New Bible App for Kids:

Noah's Ark: A Children's Story Book

With this fully interactive app, children ages 1-6 will not only enjoy hearing the biblically accurate story, they will love helping Noah create a blueprint of the ark, as well as hammer its boards into place. Children will love helping the dove retrieve a branch from the only dry land on earth, helping drain the water at the end of 150 days, and much more. Once the story is complete, children will enjoy completing the coloring pages enhanced with the magic reveal tool. The classic story of Noah’s Ark has captured the imagination of children and adults for generations. Now experience the newest retelling of this famous story.

Tips on Memorizing Scripture

Why is it so hard to remember things, let alone the gift of memorizing scripture? Because it is in fact a gift, a gift I have not been given in my young adult life. I knew the scriptures as a child and a teen. I could spout out anything you needed to know about the Bible. Then… in late high school and early college I turned away from the truth of scripture… and the thought that it was truth at all. Thankfully the God is gracious. Through a series of events the Lord brought some people into my life and took some people out. I am thankful for that season for it has brought me to where I am today, and who I am today… a Daughter of the King. Since my early believing days I have forgotten most of the scripture I once knew. However through my love for the Lord… and His love for me, I am regaining the hidden word in my heart. Now I still believe that I have NOT been given the gift of scripture memorization, but does that mean I shouldn’t try to hide the word of God in my heart! Oh no, try away!

I have hidden your Word in my heart, so I might not sin again you. Psalm 119:8

Here are some tips to help make that happen in my life and yours:

1. Memorize scripture from a verse of the Bible that you enjoy. The Bible I use often is TNIV, in case you were wondering.
2. Make some note cards of verses that you are trying to memorize.
3. Now carry these cards with you to read while in a waiting line or on your lunch break, or post them around your home in places you’ll see them.
4. Repeat and learn what these verses mean. If you understand them, it will be easier to remember them.
5. Regularly review these verses. Use it or lose it, haha, I’m serious though.
6. Now go and share!

Hello Monday: myLife

Today is a new chapter in my life...

I'm starting the inspiredtoaction.com Hello Mornings challenge... but that isn't the new chapter, I'm 28 today, it's my birthday, and another chance to come closer to my Lord and allow Him to shape me into the person He wants me to become.

A lot has already happened in 2012... I'm excited, and to be honest also a little scared... but the more I dive into the loving word of the Father, He reassures my doubt and it over comes my fear... I wish I didn't need that reassurance every morning... but then I wouldn't need Him and that is no wish at all!

I praise the Lord for His word! And for His Love!

Psalms 1

¹ Blessed are those
who do not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but who delight in the law of the LORD
and meditate on his law day and night. ³ They are like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.

In the challenge some sweet ladies worked so hard to offer a Bible Study for those who didn't have one, since this really is what this whole challenge is about...

- To develop the life giving morning habit of waking up early, spending time with God and being intentional about planning our days and exercising regularly.Specifically challenging moms to stop waking up TO their children and start waking up FOR them.

And since I LOVE Bible Study SOOO much... that puts me at doing BSF:Act, Reading God's Story, and Run to Him! Prayerfully asking God to help me keep up with all three and to get me out of bed in the morning early enough to do so!

Contagious Holiness

So pastor posted this article this morning on Facebook and it was really good, I see why he wanted to share. So I am doing the same. However this article is inspired by this so maybe you should view both. Some great quotes of Len Sweet in his review was: "the devil’s got a mission" talking about churches being missional.

There isn't definition in the word missional for churches if we aren't spreading the mission and truth of Jesus. Too many times in this day and culture we are being humanitarians instead of disciples of christ. We need to make sure that we are staying true to what is at the central of the reason we are being missional... not only because the Lord tells us to ... but because we have a heart like Christ and He had a heart for the lost.
Sweet: The question for the church to ask is, "How is Christ perceived, made real, and lifted up in the various cultures in which we find ourselves?" ... "Our Christianity does not reside in one thing—it adjusts to culture. This is the incarnational principal Jesus gave us: While I don’t want you to be of the world, I want you to be in the world—it is not our option to flee the world."

I love this statement Sweet made: "We’ve made the church about a lot of different things other than Christ. The Scriptures say clearly that if Jesus be lifted up, he will draw all people (John 12:32)." And it's true. We have made Church many things... most often than not, not about Christ. He goes on to say, "This is one of my things about the church: We develop boards, draw up this and that strategy, start programs, but the church has got to understand that all this is to lift Jesus up. He’s the draw, and we ought to be focused on how we can lift Jesus up so people can hear him, see him, smell him, taste him and touch him in our communities."  

 Okay... wait a minute... let me go back to the word: "boards". Um, the church does create these said boards... and it needs to do a better job of following and expecting the qualifications that are laid out in Acts 6:1-7, Acts 20:17-31, 1 Tim 3:3-13 for the leadership of our Churches. Check out Elders, Deacons, Redefinition of the Church Part 1 or Part 2 for some better understanding on these matters.We need to make sure we are placing Spirit-filled Christ seeking leaders into these positions instead of the high school popularity contests that they seem to currently be.  Okay enough of me ranting, back to Sweet.

Sweet: "I think it is. The church of the future is going to be many sizes with many different expressions. Some churches will get bigger than we’ve ever imagined. We are now seeing the organic church, house church, and simple church movement. There is going to be a move away from what I call “parking lot churches” to “pedestrian churches.” By this, I mean churches that are anchored in the neighborhood that you can literally walk to. We are moving toward a pedestrian culture, where people want to walk to work, walk to the store, and walk to church, so I think there is an opportunity for small churches, especially neighborhood churches. But they got to get the connection part right. They have to understand what it means to really connect with God, with each other, and with strangers. That’s a big deal."

Ah... nicely put. This isn't saying every church is going to be like this... but this is what i want for our churches... communities of faith families coming together to do life. Pastor and I have been trying to achieve this for 5 years now... and still counting. And yet many "church-goers" are afriad of this???

Which leads me back to Wentworth. "I remained in my "holiness bubble" and used the rules as my reason to never involve myself in the culture that so desperately needed to be introduced to the One who changed my life. If anyone wanted to experience or witness that change, they needed to come into the church and see how I worshiped the Lord and how many times I attended services each week." It is crazy to think of how the culture has shaped us and taken us so far away from what Christ has told us to do: live lives of holiness and make disciples. "...To this current day, that lifestyle-a holiness lifestyle-infected her and is affecting those around her."

The Cross was true holiness in it purest form, but it didn't look very holy on the surface. In order to engage our world, Jesus showed us how to be holy people in a dirty world and to live a life of holiness without the world endangering our holiness label.
I learned that for years my life was defined by labels-holiness church and holiness people-instead of a holiness lifestyle that connects with my culture to show them who Christ is through me. I didn't have to be disconnected from the culture, but God was calling me into the culture to truly live out His change in me. People in our communities are not likely to come into my holiness church to see my holiness life. But I now know they will see me every day giving them a tangible indication that there is something different in my life.


If we don't engage each other within the walls of the building then we will never be effective in engaging our community and culture. If we don't live that life with each other we will not have any effect in the world we are trying to reach.This is what we need.


This is what we need.
*Words in orange are from a post made by Keven Wentworth, Pastor of Dayton, Ohio's Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene for Holiness Today magazine.
*Words in blue are from an interview conducted and written by Grace & Peace magazine on Len Sweet's book: So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and Church.

       

No Matter What

Today is a hard day. Lots of crying and heartache. Emma busted up in my bathroom with my iPhone playing Kerrie Roberts' "No Matter What"... thankfully God has used her and my iPhone a lot these past couple of days to bring me a word from Him. You may think that is silly... I think that's just my Father knowing what I need when I need it. 


So what else is there to do when Kerrie Roberts is playing ... DANCE PARTY! Tears run down my face and a smile appears because I feel Him ... and see the laughter and innocence in my little girls 
... "I will trust Him, no matter what."

No Matter What

Songwriters: Chuck Butler, Kerrie Roberts, Tony Wood

I'm running back to your promises one more time
Lord that's all I can hold on to
I gotta say this has taken me by surprise
But nothing surprises You

Before a heartache can ever touch my life
It has to go through Your hands
And even though I keep asking why
I keep asking why

No matter what, I'm gonna love You
No matter what I'm gonna need You
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what

When I'm stuck and there's nothing else by myself
I'm just sitting in silence
There's no way I can make it without Your help
I wont even try it

I know You have Your reasons for everything
So I will keep believing
Whatever I might be feeling, God, You are my hope
And You will be my strength,

No matter what, I'm gonna love You
No matter what I'm gonna need You
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what

Anything I don't have You can give it to me
But it's okay if You don't, I'm not here for those things
The touch of Your love is enough on its own
No matter what I still love You and I'm gonna need You

No matter what I'm gonna love you
No matter what I'm gonna need you
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, I'll trust You
No matter what, no matter what

I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what
No matter, no matter what