Here is a blog that I stumbled upon today that I thought might be useful for those who want to see what those opposed to Christianity see in Christians. It may be eye-opening for some…maybe not for others. I know for me that it helps me make sure that I have my focus on Christ and that I do not get caught up in the affairs of this temporal life. I encourage you with these verses:

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
- Eph 3:1-3

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks [4] to the Father, who has qualified you [5] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
- Col 1:9-14

For those who stumbled onto my blog who are opposed to God, Jesus, and/or Christians I would like to give my utmost apology for those who have made a wreck of the name of Jesus. You will never see a perfect person in this world; however, I hope that some would reflect the fruits that a true believer yields. The book of Matthew clearly tells us that not all of those who claim to be believers are true believers just as you might also see that not all of those who claim to win the lottery actually have won the lottery. There are many who have and will continue to claim the name of Jesus Christ, but will not be anything like what you might think. I would suggest that you do not base your opinions on men but on Christ. I know that you have many major issues with the Bible and with Christ. Please feel free to discuss these. (I might add that I have conditions for “discussions” – believers and athiests alike.) We do not have it all figured out. Any god that we could figure out would not be much of a God if you ask me. This does not sufficiently state my case because of lack of time, but I would like to leave you with this passage:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
- Is 55:6-13

Finding all hope in the cross of Christ,

Josh

I recently ordered a free China Prayer Band from the Voice of the Martyrs website. I have had many people comment on it or ask what it was for since then. To me, it has helped remind me a lot of prayer for the persecuted church in China. I would recommend you to get one too. With them in mind, I give you this song to meditate on:

In dark, filthy places, forsaken, forgotten
Our brothers and sisters are paying a price
They will not deny Him to purchase their freedom
For these are the faithful, the martyrs for Christ.

Twisted and broken, abandoned and beaten
Their bodies confined an unseen sacrifice
But deep in their spirits, they know perfect freedom
For they are the ones who’ve been set free by Christ

CHORUS

From under the altar the voices are crying,
“How long Lord, till you come judge the earth?”
But He’ll wrap and redeem them in robes of pure white
For the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
For the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

The deafening silence–their faithful refusal
To doubt or deny in the presence of men
They live by His promise beofre His own Father
That in His Kingdom, He’ll not deny them

CHORUS

“How long Lord?
How long till You come again to take us home?”

words and music by Michael Card and Phil Naish
copyright 1998
Mole End Music

I also would add that the pastor that was the inspiration for the prayer band was arrested. There is a lot that we can learn from men like this. Let’s continue to pray for them!

For His name,

Josh

I was checking out the news today and I ran across this article and this article. These articles give a list of the most obese states in our country. Go figure! The ones with the highest percentage were from the southeast USA, land of grease-pits, gravy, and sweet tea. I then noticed that South Carolina was in the top five obese states. Here is the graph:

Average Obesity Rate in the USA

Could this be true!?? I mean, we even have hot buff guys like Ben Gfeller, Jeff Greene, Russ Moore, and Lorenzo Williams. So, I went to look in the mirror.

I need to lose weight

Yep! I got a lot to work on before the wedding.

Until later I guess I will be running and working out more.

Josh