Merry Christmas?

So, It's Christmas night... all is well... I've eaten a lot of great food... opened mostly good presents, and shared fun and laughs with my family...

But what about these boys?

I don't think they woke up bright and early to see that santa had left them a pile of presents under a plastic, decorated tree... They didn't spend too much money on useless novelty gifts, or on the Wii game you just had to have, or the latest gadget that you got to keep up with the guys at work (even though you still haven't found a use for the last one you "just had to have").

Let's give to someone who you'll never meet... but desperately needs you...

http://www.worldvision.com.au/Smiles/GiftCatalogue/Default.aspx

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been reminded that jesus isn't simply a trademark, a nice word, a cool saying or a clique phrase. Have we turned the name that is above all names, the most powerful name, the name that saved us from the doom that we were headed for, into just another word, often used as a curse word or a tacky trademark used to make money?

I guess once you become Christianised it is easy to forget what we have been saved from, and what saved us.

I think that we have to really make sure we know who we are following... otherwise we might end up reading all the "right" books, going to the "right" church meetings, listening to the "right" music, wearing the "right" clothes, say all the "right" things... but at the same time totally miss Jesus...

Giving to God?

I found this image at http://nakedpastor.com/

It's so true we give something to God, but with so many conditions and expectations. For example, I "gave" God a year by doing the internship at church... but so often I find myself telling God what I should be doing. Sometimes, when I give something to God (tithes, time etc.) I think I am so good. I think that God must be like "WOW!" but really what can I give God that isn't already His?

a sometimes key

CAPSLOCK is like yelling at someone... don't do it, unless you mean it!

I'd take a bullet for you
Bleed all my blood out for you
Be taken hostage, under the knife's edge
Pay all the ransom for you
Do the hard time for you
On the front lines for you
Bring on the pain, the ball and chain
Be executed for you

Pre Chorus:
I'll cover for you, take a hit
I'm your alibi
I got your back
I'm living every day just to die

Chorus:
Every day I die for you
Throw me in the fire, I'd walk right through
I made a promise, it's an I-O-U
I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U
I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U
I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U
I'd die for you, die, D-I-E for you
I'd D-I-E, I'd die for you

Verse 2:
Give me your paranoia I'll walk the plank for you
Sous la guillotine, jusqu' à la fin
Willing to suffer for you
Interrogate me for you Accept my fate for you
Put me in a noose, turn the dogs loose
Take all the hatred for you

-D-I-E 4 Y-O-U - Family Force 5

WOW! What Jesus has done for us... I can not fathom...

Just Talk To Me

Just Talk To Me

Bill Colclough

Don’t be afraid if you don’t understand

Don’t fear you won’t do it right

Don’t worry about performing

Just talk to me

Don’t need no words you can’t define

Don’t need a special voice you keep reserved just for me

Don’t even have to close your eyes

Just talk to me

Don’t need to wait until you’re hopeless

Don’t need a particular reason to call

Don’t need to fake your holiness

Just talk to me

Don’t worry that you don’t love me enough

Don’t need to do anything special

Don’t pretend you’re someone or something that you’re not

Just talk to me

Don’t need some formal speech about all the social and theological issues of the day

Don’t be afraid I won’t listen

Don’t use lots of fancy phrases you heard some preacher say

Just talk to me

Don’t try to be impressive

Don’t think about your image

Don’t need to be self-conscious

Just talk to me

Don’t think it has make sense

Don’t feel the need to use complete sentences

Don’t feel the need to use words at all

Just talk to me

Don’t pretend to be happy if you are not

Don’t be overwhelmed if you feel hopeless

Don’t worry if I’ll do what you ask

Just talk to me

Don’t feel you have to take all day or all night

Don’t feel the need to be serious or sombre or stressed

Don’t even think about wearing your fancy clothes

Just talk to me

Don’t worry if you’re pleasing me

Don’t think you have to have all the answers

Don’t try to feel anything different at all

Just talk to me

Don’t worry about feeling terribly confident

Don’t try to change the world

Don’t think yourself too bad or too good to do this

Just talk to me

Don’t spend your emotional energy getting all worked up over this

Don’t think of me as a perfectionist

Don’t believe everything you hear down there

Just talk to me

Don’t keep a list or record of when we chat

Don’t need to make an appointment

Don’t stop to talk to the receptionist

Just talk to me

Don’t try to be your preacher

Don’t try to be your mother

Don’t pretend you’ve got it all together

Just talk to me

Don’t need no special glasses

Don’t need a microphone

Don’t worry if it isn’t good

Just talk to me

Don’t lie to me

Don’t question if I understand

Don’t think it doesn’t matter

Just talk to me

Don’t bother about the rules

Don’t bother about whether there are any

Don’t pursue anything by which to measure yourself

Just talk to me

Don’t confuse me with your father

Don’t put that kind of pressure on him or yourself

Don’t try get away from the point of who I am

Just talk to me

Don’t try to impress me

Don’t try to hide anything

Don’t concern yourself about whether you’re wasting my time with trivialities

Just talk to me

Don’t ask if I know about the latest hospital report

Don’t think I don’t know all the latest gossip

Don’t wonder if I know the best possible outcome

Just talk to me

Don’t think anything is too insignificant to bring up

Don’t worry if you cry

Don’t worry if you don’t

Just talk to me

Don’t be afraid

Don’t be unnatural

Don’t be anything you don’t want to be

Just talk to me

Don’t hesitate to shout if you feel like it

Don’t hesitate to rant

Don’t pretend

Just talk to me

Don’t forget to laugh with me

Don’t forget that I’m the one who started all this

Don’t forget I already know what you’re going to say

Just talk to me

Don’t worry about what I might say or think about you

Don’t be concerned if you lose your train of thought

Don’t be surprised if I talk back

Just talk to me

Don’t forget to listen

Don’t forget I care more than you can possibly imagine

Don’t worry about the silence

Just talk to me

Just talk to me

Just talk to me

Too often I get all caught up in the legalistics (is that a word?) of Christianity that I seem to forget the most important part... God loves me... I know it sounds really cliche but its true...

Luke 15

11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

Jesus showed us a great example of this in the parable of the prodigal son. The son was scared that because he ran away and wasted all his money (which was actually his father's) that the father would turn him away. So the son wrote a speech, in the speech he tells his father that he is unworthy to be his son. this i a speech that i am sure he would have rehearsed a hundred times on the long walk home from his partying and sinful days. When his father sees him "a long way off" his father RUNS to him.... now for his father to see him "a long way off" his father must have been looking for him... also his father RUNS to him...

Another interesting part of the story is that the father hugs and kisses him. Then the son finallly has a chance to say his speech, "'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But his father wasn't listening... he was too busy planning a party for the son.

we don't need to come up with some long, Biblical, intellegent speech in order for us to talk to God... He is too busy running towards us.

Hillsong 08

what i learnt this week... summarized a lot


"to be extraordinary, you gotta do something extra!" Robert

"Grace is God going to man, not the other way round" - Judah Smith

"So many people treat grace like an alkward hug - grace is hugging you, so hug back!" - Judah Smith

"global warming is creation moaning for God" - Tim Costello

"We need to be transparent enough so people can see Jesus through us" - Joel Houston

"We can't do everything, but we can do something well" - Paul De Jong

"Love God.Love Others" - Mike Pilavachi

"Worship is the language of Love - the expression of love" - Mike Pilavachi

"When you love someone you don't just tell him you love him, you tell EVERYONE you love Him" - Mike Pilavachi

"Evangelism is an overflow of worship" - Mike Pilavachi

"Worship that doesn't come out as evangelism is self indulgent, evangelism that doesn't come
out of worship is legalism" - Mike Pilavachi

"our actions are an outworking of our hearts" - Darlene Zschech

"Sin isn't like a vending machine, I've never seen a vending machine follow me around" - Judah Smith

"I'm only one but still i am one, i can not do everything but i can do something but because i can't do everything , i wont refuse to do the something i can do" - Helen Keller

"We can't bind the devil if we are going to act like him" Joyce Myer

"Just keep doing what God has put in your heart to do - even if it doesn't work out, keep doing it" - Mike Gugglimucci

When God shows up...

http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/page/5/

Grace

Grace - it's not just a quick prayer you gotta say before you can eat...

It's God running at you with His arms wide open... even though there is nothing you can do to deserve Him....

Luke 15

20So he got up and went to his father. "But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
22"But the
father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put
a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill
it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

So why do we dodge God? Why do we continually turn away?

After having a true revelation that grace is God running towards you, you can no longer see grace as the green light to sin and be forgiven... it's so much more than that....

Song....

Somebody's Baby

She yells
If you're homeless sure
As hell you'd be drunk
Or high or trying to get there
Or begging for junk

When people don't want you
They just throw you money for beer
Her name was November
She went by Autumn or Fall
It was seven long years
Since the Autumn
When all of her nightmares
Grew fingers
And all of her dreams
Grew a tear

Chorus:
She's somebody's baby
Somebody's baby girl
She's somebody's baby
Somebody's baby girl
She's somebody's baby still

She screams
Well if you've never gone it alone
Well then go ahead
You better throw the first stone
You got one lonely stoner
Waiting to bring to her knees
She dreams about heaven
Remembering Hell
As the nightmare she visits
And knows all to well
Every now and again
When she's sober
She brushes her teeth

(Chorus)
Today was her birthday
Strangely enough
When the cops found her body
At the foot of the bluff
The anonymous caller this morning
Tipped off the police
They got her ID
From the dental remains
The same fillings intact
The same nicotine stains
The birth and the death
Were both over
With no one to grieve

(Chorus)

quotes

At this moment there are 6,470,818,671 people in the world. Some are running scared. Some are coming home. Some tell lies to make it through the day. Others are just now facing the truth. Some are evil men, at war with good. And some are good, struggling with evil. Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes -- all you need is one.
-One Tree Hill...

'To be nobody-but-yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.'"
- E.E. Cummings

Do you ever wonder if we make the moments in our lives or if the moments in our lives make us?"
-One Tree Hill

Opportunities

when a door opens
does that mean we should
walk through?

wondered why?

Have you ever wondered why??

Why do we do the things we do?
Why is the sky blue?
why do we talk to the ppl we talk to?
Why get up in the morning?
why work?
why read the Bible?
why go to church?
why laugh?
why study?
why feel?
why cry?
why pray?
why aren't we more tolerant of ppl?
why love?
Why smile?
Why talk about ppl behind their back?
Why lie?
Why steal?
Why hate?
Why cheat?
Why get hurt?
Why do we find it so easy to talk about nothing yet so hard to share the gospel?
Why is there so much hate in the world?
Why is bad news more popular than good?


why... Why ... WHY??


What if??
What if we stopped?
What if we questioned ourselves?
What if we no longer did things we have always done, just because we have always done them?
What if we stopped and thought about others for a moment?
What if we put others first for a change?
What if we realised that the world doesn't revolve around us?
What if we didnt do the things we do?
would anyone notice?
Would anyone care?


How much of what we do actually counts?
How much of what we do actually helps someone else?
How much of what we do is truthfully unselfish?
Is anything we do totally unselfish?

would it even matter?

What does God think of us?
What would Jesus do?
Do we ever really ask these questions and wait long enough to hear the answer... even tho its not usually what we want to hear?

Secrets

To keep or not to keep
That is the question?

Unashamed...

I have not much
To offer You
Not near what You deserve
But still I come
Because Your cross
Has placed in me my worth

And I know I'm weak
I know I'm unworthy
To call upon Your name
But because of grace
Because of Your mercy
I stand here unashamed

Here I am at Your feet
In my brokeness complete

-Unashamed - Starfield

Time wasting

I really wish I wasn't
so good at procrastinating...

But then I guess most of what we do is really just
a waste of time...

Great Things

"Greater things have yet to come
Great things are still to be done
In this city"