Week #39 September 11, 2001

Email "chain letter" with a powerful message.

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to h is Flock in Heaven. He
hea rd my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan ...
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would y o u have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

-GodLet's remember those who lost their lives 7 years ago and their friends and families. Pray for our country, those fighting for our country, and those leading our country.

Week #38 Maintaining a Quiet Spirit

InTouch Magazine March 2008 Issue: Thursday March 6, 2008 Devotional.

READ: Proverbs 26:4; James 1:19; Luke 12:12; Romans 8:28

"When conflict arises, we oftentimes want to rush in and defend our position. Perhaps we even feel justified in blaming others. However, James 1:19 gives different advice for dealing with tension and disputes: 'Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.' In other words, more can be accomplished through a calm approach to the situation. Scripture also suggests that we:

Pray. First, we should ask the Lord to guard our mouth and give us the right words to say (Luke 12:12). Also, we ought to request discernment concerning the root issue and insight as to whether we might be at fault.

See with divine perspective. Our sovereign Lord works every situation for the believer's benefit (Romans 8:28). Not only does God use difficulties to teach us, but He also allows us to demonstrate the life of Christ by the way we respond.

Forgive. Even if someone has hurt us by causing the conflict, we should forgive. Jesus died to pardon all of our sin, and we, in turn, should forgive others. In fact, if we don't, our lives will become burdened by resentment and broken relationships.

Respond. If we have done something wrong, we should apologize and ask forgiveness. Otherwise, we can express appreciation that the other person took time to share his concern. Also, we should affirm that we will carefully consider his comments."

So...how do you respond to conflict in your life?

Week #36 The Dark Knight: more than a movie?

This post was done by Greg Swinton. I think he did a very nice job relating a movie we have probably all seen or want to see to our "religious" themes. Whether you like the movie or not, he makes some great points and did a nice job relating scripture to the events in the movie.
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The Dark Knight is probably one of the best films to be released in quite some time ( Make it a point to see it if you have not already). High profile actors, a compelling storyline, and great special effects all combine to create a great movie, however if you examine the feature a little more in depth you will be able to see how the film is able to illustrate a reflection between the life of Batman and the life of a Christian; here are the similarities I noticed. (WARNING: Spoilers ahead if you have not seen the movie).

A. He kept himself prepared.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.....In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."(Ephesians 6: 10-11, 16-18)

Throughout the film Batman is constantly looking for new ways to fight crime more efficiently. From better weapons to better body armor, he was always trying to prepare himself to do his job better. We as Christians should take on that same attitude when it comes to our Spiritual Walk.

B. He was tested for following his beliefs.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name."(1 Peter 4:12-16)

There was a point in the film where everyone in Gotham city wanted Batman to give up his identity and give in to the Joker's demands, knowing it was the wrong thing to do. Batman had to deal with the fact that the Joker was going to kill people if he didn't, but again, he knew that giving in to that was not the right choice.

No one said following God was easy or comfortable, and you have to be prepared to make the right choices, even when is it is not necessarily convenient for you or anyone else.

C. He had a good support system.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."(Galatians 6:2)

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."(Proverbs 27:17)

Throughout the movie, Batman had some people could depend on to help him in his endeavors. He had Lucious for equipment and his butler, Alfred, for overall correction and encouragement. There was a point in the movie where Batman was completely at a lost and did not quite know what to do and here is the response he got:

Batman/Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?

Alfred: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it. But thats the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.

That dialogue illustrates two important points: 1) Its always good to have a good circle of people around you to help you when you feel like you cannot bear the load by yourself. Make sure you try to keep yourself surrounded with the right people, so they can give you the right advice
when you need it. 2) The other important point of that dialogue is that it echoes what I covered earlier; the choices made to follow God are not always the easiest to make.

D. He acted on faith

"We live by faith, not by sight."(2 Corinthians 5:7)

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."(Hebrews 11:1)

The final confrontation Batman had with Joker involved him trying to save people in a building as well as 2 ships filled with people. The two ships were armed with detonators to blow up the opposite ship. The people on board were going to be blown up in an hour if they did not chose to blow up the other ship. Batman was only able to attempt to save the people in the building, but was confident in the fact that the people would not destroy one another, even without his assistance. The faith he had in the people trapped on the boats is the faith we should have in God. He acted knowing he couldn't save those trapped on the boats, and still went on without any visible assurance that everything was going to turn out ok. And in the end after all that he endured throughout that film his actions, beliefs, and faith in the people were validated when neither ship decided to destroy the other knowing the consequences.

"And the God of all grace,who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5: 10)
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How do you all feel? Can Batman's life be related to the life of a Christian?

Week #31 Satan

He goes by many names...Satan, the Devil, El Diablo...and he is very real! There is a such thing as spiritual warfare, and believe it or not, there are such things as angels and demons. But this week I want to look into who the devil is and why he is where he is.

Satan and his demons are fighting for souls. Your soul, my soul, and your friend's souls. He is a fallen angel who was booted out of heaven because he rebelled against God. All of the angels that were loyal to satan were also thrown out of heaven...they're what we call demons. Satan wants to defeat God and rule the world. There is one major reason satan hasn't accomplished his goals. That reason is God. God is more powerful than satan. We see in Job 1 and Job 2 that satan has to get permission from God before he acts.

Don't misunderstand what I am saying here...satan is very powerful and has the ability to do a lot of things that could really mess up your life. I just want you to know that when it is all said and done, God and His people will be victorious, not satan (Revelation 20:10). God allows satan to wield a lot of power over the earth for now, because God does not force people to love Him. We have to choose between God and satan. Until we make that decision, satan will do everything in his power to keep us from following God. Once we have chosen to follow God, the battle doesn't end. Instead, satan's new plan is to destroy our walks with God and ruin our testimony. But...with God's great power we can defeat satan.

We have to be aware of the battle going on for our souls. I hope we all have a better understanding of who satan is, and what his goals are. I put different verses up on the right side of the page ---> about satan. Next week we will talk about spiritual warfare and the different ways satan preys on and attacks the world and especially God's children.