How Great is Our God
[amazonmp3 asin=”B000TDWQBY”] Artist: Chris Tomlin Album: How Great is...
Read MoreAug 23, 2013 | Praise God | 0
[amazonmp3 asin=”B000TDWQBY”] Artist: Chris Tomlin Album: How Great is...
Read MoreAug 22, 2013 | Giving Thanks | 0
My thankful posts are kind of a review of what has been going on in the past week and good friendships are a recurring theme.
This past weekend I saw a production of C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters by Fellowship for the Performing Arts. It’s been awhile since I’ve read the book, but Lewis is one of my all time favorite authors.
Below is a clip of the play and viewers’ comments:
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS | More
Discerning of spirits is one of the “knowledge” spiritual gifts. It can be used to determine the source of what appears to be manifestations of the power and speech gifts versus false signs. It is also used in identifying situations that need intercession.
So how do you develop the gift of discerning of spirits?
First of all, every single experience should be tested against the Word of God. If you think that you have this gift or if you want to develop this gift (we are told to desire the gifts,) it is very important to make reading, studying, and memorizing the Word of God part of your daily lifestyle. You have to have a solid foundation to work from.
It is also important to be with a group of like-minded believers. First, to test what you are experiencing to see whether it is from God or not and to judge your assessment. Second, to learn from.
Aug 16, 2013 | Praise God | 0
When I was little, we used to spend a lot of time at my cousin’s house. My mom and my aunt...
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS | More
So what exactly is the “discerning of spirits?”
It is one of the Gifts of the Spirit. The King James Version translates it as “discerning of spirits.” The English Standard Version translates it as “distinguish between spirits.”
I think that both are true.
As with all of the spiritual gifts, the purpose is to build up the body of Christ. Each person is given a gift that is meant to work in coordination of another. Because of that, Paul instructs the church:
Read MoreAug 9, 2013 | Podcasts, Praise God | 0
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS | More
Most of the time when I’m in the car I’m either listening to my theme CD or KSBJ, but the other day I had the radio on a regular station and “People Like Us” by Kelly Clarkson came on. Even though I know it is a completely secular song, it struck me how closely the words reflected the battle that the Christian walk is.
Just as C.S. Lewis pointed out in his essay “Myth Became Fact” (God in the Dock) that we have a certain yearnings built into our DNA that were expressed in myth and fulfilled in Christ, many songs . . . the good ones anyway . . . are a cry out for the gifts God has promised us: love, peace, and joy.
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS | More
You often hear people say:
“They give me the willies”
“You look depressed.”
“It was a very tense situation.”
“I felt someone looking at me.”
When someone talks about picking up on the emotion of a person or the spirit/atmosphere in a situation, we understand what they mean. Ninety-three percent of communication is communication by something other than words.
Discerning of Spirits Meaning
But many times the concept of “discerning of spirits” is foreign, or a little uncomfortable for people.
Read MoreAug 2, 2013 | Praise God | 0
This album has been my “wake up” music lately. KSBJ plays “Build Your Kingdom Here” on the radio fairly often and I ended up buying the whole album.
It repeats the conviction that the change, and the Kingdom of God, is supposed to start with each one us.
A little over a year ago, a friend, Rozalie , called me and said “we” were doing a march in memory of the Holocaust in Kingwood.
At first, I didn’t realize that “we” included me. I used to organize a community event which was pretty big and people who were thinking about starting one would call me asking for advice.
That is what I what I thought she was doing . . . just asking for advice.
Read MoreAug 1, 2013 | Giving Thanks | 0
Today I am thankful for teamwork. We just finished VBS at Second and over 1900 kids came. I was in...
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS | More
One part of the Holocaust March of Remembrance memorial service, at least here in Houston, is the testimony of Nazi descendants telling the story of what their parents or grandparents did, expressing their repentance, and seeking forgiveness from Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It is a very powerful moment. It is also one that gets some people a little agitated. The concept of identificational repentance really bothers some Christians who think that we’re saved by grace that we don’t have to deal with any other baggage. Not only is the testimony of the Germans one of forgiveness, but there story is also one of how exposing and repenting of those actions not only set them free personally, but it has transformed their city. (Here is an article on the power of identificational repentance.)
So what does this have to do with this book? This past year, we had seven marches in two days in Houston. Six on Saturday in communities around the city in the formation of the Star of David and one in Central Houston on Sunday. Eleven Nazi descendants flew in on Friday to speak at the different locations. On Saturday night, the planning team had dinner with the Germans. We know their story. They are warring for change in their community by breaking the silence, exposing what really happened, and repenting. One of them asked Mitch, “So what does your city have to repent of?” He replied, “Well, we have the largest abortion mill in the nation, we are a major hub for human and sex trafficking . . . ” and went on with a list of other things.
Read More