F4S: December 2017

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Twenty eighteen and it's still okay to dream -- it's okay to beam.

It's okay to put aside daydreamin' and live in the real world as well! Can you believe it's another New Year starting? You're so blessed and time just flies when you're havin' the right kind of fun in the Lord. Other types of fun, who needs it? 

This 2018 year is upon us now and I'm excited about what God will do. 2017 was then, and this is now--we have a hunger to know and follow You.. better. Real well, God.  

Spring up O well and make others well. What's my part, God? Never wanna be out of sync with Heaven.. with Your purpose! We can evangelize or fossilize! 

What's the plan.. Your's Lord?.. please help us plan right. Most of God's people are just meandering around on the way to heaven, but we want to plan well and work that plan well. We want your biblical strategy..even with working our way through all the Scriptures.. all the counsels of God. How could we not grow well? 

We want to see You work in Your church, we want to go tell someone. Lord, make us better acquainted with your rivers of living water. 

I ask for biblical inspiration, faithful appropriation, and wise application. Wanna be a part of all that so that my friends and family will experience You, Lord. Wanna share the Gospel with passion and make disciples, not impede or block your grace. Pour out Your Spirit here. Flow through. Bless and use my buds to bless. We're forgiven and blessed to be a blessing as other are forgiven. 

Jesus said we are either for or against Him, we are gathering or scattering. 

More grace is needed this year. Bless my on and offline-missionary friends and others too.. yup, through me. Through us, Lord!

More people can turn and trust Jesus Christ this year..even now! Perhaps you want God to use you this 2018 in biblically winning and disciplining hungry people? I just encouraged my friend Bill to get involved
Friends, you won't missionally cross a street to a neighbor's house, or prayerfully cross a mountain range to one, or #TravelOnPurpose crossin' an ocean unless you look away from the past, from where you've been..and forget about the things of the worldly shore. Today is a day to remember a bit (especially the verses memorized), to look up and to look and go forward with Christ! I like traveling when God directs, but ya don't need a plane ticket to minister in the 10/40 window in 2018. Facebook.com/shareJesus
During days of hard facts and gobs of pessimistic thinking the prophet Isaiah once wrote, “Do not remember the former things.. I am about to do a new thing.” Those words are for now as well. As this New Year begins would you intercede with words something like these...
Lord, in 2018 give to me and to my believing friends, I pray:
A remembering heart for the things that have happened and that I need to gain insight from.
An attentive heart to what I've learned and am learning.
A forgiving heart for the people and how they might have let me down or hurt.
A grateful heart for what has blessed.
A brave heart with wisdom for what may be required.
An open heart to all that may come.
A trusting heart to go forth with You.
A loving heart for You first and for people -- for all your creation.
A longing heart for the reconciliation of other sinners like me, and all things. (See Romans 8:28-29 when you get a free moment).
A willing heart to say “Yes Lord” to what You will have me think, be, say and do. In #Jesus' Name. Amen. 
Let's stop debating, splitting hairs and arguing about the Bible and start focusing on the living Word of God, on His essentials and on lovingly sharing Christ's Gospel instead!


Saturday, December 30, 2017

New year, new directives. New life, and new vistas. How wonderful it is to walk with and serve Jesus our King! We each are called to be and to do something in Christ.

How will you start out a brand new year? Q. Are you a real born again Christian with a specific calling now? There is really no other type of Christian.

Q. What will the Lord hold you and I accountable for this year.. during this lifetime? We know that God will not at all hold you accountable for what He has called me to do. We know that God will not at all hold me accountable for what He has called you to do. But He will hold you accountable for what He called you to be and do.

The Great Commission was given to all--that's to be our mission instead of our omission. Can be fun and fulfilling to be involved with Jesus in this. I find it that way--with Him, He's the only way.

We could get buried in the past, distracted, and simply fail to grab hold of the future that God has for us. No believer is excused or excluded from God's world-wide evangelism purpose. Granted, there are some who are called to be evangelists. I mean this is their career, but all are indeed called to tactfully evangelize the lost. Check it out. In his letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul boldly spoke of this "glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to (his) trust.” 1 Timothy 1:11

With a new year upon us many people still fear what lies ahead. 

The whole world is going through what's called "birth pangs" now. You've seen some of this. The Bible teaches us about this. I wish I could tell you that things will indeed get much better here.. real fast.. but as the time for our Lord to return for His church comes closer.. as the time of the Tribulation comes, things will get worse for believers in some ways. But as children of the Most High God, yes, as followers of Christ, we simply have nothing to fear...ever. 

Many are asking how they can trust God when they are facing unemployment, foreclosure, tensions of different types in this world, pressures, maybe failing health, or perhaps bankruptcy? You name it, trials, but let me know and I will earnestly pray for you.

The Bible says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

These words remind us that God is faithful and will not test us beyond our ability to bear it all. It speaks of Him providing..even a way out of the tests, temptations or trials. 

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

Father God, as 2017 draws to a close.. as we look up and ahead at the possibilities ahead of us, please guide us and make us fruitful. We want fruit that abides. Please use us to glorify Jesus. Please help us to face the future with great JOY, peace, and love.. yes, in place of anxieties, religiosity, impurity and or trepidation. 

Whatever You have called me to do may appear to be far beyond my abilities to achieve and I may not see ..how it all could work out. Perhaps many feel this way too. But You, Lord, can pull it off through your church. And I know that You will assume full responsibility for all our needs as we look to, call out to and obey You. Wanna face forward, not backwards in this new year.

Lord, show me ..clearly show us how we can remain in the center of Your will in 2018. Sure, as we anticipate Your kind provision. Father God, help me to seek You earnestly, repeatedly. He me have a heart like Your and to seek Your guidance as I submit to Your direction. I don't ever want any sin to creep in.. or even long temptation. Help me say no so I can say yes to the one thing -- what you want. Lord, we humbly trust you for ongoing victory. Help us to focus in on You more.. and focus on Your character rather than on our circumstances. Sure, by recalling Your victories and blessings. Help us see what you have for us, what You are looking forward to. I pray you would give each of us believers a clear vision for 2018 and beyond this year. Help each of us to cultivate a godly, holy life with right inner motives and daily Bible edification. By meditating on Your Word we want to bless You.. while we wholeheartedly praise You for Your intimate involvement in every detail of our lives. 

As we stay in the center of Your will in 2018, give wisdom, discernment and sweet assurance. Do use us, each one this year. Thanks for hearing. In Jesus’ name I ask. Amen. 

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Are you in Christ and yet hurting..a lot or a little bit?


From the end of the earth will I cry to you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.  - Psalm 61:2

I just heard that my dear friend, Roy, lost his mother today and my heart goes out to him. My prayers go up for his family. 

May the Lord touch, minister to and tenderly comfort you and your whole family -- yes, you indeed are in our prayers tonight. 

May the Lord be glorified in the lives of those He loves -- His family when they're hurting a lot or a little. He SO loves the saints and understands us -- He SO loves you! Do you know Jesus Christ. You know that He is God and the Father's only provision for our sin.
 

Tonight, I pray that you are deeply touched, hugged and comforted. 

Thinking of Roy, a born again Christian I've been mussing on and looking at...

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: GRACE to you and PEACE from God our Father. Colossians 1:2
..to all who are BELOVED of God in Rome, called as SAINTS: GRACE to you and PEACE from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7 #Emph.mine #SeeWholeBibleContext
..may be able to comprehend with all the SAINTS what is the breadth and length and height and depth. Ephesians 3:18 (For some more comforting words click here)

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Rocking around, and what a joyful sound! Merry Christmas to you! So glad it's okay to say that too.

Heard some sequels of happiness from my granddaughter today as she opened em up. Aww, 


"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." ~ Isaiah 9:6 

When God decided to give us the Gift of eternal life, it wasn’t something that He just thought up arbitrarily -- of on the fly. Long before there was a town called Bethlehem, a garden called Eden, and a planet called Earth, a decision was made in eternity that God would send forth His Son .. who would be born of a virgin. Sure, he is fully God and sinless too.   
You are loved and you can do more than just hear about it.. you can firsthand know real love--Jesus! 
We love Christ most and cuz of Him we can celebrate this Holiday with JOY! 
Not many hours from now and it'll all be over but your living room will look like an F4 tornado rocked sound through n hit it. Ribbons and trash everywhere. Of course there'll be some returns, and sadly some new toys, drones and widgets will be broken... happens quick cuz hello!..they're made of plastic. Yeah, it'll be time to clean up and the bills'll start arriving like the next day. They come pretty quick now. : ) 
"Let's be jolly; ‘Deck the halls with boughs of holly!’ Rocking around the Christmas Tree. Have a happy holiday! Everyone's dancing merrily in a new old fashioned sorta way."
Good idea. Lets remember Jesus, and talk to Him from the heart. Lord, we praise You -- yes, we love You more Jesus. You're the best Gift there is! Be Lord of my life this year, be the chief executive decision maker with what I'll face. Amen.

Q. Do you really know Him? That's what He wants for His birthday. All of you

"So we fix our eyes NOT ON what is SEEN, but on what is UNSEEN, since WHAT IS SEEN is TEMPORARY, but what is UNSEEN (AIN'T) is eternal." Paul 2 Cor 4:18 #emph.mine 

Thursday, December 21, 2017

If you are away in a cold, lonely or strange Land today.. away from Home today, you can come Home and feel at Home too!

I pray that you have a really blessed Christmas this year! Blessed, that's how I feel today. 

Wow. Keep up the great work for our great King, dear soul-winning-peeps of His Kingdom.

We do have a lot to be grateful for huh. A bright and shining person came here -- a Light of hope entered our world to show us the way Home. I want to seek and follow Him. Merry Christmas! 

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land." Genesis 28:15

Do you remember when Jacob fled from his angry brother Esau, and how he found himself far way in a strange and lonely place. He fell asleep on the hard ground at night, and he met God in a dream. Then God promised Jacob a home. “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying,” He told him. “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Gen. 28:13–14).

It actually happened cuz God keeps His promises. And we can be apart of that too.. as we seek the Lord and seek to bless others not yet feelin' or seeing it yet. Be encouraged in Him. 

From Jacob, of course, came our promised Messiah Jesus (He is the ultimate Blessing and need-meet-er), the One who left His home to draw us to Himself. You recall what He promised His disciples.. what He promised us.. “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am,” (John 14:3). What a privileged to proceed homeward with Christ and bring others with us! If you are away from Him and Home today, you can come Home with us! Jesus Christ is the only way Home

All the way home.. “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left..” Those are the hymn lyrics from fifth-century Celtic Christian named Patrick. I can relate to how he felt.

But I also can so relate to this too (my old pastor drew this and he's not that much older than me LOL)...

Inline image 1

Monday, December 18, 2017

"Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 4:9-11

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ~ The Apostle Paul via Romans 8:31

It was Christmas time. Was all alone. 
Are you kinda feeling depressed or lonely inside? 
There is a well-established link between the holidays and depression. 
You and I can have hope cuz of Jesus and the promises of God. Not that a believer's life is always peachy keen as the Brits say. It’s not always been victorious or challenge-free for the believers I know. Nope, not even for me, but it’s a lot better. 
Had lots of struggles too (please never forget David's and even Paul's confessions of despair in the Bible).... but there is a living hope there for us, a real human who went to the cross due to His love for you.. and then came out of the grave for us.
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.“ ~ Paul via 2 Cor. 1:8
Listen, Christ can help anyone who feels lonely, confused, rejected and down. Call upon Him today.. humbly. 
Don’t need to strive (like religion demands), simply opt to abide.. in Him. Doin’ our best, we commit the rest.. by faith we enter His rest.  
We don't hurt ourselves, that's selfish and never glorifies God. Perhaps you’ll want to sign up with the YouVersion Bible app’s study about Depression to help you be better equipped.  
Help is always available for you.. for anyone dealing with substance abuse, economic worries, a breakup.. you know, relationship and family problems, sexual confusion and disorientation, illness, getting over all kinds of abuses, or depression, or mental and physical illness, and yes.. even for those with the pain of loneliness. Dear God, I turn to you for my friend who feels horrible -- please minister to their mind and human spirit even now. In Jesus’ Name.  
Chat is available. Phone Lifeline (24/7) -1-800-273-8255


Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

Pretty plain and simple – right to the point huh. No matter how you feel, no matter where you are, no matter your circumstances -- follow Christ. He loves you and has a good plan. To take up your cross is to put selfishness aside, and put God’s will above your own. Yeah, it is to die if ya will.. to selfish-ambitions, and to your own independent plans, and to your choices. You know the Lord's are better. To take up your cross so to speak.. is to love God more than anyone or anything else and seek to please Him. @Kurtwvs

“We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 kurtwvs.tumblr.com

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Do ya feel kinda lonely?

Lots of people feel that way during the holiday season. 

From a radio survey that was taken: 45 percent of Americans dread the holidays because of loneliness and painful memories.

Sorry about that. Hate that -- you really don't have to live lonely like that (click)! Been reading some Beatles Lyrics on this. 

“Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people

Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people..” 
Paul Mccartney with John Lennon

Loneliness, it’s a hollow emptiness, a feeling of isolation and disconnection. And we don’t even have to be by ourselves to experience it. We can feel lonely in a relationship, in a crowded room, even among friends.

Have you been feelin’ some of that? God had and has a solution for it. Christmas -- He sent His Son to save and help us.

“The virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” — Matthew 1:23

God with us! Most of us have experienced loneliness in some form or another. I remember the deep sense of alone-ness that swept over me when I was driving east to Dallas to start college.. and then my VW van broke down in the desert. 
Who hasn’t felt it? 
Several people with physical disabilities have said that their greatest pain is loneliness. It is also felt by elderly parents who have been neglected by their children, and by husbands or wives who have lost their mate to another mate or to death, and by people from say a minority group who have literally been excluded from social activities. I saw that happen in my own city recently with a sweet older lady from India.
If we want to be followers of our Savior, we Christians should be reaching out to the lonely and broken people all around us. So much heartache, and pain. But we can’t be with them all the time, nor can we fully know their longing. Our presence may help, but we are never enough. Only God can meet the needs of the lonely. And here is the good news. In Jesus He has revealed Himself as “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”
One day G. Campbell Morgan was checking on an elderly woman who lived all alone. Before leaving her, he read, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). That’s “a great promise,” he told her. And with a twinkle in her eye she retorted, “Dr. Morgan, that’s not a promise. It’s reality!” For her, Immanuel was the ultimate cure for loneliness.  
Jesus was a single man, and He understands the full breadth of human loneliness because he himself experienced it. But he stays with us when no one else will. His love penetrates deep into our hearts so that we never feel fully alone.
Because with him, we never are.
God’s presence is the best present at Christmas time, even at your most loneliest hour.
“Your God, the Lord himself, will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (GNTD)
“When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them.” Psalm 91:15(a) (GNTD)
“If the Lord had not helped me, I would have gone quickly to the land of silence. I said, ‘I am falling’; but your constant love, O Lord, held me up.” Psalm 94:17, 18 (GNTD)
“Do not be afraid. I will save you. I have called you by name—you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord, your God. … because you are precious to me and because I love you and give you honor, do not be afraid—I am with you!” Isaiah 43:1-5 (GNTD)
“I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (GNTD)
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18 (ESV)
“No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. ..But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength.” 2 Timothy 4:16,17 (GNTD)
When I get up in the morning I am entitled to nothing really, but I am going to say THANK YOU, Lord. Just waking up today and getting started with my day was by grace that I didn't deserve. 
I think we Christians can celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas all year long. And why, Kurt? Well, because the Bible says..
"Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from Him." Jam 1:17 #cuzHeIsTotallyGood/Perfect

If God ceases to be good, people could cease to give thanks right? He doesn't ever cease to be good, so there's really no reason to ever cease giving thanks to God.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" esv

We can give thanks for waking up every day. Every single breath we take into our lungs is a gift. So many free gifts! Did you know you take in approximately 20,000 breaths of oxygen per day. Yes, some 7 million breaths per year. You are loved and the Holy Spirit can use you to glorify the Father today!

Did you know that there are over 2,700 verses in the Bible regarding joy, gladness, happiness, rejoicing and feasting.

"Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106:1
"Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!" Romans 12:15-16 nlt