Why Are We So... Predictable? By Caleb Sams

Later today, if I go to sleep, I'll wake up in my comfy bed, on my sheets, ill turn my fan off and click the alarm off on my phone. Ill turn my lights on. Ill take a long warm shower. Ill brush my teeth. Ill put on fairly nice clothes, maybe to me at least. Ill get in a car, with air conditioning and a radio. Ill drive to church. There in we will have comfortable seats. Lighted rooms, air conditioning. It's a fifth Sunday, so we'll have a fellowship meal around these parts. There will be hard backed song books,  but most likely a power point. Our Lord's Supper will be fresh bread and refrigerated grape juice. The people will all be dressed up and smell nice. There feet will be covered. A roof over our heads. We will praise God, we will pray. We will learn. Worship will definitely occur. So what's wrong?

The Man we are serving, the Son we are praising had no place to lay His head.

We rationalize that "middle-class" isn't wealthy. That we struggle to pay bills. While those bills give us homes and electricity so we can safely watch our monday night football. We get haircuts and eat out. Our money is used so simply and so swiftly that we forget the poor.

What if we worshiped unpredictably.

What if we sacrificed comfy seats for metal chairs. And the difference, went to the poor.

What if we opened the doors and the windows? and the money for light went to the homeless.

What if we prepared meals, instead of for ourselves, for the hungry.

What if we shopped at good will. and gave our American Eagle to the naked.

What if we slept on the ground, and let the restless use our beds.

What if the church that claims to follow Christ actually started to look like Him?

We follow an American dream. To hell. We as christians find it acceptable to be comfortable. To be, happy. 

Why am i not hated? by the world? Why am I not persecuted?

Jesus said I would be. Did He lie? 

No.

I missed it. 

I got it wrong. 

Complete discipleship isn't what I want it to be. It's honestly the opposite. I HAVE to suffer. It's a requirement. 

Can we start being unpredictable? Please. For our sake? For the World's?

We are the last line of defense. From God's wrath. And we are so selfish that we keep the best for ourselves. We serve a God that died for us, and we live like we deserve what we have. 

The Prayer You Need to Pray Now

PRAY THIS EVEN IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT!!IT WILL ONLY TAKE A MINUTE. I started not to do this, but as I read it....I understood God to say, 'You need a miracle tomorrow ' so here goes....Prov. 29:25 

You never know
when God is going to bless you!!
Good things happen when
you least expect them to !!!!!!!!

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,
I thank You for my being able to see
and to hear this morning.

I ' m blessed because You are
a forgiving God and
an understanding God.

You have done so much for me
and You keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything
I have done, said or thought
that was not pleasing to you... 

I ask now for Your forgiveness..
Please keep me safe
from all danger and harm. 
Help me to start this day
with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.

Let me make the best of each and every day
to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.. 
Please broaden my mind
that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper
over things I have no control over.
And give me the best response
when I ' m pushed beyond my limits. 

I know that when I can' t pray,
You listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be
a blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak...
Keep me uplifted that I may have
words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost
and can' t find their way.
I pray for those that are misjudged
and misunderstood..I pray for those who
don' t know You intimately..

I pray for those that don' t believe.
But I thank You that I believe
that God changes people and
God changes things.

I pray for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member
in their households.

I pray for peace, love and joy
in their homes; that they are out of debt
and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this
knows there is no problem, 
circumstance, or situation greater than God.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. 
I pray that these words be received
into the hearts of every eye that sees it .
In Jesus most Holy and Precious name Amen!

Just repeat this phrase and see how God moves!!
God I love you and I need you, come into my heart, please..

I hope that this helps you as much as it has helped me!

Life is so Good! and God is so Great! No matter what is going on in this life! James 1:2-4

Are you living the life a Christian?

Heaven as written by a 17 Year Old Boy
This is excellent and really gets you thinking about what will happen in Heaven.
17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote." It also was the last.
Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teays Valley High School in Pickaway County 

Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them, notes from classmates and teachers, and his homework. Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's life. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven.
It makes such an impact that people want to share it. "You feel like you are there," Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted. 

The Moore 's framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death. "I'm happy for Brian... I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.

Here is Brian's essay entitled
"The Room."
Page 1
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction, had very different headings.
As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards.. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed at."

Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents Often there were many more cards than expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived....

Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting.. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.

One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards.
But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused.. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand..
And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried.. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No, please not Him... Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response.. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes.
Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, and so alive.
The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

If you feel the same way forward it to as many people as you can so the love of Jesus will touch their lives also. My "People I shared the gospel with" file just got bigger, how about yours?

IF THERE IS ONE EMAIL THAT I HAVE READ THAT NEEDS TO GO AROUND THE WORLD, IT IS THIS ONE, PLEASE PASS THIS TO EVERY ONE YOU KNOW, CHRISTIAN OR NOT! "LET'S FILL OUR OWN FILE CARD" AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

You don't have to share this with anybody, no one will know whether you did or not, but you will know and so will He.

"We should fear God (Matthew 10:28); We should love God