Not a Blemish

If you were asked to pluck every flawed leaf from a tree, you would find that it would be easier to burn the tree than to sort through the leaves, for no leaf is perfect, every one holds its blemish.  Not one is perfect in human eyes.  But, if you only look through the eyes of the Creator, you may find that not a single leaf would fall to the grass, for He created them ALL.  AND EVERY ONE IS PERFECT. ~ Rachel

We all like to look at ourselves and point out all of our flaws and shortcomings.  Some of us even do these things to others.  We can easily tear ourselves and one another to shreds, or we can look to our Creator.  He created each of us exactly how he planed.  He loves you because of what he made you for and because you are so beautiful to Him. Yes, yes, we can be evil beings as well...it is true.  He did not put that evil in us, we did.  We had free will and in the beginning we chose death.  Try reading Genesis Chapter 3.  But when it comes to YOU, He created YOU and he loves you and because of His Son's death on the cross, you are made new and you are perfect.

~Rachel

"Will you take the nails?"

     Often I lay on my side in bed facing my wall.  Not at all odd huh?  No.  Most of the time I stare at the cream colored paint until I drift of into slumber.  Well, last night I placed my hand on the wall.  I couldn't see it real well as all the lights were out.  I have done this before, ya know, wondering if your hand print were anywhere, would you be remembered for the things you accomplished with your hands...well, I did this once again.  It drove me to tears just looking at the outline of my hand, I asked myself, Have my hands changed the world? Will they change the world?  Will they try to change the world? Have they saved someone's life?  Have they praised God with every part of their being? Have they served honestly, joyfully, and peacefully? Have they been strong and courageous, finding the root of evil?  Have they lifted the fallen back to their feet? Have they cared for the elderly and the sick? Have they held the sword of truth in trembling awe?  Have they been raised in worship to their Creator?  Have they written the Words of Life for all to see?  Have they expressed deep love and passion?  And most of all, have they been willing to take the nails, and die as Christ died?

     This struck me like a ton of bricks.  I don't know if it has or will affect you as it has me.  God is showing me that the work of ones hands (and ones heart) can change the world.

     Will you die to yourself?  Will your hands take the nails? 

     Matthew16:24-26

     Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will loose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?


     "WILL YOU TAKE THE NAILS?" :

     Draw your hand print on your wall, in your journal...somewhere that you will see it in the years to come and write what I wrote above in the green letters, next to it.  Write the date.  
Be remembered for having done something great in the name of the Lord.
God bless! 

~Rachel

Deception

          So I went to Life Church tonight and they are doing a sermon series called 'Deception'.  It is about how the Enemy (The Devil) tries to deceive us.  You are thinking well, duh!  Anyways, it was a great sermon.
          The devil is able to disguise his true motives and twist good into evil and evil into good, at least he makes it all look that way. 
          The beginning of deception started in the Garden of Eden.  Gen 3:1-7 is the story of the Fall.  The serpent says to Eve, "Did God really say that?"  And Eve questions it.  Then her convictions change because she is being deceived.  She thinks of how the fruit would be good for food and how beautiful it is and what wisdom that it might offer.... (As the snake had told her).  As Eve bit into the fruit, the Devil was triumphant.  his very first victory.  We don't want HIM to be the victor do we?
Our Enemy has been deceiving from the BEGINNING!  Don't let him fool you, he is still around.  He still wants to snag your heart.
          Lust is a deception.  We look at what we DO NOT HAVE in stead of WHAT WE DO HAVE.  And the devil and our own sinful nature tells us that we need that thing.
          The Devil will do anything, play upon your every weakness.  Don't let him prevail, take hold of God, do what He commands and know that the Devil is a deceiver and that he will not hesitate to make you stumble.

~Rachel

"Give My Life To You/Our King Has Come" - ELEVATION WORSHIP

"All Things New" - ELEVATION WORSHIP

Awesome Inteview!

Professor: You are a Christian, aren’t you, son?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Professor: Is GOD good?

Student: Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful?

Student: Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student: Yes.

Professor: Is Satan good?

Student: No.

Professor: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student: Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student: Yes.

Professor: So who created evil?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student: Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student: No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student: No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student: Yes.

Professor: According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student: No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir … Exactly! The link between man and GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

Ugly? Never!

When you look at yourself in the mirror and see someone you hate or don't want to be, you are telling God that you don't like His creation.  He made you EXACTLY how He planed and wanted you to be!  Just think, your nose (I'm not fond of mine, trust me...), your hair, your form, all of that is everything that God wanted.  He wanted you to look like you do.  He wanted you to have that red hair and freckles or that roman nose that you hate so much!  He loves you the way He made you and He wouldn't have you any other way.  Remember to smile when you look at yourself and think, I am a wonderful creation, I am beautiful (Or handsome) because I am a child of God and He made me in his image.  Don't despair anymore when you see your face!  Your are gorgeous!  You are a lovely creation!  And you are Loved by God Almighty.

Love,

~Rachel

Call of missions?...Anyone?

Anyone feel like God is calling you to missions?  Please comment and share :)  I love to hear the stories of God showing his wants and desires for our lives :)