Blessing God ~ Patience

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

I love the newness of a sunflower. They struggle so hard to grow strong and tall. They patiently wait to bloom until they are strong enough to hold the weight of their glory. They never give up. Are you patient enough to wait for Heaven? It is coming soon so grow strong.
“Patience”

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

– Galatians 6:9

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish
Joy in the Thorns
Perfection
Fruit
Everything
Integrity
Hiding Place
Wonderfully Made
Busy Bee
Dread
The Sad Crown

Quote of the Day ~ on Problems

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

Don’t tell God how big your problems are…
Tell your problems how big your God is.

– Anonymous

Thursday Theology ~ Dr. Mike Fabarez on Discernment

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

With the dumbing down of Christianity and the rise of bumper-sticker theology, perhaps now more than ever Christians need wisdom, insight, and discernment. Thankfully there is much of it to be found in Luke 5 and 6. Sandwiched between the calling of the first disciples (Luke 5:1-11) and their commissioning as apostles (Luke 6:12-16), we encounter several concise episodes in the life of Christ that clearly provide the kind of godly discernment every Christian needs. Don’t miss this important eight-part series as Pastor Mike walks us through this instructive section of the Gospel of Luke. – Compass Bible Church

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Title	Passage	Date
Curiosity & Real Conversions (Part 1)	Luke 5:1-11	June 23, 2013
Wants & Genuine Needs (Part 2)	Luke 5:12-16	June 30, 2013
Urgency & True Importance (Part 3)	Luke 5:17-26	July 14, 2013
Reputations & Vital Responsibilities (Part 4)	Luke 5:27-32	July 21, 2013
Sorrow & Profound Celebrations (Part 5)	Luke 5:33-35	July 28, 2013

Jesus Speaks/Jesus Will Speak (jesusspeaks.us)

Blessing God ~ The Sad Crown

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

We all would love to walk around our homes with a tiara or a crown on. Come on. Admit it. My kid always says “You’re not the boss of me!” and I have to laugh a little at the absurdity of that. I am the boss of him, but ultimately God is the Boss of him… AND the Boss of me! I have to wake up every morning to beg God to dethrone me. If left up to my own way, I would gladly have the world revolve around me. We all would. All we know is what we know, nothing more, nothing less. Imagine when Jesus comes home to take his rightful place, there will be no more democracy. No more opinion about what you think should be and not be. No more debates about what side you are going to vote for. Do you know what a true monarchy is? Realistically and honestly you have to admit that you don’t. It is totally foreign to you. Well, guess what? God is in charge even now so stop trying to pretend you have any say in it. Have you read Job lately? It will rock you to the core. What sad little crowns we think we wear. Job is my hero!

“The Sad Crown”

“He has stripped from me my glory and taken the crown from my head.”

– Job 9:19

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Quote of the Day ~ on Hardship

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

When you are going through something hard and wonder where God is…
Remember, the Teacher is always quite during a test.

– Anonymous

Wednesday Worship ~ I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

“I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me

Listen to it HERE.

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

℗ 2001 MercyMe

Quote of the Day ~ Lee Strobel on Becoming a Christian

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

In short, I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take. -Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus

Blessing God ~ Dread

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

My 5 year old son is obsessed with Batman and Spider-man. For me, as I’m sure is the case for you, spiders = dread! I cannot tell you how many spiders I have capture and released. However the more menacing they are, the more a mind I have to smash them dead. How odd that they are so small yet we big, scary humans are so fearful of them. Spiders are very symbolic in the occult as are many other dreadful beings such as snakes, scorpions, wolves, bats and various other dread-inducing animals. In the movie Batman, Bruce Wayne is asked by Alfred, “Why bats, sir?” his response, “Bats frighten me. It is time my enemies share in my dread.” Fear is a source of power. I wonder why we look to other symbols for power when our one true God is all we need. What is most dreadful in reading the below verses is the very last ones. How dreadful to be given up on by God! Ouch!

“Dread”

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

– Romans 1:18-25

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Tuesday Teaching & Training ~ Jon Brown on Inconvenience

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

By Jon Brown

Don’t we all just hate being inconvenienced? Someone needs a ride unexpectedly and you don’t feel like taking them… A friend asks for a few bucks, but you’ve only got a few left… You get that phone call that he or she just broke down on the freeway, but you’re late for work… We’ve all had those moments where inconvenience is what we dread the most.

But what happens when we expect the unexpected… when we accept that inconvenience is not only going to happen, but we embrace it?

We grow… We grow as friends… We grow in our love for others… We show people God… And the best thing… We find that inconvenience is nothing short of an incredible blessing shrouded by our own selfishness.

Friends, be willing to be inconvenienced. You will find that God uses you far more than you ever imagined. And just think, you will be His hands and His feet in those most inconvenient yet precious moments…

Thanks Jon, for these great thoughts!

Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)

~ Jen

Blessing God ~ Busy Bee

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Jen O'Sullivan

Sometimes I go about my day busy at all the tasks at hand, wondering how I will ever get through them all. If you take a look at the bee in the below photo he is busy at his task. It seems as though he is looking down and never gets a chance to look up from his work. Sound familiar? Martha had the same issue and Jesus was actually in her house! Wow! Talk about life perspective. I want to be Mary and choose the good portion, and look to Jesus. Pastor Todd Smith of Crossroads Community Church preached a great sermon where he asked everyone to have a garage sale on all their life’s stuff and get back to simplicity. He detailed how hard it is to make things simple and how easy it is to complicate things. I encourage you to listen to his sermon called “Follow Me: The Commission” if you get a chance.

“The Busy Bee”

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” ”
– Luke 10:38-42

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish
Joy in the Thorns
Perfection
Fruit
Everything
Integrity
Hiding Place
Wonderfully Made