Days of Trials

…Days of Trials…

.

I Exalt your Name, O Lord!

Only You can satisfy...

It's In You where I find peace,

And the strength to carry on.

When the world is crashing down,

And the pressure seems so strong...

Only you can give that strength

To lift up my face through faith.

In these days I learn to find,

Than in You my strength renews...

Only You restore my joy

As my knowledge of You grows.

These are tests prepared by You,

Days of distressed trials...

In the end, Your lessons are revealed

Making my faith that much stronger.

Praise to You O Lord, My King!

Prince of Peace, My Only Savior!

Holy, Righteous, Worthy is Your Name,

Sheppard, Counselor, Friend of mine- O Jesus!

And I ask that through these days,

I may gain a heart of wisdom...

That I learn to find True Joy,

In the presence of Your Glory.

Bless the ones who feel this way,

Those who share my pain and sorrow...

Help us all to seek Your will

Through these tough yet needed battles.

.

.

.

.

People go through seasons of trials in their faith, some grow stronger while others, unfortunately weaker...this poem was written on one of those weary days, when at first glance it may have seemed that there's no reason to rejoice, and yet miraculously deep within, my heart was full of praises to the One and Only....

I hope that it can inspire and encourage those who feel like giving up when seasons of trials try to take away the joy that's found only in Jesus.

Praise be to the Lord in Heaven.

Wake Up Call

We worry. Economy is bad, times are tough, laws seem unfair. But the church is silent. Teens struggle with emotional issues, peer pressure, and the loss of communication between their parents. The result: troubled lives, and possibly a life behind bars of a juvenile center or jail. The church is slow to get on its knees...Children abused and neglected, with their trust taken away by a threatening hand, suffering...but the church is not responsive...they are busy within themselves. The widespread practice of abortion is on the rise behind closed doors. Precious babies are not given a chance at life. The mistakes of their parents a curse on their heads. Why can't I hear the church? Sodomy is penetrating every corner of the world and Sodom is continuously growing past its borders...children in school's are being introduced the normalcy of this sin...parents' right are being taken away...and... where is the church? What is it doing?

This is how I personally understand the church's role. Not only is the church an organism working together and worshipping our Lord, but it is also a blinding light to the world. The world is pitch black, but the world cannot miss that distinctive glow of the city on the hill: the church. The church cannot hide its glowing light inside its church walls where we only shine our light to each other during Sunday services. The light has to radiate out, so that the world will see our good works and glorify our God. If it is with prayer that we should fight, we should open our earthly eyes to the war going on around us...I believe that this is when fervent prayer will spill out of our silent lips.

As a church we should stand hand in hand in prayer for our nation, leaders as well as our generations and work diligently to preserve the Lord's light in our society. We are the salt and light of the world. Lets strive to leave a footprint of Christ here on earth.

13"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
.14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

Caring is Sharing

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/12/a_head_with_a_heart/?s_campaign=yahoo
An amazing story! Read on!!!!

Daughter of the King

http://joyfullyathome.blogspot.com/2009/03/encouraging-email-from-my-friend.html

This is a very good blog post written by Jasmine Bauchum's friend. We as women most certainly have a list of wants for our future husbands, but no other person can fulfill ALL those categories (a man who is great, wealthy, wise...etc) then our Heavenly King. God is ALL these things and so much more!!!

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

"...But I'm a Good Person"

There is a common misconception among those who have been raised as Believers and those who do not feel the need to believe in God at all...

It's safe to say that the majority of both groups mentioned either feel better than the "average person" and/or feel as though, generally, they are Good People, respectively.

Having been raised as a Christian, I too can say at one point I felt as though there is some sort of higher level that God sees me in comparison to "extreme" sinners of the world. Surely, I must be a BIT safer...or at least God looks at me a lil more favorably than those who've raped, killed..etc.

So maybe you haven't CONSCIOUSLY thought of yourself as better, but deep doooowwwnn felt it too...

There are atheists who've never experienced drugs...are educated...successful...involved in charity...and believe they don't need to feel guilty for they haven't DONE ANYTHING drastically wrong. "I am a good person," they would say...And most who know them would agree...

There are certain facts the word of God discloses that specifically embarass and object both states of mind...take a look! =)

^{1)GOD HAS NO FAVORITES: 34}Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism"Acts 10:34 (NIV)

2) We ALL have sinned and DONT deserve life:

²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 (NIV)

also:

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
3)Not feeling guilt doesn't make one innocent: "If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the Lord's commands, but the people don't realize it, they are still guilty." (Leviticus 4:13 (NIV))
4) Not knowing one has sinned doesn't free one from consequences of sin: "Suppose you sin by violating one of the Lord's commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin." (Leviticus 5:17 (NIV))
5) Those who are unbelievers may not feel the guilt of sin.
6) Those in whom the Holy spirit Lives will be tormented by sin.

5&6 are in blue because I'd like to elaborate...5) if this is you, then you simply choose not to believe and choose also to ignore, or be oblivious to your slavery to sin...you accomodate and adjust to make yourself comfortable within this dagerous lifestyle...labeling it your "norm." You live your life how you want to within the chains of sin, and you do not fear anyone. You, do not fear GOD...You, my friend, have been deceived...
here is what is written:

PSALM 36:1-2 "Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. IN their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are."

PROVERBS 5:22-23 "An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness."

Even if you don't believe in the Bible as the word of God, it doesn't change the fact that it simply is.

On the other hand, all those who truly believe....The Holy Spirit in you will assure that sin is not left unnoticed if it is present in your life. if you are #6, then, as David describes...sin will feel like this:

PSALM 31:9-10 "Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying of grief; my years are shortened by sadness. SIN has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within"

PSALM 38:3,4,5 "...my health is broken because of my sins. My guilt overwhelms me--it is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins".

the turmoil that sin causes is experienced only when the Holy Spirit lives in you. Sometimes, unfortunately, the burden of sin is dangerously softened by the self righteous song the devil turns on in someone's head, keeping the heart from hearing God's voice and blurring the reflection of sin on you.

if sin is in your life, and you are aware...do not delay.

Jesus awaits with open arms: He says "I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who KNOW they are sinners." (Mark 2:17.)

Knowing you are a sinner will help you acknowledge the roots of the weeds...and repentence, "I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done." (Psalm38:17-18), like David, will be the first step of accepting this:

"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed They will put their trust in Him." Psalm 40:2-3


Blessings, in His name
victoria

Supreme Court Hears on Prop 8

On Thursday March 5th I got a chance to witness history in the making. On this day, the Supreme Court of San Francisco heard arguments of opposing sides regarding prop 8. Opponents of prop 8 got a chance to speak out on how the minority deserves their rights just like anyone else in this country. Their view was that the majority of the people that had voted on marriage as ONLY between a man and a woman, should not take away the rights of their minority population that is pushing for same-sex marriage. "Why are you discriminating?" was all I heard shouted at me and other American River College students standing in the crowd in front of the Supreme Court. hmmm interesting... so these people have all the rights of citizens as I do in this country AND they have the RIGHT to marry also just as I do to a man or a woman of the opposite sex... and they say we as supporters of healthy, normal marriage (man + woman) are discriminating?? Sad.

That morning, a large group of the Slavic community on large buses as well as cars drove into San Francisco to attend this exciting first day and to wave signs of support for proposition 8. Our group from Sacramento was very diverse. Children, teens, adults, and senior citizens all came out into the crowd of amazed Sodomites with huge prop 8 signs. We "dominated the landscape" (as one of the Mormon men who I spoke to, put it upon seeing us coming into the crowd and our signs being distributed among us.) The leaders of our groups made some amazing signs that were HUGE!!! These signs were put on tall sticks and if you looked across the street from the court and near the court, all you could see is huge white signs with "Traditional Marriage" and a check mark in red. In addition we had "ARC supports prop 8", "Celebrate prop 8", and numerous other signs.

As I mentioned earlier, I got to speak to a man who is Mormon. He shared with me how surprised he was to see so much Slavic folks and more prop 8 supporters come out that day. He pointed out that by the amount of our prop 8 signs, it looked as if a majority of the people were prop 8 supporters (and I believe that's how it was). He asked me a question that I keep on remembering to this day. He said, "What did the Russian people in the Soviet Union see or go through, that makes them so passionate and active in these issues that we are dealing with?" If only he knew, what our past generations and parents went through in the Soviet Union. Through the persecutions, we as a people become strengthened in our faith, and we are strengthened even more in our faith in this fight for normal marriage that was fairly voted on by the majority of the citizens in California this past year.

The day was filled with shouting and chants. Opposers of prop 8 marched up and down shouting "no on hate!" Drag queens in very disturbing appearance sashayed through the crowd. Through all the shouting and activity, I reflected back onto the story in the Bible of Lot and his family when the Sodomite citizens shouted and threatened for him to give up the visitors (angels) in his home. It sounded so vaguely familiar while I was standing near the steps of the court in San Francisco. I believe that God's anger is on the verge of being released just like it was on Sodom. Meanwhile, for now the court has 90 days to decide the fate of prop 8. It will either be upheld or deemed unconstitutional by the supreme court. I ask you to pray about this issue.

Well, since I don't want to end this story with a bad note (cuz I like stories with happy endings:) I did get to witness an awesome "Kodak moment" that just put a smile on my face. The SF supreme court is next to the city hall and the crowds of people were mulling around across the street with signs and out of the city hall came out a couple that obviously just got married. She was in a white dress and he was in a suit and they descended the steps hand in hand. Now that is what I want my children and future generations to see! A happy couple, man and woman joined together in marriage. This is what we as the people of the United States should be fighting for and I know that the fight isn't over, but I know that the time has come for you and me to determine if we should stand in the shadows or come out and fight to be that light in the darkness that Jesus wants us to be.

Loosing Sight of Our Leader...

Reading Exodus chapter 32 this morning, really made me wake up and wonder why such dramatic changes and why so quickly...

The people of Israel who Moses had lead out from Egypt, made a false god and worshiped him. I was getting frustrated with Aaron too....why would he make a false god for the people? Did he not know that only One True God exists? What happened to the faith on the people? Did they not know the REAL God, the One who brought them out of Egypt?...

...reading on...in verse 7 God tells Moses to go back down from the mountain because, "your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves". (NASB)

Thinking about the situation that went on at that time and trying to apply that principle to my life today...God opened my heart to understand this:

When the people lost sight of their leader, Moses, they "corrupted themselves" ...made a false god, worshiped him, brought him offerings, etc... All of a sudden something that was once bad, became okay for them.

Offten times in our lives when we loose sight of our Leader, Jesus Christ, we become corrupt and stray off path....even though we may not make golden calves for ourselves to worship, other things become idols or distractions that lead us in a false direction...leading only to hell.

The scary part is this; The people once knew that worshiping a false god is not okay, and yet ....they did exactly that when Moses was out of the picture...
I question myself at times why things that I've looked at as 'negative' in my life, or forbidden, over time become okay and part of my routines...could it be because I'm loosing sight of my Leader, Jesus Christ?

We could be in worship, bring offerings, and feel good about what we are doing, but if that worship and those offerings are not brought to the TRUE GOD Who brought us out of our sinful life, we are no better than the people of Israel.

This lesson is first hand for me, but I want to share it with you, and encourage all of us to never loose sight of our Leader. Jesus Christ. Lets ask ourselves from time to time if we are following the True Leader, the One and Only Way Who will lead us to our promised land- Heaven.

May God Bless you all.

*( As a practical way of constantly being reminded of this principle, we can place sticky notes in random places with the accronyms WWJD...(What Would Jesus Do)...and make sure to place them in spots that may cause us to stray, or stumble...that way when we see the letters, we could be reminded to remember Jesus and if HE would ever do such a thing.)

You'd Better Slow Down

So often we rush, run, sprint, and hurry through our day. We know that if we stop to take a breather, we lose precious time. And time is money right? We resemble that hamster in his hamster wheel who keeps on running and running with no end in sight. But we forget the little joys in our life the we so often miss out on because we are plowing through our day in chaos. Our world around us operates on "no time no time, hurry hurry, faster, faster..." We barely make it to birthday events, we are late to baby showers...we forget that our best friend exists...we don't remember our parents' voices or faces anymore,...we miss out on great opportunities to serve our God when that opportunity is sooooo close to our noses....we rush and run...and complain we don't have enough time. No matter how much we battle for time, we will never as a normal functional human being complete all of the tasks that we so often pile up on ourselves! After a long day, when you're exhausted, ask yourself this. Are you happy? Because in the long run, if you placed your day into God's caring hands, and allowed time for yourself to sit down, breathe, and observe the littlle things around you(whether it be the sound of dripping rain, or singing of the birds, or watching the sun set) you will be exhausted, but ohhh so happy! Take advantage of each day, "You'd better slow down don't dance so fast, time is short the music won't last".

This is the day that the LORD has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

S L O W D A N C E:

Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic
flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading
night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the
fly
When you ask "How are you?"
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his
sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time
to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting
there.
When you worry and hurry through your
day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Poem written by a terminally ill girl diagnosed with cancer. Bless her heart for this reminder.
(http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/slowdance.htm)