Give and Recieve?

If you would like to help support this cause in Uganda and also have a chance to win a cool scooter you can contact me for details and payment options. You can help support this great cause and get something in return. Even if you don't want the scooter you could sell it or give as a gift. This was given as a donation and we want to make the sacrifice worth it. It is a used Genuine Buddy Scooter 125cc. Pink in color, great condition, approx 2,680 miles and is an '06. Winner will be announced on Feb 10, 2011, just in time for a great gift for your sweetheart :). Arrangements will be made for pick-up or delivery. Thanks to all who help out and support this cause, may God bless your gifts. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Give back.... all year

As God challenges me to give more, to invest in eternal rewards, I am praying He is giving you whispers and promptings to do the same. I gave a challenge on FB for people to give up their preferred coffee vendor for a week and to donate that money to a greater cause. The response was....nothing, surprised? No.

So I am posting it on here also. Some people spend $3-4 a day on a fancy coffee drink. For a 5 day work week that can be $15-20, or $780 a year. I am just asking for you to give that $5 or $15 to something that will have a lasting impact.

I would even suggest if you will give up that drink to go a step further and start purchasing your own coffee from a fair trade and local income supporting supplier like this Gobena. We all can make little changes to make a big impact, but you have to start.

Would you like to give a special Christmas gift this year to your friends and family? Why not give a gift that will help save lives? In His Hands Orphans Outreach is raising money to build and furnish five orphan homes in Gulu, Uganda that will house 50 children. You can find their website here InHisHands. I will be matching donations given dollar for dollar up to $200.

Spread the word, send to your friends and family and lets do something for the least of these. We can make a difference! Thank you and may God bless your sacrifice.

R.B.

After waiting, a love story in the making.

It has been sometime since I have written, I have been traveling a lot lately because God led this amazing women (Amy) into my life. The funny thing is, she was reading my blog 3 months before we made contact. I really didn't think I was going to meet someone this year. Someone from my prayer group told me that at the harvest time this year, God was going to give me more, and part of my destiny would start to be fulfilled. I prayed with faith that this was going to come true...

So after hearing about me from a friend Amy found my blog and started reading. She liked what she was reading and found herself crying about some things she read. She never made any comments despite her friends persuasion. She felt God saying, Your not the pursuer. So she waited..

She found herself praying for someone she didn't even know, not knowing that God was weaving our paths closer and closer together...

My friend told me about her and said she might be interested in me and I should make contact with her. I said I would pray about it but didn't want to be set up again. I did pray and wasn't sure for a couple weeks. After about 3 weeks I decided to take a risk and contact her. After our initial contact by computer I acquired her phone number and made a call...

So our first phone conversation was on Aug 15, 2010 and lasted about 8 hrs! I guess we didn't have much to talk about, ha! We kept in contact and decided to have a face to face, not a date yet, but wanted to see what would happen in person. We met at a Panera in the early afternoon, I ordered her a iced green tea and had it waiting for her upon her arrival. I was a little nervous waiting there in anticipation of what this afternoon may have in store for us...

I see her pull up and am trying to decide what I should do.... Umm do I stand here, meet her half way? act cool, don't let her think your desperate. Well.. I see her coming and she is caring something so I go to help her and... she is beautiful! the pictures on the computer didn't do her justice. I am excited.... I wonder what she thinks?? We greet, we sit, we talk... for around 11 hrs ! what! Yes that is not a mistake typo, we shut Panera down and watched the workers come in to make the bread! Leaving around 2:30 am, haha.

We shared so much, we laughed, I read to her, we looked at pictures. We have so much in common and share the same interests. We both love God and want to search out His will for our lives. We have had many confirmations that God is in this. I do believe this is who God has chosen for my future spouse. I can't believe this is happening, and never saw it coming. We never know what God may be up to. He has been forming us and remolding us for each other and at Just the Right time, He shows us some of what He has been up to...

So on Sept 3, 2010 we started our courtship. We have made a commitment not to kiss till marriage and to keep ourselves pure physically and try our best mentally. We want to do this His way and for Him to get the Glory! We want people to praise Him when we speak of what He is doing.

Now we wait for more of His plan. He has put more contacts for orphans and adoption in our path and recently a specific little girl in China named Melanie who is in an orphanage. She is 14 months old and doesn't have full arms or legs, would you pray for her? God showed this girl to my Amy weeks before and I didn't know about it. She had forgot to tell me about her and I came across her by looking through the children at this orphanage on-line. She caught my eye out of many many children and all with special needs. I send Amy a link showing her Melanie and she doesn't yet realize this is the same girl that was brought to her attention weeks before.... till she finds a paper with some things she wanted to tell me. I also found out about a guy named Nick Vujicic who doesn't have arms or legs and has a ministry you can found out about HERE.

I don't know yet what this all means for Amy and I or Melanie, but God does. I will just keep on being obedient to what He does show me. I will keep praying for His will to be clear and for me to keep walking the narrow road.

To Him be the Glory, Honor, and Praise forever! Be encouraged friends and keep seeking Him!

Roger

Who is your Hero?

Have you ever noticed how everyone is looking for a hero, someone to look up to? I think it is a natural desire, a created longing by God, to want to associate ourselves with someone or something greater than ourselves, ( He desires that it be Himself ) in return it makes us feel significant. I thought this song by Bonnie Tyler shows the longing of the human heart.

Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream
of what I need

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I would swear that there's someone somewhere
Watching me

Through the wind end the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach
Like the fire in my blood.

If you follow my blog you may wonder how this ties into the things of God. Well it seems pretty clear to me that this song is crying out for God. You have probably heard this song, but maybe never knew exactly what the lyrics said. Look over them again, she is speaking of Jesus!

Have you ever noticed how people talk about "their" sports team, or "their" favorite player, entertainer, actor/actress? As if these celebrities are aware of our existence. Again, I believe people want to associate themselves with these people or teams to feel like they are apart of, to feel better about, or have significance in their life. Please hear me, these things will never satisfy. These people don't know you, they don't care about your family, they don't want to know about your problems. Are you looking to add worth to your life by making an idol out of a celebrity?

Give your affections, time, and attention to the one who created you. God desires a relationship with His creation. He wants to fellowship with you, He does care about your hurts, your trials, your struggling marriage. Nothing else can satisfy like a close relationship with your Heavenly Father. Jesus, God in the flesh is above all as this scripture clearly states...

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(Colossians 1:15-17 ESV)

Do you want a hero? You need not look any further than the maker of all, your hero is Christ Jesus.

I am the LORD; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
(Isaiah 42:8 ESV)

You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. [2] You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
(Leviticus 26:1-2 ESV)

Don't worship the created rather than the creator, may God reveal Himself to you this day as you read this. Ask Him to be your All, ask forgiveness for putting your hope, or significance in anything other than Him. He will supply all you need, He loves you so much, God put on flesh and came down to become the only sacrifice that could satisfy the wrath of the Father for the sins of the world. He has reconciled Himself to you by the, Once for All sacrifice, you need to turn from your old ways, ask forgiveness, put Him head over all, seek to follow His ways and not your own. Put your full faith and trust in Him and choose to follow Him forever!

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9 ESV)

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— [22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
(Romans 3:21-25 ESV)

Amen,

R.B.

Are you sleeping?

I'm calling on Christian men to rise up and be heard, stand up for what God says is right. It's time to get out of the lazy boy recliners and get on your face before God in prayer, time to get into His Word and study what He has given us to lead, live, and serve. As men, we need to be leading our families, our businesses, our towns, this country, under the leadership of God. As we put ourselves under the guidance and authority of God and seek His will, then we will be able to lead others. We need to be looking at His ways and not the ways of men.

I believe satan, the enemy, (yes he is a real being not just a fairy tale story as he wants you to believe). That he has pulled this veil over us and with that comes a complacent mentality, a defeated outlook and has made men into push overs that would rather play video games, watch TV, drink, or whatever else to distract us from doing what is important to God's heart. The enemy is putting us to sleep with all our comforts and entertainment and dragging us down with lies about sins we can't seem to shake. This is bondage and this IS NOT what God wants for His redeemed children, Amen?!

The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,

We need to break free from the bondage and the slavery of sin, when (or if) you accepted Christ as Lord over your life and as Savior you were made free by Him, through His sacrifice for YOU, not by anything you did, you didn't have anything to bring or offer to God accept your will.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
(Galatians 5:1 ESV)

Again, the lie of the enemy is. So you are free, now you can do whatever you want, you are forgiven.... sorry, lie. The attractions of this world are a yoke of slavery and most put themselves under this yoke because it is "freedom". Well, the Word speaks of this type of thinking also. Don't you just love God's Word?

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
(Romans 6:1-4 ESV)

Did you catch that phrase at the end, Newness of life, that is good news brothers! We don't want to return to what we did before we accepted Christ, we are to go on and grow from faith to faith.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
(Galatians 5:16-17 ESV)

We are called to be holy, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, [15] but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, [16] since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16 ESV)

Holy.., now that's not a word you hear very often. That's what God calls us to though. I believe we struggle in sin because most of the time we don't want to deny self. How serious are we about overcoming that sin that clings so closely? Did you know about the Gospel of Gary? What about the Gospel of Susy? or Jack, Steve, Mike, Lisa and so on. Do you get it? Most unbelievers won't read about Jesus in the Bible, they won't read the Gospel accounts in the NT, but they do See the Gospel according to us. Faith without works is dead according to James 2:17-18. We are what they see, the example by which they judge if this Christianity is for real, is there any power in it, any healing, any grace? and so on. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, His body, the church.

We are losing this young generation to video games and other stimulating entertainment because they don't see anything they want in Christianity.
Meanwhile.............. millions are starving to death, dying of preventable diseases, are without shelter and basic care. We turn our eyes, we hold onto our finances, we don't shed any tears, we don't fast or pray for them.

Do YOU even care???????

All this to say, God has a purpose for YOUR life and it is not to make yourself more comfortable, relaxed, plan your retirement, and see how good your life can be here. Brothers and Sisters, this is not our home, don't act like this is all there is.

I could give you lots of verses in the Bible that tell us to care for the poor and needy, to look after orphans and widows, but the verses won't change you if you don't want to be changed.....

I beg you, I challenge you, to ask God to give you His heart, His compassion, His eyes. Do this in sincere, tearful, honest, gut wrenching prayer and see what He will do. Please awaken from the stupor of this age and the lies of the enemy. Please, get a vision for something, God is multifaceted, there are many ways you can be used, many ways to be a voice, to be an example.

Get up... do something.

WATCH THIS!!!!!


In Him, R.B.

God is good

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
[23] they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
[24] “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

[25] The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
[26] It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
(Lamentations 3:22-26 ESV)

That's all, He is GOOD to those who WAIT for HIM, to the soul who SEEKS HIM.

Haha, ooohhh He is good, thank you Lord!

Wait for Him, R.B.

Blessed in the waiting

Remember, the journey, not the destination, is the key to relationship, with cultivating intimacy with your Savior. Eye hath not seen beside Thee, O God, what He hath prepared for them that wait for Him.

Here are a few more excerpts from "waiting on God" that blessed me. I pray it does the same for you.

p.81 Yes, blessed even now in the waiting. The promised blessings, for ourselves, or for others, may tarry; the unutterable blessedness of knowing and having Him who hath promised, the Divine Blesser, the Living Fountain of the coming blessings, is even now ours. DO LET this truth get full possession of your souls, that waiting on God is itself the highest privilege of the creature, the highest blessedness of His redeemed child.

p. 84 "Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence." We must desire and believe, we must ask and expect, that God will do unlooked-for things. We must set our Faith on a God of whom men do not know what He hath prepared for them that wait for Him. The wonder-doing God, who can surpass all our expectations, must be the God of our confidence. Yes, let God's people enlarge their hearts to wait on a God able to do exceeding abundantly above what we can ask or think, ( Eph 3:20) (emphasis added)

This verse is speaking to me lately in what I am experiencing and God is showing me how Wonderful His is. I wonder if this verse is speaking to anyone else out there??

More to come.....

R.B.