Astronomy meets the Almighty! Sermon By Louie Giglio

You just have to check this one out!  Amazing details and facts!!  Sermon series called "How Great is Our God" by Louie Giglio.  (I found this on Mandy's Blog and was totally blown away so I did some more checking! Thanks Mandy)

Louie Giglio, has been at the forefront of collegiate ministry for over twenty years.  Prior to becoming the Director of Passion, Louie was Founder and Director of Choice Ministries, where he worked in the campus setting with students at Baylor University.  Louie travels the world challenging this generation to a passionate pursuit of God, inviting them to join Him in His unending Story.

Louie and His wife, Shelley (Chief Strategist, Passion Conferences and Director of Label Operations and Artist Management), live in Alpharetta, GA, and are active members of North Point Community Church.  Louie is the author of The Air I Breathe: Worship As A Way Of Life and I am not but I know I AM.  http://www.268generation.com/ 

 

Barrage - Too Early, Too Late, Too Much, Too Little, to Whom or .... TO HIM!

A Barrage Of Extremes....   I have been witnessing quite a bit of this lately. 

One friend is already complaining about hearing too many Christmas Songs.  She works at Wal-Mart and apparently they started playing Christmas music and stocking holiday shelves the day after Halloween.  However, another friend told me that her husband didn't believe in putting up any Christmas decorations until after December 1st,  while still another is heading south for the winter to avoid having to celebrate Christmas at all! 

One Wiccan friend of mine looks at Christmas Day (or the Winter Solstice to her) as a festival of food, hoping for "four turkeys in one day" while another Pastor encourages spending less money on gifts and spending more time together.  Instead he suggests sharing the money that they didn't spend with the poor, the hurting, the lonely, the hungry, the sick, the thirsty. 
(www.adventconspiracy.org)

Then there is a blog article that Pastor Craig posted with his wife "Shanda's version of Lights Up"  (see below) while Dad e-mailed me this picture of another man's Christmas Lighting.... 

It's can all be very humorous when you look at each item individually, but then you begin to feel your heart twinge when you see everything in the light of God's Word.  All these things are "sideshow distractions" according to the words in The Message paraphrase.

"Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."   (Pro 4:25-27 MSG)

Are we keeping our eyes straight ahead?  

Are we focused on the "Christ" in "Christmas?  

Are we being barraged with distractions from all sides?  Music, decorations, lights, turkeys, stuffing, presents, want, greed, shopping, early, late, more, less.... 

The word barrage came to me as I was considering a title for this article.  I decided to look it up in the dictionary and "barrage" is described as a "rapid attacking outpouring of something" and "to subject somebody to a relentless onslaught."    All these rapid fire distractions are a tactic of the enemy to take our focus off of where it should be. 

Let's send a rapid fire barrage of our own by declaring that our focus is back on the Reason For The Season.... Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, Child of God, Child of man, King of kings, Lord of lords, Wonderful, Counsellor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Atonement, The Way, The Truth, and The Life, Healer, Saviour, Sanctifier, Servant, Sacrifice, Seated at the Right Hand of The Father and Sovereign, Soon Coming King!

Jesus IS ABLE to smooth out the road before us.  He can and will help us to stay on that narrow path, and He can enable us to withstand any barrage or distraction that the enemy may throw at us!  THANK YOU LORD!!

Christmas is coming....

Christmas is coming....

How does your family celebrate Christmas? 

While at an FSS group the other night we all shared ideas on how we make it through the holiday without going crazy or ending up terribly depressed.  What do we focus on and what occupies our time during the Christmas season?

Christmas is usually always a time for families to get together and enjoy each other's presence.  Others, like single parent families are left on their own during this time.  Some people focus on what they don't have rather than having an attitude of gratitude for all that they do have.  Ultimately, our focus should be on enjoying God's presence, but so often we turn to the presence of  PRESENTS instead.  I snagged this video clip from Jason Eliason's Thrive Blog.  It really gets me asking questions... and hopefully answering those questions too.

Lord, I pray that you help all of us look at Christmas with a different perspective!  With Your perspective.  I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.... The reason for the season!  AMEN!!  Merry Christmas!

Memorial to a Sister in Christ - Colleen Jack

Somewhere over the rainbow....

I am dedicating this video clip to a dear friend who recently went to
be with the LORD.

Colleen Pendleton (Ne: Jack) was a First Nations princess here on earth as the daughter of Chief Gerry Jack, but she was more importantly a Princess in the Kingdom of God.... a Daughter of the KING of kings. She was a prayer warrior and a woman of faith who wore her love on her shoulders & who stood for righteousness.

She had a powerful testimony of God's restorative power in her marriage and in her entire life. She honoured and exemplified faith and God's promises to her two boys; Gerald and Alexander, (now grown) and to her people, the Mowachaht / Muchalaht Nation.

There are so many stories that I would like to share about this wonderful woman.

When we lived in Gold River, Colleen would always invite her "Christian Sisters and Brothers" to help on the reserve during Potlatches or Kids Clubs. She could have kept us all in the back and remained hidden in her faith in a place of culture and tradition. However, Colleen would always call us forward and introduce us, her Christian family to her traditional family. She always made a place for God during these gatherings.

One powerful story came when God, literally, delivered her from the fire. It was early one morning when I heard a bounding knock on the door. I opened to find Colleen standing there in tears saying that her home was on fire. As we ran back down the road, we were crying out to God and praying "LORD, let nothing PRECIOUS be destroyed." By the time we got there the Fire Department had everything under control. They had arrived within 7 minutes from the time of the 911 call!

Once they had given the all clear and we were able to re-enter the place, we went over what had happened. Her son, Gerald, had had a friend over for the evening and they had fallen asleep with candles burning in the room.

Fortunately, God stepped in powerfully. Where Gerald usually slept like a log, the friend came to easily and woke everyone up. Colleen was able to get the boys and her second son, Alex, out of the house safely. Then, with the leading of the LORD, she had rolled a towel and placed it at the base of Gerald's door. This had blocked the flow of oxygen into the room and had suffocated the fire.

When we re-entered the bedroom itself, we could see where the flow of the fire and smoke on the ceiling had charred the tiles and there were items all over the room that were burned to molten blobs. CD's had exploded and were stuck to the ceiling.

Then we looked on the bedside table. The lamp was wilted and the clock radio was a blob of plastic. But God, right beside these charred items, had saved a "precious" photograph of Gerald's father.... It was untouched by the heat and was totally intact. God had answered our prayers that nothing "precious" be destroyed. They were all safe and this precious photograph was still intact. God had kept His promise to her to protect her and carrying her through the fire....

LORD, we lift up Colleen's family to you; Steve, Gerald and Kathy and their three kids; Alexander and Flora; Leander (Jerry Jr) and Bev, and their kids, etc. You know each one by name. Be their comforter and help them to understand the power of your love... even in this.

Praying to a Healing God!!

Please lift my girls' paternal Grandpa; Ken, up in prayer. Mike's dad ("Grandpa Santa" to the girls) is in the hospital.  They had to do a blood transfusion yesterday, and it looks like his white blood cell count is extremely low.  I am not sure of the exact situation, other than he has had heart and circulation problems in the past.  
 
LORD God, You are a mighty God!  You are the Great Physician and You are able to heal and use this for Your glory!  Praise You LORD, that all Your plans are perfect even in these circumstances.  Bring healing to Ken and use this for Your perfect purposes in his life and in the lives of all those around him.  AMEN!

 

·        But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed.  (Isa 53:5 MKJV)

 

Deana and Mike are heading down to Ladysmith this morning, and Mikayla will be staying here with me here at the Foursquare Consumed Youth Conference until they get back.  Please cover all of us as well… SOSO Healing, & travelling mercies for them and the protection of the LORD during a powerful move of God in the youth.

Be blessed as you pray!
 
Dancing in Daddy's Arms,
Debbie Strandberg <><

 

·         Psa 91:1-16 MKJV  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.  (2)  I will say of Jehovah, my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him I will trust.  (3)  Surely He will deliver you from the fowler's trap and from the destroying plague.  (4)  He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall trust. His truth shall be your shield, and buckler.  (5)  You shall not fear the terror by night; nor because of the arrow that flies by day;  (6)  nor for the plague that walks in darkness, of the destruction laying waste at noonday.  (7)  A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; it shall not come near you.  (8)  Only with your eyes you shall look and see the reward of the wicked.  (9)  Because You, O Jehovah, are My refuge; if You have made the Most High Your dwelling-place,  (10)  no evil shall befall You, nor shall any plague come near Your dwelling.  (11)  For He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways.  (12)  They shall bear You up in their hands, lest You dash your foot against a stone.  (13)  You shall tread on the lion and adder; the young lion and the jackal You shall trample underfoot.  (14)  Because He has set His love on Me, therefore I will deliver Him; I will set Him on high, because He has known My name.  (15)  He shall call on Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will deliver Him, and honor Him.  (16)  With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.

Memories from the First Aid Room.....

I just had to "snag" this video from pastor Scott Gaglardi's blog.  It brought back many memories of my time in the Gold River Pulp Mill First Aid Room. I had been working as a Back -Up First Aid Attendant out of the warehouse.  There were a few women on shift, not as many as men, of course, so it was very rare to see a woman come down to first-aid for cold or flu treatments.  COFFEE, yes, but on the most part the gals would have to be dying before they would admit to being unhealthy or in need of medical attention.  They had too much to prove to the men.

"Man Cold"

The guys on the crew however, would head down to the First Aid Room anytime they got a chance!  I'm sure they liked the conversation and that scary mill coffee too, but this video gives me a better perspective!  Maybe they had caught that wretched "Man Cold."  Now that I know the difference, the men in my life will be much better served.... maybe :)

Check it out... you'll get a chuckle.  God bless!

Fruit of the Spirit - Is it our faith... or His Faithfulness?

Oh, to be able to just reach up and pick a fruit off a tree and be able to partake of it immediately... but Galatians 5:22 says that faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  He is at work in our lives, but the fruit isn't immediate.

Some days, instead, I feel as if all I am getting is the flesh of the bruised fruit itself.  I have totally side-stepped the true covering of the fruit's outer skin that protects it from the elements outside.  It is God's faithfulness, not our own faith that we must count on. 

Some days, I have missed the solid flesh inside that produces the flavour and the juice that supplements the body with specific nutritional benefits that we so obviously need.  I need the dynamic taste of the Word  and the flowing juices of prayer on a daily basis to be able to "walk in the Spirit" in the fullness of His strength and conditioning.

Then some days, and I have missed the seeds, which, when planted and fully grown, will produce a whole tree that will re-produce and bring much more fruit.  Fruit that I can share with others in their daily walks as well.

Fortunately, God does offer the whole fruit.  It IS ours for the asking and when He gives it, it is in the Fullness of the Father's Love!   I know I try not to give bruised or battered fruit to my girls.  How much more does He desire to give us the Holy Spirit when we ask Him?

One of the young gals at the Christian School got baptized in Holy Spirit on Sunday.  He is at work in her life in a powerful way and I praise God for where He is taking her. 

LORD, may all of the children (and adults) attached to CVCS grab hold of Holy Spirit.  Please work in our lives that we may all be able to live in the Spirit, so that we are able to walk in the Spirit without stumbling.  AMEN!

• But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
  (Gal 5:22-25 MKJV)

Mary Kay Thrives after 45 years...

Mary Kay.... She takes a licking and keeps on ticking! The Mary Kay Corporation is still going strong after 45 years... even when the US economy is taking a downturn.

Here's to a woman who has glorified God in her business and who put God first, family second and job third! God has blessed her vision that a woman can still be feminine and survive in today's world. And she can work her schedule around her children and her husband. How is that for a Godly company.

If you are interested in checking out Mary Kay, our new Christmas line of beauty products, or the business opportunity come on out to a Christmas Spa on Saturday, November 29th at the Vanier Drive Sports Centre Meeting Room. We will be there from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. RSVP appreciated to debsden2004@hotmail.com

Fireproof... ADEBnego (sic) Style....

"Fireproof".... I wonder what God was thinking when He invented fire?

A while back I had a dream.... sort of being caught in a fire. In the dream, I was a young child and I was being chased by someone much bigger than myself. In my childlike state, I ran into a fireplace and climbed up the chimney to get away from my pursuer. Fortunately, he was too big to actually reach me. "I will just wait until you come out" he bellowed.

It was then that God started to turn up the temperature on my faith... He was testing me via a dream... How long would I stay protected from the enemy in that chimney? I could feel faith being challenged by fear.

First of all, timing was a factor. How long could I stay in a chimney and live? I recognized that there were various options to consider. I knew that, at that point, I couldn't go out the bottom of the chimney, because the danger was down there. I also recognized that looking upwards, was the only way out.... A good rule for all of life, don't you think?

Next, came the fear about how long I would last in a chimney without food and water. The enemy could just wait me out until I either came down or died of starvation and thirst. But then I was reminded that if God could provide water from the rock and quail from the sky for the Israelites, He could probably make a way for my hunger and thirst to be filled even in this tight spot. I also recalled times of fasting and prayer where God alone sustains you. I felt my faith starting to rise.

Finally, I sensed the enemy starting a FIRE in fireplace. As the heat and the smoke began to raise, I felt that fear try to take hold again. Then God brought to mind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were cast into the "burning fiery furnace." King Nebuchadnezzar actually commanded that his men should "heat the furnace SEVEN TIMES MORE than it was usually heated!" But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were men of prayer! God not only protected them in the fire, He walked with them in the fire... and then He delivered them from the fire. And He didn't just deliver them ... the fire "had NO power" over them. The smell of smoke didn't even cling to them!

Then I woke up.... Did I get out of the chimney? How did my dream end... ??

Well, I felt my hope rise and my faith stand strong in God's Faithfulness. This summer, only God knows how close we came to going through that forest fire in the Kootenay's, and only God knows what other fires may await us in the future. I know that I can get on MY KNEES and call out to God. I also believe that God CAN make me "FIREPROOF."

From here on in, just call me "A-Deb-Knee-Go!"

• Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded mighty men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to throw them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were tied up in their slippers, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the middle of the burning fiery furnace. Then because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was amazed. And he rose up in haste and spoke and said to his advisers, Did we not throw three men bound into the middle of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Behold! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and there is no harm among them. And the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near the door of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth from the middle of the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's advisers gathered and saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power (and the hair of their head was not scorched, nor were their slippers changed, nor had the smell of fire clung on them). Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His Angel and has delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king's words and have given their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.
  (Dan 3:19-28 MKJV)

Pharaoh or Pharaoh? Which season are we in?

We were praying for the U.S. Elections last night and I recognized how different our perspective must be from God's.  He holds the "kings in His hands" and yet we try to tell Him who we think would be the best choice for a nation.  Yes, we are wise to examine the issues and individual campaigns, and God's Word in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 tells us to pray for those in authority so that things will go well in the land, but God is, ultimately, God.  He IS Sovereign....

Let's take a look at two Pharaohs shall we. 

PHARAOH #1 - Our sovereign God destined that a bunch of jealous brothers and an Egyptian leader; Pharaoh, would bring Joseph to rule over Egypt.  God chose to use ungodly circumstances and ungodly men...  to save the children of God.  What man had intended for evil, God chose for good.

• And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find any man like this, in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has shown you all this, no one is as discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall kiss the hand at your word. Only in the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand. And he dressed him with fine linen robes, and put a gold chain around his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, Bow the knee! And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
  (Gen 41:38-43 MKJV)
• And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. And now you did not send me here, but God. ...
  (Gen 45:7-8 MKJV)

PHARAOH #2 - This Pharaoh's destiny was to bring evil upon the Israelites.  All the male children born were to be cast into the river.  Was Pharaoh's "calling" really to destroy the children of God?   Quite the concept isn't it?

• And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.
  (Exo 1:22 MKJV)

In our sovereign God's perspective it was right to "harden" Pharaoh's heart so that they/we would see the "wonders of God."

• And God said to Moses, When you go to return into Egypt, see that you do all those wonders which I have put in your hand before Pharaoh; but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
  (Exo 4:21 MKJV)

Both Pharaohs were in the hand of God, and both Pharaohs were "called" of God to fulfill a certain purpose.  Ultimately, both men followed God's will for their lives, whether they knew it or not. 

One Pharaoh was sent to destroy the children of God, the other to save the children of God.  One man was sent to kill babies, the other was sent to save their lives.

Now let's take a look at today's U.S. Election.  Some of the candidates are godly men, others are not.  In looking at just the two front runners, McCain and Obama, we see two very different lifestyles and two very different campaigns.  One candidate is pro-life, the other is pro-abortion.  One man is sent to kill babies, the other is sent to save their lives.

Are the Christian VOTERS in the U.S. the "Moses" who will deliver the babies from being cast into the river?  I wonder which Pharaoh will be in God's hand's tonight once the U.S. Election tally has been counted...

Get out the VOTE! And then Let Go and Let God....