United We Stand

"What could I say, what could I do, but offer this heart, O God, completely to you. I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the one who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered all I am is yours."

"Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades, never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame and the cry of my heart is to bring you praise from the inside out of my soul cries out. My heart and my soul, I give you control, consume me from the inside out. Let justice and praise become my embrace, to love you from the inside out."

"Falling on my knees in worship, giving all I am to seek your face. Lord all I am is yours, my whole life I place in your hands. God of mercy, humbled I bow down, in your presence, at your throne. I called, you answered and you came to my rescue, and I want to be where you are. In our life - be lifted high, In our world - be lifted high, In our love - be lifted high."

"Your love reaches out to me, your grace has made a way to you. Your word lives inside of me, your truth is life to all who hear. We live for you , live your truth. May your kingdom come, and your will be done, we serve your heart - serve your heart. Let salvation flow, as your people pray, Lord we long for more - long for more. In you death is overcome, no power can stand against your name, the power of your name. In faith we will rise to be your hands and feet to all the earth, life to all the earth."

"God of all the heavens, now and forever, high above the universe. God of our redemption, God of my surrender, The Glory is yours, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord." 

The Ransomed Heart...Nakedness Indeed (revised)

8/18/06 from "The Ransomed Heart" by John Elderedge

"The deeper reason we fear our own glory is that once we let others see it, they will have seen the truest us, and that is nakedness indeed. We can repent of our sin. We can work on our "issues." But there is nothing to be "done" about our glory. It's so naked. It's just there - the truest us. It is an awkward thing to shimmer when everyone else around you is not, to walk in your glory with an unveiled face while everyone else is veiling his. For a woman to be truly feminine and beautiful is to invite suspicion, jealousy, misunderstanding. A friend confided in me, "When you walk into a room, every woman looks at you to see - are you prettier than they are? Are you a threat?"

And that is why living from your glory is the only loving thing to do. You cannot love another person from a false self. You cannot love another while you are still hiding. You cannot love another unless you offer her your heart. It takes courage to live from your heart. A friend said the other day, "I desperately want to be who I am. I don't want the glory that I marvel at in others anymore. I want to be that glory which God set in me."

Finally, our deepest fear of all. . .we will need to live from it. To admit we do have a new heart and a glory from God, to begin to let it be unveiled and embrace it as true--that means that next thing God will do is ask us to live from it. Come out of the boat. Take the throne. Be what He meant us to be. And that feels risky. . . really risky. But it is also exciting. It is coming fully alive. It's a risk worth taking."
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I have been getting these daily devotionals from this ministry for a couple of weeks now and I am very moved by what I get each day. This particular one had a major impact because 1) I start teaching the "Captivating" Bible study in a couple of weeks and part of that talks so much about "not hiding, not striving, becoming naked and vulnerable" which brings so much freedom. 2) Because the Lord showed me a vision about this very topic earlier this year and this was confirmation of that. I never cease to be amazed at how God talks to us, reveals Himself to us, is always talking with us if we will just listen. He desires to "romance" us which is something you will see more about in the new book coming out in October by John Elderedge. Don't be afraid to let "your truest self" shine.

SAY IT ISN'T SO! :-o

I saw this T Shirt at the Mall last night, worn by a teenager, and I took a picture of it. Could not resist telling you about it! The Tshirt says "NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR BLOG" Thought it was funny............ Comments, comments, comments.............?

John Bevere......Destiny.....Prescribed Soil...

Our first night of the conference started off with a huge, massive, eye opening message from John Bevere. Wow......did God really show me some things and impacted me in a way that it changed me and how I look at all aspects of life. John taught on Destiny and fulfilling our Destiny. He talked about "remember God in the days of your youth". The youth are the church of today. He said that God only see's 3 age groups, Babies, Children, Adults and I see that from His word. He kept talking about the Eternal focus and not to lose site of it. 2 John 8, it is an endurance race we are in, not a sprint. A full reward is what we want, not to have rewards taken away from us at the judgement seat. Phil 3:14, the prize is the full reward 2Tim 4:6-7. We all have a course that we have to run. 1Corinth 9:24, 2 Corinth 5:8-10 We are to initmately know Jesus, to follow Jesus as a bride that gives herself to her husband, totally, completely abandoned to him. He asked the question, have you truly given yourself to serving Him?

One of the major things that he said that really hit home was that we will not be judged for "what" we did, but for what we were "called" to do. Driven by Eternity. The way we live as believers determines how we spend eternity James 4:14. How would you spend the next 24 hours if you knew that how you spent eternity depended on it? Ephesians 3:10 He said everyone has a call of God on their life. that calling was given before the foundation of the earth. Jeremiah 29:11 He talked about how most people do not fulfill their Destiny. They do what is convenient, what is easy, what "they" want to do instead of what God wants them to do.

Ecc 3:11 "It is my time" God has spoken this to me through several preacher/teachers over the past many months, and now once again He has confirmed it to me. He has made everything beautiful and out of the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses let a thing be established. This has been established in my life....."it is my time!"

He talked about 3 ways to know the plan of God for your life...................

1) Security: Seek God earnestly Hebrews 11:6, ask God to give you glimpses of what you are to do, your destiny. Prov 20:5 Purpose, you have a calling, if you don't fulfill it, God will get someone else. My prayer after this conference was Lord, whatever you want, whomever you want, wherever you want, my life is yours, totally surrendered to you.

2) Plant ourselves in the local church Psalm 92:13. The successful churches are the ones that have the youth as active in the church as the adults. He talks about when you go through a famine, the battle, the desert over and over again, it gives you the character you need to do what God has called you to do. You will grow into your destiny. This is one thing that really ministered to me and opened my eyes to several things and I am still chewing on it. He said: "The seed- you have an outer shell, it has to be broken (God truly broke me at this conference). God puts you into where you are planted for your shell to be broken so the seed can grow and produce fruit, so that the roots will grow deep and wide. YOUR PRESCRIBED SOIL. Only the Prescribed soil will cause the pressure that is needed to break open the outer shell. So if it is hard where you are planted, don't fret, God is moving. He used the example of him and Lisa and when they got married. He said they fought and fought and thought they were going to kill each other the first 4 years of their marriage. They were looking at divorce. But then God showed them, they were the prescribed soil for each other. Both John and Lisa in their teaching time admitted that neither would be the man or woman of God that they were had it not been for the other one. John said he would not be the man of God he was if it were not for Lisa, his prescribed soil. Lisa said she would not be the woman of God she was if it were not for John, her prescribed soil. Iron sharpening iron. Do you have the character to handle the call?

3) Luke 9:57-58. I make the decision to follow the call of God, even if I don't see the provision. Luke 10:1-2, appointed = chosen, Matt 22:44, this it the Joshua generation.

I know there was a lot in here and I just wrote from my notes, but it was a message that impacted me and moved me to a new place in the Lord. To question if the things that I do are for me or for God. It is His purpose, His plan, the Destiny that He has for us that is important. I poured my life out to him, before Him that night, totally surrendered and it has been my prayer since that night, whatever you want Lord, all of me, I am yours. You can handle my life much better than me, you can handle my heart much better than me. Your plan, not mine. Be blessed my friends, allow God to show you your destiny and then commit to fulfilling it...........

Desperation...Colorado....

Desperation......what a worth while trip and conference. So much happened in everyone. God moved in so many ways and everyone has a different testimony. We went White Water rafting on the Arkansas river, played football, kickball, frisbee and hiked into the hills and what a glorious view it was! God's handywork for all to see. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning talking, laughing, sharing, playing cards and games, checking email and just bonding. We downloaded pics every night to my laptop and started fresh each day, which is why we ended up with over 400 pics and video's. Matt man made a great video from some of the shots and clips. We attended breakout sessions for Youth Leadership, praised and worshipped the Lord, had our picture made with an archangel, jumped on beds, struck a pose in the wee hours of the morning. I can honestly say this 8 days brought everyone that went closer and created new friendships and strengthened old ones. We had a time of prayer with everyone in a circle the last night after the conference and it was an amazing time to watch God use these kids in praying for one another and praying for their Pastor. God started a work there that is just the beginning, you are going to see wonderous, amazing, fantabulous things out of this Youth group like never before. It was an awesome group to be with for 8 days, no fights, lots of sharing and laughs. I would go to the ends of the earth with these guys.........in a heartbeat. Love you guys so much!

We're Back!!!! Where do I start?????

Where do I even start! Man.......this was such an amazing trip to Colorado. I think it met and exceeded everyones expectations....I know it did mine. I have so much to blog about that you will see several post over the next few days. We came back with over 400 pics between Pomai and myself! United is in the first pic here and then the second is a pic of the audience, there were 6000 people there! All rockin' and worshipping the Lord with United, Watermark and the Desperation Band, and there was such a Freedom! Total, no holds barred, surrendered worship to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! We jumped and shouted and cried and poured our lives out in total surrender. I wish everyone of you could have been there. Our Youth, as well as the entire Youth Staff lives were changed and so many testimonies are coming out of this conference. God took us to the next level and challenged us to move forward and do more, be more, to fulfil our Destiny! Who You Are was the theme. I want to blog about John Bevere next and what a huge impact his message had on me. Oh yea.........the guys at the United table gave me a T Shirt! Oh yea! Love it! More to come...................................

Words to Live by........Have the Courage............

Have the courage to appear foolish, because it is sad for those who never attempt anything. Have the courage to make mistakes, for they can teach you like nothing else can.
Have the courage to take action. For even though your actions carry the possibility of failure, if you never act then you are certain to fail.
Have the courage to live each day fully, with enthusiasm and a generous spirit. Though there are many problems in this world, there are a whole lot more positive possibilities.
Have the courage to do what is right instead of what is easiest or most convenient. It will earn you the respect of others and, even more importantly, the respect of yourself.
Have the courage to see and accept things for what they are. That will put you in position to make a real difference.
Have the courage to love, to speak your mind, to follow your curiosity and your passions. Have the courage to give of yourself, for the goodness you give will come back to you over and over again.

Author: Ralph Marston

Friends, Family, Moving

Hi everyone! It has been a very busy week. I was blessed to be able to help some friends from church pack to move last week, and then went to my parents in East TN over the weekend to help them move and unpack, and then came back to help my friends unpack from their recent move. Many of you called me to check on me over the weekend since I was not at church and I love an appreciate all of you so much for that! My church family is my family and I don't know what I would do without you all. You are the best!

We will be heading to Colorado in a few days with our Youth and there will be lots of pictures and stories to tell when we get back. It is going to be an amazing time! Be blessed my friends...........be blessed!

Pirates, Pirates, everywhere Pirates!

We went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" and it was great! Johnny Depp was very funny. Here is one scene from the movie which is actually towards the end, and then..........wait a minute.............where did those other guys come from?! I almost didn't recognize them with those eye patches! Why it's Pirates III.............The Next Generation!!!!!!!!!!

Sumner Life Cookout.............Great time!

It was hot..........but it was fun! Our church went out to the Montgomery's farm to grill hamburgers and hot dogs with lots of great side dishes! We played volleyball (with the megaball), and some threw the frisbee, the guys played football and there were fireworks to top it all off when it got dark! Everyone had a great time! You should have been there!

"We are the Champions................"

Well, the softball season officially ended for our guys on Tuesday night and they are all truly CHAMPIONS. They played the best game ever and the fans were out in great number to support them! An award was given to Sumner Life Loyal Fans for their awesome support for our team this season! It was an amazing night. We screamed, we danced...........Thanks for an awesome season guys! We are so proud of you! Now what in the world are we going to do on Tuesday nights...........!?

Volleyball, Softball.....Sports, Sports, Sports....

Hey everyone, tonight is our last softball game! Come out and see our team finish their Softball Season with a bang! Trust me, we will all have a blast no matter what! Volleyball in the sand.........great exercise for sure! It has been so much fun! My friend Ke'o made a magnificent cross court dive this past Sunday...everyone was very impressed! Aloha! :-)

The Palace Girls...............

Once again we had an awesome Girls night! Cindy hosted this one and the pool in the backyard was great fun! Coco the wonder dog got right in the middle of it all and there was a huge sugar buzz from all of the candy! Everyone passed out on the floor during the movie, didn't even make it half way through! You girls are great!

"A Battle to Fight: The Enemy"

I just wanted to share with you some things that I have been learning from reading "Wild at Heart", just like I shared when I was reading "Captivating". I have been in the refiners fire, as I 'm sure you all have too, and now I know more about the enemies attacks (see the quote at the bottom by William Gurnall-when silver is refined in the refiners fire, it is not ready, or perfected until the refiner can see His (God's) image in the silver (the silver being me and you). Thus when the enemy see's His (God's) image in you, the attacks are on). I quoted directly from the book from this point forward and it is amazing, eye opening knowledge and confirmation about how the enemy works.

In Chapter 8 there is a section called "The Devil". Since we all have recently studied on "Know Your Enemy", it was a great addition to this teaching John is talking about an incident that happened between him and Stasi: "My wife and I were driving home the other day from an afternoon out and running a bit late to get to our son's last soccer game of the season. I was in the driver's seat and we were enjoying a lingering conversation about some dreams we have for the future. After several minutes we realized that we were caught in a traffic jam that was going nowhere. Precious moments slipped by as tension mounted in the car. In an effort to be helpful, Stasi suggessted an alternate route." "If you take a right here and go up to First Street, we can cut over and take about five minutes off the drive." "I was ready to divorce her. I'm serious. In about 20 seconds I was ready for separation. If the judge had been in the car, I'd have signed the papers right there. Good grief--over a comment about my driving? Is that all that was going on in that moment?"

"I sat at the wheel silent and steaming. On the outside, I looked cool, inside, here is what was happening: Geez, doesn't she think I know how to get there? I hate it when she does that. Then another voice says, She always does that. And I say (internally--the whole dialogue took place internally, in the blink of an eye), Yeah, she does...she's always saying stuff like that. I hate that about her. A feeling of accusation and anger and self-righteousness sweeps over me. Then the voice says, John, this is never going to change, and I say, This is never going to change, and the voice says, You know, John, there are a lot of women out there who would be deeply grateful to have you as their man, and I think; Yeah--there are a lot of women out there........You get the picture. Change the characters and the setting and the very same thing has happend to you. Only, you probably thought the whole thing was your own mess."

"The devil no doubt has a place in our theology; but is he a category we even think about in the daily events of our lives? Has it ever crossed your mind that not every thought that crosses your mind comes from you? What I experienced in the midst of traffic that day happens all the time in marriages, in ministries, in any relationship. We are being lied to all the time. Yet we never stop to say, "Wait a minute...who else is speaking here? Where are those ideas coming from? Where are those feelings coming from?" If you read the saints from every age before the Modern Era--that pride-filled age of reason, science, and technology we all were thoroughly educated in--you'll find that they take the devil very seriously indeed. As Paul says, "We are not unaware of his schemes." (2Cor 2:11). But we, the enlightened, have a much more commonsense approach to things. We look for a psychological or physical or even political explanation for every trouble we meet.

Who caused the Chaldeans to steal Job's herds and kill his servants? Satan, clearly (Job 1:12, 17). Yet do we even give him a passing thought when we hear of terrorism today? Who kept the poor woman bent over for eighteen years, the one Jesus healed on the Sabbath? Satan, clearly (Luke 13:16). But do we consider him when we are having a headache that keeps us from praying or reading Scripture? Who moved Anania and Sapphira to lie to the apostles? Satan again (Acts 5:3). But do we really see his hand behind a fallout or schism in ministry? Who was behind that brutal assault on your own strength, those wounds you've taken? As William Gurnall said, "It is the image of God reflected in you that so enrages hell, it is this at which the demons hurl their mightiest weapons." There is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes of our lives than most of us have been led to believe."

PLAY BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone! Meet us at the Softball game tonight to support our Sensational Sumner Lifers (we never really named the team:-) Wear your baseball hats, bring your noise makers, and put on your best cheering voice! The guys are goin' to the playoffs! Their holding nothing back............their fierce, their ready, they can taste the victory! Will this be the night that we play "We Are the Champions!" Oh Yea! Besides, you don't want to miss the "battle of the boomboxes." See you there!

Youth Spaghetti Dinner-Huge Success!

Hey everyone.....the fundraiser spaghetti dinner was a huge success and a blast! We had over 17 youth participate in serving and performing. The food was great, and we have some "stellar" talent in the group! From a dance team of 3 that took us down memory lane with songs from every era, to duets, magic tricks, skits, and "Ode to Spaghetti" which included interperative dance! It was classic! A Great time was had by all Photo #1 me and part of the dance team, #2 say's "I'm thinkin' Arby's" #3 Chelsea and Ciara doing "Beauty for Ashes" and #4 why it's "Samson and Delilah" and "Ode to Spaghetti" boy! If you didn't get to be there you missed a great night!

'It's a Wonderful Life' Most Inspiring Film

This is one of my very favorites! It has my vote!

George Bailey's brother proclaimed him the richest man in Bedford Falls. Now the story of the despondent businessman, who got a chance to see how ugly the world would be without him, has been proclaimed the most inspiring American movie.
Frank Capra's “It’s A Wonderful Life”, starring James Stewart as the disillusioned George, led the American Family Institute's list of inspirational films revealed Wednesday in the group's annual top-100 TV special that aired on CBS.
"We all connect to that story. We may not all connect to the story of a fighter from Philadelphia or a singing family in the Austrian Alps," said the TV special's producer, Bob Gazzale, referring to two other films on the list, “Rocky” and “The Sound of Music.”
"But there's no way to get away from the inspiring story of George Bailey. It relates to us all."
The 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life" is the story of a man who dreamed of escaping his dreary town and making a mark in the world. Circumstance traps George Bailey in tiny Bedford Falls, where he runs his family's penny-ante building and loan and battles the town's miserly overlord.
One Christmas Eve, facing scandal and criminal charges after his uncle misplaces $8,000, George is driven to attempt suicide, but an angel steps in to show him all the good he's done and what a harsher place the world would be without him.
As family and friends rally to his rescue, George learns to embrace the life he thought he loathed and receives a heartfelt toast from his sibling: "To my big brother George — the richest man in town."

Steven Spielberg's “Schindler’s List” starring Liam Neeson as a German businessman who saves his Jewish workers from extermination by the Nazis, was No. 3.

The View from the Cheering Section!

We have the best cheering section ever! This is the view from the "stands" as we watch our awesome Men's Softball team! I think our Cheering section will take first place for "Most Supportive, Most Fun, Best Music Ever!" Which reminds me, now the 3rd team has decided to bring out their Boom Box and play for their team! It is now a battle of the boom boxes! We just might have to set up the church PA System for the playoffs and "blast" them out of there! By the way, if you look in the backround, in the dugout, laying down, is our new mascot.......Super Sumner Sammy (#4). The crowd was chanting "Put #4 in the game, put #4 in the game!" You got to come and see for yourself!

Me and My Guy!

......and what a guy he is! That's my Mr. Lincoln getting a plane ride and just "hangin' around"!

A Call to Purity Psalm 51:10

For the past 2 weeks this scripture has been in my heart and has been part of my prayer. David said "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." KJV "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." NIV Some of you may know about the Pure Life Revolution (www.pureliferevolution.net) What a time we are living in. There is so much coming at us on a daily basis, and these guys have been standing outside the Hustler store on Church street, silently praying for themselves, the church, this city, this country. A repentance and prayer movement, a stand for purity and justice, starting with us....the church. I pass by them every afternoon on my way home from work, I pray for them and those that are going into that store. I spoke with them today and told them we were praying for them and were thankful for what they were doing. But it has to go farther than that. It is no accident that we were born for such a time as this. As we heard on Wednesday night, you are not an accident. The Potter has formed you, for such a time as this. To be an amazing witness and light to a world without Jesus, as only we can be. It's easy to go with the flow; float downstream with most everyone else; go the way of least resistance. But it takes guts to take a stand for Jesus, for God's word, and love them that are lost and be an example that they can follow. 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." NIV I just wanted to share - I love you guys

Lights, Camera, Action! Softball Rocks!

In honor of 6/6/06, Mike and Jeremy proudly displayed their team shirts! Here are some shots from last night. The games were great! The guys are playing better and better every game! We were actually ahead 2 to 0 until the 4th inning of our second game! Chaz on the Pitcher mound, Matt on the move, JJ off and running to first and the guys coming in to..... Batter Up! We rocked to Queen, Journey, The Darkness, and of course..........Chuck Norris! Softball games will never be the same now that Sumner Life is there! The other teams brought their version of a Boom Box and some songs..........which pales in comparison to ours I might add! We set the standard and forged the trail! And our guys have the best cheering section ever!

Take me out to the Ball Game

OK, You all have to come out to our Softball game tonight! Matt man and I (mostly him) worked on a whole new "Game CD" that you don't want to miss. For those of you that don't know what I'm talkin' about, we don't have just ordinary softball games! No way! We carefully choreograph everything! Like a wonderfully executed Fireworks show (yeah, right!)You have to experience it to know what we're talkin' 'bout! This pic is what you look like after you've been working on a CD for 4 hours! :-o

Workin' at the Carwash.....yea!

The Youth did a car wash fundraiser Saturday to raise money for our upcoming conference. It was really hot, but we had an endless stream of cars all day! We worked hard but it was worth it! You guys are awesome! We even washed a boat and a Flower Delivery Van! We had great music to rock to and thanks to everyone that supplied us drinking water! At 92 degree's we needed it!
 

Girls Rule #2

OK, our second girls night was so much fun! "I believe in a thing called love" will never sound the same now that I have seen Pomai and Elise perform it! This time we pulled out Footloose, and took our turns in the dance line! We laughed so much! You girls are great! Love ya!

A Good Time was had by ALL!

The Palace People were here on Saturday; after we rode Go Carts, played Putt-Putt Golf and took on the Batting Cages, we had some great food, awesome fun, and there was even a "Star Performer" on hand. The "Mighty Ducks" were out of their element at the track and a random Samurai put in an appearance for some old fashioned "Family Feuding" and one or two Roundhouse kicks! Ice cream sandwich's ruled and Zena kept everyone in line! You shoulda' been there! : - )

Girls NIght!

We had such a ba-last last month that we are going to do it again! So much food, so much fun, so much laughing, such great movies, so much dancing to Shania Twain! OK, the pics are for our eyes only ;-) We are going to do this again on Friday night the 26th at my house so come one, come all for an awesome time of fellowship! I love you guys!