WaxNotNeed - Plugged In [A Semi Matrix Kind Of Life]

It was either Andy Stanley or Tony Nolan who once tweeted something along the lines of, “teach from your own shortcomings and you will never run out of material”. How true this statement is! During Memorial weekend I said to my mother, “I feel if someone has read my devotionals through-out the years, then they know me. I can recall the exact feeling - the experience which was about when I reread past writings that led me to share such. I have never much been one for outright personal testimonies, but in their own right, the writings are such”.

To God be the glory.

Without the recollection of Paul’s testimonies and life changing experience, I feel in part I would be a different person. Commonly I speak and write of him as a leading example of God’s true forgiveness and grace, remarking to how if one can make a complete 180 from mass hunting and killing Christians to living on the run FOR God, who are we to say we cannot be used? Right? Even David, who was truly the apple of God’s eye, made a very bad choice one day and allowed lust to shatter his focus, yet God still loved him and did not just throw him out with the tide. Jesus befriended a prostitute and saved her from death, as it is here He remarked, “Ye without sin, cast the first stone”.

Through the Bible we are taught of God’s grace, love and sufficient nature for our lives. We see examples of people “like us”, who stumble and fall, yet are again redeemed or not, depending upon their ultimate choice (repentance or continuation).  We are given an example by the upmost High, who came in the form of a little baby boy, to how which we might live, love and honor God. Yet how many of us actually spend time reading the word of God? If you believe, like I know to be truth, the book is more than just stories and words upon a page; it is the handpicked and chosen collection, straight from God. We spend countless hours on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, G+, YouTube and various other sites, while reading one or two verses (or even a chapter) of the Bible before bed and count it a job well done.

WRONG.

Is God a different God from the time of David, Paul and Mary? No, but we are different “children”. Where as the one thing they cherished, spending time with God, meditating on His word, we seem to have traded it in for … well, an idol in the form of electronic entertainment and vapid information.

Of course you may be saying, “Well Hollie, aren’t you in fact on the majority of the sites listed and are you  not in fact posting on an online blog”? Yep, truth to be told and let me just say don’t think something I write isn’t applied back to me in some fashion (henceforth the start of this entry), nor did I say “burn all the computers, iPhones and PS3’s”, keep calm and read on.

So how do we become more like David – Paul – Mary and Jesus in our insta-age? It’s simple; literally allot more of your time to God. Sure, you may work a combined 9 hour day including getting grub … perhaps pop your headphones in and listen to some sermons, read the Bible on your lunch break … likewise to and from work put on some Godly tunes (might I suggest the new The Hurt & The Healer CD by MercyMe, it is amazing) and get your vocal praise on … turn off the computer, video game, etc for an hour at home and straight up read and meditate upon the word of God, keep a prayer journal or even wake up a few minutes early to start your day off by reading some of the “good book”. Do you know that there are people that read the entire Bible (yes, entire Bible) every year? Heck, I am twenty eight years old – have been reading the Bible since I was a tot and I don’t even know if I have read every verse there is in there. Of course, those are just some of my own starter suggestions, surely if you start with one God will begin to lead you with all He would have you to do. :)

Whatever you feed will grow, whatever you starve will die.

Dear Father,
Thank You for giving us Your word, that it might bring in us wisdom, contentment and peace. May You bring upon an awakening of Your people Lord. May we see where we are, where You have brought us from and where this world is headed. May we read and study Your word so that we might know Your promises and may we CLING to them. We are sorry Father God for putting things in front of You, filling our lives with things “of the world”, instead of giving due focus on Your will for our lives. We pray for the peace of Israel Father and for all those who are (and will be) persecuted because of Your name. In the name of Yeshua, ><>

SiC <3

*LoveIs* - New Music (*YaY*)

New MercyMe CD "The Hurt & The Healer" : Check
New Ministry Related Tune Included : Check
Now Sharing : "Take The Time" by MercyMe feat Bear Rinehart (of NeedToBreathe)

♥ Love It ♥

Taken in Clarksville, TN 5/27/12

SiC <3

Guest Post - Vital Sign [Documentary Video]

A documentary by Issac Deitz on Family Force 5's member Fatty (real name Joshua Olds) when he battled with kidney failure in 2009.

Praise the Lord, my soul; 
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins 
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion, 
who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5

*Thank You Father God for healing and restoring Joshua, may his story be a witness to Your ever-abounding grace, love & sufficiency.* 

*LoveIs* - It has begun ...

What? What has begun you ask?

2012 SHOE-BOXES FOR SAMARITAN'S PURSE, that's what.

2012 Goal : 30 Boxes 

They have added an option to track your boxes, which I am super stoked about, as for last years batch (thanks to all who contributed) this was unknown. 

P/S Personal lesson learned from Little 5 Points on the 20th? Wear sunscreen! Sunburns are super lamesauce =(

SiC <3

WaxNotNeeded - W.D.J.D

So the stage has been set ….

One day long ago someone (or more than one someone) hurt you and while you have in your heart have sincerely forgive said people(s), to be around them is not your first idea of fun. Yet, a circumstance has presented itself where-as the aforementioned are linked to a happening of some significance and your presence is required. What perchance do you do? Well, if you are like me, initially you may have an emotional panic attack, retorting inwardly (or to a confidant) that your appearance should be requested, not demanded – that you are an adult now and don’t have to take orders from no [bleep] one except God, all the while you see-saw in your head-space about how unfair the whole situation is. Yet, then you realize exactly what thoughts are going through your head. Valid, very valid … no one can make you do anything you wish not to do, so what will you do?

 You, if like me, proceed to carry forth as with this crossroad as with all decisions in your life (or at least you try to) and you talk it over with God. It never will cease to amaze me how speaking to God eases one being, communing with the Father, the creator of all things truly does bring things into perspective.

So you ask yourself, not what would Jesus do, but what DID Jesus do …
Jesus, the Son of God, taught, traveled and ate with, even washed the feet of, the man who was set to betray Him and hand Him over to be crucified. Jesus never showed anything but love to Judas.  

Ouch, conviction eh?

So now you may be saying to yourself, He is the Son of God though, how can I even begin to do the same? (As this part was given to me after my own revelation of the above from wise counsel), by means just as Paul wrote about his when referring to his “thorn of the flesh” that God would not remove.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

So what does this mean? It means that the GRACE of the Almighty is ALL that is NEEDED for ANY and EVERYTHING we must encounter, that means sickness, broken hearts, imprisonment, showing compassion to those that have wronged us, etc … 

We have all read the verses, now we must just start living the word – we must have faith that what we read, speak and teach is true. We have been called to be a light unto a broken world (which is on a rapid spiral down into the uttermost pits of decay).

Do not lose heart though friend, family member in the kingdom of Jesus Christ – should there be a time (or times) in which you stumble; we are all works in progress in this lifetime!

Dear Heavenly Father – We thank You so very much for giving us Your word, for allowing us to hear and read the stories of the saints that have gone before us. For allowing us so much knowledge into who You are and who You want us to be. Allow us to grow stronger in You Lord. Allow us to rid ourselves of any malice we have toward other people and show everyone the same love in which You have shown us. In the name of the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, ><>

SiC <3

Guest Post - "When It's All Said And Done" by Jake Dudley

when it’s all said and done.

When there is death, grace lives.

When a job is lost, grace can be found.

When memories are forgotten, grace is remembered.

When money is gone, grace remains.

When pain is too much, grace is even more. 

When relationships fail, grace triumphs.

When friendship is split, grace repairs.

When lies are told, grace is truth.

When injustice lingers, grace overcomes.

When tears fall, grace uplifts.

When hope walks out, grace stays put.

When vows are broken, grace mends.

When fear keeps you quiet, grace proclaims.

When lies humiliate, grace praises.

When heights are unreachable, grace climbs.

When wars rage, grace fights.

When lust diminishes, grace values.

When pride crushes, grace restores.

When image is tarnished, grace is beauty.

When hearts change, grace continues.

When emotions unload, grace carries.

Grace. Grace. Grace.

When it’s all said and done: GRACE.

This writing was also featured on People Of The Second Chance.
You can find out more about Jake on his Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr. 

May God continue to bless you sir, as you continue to bless others in His name and spread the truth of Christ!

SiC <3

WaxNotNeeded - God's Got This

Have you ever had a moment, just a brief snippet of time in which you wonder, “Does God really got this?” It perhaps may come (most often) in a time during unseasonable weather in your life, it may be just a passing thought or to some it may dwell in the mind for hours or days. What do you do if you find yourself in this slump to get yourself out? Redirect your thinking and boldly proclaim that God is STILL in control in the name of Jesus, and those thoughts will flee from you. I know from experience however, sometimes it is easier said than done, so below is a cliff note (if you will) of some biblical examples to where God had it; and if He had it way back then, had it all of your life, had it enough to wake you up this morning, then He surely will have it still in the future (since He is never changing, after all). J

Sarah, wife of Abraham, who was promised a child by God (initially in Genesis 15, again in 18), but got impatient, so had her maidservant give birth to a child (chapter 16), only to ->
“And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken, For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.” Genesis 21:1-2

Moses and the freed Israelites, being chased by some less than happy Egyptians, came upon a body of water ->

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the seal and the Lord causes the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on the right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and His horseman. And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” Exodus 14:21-23, 26

David, being just a youngling, was charged to fight in some face to face combat with a Philistine giant names Goliath ->
“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou has defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee and I will give the carcasses to the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And David put this hand in his bag, and took thence a strong, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell upon his face to the Earth.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46,49

Job, a man who had it all, lost it all and got a lot more after all ->
“But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse the to they face. [Jobs sons, daughters, livestock, etc were all wiped out] Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground and worshiped, and said Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord give and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. [Job took on some physical ailments of unsightly proportions, a lot of conversation with friends, a lot of chatting with God over a significant time span] And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friend; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 1:11,20-22;42:10

The Savior of the World through a little virgin girl and the helper in which we delight in ->
“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary they wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall the light of life. Jesus sayeth unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you of things to come.” Matthew 1:20-21; John 8:12,14:6, 16:13

God’s got a plan. He has had one and it will always be the same. What is the motivation and root of His plan? His divine LOVE for His creation and the desire to have EVERY ONE OF US reconciled back to Him, through the redemption found only through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Of course, we sometimes divert and change the game (for our own lives), but God knew what we would do before we took our first breathe. Seek Him, seek His will – first and foremost and I can assure you, though there will be tribulations (as that is the temporary “punishment” so to speak of doing a good job for God, courtesy of the evil one), but yet in those quiet moments, that use to be filled with negative mental houndings will come peaceful serenity, in which the Creator of all things and you are one, where as all you can do it thank Him for all He has, is doing and will do.

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank You for this life in which You have given us. Some may be bakers, some may be waiters, some are panhandlers and some are wall street investors, but yet and still You created us through Your love and count us each as special as the other. May we delight in You heavenly Father, may we cling to You not only during times of distress, but in ALL moments. May we allow the Holy Spirit to search us Father, and we charge to remove anything that You find unclean in our lives. May with each passing second, each hour, every day, we become more of the person that You desire us to be. May we not think of just ourselves dear Lord, may we please learn to view ALL of our fellow human nation, the same way you view us, with love. In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ ><>

SiC <3

Guest Post - *2 Writings* by Taylor Terzek from In Pursuit

What a blessing social networking sites can be! The below was found upon from the In Pursuit Tumblr page. Not on Tumblr? Then check out Taylor via Facebook, Twitter or Google+. May God continue to bless you Taylor, as you seek to spread knowledge and love in His name; and crave to know Him  more and more with every passing moment!

Decision Making and God’s Will

The imperative foundation for making life decisions: the only thing we are perceptively in control of is our love for God and His purposes. Be free of selfish ambition and self-centeredness; then we have a proper frame of mind to respond God’s will. We think that God owes it to us to show us, but the scriptures reveal that despite the burden placed in our hearts, the normal practice is for God to hide the path as to reveal your priorities. Dig some ditches for God to fill with rain; Make plans, but make them in pencil. God has every authority. He directs your steps.

Wait vs. Work

I love my Minor Prophets class at Liberty University. These thoughts must be credited to Dr. Fowler; he undoubtedly is an enlightened man of God.

Some background info here: The Hebrews were looking for their temple to be rebuilt as Cyrus had decreed. With Cyrus’ death, and Cambyses’, the heir to Cyrus, lack of interest in the Jews well being, the Jews were led to take matters into their own hand. They sent a letter to Darius, who took the throne after Cambyses, and asked for him to institute the lost decree of Cyrus to rebuild the temple.

1 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

2“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.” ’ ”

3Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”

5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!

6“You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

7Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!

8“Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD.

Haggai 1:1-8

The issue is this: the Hebrews have a misconstrued eschatology. They have adopted the notion that the proper response to the eschaton, God’s plan, is to wait. It is imperative that we realize part of the human response to the eschaton is to work.

It is a misunderstanding of how God works. Everyone knows God can open doors, but there should be no hindrance in waiting for God to open them. Their logic is not unreasonable; it is just artificial. In Hebrew, the word “wait” is active not passive, in the sense of pursue. It is a faith word that acts, not a faith word that sits. We must take initiative to bring about the blessings of God: dig a ditch, wet some wood, cut some timber.

What were they waiting for? What was hindering them from building the temple? So often we get wrapped up in waiting for God, when God is simply waiting on us to get up and do something! I know that carries odd theological implications, but that is not the point; it is the perception we carry. We talk about missions; we talk about the will of God; but what good is our future for God if we aren’t presently living for God?

We are the remnant. We are the ones who care about our faith, but that does not make us unsusceptible; we put our things in front of the things of God just as much as the next sinful human being. The reason we do not do courageous things, is because we are afraid. We are ruled by our fears; we are frozen by the unknown. So go into the mountains and cut timber. Do no be afraid; God is with you. Build God’s house.

SiC <3

WaxNotNeeded / *LoveIs* - C:C:C:Combo 5.6.12

This is probably the first of many to come, but a combination of the “WaxNotNeeded” devotional and the *LoveIs* ministry updates. As it is written below, is in general how it was spoke for the people who attended today.

In Ezekiel 3:17-21 God spoke to Ezekiel and charged Him to carry out His will by letting the people (house of Israel) know they were in the wrong. We all have one thing in common, well we have many things, but this is something we all could do without. What is it? Biased opinions and judgments based on our own past and that which has been taught to us. Everyone has them, but yet we are called to not judge others, as it states in Matthew 7:1-2.

Who alone knows what is right and wrong for every person? God, so let Him be the one to determine in a person’s life what they should change, not you. Of course, as Christians we do get the general basis of good and evil, but does that discernment not more so come from the Holy Spirit then from ourselves? What used to be right, now is wrong and what used to be wrong, is now right. Prime example? Speaking about God. Who ever thought that we would see the day when prayer was taken out of school. When people were asked to keep quiet about their faith and trust in Jesus, rather than boldly proclaim it and have group discussions that Honor the Creators name.

So do not go upon one another, based off of your own thoughts and feelings, but allow God to work – allow God to be the judge of your fellow man and PRAY FOR THEM. For if someone is doing something you find wrong (let’s say drinking, example only as it is one that is debated among the denominations), but yet it is written that we are ALL sinners – and if all sin is on the same level to God, well … we are pretty much all in the same boat eh? Can I get an AMEN for GRACE? Judgment divides people. Judgment created (to some degree) the many, many denominations and various “sects” all under the title of Christianity. Judgment as it is written, is better to be left in the hands of the perfect One, for He has no blame – nor basis of self-righteousness, He is put pure good. 

Does this mean to say that if God has placed on your heart to speak to a person about something that is “unclean” in their life you ignore Him? By no means, as it is what Ezekiel was called to do, but GOD told him to do it, He did not go about it on his own accord.

////

Recollection, shared words and show-n-tell from Little 5 Points today ->

Don't allow ANYONE to get in your way for what you are called to do for God. Sometimes in can be the same people who are called to stand by your side that won't understand 100% what you have been called to do.

Don't sweat the petty stuff! 

Hand Made Palm Frond Cross w/ Rose, a
gift from a nice young lady (aka SISTER IN CHRIST)
who attends the Sunday gatherings. 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

We come to You today to thank you for another day. Thank You for each breath You allow us to breathe. May we use that breathe to carry out Your will and be a leading example to others. May we cling to You during all times and thank You continuously for all which You have done. In the name of Jesus ><>

SiC <3

[Disclaimer on above post :: Please note I am in NO WAY saying to negate Biblical doctrine, this is more so about personal viewpoints learned over the years in which "may not be" Biblical doctrine. I mean in years past there were movements against how "all rock music" was satanic .. sorry but there is nothing satanic about Project 86 or Demon Hunter, they ROCK OUT with their CROSS OUT for the Almighty with EPIC drum beats, angelic vocals and superb guitar riffs] 

Guest Post (VBS) - Peace In The Storm by Andy Stanley

I present to you this week for guest post *VBS*, Andy Stanley, a son who is blessed and anointed to speak and spread the word, just like his father! You can follow him on Twitter and/or watch live services (or visit old ones) on the North Point Community Church website.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

SiC <3