Drive-through church

What a crazy thought and sometimes so true....GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME....let's focus on Him!

Snack Stand Dancers

Today we went to the Zoo and of all the animals, children, parents, couples and the sort...even seeing a monkey playing with a toad, no joke. The most amusing thing for Jared the entire day was these two girls, probably high school age, working a snack stand after the African animal section and they were totally busting the moves to every song, choreographed synchronized dance moves. And these two girls did not look like dances, they looked more like two quiet girls just working a stand, but the second the music started they were transformed.

What can we learn from these Snack Stand Dancers?

Just like King David...sometimes you need to dance!! We are so blessed all the time, why don't we dance more or jump for joy or do back flips when we remember God's grace on us?

~Angelina

Man in the Middle

"He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot." Job 9:32-35

If only there were someone to arbitrate between us...if only...

This was Job's cry as he was going through all his distress and hurt and pain, he cried out for someone to be the bridge between him and God, someone to speak on his behalf.

And now years later we have that someone, we have that JESUS available to speak on our behalf, to be our intercessor, but how often do we use him? How often do uPray?

Last night at youth group we started a series called iPray. Session 1: why iPray? Now that we have our intercessor, why do uPray?

~angelina

Magnets

I am fascinated with magnets... I remember when I was young and I first got a hold of them.

It amazed me how they would attract each other at times or would repel each other when turned around.

Our relationship with God may feel just like those magnets.

At times we feel like He is right there in the midst of everything we do and other times we feel He is far away, repelling. And that's just the thing with feelings, they're never quite accurate on where God is. In those moments of doubt when we feel like God is far away, the reality is, that He is right there. All we need to do is REPENT...TURN AROUND... just like those silly little magnets. And sure enough, what felt like an extreme distance was really something very close we just failed to see it, because we were facing the wrong direction the whole time.

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 (NASB)

the gamblers for gold are many, but the gamblers for God are so few. Where are the gamblers for God?

Have you ever seen card tournaments on TV? The world series of poker, where it comes down to the last table and the heat is on and every player is sure that they are going to be the last one standing with all the money. My favorite part is when one of the last players goes ALL IN, they are certain of their cards and their position and are more than willing to go ALL IN, because even though they don't know the whole picture and all the facts they are sure that this is it and they risk everything for that final moment.

This is one of my favorite quotes from C.T. Studd, because it paints a picture of how a Christian should live and how we are to go ALL IN for Jesus and hold nothing back. Yet so often we go ALL IN for ourselves, for money, for a place, to be the perfect athlete, and so much more of this world...but where are those people that GO ALL IN FOR GOD? I want to be one of those people.

As Christians, we have something worth betting on. God has written the story and in the end HE IS VICTORIOUS. We can be sure of this, but how much are we willing to risk?

Let Go

My 1 month old son, Jude enjoys laying on his back and gazing up or to the side at the tv, probably because of the noise it makes, but sometimes when he turns his head to the side his hands flap around aimlessly. And now his new thing is the second I turn away he starts to scream, when I look at him he has reached back and has a handful of his own hair. His grip is so strong that as I try to force him to let go he begins to cry more because he pulls harder.

We are so much like that as children of God. God is our guide and always there, but sometimes we get ourself in our own mess and begin hurting ourself by pulling our own hair out...HE's there telling us to let go, but we are so focused and freaked out about the pain that we pull harder and can't let go.

What area of your life is God calling you to LET GO...

(posted by mrs. jared lane)

1 Month

It's hard to believe that my son was born a month ago. We just received his birth certificate in the mail and are learning more and more about his little personality. Each day I seem to love him more and more and can't help but wonder all that he's thinking and find myself thinking that he knows exactly what he's doing.

Seeing him as a baby is wonderful and I can't help but think that I get a beautiful glimpse of the future...the days when I might not be around....the days when he his old and grey with wrinkles and all, Jude as an infant is like seeing him as a hundred year old man.