Bebo Norman - Nothing without You W/Lyrics

48 Hours Mystery: The Lost Night, The Ryan Ferguson Story - 48 Hours - CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360864n&tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesArea.0

This man's a personal friend of mine. I did time with him. I even have a photo of the two of us together on the inside, sitting on the bookshelf in my living room. His parents are friends of mine as well. Please. Click this link. Watch this show. I'm convinced that's he's innocent. PLEASE!!!!! Voice your support for him!!!!!

A Tribute to Rich Mullins

"I believe in God the Father 

Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth 

And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord 

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit 

Born of the virgin Mary 

Suffered under Pontius Pilate 

He was crucified and dead and buried 

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am 

I did not make it no it is making me 

It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man 

I believe that He who suffered was crucified buried and dead 

He descended into hell and on the third day rose again 

He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand 

I believe that He's returning 

To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men 

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am 

I did not make it no it is making me 

It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man 

I believe it I believe it 

I believe it 

I believe it I believe it 

I believe in God the Father 

Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth 

And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord 

I believe in the Holy Spirit 

One Holy Church 

The communion of Saints 

The forgiveness of sin 

I believe in the resurrection 

I believe in a life that never ends 

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am 

I did not make it no it is making me 

I did not make it no it is making me 

I said I did not make it no it is making me 

It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man 

I believe it I believe 

I believe it I believe

I believe it I believe it 

I believe it I believe it 

I believe it I believe it 

I believe it" Rich Mullins Creed

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Richard Wayne Mullins

October 21, 1955 - September 19, 1997

"There was always something tragic about Rich Mullins. Maybe it was the ever present hint of sadness in his eyes, which spoke of his personal battle with depression; a battle he only recently had found courage to admit publicly. Maybe it was the bold, brash things he said to unsettle our concrete theologies and theories about God. Maybe it was the vulnerability with which he openly championed celibacy and monasticism.

After all, "normal" American Christians don't try to mold themselves into monks. Rich's referral to this experiment as "The Kid Brothers of Saint Frank" didn't quite take the edge off the sword with humor, as much as he might have thought. The truth is, he made a lot of us uncomfortable in our downy faith nests.

He left you no middle ground. You either loved him passionately or disliked him heartily because he "rubbed you the wrong way." Flying in the face of expected Christian norms of dress and lifestyle, he undeniably challenged all he encountered." ... by Martia Wilson


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Empty and Beautiful - Matt Maher

Prayer Request

My girlfriend's grandfather is going in for surgery today (California time) to have a pancreatic cancer spot removed and others biopsied. He's in his 70's. She's under a lot of stress. Her family's worried. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and are willing to intercede [pray] with us, please pray for his healing and their peace. Thank you. 

"That is, that I [and her family] may be comforted together with you by the mutual [community and church] faith both of you and I [us]." Romans 1:12

Christ is Risen - Matt Maher

Today is St. Patrick's Day. This is “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”

"During the 19th century, a 10th century manuscript translation in Dublin included a hymn called “St. Patrick’s Breastplate.” Though it was impossible to tell if Patrick actually wrote the hymn, he still received credit for it." Stanley Ward

“St. Patrick’s Breastplate” was a protective prayer. Celtic monks used it to start their day. In my search for this prayer, Youtube and other sources have offered differing renditions. Here is one. Enjoy.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of the holy virgin,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to extend, go and set before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of devils,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the calm, Christ in the tumult,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.
(Father, Holy Spirit, Christ,
my only hope, my fondest desire,
my salvation.)

Allow me to encourage you to make an effort to remember Saint Patrick [Patricius], as his legacy deserves. As is your opportunity, worship Christ with utmost devotion and selfless service. Love others with the same love wherein Christ has loved you and be an example of His grace and saving power. Opportunities will arise today. Take them.  

Arise Today 

"You Are The Glory of God" by Unnamed Source

"You are not an animal. You are the glory of God. You are not a pervert. You are the glory of God. You are not an addict. You are the glory of God. You are not a victim. You are the glory of God. You are not a fool. You are the glory of God.

Psalm 51; Philippians 2:13

We live in a culture of hook up, shack up, break up. Men are marrying later and staying married shorter than ever. The average man is not a man but just a boy who can shave. Many Christian men are enslaved to pornographic lust and live in silent shame, which hinders their growth in Christ and service in ministry.

We are told that God’s men are the image and glory of God shining forth into a perverted and dark world. You need to memorize these words, “(I am) the image and glory of God.” The next time you are out hunting or camping and sitting around a fire, take a long stick and put one end of it in the fire. When that end gets hot and glowing red from glorying in the fire until its heat and light are transferred to it, take it out and look at it. Remind yourself that when the Bible says you are the glory of God, it means that you are like that stick and supposed to draw near to the pure and powerful God who is your Father and radiate His heat and light to the world.

Jesus, who radiated the Father’s glory perfectly, has made it possible for you to be the glory of God. Jesus your King, Warrior, and Lord hung upon His cross in your place to atone for all of your sins, including sexual perversion. If you repent of your sin, Jesus will forgive you for it and cleanse you from it, thereby taking away your guilt, shame, defeat, and filth (1 John 1:9; Zechariah 3:1–10).

As God’s man, you will then be able to rise above your lusts, but not by works or self-willed deprivation. Instead, God’s grace that alone saves you will also empower you to live life with Jesus and like Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10; Proverbs 3:5-7). As Paul says in Titus 2:11–12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”

This grace enables us not merely to hide our sin, diminish our sin, justify our sin, or accept it as inevitable. Rather, God’s grace enables us to put to death our sin so that we live dead to sin and alive to Christ where we were previously alive to sin and dead to Christ (Romans 6; 8:1-16; 1 John 1:5-7,9; 2:1-2)."

(Previously shared on Facebook)

____________________________________________

Josh,

Thank you for sharing about sexual issues in the church. Porn is the silent killer of many godly men. Too many pastors and elders hide their addiction from shame. More people need to confront this issue and men/women in Christ need to hold their brothers and sisters accountable. We need to love each other enough to fight to keep each other pure! ♥

By the way, jail ministry has been an amazing blessing. I was allowed to lead last week for the first time and did an expository teaching on Rahab and the Lord's power to transform. His presence was so strong! It has been a life-changing experience for me.

Praying for you in your new relationship and appreciate your openness in sharing your journey.  

Shalom ~ Lisa

A Prayer Request for Kiyoko

Today we should know whether or not the grandfather of someone very important to me will surgically have a cancerous tumor removed from his pancreas or if he will have to have chemotherapy due to a possible and unfortunate spread of the cancer.

It's been a week since the cancer was discovered. Pray it's resolved soon. Pray for the wisdom of his physicians. And pray for his family's peace. Thank you.

Note. The granddaughter loves her grandfather like a father and will have no mention of his passing. She wants him to live. Period. She's putting her foot down and wants him to live. So, I'm asking you to pray in agreement with her and to encourage her position.

And pray for her grandmother as well, as she's native to Japan, speaks very little English, cannot drive, and has relied on her husband for everything throughout the duration of their marriage. She needs him.

In addition, I'm specifically requesting prayer for the granddaughter's peace. Kiyoko needs our prayers. Her heart has been in agony since this started last week. She's gotten very little sleep, has often been overwhelmed to the point of tears and needs some relief. She's done as well as her heart and faith have allowed. Now, she needs our help. 

Again, thank you. 

A Prayer Request for a Family and a Nation 家族と国家のための祈りのリクエスト

Her grandfather's Black Irish. He's in need of prayer for healing, as he's been diagnosed, earlier this week, with pancreatic cancer. He's been hospitalized for days now.

Her grandmother's Japanese. As you may know, Japan was just hit with a massive earthquake and multiple tsunamis. Her husband's fighting for his life. Her homeland, and family, in Japan have been traumatized. She needs our prayers.

My girlfriend and her family live on the West Coast in California, wherein more tsunamis are expected to hit. She and most of her family live inland about an hour and a half in Northern Cal. There's still some concern though. Tsunamis are expected to hit the entire West Coast.  

She has a relative, in the military, based on the coast of Southern Cal that she's concerned for, a relative, in the military, based in Okinawa, family members 2 hours inland off the coast of Tokyo, an aunt and extended family in Hawaii. Hawaii has been hit by tsunamis as well.

And yet ... before the quake, the immediate concern for her family was her grandfather and his health. She loves him. Her grandmother loves him. He's the man in their lives that's meant the most. He's her father figure and grandmother's care giver. Prior to the quake that hit the nation of Japan, cancer hit their family.

I'm asking. Pray for the peace of our Lord and His compassion to reign over my girlfriend, her family and Japan. Pray for healing. And pray for restoration. Stand in faith with me. Stand in the gap with me. Trust Jesus with me.

Jesus is alive. He's Lord of all and our deliverer. He's our healer. He's our reconciliation and victor. He's our salvation and protector. Jesus is ...

Some are saying we shouldn't pray. They think it's best to leave our hopes in men. Others are crying out for prayer in this hour of need and desire our compassion, love and faith in Jesus Christ our Savior and Ever Present Help to help them through this trying time.

I say we pray. I'm asking you to pray. And when you're done praying, pray some more. Only then, pray a little more ... and then get off your knees and help someone.

It's been a trial of faith for my girlfriend and her family. Some of them believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Others don't. They ALL need our prayers and support.

Everyone in Japan and in my girlfriend's family needs our prayers. 

From Jesus, Through Kris

Dear Josh,                                                 March 5th 2011

Hey. Well, I had hoped to send you the video about what I did this evening but because it was on a military base in the Middle East, we cannot release the video publicly. So, I will tell you what happened in a land far, far away. Little did you know, you were here in spirit, mind and heart. What could I possibly mean?

A large group of men and women were leaving for Afghanistan and I was asked to give a motivational speech after two celebrities performed. Many of the people here know me and my struggle as a breast cancer survivor among other things. Many of my close friends here wanted to inspire these folks since many were afraid. Two other people spoke (a former servicemen who is now a contractor) and a triage nurse from the field. I wanted to give them faith and a peace of mind somehow. 

I was online recently and saw an article about you and how you were on Youtube speaking with such a strong heart and conviction. Seeing you speak motivated me and ... I cried. ... Then I knew what I could do.

Before these men and women, contractors, other military and friends, I spoke about strength. I talked about faith, believing in their roles as our beloved protectors and how they were not alone as they battled for our freedom. I spoke of other people who, at their most heartbreaking point, found a light at the end of the tunnel. On a giant screen above, I had cued a few people who were not celebrities or earth shattering people but they were inspirations to us all. I saved your story for last and played a few of your moments on Youtube as segments and told your story to a hushed audience. 

"I mashed clips from 48hrs Mystery, some of the youtube links posted by the semissourian and parts of another clip. I also read parts of some of your blog. What stunned most was the fact that after you were mistreated in the system and surely would have been broken, your faith gave you strength to carry on. Your ability to overcome and also help others to find their own justice when the system failed them was important to see that out of any situation, a resolution can be found. It may take time and your faith may be tested until you feel you might break but God will see you through. These words gave comfort to those going to war.

Hearing your voice with such emapthy for the incarcerated and abused in the system touched so many." Follow up message from Kris

I saw tears pouring forth and people's lives were changing because of our stories and our faith!

My heart swelled and I spoke with the word of God to see these people on their way to places we see in nightmares. Chances were some would not cross our path again and I would have to tag their coffin in shipping to the states. However, these men and women stood up, clapped and cheered. I truly believe knowing perfect strangers would pray for them and keep them close in our hearts helped a little bit and enclosed them in a hug before they left.

If you ever believe your story is not heard or falls on deaf ears, please know that is not the case. I have always expressed how your story empowered me during treatment and now as I know my remission status is shaky and probably am expecting more chemo and radiation. I look to you and what you endured. I am given a more resilient faith. You helped those men and women. They found courage, strength, hope and a faith that things can turn into something beneficial. We witnessed to people's hearts and I saw forty people walk into the chapel to be saved, Josh. Your words and the others who spoke reached out to comfort them. We will see those people in heaven again one day.

The chaplain is going to release a thank you card from some of those lives you touched and I will forward it to you so you can see in their words how you touched them. I am so proud to know someone like you. I know we have never met and you do not know me and we do not keep in touch that often but when I witness to people, your name is never far from my lips. I wish I could express how you have touched my life and others. I guess this email will have to suffice for now.

I saw that someone captured your heart and I wanted to say congratulations. She is one lucky girl. I know you have requested prayer for your situation and it is on my daily scriptures and prayer list. 

Keep an eye out for cards from the military. I will send them personally because I didn't want to give out your mailing address. I hope this finds you well, Josh. 

Sending love and prayers.

~ Kris 

"My mailing address can be given to any American soldier or group of American soldiers any time. I'm proud of the US Military." Message from myself to Kris  

"Per your request, I will forward your address to the chaplain and anyone else interested in contacting you personally. I just called them and requested that all mail be forwarded to you. If I am contacted personally by one the military, I will also forward them your contact information."

"I will be there to send anyone your way and forward anything anyone wants to send to you personally that comes to me. If you have a booking agent or anyone that can have you do talks for the military, you should really consider it. I know it would help some of these precious folks who have lost their faith after fighting up there. We are now getting more troops in to serve on the outskirts of Libya, have stationed people in Egypt and Kuwait serves as the hub for all military before their final destinations and back to the states. I see so many broken hearts and so much ... more. Without saying too much, they need pillars of strength to get through everything happening."

The Power To Get In, The Power To Get Out! by Tim Ross (a personal friend and brother in the Lord)

"Last year I preached a message that bears the same name as this blog. I was going through some of the messages that the Holy Spirit has given me and this one truly blesses me every time. The simple revelation that God can both get in to any situation and get us out of any situation builds faith and demolishes fear.

The revelation came through two fundamental beliefs of every Christian: 1. The virgin birth of Jesus. 2. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

In a nutshell, we believe that God both impregnated a virgin and resurrected a dead body. We believe that wholeheartedly. No pictures, no video footage. The Holy Spirit (the true Witness to these events) makes us witnesses by living His life through us. We become bold enough to testify that Jesus is Lord. Bold enough to declare that He was born of a virgin, died for our sins, and rose from the dead. We believe this. We preach this. We teach this.

Yet, when it comes to many of our own situations, we forget this. We forget the true revelation of why we even believe what we believe. We testify of Jesus’ virgin birth and resurrection from the dead not only to declare His power but also to display His power in us! If we believe that God could get IN to a virgin’s womb, how can we not believe that God can get in to our marriages, our finances, our children, our issues? If we believe that God could get Jesus OUT of a tomb, how can we not believe that God can get us out of our depression, addictions, afflictions, positions (I didn’t try to make those rhyme).

I encourage you to believe for your situation what you believe about Jesus’ situation. That God truly has The Power To Get In and The Power To Get Out! Enjoy."

http://timross.org/blog/2011/02/the-power-to-get-in-the-power-to-get-out/

Tim Ross: I Am Second Testimony

3 things

‎3 things are required. 1) A love for His word, the full measure of it. 2) A love for the message of the Cross and Resurrection. and 3) A heart that desires Him for the [my] self and equally for others.

I'm so madly in love with Jesus, His love for me and His love for others. Are you? 

 

JJ Heller - What Love Really Means (Official Music Video)