Sin Boldy, Enjoy Christ
This past years has been one of the greatest years of my life. I've struggled more in this past year than at any other point in my life; but God has been so good to me. I know people are very aware of many of my failures, but there are far more than they see. Truly I am the chief of sinner; I am no better than the murders, rapists and child molesters in our prisons. I have fallen so short of what I should be and my sin grieves me greatly. I am constantly reminded of my failure many times every day. But Praise be to God who continues to love me.
The story of my life is a sad one, but praise God there is Good News! It finally hit me and I realized that my sin, my failures, regardless of how great they are or how often they come can never separate me from the love of God that was shown to me in the person and work of Jesus Christ. They can never cause me to loose my salvation; they can never condemn those who are in Jesus Christ. It is not the sinful acts, or the abominable things I struggle with daily that separate me from God; they will never cause me to loose my salvation. The only thing that separate me from God is when I choose to reject
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)12-22-2008 03:54
Am I Crazy?
I have always wanted to participate in the Marathon Des Sables. That translates to Marathon of the sands and it's been called the Toughest Foot Race on Earth. The past few weeks I have been seriously thinking about making an attempt to actually participate in that race. One of the things I love about this race besides the challenge, is that many of the competitors use this as an opportunity to raise money for a charity. I have always wanted to participate in this race, and there are a few Christian organizations I really want to help. So, this seems like a great opportunity...doesn't it?
Here's some information from their website:
It covers 243km/151 miles (in sections similar to 25, 34, 38, 82, 42, 22 km) run over 6 days (7 for some) - equivalent to 5 1/2 regular marathons. That's a speed of between 3 and 14 km an hour for competitors aged between 16 and 78). In addition to that, competitors have to carry everything they will need for the duration (apart from a tent) on their backs in a rucksack (food, clothes, medical kit, sleeping bag etc). Water is rationed and handed out at each checkpoint.
You will have to prepare all your own food throughout the race and I warn you that there is not a chain of Tesco stores or corner grocery shops dotted around the Sahara. You will experience mid-day temperatures of up to 120°F, of running or walking on uneven rocky, stony ground as well as 15 - 20% of the distance being in sand dunes.
Check out this video I found on Youtube that will give you an idea of what it is.
So...yeah, that's what I want to do and why. Wait, I didn't mention what organization I want to raise money for...I want to raise money for Gospel For Asia. It's a great Christian missionary organization in which 100% of the money donated goes directly to the field. They raise all administrative costs separately. The idea behind their ministry is to fund native missionaries because it costs only fraction of the cost of foreign missionaries. Also, native missionaries already understand the culture and language which makes things even easier. They are in reality the largest missionary organization in the world.
Comments (0)05-05-2008 22:46
Walking By Faith Not Emotions
I am now convinced more than any other time in my life that God exists. This doesn't mean that I feel closer to him now, it only means I am convinced of his existence. The past few years God has seemed farther and farther away and yet the more real he appears to me and no this is not a contradiction. I have spent hours on my knees calling out to God and wondering why I haven't had the emotional spiritual experiences that so many people write and talk about.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:33
Holding On To Hope
Life always seems to have a way of bringing out the worst in us rather than the good. The good does come out but almost always after we have seen ourselves at our worst. As we go through life things begin to annoy us and frustrate us and then we begin to complain, gossip, and insult others. Finally there comes, or at least there should come a point when we realize that we have let the unimportant things bring us to a place we never thought we would be. It's these times that we see the reality of our fallen nature as humans. These are the times that we realize that there is nothing good in us unless it comes from God.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:06
Dark Night Of The Soul
I recently began reading "Dark Night Of The Soul" by St. John of the Cross and it was like he could read my thoughts. It's very humbling to see a description of yourself when it's not pretty. Although I hate to admit that I struggle with these things, it makes me appreciate even more the cross of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 22:27