While reviewing some pictures I took the other day I noticed that these Pinksters stamen are all reaching for heaven. They are beautiful in their complex simplicity. Naturally they reach for the sun. These flowers, not created in God's image, are doing exactly what they were created to do. We as humans, created in God's image, rebel, sin. I am so thankful for the parable of the Prodigal Son. Even in our sin, our Creator rejoices when we reach for Him. Reach for the Son!

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. Romans 8:19

Celebration

Usama Bin Laden is dead. I am sure you are all very aware of this current event. People are celebrating, chants of, "USA! USA!" can be heard on many news broadcasts. Americans seem to be pulling together once again (temporary to be sure), united under the death of this ''vile'' man who was responsible for the death of so many ''innocent'' people.

Celebrating that this man now believes in God, not allah. Celebrating that this man is finally getting what he deserves. Celebrating.

Under the eyes of a holy god, I am vile too. I deserve what Bin Laden got and you do too. What sin have I commited that any less damning then any other sin any other has committed?

So, yeah, go ahead and celebrate.

The Gospel. That is celebration! Many celebrated the death of Jesus. His death was different though. HE IS ALIVE! HE HAS RISEN! He is the sole reason any of us have to celebrate!

Resurrection Sunday, Just Around the Corner

OK, OK, this is a sunset not a sunrise but, while looking at this I could not help but think about Easter and the traditional sunrise service we use to celebrate the fact that we serve a risen Savior! Jesus is alive! I would like to share with you some lyrics from a rap or hip hop song that I have really come to appreciate! Enjoy!

Thank you Shai for being faithful.

Jesus Is Alive

written by shai linne

Chorus 1

Elvis is dead, Picasso is dead

Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are dead

Marilyn Monroe is dead- however…

Jesus is Alive

Brando is dead, James Brown is dead

Princess Di and John Lennon are dead

Biggie and Pac are dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Verse 1

Give praise to King Jesus, the blessed Son

Victorious, glorious resurrected One

To Him belongs the power, glory and honor

Ascended where He sits at the right hand of the Father

At the cross He made atonement- His people He saved

After three days He was raised in defeat of the grave

By faith the elect behold Him, His scepter is golden

He must have been hot or slippery because death couldn’t hold Him

The spotlight is on today’s icons

In a thousand years, nobody will care- their light’s gone

But at that time, Christ will still shine bright

He’s not in the limelight- He IS the limelight

Criminal minded, you’ve been blinded

Looking for the body of Jesus? You won’t find it

We never lack spirit, letting you cats hear it

Because His tomb is empty like most secular rap lyrics

Chorus 2

Plato is dead, Socrates is dead

Aristotle and Immanuel Kant are dead

Neitzsche and Darwin are dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Buddha is dead, Mohammed is dead

Ghandi and Haile Selassie are dead

Elijah Mohammed is dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Verse 2

Throughout history there’s been mad religious leaders

Prophets, preachers, scholars, teachers

But when it came to the grave, no one could climb out

That’s where Jesus stands alone like taking a ‘timeout’

And don’t be mislead- I got a level head

No resurrection, Christianity would have never spread

The disciples weren’t stupid guys who would ruin their lives

And then choose to die for what they knew was a lie

That would be beyond ridiculous- Nah, the issue is

The risen Christ seen by 500 eye-witnesses

Imagine 500 people in a court of law

Each of them taking the stand reporting what they saw

If their stories lined up and made sense

The evidence would have to leave you convinced

But still it’s by faith that we trust and praise the Son

Who was raised for our justification

Chorus 3

Nero is dead, Constantine is dead

Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun are dead

Alexander the Great is dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Napoleon is dead, Lao Tzu is dead

Che Guevara and Henry VIII are dead

Saddam Hussein is dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Verse 3

Through faith in Christ, we’ve been saved from hell

Because He’s risen, it means we’ll be raised as well

In glorified bodies fit for the new earth

For now, we participate in the new birth

The universal reality of the true church

With resurrection power, watch the Spirit do work!

United with Christ, we reside in His light

Abide in His might, keep in stride as we fight

The pride in our life, the lies and the spite

We strive to be wise as He guides through the night

He’ll chide and He’ll slice- recognize that He’s right

His brightness inside lights our eyes and it’s tight

(He) decided to die to wash white all our strife

His life was the price to delight in His wife

He told death “sike” just to rise like a kite

All eyes on the Christ- let’s prize Him tonight

Chorus 4

Pharaoh is dead, Cyrus is dead

Darius and Sennacharib are dead

Nebuchadnezzar is dead- however

Jesus is Alive

Caesar is dead, Herod is dead

Annas, Caiaphas and Judas are dead

Pontius Pilate is dead- however

Jesus is Alive

My Fav Kid

I Just had to put this pic up. My boy.

My Fav Place

My parents house is one of my favorite places in the world. It's where I grew up doing all the things boys do as they mature (hopefully) into men who don't do those things anymore.

This shot was taken from parents back yard. I'm a sucker for sunsets as you will come to realize.

While beautiful, this picture just does not do the actual reality of this sunset justice. Kinda reminds me of 1 Cor. 2:9

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him"—

Change needed!

Yeah, it's been a while! I have found that, in my world at least, blogging has been something of a struggle for me. I seem to have a hard time sticking with it. That being said I am going to (try to) start adding pictures every now and then. I love taking pictures. Sunsets, landscapes, critters, and even people! I want to add pics with the goal of bringing glory to our most high God.

Ps. 19:1- The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Rom. 1:20- For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Here's to a little change!

Mercy

Jesus is speaking to Mary in John 20:17, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

As I was reading this my heart leapt at this great truth! We as Christians share, SHARE!!! the same God and Father with our Lord Jesus!

Thank you Father for your mercy!

Enough Hate to Kill

I know that scripture makes much of turning the other cheek, and loving your neighbors as you love yourself, but it is not cheeks and neighbors that I want to talk about today, it is something much closer to home, something we must hate enough to kill.

I have come to love reading books written dead guys. The most recent read is ''The Mortification of Sin'' by John Owen. I would like to share some quotes with you. Convicting...

''The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.''

"...cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

"He that is appointed to kill and enemy, if he leave striking before the other ceases living, doth but half his work."

"Who can say that he had ever any thing to do with God or for God, that indwelling sin had not a hand in the corrupting of what he did?"

"Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt of entice, might it have its own course, it would go to the utmost sin on that kind. Every unclean thought of glance would be adultery if it could, every covetous desire would be oppression, every thouth of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head."

One more!

Let not that man think he makes any progress in holiness who walks not over the bellies of his lusts. He who doth not kill sin in this way takes no steps towards his journey's end. He who finds not opposition from it, and who sets not himself in every particular to its mortification, is at peace with it, not dying to it."

Sin. By God's grace and with the help of His Spirit, let us rise up and mortify this evil that separates us from our God! We cannot hate it enough!

Mans Wisdom?

[10:1] Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. [2] And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
(Leviticus 10:1-2 ESV)

[9] And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. [10] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.
(1 Chronicles 13:9-10 ESV)

Epic fail