Who Needs A Trip To Sleep Train?

in the mornings while i am getting ready for work, i listen to a popular radio staion on fm. the morning show is so funny and it helps to wake me up. the two dj's are hilarious. one dj refers to himself as cousin kevin and his sidekick is named nicki.

every morning, cousin kevin and nicki have a segment on the talk show to advertise their sponsor. this is really celebrity gossip. they talk and laugh about the latest celebrities who are or have messed up. the entire show is usually sposored by sleep train mattress centers.

"...well, he really needs to take a trip to sleep train!" nicki will say about the latest celebrity.
"that's right," cousin kevin will chime in, "because we all know that when you are sleeping on a good quality mattress..."
"yeah, when you can get yourself a good night's sleep," nicki continues.
"umm hmm, when you can get yourself a good night's sleep on a mattress from sleep train, you will not be making these kids of bad decisions!" cousin kevein will say with conviction. then the two will bust out laughing. cousin kevin in particular will lose control and begin to giggle. it's hilarious. but it's also sad because people need the Lord.

this got me thinking about God's people. how we really mess up sometimes and can get ourselves into some situations. a trip to sleep train and a new mattress might help, LOL, but let me suggest something better. go back to basics. when you mess up, go back to God based on the basic truths that you learned in sunday school, or in church, or from your grandparents.

God is love. God is a judge, but He also forgives. Jesus died for your sins. the blood of Jesus can wash away all of your sins. confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, ask Him to be Lord of your life and you will be saved.

rest in the fear of the Lord! rest in God's mercy and grace! rest in knowing God's love for you!

questions
are you tired of running? do you need to get some rest in the Lord?

read
proverbbs 19:23
the fear of the Lord leads to rest!

song in my head today:
'praise will confuse the enemy!'

Nothing For Like, A Gazillion Years...No, Really

today, i decided to not take the freeway home. i estimated that i would use the same amount of gas and get home in the same amount of time since it was rush hour. brain calculates oddly things that seem so neccessary and important, but really are not.

so, i was driving along san leandro boulevard and i passed by a billboard for a well-known alarm company. the billboard had this catch phrase or tag line that made me think, in fact, it is driving me bonkers! i will paraphrase what it said:

'nothing has ever happened in like a gazillion years, and nothing ever will." -yawn n stretch alarm company

huh? i suppose this is their way of saying that their alarms are so secure, that nothing bad ever happens. now, i know people who have used this company, first of all, and alot happened. things were stolen, things were vandalized, you name it. the slogan on the billboard is a lie! it's a distraction for drivers too.

got me thinking about life: how boring it would be if nothing ever happened. i certainly wouldn't know how cool God is and has been when the going gets tough. and it certainly has. i would not have room to grow or blossom where i am planted. even if all i'm doing right now is standing and waiting, life is happening with Jesus!

if nothing ever happened, we would not need Jesus! growth often means getting out of our comfort zones. if you feel secure and cozy with your relationship with the Lord, you probably are gonna stay in that place for a while. life happens whn you go where Jesus would go and do as Jesus would do. security comes from fully trusting in Jesus. this is the life.

question
has anything been happening in your life that might be nudging you to grow in the Lord?

read
psalm 122
how else to be secure? pray for the peace of jerusalem!

song in my head
'i'm restored...i'm redeemed...never rejected, just reconnected 'cause i know His name! restored!' -j.moss

Blessed is the Man Who Walks!

i love reading the Bible and seeing something new. i always wonder what and exactly how was king david thinking when he wrote worship songs and poetry. was king david's thought process similar to william shakespeare's when it came to the written word? (of course, i realize that shakespeare lived eaons after king david!) but did the melody come first or the lyrics?

psalm 1:1 comes to mind. here's how i would read psalm 1:1 for example, and please forgive me as i child i had to memorize large portions of the bible in the kjv:

'Blessed is the man that walketh
not
in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth
in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful.'

if i were to put this in my own words here's how it would read:

'blessed! is the man who walks!
not
after taking advice from ungodly folks,
not
in the footsteps of sinful people, and
not
by taking a position of judgment.'

this is an amazing way to open up the book of psalms! it's about purity, about keeping your way upright before the Lord. it's about being blessed. but in one verse, he covers a lot. watch out who you take advice from, watchout who you mimick your walk after, watchout that you do'nt become a mocker! because if you don't you will not be blessed. it's very simple. Jesus said, love your neighbor as you would love yourself. it's the old 'do ye unto others as ye wouldeth haveth others-eth doeth unto you-theth.'

i gotta do it, everything psalm 1 says, but i gotta get it right. no room for error on this one.

question
can anyone mimick your walk with the Lord and still find their way to the cross? i'm not sure my walk today was mimickable. will try again tomorrow by God's grace.

read psalm 1

prayer Lord, help my walk! keep me on the straight and narrow! let me take great joy in your ways o, Lord!

song in my head: 'where would i be without your grace? i'd be lost without your grace. how could i live without your grace? the life that i have is by your grace! i am free, i'm forgiven by your work at calvary! you gave me life worth living now the chains are broken! i am saved by grace, love abounding mercy founding!' -israel houghton

Sonbeam

soak in the Sonbeam

let the light flow over you

let your bones be warmed

as the light comes through!


whatever you do

stay in the light

don't be ashamed

let it shine bright!


share it with the world

the darkness needs light!

the thing about sunbeams is that they are always moving and never stay in one place for very long. in order to soak in a sunbeam you will have to move right along with it.

to follow in the footsteps of Jesus you gotta move! if He is leaving footprints behind for us to step into, well then, that certainly implies that He is always moving forward. we must always move forwad with Him. It is not because He needs to move forward, but that He came to save us so that we might have the chance to boldly approach the throne of grace.

i don't want to miss one step, Lord! i'm going to follow you as closely as i can, and..as accurately. one step at a time.

question

where is Jesus going in your life?

read

psalm 119:133

song in my head: 'i wanna be your hands, i wanna be your feet. i'll go where you send me, go where you send me...i will go.' -audio adrenaline

God bless you

the thing about saying "God bless you" is that we tend to throw the phrase around a lot without really meaning it. sort of like when someone says "how are you doing?" and you reply "fine" regardless of how you really feel.

the phrase "God bless you" is a blessing that we bestow on others and we should mean it, especially if we need that blessing ourselves!

in the classic movie fiddler on the roof, the main character topol asks his rabbi: "rabbi, is there blessing for a tzar?" the tzar in russia at the time had treated them very badly and as a result the towns people were suffering and living in poverty.

the rabbi thought for a minute and said "yes, yes i do believe there is a blessing for a tzar, let me see...uh...may the Lord bless the tzar far and away from us!" and all the towns people rejoiced over the blessing.

i think about these lines from the movie quite a lot. i usually think about it when i am at church and the "God bless you's" are flying overhead. i wonder how many people would want God to bless me far and away from them? it's good to laugh at yourself. church culture is often times hilarious!

the truth is that words count beyond measure. watch your words. bless your friends, bless your family, bless your co-workers, but bless your enemies, bless those who curse you too, bless them all.

whew! that's a hard one! Lord Jesus, did you really mean that when you said it in the sermon on the mount? (matthew 5-7) because i'm not so sure that my enemies need to be blessed, not right now anyways.

gotta do it. sounds like i'm being weak blessing my enemies, but Jesus said...

what about God? how can i be a blessing to God? God? i bless you with my life. it's not much, but i am gonna bless you with my whole life, my whole heart, and all my strength. amen!

prayer
God bless my enemies. bless those who curse me and do things to me out of spite, God bless them.

question
who will you really bless today with your words?

read pslam 103:1-2
i will be a blessing to you o, Lord!

song in my head today
'blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful where your streams of abundance flow blessed be your name! ...every blessing you pour out i'll turn back to praise. when the darkness closes in Lord, still i will say blessed be the name of the Lord!' -matt redman

back to basics, again

it is a good thing to go back, to remember all that God has done. i keep a journal for such things. at the end of 2009 i tried to list all that God had done, all the blessings, provisions, miracles, healings, but i found that making the list was a never ending task! the list is so long and i still haven't finished it! everytime i remember something i add it to the list...and that was just for 2009! wow, how amazing is God?

this year is turning out to be filled with unique blessings as well. there is always something to be thankful for, and i find that when it gets bad, really bad, i can still say the words 'it could be worse.' God's grace and mercy once again.

it is a good thing to sit back and say thank you to God. i couldn't have made it through without him! God is on top of it all, i can rest in that. i can bask in the goodness of God.

read 2 Samuel 6:14

prayer: thank you God for it all! you have blessed me beyond measure! halelujah!

song in my head today: 'i'm restored and i've been rewarded. i'm redeemed from guilt and shame. never rejected just reconnected. now, i'm exalted, because i know his name! yes, i am!'
-j.moss

back to basics

you are God's child. you've been through some stuff you can't talk about, wish you could, one day you will...when you do everyone will totally trip and say:

"how did she/he make it through?" and
"we had no idea, you seemed so happy like everything was going alright!"

one day, you are gonna testify. just like in the old time revivals, stand up and say:

"ahhhh, i just wanna testify! i'm gonna tell of the Lord's goodness to me!"

then, you will help somebody through.

you should have died. you should not be here. silly mistakes. but it's all under the blood.

now, how is it that God can bless us so much? i keep thinking about how i do not deserve his blessings, his mercy and grace, his love. but i cannot, absolutely cannot live without it. i crave more of God with every breath.

getting back to basics after the storm and stress. after a particulary grueling trial, you can come out of a storm looking and feeling completely lost like in a fog that won't quit. don't quit now. don't give up on God yet. in fact, never give up on God. look at all he went through to get your attention.

go back to the basics. back to the word of God. pray like a little child. reach up to God for strength and wisdom. be filled with the Spirit. be encouraged. remember God's promises from the Garden of Eden (Genesis) until now, (Revelation). it started with God's grace, and it will end with God's mercy.

question have you breathed in God today or are you suffocating?

read psalm 23
'surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...!'

prayer: dear God help me to remember the basics for everyday living with you!

song in my head today:
'let's get back to eden, live on top of the world!'
sung by donald lawrence and co.