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I met some prisoners today!  All were in prisons of their own making. Violators of the law were they. The whole lot. Innocence was absent - shame was evident. To pay a debt to society would be easier but this incarceration is a bottomless pit of endless guilt. Born in iniquity and conceived in sin. Prisoners to the shackles that come with flesh. Outside the corridors of their penitentiary cries a voice, "the spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim deliverance to the captives." "Come, all who are weary and heavy laden, rest." "Come now, let us reason...white!" A smoking flax He will not quench. A bruised reed He will not crush. A broken and contrite heart He will not despise. How can they call if they can't hear, hear, hear   I was naked and you clothed me. I was in prison and ... you came . To speak even unto the least of these... for where the spirit of the lord is...freedom iPhone

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Clogging up my gutters, sticking on the car, flying all over my landscaping, those pesky helicopters are everywhere! God is amazing though isn't He? The simple hardy maple tree has a brilliant technique for reproduction. One tree with a gazillion seeds. The beauty of it is that it goes flying thru the air like locust and lands hundreds of feet away from the.......momma tree. Who ever heard of a massive prehistoric explosion creating such awe and wonder? It's just a simple tree but it's cycle of seasons and emergence of new life fascinates me year after year. If a barky ole tree can be so unique and intelligent imagine how amazing, wonderful, and complex He has made us! I can accept the evolution and adaptation of many things, but this too is a God thing. Tha...

The rifles fired the 21 gun salute. Just the appearance of a military honor guard draws you in as if it embodies a small slice of America's wonder. The lieutenant approached the widow to present the banner under which he served. With authority he drew in a salute and expressed gratitude for Tom's service to his country. I met Tom and Lori during a lengthy stay on 4G at the veterans hospital. Walking down the hall I saw out of the corner of my eye a large gathering of family in a private room. Louise was at her desk. She is one of our excellent nurses. Her compassion wears evident on her countenance and actions. "What's going on in 452," "The patient has transferred here." She replied "He suffered a spine injury during..." She hesitated and pulled the chart to review his medical notes. "Here it is. They were removing a tumor in his neck and it appears that it injured his spinal cord. "Oh , yes, I remember reading about this patien...

I sent her a text to pick me up at 8:30pm. There was a lot to do but I was sure that I would be through by then. Allison is a typical 16 year old with loads of homework and texts to respond to and of course catching the last 15 minutes of some chick flick. I'm always conscientious of her time. She's never given us a moments trouble. What issues that surface have actually been a privilege to solve. Maybe Angie and I are wiser or the reality that she's our last child at home makes us soft.  However the case we constantly think of her schedule. I looked at the time and knew I was behind. I said to myself, "She's going to text me soon".  A minute later my phone chirps in a text. It said, "I'm here. " I wrote back "Give me 5 min" "Okie dokie" ...standard reply. 30 minutes later I emerge from the snares of TSC knowing that she has to be squirming outside and ready to jump me for taking so long. She's parked in front of the store...

Joshua 3:9 Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It pile...

Check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3VtgYei05Y&feature=youtube_gdata iPhone

When you start thinking that it all depends upon you, you're missing the point. The beauty of the system is that ALL  we're asked to do is our part. No matter how small or insignificant it appears to be. When everbody does their part, God puts it all together. When you try to do it all,  you rob others of their part, and you steal Gods glory by trying to do His too. He's laid out a work for everybody to do.  It's not the size that matters, but rather your understanding of the larger picture. God's mosaic is a beautiful blend of His chosen tapestry. In His infinite wisdom, He weaves all the parts together to be the glorious body of Christ. It's easy to get caught up thinking that we're not doing enough or "if everybody would be responsible to do..." (you know the complaint). When you and I stand before the Lord, we won't have the luxuary of excuses or blaming others. The daily ambition of every believer is to hear Him say, "Well done mate, ...