You are Chosen

I would love for you to click on this video and listen while you read this post:



Mary, the mother of Jesus. Chosen by God to give birth to our Savior. What kind of women is chosen for this job? Based on this scripture, we get an idea of what Mary's heart looked like to the Lord. Please read this passage, it is often refered to the Magnificat. I thought the version from The Message was quite interesting.

Luke 1:46-55 (The Message)

46-55And Mary said,

I'm bursting with God-news;
I'm dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I'm the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It's exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

I just love how this says, "I'm dancing the song of my Savior God." This is why Mary was chosen; she praised God with all her heart even in a strange situation. Think about it... an Angel vistited her and told her she (a virgin no less) would give birth to the LORD most high. And what was Mary's response? Praise you LORD!!!

Mary is the only woman to EVER carry out this MOST important job. She was chosen because of her character. But, you know what? We are chosen, too!

Chosen for what?

You and I are chosen to live our life to glorify God. We are chosen to lift Him up and make Him known to those around us. We are chosen to live in God's plan for us and to desire His presence in everything we do.

The Message also says in Ephesians 1:3-6
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Does it blow your mind that God had YOU in mind as He created the vast universe around us? The next time you feel insignificant or ineffective remember this very fact and celebrate it like Mary did. God loves it when we celebrate Him!

So the final question is: What exactly am I chosen to do? I can't answer that for you because that is between you and God. I do know that, when you place all of your focus on celebrating God and loving Christ, He will guide you where He wants you to go. Its so exciting when you really know deep down in your heart that God has chosen you for something awesome. Embrace it, be grateful to God and praise Him always.

Merry Christmas!

Read more...

Ok, everyone needs to put down what ever they are doing and listen to this video:










Are you stressed out this Christmas season? Too many things to do to close out the year at work? Too many lines to stand in? PLEASE remember the reason for the season:
Jesus!
Isaiah 9:6 (New International Version)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Read more...

Imagine

Revelation 1:12-16 (English Standard Version)
12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Can you imagine what it will be like to see Jesus face to face? Oh how glorious the sight will be. I don't think there are any real words to describe what He will be like! That is what is so exciting about it-we can imagine and let our mind meditate on seeing Him face to face for the first time!

Will you dance before Him?

David sure did!

2 Samuel 6:14-15 (New International Version)
14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

Notice how David danced with all his might! Oh, I hope to be so overjoyed to see Christ that I will dance my heart out.

Will you stand in pure awe and silence?

John actually fell to Jesus' feet at first sight of Him in all His splendor.

Revelation 1:17-18 (English Standard Version)
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Christ will be so glorious that we won't be able to comprehend His majesty. It will be like nothing we have seen on this earth. How amazing...

Will you sing Hallelujah?

Oh but the Angels come out in full force to praise Christ.

Revelation 15:2-3 NIV

They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.

That's another cool thing about seeing Jesus; we will get to sing with the angels!

LIVE IT OUT application:

As we celebrate Christmas the birth of that little baby boy who came to this earth to be our LORD and Savior so that one day we will not have to imagine what it will be like, but our eternal life in heaven will be a reality.

I challenge you to meditate on the verses above and think about what you will do when you see His glorious face before you. Please feel free to tell me by posting a comment on this blog entry, I would LOVE to hear your feedback...

Read more...

Transformation

Living a Biblical worldview… What does this mean? Do many Christians truly understand this vague but important concept? The best definition of Biblical worldview that I have learned is: Practicing the Kingship of Jesus Christ in every part of life. Wow! How often do we think of Jesus as King during our daily routine? This poses an interesting element to our Christian walk and the only way to live this out is through a transformation of our lives.

In the New Testament, three versus cover the concept of transformation. The first verse is Philippians 3:21 which says, “ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body!” This word for transformation in the Greek means to change the outward form or appearance of something. By this definition, we are encouraged to go through an outward transformation of our bodies by the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. So, in living a Biblical worldview and practicing the kingship of Jesus, what are some ways that we can make changes to our outward body, life and actions that is glorifying to God? What are some ways in which we can live, or not live, that the world around us will know that something is different about us?

The next verse about transformation suggests a slightly different means of transformation. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Interestingly, this Greek word for transformation is slightly different than the word in Philippians. The word Metamorphoo denotes a change in condition and often refers to a spiritual transformation; an inward change in our life. As Christians, once we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to change our mind and our thoughts to those that glorify God. There are so many things in our secular world today that infiltrate our minds and steer us far away from Jesus. I think of it as that old cliché of “garbage in, garbage out.” If we are filling our mind with junk, our thoughts might turn into words and actions that are not valuable to the kingdom of Jesus. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I challenge you to consider what you spend your time watching, listening, or reading and rethink if those things help you to transform your mind toward things that lift up the kingdom of Christ.

The question is, how do we go about transforming ourselves outwardly and inwardly? If we are truly renewing ourselves from the inside out, we will then bring glory to our Father. Both of the verses in Philippians and 2 Corinthians mention the word glory. In fact, 2 Corinthians says that we will reflect the Lord’s glory through our transformation! I would like you to recall two different stories in the Bible where the glory of the Lord was reflected upon Moses and Jesus. Moses spent forty days with God as the Lord gave him the Ten Commandments. When he came back to the Israelites, they could not even look at him because Moses reflected the glory of the Lord so brightly. (See Exodus 34:29) Now think about the Transfiguration of Jesus, He reflected God’s glory as he “shone like the sun”(see Matthew 17:2). What is the common denominator with both of these examples of reflecting God’s glory? Both Moses and Jesus had just spent extensive and intense time with the Lord, so much so that they reflected God’s light so brightly that those around them could barely look at their face! We too can reflect the Lord’s glory by simply spending regular time with God in prayer and meditation of His word. God truly wants us to be His light to the world He created. We can only reflect His light and character by coming to know Him and who He is. Start with just spending a few minutes in Bible study every day, you will soon find that you crave His presence more and more as you come to a closer relationship with Him. Before you know it, you will “shine like stars in the universe” (Phil. 2:15) and be the hope and light in this lost world.

Living a Biblical worldview is not an easy task. It is difficult to be transformed and different from the world. But, remember that our purpose as children of God is to love, serve and glorify Him. It is only through living out the kingship of Jesus that we can truly find fulfillment of our purpose as we set out to glorify our King. Let’s find our true joy by being transformed inwardly and outwardly not by the things of the world, but by the Word of God and the power of Jesus Christ.

LIVE IT OUT challenge:
Try doing one thing differently this week that takes you out of "worldly life" and closer to a transformed life in Christ. Post a reply and let me know all about it...

Read more...

Let us NOT shrink back

Most people know that I am a political junkie of sorts. My television is permanently programed to Fox News Channel and I listen to the whole gammet of conservative talk radio in the car. You better believe that this past election cycle really got my blood boiling! So much so that I have become very passionate about encouraging Christians to wake up and pay attention to the legislation that is brought forth in Washington.

Today I will spare you and not go into the nitty gritty of all my woes concerning this world we live in. However, I do encourage you to take a vested interest in what your congressmen are doing as it often affects our conservative, Christian values and more often than not in a negative way. And this is exactly why we must take a stand for Christ and make an impact for Him upon this world.

Why should we make the effort? Well, one answer is that Christ is coming soon and we want Him to find us living as salt and light of the earth.

I recently came across this passage in Hebrews and I can't get it off my mind:

Heb 1o:35-39
35Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. 37For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back,my soul has no pleasure in him."
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

I can't get over the phrase, in verse 37, "if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him..."
Oh man, I don't want to be found shrinking back! I just had to look up the Greek meaning of "shrinking back" It means just what you think it would, but the definition is worth taking a look at.
Draw back
Withdraw
hesitate

Do you ever find yourself withdrawing from your relationship to Christ and drawing closer to the worldly things that displease Him?

Do you ever hesitate in your faith and not believe God is the Almighty and can handle any of your circumstances? Moreover, do you question if God can handle the mess that is going on in our world?

Here's another angle, we are called as Christians to fight the good fight and not shrink back from our Biblical values. Wouldn't it be shameful if, on the day that Christ returns, you were found totally engrossed in things that do not "preserve your soul?" verse 39

But rather, let us take a stand for Christ. It will be tough, it will be tempting to draw back, you WILL need endurance. Rest assured that, your reward in heaven is much greater and glorious than anything this world can award you!

LIVE IT OUT application:
Take a moment to check out your favorite news source today a pay close attention to events in Washington D.C. that are undermining your Biblical values. Pray about that situation and ask God how you can take a stand and not shrink back!

Read more...

just too funny

Just for kicks... Watch this and then read the post below.

Read more...

I'm Back!

What a great day to worship! The weather was crystal clear and the leaves on the trees are bright fall colors.

At church they asked us to write on a piece of paper somthing that we are presently struggling with. We then put it in a basket and someone else randomly picked a piece and prayed for that person who wrote their struggle. I have to say that I really couldn't find a huge burden or a struggle to write down...

Doesn't this sound crazy that I couldn't find a thing? Even in the midst of the upheavel that has taken place in my house? Even when my husband is deployed (again!?) and I am left by myself to raise our five month old?

You would think that I would have a whole huge paragraph to write on that piece of paper...

The fact of the matter is that our Great God has lifted that burden off my shoulder.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Before Greg left, we made the very conscious decision to lay this burden and fear of the unknown right before the Lord. We pray together every night, telling the Lord that we trust His will and that He will give us strength during this trial. Good things will come out of this deployment because "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

So, in the past two weeks, I have felt nothing but peace and comfort and convidence that God has our life right in the palm of His HUGE and VERY CAPABLE hand.

I know that the next year won't be easy, but I also know that when I grow weary the Lord never does Himself. When I need a nap, He never gets sleepy. When I get fussy, He is always in control and completly in charge. When my child gets fussy, God is there to give him peace. When I am taken aback, God is never surprised by any turn of events. Take a look at this verse from Isaiah and then click on the You Tube video-you will be blessed- I promise!

Isaiah 40:28-31 (New International Version)
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Read more...

Lose the 'Tude

My sister used to say, "Lose the 'tude" whenever I had a sassy attitude or when we were fighting. She is always coming up with funny little quips to say and this one just poped into mind after reflecting on the past month.



Life is getting so much better in the Martin house. We have somewhat of a schedule with little Grayson and he is lighting up the home with his smiles, laughter and cooing. Don't get me wrong, there are still times when he raises the roof with crying, but mommy and daddy are figuring out what Grayson's crys mean so we can make him feel better.



About two weeks ago, I woke up one moring after a rough day previously and decided I would lose my attitude of anxiety and fear and proclaim that day to be a GREAT DAY. Its all your perspective.



Psalm 118 :24-29

24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. 27 The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks;you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.



Focus on vers 24 first. This is the day that the LORD has made. The Hebrew word for "made" in this verse means just what you would expect: to create. But, the word is also used in the context of the LORD's creative activity. The LORD not only created the entire universe, he also creates every single day! How should this change our attitude about our life? Our God is a loving and caring God, He only wants what is best for us. So, this means that He creatively fashions our day to be productive and prosperous for His ultimate glory.



Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.



What's the catch you might ask? There is no catch, but we just have to be willing to be in continuous conversation and fellowship with the Lord in order to know how He wants us to order our steps all day long. Not everyday will be easy, but we can find joy and hope every day in knowing that the Lord is good.



Now check out verse 27. The festal procession refers to the times that the Isrealites would make their way up to the temple duing their annual feasts. These were times of praise, thanksgiving and petitioning of the Lord. But, the emphasis was on praising God. I believe that if we order our day in line with God's will, we too join that procession of praise. Each one of us is on a journey and a procession, if you will. As a beleiver in Christ as LORD and saviour we are all on a journey towards our ultimate home in heaven. This earth is not our final destination, heaven is a reality-a glorious reality. So, as we make our way day by day in step with the LORD, we come one step closer to meeting our glorious God in heaven. Now that is somthing to rejoice about!!



Live it out application:

Tomorrow, wake up and say: This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. How do you think you would order your day differently with this in mind? Would you "lose the 'tude" after praying this verse?







I hope to teach Grayson to rejoice and be glad everyday!

Read more...

Baby Whisperer

I so wanted to post some kind of devotional reading today but my brain is just tired! I do have to say that I have found the ultimate Baby Whisperer! What is a Baby Whisperer-well it is something or someone that just has a special way of making a child stop crying and fall asleep-Praise GOD!!!



Today's Baby Whisperer is...

applause and drum roll please



Giles Blankenship!!!! or his cd playing very loudly in my car

My cranky child was screaming away while I was driving and I could do nothing accept turn on the music. Was I trying to lull him to sleep or was I just trying to drown out the crying since I was stuck driving with nothing I could do for the poor thing.



Then, all of a sudden, the child is calm as can be as if he didn't have a care in the world! What in the world!!

Thank you Giles for your soothing voice and beautiful praise music. While it was soothing the baby, it was soothing the mommy too.



You too can have your own Baby Whisperer by buying Giles' new CD, Planted Here , at www.digstation.com/gilesblankenship .

Read more...

Fighting Battles

I came across a great passage in the Old Testament and I thought I would share some insight from it. The more I read in the Old Testament, the more I realize how much interesting and rich lessons there are for us modern day Christians. I encourage you to take more time in the OT and see for yourself how the Lord speaks to you through the ancient believers.

Battles, we all wage battles these days. Not just war time battles, but struggles that are all around us all the time.

Think about some different types of battles that we see play out in our culture around us. Here are a few that I came up with:

War movies, Violent video games, that Gladiator tv show, divorce court, celebrity "battles", political battles (duh!!)

Now think about some personal battles that you might wage-or are waged upon you:

battles of the mind, battles with weight, arguments with the people around you, marriage battles, battles with your children

side note-the endless battle with my 5 week old to go to sleep!!

You do not have to be defeated in these battles when you are in Christ!

Take a look at 2 Chronicles 32:1-23 or click here . This is a pretty long passage but it is important to get the context.

King Hezakiah is a pretty cool dude-definitely a lover of the LORD. He gives us a great example of what to do when confronted with a battle. We must be prepared and fortified. Verse 4-5

We too can fortify ourselves as we are up in arms. First, we MUST recognize God as Almighty and All Powerful. Hands down, this is Key. We have an almighty God on our side (more on this in a second) Second, it is imperative that we find ourselves in the Bible everyday reading what God would have us do in situations of conflict. Our all Mighty God give us guidance in the Word on everything that we come up against. We just have to make ouselves open to hear what He wants to say to us!

Back to the concept of our all powerful God. Take a look at what King Hezzy said to his men as they were preparing for battle:
7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles."

Our God is greater than any fleshly and worldly battle that we face. Why? Because He is the creator of the universe for goodness sake! If He created it, then He is obviously bigger than His creation. Think about kids playing with play-dough. They create a little object with the dough and then, because the child is bigger than his created object, he can smash that play dough anytime he wants. Its just like that with God, our Lord can smash our enemies any old time He wants. So, be strong and courageous and put your confidence in the All Mighty Creator.

Finally, Jesus tells us that we have overcome:
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

This is why we can have confidence, we are children of God and have already overcome if we put our trust in Christ alone. Hear that again: WE HAVE ALREADY OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.

No need to be afraid, no need to run in fear from the enemy. Enough Said!

Read more...

I've been blessed!!

Ok, so I am going to spill my guts here so get ready. Most of you all who know me will know that I don't usually put on pretenses and that I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve. This is a good thing and a bad thing-I just can't keep my emotions pent up. Also, I want others to know that they aren't alone if they are experiencing the same things!

Gut spill # 1:Being a mom is HARD-there, I said it. I was in such denial about this issue before the baby came but it has now hit me smack dab in the forehead. Please don't get me wrong-I dearly love my Grayson, but this is really really hard!!

Gut spill #2: I am not usually a fearful person but I am so afraid these days that I won't be able to handle the pressures of being a mommy. I feel like I am just inches away from losing it. But, when I am just on the brink of going bonkers, the Lord blesses me and reminds me of His almighty love and power.

Gut spill #3: This one is absolutely crazy and not true at all. But it goes to show how much Satan can lie to us and send us down the wrong road. On top of the fear listed above, I am so afraid of going at this mommy thing alone. Like I said-totally nuts. Why? Because, first of all, I have an amazing husband who loves and supports me and does diaper duty in the middle of the night!!

Today the Lord has shown me why all of this fear is deception from the enemy. I have been blessed in so many different ways today that I am renewed in my spirit and able to handle some major baby meltdowns and seriously dirty diapers!

The biggest blessing today was an email from my Mom. She wrote the most beautiful thoughts and I want to share them with you...

Before I was a Mom-ADAPTED BY IRIS FRANCIS

Before I was a Mom
I never worried about my plants being poisonous.
I never had been pooped on
Puked on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of my mind and thoughts.
I slept all night.
I exercised whenever I wanted to.
I never thought of immunization shots.
Or the words to Lullabye songs.
Before I was a Mom
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never new the joy it would bring when my baby chooed his first sounds.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I could not stop him from crying.
I never knew holding a sleeping baby would feel so complete.
I never knew something that small could affect my life so much.
Before I was a Mom
I didn’t know how to shh shh a baby.
I didn’t know the feeling of a baby feeding on my breast.
I didn’t know something that small could make me feel so important.
I didn’t know the happiness of the sounds Da Da or MaMa.
Before I was a Mom
I didn’t know the bond of a mother and child, that would last forever.
I never knew I had so many friends to talk to when I needed advise.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love the heartache, or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I never knew how really wonderful my husband is until now.
Being a Mom is a most wonderful thing.
Time goes so fast.
Enjoy.
Love, Mom

This email reminded me that I am not alone and that I am loved dearly.

Another cool thing was that I have a great friend, Nita, who has just recently experienced all that I am going through. She is always calling to check up on me and see if I need anything from the grocery store. Today we went on a walk together and soaked up a beautiful day. This time with her helped me to cope with the major crying fit that happened the moment we hit the door at home-thank goodness we made it home!!! AMEN!!

One more awesome blessing today was that I was connected to an old friend from Texas via the blog world-what a coincidence. God is so cool. Check out Charla's great blog- click here.

I am not alone! This is what the Lord has shown me today via my friends and family. Thank you Jesus!!

So, I want to end with a verse that the Lord gave me a couple of days ago and I think it speaks for itself:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9


My challenge to you is to not shy away from boasting in your weakness. Spill your guts! But, make sure your spilling it all out to God first. He will take that weakness and replace it with His upmost power.

One more thing- you know I wouldn't post anything these days with out a picture of my Little Bit!!

Read more...

Quick Devotion- All Swaddled Up

The first week at home with Grayson was nice and quiet and pretty uneventful. Plenty of sleeping, eating and pooping! One thing that struck me, though, is how much this child loved to be swaddled. Experts say that babies like this because it makes them feel like they are snug as a bug like in the womb. Well, little Grayson has already taught his mommy something about Jesus! So, of course, I had to write a devotional about it.

Romans 13:14

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature

Oh how I need to be constantly wrapped up with the Holy Spirit! One funny thing about this swaddle business is that Grayson is always trying to free his hands from the blanket. He is like a little Harry Houdini wiggling his way out to free his arms. But, usually when his arms are free, Grayson works himself up and starts crying.

Isn't that just like us. We get wrapped up in the love of Jesus, filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But, our fleshly, human nature gets in the way and we find ourselves wrestling our way out of the security blanket of Jesus. Then what happens-all kinds of things that don't glorify God.

LIVE IT OUT application:

How do I go about being wrapped up, snug as a bug in Jesus? It starts with spending time in the Bible and in prayer daily. This means starting up constant communication with God as if He is always with us (Oh, He is always with us-we just don't always acknowledge Him) Also, it takes admitting our weaknesses (when you know you can't do something in your own strength) and taking this weakness before God to let Him work through you. Building a relationship with God takes effort on our part. Since He is always available to be our King of Kings and Almighty Hand that Saves, we just have to make the effort to come to our Father and be wrapped up in His love.

Father, I submit to your ultimate authority. I submit to the fact that I must be wrapped up in you at all times. Lord, when I do wiggle free, please patiently calm me down from my tantrum and swaddle me up again because I want to live in a manner that pleases you.

Amen

PS Here's one more picture that I just had to post=too cute!

Read more...

Grayson James Martin

Born May 31st, 7lbs 10 oz, 21 inches. More blog posts to come!

Read more...

LIVE IT OUT

Tonight I am giving a Bible study message to the ladies at my church with the theme of LIVING OUT THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST. I thought I would share some of my notes. Take a look at this video first.
Click here- this is worth clicking-I PROMISE!

Here are some practical ways to LIVE IT OUT

Worship in the Presence of the King
-When we lift Christ up as King our worship is to serve Him and not just "get something out of it" for ourselves. Worshiping in the presence of the King means to put our full engagement in the act of singing and making music as we think about what we are singing and think about how our words glorify Him. Revelation 19:6-8 is a great example.

Revelation 19:6-8 (The Message)

6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder: Hallelujah! The Master reigns, our God, the Sovereign-Strong! Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory! The Marriage of the Lamb has come; his Wife has made herself ready. She was given a bridal gown of bright and shining linen. The linen is the righteousness of the saints.

Waiting at the Throne of the King: While we wait in His presence-we can make ourselves busy by digging into the Bible and study what Christ our King wants to say to ous personally.
Here's a perfect account of what we should do as we Wait at the Throne:

Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

The greek word for Listen in verse 38 means to pay attention. So basically, Mary sat down and waited with the intention to pay attention.

If we truly see Christ as our King of Kings-who wouldn't want to wait to see what He has to say to us. Dig into your Bible Today!!

Find Focus on Him alone means to put all of our thoughts and energy into getting to know who Christ is. When we do this, I fully believe that we can't help but run smack dab into our purpose. In addition to finding our focus on Him for our purpose- we should find our thoughts, emotions, affections and our love toward Him in our little happenings in life. This means turing our frustrations, our anger, and even our grumpiness toward Christ-making Him the center of everything.

Colossians 3: 1-2
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things

This is an attitude check kind of verse. Are our thoughts set on Christ who is in the Higer Place or is our focus on earthly things. Things that fade, things that die out, things that go out of style!

The good news is that Christ is already King, He is already victorious. We don't have to do a thing to place Him on the throne accept set our worship, our waiting and our focus on Him.

Revelation 22:
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

It is already done-we just have to LIVE IT OUT!!!

Read more...

Quick Devotion-Radical Love

I was reminded of one of the gospel accounts of the woman with the alabaster jar last Sunday and was intrigued to go and have a fresh look at the passage. This story is often looked at as a lesson on true repentance, but I have a new insight-A Woman with Radical love for Christ.

Here is the passage-take a fresh look at it for yourself: Luke 7:36
36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.


Yes, this is an amazing story of repentance, one that we should all learn from. But look at it from the context of adoration of Christ. This woman walked into a situation where she was not welcomed and was totally out of her social circle and probably comfort zone. The Pharisee alone was a reminder that she was a sinner compared to the men at the table (they were known to be extra righteous and pious Jews) Once she walked in, she showed up most respect by anointing Jesus with oil. This oil was very precious and gave off a beautiful smell. What is so incredible is that she unabashedly poured it out on Jesus' feet and washed His feet with her tears. In this one act, she was showing how much she loved and respected Christ and lifted Him up as her King.

What got me thinking is, how do I step up my worship of Jesus. How do I radically show Him I love Him. Do I ever step outside my comfort zone to adore and anoint Him as King? I don't have an answer right now as to how I will go about taking my worship to another level, but I will be spending time praying and meditating over this. How about you??

Read more...

American Idol

My husband would tell you that I am an American Idol freak. There was a time, when AI first aired, that we would have to leave a restaurant during our entree with doggy bags in hand in order to make it home by the time the show started. While I am not quite as fanatical about it ( I don't leave events early anymore) I still enjoy the show.

I have to admit that I have been a bit confused by the song choices this year. I was excited to see Dolly Parton belt out a gospel Jesus song and I loved that they re-did the "Shout to the Lord" after much audience protest, I am sure. This has been really cool to see on a national show with such a large audience. I am, honestly, kind of confused as to their motivation with song and guest (Dolly) choices. Praise the Lord that this music was aired, but who is behind it??

Is it the same motivation behind the unfortunate song choice of Carly Smithson? On Tuesday night, she sang "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Andrew Lloyd Weber's 1970's famed musical of that same title. If your not familiar with this title, the musical was controversial and the Christian community deemed it as blasphemous. Not familiar? Google it as I would rather not give anymore lip service to the musical directly! (Can you tell that I'm a bit steamed?!)

In on word, if I had to pick just one, the song was IRREVERENT. It takes the name and reputation of Christ in vain. No one seemed to bat an eye by the performance. I batted more than an eye, I was upset and pouted about it for a few days. Well, not really pout, but I mulled over it intensely when I didn't have anything else to focus on. After a few days, I finally had a conversation with the Lord about it. I prayerfully asked Him what He thought about the AI performance and that I hoped it would not go unnoticed by Him. What is so cool is that God held up His side of the conversation with me and led me to a Bible verse answer in Revelation:

He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself...On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORD Revelation 19:12, 16

I felt the Lord telling me that He can take care of Himself in this situation and He doesn't need me fretting over something so small. God is used to people taking His name in vain. But, one day, when He comes back to judge the world, He will bear a name that no one knows. This name will be pure and glorious and not defiled by the sinful world. This bit of a Bible verse gave me a since of power-though not my own power. I felt uplifted that my God doesn't let blasphemy bring Him down. Yes, he does weep over our fallen, sinful world, but that sin doesn't change His Kingly nature in anyway!

As Revelation 19 says, one day the whole earth will proclaim His glory:

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!' "

Revelation 19:6-7

Read more...

Slow Walkin' at Wal-Mart

"Excuse me, on what aisle might I find the humble pie?"

This is the new characterization of my life right now. I am eight months pregnant and I just can't move as fast as I used to. I find myself in slow motion as I am buying groceries and shamelessly leaning on the grocery cart handle by the time I reach the check out lady.

Insert fork with the bitter taste of that good old humble pie.

Upon swallowing a big bite, I realized that this might be a lesson learned and that the Lord in His infinite wisdom might be using this situation to teach me or show me something about myself that needs to change.

What pride am I dealing with that needs to be countered by the dessert that I am fed these days? Probably the pride of needing to look good all the time. (Boy, I am really spilling my guts today) It doesn't look cool to be leaning on the Wal-Mart cart for support!

Ok, Lord, I get it! I don't need to be focused on what others think. But, instead, my focus must be on what you think and how I am reflecting your glory.

So, as I am writing this, I will take that humble pie as a blessing and be thankful that I have a bundle of joy to deliver in 2 months! Thank you, Lord for redirecting my thoughts back to the great things you do for me.

"Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. 9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. 10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant" Psalm 25:8-10

How about you? You might not be eating humble pie right now, but maybe its another type of dessert that God is serving up for you. Take it, savor it, learn from it, and do something different! Mmmmm, tastes good when you see the blessing!

Read more...

Acts Bible Study-Part 2-BE BOLD

In this look at the book of Acts, I am am finding things about it that I would have never uncovered before. It is cool how God uses His word at different times of our lives and then reveals different things that we need to hear. Lately, I have been doing alot of reading about culture, Pop Culture ,and how Christians can have an impact on the world around us with out being overwhelmed by the culture. This is a complex topic and I prayed that God would give me some examples of how the process of impacting culture was accomplished in the Bible. Well, I found it in the book of Acts with out really meaning to! My original intention was to study obedience and now the Lord is also revealing stuff to me through my new venture of studying culture! I will share what the Lord is speaking to me through the chapters ahead, but I would love to see what He might be teaching you individually as you study this with me~

Let's get going...

Read through Acts 3 (yes, the WHOLE chapter) -we will mainly be focusing on Acts 3:11-26.

As you read, mark in the margin of your Bible any thing you read that seems like Peter and John are making a proclamation. There is no wrong answer here and there are several instances.

Who are they "preaching" to and what is the message?
Peter and John are proclaiming the resurrection of Christ to the Jews. They are also admonishing them for ignoring the prophets and not recognizing Jesus as their Messiah. Basically, they are blaming the Jews for sending Jesus to the cross. But, in the same breath, Peter and John are loudly begging them to repent and await the second coming of Christ.

Would you say that the two apostles are being extremely bold in their preaching? Why?
As witnesses to Christ's life and resurrection, the two apostles were so passionate about their message of the Gospel, they didn't care whose toes they stepped on!


Now move on to Acts 4. (the whole chapter!)

Take a look at Acts 4:1-4

There are two main outcomes of all the noise and bold proclamation of Peter and John-what were the outcomes in these verses?

1) Peter and John got the attention of the Sadducees and the high priest!
2) Five thousand came to believe in Christ because of their boldness!
Do you think Peter and John really cared that they were being incarcerated after seeing all of those people come to follow Christ!?

Verse 8 gives us some insite as to where the gumption came from.
What came over Peter?
The Holy Spirit filled Peter and he was not afraid to proclaim the resurrection to these very powerful and important people. These very people threw him in jail for goodness sakes!
We see over and over again instances where the apostles relied only on the Holy Spirit for power to speak and power to do miracles. They fully understood that they could do nothing to further the Kingdom of Christ on their own.

How often do you try to take matters into your own hands? In retrospect, would it have made things easier if you relied on God and asked for help from the Holy Spirit?

Also, don't miss the role that the Holy Spirit played in our theme of boldness. The two apostles where standing up to the leaders of Jerusalem and unabashedly accusing them of Christ's death. Do you think Peter could have boldly made these claims in his own flesh and power-NO! It is only through the guidance of the Spirit that he was able to have such an impact with his words.

Christians these days-you and I- are still called to BOLDLY proclaim the resurrection of Christ. By doing this, we can be the salt and light of the world around us and make a difference in the culture. This is a enormous task-impacting the culture. But, again, the book of Acts gives us some insight.

Focus in on verse 24-32. What does verse 32 say of the believers?
They were of ONE heart and mind and they were single mindedly focused on Christ and spreading the word. They were also in one heart and mind as they prayed and petitioned the Lord. What a difference we could make in the world if we all could get over our petty differences and focus on the message of the Gospel-this seemed to work so well for all of the believers in Acts. Why can't we do the same today?

Back up in verse 29-30. What did the believers ask of God?
The believers asked for Boldness(yes that word again) and for the Lord to do miraculous works and healing. The reason that they asked God to do wonders was so that people would see tangible evidence of Christ and believe.

LIVE IT OUT application:
BOLDNESS and MIRACLES-this is what we need God to give to us and do through us in this day that we live in. It should be the concern of every Christian to want to make a difference in the world around them for the glory of Christ. Is this your concern? Do you even consider what you could do to impact people around your or circumstances around you? The apostles had a single minded, BOLD focus on proclaiming the gospel. They stuck to the message of the cross and resurrection and let the Holy Spirit work through them. As far as miracles and wonderous works of God, boy do we ever need the Lord's heavenly intervention in the world around us! There are just somethings that we need Him to be BOLD and do amazing things!! Through our BOLDNESS in speaking the truth of Christ, we can LIVE OUT the Kingship of Christ. And, through us and His MIRACLES, Christ the King, will be known through out the earth. Its time for us to step out of our comfort zones and take on the challenge of reclaiming the world around us for the Kingship of Christ! BE BOLD-LIVE IT OUT!!

Read more...

Salute of the Tulips

Part of our role as Christians is to recognize God as Creator of the universe and to give Him the credit for the magnificence of the world He formed with His own hands.

Springtime is a wonderful time to do just this. Every year about this time, grass grows green, flowers sprout up from the ground and animals come out of the winter slumber. Beauty comes forth around us in abundance.

I was driving in my neighborhood and stunned by a flower bed of gorgeous , colorful tulips. These flora were all of the primary colors in their brightest hue and were standing straight up as if to salute the Lord. I was moved to applause as I gave recognition and credit to the Lord for His creativity. It would be so easy to give credence to the gardener who skillfully planted this flower bed. But, God deserves all the praise!!

"the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

LIVE IT OUT:

Take the time this spring to open your eyes to creation around you and give God a shout for joy our and applause of praise for blessing us abundantly with His royal artwork!

Read more...

Grayson's photo shoot

(click on the photo for a closer look)

Modern technology is so cool. Today Greg and I got to have a 3D ultrasound-really cool. The doctor said everything is fine and that he is a chunky baby! I am going to have to cut back on the carbs and eat more protein-boo!! Such are the sacrifices of a mother :) Many more to come, I am sure...

So of course this lead me to a thought about Mary, mother of Jesus. She did not have the opportunity to see her unborn child via ultrasound. But, she was just like any other expectant mother, excited about the arrival of the baby. Our God is a creative God and offers us a divine paradox. He sent his Son, our Lord and Savior, to this earth to be fully man AND fully God. Little baby Jesus would have looked similar to Grayson in the picture. He had 10 fingers, 10 toes, dirty diapers, and sweet , baby soft skin. He took on the appearance of all babies born into this world; He looked just like you and me! The difference is that He was also KING of KINGs and LORD of LORDS!

Matthew 1:23 says:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"which means, "God with us."

God sent His son to live among us, to save us, and to have a relationship with us. The term "Immanuel-God with us" takes on the meaning of God with us:
-not a God who creates us and then leaves us to fend for ourselves
-He is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31), He only wants the best for us

The gospels give many accounts of Jesus interacting with us as human kind, his creation, disciples, Isrealites, etc.

*Jesus cried in the nighttime, needed diaper changes and nursed His mother's breast just like any other baby
*Jesus walked with us along the dusty country roads of Judea; He nursed blistered feet as He preached, healed an gave hope to the Jews
*Jesus danced and celebrated with us at weddings, hoisting the bride and groom up on the wedding chairs; he also danced with the bride during the Mitzvah dance

Getting back to the Paradox of Jesus as fully man and fully God. There is a difference between us and Him:
**Jesus relates to us as man because he came to earth as a man. This DOES NOT bring Him down in stature.
**Just as He was a man, servant, brother, friend, carpenter, He is still supreme over All of creation.

Jesus was all of the roles listed above but embodied the role of leader, healer, teacher, SAVIOR, GOD, and KING.

LIVE IT OUT application:
read the following verse and think about how you look at Christ in the manner expressed in Isaiah. Do you hold Jesus up to these roles in your life everyday?

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
Isaiah 9:6


AMEN!

Read more...

Admin stuff-Posting a comment

I heard back from some of you all that you were unable to post a comment-this is totally my bad! I didn't have it on the right setting. You are now more than welcome to post a comment. If you don't have a blogger/google account, you can click the anonomous button-but remember to leave your name in the post so I know who you are:)



love,
sarah

Read more...

Quick devotion on Psalm 4

I got a hold of some great scripture cards that encourage praying specific scriptures and have been trying to memorize and pray a new scripture daily.

Today's verse:
" Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call to Him." Psalm 4:3

This verse is rich with so much meaning and is worth taking the time to look at what some of the words mean in Hebrew. In doing this, I get a tid bit of extra insight into what the writer of the Psalm was meaning when using that particular word. Alot of Hebrew words have deeper definitions than our English translation allows us to read.

The Hebrew for "set apart" means to be distinguished, to deal differently, to make a distinction. This means to me that God made me distinct from others and especially made me different from non believers. He sets apart His own to live godly, holy lives while holding us to a higher standard than the rest of the world. Once we become a follower of Christ, we are still going to mess up, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can live that godly, holy life that is on par with God's standards. This should be our aim everyday...

But, also take note of the fact that the LORD sets apart the godly FOR HIMSELF. He doesn't just pick us out of the crowd, and then sluff us aside to be forgotten. The LORD saves us for HIMSELF,for His pleasure and delight. Boy do I want to live to delight the LORD!

But, how do I actually delight the LORD? This brings me back to the Hebrew meaning of the word, "godly." It means to be merciful, faithful, kind, benevolent, and gracious. This definition does not cover the whole meaning of the word but it gives us an idea of what the LORD is looking for in godliness. Christ lived this example out for us and we can turn to the New Testament for further instruction on godliness.

LIVE IT OUT application:
In the meantime, what are ways that I can be more merciful, kind or gracious to those around me? What are some things I can do today to delight the LORD with my faithfulness? How can I act as one SET APART?

LORD, you are worthy of our praise and worthy of our godly actions. Show me, through your Holy Sprit, how to live my life as one set apart. My goal is to delight you and to also delight and have joy in You.

Read more...

Bible Study on the Book of Acts-Part 1

A couple of weeks ago I was evaluating myself on how often I actually work on spiritual disciplines and I felt the Lord speak to me about my Bible study habits. It seems that I have not been digging in deep enough into the Word and really studying it for myself. So, I prayed over what exactly to begin studying and how I would go about doing it. I decided to go with the tried and true method of Inductive Bible study introduced to me via Kay Arthur books. Then came the task of praying over what book of the Bible to inductively study.

This is where the Lord has been speaking to me about my own unbelief. Now, this word, unbelief can take on may different meanings. To me, lately, it means that I have trouble believing God to give me certian guidance regarding ministry and believing that His timing surpasses all. My problem is that, I get going in a task of ministry and want to go full force ahead, taking the wheel in my own hands rather than letting God do the driving. So, this is where I end up in the book of Acts. Jesus gave all of the disciples specific tasks on His own timing. They did not question or try to take control, but obeyed and went about the business of spreading the Gospel. I hope to learn from how the disciples proceeded in their ministry through this look at Acts.

The following is a Bible study and devotional look at this integral book of the Bible. Note: this study will not cover every chapter of Acts


Begin by reading Acts 1

Mark in your Bible every time you see the words Holy Spirit, and witness.


**A closer look at Acts 1

In verses 1-11, what are the big instructions and directives that Jesus gives to the disciples?

Jesus specifically instructs them to stay in Jerusalem and await their promised baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples correlate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with Jesus restoring His Kingdom in Isreal. In verse 7, how does Jesus correct this thought process?

Jesus tell them to hold their horses and that it is God's perfect timing that will bring about the Kingdom.

What is their specific task in the meantime?
To be Jesus' witness in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria only after receiving and working in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This spoke to me as I read over verse 7 again and again. "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." Although these verses are refering to the coming of Christ's Kingdom, I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to hold my horses and not try to figure out God's timing in my own life! I neeeded to go about the business of being His witness and follow His specific instructions for ministry that He has laid out at this particular time!

Do you have the same issue with jumping ahead of God? What is the problem with this type of action?

I feel like the main problem is that I begin to work on my own agenda and not wait for God's agenda when I begin to be impatient and jump ahead of God. What kind of fruitlessness would my life be if I ministered in my own agenda and not His!!

Back in Acts 1, search the key words you highlighted and look at the next reference to the word Witnesses.

Peter is speaking to the disciples about finding a replacement for Judas Iscariot, but we can take note of this verse for ourselves.

What does Peter say we should be witnesses of? And by whose power is this to come from?
We are witnesses to the resurrection of Christ only by the power and the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

LIVE IT OUT application:
Living out the Kingship of Christ should be our main goal in our lives as Christians. This excerpt in Acts shows us that the King does not just sit on His throne and watch us from above. Instead, Jesus gives us part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to be a witness to His Kingship. This Kingship was exemplified at the resurrection. Our King defied death and now sits over His Kingdom as LORD of LORDS. Guess what, we have a part in this Kingdom, too! What a great responsibility it is to be witnesses and proclaim His Kingship to the world around us. I mentioned that the Lord has been speaking to me about ministry. You have a ministry too! I challenge you to submit to the King and allow His Spirit to guide you on how you are to be His witness. The Holy Spirit will give you specific tasks in His own time and it is your job to obey and stay within those tasks. Don't even think about jumping ahead. There is danger in living outside of the courts of the King. That danger might be as simple as unproductive and futile work-ugh!! I want to be productive for the Kingdom, don't you??

That is why, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we must LIVE IT OUT!

AMEN!

Read more...

first time for everything...

What a fun, new experience! I hope to be able to share my thoughts and devotions from my daily Bible reading and bring some inspiration and introspection to the world wide web!


For the past week and a half, I have been meditating on the following verse and the conceptof Dwelling in His Courts has poped up all over the place! Take a look at this verse from the book of Psalms:

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God... Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere..." Ps 84:1,2,10

How about we start by getting to the nitty gritty of what "dwelling in His courts" really means to me.

Whose courts exactly are we to dwell in? If we are a Christian and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must also accept Him as King over all of Creation. By creation I mean the universe, the world around us, even you and me! He is a King in which we can actually delight and desire to be in His royal courts.

What is His court? Well a King has a court that he resides over. In the Old Testament, the Isrealites were only allowed access to God's court or temple via the priests. But, the good news is that now, we all have access to God through Jesus. We are allowed into His courts and into His glorious presence by accepting Christ as our King. Does this get you excited? It should because the the King of Kings, LORD Over All wants to invite you to dwell in His courts. He wants you to know Him, love Him, serve Him. There is no other earthly king or royal personality that allows you the love, grace, hope, mercy and much more that Jesus , the King offers! AMEN!

When can we dwell in His courts? ALL THE TIME! We have 24/7 access to approach the throne of our King. He is always ready and willing to listen to our praise, petitions, and even what we might think of as silly concerns. (they are not silly to Him!) Through prayer and reading of scripture, He speaks to each and everyone of us!

Why should we dwell in His courts? Because He is King over all creation, He has reign over all situations, why wouldn't we want to know and love your Creator? Do you long to find your purpose in life? Your puropse in ministry? The only way to truly find this purpose is by dwelling in in the presence of the Almighty God. When you put your focus on Him, you will inevitably figure out where you stand. It is just that simple...

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereignover all, does not cry: 'Mine!'" Abrajam Kuyper-19th Century Dutch Pastor

More to come soon on how to dwell in the courts of our Lord Jesus!

Read more...