Cool Gospel Tool

'You don't truly understand something
until you can explain it to your grandmother'
-Albert Einstein













So..... how well do you know the gospel?

This last Sunday, I was given the tool of a Lifetime!
Our pastor... in our Sunday School Class, said that
if we were to go to Ephesians 2:1-10, there we
would find the gospel message, all laid out in one
section of scripture.

No need to flip here and there, and lose pace or
focus as we attempt to share our faith.

Here it is: Ephesians 2:1-10


BEFORE CHRIST:

Eph 2:1	And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
Eph 2:2	in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Eph 2:3	Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. CHRIST ENTERS:
Eph 2:4	But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
Eph 2:5	even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph 2:6	and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Eph 2:7	so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. BY GRACE
Eph 2:8	For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9	not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. WITH DIVINE PURPOSE
Eph 2:10	For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

I do plan to make notes in the margin of my Bible if I would
like to emphasize certain points... but essentially, everything
is there in this passage to bring an unbeliever to an understanding
of the Gospel.

So cool!

Thank you, Pastor Lonnie...



.

Forsaken to Taken

When Father and Mother Forsake,
Alas! Me... God shall take.



















When Husband or Children
dish out heartbreak,
Alas! Me... God shall take.

When fears hover...
I shall take cover...
In the bosom of Savior,

For no man can ease
Heart's yearning pleas.
Alas! Only man's Creator.


.

WATCHWORDS THREE

1. Anxiety
2. Abba
3. See

As simple as...











A. Anxiety comes.
B. Abba Father! help!
C. See, child, what I can do...


Is there any other way to live?
















As the Jovial Ladies Three
To mind comes another Three;
"Anxiety", "Abba", and "See"!
Watchwords, come to rescue me.

Father continually waits upon me
To relinquish all anxiety.
And in return secures for me
A heart and mind of tranquility.

Come, rest, favored one thou art,
And sit upon the Lady's knee...
Beckon JOY... "Come to my heart!
Abba Father heareth me!"

Only, child, be thou beholden
Unto Him who loveth thee.
With courage, thy life emboldened,
Love Him! and cheerful be!

Casting all your care upon Him;
for He careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7

He or Me?

I have come to see two
opposing forces
operating in my life.
I am either striving towards self-realization
or I'm striving towards Christ-realization.

So, what am I seeking?
To understand more and more about myself?
How I came to be who I am?
What has shaped my personality to be as it is?
And why I behave as I do rather than as I would like?
Or what forces in early childhood have affected me
and created the being that I am today?

Is that what I am seeking?

Is that what truly matters in the great scheme of things?

If that is what I'm seeking,
I'm afraid I'm wasting a lot
of precious time.

I'm stunting my growth.
I'm stuck in the wrong place.
And here is why I think this way.

If I am priviledged to have become a child of God,
and If I am honored to be so called,
I have a responsibility to become all that my
Father has called me to be.

And what has He called me to be?

A better me?

No. Not a better me.

A Brand New me.

I am to be Christ-like.

That means I need not "fix" my self.
That means I need not go back and "heal" my self.
That means I need not worry about my self.

I am now to be conformed into His Image and Likeness.

Like in the beginning, when everything was just fine.

Before Satan introduced the idea
that I could really be like God
if I wanted to be...

by doing my own thing
and ignoring God...


























What a liar he was.
What a liar he is.
And what a mess he made.

And what a mess we make...
when we seek to take
care of our selves
apart from our Creator.

God help me become this New Person
you intend on making me.
God help me get out of the way
and help me to cooperate with You.

I LOVE MY ID

After watching Ben Stein's movie,
"Expelled" this week,
I came away with great comfort,
AND confirmation...

...my personal ID is firm,
settled, and very comfortable.















There is no question as to who I am.
Where I'm from.
Where I'm going.
And it's a wonderful feeling.

God is my source.
God is my Creator.

That is refreshing.

Imagine thinking you come from a monkey!
Or worse yet, from the bosom of a mud swamp.
There's something unsettling, uncomfortable,
illogical and hopeless about that.

I grew up sitting at the dinner table
where mom served us healthy meals,
and Dad served us evolution.
My dad is a very smart, loving man,
and I love him immensely, but...















evolution never sat well
with me (2nd from left).
All those years, it never did.
Wouldn't digest properly.
The very fibers of my body
thought it rather odd.

It was like getting in your car
and hearing a noise you don't
normally hear. Hmmmm, you
wonder... something's wrong...

That's how it's always been.
Big bang?
Swamp origin?
Evolution?
No... too much evidence
that there is a God.



"... I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

and that my soul knoweth right well"

Psalms 139:14


Yes, my soul knew all along.


On February 25, 1973,
at age 20, I discovered Him,
and along with Him, my true ID.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

I wish you the same knowledge.
The same discovery.
The same Truth.
I wish you to discover your
Intelligent Designer...

The Heavenly Father, Who wishes
to be your Father as well.

This awesome Intelligent Designer
intelligently designed ...

me.

What a great ID!

















"Blessed are those who have not seen,
and yet believe."

~Jesus, to doubting Thomas.

TENACIOUS LOVER

Thank you, Father, that I,
your daughter,
can never run away from you.

Though I may try.
Though I may wish I could.

But it's Your love that stays me.
Your merciful, boundless, compassionate love.

Honestly, I don't know why...





















I'm just thankful that You
are the Lover of my soul.

Thankful for THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

When once you become born again,
born into the Kingdom not of this world,
you inherit an incredible gift... right away.

You become a member of the Body of Christ,
never to be alone again.





















God, your Creator, Jesus, your Lord and Savior
And the Holy Spirit... the Triune God,
is in you the moment you believe...
that alone is enough.

Morover, while your feet are upon this earth,
while your hands touch this world,
and your eyes see His creation before you...

You have with you a comraderie of sisters
and brothers you did not enjoy before.

I am thankful for the Body of Christ,
for the brother who escorted me to
church.

I am safe and sound today because he,
a member of Christ's body,
made sure I was well enmeshed
and involved in the one body of people
who's God is the Lord.

Thank you Harris Kalb.

IF ONLY YOU KNEW...

Mom and Dad...














Please take a moment to view this video...

It's only two minutes long.
That's all.

It's one exquisite look into
the expression of family-time
and what it boils down to for
our children...











Please, just click here.
Enjoy!




(The place I found this video is a meal-planning website...
and they ask at the end if you need help making family meals
easier... I do not benefit from that offer at all. I just loved the
video...)

Loved Me to Death

Once upon a time,

He Loved me. Yes,

He Loved me to death.

His own death, that is.













But now, He says to me...

Let me Love you...
Love you to Life.

It's not enough that
I am saved from
eternal separation
from God, though
I'm eternally grateful.

I want to also not be
separated from Him
here and now.

Oh, I know He is with me...
Closer than a brother...
I know He knows the number
of hairs on my head...
and that nothing is hid from
Him with whom I have to do.

But there is yet more.
An "abiding" more.

When I'm misbehavin',
He steps back...
Withdraws a bit...
As if asking me, "Am I
leading you there?"














I know what's wrong,
His Spirit tells me so.

Now - what am I to do?

He reminds me... there is...
no condemnation,
but...
let me love you,
right now,
to Life.
Follow me,
right now,
into Life.

"I am come
that ye might have life,
and that you might have it
more abundantly."
John 10:10





















Lazarus, resurrected from the dead.

From Bad Apple to Good Apple

"The purpose of Christ's redeeming work
was to make it possible for bad men to
become good - deeply, radically and finally."
-A.Tozer












Another nugget for my soul.
I can become good.
Not on my own,
but through Him, I can.

And yet, I am not experiencing
enough of the good.
I am in a quandry.

What is the problem here?
I say one thing, and am another.

I see my life... I see the works
of my hands... I see my home...
and I wonder... what am I missing?

There's goodness here, yes.
If it weren't for Christ,
I wouldn't be alive today.
But that's not enough.

Am I being hard on myself?
Yes. I am.
I want more Goodness in my life.
I want more God-ness in my life.
Way more.
I am promised Life Abundant.

It is also written that I
can count on going
from glory to glory.

So what is the hindrance?






















I'm finding it out.
It's taking a long time...
I'm stubborn,
I'm proud,
I'm interested in me,
Not God's will for me...

and so...
I have...
holy discontent.

Well I should.

"Being confident of this very thing,
He who has begun a good work
in me will perform it until the day
of Jesus Christ. " Phil. 1:6

BRIDAL JOY

There is something about a wedding
that is unmatched by any other event.

The mix of Love, Anticipation, Celebration...
Beauty everywhere... and all in one day!

A sort of Holy Blend...


And then...

the bride.

Nothing is more beautiful than

the bride.




















She can take your breath away.
She does take your breath away.


If perchance a wedding is
a rushed affair, you will find
many willing to loan,
give,
beg,
borrow,
steal...
in order that the occasion
be a beautiful one.

It is understood.

____________________________


But have you heard?

Have you heard
of the grandest
wedding of all?

A King is soon
to be married!

Have you read the news?








 

He is coming for his Bride.
Do you know her?

Oh How He Loves Her.
Fusses over her.
Would even die for her.

OH Blessed Church...

Beautiful Bride of the Son...

Are there whispers of joy
in your house...
things being done
and prepared...
beauty being thought of
in every possible way...
Is there love in the air...
and great anticipation
motivating all to be ready?

Are YOU ready?

Oh Please Be ready!

Your Groom is at the door!

_________________________



Biblical references:

"Jesus, Who testifies to these things says,
'Yes! I am coming quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. "

Revelation 22:20

___________

Have a Rest...

"Anxiety shows that we are
too close to the world,
and too far from God."
John Piper


Now that's a test I don't mind taking.

How much anxiety am I carrying?
Today?
Right now?
I need look closely...

Anxiety is about as necessary
as a hole in the head.

Worrry is about as necessary
as another hole in the head.











Poor guy.
Looks silly.
and sad.

So do we.

When we worry
and fret
and fear
and forget
our Father...

Who cares about ALL our cares.
Who carried ALL our cares
to the cross, and cared enough
to set us free of the bondage
of
Cares
and worry
and fretting.

Oh, precious saint...















Rest in Him.
Lean on Him.
Trust in Him...


"... learn of me;
for I am meek
and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light. "
Mat 11:29-30

FIRST THE BAD NEWS

"You have no life in you."
...says Jesus in John 6:53


No Life. None. Zero. Zilch.

What does it take to get it
through my thick skull.

I do NOT have what it takes.

I can NOT do it alone.

I am NOT sufficient on my own.

There is no amount of GOOD
I can do - none. What good
there is to be done, HAS
to be done through Him.

Must be God-initiated.
God-powered.
God-sourced.

Otherwise, what I do is but

Hay and stubble,
Straw and cuttings.
Dried up and shriveled up
Weeds and shrubs.

Ready for one thing...













... fire

Makes very good, hot fire
that's all.

Oh - to be so fully dependent
on God, that all I do originates
from Him, and not me.

Oh settle the matter, saint
Settle it soon...

"... Without Me,
ye can do NOTHING..."
John 15:5b




.

THEN THE GOOD NEWS

"I am the resurrection,
and the Life: he that
believeth in me,

though he were dead,

yet shall he live."

Jesus, in John 11:25















Jesus demonstrates His Deity by resurrecting the dead...
Only God can do that.
Only LIFE can produce life from death.
______________________________

The way I see it,
things are rather
topsy turvy...

Life on this earth daily
dishes out death...
It's all around us.

But then,
Ah, but then...
AFTER death...
comes LIFE,
Eternal Life.


"And this is the testimony;
that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son.
He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
These things I have written to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God,
that you may know that you have eternal life... "
1 John 5:11-13

From this, I gather that
there is no life outside of Christ...
it is in Christ that Life is found.
Those who have chosen to believe in Jesus
Christ as their Savior and Lord...
now have Him as their Life.

Then this becomes the plan,
that we should daily,
continually give up our earthy death-life
that we might exchange it for the heaven-Life...
here and now.
His Life for mine...

And then this LIFE we have in Him
will produce what HE has ordained
from before the foundation of the world.
Works of the flesh (fire-works) will diminish,
And in their place...
A work suited and tailor-made for us,
producing an abundance of fruit.












Life springs forth from death,
but only, only, in Christ!


"For God so loved the world (you)
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever (you) believes in Him,
should not perish,
but have everlasting Life."

John 3:16

No Me Left Behind!

This graphic is an incredible view of what that
momentous event may look like, and though the
sound of the trumpet can't be heard, and the
chaos of all manner of transportation being
instantaneously left unattended does not show,
you do get the idea.

The bright light is probably nowhere near as bright
as it will actually be, but this artist's depiction of
the Great Rapture is the closest I've seen to what
I imagine it will be like.

Because I do consider these days to be the "last days"
and I so love my parents and siblings - then it behooves
me to address this to them.

To explain what is expected of an individual who has
been "left behind"... view this site...

Left Behind Letters

There are other letters there explaining different
aspects of what the days after the rapture hold for
all who have been left behind. Get informed, and
if you wish to avoid being left behind, view this
site...

Avoid Being Left Behind!

Until I can produce my own version of these
suggestions and warnings... I hope this will cover
the need one may experience after this incredible
event takes place.

By the Way... the Great Rapture is described in
1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4, verses 16-18 as
follows:

"16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17. Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."


Truthbyter

Are You WITH Me?

I love acronyms.

My simple mind latches
onto them, to remind me
of some most needful
thing.

This time the acronym is:










W.I.T.H.

W = What
I = Is
T = The Truth
H = Here


This is how I latch on...

Am I working WITH God
or against God?

Am I working WITH Him
in my circumstance,
or against Him - as in
being uncooperative?

If I find I have lost
that sense of God's peace,
I ask myself...

ok, What Is the Truth Here
about the circumstance I am in?











Right here, right now...

how is God asking me to respond?

Will I be WITH Him in this,
or against Him?

Believing what God has to say
about any given situation,
and acting on that Truth,
is what will set me free
to be and do what is right.

I want to be WITH Him...
in all my circumstances...

and in order to do that,
I simply ask myself...

What Is The Truth Here?



" Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on him, If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:31-32

What AM I doing?

I need to grasp
something,
really
really
bad.

Like,
the sooner
the better.


What I do now...






















Counts for Eternity.


______________________


This brings
eternal significance
to the smallest act.

Every little thing

I do, I must do well.


"For whatever you do,
do... heartily..."

Col 3:23

Why TWO???

"Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world around me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?"

- G.K. Chesterton






















God keeps the days coming
because God thinks each day
is worth something.
Each and every new day
brings with it Mercy.
And Grace.

Do I realize the gift this is?

















"...teach me to number my days
that I may apply my heart
unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Penitent Magdalene

Magdalene.
The Local Prostitute.

You know, they say
every time you
give yourself away,
you give a part of your

self

away ... you fragmentize.

A little bit more of you... gone...

Soon you begin to wonder
if there's any of you left.

And if there is,
what does that you
even look like anymore?

Each time,
a fragmentation.

Humpty Dumpty.
played on the wall.
Thought it was a ball.
But Humpty Dumpty.
took such a great fall.










All the king's horses
and all the king's men.
Could not put
humpty together again.

What does it take
to put a broken egg
back together again?

Nothing.
You can't do it.

What does it take
to put a broken life
back together again?

Nothing.
It can't be done.
What's shattered is shattered.

New life was what humpty needed.
Nothing else would do.

Brand new life.

That's what Magdalene got.
The King of kings came along,
with a few of His men,
and He gave her new life.

And now, she has it all together...
In Him.

Brand new life.



Click here to see what
that Brand New Life
looks like...

The Son Rules

Thank you Father, that no matter
how thick the clouds...
no matter how dark underneath...
the Son is still with me...
closer than a brother...
closer than a breath...


"...be content with such things as
ye have: for he hath said,
I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee." Heb 13:5