Blessed Are The Peacemakers....

"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God." The followers of Jesus have been called to peace. When he called them they found their peace, for he is their peace. But now they are told that they must not only have peace but make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult. In the cause of Christ nothing is to be gained by such methods. His kingdom is one of peace, and the mutual greeting of his flock is a greeting of peace. His disciples keep the peace by choosing to endure suffering themselves rather than inflict it on others. They maintain fellowship where others would break it off. They renounce all self-assertion, and quietly suffer in the face of hatred and wrong. In so doing they overcome evil with good, and establish the peace of God in the midst of a world of war and hate. But nowhere will that peace be more manifest than where they meet the wicked in peace and are ready to suffer at their hands. The peacemakers will carry the cross with their Lord, for it was on the cross that peace was made. Now that they are partners in Christ's work of reconciliation, that are called the sons of God as he is the son of God. -Bonhoeffer page 112-113 Cost Of Discipleship

What Era I Read The Most

Larissa's wwii book montage

Larissa's favorite books »

I read a ton and one of my favorite things to read about is history. I read alot about history and certain historical eras. While I enjoy learning more about the civil war, English/Scottish history, Medieval History and American Native History (which often coincides with Pioneer history), my most commonly explored era is the WWII era. I have read a lot on this time and wanted to add a few of my favorites for you to read if you are interested in WWII history like I am.

A few reasons why I like this era so much are first that it was a perfect example of why unbiblical ideology was a gigantic fail. Atheism gone to its ultimate end becomes the reality of Europe during the German occupation. Many countries and peoples have records of great heroism because of this great evil that arose out of a hatred for life while they acted bravely to safe those lives. Second, there are still people from this era living and the many facts and ideas that can be found are linked to living human beings. This reality brings history to life in an amazing way. Third, this is the first time in modern history when an entire world was affected and almost every continent touched. The world became truly smaller in active thought. From the invasion of china by the Japanese empire, to the conquest of the African North, to the bombing of the American Pacific Islands, to the post war development of the Communist Eastern Europe and the Nation of Israel. Even to the modern day trials and deportations of war criminals, 70 years from the war.

So here are some books, novels, and children stories where I learned a lot about our world's History by reading about an era.

Gladys Alward: The Little Woman - Depicting a missionary life in the late twenties and into the thirties. Covers the invasion of china by the Japanese. Sad and educational, we often forget how many fronts there were!

The 23rd Psalm - The second most powerful holocaust memoir I have ever read! Evil of man and also the unexplained heroism of others. This young man endured five lifetimes before his 16th birthday!

Citizen Soldiers - The European theater from the American perspective.

Clara's War - can you imagine sitting down for more than two years? Surviving murder only because the town outcast and drunk had pity on you?

Band Of Brothers - If You haven't read this, you must! Intimate relationships amongst men in the most straining of times! Brilliant because of the love these men exhibited toward one another.

With the Old Breed - Dark, bloody, violent. The experiences of a very young man in the Pacific theater. Wildly emotional and heart rending.

The Pianist - Highly logical and human account of survival against all odds. From Life in Warsaw before the start of WWII to the Ghetto uprising and also the liberation by the Soviets. The voice in this account reflects its being written in 1946.

The Hiding Place -As ten Boom herself describes her incarceration "I went to prison for loving Jewish people."

The longest Day - A deeply detailed account of D-Day.

Schindler's List - The Path of a life which should have ended in prison for war crimes, but instead became a champion for Human lives.

Alicia - Powerful first Person account of a Jewish girls life in Poland during WWII outside of the Concentration camps.

What does it cost to be a Christian?

What does it cost to be a Christian?
(A good question not many of us ask...)

I grant freely that it costs little to be a mere outward Christian. A man has only got to attend a place of worship twice on Sunday, and to be tolerably moral during the week--and he has gone as far as thousands around him ever go in religion. All this is cheap and easy work--it entails no self-denial or self-sacrifice. If this is saving Christianity and will take us to Heaven when we die--we must alter the description of the way of life, and write, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to Heaven!"

But it does cost something to be a real Christian, according to the standard of the Bible. There are . . .
enemies to be overcome,
battles to be fought,
sacrifices to be made,
an Egypt to be forsaken,
a wilderness to be passed through,
a cross to be carried,
a race to be run.
Conversion is not putting a man in a soft armchair, and taking him pleasantly to Heaven. It is the beginning of a mighty conflict, in which it costs much to win the victory. Hence arises the unspeakable importance of "counting the cost."

True Christianity will cost a man . . .
his self-righteousness,
his sins,
his love of ease, and
the favor of the world.

A religion which costs nothing--is worth nothing!

A cheap, easy Christianity, without a cross--will prove in the end a useless Christianity, without a crown!

J.C. Ryle

www.gracegems.com

Tribulation in the World and The Idea We Can Avoid It

photo credit Pmsocialmedia

"The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet there is still a great work for Christians to do. They are to be streams of living water, channels of mercy to those who are still in the world. It is possible for them to do this because they are overcomers.
Christians are ambassadors for Christ. They are representatives from Heaven to this dying world. And because of our presence here, things will change.

My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room.

We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said, "In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." We too, are to be overcomers – bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate.

Sometimes I get frightened as I read the Bible, and as I look in this world and see all of the tribulation and persecution promised by the Bible coming true. Now I can tell you, though, if you too are afraid, that I have just read the last pages. I can now come to shouting "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" for I have found where it is written that Jesus said,

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things:
and I will be His God,
and he shall be My son."
This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive – but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world.
Betsy and I, in the concentration camp, prayed that God would heal Betsy who was so weak and sick.
"Yes, the Lord will heal me,", Betsy said with confidence.

She died the next day and I could not understand it. They laid her thin body on the concrete floor along with all the other corpses of the women who died that day.

It was hard for me to understand, to believe that God had a purpose for all that. Yet because of Betsy's death, today I am traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus.

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.

In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,


"We have failed.
We should have made the people strong for persecution,
rather than telling them Jesus would come first.
Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution,
how to stand when the tribulation comes,
– to stand and not faint."

I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it.

We are next.

Since I have already gone through prison for Jesus' sake, and since I met the Bishop in China, now every time I read a good Bible text I think, "Hey, I can use that in the time of tribulation." Then I write it down and learn it by heart.

When I was in the concentration camp, a camp where only twenty percent of the women came out alive, we tried to cheer each other up by saying, "Nothing could be any worse than today." But we would find the next day was even worse. During this time a Bible verse that I had committed to memory gave me great hope and joy.

"If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye;
for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you;
on their part evil is spoken of,
but on your part He is glorified."
(I Peter 3:14)

I found myself saying, "Hallelujah!
Because I am suffering, Jesus is glorified!"

In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.

Several years ago I was in Africa in a nation where a new government had come into power. The first night I was there some of the Christians were commanded to come to the police station to register. When they arrived they were arrested and that same night they were executed. The next day the same thing happened with other Christians. The third day it was the same. All the Christians in the district were being systematically murdered.

The fourth day I was to speak in a little church. The people came, but they were filled with fear and tension. All during the service they were looking at each other, their eyes asking, "Will this one I am sitting beside be the next one killed? Will I be the next one?"

The room was hot and stuffy with insects that came through the screenless windows and swirled around the naked bulbs over the bare wooden benches. I told them a story out of my childhood.

When I was a little girl, I went to my father and said, "Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ."

 "Tell me," said Father, "When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?"

"No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train."

"That is right," my father said, "and so it is with God's strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need – just in time…"

My African friends were nodding and smiling.
Suddenly a spirit of joy descended upon that church and the people began singing,

" In the sweet, by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore."

Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed.
I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago.

But I must tell you something. I was so happy that the Lord used me to encourage these people, for unlike many of their leaders, I had the word of God. I had been to the Bible and discovered that Jesus said He had not only overcome the world, but to all those who remained faithful to the end, He would give a crown of life.

How can we get ready for the persecution?

First we need to feed on the Word of God, digest it, make it a part of our being. This will mean disciplined Bible study each day as we not only memorize long passages of scripture, but put the principles to work in our lives.

Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it.

In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian's life.

Many are fearful of the coming tribulation, they want to run. I, too, am a little bit afraid when I think that after all my eighty years, including the horrible Nazi concentration camp, that I might have to go through the tribulation also. But then I read the Bible and I am glad.

When I am weak, then I shall be strong, the Bible says. Betsy and I were prisoners for the Lord, we were so weak, but we got power because the Holy Spirit was on us. That mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit helped us through. No, you will not be strong in yourself when the tribulation comes. Rather, you will be strong in the power of Him who will not forsake you. For seventy-six years I have known the Lord Jesus and not once has He ever left me, or let me down.

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him", (Job 13:15)
for I know that to all who overcome,
He shall give the crown of life.
Hallelujah!"
- Corrie Ten Boom - 1974

Note: you can find several copies on the internet of this letter by searching for "corrie ten boom on the rapture".

Homeschooling Reminders...Not Just for The Homeschooler!

I was reading our pastor's blog recently (he isn't our current pastor, but one who has seriously encouraged and ministered to Will and I through times of great trial and is a shepherd we would both willingly follow!) and he linked an article, which Will and I both read together.

Why did we like it?

-It make us both pause.

-It made us both take inventory  of our motives in parenting.

-It made us value more dearly the precious gifts our children are to us.

-It made us remember the gospel!

-It helped us learn to remember our children aren't projects or tools for acheivement. They aren't ways we prove our fabulous skills, they aren't experiments....they are fallen people just like us who need a chance to just be themselves and live their livesfor Him, not our life. And we should give them the independence/trust/chance-even-if-they-don't-deserve-it to do so without us trying to force them into a mold that is imagined and not real.

So if you think any of these reasons for our enjoying this article are things you might identify with or if you are just curious go and check it out now.

Click HERE.

Fear God, Not Man

“Listen to me, you who know righteousness,

the people in whose heart is my law;

fear not the reproach of man,

nor be dismayed at their revilings.

Isaiah 51:7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.  Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.  Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:2-6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.  For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:12-16

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Proverbs 29:25

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 corinthians 5:1-10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

-Jim Elliot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I am afraid to speak the truth lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand", or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

-Amy Carmichael

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is no more blessed way of living, than the life of faith based upon a covenant-keeping God - to know that we have no care, for He cares for us; that we need have no fear, except to fear Him; that we need have no troubles, because we have cast our burdens upon the Lord, and are conscience that He will sustain us.

The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God.

-Charles Spurgeon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions, demanded by work, become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men, but only in the sight of God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work.-Bonhoeffer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fear is faithlessness. -George MacDonald

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many... would like glory, who have no wish for grace. They would [want to] have the wages, but not the work; the harvest, but not the labor; the reaping, but not the sowing; the reward, but not the battle. But it may not be.

-J.C. Ryle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christian, let God's distinguishing love to you be a motive to you to fear Him greatly. He has put His fear in your heart, and may not have given that blessing to your neighbor, perhaps not to your husband, your wife, your child, or your parent. Oh, what an obligation should this thought lay upon your heart to greatly fear the Lord! Remember also that this fear of the Lord is His treasure, a choice jewel, given only to favorites, and to those who are greatly beloved.

-John Bunyan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing that a pilot steers the ship in which we sail, who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.

-JOhn Calvin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Therefore, if we give into the fear of man and do not allow wisdom to rule in our hearts and manifest fear of God bringing holiness to completion then we are denying the power of the cross and saying that He has not overcome the world. Christ Himself says "DO NOT FEAR THE WORLD, FOR I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!" How much more certainty do we need that no matter what occurs in this present season, this fleshly time, we are still held in the power of the Master who knows the paths we will tread. There is no need to dread or fear what man can do, but there is much to fear from God if we do not attribute to Him the wonders and glories due not just to His name, but also to His character!

FEAR GOD! DO NOT FEAR MAN!

Our hearts have room for only one all embracing devotion and we can only cleve to one Lord. Every copetitor to that devotion must be hated. As Jesus says, there is no alternative--either we love God or we hate him. We are confronted by an "either--or": either we love God, or we love earthly goods. If we love God, we hate the world, and if we love the world, we hate God. It makes no difference whether that love be conscious and deliberate or not; in fact it is morally certain that it will be neither, and that our conscious and deliberate desire will be to serve two masters, to love God and the good things of life. We shall indignantly repudiate the suggestion that we hate God, and will be firmly convinced that we love him, whereas by tryng to combine love for him with love for the world, we are turning our love for him into hatred. And then we have lost the single eye, and our heart is no longer in fellowship with Jesus. Our deliberate intentions make no difference to the inevitable result; Ye cannot serve two masters, if ye be followers of Jesus Christ.

-Bonhoeffer "Cost of Discipleship"

** Seriously if you call yourself a Christian you MUST read this awesome book for yourself! You cannot but profit from the wisdom of this suffering saint who really knew what the fire was like! And what the COST really meant! For him it meant everything! As it also should for us!

Some Musical Encouragement This Sunday

Weak Things Of This World--Via TGC

Looking For Something Cool To Read?

Now I am not a fan of biographies that tend to glorify the subject, but even though this one flirts with the line where hero worship and general historical record coincide it is still PACKED full of great information about not only Bonhoeffer, but also the lengths to which Christians and non-Christians will go to for the cause of Christ or the adversity of Him. The American church can learn alot from this theologian! I would recommend just about everything by him, even though I haven't read everything. He is the real deal, no matter how you try to hero-fy him you still cannot stop seeing the Cross of Christ! So buy it and read it!

New Book...I am Gonna Read!!!

My Kids Love to Dance

My kooky kiddos love to dance. I know that this can often be a taboo thing for believers to do, but they enjoy it so much I put together a mix of songs that I thought they would enjoy dancing to. They really do love it. I hope you enjoy hearing some of the music that makes them move it!

Running Scared

My 5 Musts

As we all know I am a die hard reader. I think if you added up all the hours I spend with my head stuck in a book of some sort it would be pretty embarrassing. I don't even get in the car without a book, on the off chance I will end up waiting for someone or something and thinking to myself...."Man wish I had a book!" So since I love to read and have read a lot of books, here are five books I think you MUST read before you die!


Five books I think you should read all the way through before you die are................

We all probably know what my first recommendation will be. Yeah, I am also a die hard Bible Fan! So many people complain about inconsistencies in the bible or the total inaccuracies without ever having read it. They say it is totally unbelievable and totally irrelevant to their lives, when they have never cracked it open, much less read the entire thing! So I say, if you think you cannot complain about the president if you didn't vote, then you cannot complain about the Bible if you have never even read it! And I bet you heard that argument from someone else who never has read it either!

The second book I think every one should read is by Francine Rivers. All of her work is fabulous, but these five novellas especially are amazing. They are about women and so women will definitely identify well with these novellas, but they are also very applicable to men and I think everyone should read them once. It makes the bible come to life almost a nearly as a bible class can. You can almost smell the world of the Old Testament in these short books. All are wonderful and all are unique in that they reveal the human condition is the same over thousands of generations! You must read these!

My third book is a memoir of the wife of Richard Baxter, Margaret. I ordered this book online from a paperback sharing organization, based solely on the fact that it was Baxter and also Packer wrote the introduction. I never imagined to find such a jewel in this little and very poignant book. I have never seen the puritans as more human (I mean the English puritans since the American puritans make it hard to see than in any way but human!) here we find the struggle with the flesh and the Love of a man for his wife who even in her struggles still sought after Christ! And Hoe Baxter Loved her! Loved her so much this was his act of grief. To record their love story, but more than that their path through life alongside one another. Man this is loving one
another as Christ calls us to. LOVED this book!

My fourth recommendation is a book that I read in college and while I enjoyed it, I don't think I really understood it then. Now about 8 years later I have begun to revisit it and have found such a gem of christian life and truth that I don't know why I wasn't more astounded that this man was able to pen this book. I cannot figure whether he was able to understand these truths because of the era or simply because God gifted him at the right place at the right time. It is just amazing his understanding of the cost the gospel carries and the huge responsibility we have, if we are truly disciples, to follow Him totally! If you are a christian or even if you think you are a christian, you must read this!

My last recommendation is a classic of Christianity. The confessions of St. Augustine and while I don't agree with all the things that he says, obviously. Overall this man is still being printed for a reason! I mean seriously, he understood his own heart so transparently it's amazing! He wasn't afraid to reveal himself as a base and unrighteous person. He also wasn't afraid to trust the Lord in all things and at all times. Here is a book that must be read by anyone. Augustine wasn't playing at church. He wasn't pretending to follow after Christ for some unknown reason. He understood he had been ransomed from a very sinful life and therefore he dedicated his life to the service of Christ. Read it, Seriously!




There are several other books I want to recommend for everyone to read. I haven't read all that much, there is still so much left for me to read. I hope though that you join me in reading these gifted authors as they impart their wisdom to us. Obviously the bible is inspired of God, but the others have used their creative minds to His glory and I know if you read these books you cannot help but understand the glories of Calvary better and our God in a deeper manner than ever before!

Saved?

I am certain after reading this above one word question you are already mulling over whether or not you are or are not saved. And I am equally certain you think you have a good understanding of what that means. But do you really know what you are saved from?

R.C. Sproul wrote this fabulous little book "Saved from What?" (Buy it here) which very simply answers this basic and yet not so basic question. I thought his answer was very clear and what most people wouldn't think. What do you say you are saved from? Sin? Hell? Damnation? Yourself? What are you saved from? Sproul says it is very clear, you are Saved from God.

Ummm, Larissa, are you sure about that? Heck, Yeah!! Why else would God have sent His only Son to suffer and die? Because HE KNEW that you and me were hopeless against Him apart from His own intervention! Does this change your view of being "saved"?

Have you always thought that, sweet gentle God just liked little Larissa so much, because "Awe, bless her cotton pickin' heart..." isn't she just the sweetest thing?! Did you really think that?! No. God is holy. And when I say Holy I mean you in his presence means destruction 100 times out of 100. You aren't a good person, you aren't lovable, you aren't sweet, you are a vessel of wrath!

But God loved us in a holy way, knowing that even though it would cost Him significantly, we would never be able to enter into His presence without the blood of Christ, because 100 times out of 100 our badness would have to be destroyed! God Himself would pour out His wrath on us, unless He Himself made a way for our pathetic selves! This kinda changes things doesn't it?!

You are saved......wait for it......from God! You are saved from having God's wrath poured out on your sweet and fabulous head, for eternity. Is this what happened at your conversion? Did you understand that you were so damaged that God would never allow you into His presence without the full brunt of His wrath? Did you understand that He knew the implications of our plight? This is no "Bad, Larissa, you sinned Larissa, let's just have a koom-bye-ya hug and don't you do it again, sweetie!" This is us drinking down the cup of wrath intended for all those who rebel against the Lord. God is love. He loved us so much He made a way for us not to experience that wrath, not because we were so sweet and cuddly, but because HE IS SO HOLY!

So if God save us from Himself. Does that mean we can just go ahead willy nilly ignoring his words and saying this sin is acceptable, "Larissa she is just a passionate Girl and her emotions get the better of her, Bless her heart!" Should we allow sin to abound that grace many abound? MAY IT NEVER BE! Do you understand that a HOLY God intervened in a GRAND way to redeem disgusting rabble like us? Or did you miss the whole point of being saved? Did you think it was praying a prayer, or accepting a gift? Did you think it was just admitting in an offhanded way "I sin all the time..."? Or did you think you had so badly transgressed the Law of God that you are incapable of ever being in His presence, save the blood of Christ?

Don't be deceived, friend, you have been saved (if indeed you have been redeemed) from the wrath of God, by the Loving Kindness of God, through the Grace of God, by the Providence of God. Read Sproul's book and also the Bible.

A Must Read!

Turn off music on the bottom before watching!

To purchase this book follow this link.

A Grief Sanctified Passing Through Grief to Peace and Joy (9780892838417) J. I. Packer, J. I. Packer, J.I. Packer, Richard Breviate of the Life of Margaret, Daughter of francis Baxter |PaperBackSwap.com

A Grief Sanctified Passing Through Grief to Peace and Joy (9780892838417) J. I. Packer, J. I. Packer, J.I. Packer, Richard Breviate of the Life of Margaret, Daughter of francis Baxter |PaperBackSwap.com

Shared via AddThis

This Book is amazing! It is basically an excersize in grief by a husband who deeply loved his wife, but it recounts her Christian walk with such tranparency that is touched my heart and life deeply! I LOVE this book and have since come to admire and cherish this woman who lived so long before me! Purchase this book! You won't regret it!!

Treasures of Encouragement Women Helping Women in the Church (9780875520971) Sharon W. Betters |PaperBackSwap.com

Treasures of Encouragement Women Helping Women in the Church (9780875520971) Sharon W. Betters PaperBackSwap.com


Any lady who wishes to grow her intimacy with women in her church body needs to purchase and read this book! I have enjoyed every minutes of reading it.

What Will You Say?

On the way home from a quick supermarket run after dropping my first kindergartener off at his first day of school (man did I cry! Such a wusse!), I was listening to Bott Radio. The speaker for the program was Woodrow Kroll and he asked a great question! What are you going to say to the Lord God Almighty when you appear before His judgement seat and He asks:

Have you read the only book I ever wrote?

Or are you going to say this or something like it?:

Well, you know, God, I don't read.
I have a bible, but it's so hard to get into.
You wrote a really boring book!
God, it's just SO LONG!
You know I learned to read in kindergarten and am now above 80 but I still didn't have the time. (that was an option Mr. Kroll offered) I mean if I have just lived a little bit longer...

Now you and I both know how lame this sounds, but I know that in our culture today it is totally "uncool" to be well read. Bible illiteracy is at an all time high, and we aren't one of the thousands of people groups without a Bible in our own language. What are we doing? We have the bible or have had the bible since 1610 or thereabouts and still we fail to read the only written account of the faith we claim to hold? SHAMEFULL!! And I am not trying to be harsh, it's TRUE and You know it!! But my intention isn't to guilt you into it, I am not the holy spirit, but I wanted to give you a little perspective on what we have and absolutely distain the importance of.

We have a Bible in our own language.

Here are some statistics from Wycliff Bible Translators.
6,909 ...the number of languages spoken in the world today

2,393 ...the number of languages without any of the Bible, but with a possible need of a Bible translation to begin.

According to WBT that means over 200,000,000 people still DON'T have a bible they can read in their own language. I hope that makes you look at the bible you own in a different light.

What others gave for you to have a bible.

Wycliff had the first hand written copy of the bible. Imagine hand writing the bible for the express reason of letting you and me read it. Or William Tyndale who spent his entire career translating and printing the bible into english "so every plow man would have the benfit of reading the bible in their own language." Aren't we the target audience and he was burned alive for you to read what you have. Here is the Link to a great timeline that documents the entire history of the Bible in English. Just imagine what it meant to those men and women who went through so much to read and learn their bibles.

In the face of a sad bible knowledge can't we decided that no matter how long it takes (and trust me leviticus is very hard to get through!) or how hard it is, we MUST read our WHOLE bibles! We are without excuse! Those of you who are parents know what happens to the child who is without excuse. I plead with you to read your bibles! Read them and profit thereby!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Need Help Pointing A Child To Christ?

The Gospel never has been rocket science. The Trinity's work of bringing life to the lifeless has been and always will be something that is as understandable to a child as it is to an adult. So why is it a challenge sometimes to cogently explain something so easy to comprehend?

Well, such a question would form a nice backbone to another post. My hope at this moment is simply to provide some help if you are someone who has found it a struggle to tell young people about Christ.

Some of you may be familiar with the Matthias Media's gospel presentation entitled "Two Ways To Live". In fact, the online version of this presentation is the one Larissa and I have had linked from this blog since we started blogging. It is an excellent Gospel presentation to memorize and the tracts by the same name are handy to keep in a purse or back pocket to share with others. Even if you are familiar with "Two Ways To Live", you may not be aware that Matthias Media has a children's version of "Two Ways To Live" in tract form entitled "Who Will Be King". On their website, the good people at Matthias Media state that this tract is for children ages 7-11. I have used this tract before and intend to use it long into the future. I highly recommend you order as many as you can and give them to your young family members and neighbors. Here is the link to this tremendous resource.