Friday 12/30/2011 (new years eve)

Derrick

Matthew 22:28-30 (ESV) Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Fro my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

this here is  beautiful verse, it makes me want to spend more time delving into the word to find more things to make me feel at ease, at peace with what God is doing in my life-changing me into the man he designed me to be- this transformation is a continual thing and I'm not going to fight it any longer, I've fought to much in the past and now its just time to let go.


"my yoke is easy and my burden is light" the yoke is something put onto a beast of burden one to pull a tractor or plow... or cart... a yoke takes two different sized animals and makes it easier for them both to walk along side of each other... Christ is going to take my burdens and help me walk through them... 

As I ponder walking into the new year, hand in hand with Kayla, I want Christ at the center of this relationship more than it ever could be. He is the one that will take us where we need to be and bring us up to spec. with his guidebook (the Bible)... but that doesn't mean I just sit idle and let God do all the walking, the thing about a yoke is that two beasts are walking side by side, and doing the work together, (i picture this relationship as a 3 person yoke, Kayla, I and Christ walking hand in hand sharing the brunt of the hurt from the past, moving forward to a beautiful future in Christ...

Wednesday December 28, 2011

Kayla- In matthew 9. (yesterday's reading) we see a lot of people being healed by their faith. One that really stuck out to me was one in verse 21-22. A woman thought if she could even just touch the hem of Jesus' clothes it would surly help. Her faith in Christ made her well. She was called daughter. Then in today's reading we read about not having fear, that every hair on our head is numbered, he cares for the sparrow and even more so He cares for us. I kind of want to tie these two together.

We should not fear having faith or stepping out for God. Sometimes we are called to things that make us very uncomfortable and take a lot of work. But we cant let our wordly fears keep us from his will. When we have the faith that we will be healed and/or provided for and faith that we are under the protection of God, our faith allows us to step out, wihtout fear, beause we know we serve God, who is in control and our protector and provider.

Blessings.

Tuesday December 27th 2011

Derrick

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?"
Matthew 10:24-25 (ESV)

this is what the world is doing to Christians, they are completely “tolerant” of everyone except Christians, they even go so far as to accept other religions that believe they are the only way but if someone is a Christ follower, then that person is a bigot, This doesn’t make sense to me. But if you look at the verses above it makes complete sense…

how much more will they malign (to speak harmful untruths about; speak evil of; slander; defame) those of his household?

the world hates Christians, but we have a duty to go to the world…

Thursday December 22, 2011

Kayla-


It's almost 2012. This year has went by faster than any other, in my opinion. It's crazy to think how different my life is compared to this time last year, somethings are the same, but some aren't and I am very thankful for some of the things in my life being over/done. 


About a year ago, I was going through a really rough time. Today in Matthew 7, we read a verse my pastor shared with me when I was talking to him about how I didn't feel like I could keep trying to be there for someone and be someone that person could depend on. The verse was, "Don't throw your pearls before swine." I had really tried to open myself and share with someone that needed to know they had people in their lives that are dependable and will love them. I tried for a very very long time. I cried a lot. More than I think I had in my whole life. I just couldn't understand how you could give and care for and pray for someone so much, and they treat you horribly. Using things you shared with them about yourself to hurt you and to make you feel horrible about yourself. 


Don't throw your pearls before swine. Don't keep trying to be there for someone who rejects what you are sharing. Don't let them use it against you. Don't let them hinder you.

I think that is the biggest lesson I learned this year. That I don't always have to be there for someone, even when they continue to treat me less than I deserve to be treated. Sometimes, you just pick yourself up, wipe off the dirt, and move on and pray that God continues to use you. It says in Proverbs to guard your heart because it is the well spring of life. What you let into your life, you will ultimately reflect. I won't lie, it's hard to be as open as I was in the past because I feel like I had a lot of the things I loved and even the things I know I need to work on, ridiculed last year, as well as the things God has blessed me with, and it's taking me time to rebuild those things and feel confident sharing them, not just cater to other people, but to also enjoy the ways that God has created me as Kayla, as his daughter.

It's hard because I don't want to tell people to be cautious. But I'm going to. I'm going to tell people to be careful who is allowed into your life and what you share with them. You have to know if these people are genuine or if they are just playing a role for a little while. Don't ever stop praying for someone, or give up hope that God can change their lives. But after your heart has told you about a person (because let's face it, it usually does), follow that instinct, pray for that person, then move on. Move on to sharing the gospel in your life, through encouragement, through sharing your gifts and talents, and to loving.

I think it's amazing the strength that God has to pick someone up and to change their lives. I remember there were times I felt really low, and would pray, and there were times my prayers were answered. It was hard, but I am sooo thankful, that through it I am here and building up.

That was a novel, but it was on my heart :)

Blessings.

Wednesday, December 21st 2011

Derrick

hi all its been stressful at work and i haven't been posting, while i have caught up on reading i will post for today and when i can in the future its really a busy time... 


Matthew 6:19,34


anxiousness, I'm anxious to see what tomorrow holds yet I'm told that tomorrow will be anxious for itself i'm commanded to be anxious for nothing... this is hard for me, this is something that i have always done I've always worried about the past the future, what others think of me...


yet I have seen Gods beautiful grace in my life his provision for me when i am weak, or broke.
   the car i drive was given to me, i have a mechanic that wont charge much over parts, i have a free place to live and a beautiful girlfriend, i have Gods hand providing everything for me

i've even been stressed at work and see his leading there also just yesterday i received a new trainee helper who is very good just after 2 weeks of training with another trainer...

all in all God Provision is great.


Kayla-
In Matthew today it talked about how God provides for even the birds, and He will provide for us even more so. He created us in His image and He will take better care of us than anything or anyone else. I've been pretty independent for a long time, providing for myself so to speak. It's hard to trust other people with that or even to allow them to take care of me sometimes. I know it's not just true for me, but others also. So often we fail to let someone else provide for us or to take care of us. Like Derrick was saying, God will always provide for us and we need not to worry. That provision can come through many types of things, it may be non-material and it may come from another brother or sister. I think what I need to remember most and what I've been working on is allowing God to provide for my needs (not just financial or material but emotional also) through the people He has in my life, ultimately knowing that it is Him providing for me. He did, He does, and He will continue to provide for me, I have no doubt of that. :)

Blessings. 

Wednesday December 14th

Derrick

Started Matthew today, wonder what it means that there were 14 generations between 3 different times from Abraham to Christ it's neat but I really want to study this sometime....

Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to tthe Christ fourteen generations.

But what I really wanted to talk about was proverbs chapter 9 and the woman of folly

Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and abread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Stolen food tastes better but it really doesn't satisfy, sin is pleasurable and you can feel happy while in sin but is it really happiness? I bid that is is not, it could be an absence of conflict as it was in my life, I felt happy but in all truthfulness I was miserable and searching for something to fill a void...

Now that I walk with Christ I am truly happy and I can honestly say that.

Thursday December 15, 2011

Kayla-


So I typed out a whole thing about what we read in Exodus and giving the first fruits to God as an off offering and how that not only relates to material things and money but also to us as people and putting God first. But I erased it all. I'm not sure why. But I did. So I'm just going to keep it simple and say give to God, first. Spend time with God, first. Give to Him. He is our Before and After. Blessings.

Tuesday December 13th

Derrick

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15

This is a reminder to me that all I need to do in life is praise God to lift my mouth to heaven and worship my lord, right now I'm sitting in my car waiting for a tow truck, an I'm having a wonderful time in Gods word, it took a broken axel to get me here but I'm glad this happened because This is right where I needed to be...

Monday December 12, 2011

Kayla-


Today in Hebrews 12, it starts off talking about laying aside every weight and sin that clings so closely to us. I remember talking with my friend Liz one time about things I was really struggling with that had happened in my life, things I had done that I wasn't proud of, things that left me very broken. We were sitting talking one night, and Liz asked me if I asked God to forgive me, and if I truly had trusted Him to let go of it. Because if I wasn't forgiving myself and hanging onto it, was I truly giving it over to God and letting Him restore me and bring me peace. This verse just reminds me that we have to let things go. There is no reason to hold onto them, they aren't a part of ourlives and God has wiped them away with the sacrifice of Jesus. We all make mistakes, we will all continue to falter. But what is important is that we don't continue to make the same mistakes over and over, which then turn into choices. What is important is that we are laying our sins aside, not letting them cling to us. I feel like so often we focus on our sins and the sins of others, we are amazing at making everything about us. But really if you think about it. It's not about us at all, it's not even all about our sin. What it is about, and what we should be focusing on is Jesus. We've talked about how it's not about our works, but His, that saves, that is most important. Well, I believe the same thing when it comes to what we focus on with ourselves and other people. It's not about our sin or others sins, that's not our focus. Our focus in Jesus, His love, His sacrifice, and the goodness He brings to all of us, and the work He does in our lives. I believe it's more about praising the grace and mercy of God, than about holding onto our sins and struggles. We have a Savior, because we needed one, God knew we are sinners in need of saving. So we are saved. Now we run the race moving forward, not focusing on the past. 


Blessings.

December 9,2011

Kayla-


In Hebrews 10 today, there is a beautiful verse that is just sticking out to me. It says, "Let us consider how to stir up one another in love and good works. Not neglecting to meet together as some, but encouraging one another...". We are at the time of year where we all gather with our families, serving each other, and giving gifts, there is just this aura of love and joy that fills us. We are celebrating the wonderful birth of our Savior. This verse reminds me that the feeling we have for serving and loving, and generosity (in all kinds of forms), isn't just meant for this month of the year or season, but for a lifetime. For our life time, we are meant to encourage each other, to love and serve one another. To celebrate Jesus Christ's life, every single hour of the day and day of the year, our lives were meant for that. To get together with other Christians and non-Christians, and build each other up and love each other. As it said earlier in Hebrews (I think.)....Encourage one another for as long as it is called Today.  Sometimes we all need encouraging, think about your needs, we all have things we wish people would reach out and just help us heal with words of some sort or something, and sometimes we don't get what we are wanting/needing for that healing or comfort. Something that I've tried to remind myself, especially this week, is that I have these different things going on, and sometimes I wish someone would just reach out and help uplift and encourage me, that the best thing I can probably do is to reach out to someone else and offer uplift-ment and encouragement to them. We so often in our selfishness, over look the needs of others, when we are feeling needy, and we shouldn't just be looking for someone to encourage us, but to be encourage-ers as well. 


Blessings.  Derrick Reading through proverbs is great Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27 I'm going to keep it short today just wanted to post these verses that spoke to me as I move forward, I need to keep my eyes on the direction I'm going

Thursday December 8th 2011

Derrick Hebrews 9:26 (esv) But as it is, he has appeared once for all nat the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Christ is done, no more sacrifices needed, he lived a perfect life and died a painful death to cover my sin, now even though I continue to sin I don't have to continually sacrifice animals for that sin, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, and that blood never runs dry, it washes me clean every day. Now repentance is another story, repentance is needed to maintain a relationship, a oneness with Christ, this relationship is severed by sin, I continually push God away and to have that oneness with him I need repentance, but will that sin keep me from heaven? NOT ONE BIT? So how can God be a just God? How can he let a sinner into heaven? It all comes back to Christ, his blood, it's so beautiful. What can wash away my sin, what can make me whole again? Nothing, Nothing but the blood of Christ.... Go with God today and please send a prayer up for my friend Enrique, he is really struggling and could use some prayers..

Kayla- Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on  your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

I love this verse. I love this Chapter in Proverbs. So often we rely on our own strength, ourselves, our own understanding, to what we do and how we live. Or we rely on God for certain parts of our lives where we feel comfortable not revealing or where we feel comfortable not being in control of. But we can't give God a little portion of ourselves and still expect Him to be the Lord over our whole life. It's a complete surrender of all of us, all of who we are. To lean on God and to turn to Him for all of our understanding, so seek His guidance in all that we do, and make it known that every good thing we have and do is because of His grace and mercy and love. Every breath we take is and should be an acknowledgement to the blessings and love that we are shown through God. When we live as though that is true, with every breath and step, being guided by God, our paths are clear and straight, maybe not the easiest paths, but I feel like we stay on the path that God has for us, that it becomes more clear and that we don't stray off because of something we think is better, etc. 

Wednesday December 7th, 2012

Kayla-

Today in Hebrews 9, it talked about how that if the blood of goats and bulls, etc, sanctified, purified the flesh, than how much more has the blood of Christ done for us. This just really stands out for me. Christ came, once, and and that sacrifice doesn't have to be made again. Our sins are paid for, we are purified, made clean, sanctified, and none of our works or doings will ever change that. The work of Christ, in the sacrifice He made, covers us, forever. It's beautiful, and I am so thankful. 

Derrick Kayla and I are talking on the same verse today, For if othe blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with pthe ashes of a heifer, sanctify1 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works uto serve the living God. This is beautiful, something I want to memorize, it's just what I needed to hear today, I have a friend who is mourning the loss of his mother today and I really want to witness to him, to bring the news of Christ to him so this is what I'm thinking might help me understand him better. He is a Jew and I would appreciate some prayer over this on how best to bring him to the saving blood of Christ... Vaya con Dios

Tuesday December 6th, 2012

Kayla-
Today in Exodus, again Moses, is worried that they won't listen to him. And sometimes they don't. But Moses still takes that step, even in his fear, he is faithful to God and what God has for him. Moses was going to talk to the Pharaoh, and tell him to let the people go. Moses is not of the same social class as the Pharaoh, and I'm sure that was very intimidating. Moses was faithful in all circumstances, no matter how uncomfortable they made him and I hope I can always do the same.  Derrick I love that in proverbs 1 that wisdom is personified, like wisdom is actually a person (yes I repeated myself) wisdom has come from many places, I have had many people advise me about my relationship with my beautiful girlfriend, some of the advice was conflicting, especially about if I should share my past... Even from people I believe are wise, from people I glean much from and soak up their biblical knowledge, that being said, I took all of it in and made a decision I believed God wanted me to do, was it wise? I have no idea but I'm actually happy that Kayla accepts me as a sanctified sinner and knows that if I keep Christ at the center of my life that there is hope. Hope for a beautiful future together. Vaya con Dios

Monday December 5.2011

Kayla-
Today in Exodus, we read about the signs God told Moses that he would have him perform, in order to get the people of Israel to believe that he really was the one God sent. Moses showed his faithfulness and trust for God, by picking up tail of the snake when he had dropped it when his staff was changed. It's the human way to react, to toss it on the ground, I can only imagine my reaction to it...I can be a little jumpy at things i only think are there haha. But God told him to pick it back up and he did, because he has faith in God's plan and trusts in him. That is something we all need to remember sometimes. Also Moses was worried about talking in front of people. He reminded God that he wasn't a good speaker. God reminded him that is was His strength and words that would be comingn through and to rely on Him and His provision. Sometimes I feel like God is calling us to do something and we don't, because we don't feel prepared or the best person to do it. But we always have to remember that it is God working through us, not us working. It's His strength not ours, His abilities, not our own, and He can do anything.

Blessings.

Friday December 2nd 2011

Derrick In Hebrews chapter 4 today I am confused the writer talks about a rest that "we who believe" have entered but it goes on to say that there is a sabbath rest that we should strive to enter later, it's confusing and something I want to study about Hebrews 4:12 For wthe word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This is so true, every time I read the word of God I see it working in my life's earthing my heart to discern what I'm truly believing, and because of this I know I have the Holy Spirit in me.

Kayla-
In Hebrews 3 it says, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." Sometimes this verse brings tears to my eyes. So often we know what God wants us to do, we really do, we can see it everything, we can feel it pulling at us, yet sometimes we don't follow it. We put God to the test, we harden ourselves. Maybe because what God is calling us to makes us uncomfortable, or it really changes what we had planned, or because we can't stand not feeling in control. So we harden ourselves to what we know God wants FOR us. We change our hearts from hearing the word FOR and change it to the word FROM. We make ourselves believe that God is only calling us to something because he wants something from us. But I don't believe that. There is nothing we can do for God that He couldn't do already, but so often we are called to give something from ourselves because God has something for us.

Don't harden your heart. God is for you.

Blessings.

Thursday December 1st 2011

Derrick How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? What is man that you are mindful of him? I really wonder about this sometimes? How can a God so wonderful and great send his Son an actual part of himself to die for me? A wretched human who has no desire in his flesh to do anything that glorifies God. I'm reminded of the song by casting crowns called who am I (Link below) who am I that the lord of all the earth would care to know my name, it goes on to say that you care for everything even the sparrow or the flower I believe this is taken from scripture but it is so beautiful and catches my heart every time I hear this song. How did I ever think I was happy when I neglected God and the salvation he sent for me? I believed I was happy but looking back I was miserable... It's crazy what we make ourselves believe. God I never want to go back.


Kayla- the verse in Hebrews, I believe that is being quoted from Psalm, What is man that you are mindful of him? That you care for him? God cares for all of us and hears all of us, and it's been really neat the past few weeks being able to see not only in my life but in the lives of the people around me, how literal he answers us at times, and it is because he cares for us. When we call out to Him in a child like way, with honesty, and sincerity, He hears us and responds, and when we let go of control, He also does the work, too. There have been tons of times where its been me telling God I don't know how I'm going to do (this), and knowing it's God's will for me and plasn, He has always mDe a way. He cares for us more than any of us uculd ever even imagine, even the most knowledgable Christians and theologians, cannot comprehend the love that Hef has for us. How much he cares for us. I think about how much I care for an love people, especially the people in my circle of relationships, and then trying to understand that God loves and cares more than any of us are even close to being capable of, and it's beautiful. I think something to also remember is love/caring may not always been shown in the way we want it to or in those nice rainbow and butterfly feelings, but sometimes it comes in hurt, in tears, in falling down and getting back up again. God not only loves us enough to bring us joy, but to grow us also. What is even more lovely is that there is nothing I can do to deserve or earn it, it's already been paid for/earned through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessings.

Wednesday November 30th

Derrick
Hebrews 1:2-3
"but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high"

Wow

Im taking things one step at a time in my walk with God, he is slowly pruning me, making me better, showing more fruit, bringing up those things that need to change. I see here that Christ was the radiance of the glory of God... I see my life and my journey as a way to glorify God, my life's goal is to serve/glorify God. And currently my focus and prayer is that next fall I will head back to school to get the training I need to best serve, whatever that may look like, wherever that may happen. I want my life to radiate Christ, I want to be a beacon of light to this dark world.