Fit and Holy Temples

With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.
2 cor. 7:1

been going to the gym lately. trying to get somewhat more fit and trim. so far i've gained 5 pounds. don't think that is the way it's supposed to go. hopefully this week i can 'trim' away some of what i've put on during my trips to exercise.

when i'm going thru different situations in my life, i try search the Word for verses which affirm why i'm doing what i'm doing. this is normally my pattern: find verses, memorize them, and continue to have them before me while going thru whatever situation. so, this is my new challenge to memorize this verse.

Father,
i know that You are helping me to be discplined about going to the gym and being active. i want to be fit for Your glory. i want to be a holy temple, inside and out. may You, Holy Spirit, continue Your transformation power within me. i praise You for changing me to be more like You. i love You.
In Jesus' Name ~ Amen!

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*Lamoureaux's *Short's *Rob

Love Without Stopping

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you've got, be resolute, and love without stopping.
1 cor. 16:13-14

"Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?" Jesus said, ""Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: "Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."
matt. 22:36-40

often the message version of the Bible adds an intricate twist to the normal words which we know so well. these words are not just commands but stirrings in my heart, empowering me to go out of my way to share Jesus with others. the statement, 'give it all you've got!' just seems so real, so immediate, so demanding. i love that! often i need to hear something directly before i get it...this is one of those lessons.

while i was on vacation denise redecorated my room. it's wonderful, by the way. i have this cross hung in the center of one of my ways, and on it is inscribed these words, "love one another". that's a command - a mission statement - a reason worth dying for. Jesus chose to obey that command, even with blood pouring from his pores. this morning as i looked at this simple cross, something deep within me began to cause me to think of broken relationships, unforgiveness in my heart, resentment toward others. with those feelings toward others stored up in my heart, i can't really love the way Jesus loves... extravagantly! so, Jesus and i had a time of reflection and repentance first thing this morning. it was refreshing, revitalizing, worthwhile. my heart feels lighter and my mind is challenged to keep those thoughts of content out of my brain. forgiveness is a choice... not a feeling. it's good to be alive in Christ! i am free, but only because of the grace of God.

Jesus,
i love You. thanks for getting me out of bed this morning for our moments together. You have a way of transforming my heart into clay. You are amazing. i'm learning to love like You, but i'm struggling. i tend to hold hurt feelings in my heart far too long. Jesus, i continue to ask You to cleanse me of those those and feelings. let me reliquish them onto You. i trust that Your death on the cross was enough for me...more than enough. You've died so that i might live...and live abundantly. thanks for guiding me thru this challenge. thanks for transforming my heart into the person You desire. without You i can't change. i love You so much.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen!

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*Herb *both Grandmas *Cheryl

Comfort thru the Hard Times

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

it's hard leaving a church family. since denise has accepted a position at Jasper UMC, she/we had to break the news to the current youth and parents last night. there were many tears, many hugs, many words of encouragement. we, gartahotze's, have been praying for last night and the coming month for a few weeks. we've been praying for God to prepare the hearts of those who have come to know and love us at st. paul. we've been praying for God to encourage our hearts as well. and those prayers are definitely being answered. God has moved mountains in these hearts. the youth have shown such courage and support - it's awesome. and denise has been strong - tho her heart breaks for this separation.

so we solicite your prayers for this transition. i believe that May 23 will be out last day at st. paul. and being honest, some families are really struggling with denise, steven and i not being at st. paul. please keep us all in your prayers.

Jesus,
we know You as our Rock and our Comforter. we've seen You move mountains. we've heard Your calling to 'Go' and we want to be faithful. but God, it's not easy. our hearts are broken, empty, hurt, and yet there is a sense of purpose within all this chaos. we know that following You wasn't going to be easy; and we know that You are the One encouraging us thru this difficult time. i praise You for this opportunity to be faithful. thanks for the support and love the church family has shown us. thanks for equipping us to do Your work where ever we are. we give You the glory for allowing us to be Your servants. help us to always keep that before us as we continue to say, 'we'll see You later' to our close friends and loved ones. may You continue to bind together this youth ministry at st. paul. may the person You've chosen to fill the youth director role be passionately in love with You and enjoy kids. may this person have a desire to go way out of their way to make a youth's day. thanks for upholding the youth thru this trying time. thanks for carrying them. i know that You are present and active in their hearts. thanks for pursuing them with Your passion. let their fire for You burn ever stronger thru the fire. i love You and You are my strength.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen!

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*st. paul's youth ministry *Jasper's youth ministry* denise

Work of His Hands

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4

last weekend my friend, Laura, and i took a roadtrip to Rhode Island. by the way, it is a rather long drive from Atlanta to Newport, RI, but it's all worth it! during the drive, i had a chance to get out of the city and enjoy the brillant landscape God has created. and night, the stars seemed to jump from the sky. it was incredible to see how bright those stars shine, when the city lights don't distract from their glory. those stars helped me realize that everyone in the world, excluding those who are blind, can see the works of God's hands in the heavens.

too often in life we get distracted from the glory of God. kind of like the city lights hindering our view of how bright those stars are shining. my reality gets mess up at times. when i'm in the city i think that the stars are beautiful, but when i get outside of the city limits, those stars are brilliant and radiate - nearly bright enough to light the way in the darkness. it was incredible for me to experience that again. i've gotten used to seeing the stars thru the haze of ambient lighting. but God is great enough, big enough, extravagant enough to shine even brighter in the complete darkness. that is a wonderful understanding to me.

Jesus,
i praise You for allowing me to experience Your greatness during my trip. it was incredible to see You thru the stars, thru the ocean, thru the beautiful weather, and so many more ways. i give You glory for the safe travels, good company and joy of experiencing You thru nature. You've refreshed my soul. i love You and it's an honor to be called Your child. thanks for caring for me so radically. i love the way You love me.
in Jesus Name ~ Amen!

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*Ed and family *Laura *Paul

Demonstrating the Spirit's Power

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Cor. 2:1-5

the books of corinthians have been heavy on my heart recently, so last night i began to read thru 1st corinthians. let the conviction begin. Paul admits in this passage that he wasn't an eloquent speaker. we all tend to think that he was the man...the greatest preacher to ever have walked on earth, but he admits his fear and trembling. he knew that his words apart from the Spirit's power were worthless. paul didn't try to win people to Christ with his powerful messages (unlike so many of us...), instead He relied on the Spirit's power to convict and to sanctify hearts back to a relationship to Christ. i'm still learning this. i try hard to have the right words, the exact emphasis on certain phrases just to win people to Christ. too often i forget that it is God who makes the changes, not me.

which makes me wonder about Paul's prayer life. for me prayer is so connected to my winess that if i don't spend ample time on my knees, my emotions and everything else become distractions from Christ. "prayed up" --need to have more of that in my life.

Jesus
Your power is great. i've seen You sweep thru large arenas of people or thru a single high schooler. You move in just the right time. Spirit, i want to learn to rely more on You. please teach me. forgive me for being so selfish as to think that i can change hearts by my words and actions. i know that only You can convert people to become believers. thanks for humbling me with this understanding. i bow to Your authority and Lordship. You are the One in control. i love You.
Thru Jesus' Name ~ Amen!

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*Derrick *Malcolm *Denise

Take it for the Team

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:10-12

sometime during this Easter weekend i was reading from the prophet, Isaiah. again i was amazed at how God spoke so truthfully thru a man who lived 800 (or more) years before Jesus. the gift of prophecy has always facinated me, but this passage is a bit much for me.

how can it have been God's will for His own Son to be made a guilt offering? that question is at the root of my amazement. our Father's blameless Son became our sin, our guilt, our shame, our anxiety, our fear, our humiliation, so that we could rejoice in the Truth, so that our clothing of shame could be destroyed forever. by His wounds we have been healed. (is. 53:5)

then the passage goes on to say that 'after the suffering of His soul'. praying for a change in Your future because You know it only leads to death and suffering. He sweat blood He was praying so diligently for His cup to be passed from Him, and yet He surrender Himself completely to the Father's will. i, too, am called to surrender myself completely to the Father's will. sweat or not sweat, my will should align itself to the Father's and Son's will. that is the work of the Holy Spirit, to align my will to the Father's will. and i rejoice that i don't have to do it alone. i don't have to make the changes, but i still need to surrender my will to Him. i still need to continue to pursue peace. just as Jesus gave His life for us, so i should willingly surrender my will to Him who gave me this life.

Jesus,
i rejoice in You. i bow before You with adoration and praise. Your passion for us to live with You exceeded Your personal perference. You chose to give Your life so that i may dine with You in paradise. that is my heart's praise and victory song. i love You because You first loved me. i surrender my will to Yours. i surrender all my heartaches, my anxiety, my shame, my questions. i want to be satisfied in You. i want to know You more.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen

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*Zach *John *Andy

To Know is to Obey

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:3-5

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17

these are difficult passages for me to take in. the connection between knowing (and loving) Jesus and doing what He asks is so intertwined that they should never be spoken of as being separate units. i hear so many people say that they are Christian (AKA "i believe in Jesus") and yet they don't pay any attention to His word. these verses make it so clear... there isn't any separation between being a Christian and doing what He says and living as He did. it's not an option.

so when i know what i ought to do and choose not to do it, then i am just like Peter, the Rock, lying about not knowing Him. same thing. no difference. it's all about living the Truth, no matter what the penalty is or if my reputation is going to be hurt. that is a difficult reality.

God,
please forgive me for disobeying You. Holy Spirit, You given me promptings to do good to others, and i've chosen to not obey because of selfish motives. may Your grace fill my broken cup. i need You, Jesus. i can't live like You did without Your help and continued encouragement. i know the sacrifice You've made on my behalf. never let me loose site of what You've given away in order for my life to be complete. i want to obey You and know You more and more. if i stand, let me stand on the Truth which has brought me this far....but if i fall, let me fall on the grace which first brought me to You. i am Your servant, and i pray for my heart to be a servant's heart, not the rebellious brother/son. thanks for this understanding. You are my King.
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen

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*David *Stacy*Tom