He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.-Matthew 23:11-12
Humility is so much a part of our lives as Christians but being humble is one of the hardest things to be. Setting your pride aside can make your life as a Christian clearer and all those whose only sight of Jesus is you, will get to see Him through you.
Being humble doesn't mean that you have to walk on your knees or continuously or bow your head constantly. It is about not wanting or needing to get the last word in, it's about forgiving your brother or sister in Christ , it's about putting your own needs aside for others even if there is some discomfort. it's about doing what Jesus would do
God is With Us
Tuesday, September 26, 2006,at 8:24 PM
Give ear to my words Oh Lord
Consider my meditation
harken them to the voice of my cry
my king and my God
For unto Thee will I pray
My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning
Oh Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer
Unto thee with Love
Consider my meditation
harken them to the voice of my cry
my king and my God
For unto Thee will I pray
My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning
Oh Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer
Unto thee with Love
,at 5:11 AM
They say that children are sponges. They are what educators call “Tabula rasa”. They are a blank slate. This concept of a child being sponge-like in their absorption of information has made me reflect. It has come to mind lately because of recent memories and trivial thoughts that have invaded my brain. It seems to me that most of those thoughts arrived by invitation and others “crashed the party.” Some of those thoughts were implanted and others remained by the sight of a passing image or something a passerby would speak aloud. Our brain is so vulnerable. It can be intruded upon so very easily, from birth to death.
Growing up in a home where my father was an atheist whose passion was music, television and the movies and a mother who was a dogmatic churchgoer can be confusing for a child. It is normal for a child to want to please their parents so on many occasions my father and I would share TV time and go to the movies together and all the rest of my time was devoted to attending services and participating in as many church activities as possible.
My father’s hopes and dreams were that I become an actress and it was pretty much expected of me. At one point in my life I actually pursued a career in entertainment. My mother’s dream for me was salvation. My mother just didn’t want me to suffer through eternal damnation.
In retrospect, neither wanted me to experience having a relationship with the Lord. I must say, my mother was very encouraging in my church going but never spoke to me about God in a personal manner. As a child it was more about avoidance of hell than the attraction of spending eternity with a God who knows me and loves me and wants to have that relationship with me. Was this intentional on her part? I don’t believe so.
Whatever the case I have learned from others, thoughts and ideas were entrenched in me. I have been exposed to things that will remain in my sub consciousness forever unless I become an amnesiac.
What am I to do with the exposure of unwanted ideas provoked by a parent, teacher or media? I was just a child. I was a blank slate.
I was at a diner today with my husband and as we waited for our meal to arrive, I heard music overhead. It wasn’t the typical fed in Musak (elevator music) that emitted from the antiquated speakers in the diner. It was a familiar song just above my head. It was something you would hear on the radio.
I recognized the intro to the song. It’s the very long and lovely guitar intro on “Hotel California” by The Eagles. I pride myself in the fact that I can name almost any tune on the radio and when my daughters were younger I would give them a nickel for every song I couldn’t name, They didn’t get many nickels. Thinking back now it wasn’t quite fair but they got a kick out of it.
There are things stored in my memory that are extremely useful and edifying. These recollections are a blessing to retrieve for daily application. Frustratingly, there is also an abundant amount of useless information that just gets in the way of the good stuff.
This confusion has made me mindful of what I take in.
.
The Eagles are still singing about the hotel, (actually it’s a song about an acid trip) and I am pretty upset that some of the data in my brain contains useless things like the lyrics to a drug anthem and I am sure that many other Christians go through the same thing.
I announce to my husband before the vocals of the song come in that the song is Hotel California. He smiles. But I have realized that I interrupted his thoughts. His lips were moving and while I reminisced about the song my husband was praying barely above a whisper. He was totally oblivious of the music playing in the background to him it was just white noise.
This is something he does often but not always. He prays softly when there is lull or a silence. God is constantly in his thoughts and on his mind and he takes advantage of any moment allotted to him to speak to the Lord. This was a rude awakening for me.
Perhaps because I knew that my husband is very familiar with this song especially since years ago we watched an Eagles Concert together.
He was able to block that memory even pushed it away to make room for Godly thoughts.
Being part of this world and having a history of things secular is unavoidable. It’s what we do with what we have obtained from this world that is important. There are things we have learned outside of our church walls that have been beneficial to us. We may have been exposed to music for the first time by listening to secular music. We might have been shown the beauty of literature by reading Shakespeare, Beckett or Bronte.
Many of us have learned the fine arts through several different secular Medias and that’s expected. It’s what we do with that knowledge and how we can use it for God’s Glory that becomes meaningful.
I am not going to sing Hotel California in church but I am going to share my love for music by worshipping the Lord through the music of well established, truly founded in Christ, Christian artists. I can still enjoy a good book but perhaps would focus more on the works of C.S.Lewis, Aquinas, Nee or Peale. These are devout Christian authors.
The only way we can take the past and our non essential memories and put them away is if we fill our thoughts with all things Godly. A daily life of prayer and reading of the scriptures is a healthy start to storing new and valuable information into our brains.
“But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.” Deut. 30:14
It is impossible to create a protective shield on any unwanted invasions of secularity or ungodly thoughts but it is not impossible to ignore undesirable thoughts. The only manner in which we can become strong in replacing those thoughts is to substitute it with the available presence of God in our lives. That presence can only be ever present in us with a continuous walk in the Lord.
I imagine my husband’s substitution of useless memories with godly thoughts as prioritizing. He enjoys music like anyone else and at one point in his life enjoyed The Eagles. What’s new is that he put God before the band and he loves God too much to ignore him for some trivial thought.
Romans 12:2
Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so t”hat you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
God Bless You
Debbie
Growing up in a home where my father was an atheist whose passion was music, television and the movies and a mother who was a dogmatic churchgoer can be confusing for a child. It is normal for a child to want to please their parents so on many occasions my father and I would share TV time and go to the movies together and all the rest of my time was devoted to attending services and participating in as many church activities as possible.
My father’s hopes and dreams were that I become an actress and it was pretty much expected of me. At one point in my life I actually pursued a career in entertainment. My mother’s dream for me was salvation. My mother just didn’t want me to suffer through eternal damnation.
In retrospect, neither wanted me to experience having a relationship with the Lord. I must say, my mother was very encouraging in my church going but never spoke to me about God in a personal manner. As a child it was more about avoidance of hell than the attraction of spending eternity with a God who knows me and loves me and wants to have that relationship with me. Was this intentional on her part? I don’t believe so.
Whatever the case I have learned from others, thoughts and ideas were entrenched in me. I have been exposed to things that will remain in my sub consciousness forever unless I become an amnesiac.
What am I to do with the exposure of unwanted ideas provoked by a parent, teacher or media? I was just a child. I was a blank slate.
I was at a diner today with my husband and as we waited for our meal to arrive, I heard music overhead. It wasn’t the typical fed in Musak (elevator music) that emitted from the antiquated speakers in the diner. It was a familiar song just above my head. It was something you would hear on the radio.
I recognized the intro to the song. It’s the very long and lovely guitar intro on “Hotel California” by The Eagles. I pride myself in the fact that I can name almost any tune on the radio and when my daughters were younger I would give them a nickel for every song I couldn’t name, They didn’t get many nickels. Thinking back now it wasn’t quite fair but they got a kick out of it.
There are things stored in my memory that are extremely useful and edifying. These recollections are a blessing to retrieve for daily application. Frustratingly, there is also an abundant amount of useless information that just gets in the way of the good stuff.
This confusion has made me mindful of what I take in.
.
The Eagles are still singing about the hotel, (actually it’s a song about an acid trip) and I am pretty upset that some of the data in my brain contains useless things like the lyrics to a drug anthem and I am sure that many other Christians go through the same thing.
I announce to my husband before the vocals of the song come in that the song is Hotel California. He smiles. But I have realized that I interrupted his thoughts. His lips were moving and while I reminisced about the song my husband was praying barely above a whisper. He was totally oblivious of the music playing in the background to him it was just white noise.
This is something he does often but not always. He prays softly when there is lull or a silence. God is constantly in his thoughts and on his mind and he takes advantage of any moment allotted to him to speak to the Lord. This was a rude awakening for me.
Perhaps because I knew that my husband is very familiar with this song especially since years ago we watched an Eagles Concert together.
He was able to block that memory even pushed it away to make room for Godly thoughts.
Being part of this world and having a history of things secular is unavoidable. It’s what we do with what we have obtained from this world that is important. There are things we have learned outside of our church walls that have been beneficial to us. We may have been exposed to music for the first time by listening to secular music. We might have been shown the beauty of literature by reading Shakespeare, Beckett or Bronte.
Many of us have learned the fine arts through several different secular Medias and that’s expected. It’s what we do with that knowledge and how we can use it for God’s Glory that becomes meaningful.
I am not going to sing Hotel California in church but I am going to share my love for music by worshipping the Lord through the music of well established, truly founded in Christ, Christian artists. I can still enjoy a good book but perhaps would focus more on the works of C.S.Lewis, Aquinas, Nee or Peale. These are devout Christian authors.
The only way we can take the past and our non essential memories and put them away is if we fill our thoughts with all things Godly. A daily life of prayer and reading of the scriptures is a healthy start to storing new and valuable information into our brains.
“But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.” Deut. 30:14
It is impossible to create a protective shield on any unwanted invasions of secularity or ungodly thoughts but it is not impossible to ignore undesirable thoughts. The only manner in which we can become strong in replacing those thoughts is to substitute it with the available presence of God in our lives. That presence can only be ever present in us with a continuous walk in the Lord.
I imagine my husband’s substitution of useless memories with godly thoughts as prioritizing. He enjoys music like anyone else and at one point in his life enjoyed The Eagles. What’s new is that he put God before the band and he loves God too much to ignore him for some trivial thought.
Romans 12:2
Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so t”hat you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
God Bless You
Debbie
Tuesday, September 19, 2006,at 4:54 AM
Our youth recently participated in the "Street To Street" Event in Sunset Park.
More than a dozen teens gave their heart to Christ,... talk about love and basketball!
Here are some pics. Enjoy!
Monday, September 11, 2006,at 11:26 AM
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
