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Two Sides of Eternity...

One day, we're all going to crossover into eternity...though we don't think about it much.  Everyday we live we move one day closer to eternity.

Scripture speaks of our time in this earth with word pictures that convey the idea of the brevity of life.

Like a puff of smoke ~ our time vanishes into thin air.
Like a shadow ~ we pass along like a day in the sun.
Like a flower ~ our lives bloom and then fade.

Few of us would sell their soul for any amount of money...most of us just give it away one day at a time.  Here's are some soul words from Jesus to ponder...

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it" (John 3:16-18, MSG).    

We All Need Community ~

Your belly button is proof...that you need others.  Each of us came into the world connected to another human being.  And all of us will spend the rest of our lives craving a connection with people.

Jesus modeled a life lived in close committed community with others.  The best way to experience the reality care, and leadership of Jesus is in a small group of others who are committed to Him.

Jesus promised, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Matthew 18:20, ESV).

Your relationship with God must be personal, but can never be private!

Prayer Tactics...

Someone once said, "prayer changes things!"  Does it really?  We all know what it's like to pray about something that's important to us...only to have our prayers go unanswered.

So why bother praying?

Because prayer is like railroad tracks!  Just as a train will not go where tracks have not been laid first, in the same way, prayer lays the tracks for the activity of God.  God moves when people pray.

These three messages will help you pray God's way.

#1.  A Bad Prayer Day ~ Too many people have given up on prayer due to unanswered prayers.  This message will teach you how to give up on unanswered prayers.

#2.  Pray It Forward ~ Sometimes when we pray...nothing happens.  This message will help you unlearn what prayer means to you, in order to learn what prayer means to God.

#3.  Prayer Conditioning ~ What does God require from me in order to answer my prayers?  This message will teach God's conditions for answered prayer.

We don't have to be perfect for God to answers our prayers. 
But we do have to be perfectly honest!

What Season Are You In?

With winter going strong, I've been thinking a lot about seasons lately.   God created seasons, uses seasons and works according to seasons.

Jesus lived by God's seasons.  At the beginning of Jesus' ministry He understood that it was not the season yet  for the fullness of God's work through Him.  But then at the end of His earthy ministry He stated that the time had come for God's work to be completed through Him.

Here are some thoughts about God's seasons...
~ Seasons are temporary, they always come to pass.
~ Seasons  are necessary, you need them to grow.
~ Seasons require patience, they just take time.
~ Seasons can be harsh, think of winter and summer.
~ Season are productive, only a full season develops fruit.
~ Seasons are normal, they happen to everybody.
~ Seasons are from God, He sends and controls them.

So, what season does God have you in? 

If you're feeling the cold winds of winter, just remember to be patient because it's only for a while. 

Maybe you're enjoying the new growth of spring, just remember to enjoy it for all it's worth. 

Or maybe you're feeling the heat and drought of summer, just remember that roots grow their deepest during the summer drought. 

Or maybe you're living through the radical change of fall, just remember that God causes change to grow us.

Whatever season God has you in ~ don't resent it, let this season produce all the good that God wants it to produce. 

That's how I'm living through this season > how about you?