Author	Topic:   chapter 2 again
Pastor	posted 3/8/09 1:51 AM     Hmmm, no one liked the last question from the chapter, so let try something different. #4 Youre soon nailed to thecross of your mistakes. Dumb mistakes. What do you see? Death. What do you feel? Shame. What do you hear? Ah, this is the question. What do you hear? Can you hear Jesus above the accusers? He promises, "Today you will join me in paradise." This one hits me between the eyes. I always hear the negative. I hear the criticism of one more clearly than the compliments of many. It is not always about mistake, sometimes it is just the choices we make. They may not be right or wrong, just choices. What do I see? Death. Death of the peace inside of me, that now is replaced with uncertainty. What do I feel? Shame...anxiousness,... condemnation. What do I hear? I hear people mocking me, I hear pious judgements, I hear disapproval. And I fall into the classic sin from the Bible- desiring the approval of people more than God. I so want it all to fit together. I want to make it all work- even when it cannot. And so I give up that core value - GOD'S GRACE.
Trish	posted 3/9/09 1:02 AM     I wish I knew why, but I always think the worst. I always second guess my decisions, always argue with myself about what to do. For me, I think that is the devil working within me. Making me doubt. Never letting me feel sure of any decision I make. Always adding that little question - you sure? Well, then I'm not sure. Is this what God wants for me? Am I really going in the direction He has planned for me? Or is it my own desires? I've come to the realization that I will probably always feel this way, maybe it's because of my life's history, I don't know. But I pray that within these feelings I can believe that whatever path I take, God will love me and maneuver my decisions to either help me or others. It has happened too many times that when I think I have really screwed up something, people have gotten something totally different from what I thought would happen. And that helps me to see God's hand in these things.
Tom	posted 3/9/09 1:08 PM
Tom	posted 3/9/09 1:19 PM       I know that when you are in the public sector following the leaders is the easy way to go. I have found that the easy and right way to go are not always the same. I have taken the right way many times or what I believed to be the right way. It can be a lonley road to travel when you are the only one on it. That is when we must listen for God to speak to us. His grace will be our companion when others choose not to be by our side. Once you make the decision of what to do who to follow do not keep second guessing yourself. Do not worry if you made a mistake this time. If you did make the wrong choice then let God bring you back and start over. Every day we get the chance to start with a clean slate. That is the glory of God's Grace, he gives us the chance to start over. Admit when your wrong and ask for his grace and it shall be given.
Pastor	posted 3/9/09 6:23 PM     Part of the issue of faith at the heart of grace is ambiguity. We do not know what the road not chosen has. We make choices and cannot go back to see what might have been. A practice we need to follow is to commit each day to God at the END of the day. We offer up what we have done and ask that God will use it for God's own purpose. It is a part of the practice of letting go. It also makes the challenges for us to say "What should I learn from this." or "What was God saying to me by this." And while I would love for the clouds to part and a clear answer given, I find that it is about letting God's answer distill within me. My problem is in the mean time, trusting that direction will come, that God is at work, that I haven't missed any opportunity. The grace of God is beleiving we are where we need to be and even our mistakes are used by God. Remember the thief on the cross has to sin, before he could say "Remember me when you come into your kingdom".
Deb	posted 3/25/09 7:42 PM       I'm doing a Bible Study on the Truth Project from Focus on the Family. What is TRUTH? GOD is Truth. The lesson are asking "Do you REALLY BELIEVE that what you believe is REALLY REAL? We all said yes of course. But do we??? Do I? Really? Would I be making it (Life) be so hard if I did? With my Dad's death, my loss of my job, the worries about the Lazy Eye coming back in my right eye, my worries for my family and not being able to see them because of the distance away. The financial situations due to everything that has happened in the past year...etc, etc. The stress of it all. God wants all of us. Our hearts and our minds, out trust, out lives. Have we let the world view dominate or do we look at it from a Godly World View? Am I living the way I should? No, I still have lots to work on. He wants me to rest in him, be content, by his grace. I step out in Faith - Is it wavering? I Trust - Do I trust enough? Do I let God's Grace affect my life? From my Seeking Him bible study, Augustine says "Nothing whatever pertaining to godliness and real holiness can be accomplised with out Grace". That is so true. I like the way John Piper says it "Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon." I came to realize that my God loves me so much that through Grace WITH LOVE he is willing to teach me until I get it right and without the grace I wouldn't be able to get it right AT ALL. Seems like a paradox. Larry Richards says it this way "Grace is a dynamic force that does more than affect our standing with God by crediting us with righteousness. Grace affects our experience as well.... Grace is a way of life." I need to remind myself and let God be my life. That things need to be put aside, and not picked up again. That the little sins are as bad as big ones. To live in His grace, accept the convictions, training, testing I am given as it is out of Love. I need to forgive myself when I mess up. He forgives me. My repentance is in the striving to live without making those same mistakes again. Taking the conviction he lovingly kicks me with and taking it to heart & And finally, finally by making certain choices, having it affect my mind - and can say I have had a victory, a sin change. It is the knowing, when I can say Yes I did it! I conquered it! Why do I keep sinning when I know that having conqured previous ones it is so awesome? The awesome mighty maker of the universe GOD himself cares and loves ME and I need his grace every moment of every day so I can continue to grow to become more like him. It is an ongoing journey. He would have still died for me if I was the only one on earth, I would just have been the one hammering the nails. When I think of the Passion, I hated all the gore in the movie but to see the way he got back up everytime he fell during whiping and that whole scenario that played out. He drew on God's strength stood back up and took what ever they were doing to him. If our lord can go through that for Me, I can go through these storms for Him, with Him, knowing he is there with me, loving me - even when I get in the way. Which I do - too often...
Deb	posted 3/26/09 1:02 PM     Sorry, for talking too much. I was too long winded.
Karen (Moderator)	posted 3/26/09 3:44 PM     Deb, That was fine! I was interested in what you had to say.
Deb	posted 3/26/09 9:55 PM     Thanks Karen! The world gets in the way so much of the time, trying to get me down. But it is rewarding to do the Lord's work -no matter where he takes me. I just need to remember that His work is my life and no matter what I do or where I go, it is for him. I need to read another chapter or 2 this weekend. God Bless!
Tom	posted 3/27/09 2:25 AM     Deb I too enjoyed what you had to say. I am also happy to know someone else that God gives words to so they may share their feelings about God with others. We need to be vocal about our faith to many people are trying to stop us from praising God in too many places. Schools,courts, public buildings ect. so keep up the talk.
Deb	posted 3/30/09 4:24 PM     Thanks Tom! I did read some more over the weekend, not ready to comment yet though. Need to think things through.

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