In 10 words or less...

The other day while I was shelving books at the library (my part-time job), the back of one book caught my eye. It was a memoir, or some sort of learn-from-my-life book by Valerie Bertinelli. Except for shelving her books -she has more than one- I would have no idea who she was, but I think her claim to fame is that she lost weight and looks 48 going on 21.  Anyway... on this back cover there was a quick character sketch survey, ie, name/height/weight/purpose in life/etc. It was the very last one that grabbed me, though.

Everything you know in 10 words or less:
Her answer: "Love, you always have a choice, exercise, portion control".

Ok, good for her. It shows what is important to her and what she wants to communicate to others. But what about me? How would I sum up everything I know in 10 words or less? What do I know? Anything? (My parents and teachers hope so.) And if so, what would I want to communicate to another?

As I considered how to best use my 10 words, I finally came to the conclusion: I only need three. Everything else is extraneous.

My answer: Jesus is all.

How about you? What is everything you know in 10 words or less?

Have you met Brother Andrew?

Book recommendation of the month! Title: God's Smuggler. Author: Brother Andrew.

More than anything else, I love reading or hearing stories of God showcasing Himself, and that's what the book is. It's about a man, known only as Brother Andrew due to the nature of his work, and how God got ahold of his life and gave him a ministry. He made many trips behind the Communist Iron Curtain to encourage the persecuted church and distribute Bibles. Many pastors and entire churches didn't own even one Bible! The stories are exciting and more incredible than any fiction, and testify to the faithfulness of our God. I was left praising God, as well as burdened to pray for the modern persecuted church.

There's also a "sequel" - the story of Brother Andrew's later work with Muslims, called Secret Believers. That's next on my reading list!

Quick Quote

Here's some food for thought (don't choke!):

I can tell how much God you have by how much entertainment you need.  - A.W. Tozer

Psalm Pstudy: 21-30

Did you know...?

21. Jesus' hand will find all His enemies.

22. Jesus is holy.

23. Jesus restores my soul.

24. Jesus is the King of glory.

25. Jesus teaches the humble His way.

26. Jesus vindicates those who walk in integrity.

27. Jesus is the strength of my life.

28. Jesus will give the workers of iniquity according to their deeds.

29. His voice is powerful and full of majesty.

30. His anger is but for a moment. His favor is for life.

(Sometimes I just had to sneak two in there!)

Rejoice!

Happy Easter!

May the Lord Jesus Christ be the glorious center of your day.

So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. - Matthew 28:8-9 NKJV

Watch this.

In my blog reader, where I can see new posts from the blogs I follow, there are 6 posts in a row that are about the exact same thing. I will risk being called a copycat. It will be worth it if one more person can glimpse the majestic wonder of The Gospel. 12 minutes isn't that long. Please watch it.

The Gospel is so much more than "fire insurance", or a 6 letter acronym. It is life and freedom and it is real! We never stop needing it, and it only gets better! Oh, what a Jesus!

Prayer Request

I know this is kind of short notice, but if anyone reading could please pray for our pastor and his family. On Friday Pastor Cal was having chest pains and went to the hospital. Turns out he had a few heart attacks. One of his major arteries is completely blocked, and the others are 80% so. (No wonder he was getting tired easily.) Tomorrow (Monday) he is scheduled to have quadruple-bypass surgery. Please pray:

1. That God would heal; that the surgery would be successful; that there would be no complications; and that his recovery would be accelerated.
2. For his and his family's faith, peace, and joy in God; that they would trust that God and His Word more than Experience; that they would know Jesus' presence deeper and sweeter than ever before.
3. That we as a church would be able to support them; that no breaches would happen or distractions prevail, especially right now at Easter time.
4. For me - I'll be babysitting their grandkids tomorrow; pray that I can be sensitive and helpful.

Thank you so much! ~*~