in my life whether or not i wanted to admit it. i stopped trusting him and i stopped making him the center of my life because i seemed to be doing just fine on my own. you see none of this was intentional. i hadn't really realized what was happening til about a week ago when God sort of gave me a little kick in the rear since it was about the only way he could get my attention. at the time it was about 6:40 in the morning and i was riding the bus to school listening to my ipod as always and i had it on shuffle.

All I Need Is You by Hillsongs came on. It had been a while since i listened to Hillsongs. I started singing along and soon realized that the words I was saying were empty because I felt that I didn't truly need God.. an alarm went off in my head and it became apparent to me how messed up my thinking had come to be. it has also been awhile since i've been able to attend a church service at the celebration center. but when this brick hit me something pastor chris said during the last sermon i had heard of his popped into my head. that Jesus can save us by giving us eternal life yes, but sometimes we need to be saved in a different way by him. i remember pastor chris specifically mentioning being saved by a way of thinking.

I asked the Lord to do this. to save me from this way that I was thinking.. this trap being set up for myself

and of course he did. and i became so overwhelmed with this i realized that the only way i would truly realize that God was all I needed was for him to take everything away from me. for me to see then that He is more than enough when there is nothing else left in this world for me. You always hear "God giveth and God taketh away" but for the first time I saw how God taking away can be an immense blessing rather than a curse. truly immense. in about 10 seconds time i went from being ignorant to learning one of the most important lessons of my life. i understood why theres death. why theres pain here. why theres tragedy why nothings perfect because through suffering we find the true glory of God. in a way we couldnt if the world was providing us all we needed. i had known already that suffering was a way for us to grow closer to God but i had never understood it on this level before.

the more trials and suffering we have the closer we get to God.

and then something else amazing happened! all these little fears i didnt know i had subsided. and i was aware of it because i suddenly i didnt care if my home burnt down. if i lost all my possessions. if my hands got cut off and i couldnt draw anymore. if i didnt have anyones approval. if all my friends suddenly turned their backs on me and abandoned me. my attachments to all these things snapped because not only did i realize that God was all i needed.. but i saw myself wishing that i had more hardships in my life because i wanted so badly to know God on a new insanely intamite level. i found myself asking the Lord to throw something at me.. to show me true struggles if thats what it took for me to see His glory. all in about 20 seconds.

i'm not sure why but i feel as though God wanted me to blog about all of this. i'm not sure who's going to read it or if anyones going to read it at all. but God wanted me to put these words here.. for some reason. i dont know.

But God is all I need. and that is all that matters.

You rock my world Jesus!!! ( Random blog )

2009-01-11T21:47:00.001-08:00

Hey ya'll this is Nikke here. I just wanted to share a bit about what has been happening in my life lately.

2008 was a hard year for the most part. Lots of good stuff in between but overall hard.
With me not working and being a at home mom finances were pretty tight. God straight up told us that at home is where I needed to be so we have obeyed.
We have had to learn how to manage our money better (a good thing).
Adam started a second job in addition to being an apprentice electrician as a news paper delivery boy for the TNT.

The amazing thing is we needed X amount of dollars to get by and the route he got at the TNT covered what we needed almost to the dollar!! God is amazing!
Our goal is to be completely out of debt in 8 months and thus far the plan is going well.
Have I mentioned God is so amazing?! =D

We had to give up our car because we could no longer afford. It and that was tough but we need to be wise. We have made some poor decisions but we are learning from them and I am so thankful we are learning this now instead of later. Since we are still young.

Our families stepped up to help us out in our time of need which we are so thankful for and God has really shown us the meaning of giving.
Again God is so amazing!!!!

We have pretty much completely changed the way we spend money and now have a monthly plan each month to keep us on track.

It has been really tough having one vehicle the past 5 months or so but it has also been great at the same time. God has shown me that it is ok to ask for help when you need it. Like for a ride to church on Sunday or to help babysit at church. (Thanks Hansler's and Caroline) =D

Today, our friends Nathan & Kirsten called us and asked if we would like to have their extra car that they have. A resounding YES!!!!!!! was what I said =D
God is so AMAZING!!!!
It came at such a perfect time. It is hard being at home alone all the time and not being able to hang out with other moms and things during the day. At times I will admit it did depress me. God is so faithful though and has gotten us through all of this!!

I guess my whole point to all of this is we have been through a bit this year and God has shown us how merciful, compassionate and faithful He is.
We made our own mistakes with our finances and God didn't have to provide. Once we showed that we can and are willing to be responsible and take responsibility for our own actions God completely blessed us with what we needed. He didn't give us a ton of cash or anything like that He gave what we needed and that is perfect!!!
I am so excited to see what God will entrust to us in the future as we grow and mature even more!
I am excited for the day when we are out of debt and we can help others the way we have been helped!

I cannot even begin to explain just how BIG and AMAZING God is!!!!!!!!!!!!
He has blown me away with his mercy and love this year and continues to do so. He blesses me even though I am unworthy and that is just completely and totally off the hook amazing to me!!!

Lord,
Thank you for You provision and for loving me and my family. Thank you for Your mercies that renew every single morning. Thank you for friends and family that love us and continually pray for us in times of need and times of blessing.
Most of all thank you for putting me in a position now where I can be a better servant of you! You rock my world Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen

Romans 9 & 10

2008-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

9:14-24

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

For the longest time I was mad at God for making me different than everyone else. I did not like having only two fingers on my right hand. Yeah, I still was able to get stuff done and play sports but I had to try even harder than the next person. I just wanted to be normal.

Then one day I realized that having two fingers is a blessing. I know I sound a little weird right? God formed me and molded me differently than everyone else because He has a special purpose for me. (He has a purpose for everyone).

I can just see God smiling as he was molding my hand into such a unique form knowing that the day will come when I realize He is my creator and He made me as I should be.

And that is just it! I did figure it out. God created me different because that is what He wanted to do. Plain and simple.

How much more does it say to someone who does not know the Lord when they look at someone with an abnormality praising the God that made them that way?

I know for me when I see an adult or child on TV with cancer, missing limbs, or just horrible situation and when I hear the words I love the Lord or something along those lines I am moved beyond words!

Could that be my purpose? Possibly. I am not completely sure here I am kind of just talking now. =D

All I know is that God is great and He has shown me some pretty amazing things and has used me in ways that I thought were insane at the time but have been such a blessing.

10:8-12

But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

This is a pretty popular scripture. I just love how simple it is to accept the Lord! It isn't as complicated as some may think.

Step 1. Say out loud (confess) that Jesus is Lord.

Step 2. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.

God is real and He will make himself real to you if you just ask. All He wants is our relationship and for us to love Him.

Lord, I love you and thank you for making me the way I am. You are such a wonderful creator!

Romans 8

2008-12-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

Webster defines "hope" as : to cherish a desire with anticipation.

As Christians we desire to inherit the kingdom of Heaven and to see God face to face one day.
At least that is what I look forward to.

Chapter 8 covers living in the Spirit and not in sinful nature.

vs. 6-8 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

We can never please God if we are being controlled by our sinful nature! WOW! that is deep.

Here is the great news for those who have the Spirit:

vs. 9-11 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

How awesome is that!?

This is where it gets really cool.

vs. 12-17 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.^[g] And by him we cry, "Abba,^[h] Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

I love the part where it says "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship"
When I think of royalty I think of confidence, fearlessness, stregnth, poise, beauty and unashamed.
A prince or a princess is born into a culture of establishment and has no need to fear what his or her future holds.

I think of how fearful and the lack of confidence I had before I found the Lord and how I was a slave to that fear like the verse says.
Now I am an heir! A princess to the Lord! I have no need to fear!
That is just so amazing to me. I stand to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven! There is nothing better than that.

We really are more than conquerors!!!

Romans 6 & 7

2008-12-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

So I have to say as I am sure it is obvious that I have been struggling to follow my daily reading plan. So for all you readers out there if possible help keep me accountable =D And for anyone who has encouraged myself and Angie on THANK YOU!!

ROMANS 6 & 7

6:1-2 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!
We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

I once met this person who said that their sin did not matter as God would always forgive them so what was the use in trying to not sin?

These are my thoughts on that statement.
God does have grace and He loves us despite our sin. However, He wants us to strive for living our life without sin as much as possible. None of us are perfect by any means. God sent His son to die on the cross for the purpose of bridging the gap between us and God. So that we may be forgiven and have eternal life if we so choose to accept His invitation. Not so we can abuse the right of forgiveness.

Lets say you threw an extravagant party for a bunch of your friends not wanting anything in return except for a "thank you" and no one gave you the appreciation that you deserve. Wouldn't you feel a bit sad or unrecognized?
Now say it happens again and again and again? How would this make you feel about your "friends"? I know for myself I might ask the question: Were they really my friends at all?

I am sure God feels that way when we keep on sinning. Except on a much larger scale and in a more justifiable manner. It is our eternal life on the line here not just what someone thinks of us!
Myself I am far from perfect and I sin just like everyone else. Lets just remember this:
God gave us the most priceless gift and we should embrace that gift with all our hearts and minds, rather than walk all over it.

Why would we want to live in sin any longer anyways? We were bound and unhappy. (At least I was)

So here is the wonderful news:
Jesus conquered sin! It has been defeated! Satan is fighting a battle that cannot be won by him!
We have victory in Jesus!
We never have to face sin alone. We have Jesus right by our side helping us conquer and persevere through it all!!!!

To you Lord I give you my all. I never want to take you for granted. You have given me a gift that is eternal and I thank you for that.
Amen

Romans 5

2008-11-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

5:6-11
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Ok lets break this down a bit. This is some really good stuff.

Jesus died for us (the ungodly, sinners)

I think a good point is made here. How often does one give up his own life for a good person? Jesus gave up his own life for SINNERS! WOW!

Before Jesus died on the cross for our sins we were required to make altar sacrifices. When Jesus died He was the ultimate sacrifice because He was sinless and pure.

His blood that was shed justified all sin! Past, present and future. No more altar sacrifices.

And in this God showed His love for us as Jesus was His son. God allowed His own son to die on that cross for us!

Is it just me or do you feel loved and special too?

Now we were justified by Jesus dying for us. Jesus rose again and is alive! He is alive through the Holy Spirit that dwells with in us when we ask Jesus into our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives us power to do amazing things to bring glory to the Lord.

Holy guacamole God is so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Romans 1-4

2008-11-24T13:25:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

WOW! So Romans is just hard core. I have read it before but never really realized how straight forward this book really is.

A lot stood out to me.

1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

I can remember before I was a Christian looking out at the mountain or seeing a sunrise or sunset and thinking to myself all of this could not have just appeared from nowhere. There had to of been an artist that created all of this.

I think that the verse 1:20 is pretty much referring to that and a little more too.
Just think. God created the heavens and the earth. EVERYTHING in it!
He left His autograph or signature if you will on his marvelous creations.
So we could recognize that. How could anyone not?

Kind of like a famous artist.
Monet for example has his way of paining as Van Gough as well.
You can differentiate their work because their signatures are different.

OK now onto some of the more hard core stuff.
1:18-32

God gave the wicked over to their sinful ways because they were not glorifying Him but rather turning away becoming futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Know that these are people who knew the truth as God had made it obvious to them but they still decided to live in their sin.

Now I know this is a sensitive subject for a lot of people. Please know that I come from a background where I was raised that homosexuality was ok and I myself at one point in my life thought this was a lifestyle that I should lead.
If it weren't for compassionate and loving Christians in my life that stood firm in their faith and prayed for me regularly and loved me I may not have turned my life over to the Lord.

1:26-27
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

It goes on to say in verse 1:32

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.

I think there is a difference in presenting the truth and judging someone.
I think this chapter shows where God's heart is on this matter and many other matters as this chapter touches on more than just homosexuality.

I think it is important to love those who are distant from the Lord and caught up in such things as homosexuality.
For myself, I have friends who have chosen this path and I still love them with all my heart. They know that I do not believe this is a Godly path but have chosen to love them regardless.
It is not my position to judge. That position is God's. However, I really and truly think this chapter does show God's heart.
I believe we must stand firm in our beliefs as Christians on this matter but still show compassion to those who are homosexual.

It breaks my heart when I hear stories of people being so judgmental throwing bibles and telling someone they are going to hell because of their sin.

We are in no place to be anything but loving.

Acts 10-17

2008-11-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

Nikke's thoughts

As I was reading about Peter's miraculous escape from prison in Acts 12:1-19
I thought of a book I once read called "God's Smuggler"

So Peter was put into prison by King Herod. While in prison an angel of the Lord appeared to him and ushered Peter out of the prison. The angel lead him right out passed the guards and all the other prisoners and out onto the streets!
How awesome is that?!

So the book I was thinking back on called "God's smuggler" is about this guy who would smuggle bibles across country lines to people. He would do this in places where you were put to death if you even had a bible.
Well there is a part where his trunk is loaded with a bunch of bible that in no way could be hidden and he was stopped by "police" to have his vehicle searched. He prepared himself for the worst and prayed to God for some kind of miracle and when they searched his car and his trunk they did not see a single bible and let him go on his way. Pretty tight eh?!
And of course the bibles were there when he delivered them =D

God is so rad!

Acts 17: 24-28
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring."

I just love these verses. God is everywhere! He is not limited or in a box. He doesn't need us but He wants us. He knows and has known you and me from the very beginning of time. God is always near and longs for us to reach out to Him for a relationship. If it weren't for God we wouldn't "be."
He is our creator, our marvelous creator!

Acts 5-9

2008-10-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I love the story of Philip and the Ethiopian. It shows true obedience, evangelism and teaching.

For anyone who may not know the story here it is:

Acts 8:26-40
Philip & the Ethiopian

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

I can only imagine the look on the Ethiopians face when the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away and he was left in the water all by himself.

However, you know he believed everything he heard and saw because he went on his way rejoicing!

God is so awesome I cannot even describe it!!

Acts 1-4

2008-10-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

So much happens in Acts that it is hard to just pick a couple things to talk about.
A couple things poked out at me that stood out more than others.

Peter after giving this powerful speech about the Lord says,
Acts 2:36
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

and the people's reaction was:
Acts 2:37
"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

They were cut to the heart! That is some pretty heavy stuff there.
The great thing though is that they ask "what shall we do?"
That is where the amazing life changing events take place with Jesus when we seek out what we should do.
He will guide us and give us direction.

Ask for forgiveness and more important let God forgive our sins.

I think "what shall I do" is a good question to ask God everyday.

Acts 4:12
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

This is just a great verse.
"No other name under heaven given to men"
this means that Buddha, Dahli Llama, Joseph Smith, The Greek Gods, or any idols we may have on earth whether they be actors, singers, or whomever cannot save us or better yet shall I say give us eternal life.
It is Jesus alone who provides us salvation and we should look to no one else.

John 19-21

2008-10-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I just love Peter. He is so spontaneous!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are on your way to do something exciting or to see someone that you are so excited and full of expectation that even the fastest car cannot get you there quick enough? It seems that if you get out and run yourself it would be a million times faster!

I think that is how Peter felt in John 21:7-8

"Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards."

For Simon Peter knowing that it was his Lord on shore awaiting him and the others he could not bear to wait to get the boat ashore; he had to jump in the water to get to Jesus even if it was only a few seconds or minutes earlier that the others.

If someone were that excited to see me I think I would feel so loved and special. I wonder if that is how Jesus felt when He saw Simon Peter do this?

A side note from Nikke

So I keep going back to this passage in John 17:20-23 specifically verse 23
Here Jesus is praying for us future believers. He prays:

"My prayer is not for them alone(talking about those currently following Him here).
I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Verse 23 keeps coming back into my mind.
The key word for me here is unity. I think about my faith (Christianity) and I see so many denominations, theologies and interpretations that can tear a believing community apart.Over pointless debates.
Things that we may never have an answer to until we arrive in heaven one day.

And here Jesus prays that we the believers who believe the message sent to us by Him would be brought to complete unity so that we (together) can let the world know of His tremendous love for them.

Is it just me or is this pretty powerful?

Lord,
I pray that we (Christians) would unify and work together to do Your will. I pray that we would set minor differences aside and focus on You and You alone.
Amen.

Angie's Thoughts

i completely agree with nikke about peter. i cracked up when I read that.

I find it interesting that when Jesus is resurrected and he shows himself to the disciples and mary that in all occasions at first they didn't recognize him.

20:14 "At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus."

21:4 "Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus."

Soon after all these occasions Jesus did reveal himself to the people. But i think that this is an example of how when the Lord works in our lives it may not be as we think it is. We may not realize that its Gods work at first but eventually.. it will be inevitable.

21:22 "Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.' " I take this as.. don't measure your walk with me and what I have called you to do to what I have called your neighbor to do. I have a unique plan for you, now follow me.

If we start to measure our purposes to someone else's.. we won't be satisfied with what we are called to do. and then we are no longer putting our own dreams aside for God's will.. but picking them up again.

John 1-8 & 9-18

2008-10-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

John 1-4
1:5 "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." I have a certain perspective on this. Before I really knew the Lord I remember being around my mom's friends that go to church. There were good people and though I didn't know who God was at the time i would say they were Godly people.. and I remember.. there was always something about them.. that drew me to them.. that i loved about them.. that i wanted too. but i never quite got what it was. They had the aroma of Christ and that was evidence that they were walking with him, and though I did not understand the draw i had towards them or why it came from a deep yearning i had within me, one that everyone has whether they realize it or not.

3:16 "God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him." Oh, how I wish more people could understand this.

John 5-8
" 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?' They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'If any of you is without sin, let im be the first to throw a stone at her.' Again he stopped down and wrote on the ground. At this those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman, where are they? Has on one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said. 'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.' "

This goes hand in hand with John 3:16. Jesus isn't here to show us what we've done wrong
he came to show us what was right and that we don't have to live the way we've been living and he came to show us why we were put here and how much more there is. we dont have to steal and to cheat and lie to get by. drug addicts have another option. alcoholics do. gang members. gamblers. compulsive liars. thieves. no matter who we are or where we've been we can live a life full of love and a purpose. we are created in the image of God and we all equal in His eyes. he can do miracles and he can clean even the toughest stains. (sounds like a cleaner commercial)

Angie's thoughts

John 9-18

John 12:48 "There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day."

this isn't the jolliest thing that Jesus ever said. but its a truth that needs to be said. A lot of people kind of havent grasped the reality that a person who hasn't accepted the Lord is going to hell. I know a lot of people who don't know the Lord. I know many faces that I won't be seeing when I go to heaven. Quite frankly, that haunts me. When I think about my best friends going to hell. i almost want to panic and to grab everyone i know and force them to go to church and to be saved.

but we all know that doesn't work. at least in my experiences it hasn't. it all starts with christians living as a testament. but we don't have to be perfect. no one likes a perfect goody two shoes.

besides this being a rough awakening to most, its a great reminder of the grace that God has given us that all he has blessed us with and all that we have to share with the unsaved and to rejoice in. also how VITAL it is to love everyone. Jesus commanded us for us to love everyone as we had been loved by him. we don't love so that God can tell us how wonderful we are and how great we are as people. We love because we have a huge debt on our shoulders that we can't pay off and the only other option is to love. love our beating hearts out.

John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."

the scripture goes on to say "If you belonged to the world it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."

John 15:18 is one of my favorite verses. Its in my nature to.. almost try and get a reaction out of people. i've always loved going against the grain and in school being christ-like ..unfortunately.. goes against the grain.

but i love it. i LOVE it when I open the door for someone and they glare at me like i've just done the weirdest thing in the world. when I am open about my faith and someone has a problem with it. i love it because part of being a christian is.. to a certain extent.. not giving a hoot or holler what anyone has to think about you. because if you do you won't follow jesus because you'll be too afraid of what people think. I would rather die hated than loved by the world. Because whether or not I FEEL like its true.. Jesus is working through my life. and i am a testament even when I think that no one is looking. or that no one cares. or even when i think that everyone hates me.

John 4-14

2008-10-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I am playing catch up here. There is a lot to review.
First, I really just need to say God is so wonderful and amazing!

John 4:23-24 stood out to me.

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

For anyone who may not know what I am like. I love to worship! Even more so I love to jump around and praise God with all I got! At times really rest in his presence too.
Lately, I have felt so hindered in doing this. When I read this God really woke me up!
My worship shows God how much I love Him and need Him.
More so, this showed me that not only at church should I be giving my all in praise to God. It is everywhere.
There is no one place that God is suppose to be worshiped.

I want to be the kind of worshiper the Lord seeks!

John 5:39-40
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

This just struck me. Jesus is talking to the Pharisees here.
It amazes me how one can literally have the knowledge of the bible (word of God) and be so blind to what it really says.

John 6:27
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

God constantly is reminding me of this. I am not working for the material things of this world. My treasure is in Heaven with Him!
God alone can sustain me and I have no need for worldly possessions.
My satisfaction comes from Him who I believe in not in the work I have done.

John 9:1-3
"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

This really stood out to me on a very personal level. Some may not know this but I was born with only two fingers on my right hand.
When I was younger I struggled with it a bit as I think anyone struggles with the differences they have. Mine is just a little more evident than some.
I have had some say that sin is what caused my hand to be this way.
I personally do not believe that. I believe that I was born this way so that God could be displayed in my life in a mighty way!
Now, if sin were the cause. I still would think the same.
God has taken my struggle with my hand and healed me completely emotionally. You may not see the evidence outwardly of the healing but He has changed my perception tremendously of myself.
Thank you Lord!

Lord,
I pray that you would make your word alive to those who read it!
Continue to mold me and guide me Lord as I am your instrument.
I love you.

Amen.

John 1-3

2008-10-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

There were a few things that stood out to me in these chapters.

First in chapter 1:4-5
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

Who can defeat what they cannot understand?
Nothing and no one.
This just goes to show that the darkness (evil) will never ever put out God's light. The darkness has no victory and never will!!
Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP on that one? =D

Second in chapter 3:19-21
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

So many people myself included are afraid of making their sin known. They are embarrassed or ashamed of what they have done. Or maybe even are afraid of what may be shown in their lives once they step into the light.
I was struggling with something and I knew it was keeping me from growing closer to God and once I chose to just reveal it and confess it out loud to the Lord I was completely unburdened by it. I also found that there were others in my same situation and felt pretty lame for not just coming out with it earlier.

The great news is Jesus bore our shame and our sin on the cross! He made it so we can seek out forgiveness and be restored. His mercies renew every morning for us!

Hebrews 12: 2-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Thirdly chapter 3:36
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Did you catch that?
You have eternal life!
Not you will get it later. You have it if you believe in the Lord God.
You have it as soon as you accept Him into your heart!
How amazing is that? What an awesome gift God has given us!

Luke 22-24

2008-10-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

Luke 24:30 "when he was at the table with them, he took brad, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him."

now.. i'm not sure on this. but i'm pretty sure that this is an example that when we do communion.. when we drink the Lords blood and eat his flesh.. he reveals himself to us. i should probably do more research on this because i've never noticed it before.

Luke 22:35 "Then Jesus said to them, 'when I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they answered. He said to the,. 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag' and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.' "

If we truly NEED something in our life, it will be provided to us. worldly things or lack of them can not keep God from accomplishing his will.

how silly are we to think that simple things like that could hold us back? we have all we need. ever.

ahh. this is a short one. sorry guys.

Nikke's thoughts

So the verse 22:35 also stood out to me like it did for Angie.

Luke 22:35 "Then Jesus said to them, 'when I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they answered. He said to the,. 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag' and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.' "

God is our provider.

Growing up I can remember times where money was so tight we were never sure if we would be able to afford groceries or not.
We never went without though. There always seemed to be food on the table and warm water to take a shower. Even in these times when I did not know Him He was watching over me.

The Lord is teaching me a valuable lesson these days. I have come to learn that I don't need to have things like expensive cable, a brand new car, and name brand clothes. I can live simply and still have everything I need.
Right now my husband does all the providing for our family which means money can be very tight but God is providing for us and we never go without.
I cannot wait for the time when Adam is making his full pay scale and we can continue living simply and we can actually put money aside to help out a friend, family member or whatever God calls us to do with our money.
God is so amazing and I praise Him for everything He is in mine and my families life!

Luke 19-21

2008-10-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I just love the story of Zacchaeus. in chapter 19:1-10.
One of the reasons I love it so much is that it is an example that a wealthy man can inherit eternal life in Jesus.
Jesus never said that it was impossible but he did say how hard it was when he said,
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Something else that stuck out to me in chapter 19 as Jesus is riding on the donkey into Jerusalem Jesus says in 19:42 "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
It is so sad to me that all these people met, spoke, listened and saw Jesus' miracles and yet still did not believe and He was right there in front of their faces. They rejected their true King.

But God still loves those who worship and honor Him with their heart and lips and accepts us as we accept Him!

God is amazing!

Angie's Thoughts

I also love the story of Zacchaeus. He's short and I can relate to that; however, that is not the only reason I love this story.

Luke 19:4 "So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way."

This guy.... is this wealthy chief tax collector. Something tells me that it had been a long time since he had climbed up in a tree let alone anything. But he was so CONSUMED that he would do anything to see Jesus. and Jesus's love made him do something crazy and completely out of character for him.

Jesus then sees Zacchaeus (we'll call him Z) up in the tree and tells him to come down because he needs to stay at Z's house. I kind of look at this situation as if I were at a concert of one of my favorite bands of all time, and there was thousands of people at this arena. The chances of getting to meet the lead singer would be slim to none but there would be a chance for me to get a glimpse of my idol and I would run and jump on top of a car to go see this person or maybe climb up on an unsuspecting person's shoulder. and then WHOA to my AMAZEMENT this person comes through the crowd singling me out and tells me that he wants me to hang out with him and his band cause he could use some help. i would be like OMGOMGomggzz.

that is how i imagine Zacchaeus in this story. And he was so in love with Jesus and wanted to follow him so BADLLYYYY that he gave half of his wealth away to the poor.

If given the chance I would climb the tallest sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus.

Luke 15-18

2008-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

Luke 17:10" 'So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, whould say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." ' "

even if we bring a hundred people to the Lord, we shouldn't look for recognition and praise. because all we did is pay off a very small portion of our debt. and we'll never be able to pay off that debt. so we must.. instead of trying to pay off our debt.. which will never happen.. we devote our lives to the Lord. and everything we accomplish is in that wonderful glory. because even the greatest things that we do are in Him and thanks to him and we should not seek recognition and praise for ourselves but turn towards him because as the verse says.. we are unworthy servants, and we only have done our duty. A great and heavy reminder.

Humble me, Lord.

Nikke's thoughts

We are unworthy servants, but how amazing is our God to honor and love us no matter what!?
He is so amazing!
I constantly fail and God still loves me!

It amazes me when I think about how God sent His own son to die on a cross for us.
As a Mother myself if I had to choose to let my daughter die or to die myself I would choose to die so that she could live. I think most parents feel this way about their children.
To me this just shows how much God really loves us. That He would give up His only son!

I know this is something that most of us already know but sometimes the basic things like this really have the most impact. Ya know what I mean?

Lord, I know I am undeserving of Your love yet You still love me. I am Your daughter. I am the daughter of You the King! Help me to live according to Your will and give me the strength to persevere through the trials yet to come. I love you and I cannot imagine life without You.
Amen

--

2008-09-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody sorry about the delay in the bible study. Both Nikke and I have a lot of things going on right now and we'll try to catch up as much as possible. We haven't forgotten, we promise! We'll be back in the routine soon.

-Angie

Luke 11-14

2008-09-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

24"When an evil^[h] spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' 25When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

This really stuck out to me. So many times for myself I have overcome (by the grace of God) a situation, addiction or really anything keeping me from God and within a few days, weeks or months I am right back in my old routine.
Satan and his army (demons) know what they are doing and they know what keeps me (us) away from drawing closer to God and when we show that we can fight back and overcome the demons comes back even stronger like the verse says bringing even more demons. They find comfort where they have set up residence in our lives.
This is why it is so important that when we eliminate the sin and the demons causing us to stumble that we fill that empty room (void) with the Holy Spirit.
It isn't enough to be rid of the evil and be empty once again we have to fill back up on the Holy Spirit and then continue with the purpose God has for us and achieve it.

Angie's Thoughts

Luke 12:25 " 'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?' "

This is always a great reminder especially with all of the tragedies going on in our own country alone. Worrying.. is an impulse. But it really is useless. Worrying can't get you food.. money.. things you need. It only wears down on your heart, always fearing the things out of control. Always worrying about the future. And not worrying doesn't make you careless. Why do "caring" and "worrying" go hand in hand? worrying is like not having faith in God that He will provide and that everything will be okay. Its best to clear your head so you can look at the situation clearly.. not frantically and on impulse.

luke 15:33 " '..any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.' "

it's hard to give up everything sometimes. for me the thing that was hard for me to give up was my music for the longest time. but i found that as I got closer and closer to God I didn't desire that music anymore.. I didn't desire anything ANYTHING that would get in my way. I had all these useless things cluttering my life and I couldn't function properly (if you've seen my room you know what I mean.) and God is slowly helping me clean those things out. I can't let anything interfere with our relationship. not anything even so simple as a song that puts bad ideas in my head.. bad thoughts in mind.. bad desires in my heart.

you can even think of this as parallel to nikke's blog.. cleaning out the clutter and filling it up with the Holy Spirit so that there's no more room for the clutter. so.. i strive to filter out the unnecessary gunk of life.

Luke 9-10

2008-09-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Luke 9:48 "For he who is least among you all-he is the greatest."

I read this and it humbles me. I don't think of myself as selfish.. but then I think of all the times when I put myself before other people.. whether it be for convenience.. or because I'm tired.. or whatever other excuses I may have,

and I realize how often that is.

Its very easy to be selfish. Sometimes its so easy you don't really realize that you're doing it.

I need to put a filter on my brain.. so that everytime I think or do something I make sure that I'm not putting myself in front of anybody, because that's not Christ-like. Hopefully I'll get so good at it that I don't have to think about it.

But for now I do. and that's okay, I'm more than willing.

I could be accomplishing so much more than I am by just being the person God wants me to be.

This is a heavy realization.

Lord, help me humble myself. Help me put myself last, for even when I think I am, that's not the truth. I don't trust myself or my judgment. I trust you and that is all. I desperately need your guidance. Thank you, praise you, I love you, amen.

Nikke's thoughts

9:49-50

49"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."

50"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."

This really stuck out to me because I know that there are those who believe that the spiritual gifts were meant specifically for just the disciples. I think this goes to show that they are not.

I also like this too because the disciples previously to this were unable to drive out a a demon that was in a boy. I think when they saw this other man able to drive out demons and he was not one of them they were a little jealous.

So this to me shows that we should be joyful at another persons gift to do something even if we may have failed prior at the same thing. We are one body with many parts and together we make it function. Our battle against the darkness is a serious one and we have no room to be jealous of one another.

Luke 7-8

2008-09-16T22:01:00.000-07:00

In chapter 8 Jesus tells the "Lamp on a Stand" parable, which I've already blogged on (I'm pretty sure)

Luke 8:16-17 "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."

But I remembered something someone said to me that puts this parable into another perspective.

I remember it as.. no one lights a candle outside in the daytime.

I think this is just another way of putting it.. which follows along with Jesus telling that the sick need the doctor, not the healthy.

And it also kind of goes along with the last blog.. where we get no credit from loving those who love us back.

We must love the ones who don't love us. Give without expecting return.

luke 7:41 " 'Two men owed money to a cetain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he conceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.' "

I remember talking to someone.. they had grown up in the church, and we were talking about how they had trouble with their faith and asked me where mine came from. We started talking about how since they had grown up in the church they had never really known life completely without God, and I had. If they could see Him from my perspective, they might see where my faith came from. For after all.. you have to hit rock bottom to realllyy see how high the top is.

alright, I've got to go to bed! goodnight all.

Nikke's thoughts

While reading I was wondering why Jesus talks in parables. I think it is so interesting that He does this.
I was actually discussing with someone about why Jesus speaks this way a couple of days ago.
I think that it is so we can be drawn in to find and discover the truth for ourselves.

Luke 5-6

2008-09-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

hey guys. I'm trying to catch up. I've fallen behind as I'm trying to get back into the school routine. I'm also lacking a little motivation. I'm kind of excited to get through the gospel because it's getting a little harder to think of things to write about so my posts may be a little shorter. Though, this is also forcing to me to delve into deeper into the Word seeking out what is not obvious.

Alright here it goes.

Luke 6:9 "Then Jesus said to them, 'I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?'"

This was right after Jesus and the disciples were picking grains from the field and eating them on the Sabbath and a Pharisee got angry and said it was unlawful.

Its not good for people to get caught up in following the Bible like a set of rules. Because soon enough you get so caught up in the rules you're not really following Jesus anymore. You're not letting him guide your life, you're trying to guide your own with a bunch of rules and we lose site of what really matters, and, you have to admit, if you get so obsessed with following rules we aren't really having faith in Jesus to guide our lives are we? Because these rules may be from God but that would just be like us taking matters into our own hands. if you try to follow everything in the Bible meticulously then you would soon find yourself exhausted, exasperated, and dissapointed in yourself.

We can never be good enough. But how blessed are we that we are accepted anyways?! Read the Bible, have faith, do the best that you can, and Jesus will do the rest.

Luke 6:22 "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man."

A few people know of a few situations in my past that occurred that made me be afraid to be open with my faith. Thanks to the strength and the courage that I've been blessed with and my stronger faith that i have now I can be open with it. However, when I find myself feeling afraid to stand up for my faith and being open about my relationship with God I remind myself of this, and nothing else matters.

Luke 6:32 " 'If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" love those who love them. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even "sinners" lend to "sinners", expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.' "

honestly, enough said.

Nikke's thoughts

6:20-23

"Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven."

I just love that last line in bold there. It doesn't just say be joyful it says LEAP FOR JOY!
I love that!!!!

Jesus goes on to talk about loving your enemies and I was thinking to myself when reading this that this is the way to be set apart from everyone else.

6:27-36

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

There really isn't anything to add like Angie said.

Do you agree that this is the way to set ourselves apart?

Luke 3-4

2008-09-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

3:7-9

"John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

John was a total straight shooter! I love it!
I think my favorite part is where he says "And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

Almost like John knew that people thought they were good enough by just being children of Abraham. Ha! Then to be compared to a rock. Ha! I am just imagining this.

God wants us to love Him willingly and all of Him. Not just because we are scared of hell.
Our faith is not passed down from generation to generation.It is not another persons decision for us.
It's a decision we make on our own. (hence the free will thing)

Angie's Thoughts

Luke 4:42 "At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place."

It is important for us to spend alone time with God. This is time outside of church service and youth group, and really just having an intimate relationship with the Lord. You get away from all of the distractions and really get to hear what God wants to tell us. I think I need to learn to get away from everything more and have alone time and just meditate. I get some of that journaling late at night but I feel I still don't spend enough time. And here Jesus gives us an example of how important it is, and what is vital in our relationship with God.

Luke 1-2

2008-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

A prophecy that was spoken over Jesus by a guy name Simeon really stuck out to me. It is in chapter 2:34-35

"Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

I am not sure if this stuck out to me more so because I am a mom now or what.

It just shows that there are no grey areas with Jesus. You are either for Him or against Him. You are either the one who worships Him or the one rejecting Him.

I cannot imagine how Mary felt seeing her own son go through the rejection that he faced by many. A rejection that lead to his death on the cross.
I think that is so powerful what the end of that scripture above says "And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

I know as a mom if anyone were to try and hurt my daughter or be mean or anything it would crush me to see her be hurt.
I can only imagine that Mary's pain was a million times more. Literally a piercing of the soul.

Angie's Thoughts

So an angel pops in your room one night.. and tells you.. "hey you're a virgin, but God's going to make you pregnant with a baby and you're going to give birth to the Son of God."

This was Mary's reaction.

Luke 1:38 " 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her."

Seriously. You've got to have more than the faith of a mustard seed to react like that. She didn't say.. "Oh but what about my reputation?" or.. "How am I supposed to raise the Son of God? Won't I screw up?"

She trusted the Lord so much she knew He wouldn't have put anything on her that she couldn't handle and she just knew that everything was for His will and that it was good. She's a blind follower of God. She has a set of spiritual eyes where she doesn't see the things that a normal materialistic person of the world would see. She didn't see anything that should hinder her from doing this, and without questions.

In the entire conversation Mary asked one question and that was pretty much.. "hey i'm a virgin how's this going to work out?"

and i think that's pretty valid question. She never said.. "no wayy!!" or.. "I must be dreaming!" or.. "this is insane." etc.

she didn't even doubt that it would happen when she knew she was a virgin and would miraculously have a baby... which.. i dont know.. but if someone told me that i was going to be pregant I would be like.. uhmm yeah right are you insane?

But I think that if an angel told me that I might react differently.. or at least more respectfully ;)

Lord help me develop my spiritual eyes, a set that see past all the lies and silly non-important things. Amen.

Mark 14-16

2008-09-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

So this is kind of a funny thought. I noticed when Jesus is sitting at a table it says He was reclining. I am just picturing the all powerful Jesus reclining back, relaxed in a old wooden chair just taking it all in!
I just thought that was funny and had to share.

One of the things that really stuck out to me was when Jesus stood trial before Pilate and then goes before the crowd of people. Where Pilate asks the people should I release Barrabas (a murderer) or The King of the Jews (Jesus) ?
I find it so interesting that all the people there were swayed by the chief priests to yell out "crucify Jesus" and everyone was yelling it. No one stood up for Jesus there.
No confrontation whatsoever.

How often are we swayed by the majority and don't put ourselves out there to be set apart?
I think it happens quite a bit.
It is hard to stand for something when everyone else is standing and fighting for the opposite.
Being a Christian is a hard life but a life that certainly has it's rewards.

I think of how desensitized the world has become when it comes to having sex. I think of the person teen or adult that is not having sex and how much of a minority he/she is. I applaud those who wait until they are married.
I think of the girl who chooses life for her child instead of death. Even if this means giving the child to another family or keeping the child herself.
God wants us to be set apart.
It is so easy to go along with the crowd.

So my question for you is are you going with the majority or are you setting yourself apart for God?

Angie's Thoughts

I agree with Nikke on the whole.. staying apart of the majority. I caught pretty much the same things as i read these 3 chapters. The crowd was manipulated. They wanted nothing but to crucify Jesus even though they didn't really even know why. They had no reasons. He committed no crime.

That makes me think of how easily we are swayed by the media and our peers. It takes guts to just stand up when no one else is with you. I know that when the spotlight gets put on me I tend to get really nervous and shake and so I have a bit of a hard time being bold and deliberately setting myself apart from everyone else.

But I know I can't let my nerves stop me. We're always going to have obstacles, but as annoying as they are.. I think obstacles.. are a good way of showing how much you want something.. of how much something means to you.
Plus it feels so great when you finally get past one of those obstacles. Especially when you've been working really hard at it.

I pray for boldness. Because the spirit is willing but the body is weak.

Mark 10-13

2008-09-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mark 10:44-45 "and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a random for many."

I've just started my junior year in high school. And more and more I'm starting to see how these kids are growing up, walking around like everyone owes them something. They won't go the extra mile if it won't benefit them, it's always what they can get out of it, "me me me me me ..."

But I think that if someone just goes out of their way for them, that perhaps it'll eventually rub off on them. They'll serve someone else in some small way, and it might just keep going around.

I know that I get caught up in my life sometimes and that I often give up going out of my way for sake of convenience, and that I've skipped up on a lot of good serving opportunities.

Serving the Lord starts by serving others. That's how we can be a light in the darkness.

Lord, I pray that you'll give me plenty of opportunities to go out of my way for someone else, even if I normally wouldn't be happy to do so, and that I'd be genuinely happy to do it. That way, I might grow in You, Lord. And I also pray for opportunities to be bold, because when I pray for boldness, I know You don't make me bold, you give me opportunities to be bold. Amen.

Nikke's thoughts

13:9-11

9"You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

These verses really popped out to me when reading. As a Christian in the USA we do not see much persecution. We are blessed to live in a country which for the most part accepts us.
However, there are Christians who take the gospel to places that will persecute, torture and kill Christians. We cannot forget to pray for those. They are truly living out verse 10 that says: "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations."
You know when I meet someone in a store or wherever and strike up a conversation I sometimes try to find the right words to say to them to share the gospel. Sometimes I just get in the way. We don't need to have a perfect presentation. God will give us the words if we need to speak and if we don't have to speak our actions will show His love too.
The second half of verse 11 confirms that. "Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

We don't have to be defensive about our faith or worry about what to say or do that is why we have the Holy Spirit. He will fill us and use us! How awesome is that?

Mark 5-9

2008-09-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

So a little history here. Mark is thought to be the first gospel written. All but 31 verses of Mark are quoted in the other gospels. Thought this was interesting.

There were a few things that caught my attention starting in chapter 7.

The Pharisees ask Jesus why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with unclean hands?

7:6-8
Jesus replies, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

It is so easy to talk the talk and not walk the walk. We have been called to live to honor God not just talk about God. Don't get me wrong talking about God is good but living a life that shines God and speaks for itself is powerful.
There are people who are "contagious Christians" (is what I call them) and their actions speak so loudly you cannot help but see it and want to be like them and have what they have in the Lord.

This is what I want to be! A contagious Christian.

7:20
Jesus goes on to say, "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

So in other words an evil action starts with a thought. Don't let yourself focus on the bad things listed above. Focus on the good things found in Christ.
Philippians 4:8 and think about what is true, noble, right,pure,lovely and admirable.
(found that verse with the help of a study guide =D)

Lastly something popped out at me that is more of a question to the readers if you may know or have some insight on the subject.

In chapter 9:2-13
Jesus is tranfigured on the Mountain

Mark is obviously a written account.
However, I am curious Jesus only took Peter, James and John with him up on the high mountain.
How did Mark see this?
Did someone tell him of the account and then He wrote it or did he actually see this event take place?
Now I know Mark was also known as John Mark so was the John on the mountain Mark?

Maybe I am missing something here?

What do ya'll think?

I look forward to comments.

Angie's Thoughts

Mark 6:5 "He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith."

So, literally, we ask for miracles from God for proof of His existence so that we might have faith in Him, when here it clearly says that we must prove ourselves to Him first. He cannot perform the supernatural for us without faith. Jesus could not perform miracles to these people because they had no faith. Also, when the woman touched Jesus's cloak and was healed with Jesus basically doing nothing because her faith healed her.

I just remember Ignite a couple years ago in Eugene and how the man that was speaking truly believed that the people of this generation, my generation, would be able to teleport like Philip in the bible. That we could have such faith that we would be the ones to do such amazing things. I agree.. Nothing is impossible. We just have to find that faith inside of us and anything can happen.

I can't wait to see what happens when people become bolder and stronger in their faith. I hope I can be like that one day..

Lord, guide my thoughts. Let me prove myself to you in everything I do. Then when I prove a fraction worthy, prove Yourself to the world through me. I want to fly, and without You I am earthbound. Give me wings!

Mark 1-4

2008-08-29T00:10:00.001-07:00

note: Nikke and I are doing 4 chapters a night instead of 2 while reading Mark.

Angie's Thoughts

Mark 4:21-23

A Lamp on a Stand
He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

What are we to man if we are filled with the Holy Spirit but we hush our faith? If we don't show it to the world and make disciples of ourselves? And also hold other followers of Christ accountable to their faith..

We can help bring light into the darkness but often times I think people are a little afraid of that. Afraid that people won't agree with you.. that people won't like you that people will talk about you behind your back .. or maybe they'll even confront you with questions you don't know how to answer. I know I've been like that...

But the Lord has made us promises. He will give us the strength and the courage we need... he will give us the words we need to say. We just have to have faith in him.

faith faith faith faith faith..
it seems thats what every blog is about.
thats GOOD. because faith is vital.

i take showers in faith.
i spray "Faith" perfume on myself before i go out for the day
I EAT FAITH FOR BREAKFAST.

lately i've been trying to do ALL that i can to grow my faith in the Lord. and my life is blossoming because of it. i fear less. i have more peace in my life. i have more joy.. i'm more optimistic.. i'm wiser.. smarter all around (or so I'd like to think)..

I'd just like to thank all the people that read this day after day.. even though it may just be a bunch of rambling (on my part).. and i thank even more the people that post their thoughts and comment and encourage us! We really appreciate it.

And of course.. let all the glory of all things good be in God's name.

Matthew 27-28

2008-08-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I cannot help but think of Judas when I read chapter 27. He felt such shame and remorse for betraying Jesus that he hangs himself. I cannot imagine how awful that he must have felt. I know that sin is sin but he sent Jesus to his death. That has got to really feel the worst.
I am not perfect and I know my sin is not any better. When I think that Jesus died for us on the cross and bared all the sin of the world on his shoulders so that we could have the option of eternal life in heaven. I feel awful that my sin is what caused all that pain on the cross for Jesus to bare. Yeah it was before I was born when he bore the sin but he bore it for those past, present and future.
Thank you Jesus! Thank you!

So Jesus is beaten, mocked, spit on, and crucified.
He died for all of us. He doesn't specify specific genders or race or whatever. ALL OF US! Even the men/women that beat, mocked, spit and crucified Him. How amazing is that? He loved us so much that He could see past all of the crud that we as humans can be and do.
I serve the most wonderful God!

I am just picturing the look on the Chief Priests faces when they were told that Jesus rose from the dead.They were the ones that so desperately wanted Him dead and did not believe He was the Son of God. I bet their looks were priceless. Can you imagine?

Lord, thank you for the gift of eternal life. You never cease to amaze me in what you have done for all of us and for me. Thank you for your mercy, grace and your forgiveness. Even though I am imperfect you still love me and want my relationship with you. You are true to your word and you never fail me. Thank you. I love you!
Amen

Angie's Thoughts

alright so the thing that stuck out to me .. was when Jesus gave out one last and final cry before he died.. and there was a huge earthquake and in that moment.. the people that were with him they said "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Imagine the guilt in their hearts.. the dispair.. when they realized they just murdered the Son of God. They just killed the man that opened the gates of heaven for them.

Matthew 27:50-53 "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the cutrain of the temple was torn in two from top to borrom. the earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people."

How insane would that be? In that moment the veil seperating us from God was torn in half.. and everything was turned upside down. and like Nikke said.. for people of the past.. present.. and future.

And now we can stand before God as though we never sinned at all .. and we take that for granted.
we are not worthy.
and the best part is that God's back will never turn on us. Even when we are unaware.. he's watching us through loving, caring eyes.

How amazing.

And Matthews ends on a good note..

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 25-26

2008-08-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

As I was reading chapter 25 I couldn't help but think that the parables that Jesus told there..(The Parable of the Ten Virgins, The Sheep and the Goats, The Parable of the Talents) that he was trying to shed light on our purpose here on earth. In the parable of the ten virgins the 5 virgins that were ready for the bridegroom got to be inside the house with him and the 5 that weren't got locked out. In the parable of the talents.. three different servants were given different amounts of money and the two that took their money and made more were given even more by their master and the one that just took the money and hid it without multiplying it had his money taken away. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep (the ones that helped people in the name of the Lord) were blessed and the goats (the ones that did not help people in the name of the Lord) were cursed.

So, I think we have three basic things that we are supposed to accomplish: prepare ourselves and be ready for our heavenly homes, multiply what the Lord has blessed us with here on earth.. and just do good in the name of the Lord.

obviously that's in a nutshell and there's a ton more to it. But I'm happy to get these points of view from Jesus of what is wanted from us here in the world.

Nikke's thoughts

Jesus knowingly faced His torture and death. This is so powerful to me.
It is one thing to be taken away without knowing it but to know the exact day the exact time of when you are going to be arrested, tortured and eventually killed and willingly and humbly accept it?!
I am not sure if I could do it.
I know the Lord gives us the courage and the strength we need to bear the trials we must face in order to persevere but torture? This is a hard one to wrap my head around.
I think of the martyrs even today and the miraculous things the Lord does and I ask myself fairly often would I be able to claim Jesus if it meant I were to die right then? Knowing I would be leaving my family and friends behind?
I hope I could.
I know I will see my friends and family another day in heaven as most of them know the Lord. It just still seems so hard and overwhelming to me.

I think of Peter when he denied Jesus 3 times when not faced with death and was distraught afterwards and wept over it.
I am not sure I could deny Him at all no matter what the circumstance, but also Peter never thought he would deny Him either.
Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

I think about how much I want to live here in earth and cherish the people I have here, but it is nothing compared to my inheritance in heaven.

I guess it all comes down to if we are a sheep or are we a goat?
Are we a follower of Christ or are we unbelievers?

Lord, help me to be a good sheep. Lead me to the places you want me to be. I want nothing more than to spend eternity with you. You are my rock, you are my comforter, you are my provider and I want to honor and glorify you all the days of my life.
Amen

Matthew 23-24

2008-08-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

Matthew 23:12 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles
himself will be exalted."

I've had a fair dosage of this one. It seems that whenever I let anything get to my head I end up making an idiot of myself. So I've certainly learned to keep myself humble.

And that's the only logical thing to do when our gifts and achievements our God's too.. for He gave us our gifts and uses them as tools to achieve things important to Him. We can be proud of ourselves.. but we must never let things get to our heads.. because that leads us to look down on others.. which can lead us to not serving others as we should which is of course what we are called to do.

alright. Goodnight everyone, and make sure you pray for Nikke's step dad, Jim. He has cancer.

Nikke's thoughts

24:44 "So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

This verse really stuck out to me amongst all the others.
Jesus us talking to the disciples about how He will come back when they least expect it.
This makes me really take a look at myself and how I act around my friends and family. Am I showing Jesus in all I do? Am I a good representation of Jesus?
I certainly try to be, however, I am human and I stumble often. It is here that I learn humbleness and the act of asking for forgiveness from others for my actions.

I always wonder what it will look like when Jesus comes back. Everyone has their opinions about pre and post tribulation. I don't. (well I guess I do in the sense that I don't) LOL
I don't really think it matters since I know where I am going.
I think it is interesting how some things we will never know until we get to heaven and find out.
My mind will be buzzing until then. =D

Matthew 21-22

2008-08-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

Jesus tells it how it is. He doesn't dill dally around he just puts it out there. I love that.

I can't help but think of the Pharisees here. Were they so caught up in being "in charge" that they couldn't believe or just ignorant?
They seem so caught up in the tradition of things that they've lost the true meaning of love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.
It saddens me so much to know that someone can know the word of God so well but yet not receive it into their life.
This baffles me.

Lord, I pray that your word would come alive to those who read it. I pray that it would be life changing and lead them to your kingdom.
Amen

Angie's Thoughts

LOL Jesus totally just makes fools out of all the Pharisees over .. and over. and over.

And finally.. in Matthew 22:46 "No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more equestions."

No matter what the question is.. he always gave the perfect answer. No one could ever tell him that he was wrong. And it baffles me that they even tried fooling him. Ever. I wish I had such a clear and concise idea of right and wrong.. but I get it mixed up sometimes.

I can only pray that God will shed on me some of His wisdom.. and that I might have a better idea of good and bad in the future.

I want to lead my life so well that other's would see me and get hope by just the way I live my life. I want to shed that kind of light because I know that there are a few people who inspire me like that. Where its just awesome to be around them and they set such a good example of living a Christ-like life.

Matthew 19-20

2008-08-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

Okay wow. As I'm reading this there's so much good stuff it's kind of hard to soak in. And I don't want to ramble on about it all, so I'll just pick a couple of points.

Matthew 19:29 " 'And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will
inherit eternal life.' "

Wow. This makes me just want to get up and leave everything behind and become a servant to the needy. But me.. a mere girl of 16 who has an education to finish.. but then I think of it this way:

We were put in these times and places for a reason.. and we were put here for a reason obviously and I think that we are to take full advantage of what we are given. And since I'm blessed to be in a country where I can follow my dreams.. and even better God's dreams for me.. and I can go out and get an education.. I think that I should take full advantage of that. I was meant to.

God has plans for us and nothing is impossible if we have faith in Him. So.. I have come to the conclusion that I don't literally have to get up and leave my family behind and sell all my belongings and give to the needy to be doing what I'm supposed to. In fact it would be rather silly to think that that was every person's calling As long as I take up my cross and follow the Lord and I give up all my personal needs and dreams in exchange for His own for me.. I AM getting up and following him. And I am just where I am supposed to be.

Alright.. now that I've worked through that... I can now only be thankful for all the amazing opportunities I have with my gifts and the fact that I can go out and get an education even if I don't have the money.

Lord, I pray that you would light up the path you have for me with bright neon lights and spotlights so that I couldn't miss it. I want to follow you. That is all I want. Amen.

p.s. At the end of this blog is a video that someone showed to me that I thought was... extremely touching. Many of you might have already seen it, but to those who haven't it's a must see.

Nikke's thoughts

Ok so I am at a loss for words after watching the video Angie posted below.
The Lord is so faithful and amazing and is desperately wanting us to have a relationship with Him.
He gave His life for us! What an amazing gift he has given and all he wants in return is to be loved and accepted by you and me.

My God rocks people!

Matthew 17-18

2008-08-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

The part where Jesus heals the boy with the seizures sticks out to me.
The disciples tried to heal the boy but could not.
Jesus says, "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."
Jesus just gets right to the point there. I love it.
Jesus then rebukes the demon possessing the boy causing the seizures and from that moment was healed.
This is where I really start thinking.
The disciples come to Jesus later and ask him "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (the demon from the boy is what they are referring to)
Jesus replies, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Wow! So basically the disciples didn't even have faith as big as a mustard seed!? This is so remarkable to me.
You don't need faith as large as an ocean or as big as the land to do tremendous things only the size of a mustard seed!
How crazy is that?
This had made me think how much faith I have. Do I have faith as big as a mustard seed?
This was a great chapter for me to really reflect on my faith.

We can do such amazing things with just the faith the size of a mustard seed. Nothing would be impossible for us!

Angie's thoughts

My thoughts.

Matthew 17:21-22 "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord,
how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven
times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.' "

And then Jesus gave us the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant where you can find in Matthew 17:23-35.

I found this humorous.. because Peter probably thought at the time that it would be completely generous to forgive a brother seven times. That it would be generous to forgive more than twice, even. And then the look that must have been on his face when Jesus told him ..figuratively.. that pretty much.. you must ALWAYS forgive your brother. Whether he betrays you seven times or seventy-seven..

And when he told of how when the servant that was released of his debt by the King did not repay the same mercy onto his own servant and that the King caught word of it and tortured him until he could repay his debt.. and then

Matthew 17:23 " 'This is how my heavenly Father will treat
each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.' "

That... really puts things into perspective. Well, atleast how much value is in our forgiveness. Not even that, actually. I think of it more of.. how much we MUST forgive because of the consequences. There's not much value in our forgiveness at all because we're just doing a minute fraction of what the Lord has graced us with.

So.. that whole section is pretty harsh. But on the other hand it also shows just a glimpse of how merciful our Lord has been to us. We could never repay our debt to Him. So, instead, we must forgive others as he did to us.

Plus, grudges are no fun anyways and cause a whole list of emotional problems.

If the faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain, surely any amount of faith can let us forgive even the worst of betrayals. We know in the end that the Lord will have justice.

Matthew 15-16

2008-08-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

In these two chapters one of the questions Jesus asks in chapter 16:26
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

I cannot help but think of someone very close to me when I read this that has what we would consider a very large amount of money, a nice home, cars and can really have anything he wants when it comes down to material things. However, he does not have the Lord to make him joyful.
I see him buying things all the time which in that moment does make him happy but not long term.
Jesus makes us happy and joyful long term not "things."
Oh how I hope and pray that he finds the Lord.

As for the last part of the question we cannot give anything in exchange for our souls with God their are no bargains it is all or nothing.
Are you in or are you out?

Angie's Thoughts

Alright what do I think... what do I think? Or more.. what am I supposed to say. Because sometimes I go to start these blogs and I have no idea. So... Lord please use my words as a tool, and give me some sort of muse in this late hour of the night. Amen.

So we begin.

Matthew 15:8-9 "These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men."

How many people do you know that claim to be Christians? They pray.. they're nice people.. but they're pretty much on their own boat and in the end they'll do what benefits them most? I know a lot of people like that unfortunately, and I grow morose at the thought of it. Nikke and I were talking about how we will be surprised when we get to heaven to see who is there and who isn't.

In the case of Jesus.. you can't just act the part. You have to give your entire being up ... for the part. It's not a part time job, folks. Like Nikke said.. You're either in or you're out. You can't stand on the middle lines because the eternal and worldy are completely seperated. And the only bridge to the eternal is Jesus.. So you can just stay living your wordly life.. reaping the benefits of a temporary material world.. or you can pay the bridge toll and lead your life aiming towards the eternal, and being a servant to the Lord and being true in all that you do. (hint: Pay the bridge toll.)

Being true in all that you do can be tough. But just follow the Lord with your heart.. not with your mouth.. and that will lead you the right way, I think. Because that's really all that we're doing right? Following the Lord. So as long as we listen to Him.. we'll be alright.

Matthew 13-14

2008-08-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I just love how Jesus talked in parables. I think sometimes as Christians we get all caught up in talking like Christians (I call it Christianeese) and no one has an idea what you are talking about.

Jesus talked the way those could understand. To a man that grows crops, to a fisherman of the sea, to a woman cooking and more. He made it as simple as He could and it worked! People got it.

I love Peter I can relate to him in so many ways! I love the part where he jumps out of the water to meet Jesus and is totally walking on water with Jesus! How rad is that!? Then Peter getting scared and distracted by the wind starts sinking and cries out to Jesus "save me!" and Jesus comes to his rescue. Oh ye of little faith is what Jesus says to him.

I think this is such a good analogy of our relationship with God. Well I will speak of myself currently.

I will jump into something blindly having faith and then get totally scared, worried or fearful of something and begin to stumble and sink if you will. Then I cry out to God "Help! please?" and God will give me a hand. And there is another lesson of faith for me that day.

I am learning to have faith and also persevere with my faith all at the same time. It is a lesson in progress and I still stumble and fall but the Lord is so merciful and gracious and is there in my turmoil to help me back up. He never gives up on me and is a constant strength in my life.
For this I am so thankful.

My favorite verse James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Angie's thoughts

When Jesus is speaking in parables for the large crowds on the boat on the lake, one of the parables he told was the one of the Four Soils. And you can find this parable in Matthew 13:10.

But in Matthew 13:20-21 Jesus says,

"The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away."

And then.. in in Matthew 13:23, Jesus says,

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

I see a lot of my old self in Matthew 13:20-21. And I believed in God and Jesus. Very much so. And I had accepted His gift for me. But my faith was flimsy. And it easily got knocked down. Now, I am happy to say that my faith is very strong. I'm slowly building it up slab by slab, making a strong brick wall that won't be flimsy against attack. It's taken much more time and dedication but I'm so much stronger now. (hehe kind of like the Three Little Pigs, right?)

I think that sometimes like in my case faith is something that has to be built up. You can't have a strong house without a foundation. A lot of people claim to be faithful.. but a lot of those people have never been trialed with persecution and trouble. I think a lot of people that claim to have strong faith would "fall away" if faced with issues like persecution. But then again, we don't know until it happens.

And lastly..

Matthew 13:35 " 'I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.' "

Praise the Lord that we were blessed to hear these parables. We read the bible sometimes (well I do) and I think we take it for granted (and again.. I mean, I take it for granted) that these words were gifts from Jesus. These parables.. so simple in form.. are words of liberation and freedom. Testament of His love for us. Jesus died so that he could speak to us these parables, and be the light in a formerly blind world. Through Jesus, our eyes are opened. And through these simple words, he speaks to us simple truths, that we were were blind to perceive before he came along.

We are loved.

Matthew 11-12

2008-08-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

There was so much in these two chapters however, one verse really stood out to me over all the rest.
12:36-37 "But I tell you that men will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

There was a sermon once that I heard that talked about how the tongue is the hardest to tame. There is a passage on it somewhere and I just cannot for the life of me remember where it is. The passage talks about how our body is the ship and our tongue is the rudder steering our bodies every which way.
I guess what I am getting at is it is important for us to speak highly of one another, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If we fail we will be forgiven with exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Jesus states, "anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, in this age or the next."

Myself I am constantly asking for forgiveness.

Lord, teach me, guide me, mold me. I know you have already begun. I know you won't give up! Thank you!
Amen

Angie's Thoughts

When I go back and read all the glorious miracles that Jesus performed.. people are just instantly astonished and without a doubt know with their eyes that they have seen a miracle.. and almost all repent at once.

But then I think.. if only people were that easily swayed by miracles present day. The technology that we have today definitely sets disadvantages. Because people see things and they do not believe their eyes because there's a million things we can do in order the create that illusion. Magicians do it all the time! Technology is a blessing and a burden.. with it we can advance the Kingdom of God but it also hinders us in many ways.

But then, I think of the people who still did not repent back then. I wonder if they truly believed that he was doing the Devil's work.. or if they were just looking for an excuse not to believe that He was the Christ. And I wonder why they would do that? Did they fear Him? Well, I'm almost positive they did.. But what for? The fact that they were so powerless compared to Jesus? Perhaps the threat He posed? Could anyone really be in Jesus's presence and have any doubt that He is anything but pure and good? I have so many questions.

But then..

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

He is very well aware that we have a million and one reasons not to believe our eyes. To decieve ourselves.. to not believe in Him. The Lord COULD give us absolute tangible proof of His existence if He wanted to.. but He wants us to be faithful. With our actions this includes, too. What we, do what we say.. which goes along with what Nikke was saying.

So..

Lord, I give you my words. I give you the gifts you have blessed me with. I give you my thoughts, actions, and emotions. Hold them as your own, make them yours, and make me to be more like you. Let me be angry with you.. and rejoice with you, too. Let me live my life to tell YOUR story, not mine. Because none of this is about me, this is so much bigger than I could ever dream to be. Let me be humble. Let me lose myself in glorifying You. Never let me be the same person as I was a month prior, for I never want to stop growing in you. Thank you for Your patience, and forgiveness.
Amen.

Matthew 9-10

2008-08-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I just love the way Jesus talks to the Pharisees. He is so forward and tells it how it is. I love the part when Jesus goes and is eating with the tax collectors and "sinners" and the Pharisees ask the disciples "why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

Jesus replies, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

In my head I try to picture the look on Jesus' face when saying this to the Pharisees. In my head i see him giving the "duh" look. HAHA. Nah... I am sure Jesus didn't do that but to me it seems so obvious. LOL

I am beginning to see a theme in Jesus' healings. Whenever He heals someone He says "your faith has healed you" well I should say most of the time He says this.
When I think how strong faith is and what it can do I ponder why we are so hesitant now a days to heal someone? Is it because we are afraid we might scare someone away from our church? Are we uncomfortable? Are we skeptical? Or do we not have the faith at all?
I feel that God has so much more for us than what we are. I want to be all that God intends and wants me to be. Don't you?
God can use us in mighty ways! He can call any one of us to heal someone, to pray for someone, to teach someone, to have mercy, to evangelize, to discern and the list can go on and on and on.
There is no limit to how God can use you and I. Isn't that fantastic!!!?

One part of what Jesus said in chapter 10 really stuck out to me it is verse 10:28
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Angie's Thoughts

I want to touch upon what Nikke already has because it stuck out to me, too. All the times that Jesus healed someone and did not say, "I have healed you," but rather "Your faith has healed you." The more I read the more apparent it becomes of the value our Lord has in our faith. I remembered a verse as I was reading, one that comes a little later in Matthew

Matthew 17:20 "He told them, "Because of your lack of faith. I tell you with certainty, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

So, I think that kind of gives us perspective of the potential that we have. And I think that we've barely scratched the surface of this potential. Why? I'm not sure. As Nikke was saying, I would certainly feel uncomfortable walking up to a person in a wheel chair and praying over them and commanding them to walk in the name of the Lord LOL. And I think that would be for fear.. that I would actually do that and it wouldn't work. And I'd just stand there like an idiot. Hahah. And I want to kick myself for that. Because then I think... I must not even have enough faith to fill a mustard seed! But if we have faith in the Lord, then why do we doubt him in such ways? Because for people like me.. to doubt myself and my faith is to doubt the Lord, isn't it?

Well, I guess I think everyone has to take more risks with their faith. Put themselves out on the line and something even if theres a great chance that they'll just end up looking like an idiot. Because that's the worst that could happen. Is that we'd look like an idiot. haha. And I'm sure there would be a lot more miracles and I'd like to think that I could risk looking like an idiot for a miracle.
Okay what else... yeah that's about it.. yay :)

Matthew 7-8

2008-08-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

The one verse that sticks out to me is an age old saying that you hear all the time. I wonder if those who say it realize it came directly from Jesus' mouth?
7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."

Such a simple phrase yet so hard to follow at times.

Jesus teaches us about the fruit that one bears and that you will know those who are false prophets by their fruit.
So in other words if they are not showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control they are a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Jesus goes on to say, "not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

I think it will be interesting to see who all is in heaven when I get there. I wonder if there are people I know that I think will go to heaven that will not be there?

Angie

Right and wrong; it is embedded into our being.
Making the simple law "do unto others what you want done unto you" actually be a functioning law.. almost naturally.

Because, obviously, there must be a common denomenator in all of mankind and in our creation that lets us know when something is good and bad. Some say that right and wrong is undefined, while others say that it is a part of human nature.

I say it is a part of our intelligent design. We have a creator and we were made with a purpose. And that purpose is to do the will of our heavenly Father. And since He is pure and He is good and we were made in His image, it is only simple logic to conclude that we are, too, here to do good. And if that was our purpose and what we were created to do, these laws MUST be embedded into our souls, into our very DNA. We cannot escape it.

So, when Jesus says

7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for
this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

we should know that this isn't just a polite suggestion.. this is a demand. It is a calling that is marked in super-permanent sharpie deep within ourselves. I think it's safe to say that this simple Golden Rule, printed on stickers, refridgerator magnets, and bumper stickers.. essentially a cliche that has lost it's ring of knowledge, truth, wisdom, etc. over the centuries, is actually vital to our existence.

I think it's funny how much meaning and wisdom is actually in some cliches, but they're thrown around so much people stop listening to them.

Maybe that's a course of action we should try taking; applying the Golden Rule in different ways so that people will pay attention. And I think that all starts in LIVING the Golden Rule. Being a testament ourselves for it..

I think that would be a great way to be the aroma of Christ. A good place to start anyways...

Alright I think that's about all I have to say for the night. I'm pretty sure I just rambled about a whole lot of nothin' :P Bye everyone :D

and P.S. When Nikke said.. "I think it will be interesting to see who all is in heaven when I get there. I wonder if there are people I know that I think will go to heaven that will not be there?"... I think that is something worth pondering. It's kind of ominous. But completely true, unfortunately..

Matthew 5-6

2008-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Angie's Thoughts

In Matthew Chapter 5-6, Jesus gives us some principles to live by so that we may live a Christ-like life.

Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not divorce.

Love your enemies.

Do not swear.

etc.. and elaborations of those principles. These are mostly common sense.

But He also touches upon subjects that really spoke to me.

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will
be also."

Wow. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also. It goes on to talk about how you cannot serve both God and money.

This should be on billboards. I mean, that is GREAT STUFF. If people applied that just slightly to their lives, that would make the world a better place. If we invest all our time and energy on making our life in THIS world better.. we're not going to have time do invest in our eternal home! When we do anything out of love and selflessness.. we invest in our heavenly home. Not ONE cup of a water that you give to somebody will be overlooked by God because He is all seeing. So, if we don't take our time to serve others, as we are called to do, because we are too busy with our job and making money to buy a car and a house and clothes and all of those other material things.. where does that leave anything for heaven?

I mean, isn't it common sense to be selfless then?

So, if you have a choice between giving your tithe and buying a new television. Think about how far each is going to get you in life. NOT just this life, but the afterlife. I think you'll find that the TV does poor justice.

And Jesus isn't calling us to not enjoy our money and our life and not spend anything on ourselves. He just wants our eyes on the prize. I think He wants our hearts in heaven with Him. where they belong.

But heres my FAVORITE part of chapter 5-6. It says Do Not Worry.

Matthew 6:25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you
by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Out of everything this is what I can apply most to my life. And I think the average person can say the same. We spend so much time worrying and stressing out and wasting energy on things that will be okay no matter what. That's what I tell myself when I start worrying or when I get scared. "No matter what.. everything is gonna be alright." Because even in death, we have eternal life. And we have purpose. Even in complete darkness, we have light. So, don't waste your energy worrying about what God will take care of.

I think that this is almost about efficiency in our life. God wants us to be efficient. He does not want us to squander time and energy where it is not needed.

And on THAT note, fellow readers and bloggers (and Nikke :P ), I'll add.. that our lives are like hourglasses glued to the table, and we musn't waste one grain of sand, because each breath is a gift of God. And I hope that one day I can look back on my life.. and know that it didn't go to waste. See you tomorrow, everyone!

Nikke's thoughts

What a great teacher Jesus is! I just love the way He taught and well still teaches.
I love the way He breaks it all down and makes it so simple.
For myself it isn't always that simple. I think it can be. Can it?
When I was reading Jesus' teaching the Sermon on the Mount, being the salt and the light, the law, anger, lust, divorce, vows (oaths), retaliation, loving your enemies, giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, money and worry.

To myself I was thinking doesn't this come naturally to us? Somehow this has been lost to us. To the world.
I think the world has normalized so much of the things around like divorce, pornography, stress, needing to be wealthy etc. etc.
I think it is so sad that divorce is so common and that the vows a man and woman make to each other are not taken seriously or that a man or wife will allow their spouse to commit adultery by watching others on television and videos doing sexual acts. The mindset now is well he or she is not literally having sex. Jesus says "but I tell you anyone who has looked at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery within his heart."

Angie made some really good points about money, worry and self image. I just want to add that it is ok for someone to want to dress and look nice and want to have money. What matters is if you put the Lord first. Do these things come before God? If you say no, then you are good to go my friend.
God looks at the heart of what you do and who you are. However, He is very blunt about His expectations and we need to be obedient.

As I was reading these chapters I was thinking to myself the bible is the ultimate "book" if you will.
It has love, anger, revenge, battles, politics, vividness, family and redemption. All things that make up a wonderful novel that a lot of us might buy at the local book store.
Except the bible has the ultimate author and creator behind it! Man, I wish more would read it and feel the Spirit of God.

Matthew 3-4

2008-08-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

I love how it describes John the Baptist. I am imagining him in my head as this long haired hippy that hasn't shaved in forever. A sort of Jerry Garcia like. LOL.
This is so proof that God doesn't limit His vessels to just the prim & proper.

I cannot imagine being the one to baptize Jesus! How tight would it have been to witness this and see the Spirit of God in dove form descending on Him? Not only that but to hear audibly God's voice from above saying "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
I can only imagine it.

verse 8 really stuck out to me. John says this after he tells the Pharisees and Sadducees how it is.
vs 8. "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance"
this goes along with one of my favorite sayings "actions speak louder than words"
Am I walking what I am talking? Unfortunately, not all the time. There are moments I catch myself just babbling. However, I am human, born a sinner.
Lord, help me and guide me to make my actions match my words.

It always seems to amaze me when I read Matthew when Jesus sees those who are to become His disciples and when He calls them to follow Him they get up with no questions asked and follow Him leaving their friends, family and everything they do. I bet there was this strong aura about Jesus that made it to where you just couldn't help yourself.
Man as I think of myself. When God will ask me to just go and lay my hand on someone's shoulder to pray for them I ask God "are you sure?"
WOW! to be able to just do things as God tells me with no questions asked would be so awesome!
I want that in my life. I want to be that obedient.

Angie's thoughts

Alright. So, I thought this was interesting. John the Baptist:

Matthew 3:4 "John's clothes were made of camel's hair,
and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild
honey."

If a man like John the Baptist lived today, people would have him committed. They would think he was a crazy man and put him on medication and get him off the streets where he couldn't disrupt anything. I think people are too .. tame. I can't think this way or that way.. can't live this way or that way.. can't do what I want.. can't do what I'm called to DO.. because oh my gosh people might think I'm weird and imagine what they'll say and this person may not like me and I wouldn't want that reputation... Haha and here John is..letting it all loose in the desert.

but.. AHA.

Matthew 3:5 "People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole
region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the
Jordan River."

God chose HIM .. this freakish man in the desert .. to baptize Jesus.

So, really, I think we've got a theme going on here in these first chapters. God is obviously calling us to break the chains that society may hold on us. To not care what anyone but God think's about you. Because only when you follow Him.. do you live a fulfilling life. And I'd rather be happy and somewhat psychotic and free spirited than shove my self into a cast of society's ideal citizen in order to escape some scrutiny (whether that be school or work or wherever I am involved)

The moral of the story is.. don't be tame.

OH OH OH you know what that reminds me of?

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA haha at the end of the movie when its Mr Tumnus and Lucy and they're watching Aslan walk away into the distance on the beach..

Tumnus: "Don't worry. We'll see Him again.
Lucy: "When?"
Tumnus: "In time. One day He'll be here.. and the next He won't. But we musn't press Him.
After all, He's not a tame lion."
Lucy: "No, but He IS good."

here's a link to that clip. Forward to 6:35.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Er2p0S9io&feature=related

Matthew 1-2

2008-08-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Nikke's thoughts

It amazes me how orderly and precise the genealogy is. I am not one to be this exact.

As I was reading about Joseph and Mary needing to flee to be safe from harm I cannot imagine how scared one must be for their life and the life of their unborn child. Who is the Son of God a little more pressure there maybe?
As a new mom I would be so scared.

The strength of Joseph amazes me and the obedience he had to the Lord. In 1. Marrying a woman who was already pregnant.
2. In his dreams when the angel appears to him on 3 separate times to flee or go.

He exhibits what I believe to be a "real man"

Mary also amazes me too. She is carrying the Son of God in her womb and takes the responsibility that God has placed on her life with no complaints.

Angie's thoughts

Yeah, I'll have to agree with Nikke on how much courage that couple must have had. Not only the speculation you would recieve from being pregnant outside of marriage (especially in that time in history) .. but giving birth to the Christ. The single most important person to ever exist. Ever. ahahah that's a big deal. I wouldn't believe it if it happened to me. But they put so much faith and trust in God that they got through it no matter what people thought. I think that they gave a perfect example for not caring what people think about you. THATS PUNK ROCK! hahah. Just kidding. Obviously there is a message here, an example to follow, in not following the world, but throwing yourself down the path of God. THAT I can dig. Screw what they say. Jesus think's I'm awesome.

tight.

What we are doing

2008-08-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

Angie and I are going to blog about our daily readings of the bible on here. We are starting with Matthew and working our way through Revelation.

We will both be reading the same thing each day and just going over what stuck out to us.
I am super excited!!

Nikke