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Monday, May 31, 2010

Faith at Niagra this holiday


Thank you for praying for faith and john they found a church in Vegas


- Posted using BlogPress Faith found a church liberty baptist church in las Vegas 5 min. away from her home they have a nursing home ministry sun afternoon and they have awana and tue soulwinning a bus ministry They also have a school.



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A good sermon.

A Heart-Driven Modesty: God and Clothing (Sermon Manuscript)
July 26, 2009

This is the manuscript of the sermon I preached tonight at Placerita Baptist Church as part of our SummerFest 2009 series on “Worldliness.” I promised that I would post it here for further consideration and discussion. I have edited a few things that are unnecessary for a blog-post, and some elements will be unique to the sermon-manuscript genre. PBC has graciously provided free audio from the whole series.

Introduction

Under the general category of worldliness, our topic tonight is modesty. I have the unique privilege of preaching a sermon primarily to the ladies. Thanks a lot, PBC elders. Either they think that I’m used to talking about this because I work in the Student Life Department at the college, or they have a twisted desire to see me chopped and skewered by entire pews of offended women. I guess we’ll figure it out once I set foot on the lawn after the service. To up the ante, it’s July, which is the perfect time for a talk on modesty, since summer is traditionally the time to show off, not cover up. But in all seriousness, let me make several preliminary remarks as we begin.

Preliminary Remarks

1. This message is primarily directed to women. I understand that and I embrace it. Yet, it has relevance for all. If you don’t believe me now, I hope you will by the end.
2. Men, we are responsible for our own desires and temptations. We will be talking about how women’s dress and appearance impacts men. But this doesn’t give men an out.
3. Ladies, I will be honest tonight about the minds and thoughts and temptations of men. But please be charitable and don’t walk away assuming that all men are unrestrained, uncontrollable, perverted animals. If you assume this, you will be over-burdened in regards to modesty and you’ll have a cynical view of the men around you.
4. Thank you, ladies of PBC, for your modest dress overall. On the whole, you are honorable, careful, thoughtful, and appropriate in your dress. On behalf of the men, thank you.
5. Nevertheless, be prepared to hear from the Lord tonight. I refuse to be the preacher who says, “Our church is great and you’re all wonderful, so I’m really preaching this sermon to all the other people out there who need to shape up and get it together. Unfortunately, none of them showed up tonight, so you poor perfected souls have to listen to another irrelevant message.” No, tonight is for us. It is for you. Let me tell you one reason why.

This week I returned from a three-week trip to India. Spending three weeks in a vastly different society is one way to guarantee that your Stateside sermon isn’t culture-bound. And spending three weeks in a heavily-clad society is one way to expose the public undressing of American culture. Overall, traditional Indian dress is fairly modest. Clothing generally covers the body, and is generally loose. But the interesting thing is that I did see lots of appalling immodesty in India. Do you know where? On the advertisements in western-imitating malls.

Now, I have been privileged to travel enough that I no longer make America the default punching bag of every post-trip conversation I have. American culture as a whole is not the enemy, as if to say that the customs of India and Africa and Europe are pure as the driven snow. But in this particular area, we are particularly corrupt.

In Titus 1:12, Paul quotes a native cultural expert from the island of Crete who wrote, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” How’s that for a generalization and a stereotype? Talk about ethnic profiling and political incorrectness. And if you would allow me to play cultural observer for a moment, I think it would be fair to say that American culture on the whole is sexually-charged, immoral, and immodest.

But it gets worse. We are exporting nakedness. We are educating and tutoring developing countries in the finer details of immorality. We are global champions of immodesty.

So of all the people who need to screw our heads on straight and examine our hearts and possibly cleanse our wardrobes in terms of modesty, it’s us, standing on our beaches and under our billboards and behind our computer screens and in front of our CD covers, standing in the shadow of the stars and bars. There are many reasons why I love America. Modesty is not one of them.

So tonight we want to talk about how we can be citizens of another country, with a different King, with different standards.

Tonight, I want to offer you five exhortations toward modesty. First:

1. Recognize the ultimate need for modesty (Gen 2:25; 3:6-11, 21).

At the beginning of time, directly following the creation of the world, we zoom down into the Garden of Eden, down to ground level, and we see in Genesis 2:25 that “[Adam] and [Eve] were both naked and were not ashamed.” This is very strange. Nakedness without shame. Nudity without embarrassment. Immodesty without immorality. This is the world that God created. The fact that it is unimaginable should tell us the immensity of sin and the unthinkable glory of the world to come. In the world as we know it, these are inseparable partners. Nakedness means shame. Public nudity is defined by embarrassment. Immodesty is intertwined with immorality. But not in the beginning. God created a sinless, guiltless, shameless world.

But it didn’t last. “So when the woman saw that the [forbidden] tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked [immodest]. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:6-7).

Sin produced guilt. Guilt produced shame. Shame requires a covering. Before sin entered the world, there was no guilt. Because there was no guilt, there was no shame. Because there was no shame, there was no need for a covering. Oh, how sin has changed our world!

“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked [immodest], and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’” (Genesis 3:8-11). God says, no doubt with a deep sadness in His heart, “You’re not supposed to know that you’re naked… You’re not supposed to feel shame! You must’ve sinned…”

“And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Sin > Guilt > Shame > Covering. One of the clearest evidences of total depravity is that each and every one of us in this room is covered. Because we are guilty, and we are ashamed. There is a sense in which fashion is simply the ever-changing clothing rack of the guilty. It is our attempt to recreate the beauty of God’s original creation and to hide our own shame.

What did this first sin produce? It marred the interaction between men and women. Men and women were created to be mirrors of God’s glory, but we turned ourselves into magnets for the attraction of others. God made us for reflection, but we wake up in the morning geared for attraction. So come the sparks of sexual fantasy; the slow burn of jealousy; the furnace of adultery; the wildfires of sexual sin. These are all reasons why modesty is now necessary. And we see this play out from the very beginning.

* Potiphar’s wife seduces Joseph (Gen 39:7-20).
* Amnon rapes Tamar (2 Sam 13:1-39).
* Samson and Delilah live out a soap opera (Judges 13-16).
* Solomon has 1,000 sexual partners (1 Kings 11:3).
* God arranges a marriage between a prophet and a prostitute to demonstrate his unparalleled loyalty to His own unfaithful wife (Hosea 1:2).
* The Israelites intermarry with godless pagans (Ezra 9:1-2).
* Herodias’ daughter dances for King Herod’s guests and John is beheaded (Mark 6:17-28).

Women lure and charm men, to their ruin. Men dominate and molest women, to their harm. Men are enticed and seduced. Women are abused and degraded. And it doesn’t stop with the biblical record. We are suffocating under the weight of sin’s consequences to this day. Our feminine heroes are named Madonna and Jolie and Kneightly instead of Carmichael and Edwards and Elliot. Fifty-year-old women have surgeries to look twenty-five. Fifty-year-old men run off with twenty-five-year-old secretaries. Fifteen-year-olds binge and purge. Eight-year-olds are abused by their fathers. The pornography industry runs away with America’s men and America’s soul. Devoted Christian girls spend days trying to find modest clothes to wear while devoted Christian guys fight minute-by-minute against a cultural onslaught of sexual enticement. And we even learn to avoid entire books of the Bible because pure sexual attraction is virtually unintelligible to us.

Recognize the ultimate need for modesty: (1) sin, guilt, and shame, and (2) the marred relationship between men and women. And there is one more practical reason for modesty: men are visual beings. Men are visually attracted, visually distracted, visually stimulated… or visually helped.

Let me restate from the outset that we men have a personal responsibility to guard and control our eyes, our hearts, our minds, and our hands. The call to feminine modesty is not a crutch or an excuse for men, nor is it our main weapon in the battle for purity. We are strangers and aliens living among an evil and adulterous generation. So let’s not pretend like a 40-minute summer sermon on modesty is going to cure all ills, or that the obedience of our tiny Christian minority in the area of modesty is going to be our silver bullet. We must carry our own load here. God is not demanding that women solve men’s problems. But He is calling women to help and assist. Temptation is already a slippery slope. All we’re asking of you ladies is that you don’t grease the slide.

Review: Recognize the ultimate need for modesty.

2. Embrace the biblical appeal to modesty (1 Peter 3:1-6).

The war for holiness and the war against worldliness does not begin in the mall or the magazines or the walk-in closet. It begins in the mind. Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2b). Your mind and your heart and your intentions and your motivations determine your wardrobe.

1 Peter 3:1-6 — “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives — when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

Context: Peter is speaking to Christian women who are married to unbelieving men. He is encouraging these women to be submissive, respectful, and pure so that they might have a wordless testimony before their ungodly husbands. In this context, he urges them to be modest in attitude and in dress, to be women of high character and undistracting appearance. I want to draw out SIX PRINCIPLES about modesty.

(1) Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3) (“Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing…”).

Peter is not saying that women should neglect their appearance. Notice that he includes “the putting on of clothing [garments]” in his prohibition. This would mean he’s saying that you can”t wear clothes at all, which would be somewhat antithetical to the call to modesty! No, Peter is saying, “Don’t let clothing and shoes and fashions and accessories and styles be your focus and your obsession.” He’s saying, “Don’t be extravagant and ostentatious and attention-seeking.” He’s saying, “Do not let your adorning — what makes you beautiful — be external.”

Scripture does not speak against the presence of beauty, the enhancement of beauty, or our attraction to beauty. God made us male and female, and He has designed us to be physically attracted to the opposite sex. He also designed women with the desire and the gifting to make things beautiful. Men destroy things. Women make them beautiful. Bachelor pads aren’t usually warm and inviting. In fact, the main difference between a bachelor pad and a prison cell is the bars. Men can enjoy beauty, but we don’t usually cultivate it.

The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) all married beautiful women (Gen 12:11-15; 25:16; 26:7; 29:16-18, 28). The excellent wife in Proverbs 31 dresses herself and her family in vibrant and quality clothing (31:21-22), and she produces and sells fine, valuable garments (31:24). The bride in Song of Solomon is clearly beautiful in form, appearance, and dress.

Yet, Scripture also says, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). Outward beauty is ultimately empty and promised to fade. Therefore, the modest woman shys away from distracting, enticing, eye-catching extravagance. Peter is not talking about exposing skin but drawing attention.

Review: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3). In contrast:

(2) Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4) (“but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…”).

Paul says something very strange in verse 4. He says that “your adorning” — what makes you beautiful — should be invisible. It is a “hidden” beauty, a quiet attractiveness, a gentle loveliness. It is a beauty of the heart. And no matter how many times you’ve heard it, or how cliché it may seem, we need Peter to tell us again: “True beauty begins and centers in the heart.”

The most foundational article of clothing in a godly woman’s wardrobe is her character. The soft tones of a “gentle and quiet spirit.” The perfectly-crafted fabric of a tranquil soul. A well-earned reputation for good works.

#1: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3).
#2: Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4).

(3) Modesty is an imperishable quality (v. 4) (“the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit”).

Everyone look down at what you’re wearing. How old are the clothes you have on? How many of you are wearing clothes that you have personally owned for more than ten years? Clothing wears out.

How many 70-year-old models have you seen on TV recently? How many 80-year-old athletes have you seen running around lately? People wear out.

Why do we have sayings like, “That’s so ’80′s” or “retro” or “blast from the past”? Because the hot new styles of today are the bellbottoms of tomorrow. Fashions change.

For those of you who have been married for more than twenty years, your wedding pictures may be many things — beautiful, precious, memorable — but they are not in style. This is why the older (and wiser) generation often doesn’t care much about style. They have seen it come and go. They understand that fashion is more of a tide than an ocean. It is ever changing, never fixed. Play it cool in 1970 and you will look the fool in 1990.

So should the transitory nature of clothing, appearance, and fashions discourage and dishearten us? Should we be obsessed with anti-aging remedies and keeping up with current styles? No. The suffering Apostle Paul writes, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

The internal character produced by the Holy Spirit and molded throughout life is “imperishable.” This is beauty that does not fade, and cannot be taken — not by physical illness, not by fashion trends, not by cultural shifts; not even by death itself. Do you want permanent, enduring, invincible, constantly-improving beauty? Make investments in your character. Invest in modesty.

#1: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3).
#2: Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4).
#3: Modesty is an imperishable quality (v. 4).

(4) Modesty is precious in God’s sight (v. 4) (“which in God’s sight is very precious”).

Elsewhere this word “precious” refers to expensive perfume (Mark 14:3) or costly, luxurious garments (1 Tim 2:9). The women who lives with a God-saturated, Christ-imitating, gospel-transformed, Spirit-produced godliness is a treasure to her Father. I have always been fascinated and intrigued by the beautiful relationship between a godly, loving, nurturing, protective father and the daughter that he loves. She is precious to him. Ladies, you are precious to your Father when you live and dress modestly, with a gentle and quiet spirit, with a heart for service, with your soul fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The humble, gentle, tranquil woman of character is precious not only to God but also to God’s men! The woman who dresses appropriately and thoughtfully and with self-control is very attractive to God’s sons. Ladies, ask yourselves: Who am I trying to attract? Whose attention do I hope to catch?

Immodesty is guaranteed to attract the attention of men, but not faithful men. Not dignified men. Not holy men. Not men that you want your sons to be like and your daughters to marry. If a man is enjoying your immodesty or your daughter’s immodesty, he is also enjoying every other woman’s.

Seek the kind of precious and valuable character that God cherishes.

#1: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3).
#2: Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4).
#3: Modesty is an imperishable quality (v. 4).
#4: Modesty is precious in God’s sight (v. 4).

(5) Modesty has a noble heritage (vv. 5-6) (“For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”)

Notice how Peter attempts to inspire and motivate these Christian women. He asks, “Do you want to stand in the long line of honorable, heroic, praiseworthy, God-exalting women?” Modesty has a noble heritage: “this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves…” The attitude and the apparel of the godly woman have been passed down from generation to generation.

This is equal but opposite to how the fashion industry attempts to motivate. They also want you to imitate. This is what Michelle Obama’s wearing! This is what the runway models in Paris are wearing. This is what J. Crew and Hollister are selling. Don’t you want to be like them? Now, again, what some of these women are wearing and what some of these catalogues are selling may not be wrong at all. It could be very feminine and appropriate. But are you more moved by the example of the godly women of the faith than by current trends and fashions?

I would encourage you to read Christian biographies about noble women of the faith. One thing you’ll notice: they weren’t known for the size of their closets or the in-ness of their styles. They were known for adorning themselves with “good works” as Paul urges (1 Tim 2:10).

What characterized these women?

a. They were unattached to the world. They were “holy women.” The overall, lifetime decision to separate from the world’s values and the world’s ways has massive implications. Dress is just one of them. The way a woman dresses is a declaration of allegiance. To whom have you pledged your life? Do you look just like the culture, or is your attitude, your behavior, and your wardrobe distinct? This doesn’t mean that you are deliberately out of step or anti-fashion or intentionally and militantly against the current trends. There’s a way to draw attention to yourself by being completely out of step and trying to stand out for your conservatism. Nevertheless, you should stand out for something. When you dress yourself in the morning, you are wrapping yourself in a flag. You are representing a kingdom.

b. They had a God-centered hope. They were “holy women who hoped in God.” Women are naturally designed to hope and desire and anticipate. Peter is speaking to Christian women with unbelieving husbands, so their husbands likely do not provide them with the kind of security and love and leadership and attention that they might desire. Nevertheless, they set their hope on God. Modesty hopes in the love and pleasure and provision of God, not the love and pleasure and provision of men. Ask yourself when you dress, “What am I hoping for?”

Who are you trying to imitate? Who do you want to look like? Whose appearance fascinates and captivates you? Modesty has a noble heritage, and it is a legacy worth joining.

#1: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3).
#2: Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4).
#3: Modesty is an imperishable quality (v. 4).
#4: Modesty is precious in God’s sight (v. 4).
#5: Modesty has a noble heritage (vv. 5-6).

(6) Modesty has evangelistic power (vv. 1-2) (“won without a word by the conduct of their wives”).

Remember that Peter is still talking to Christian women with unbelieving husbands, and encouraging them to maintain a wordless testimony so that their husbands might come to know the Lord. In the words of one commentator, Peter is promoting an “eloquent silence” (J. N. D. Kelly, The Epistles of Peter and of Jude, 128). Part of this testimony is external and internal modesty. Peter is saying that Christian modesty is an evangelistic strategy. Feminine modesty helps fulfill the Great Commission! We go to the jungles of Papua New Guinea; we penetrate the dark corners of the Middle East; and we dress modestly in Valencia. These are all missional strategies in Scripture.

Do you have a heart for the lost? Do you want to see people saved? Do you want to see the gospel advance? Then live and dress modestly! Modest character has a quiet power. It is so attractive and persuasive and winsome in a dark, desperate, competitive, self-conscious, attention-seeking world like ours. The women of the world dress so that men will see through their clothing. The women of God dress so that men will see past their clothing to their transformed character. Modesty has evangelistic power.

Six Principles about Modesty from 1 Peter 3:1-6:
#1: Modesty shys away from extravagance (v. 3).
#2: Modesty highlights internal character (v. 4).
#3: Modesty is an imperishable quality (v. 4).
#4: Modesty is precious in God’s sight (v. 4).
#5: Modesty has a noble heritage (vv. 5-6).
#6: Modesty has evangelistic power (vv. 5-6)

REVIEW:
1. Recognize the ultimate need for modesty (Gen 2-3).
2. Embrace the biblical appeal to modesty (1 Peter 3:1-6).

3. Discover the diverse implications of immodesty (Proverbs 14:12).

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

Jesus said, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations to come, but woe to the one by whom the temptations come!” (Matthew 18:7).

Here are seven potential or actual consequences of immodesty:

(1) You might tempt a husband to be discontent with his wife’s physical appearance. This would be dangerously close to what Jesus calls adultery in Matthew 5:27-28 — “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ Yes, it’s the man’s responsibility to control his own eyes, mind, and heart — absolutely. But you can help or hinder. Yes, a man might not commit adultery with you personally, but you might be step #13 along the way.

(2) You might tempt a single young man toward immoral sexual desires. Besides his own sin in lusting, he is also setting up pitfalls for himself later on — discontentment, a memory bank of immodest girls, a decreasing standard of what he’s looking for in a girl, etc.

(3) You could tempt other girls to covet your looks or your clothing or the attention you receive. Yes, they are responsible to battle envy in their own hearts, but if their battle is stirred up by your immodesty and attention-seeking, you are hindering them and not helping.

(4) You might distract people from seeing Christ in you. If people walk away from you and only think, “She’s cute and she’s got great style,” you have missed an opportunity to represent Christ. This doesn’t mean that it’s wrong to be noticed for your beauty. But if it’s the consistent theme and feedback of your life, something might be missing.

(5) You might distract the people of God from worshiping with the gathered church. Singing, listening to God’s Word, meditating, fellowshiping without distractions. I’ve been in churches before where I find myself often looking to the heavens, and not because I’m really looking to the heavens. I’m trying to avoid what’s on earth.

(6) You might teach other girls around you to develop immodest habits. Ask yourself if you would want a fourteen-year-old girl looking to you as the model for how to dress. If you are a fourteen-year-old girl, ask yourself if you would want your 10-year-old sister following your example.

(7) You will attract the wrong kind of man.

REVIEW:
1. Recognize the ultimate need for modesty (Gen 2-3).
2. Embrace the biblical appeal to modesty (1 Peter 3:1-6).
3. Discover the diverse implications of immodesty (Proverbs 14:12).

4. Develop the spiritual discernment of modesty.

Ladies, learn to think, shop, act, and dress like God’s daughters. Men, view the ladies around you as God’s daughters.

Here are four questions that you ladies can ask yourself about your clothing, your appearance, and your motivations:

(1) Why do I want to purchase or wear this?

*
o Am I seeking the pleasure of God or the attention of men
o Do I really need this? You could feed and educate three children a month for the price of a nice blouse from the TownCenter. This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t buy the blouse. But it raises some good questions about how we spend our money.
o Is my heart becoming entangled with the cares of the world?
o Are there any particular guys whose attention I want to catch, or any particular girls that I’d like to envy me?
o Am I willing to say no to purchasing this or wearing this?
o Am I becoming a hyper-critical, judgmental, condescending, conscience-stricken, anti-beauty legalist? As much as we men want you to be modest, we also want you to be feminine and to maintain your beauty. I mean, on top of everything else, my wife is the best decoration in the house, to be quite frank. So I don’t want her enslaved or over-burdened by unbiblical conservative values. Nor does these types of overly strict, man-made rules please or honor God or cultivate a true heart of humble modesty

(2) How will my appearance affect others?

*
o Will I manifest appropriate feminine beauty?
o Will I bring undue attention to myself?
o Will I be a distraction, or worse, a stumbling block?
o How will this look when I’m sitting down or bending over? Modesty doesn’t mean that your skirt is modest in one position out of ten. Ask yourself, “Will I need to constantly pull this up or down or adjust in my seat to be modest?”
o What do my husband, parents, wise leaders, and mature friends say? We fathers have a very serious responsibility to instruct, guide, and help our daughters with their hearts and their clothing choices. Every dad should say at some point, “I’m sorry, honey, but you can’t go out of the house wearing that.” “I’m sorry, honey, but I can’t let you wear that because of how men will look at you.” “I’m sorry, honey, but you’re a grown teenage girl and that’s not appropriate to wear in the house even around family.”
o Am I willing to err on the side of caution

(3) What does my appearance say about me?

*
o Who and what am I identifying with?
o What does this say about my priorities?
o What am I becoming known for? “Good looks or good works”? My “clothing or my character”? My fashion or my spiritual fruit? (C. J. Mahaney, “God, My Heart, and Clothes,” Worldliness, 135).
o What do my receipts from this year say about my priorities? What about the time, energy, and thought that I put into my appearance? How about the amount of clothes, shoes, make-up, and accessories I own?
o Am I becoming enslaved to being “counter-cultural” in unbiblical ways? Again, legalism and over-restrictive convictions are also a danger

(4) What kind of example am I setting for others?

My children? My friends? Would I want my young daughter to wear what I’m wearing?

Now, when we talk about developing the spiritual discernment of modesty, I understand that there’s one particular question here that can be very difficult to answer. It’s #2: How will my appearance affect others? We want to be practical, but not legalistic. We want to be specific, but not inappropriate. You ladies may be rightfully and righteously interested in what’s helpful and what’s hurtful when it comes to your brothers in Christ. But how can you find out?

I want to introduce you to a very helpful online survey that was done by the Harris brothers. “The Modesty Survey is an exciting, anonymous discussion between Christian guys and girls who care about modesty. Hundreds of Christian girls contributed to the 148-question survey and over 1,600 Christian guys submitted 150,000+ answers, including 25,000 text responses, over a 20-day period in January 2007.” The responders were 43% homeschoolers, 40% public schoolers, and 13% private schoolers. 45% were college graduates and 14% were college students. The average age was 22½.

They wisely provide seven guidelines as an introduction to the survey. The first three are absolutely essential for our purposes tonight.

(1) Please, approach the survey as a resource, not a list of rules.
(2) Always honor your parents above the results of the survey (Ephesians 6:1-3).
(3) Seek personal feedback on your attire from the godly men and women in your life.
(4) Remember, modesty is first and foremost a matter of the heart, not the wardrobe.
(5) Faithfully pursue the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4).
(6) Let your good works outshine your outward appearance (1 Timothy 2:10).
(7) Dress for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The survey is specific and comprehensive. Here are the categories:

(1) General/Other
(2) Swimsuits
(3) Undergarments
(4) Shirts/Dresses
(5) Layering
(6) Pants/Shorts/Leggings
(7) Skirts
(8) Posture/Movement
(9) Makeup/Jewelry/Hair/Shoes
(10) Open Questions

And here are some of the answers. Again, these are not scriptural commands or even biblical guidelines. They are simply the results of this survey, informed by your fellow believers, both men and women. The statements in quotes are the questions of the survey. This is just a sampling.

* “Girls can dress attractively without being immodest.” 97% agree.
* “A guy can consider a girl attractive without thinking about her in an impure way.” 95% agree.
* “Sleeveless shirts or dresses (i.e. bare arms) are immodest.” 61% disagree, 18% neutral, 21% agree.
* “Dresses that are fitted at the waist (e.g. with a belt or waistband) are a stumbling block.” 78% disagree.
* “Spaghetti-strap shirts and dresses are immodest.” 61% agree, 20% disagree, 19% neutral.
* “The same standards of modesty should apply to wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses as to everyday attire.” 65% agree.
* “Wearing pants with words across the backside is a stumbling block.” 84% agree.
* “It is immodest for a girl to expose her calves (i.e. knee downward).” 83% disagree, 10% neutral, 7% agree.
* “Skirts that fall above the knee are immodest.” 58% agree, 19% neutral, 23% disagree. One commenter put it well: “That’s getting into dangerous territory, especially when [women] sit down.” And know that 93% of responders said that “Miniskirts are immodest.”

REVIEW:
1. Recognize the ultimate need for modesty (Gen 2-3).
2. Embrace the biblical appeal to modesty (1 Peter 3:1-6).
3. Discover the diverse implications of immodesty (Proverbs 14:12).
4. Develop the spiritual discernment of modesty.

5. Embrace the ultimate solution for immodesty (Psalm 32:1).

My ultimate need is not more clothing or better clothing. My ultimate need is not even a gentle and quiet spirit or a life of good works or a God-honoring wardrobe. I need righteousness. The ultimate solution for immodesty is the gospel.

Psalm 32:1 — “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

The righteousness of Christ has covered us, and we are now to dress as those who desire to make people notice that righteousness. We want people to see that God has clothed us, not that the GAP has clothed us or that Hollister has clothed us or that Calvin Klein has clothed us or that J. Crew has clothed us. We are wearing Christ. Let it be known.

Christ was clothed with a mocking purple robe and a crown of thorns so that I might wear His righteousness (Mark 15:17). And Christ was undressed and uncovered and exposed on the cross so that my sin and my shame might be covered (Luke 23:34).

God dresses His Son in my wickedness so that I might be dressed in His righteousness. God stripped His Son of His glory so that I might be brought into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Christ paid in blood for my clothing.

And because the gospel is the ultimate solution for our widespread and comprehensive immodesty, it is also the ultimate motivation for our widespread and comprehensive modesty. I want my life to adorn the gospel! The gospel has clothed us, and now we want to clothe the gospel. The gospel is making us beautiful once again, and now we want to make the gospel beautiful. We want our lives to dress up the gospel, to make it attractive, to entice people to Christ’s forgiveness and His transforming power. We want to live in such a way that others are attracted to Jesus Christ.

So when you browse the clothing racks at your favorite store… when you slide your clothes off their hangers in the morning… when you stand readying yourself for the day in front of the full-length mirror… when you walk out the door in the morning… when you set foot on your high school campus… when you walk around the house in front of your young daughters and sons… when you pass through the double doors of the PBC sanctuary… you are dressing up the gospel. Do it beautifully.

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Memorial Day 2010



Memorial Day Animations


we will remember



We will remember
posted a minute ago by Diane Price
Boalsburg, Pa., Birthplace of
MEMORIAL DAY

Boalsburg is a quaint little village situated in Centre County, Pa., just off Route 322, in the picturesque foothills of the Alleghenies. It's only a dot on the map, and you as a casual driver might drive past it without even being aware that it is nestled there in the rolling valley beneath a coverlet of oaks and pines and cedars - were it not for a plain little marker by the side of the road: "Boalsburg. An American Village - Birthplace of Memorial Day."

What about that boast?

The tongue no man can tame




The tongue no man can tame As I Start this morning I Like to be reminded of only a few of the verses about our tongue.
It was the tongue of the devil that started the trouble in the garden of Eden.

James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Prov.18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Psalms 64:3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
psalms 39:1 I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
prov.2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
16:16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

I Love going to the house of the Lord


Wonderful weather today,great sunday services our Pastor talked about in morning church its not a good thing to listen to your self.I am my worse enemy.We should do things because God said so.
This eve.service was about I Will behave my self perfect to do good and to purpose in your heart.As Paul said in
romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Caleb helped a boy in sunday school receive Christ this morning,
On my way in the church this morning i was hurrying to go inside i handed out a tract to a lady she said thank you i was looking for a church i just moved in the area.

Sunday Pray Pray Pray Its Gods Day

Yea Its Sunday The first day of a new week
I Love giving God the first day of the week.
Im praying for that all my friends and our church will be blessed today and feel the presence of God like never before.

Yea Its Sunday The first day of a new week


Bible Study Archives‎ > ‎
May 30 Sunday Devotion
posted 32 minutes ago by Diane Price
Yea! I Love Sunday!I get to fellowship with Gods people.1 KING13:24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.
1 KINGS13:25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
1 KINGS13:26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
As i was reading this morning,I wish people would realize God chastises his children we never get away with anything It wouldnt be fair to our fore fathers.
1kings


I Dont understand why one would be cremated .I know when I go to my babies grave they are buried there.I cant imagine being in the cloud with the other witnesses watching a body burn.
1KINGS 13:30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
13:31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:

IKINGS 14:8 And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;
14:9 But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back
We must do right.God loves us.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

2 and 3 Year Old Sunday School Lesson

>
GOD LOVES YOU BUNCHES HE KEEPS HIS PROMISES
Caleb

Long long time ago Moses was a Captain.

God told Captain Moses to bring the people from Egypt to the promise land.
Ok said Moses I will obey and do what you tell me.
Moses picked out 12 men one was Caleb and one was Joshua they were captains too.
God told All the twelve captains to be spies
Go into the promise land with this map and bring back fruit and other good things to eat said Moses.
Ok said the spies.
The spies found big grapes and lots of other good thing

The spies seen big big men bigger than your Daddy.


The spies said we are little like grasshoppers and they are big.

The spies stayed in the promise land for forty days.
Its time to go back and tell Moses about what we saw.
And show Moses these big big grapes.


As they arrived at home they yelled and blew a horn

Moses Moses Look Look at these big big grapes


Everyone came out of their tents where they lived
Wow big grapes said the people.

Lets live over there and eat lots of good food. Said Caleb and Joshua


No said the ten spies we are little like grasshoppers they will kill us
The people cried lets go back home to Egypt.
They were angry with Caleb and Joshua they through rocks at them.

Then God put a special cloud over the people and protected Caleb and Joshua.
And told the people you cant go into the promise land for forty years and only your children and Caleb and Johua can go.
God killed the mommy and Daddy`s because they did not want to obey God.
Joshua was the leader and the people followed Joshua into the promise land just like God promised.

Pray for our men

Have a good holiday.

pray without ceasing...


As I Was reading my bible (KJV MY Favorite) book this beautiful morning that God hath made I see this mistakes David made was passed down the generations What a sad thing when we don't look up to our elders and see their experience and wisdom.
And God is so patient giving Salomon two chances to do right.

One of my biggest fear is that one of my children would want to date or marry an unsaved person that would turn their heart away from God and church.
I know in some rare cases an unbeliever can get saved but that is not the point we are to do what God wants and that is 2 cor.6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
Also it hurts others that know the two.Its a selfish decision to date who ever we want to.God gave us an instruction manual not just a book to give instructions for fire insurance and have new life assurance.

1 kings 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
My hope and prayer is this morning that my children will never get yoked together with an unbeliever and if its too late I pray that if the unbeliever wants to depart let him or her otherwise I pray that the person will get saved for the sakes of the next generation.


1 kings 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Rejoice!


Today is a brand new beginning my hope and prayer this morning is that i will get right with God and have more zeal to help God bring more people to Heaven.I Have missed the mark so many times people have slipped through the cracks I Have such regrets on the ones i should of told them the good news.If i was on the titanic i would be a sorry creature if i got out and didnt care about helping others.My prayer is this morning that i would get busy and warn people before its to late.It does me no good to practice for the rapture if i have tears for God to wipe away when i see wonderful people cast into hell.I have been so selfish.


1 KINGS 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.
10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
10:3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,
10:5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.
10:6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
10:8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
10:9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Is this Faith?





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My High school sweet heart




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No email?


No emails today


I can't respond to any emails today as
something has crashed on my computer








and the mouse is missing.

God's Cake


God's Cake This is about the best thing I've ever read as an explanation. We all wonder many many many times over WHY?


Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."

"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.

"Yuck" says her daughter.

"How about a couple raw eggs?" "Gross, Mom!"

"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! "

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Last day of school.




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God keeps his promises


What a beautiful day.Last day of school.Graduation tonight.I Get to work in the field tonight going soulwinning with my Pastors wife.Please keep my Pastor in prayer while he is out of town.
Please keep us in prayer while soulwinning tonight.

1 kings 8:56 Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
8:57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
8:58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wednesday


I Am so excited about tomorrow I get to go soulwinning with my Pastors wife yea!

Great Wednesday night service our Pastor taught about the following
.John 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 12:2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 12:4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 12:5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 12:7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 12:8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. 12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

Cor.10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

We will remember!


I`m practicing for the rapture!
I Am so full of joy this morning knowing Christians will meet together in church tonight.What a blessing to know we still have righteous people that want to do right.Serving God is far more joyful than serving the world.
PSALM 44:20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Much prayer is needed school is almost out .Teens need to be led.

If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God.......


The wisdom of God is so important to ask God for daily.Even the simple things.
3:5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
3:8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
3:10 And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.
3:11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
3:13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Monday A wonderful day to serve our wonderful God


Monday A wonderful day to serve our wonderful God

As I was reading 1 Kings this beautiful morning I Pray that God will turn our Nation around.It has to start with Gods people.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land

On Sept 11 the business that would put up their signs to get Gods attention.The mall had candles lit.
Not everyone has forgotten God.

Kings 1:37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

2:2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Great Sunday services

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Great Sunday services this morning our Preacher preached on Psalm 56:1 Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
56:2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
56:5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
56:6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
56:7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
56:9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
56:10 In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
56:12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
Tonights service was based on asking above and beyond when we pray.

God hates pride


Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom

Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
6:17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,


Proverbs 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin

Jeremiah 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.



Proverbs 15:25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow

Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit

As I Read this verse this morning God hates pride.God had to punish David.They were Gods people and they are Gods children and Gods families.

2Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

2Samuel 24:10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

The remedy for pride

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Davids song he taught to Gods children

2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
22:9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
22:10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
22:12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
22:15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
22:17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
22:19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
22:20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
22:21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
22:22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22:23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
22:24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
22:25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
22:26 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.
22:27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavory.
22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
22:30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
22:35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
22:37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
22:38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
22:39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
22:40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
22:41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
22:44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
22:45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me.
22:49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Jesus Loves You!

A wonderful day





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Donations $1.00 Weekly Sunday School lessons







Is Daddy to busy?







I Enjoyed reading this chapter below there is so much to feast upon Its a song that was drawn from the heart.
We get up this morning and have breakfast but spiritual food is much more important.Some including my self will eat junk food (whoopie pie) and some will absorb junk spiritual food (tv,newspaper books that are not Godly listening to the people that have feasted on junk and spend time with everyone but the one who craves for our fellowship more than anyone deserves.
I Have a daughter that is grown now but when she was just a toddler she would be under the car helping her Dad or watching him at the sink shave until she tried it and got cut.She would cry when her Daddy would go to work her brothers and sisters were jealous but that didn't matter her Daddy still loved her closeness They could snuggle too if they wanted to.Daddy had plenty of room in his heart for everyone.I Know if an earthly Father can love the fellowship how much more can our Heavenly Daddy need us?We can not spend to much time with our Heavenly Father that is always here for us.I cant imagine our Heavenly Father saying"Run along now I'm busy!





2 Samuel 22:1-51

22:1 And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
22:9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
22:10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
22:12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
22:15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
22:17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
22:19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
22:20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
22:21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
22:22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22:23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
22:24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
22:25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
22:26 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright.
22:27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavory.
22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
22:30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
22:35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
22:37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
22:38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
22:39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
22:40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
22:41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
22:44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
22:45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me.
22:49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Naaman the leper 2 & 3 yr .old Lesson

2 and 3 year old Sunday School lesson
Naaman the leper

Israelite s are Gods people
Some Israelite s did not listen to God



See the army they were Syrians


Syrians were fighting the Israelite s
God let them be strong
Because the Israelite s didn't listen to God
God had the Syrians and their captain Naaman fight the Israelites
The Israelites took some of the people to Syria

One was a little girl God took care of.


The little girl was taken to Captain Naamans house
Captain Naaman was a sick man
He was sick with leprousy.



The little girl was sad captain Naaman was sick
The little girl told captain Naaman to go to her church and her pastor could help him
This little girls preacher is ELishsa


The preacher prayed and asked God what to do
GOd wants Naaman to dip himself in the muddy river seven times



Naaman was very upset he yelled seven times? I don't want to!
One of the army men said if you don't do what God wants you to do you won't feel better
You will stay sick
Ok said Naaman 1 2 3........456....7
Naaman did what God told him to do now he is all better


Sometimes we are like Naaman our pastor will tell us what GOd wants us to do and we get upset


Our Pastor is trying to help us
Our Pastor doesn't want to hurt us
Our Pastor will pray and ask God what should we do
And we should do it



Because when we do things for our Pastor we have done them unto Jesus








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