Fabulous Worship Music Sung By Grace Chung

I watched and heard a great message online today that John MacArthur gave (September 30th, 2012) at Grace Community Church.  Last week's message was also excellent, and I hope that they will both be put out very soon in whatever format they are working on.

Anyway, Grace Chung sang a song by Keith and Kristyn Getty and really did a fantastic rendition.  Sadly I cannot share that on video, but I found online a video where she had sung the song at Grace in the past.  The sound quality is not what  I would like, but I still am going to share what I did find.

The song is entitled "Still, My Soul Be Still" and if you like highbrow superb singing then you will not be disappointed!

Words Matter

Someone shared this video with me that is very revealing about the U.S. President.

 Can you trust this man to tell the truth?

 

"180" Movie A Year Later

A year ago on September 25^th a shocking life changing video entitled “180” Movie came out online.

It’s official release date was on the 26^th, and it had over 1 million views by October 18^th, 2011.

It now has over 3.4 Million views online alone. That doesn’t take into account the thousands of DVDs that have been distributed in various places around the U.S. and even the world.

You can watch it yourself now on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI

or at

http://180movie.com

It has closed captions in many languages and a Spanish dubbed version called 180 Pelicula.

Please feel free to put comments on the YouTube video.


What made this under 34 minute documentary video spread like wildfire especially in it’s early days?

The video goes through the history of Adolph Hitler, and then it places people in an ethics situation of deciding what they would have done in a certain situation that would require them to make a decision about the value of life.

Then the interviewer (Ray Comfort) goes into the subjects of abortion and if people consider themselves good people. The video shows up the moral inconsistencies that people have, and yes, it also has a Gospel message.

This film has educated people on history and changed people’s minds on the subject of abortion and is influencing decisions on voting. Some have even professed to have repented and put their trust in Jesus after seeing this movie.

Here were some early comments people made about 180 Movie:

“Your film just led a 17 year old girl away from abortion.”
“From someone that been Pro-choice this video changed my view on life completely.”
“I was always pro-choice and now i am pro-life after watching such a powerful video.”
“It changed my mind and made me aware that I’ve got to make a stand on this issue.”
Many Christian leaders and others endorsed “180” Movie or made positive comments on it (John MacArthur, Jr., Joni Eareckson Tada, Randy Alcorn, etc., etc).

If you want to learn more how you can get involved or to make media inquiries, you can go to:
http://www.heartchanger.com/

God Holds The Future

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 
When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. Psalm 37:23-24 NASB

It is a comfort to know that God is in control of  the circumstances of my life.  It is so easy for me to desire to control what happens in some way.  It's pretty ludicrous for me to think  that way, but still it is something that we as humans tend to do.

My lifespan, my health, my needs....all of that is dependent on God's sovereign will and provision.
The more limited I become in life, the more I feel my dependency.
I am thankful that I have a God who loves me and will be with me in the valleys, and if I should die I know that He will still be with me to hold my hand.  It brings tears to my eyes to think about that, and it also gives me peace.

This song is an old David Meece one that speaks of God holding the future.

The Test That I Never Want To Have Again - A Personal Story

My tilt table test is over thankfully.  It was a horrible ordeal that I NEVER want to go through again.

I didn't sleep the night before the test which I'm sure didn't help matters.  Thankfully we had a safe trip, and although it was cloudy it didn't rain until after we were there.  Everyone seemed to be friendly at the hospital...even people in the second waiting room I went to.

There was a young pastor from another state talking with an older woman from the same place he was from that I handed "180" Movie business cards to, as I thought they could watch it and share it with others.  Before the young pastor from Virginia left, he offered to pray for me and did.  Wow!  I hadn't wanted to bother my own pastor to come...even though he kindly offered.  I wasn't having surgery.

Well, the test itself was another matter.  They make you get in a gown and hook electrodes to you.  Then they put something on your finger and a bloodpressure cuff on one arm and put an IV in the other.
Next, they strap you to a table/bed that had a place to rest your feet.  At some point they tilt you up to a standing position pretty much. You feel like you are in one of those old movies where they strap someone to a wagon wheel or board and use the person for a target.  No, they didn't spin me around.  Who needed that.  After awhile of standing I began to have some difficulty breathing and then started to feel more faint.  My stomach started to hurt and I felt like I was going to faint.  It got worse and worse and I felt like there was a cold fire and black before my eyes.  I was pretty much yelling begging for her to help me and stop it and saying I didn't want to faint.  I felt awful!  It got to the point where I got softer, because I didn't have the ability to hardly get anything out.  From my point of view I never fainted, although at one point I did stop talking and hoped that if I was going to that it would hurry up.  Also, it was so black that I wasn't sure if my eyes were open or closed.

Well, once she was satisfied my numbers were bad enough and thought I had fainted she began to let me down.  I felt like throwing up, but I didn't.  I also felt like someone that had been sunburned all over.  I felt worse after that experience than I ever had before it, and I struggled with feeling faint the next day as well.
The lady was (probably jokingly) complaining that it happened too soon.  She hadn't even finished filling out the paperwork.  I didn't even have to get the nitroglycerin under the tongue.
I got my diagnosis, but what a way to do it!
She also joked that they had a buy one get one free test.  I didn't want it and let her know she could give it to someone else.  Then I suggested the doctor could have it.  After all, if he has his patients put through it, then shouldn't he be willing to experience it?

My family members came in with some Famous Amos cookies that some Baptist church people gave them, and my Mom rewarded me with a yummy coffee drink.  We went out to eat at the Cracker Barrel and went to a hotel where I rested awhile.  It was raining by then and was pouring the next day as well.

I'm thankful that God helped me through that traumatic experience and that it is over.  I'm thankful that He allowed for me to have some pleasant distracting thoughts and some fun chatting the night before the test.

My diagnosis?   Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Now I have both Fibromyalgia and P.O.T.S. to live with. 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 NASB
 

God Is Faithful In The Shadowland

Have you ever noticed that in the Bible you often see people going over and reminding themselves about what God has already done for them and for Israel in the past?

I believe that is a great example for me.  When I struggle with anxiety and lack of faith in God's taking care of me when I get stressed, I find it's helpful to remember that God has always taken care of me in the past as well.

Having grown up in a home where my Dad  was doing a ministry for many years, we sometimes were in the position where we didn't know where the money would come from to support us and the ministry.  Then God would provide for us ... sometimes from unexpected sources.

One time we were feeling the need to move from a house that had a mold issue in it that my parents were renting.  We prayed as a family one night and during the prayer time a phone call came from a man telling us about a house for rent!

There are just so many situations that God has helped me through.  Sometimes I have felt I couldn't stand pain or more recently dizziness and head ringing any longer.  I know that God knows more what I can stand better than I do ... which is often more than I think I can.  There are so many people out there suffering.  I know that God has a purpose in trials for me.  My desire is to have joy and faith in God during the trial.  I want to please God even in the shadowland.  He is faithful.

Sometimes the best way to go forward in faith is to remember God's role in the past.
I hope you can enjoy this lighthearted song by Josh Wilson which is another good reminder of God's faithfulness and sovereignty.

Remembering September 11, 2001 And It's Aftermath

11 years ago today, America was viciously attacked by terrorists and many people died.

Afterwards a lot of people acknowledged God’s existence and flocked to churches for answers.

Sadly for most of these people their interest was short-lived, and they forgot the feelings they had and did not repent and trust in Christ. We now see how far away people have turned when we hear just as many if not more people at a Democratic convention yell to keep God’s name out of their platform.

The Republican party acknowledges God, but what god are many of them acknowledging?

There is only one true God, and the Word of God the Bible explains Him to us.

What about those who do not acknowledge His existence? What does the Bible say about them?

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God.
They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.Psalm 14:1-3 NASB

How should people think about the bad things that happen?

I know from the Bible that God works through even the evil and bad things to bring about His purposes.

Genesis 50:20 -  Joseph tells his brothers who sold him into slavery that what they meant for evil God meant for good.

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate?

“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

“Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem?

“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5 NASB

The Bible mentions that even His enemies will give feigned obedience or worship in certain circumstances:

Psalm 66:3

Philippians 1:9-11
When people persecute Christians, what can I find in the Bible that encourages me with that kind of suffering?

2 Timothy 3:12 lets me know that I will be persecuted.

Matthew 10:28-39 - Nothing can separate me from God’s love.

Romans 8:28 - All things work together for my good, and persecution won’t change my standing/calling before God.

James 1:2-3 - Tells me that I should consider it joy when I have trials, because it produces endurance and perfects me.

If you are an unbeliever and are curious to learn more, please download the booklet “For Your Joy” at the following link:

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/for-your-joy

 

My Continuing Saga for September

Recently I went to a specialist that had bad reviews online.
I was fearful of how he might behave, but I made it through okay...alive anyway.  I certainly was praying!  My highllights of the day were going to Chick-Fil-A to eat and giving 1 Million dollar tracts to a couple of highway patrol officers there.

Doctors are crazy people!  They want you to have tests to assimilate awful things. 
I had one test already where the goal seems to be to get a person to have a seizure. 
Three doctors want me to have a different test where they want to see if they can make me faint!  Thanks a lot docs. !
I felt like I was going to faint just getting my blood taken for some tests already. 
Yes, they used the smelly stuff under my nose, ice on my neck, a fan, etc.!  I've been feeling dizzy and sometimes faint for nearly two months now, so why not make sure of it?  Ugh!

The seizure test I had was an EEG.  This is to check out how my brain reacts to certain stimuli apparently.  A person rubs and irritates and marks up your head and sticks a bunch of electrodes or something to you. 
They flash lights before your closed eyes and make you hyperventilate to the point where you are feeling like passing out and pretty much begging to quit, but they won't let you.  Meanwhile I had a bad headache.  The result?   Non-specifically abnormal.  I guess that describes me pretty well. 
Thankfully I didn't have a seizure.

For the next test they want me to have, they will tilt me up on a table they strap me to I assume and do their best to make me faint to see what is causing my near syncope (near fainting). 
I've been trying not to faint, and this doesn't sound like my idea of an amusement ride.  I suppose they might get some sadistic amusement out of it.  
The good news is that my heart seems to be okay at this point, so it likely isn't the culprit.



Since I shared with you the progress of of our sunroom/laundry room, I thought I'd share a photo of the finished project. It only took them a month!

  

 

Are There Exceptions For Abortion?

So many people try to differentiate abortions by situation.
Does the motive behind an abortion or the criminal behavior of one parent (the father) make a difference in the humanity of a conceived human being?
If a crime is done to you, does that justify the taking of an innocent human life? 
What about the the babies who survive abortions?  Are their lives valuable?
If a mother's life is in danger, does that mean that the baby's life should be ignored ... or do you feel that if at all possible that both should be cared for? 
If human life is valuable in most cases to you, why is it not valuable in all cases? 

If you haven't already seen it, please check out the 180 Movie documentary here.  It really points out where moral relativity can lead. 

Recently, a video has been passed around and shared in various places that puts a human face on the issue of abortion.  It also exposes how callousness towards life can make the convenience of doctors outweigh the life of a child already born.



To see a great blog post by Denny Burk who also shared this video, please click here.

Is murder only wrong in some cases and not in others? 
I think that most people know that the taking of innocent human life is wrong.  Our conscience pricks us when we do wrong, and the Bible makes it fully clear that murder is a sin against God.
I certainly believe that all conceived babies are fully human and thus deserving of protection and care. 
God is the Author of life and Fashioner of the pre-born (Psalm 139:15-16). Only those that deny scientific knowledge of the beginnings of human life or place little value on life because of their denial of God or are afraid of or ignorant of the facts will continue to callously insist that abortion is okay.
This doesn't mean that I don't care about the mothers' lives that are in danger or that in other case that crimes have been committed against women that resulted in the conceiving of a child.  When a father is guilty of rape, then he should be punished and not be allowed to have the same parental rights as in other cases.  The child is not responsible for a father's crime.  In the other situation ... when a mother's life is at risk in pregnancy all should be done to save both lives.
 

Amazing 10 Year Old Girl Sings & Plays The Way by Jeremy Camp

This cover of Jeremy Camp's song "The Way" is sung by a 10 year old girl named Mandi.   Apparently she is taking ukulele and also is able to play the piano and drums as well! Her voice is a little hoarse as mine was when I was a a child to a point, but she sings on key and radiates a joyful expression that is contagious!

I shared this awhile ago on Facebook, but it is so cute and fun that I decided to share it for people on my blog as well!

Actually, I feel the lyrics are not quite contextual, as the groaning and longing is looking to our final adoption / redemption of our bodies. I get the impression that Jeremy was thinking of now rather than the future, but I hope that won't spoil your enjoyment of the song!



For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 
But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
Romans 8:20-25 NASB