One night recently, the water service to some of our rental property was interrupted. Two voicemail messages, one personal visit and another phone call later, the unhappy tenants wanted their water back immediately even though it was 10:00 pm and pitch dark. After relating to them that it would be tomorrow morning before we could assess the problem, these individuals told me of their urgent need for water. It was not to alleviate thirst or hunger, they simply wanted to take a shower. After declining the offer to use my bathroom facilities, they resigned themselves to go to bed dirty this one time.
Oh that we would crave spiritual cleansing from sin the way we desire physical cleanliness. It's almost unthinkable that we would have to go to bed carrying on our bodies the day's dirt, grime and odor when water for washing is so readily available. However, we are perfectly satisfied to retire for the night bearing rotten, stinking sins in our hearts. Our Savior was crucified and His innocent blood was shed so that we might be cleansed from all sin and unrighteousness. His forgiveness and purification is just a prayer away.....
Father, instill in us the daily need for the cleansing power of Your Son's blood. Make us miserable with the dirt and grime of sin so that we would never go to bed dirty.
Lisa Barnes
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Love for One Another
John 13:34-35 - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Wanted to put a great scripture on my facebook status page this morning and the one above was on the forefront of my mind. These are the words of Jesus! Notice this is a commandment not a suggestion. We are commanded to love one another as HE loved us. He then goes on to tell us that by this Love ALL men will KNOW that we are His disciples "if.....we have love for one another."
How did Jesus love us? Well, go back to the Word of God, walk with Jesus through the pages of the New Testament. He loved without an agenda or a wrong motive. He loved unconditionally. He loved without partiality. He loved those hard to love. He loved those easy to love. He loved those closest to Him but also loved those who were not in His intimate circle. He didn't love out of a sense of "what will I get" or "what will they do for me. His love was pure, undefiled, impartial and Holy. His love was selfless, sacrificial, saving, sanctifying, supernatural and secure.
So, can others look at our lives and tell we are His disciples because of the love we have for one another?
Renee
Wanted to put a great scripture on my facebook status page this morning and the one above was on the forefront of my mind. These are the words of Jesus! Notice this is a commandment not a suggestion. We are commanded to love one another as HE loved us. He then goes on to tell us that by this Love ALL men will KNOW that we are His disciples "if.....we have love for one another."
How did Jesus love us? Well, go back to the Word of God, walk with Jesus through the pages of the New Testament. He loved without an agenda or a wrong motive. He loved unconditionally. He loved without partiality. He loved those hard to love. He loved those easy to love. He loved those closest to Him but also loved those who were not in His intimate circle. He didn't love out of a sense of "what will I get" or "what will they do for me. His love was pure, undefiled, impartial and Holy. His love was selfless, sacrificial, saving, sanctifying, supernatural and secure.
So, can others look at our lives and tell we are His disciples because of the love we have for one another?
Renee
Saturday, May 8, 2010
A Lesson I Learned About God from My Dog.
A few mornings ago, I was sitting on the couch, praying and spending time in the word. I looked over at the carpet and there was a pile of white stuffing out of one of Gracie’s toys. She loves to pull the stuffing out of every toy in order to get to the squeaker. I really paid little attention to that mess until my husband walked into the room. He was annoyed and said, “I just vacuumed the carpet last night and now there is another mess.” (He hates the stuffing out of toys.) As soon as he said it, I responded without thought, “God’s mercies are new every morning.” It was a light bulb moment. Then I smiled as I got it.
Every day I make a mess, but because God loves me and “His compassions never fail, and they are new every morning”, (Lam.3:22-23) He cleans up my mess.
Thank you Lord that you are patient with me and you still are willing to clean up my messes.
Walking by faith,
Jane Wolfe
Every day I make a mess, but because God loves me and “His compassions never fail, and they are new every morning”, (Lam.3:22-23) He cleans up my mess.
Thank you Lord that you are patient with me and you still are willing to clean up my messes.
Walking by faith,
Jane Wolfe
Monday, May 3, 2010
Are You a Christian?
This was the question I was asked as I sat at the ticket table at the recital this weekend. My response was, "Yes!" The woman who stood before me said, "Then I can trust you..."and she then went on to explain what she needed from me.
As I pondered this encounter, I thought about how much better life would be if we all could simply ask someone, "Are you a Christian?"and that answer would unequivocally determine whether or not that person was trustworthy.
Frederick Nietzsche said, "I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed." So I ask you, Are you a Christian?
Janette
As I pondered this encounter, I thought about how much better life would be if we all could simply ask someone, "Are you a Christian?"and that answer would unequivocally determine whether or not that person was trustworthy.
Frederick Nietzsche said, "I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed." So I ask you, Are you a Christian?
Janette
Thursday, April 22, 2010
EMPTY WELLS
Empty Wells
John 4:5-26
What empty wells are you drinking from?
The woman we know as “the woman at the well” knew what it was like to drink from empty wells! She had tried to satisfy her thirst through her relationships w/men, several marriages, her religion, her daily rituals and routines, only to come up EMPTY! Most women came to the well in the cool of the day. It was a place of sharing and community. This woman came to the well in the heat of the day, when no other women were there. She didn’t want anyone to cast judgment on her for she was living with a man who was not her husband and had been divorced several times. Can you Imagine how worthless, unlovable and well, empty she must have felt? On this particular day she would meet someone who would change her life forever!
One day, a day like any other day, she came to the well carrying her water pot. She was alone with no one to talk or share the latest news with. As she began to draw up the water from the well, she heard a man say, “Give me a drink“. She was astonished at this! After all, he was a man and on top of that a Jew! It was not the custom in that time for a man to speak to a woman that was alone. Now here is a Jewish man asking her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink of water! That man was none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah! He didn't come to judge her or condemn her. Earlier in the passage we are told that Jesus “must” go through Samaria. He had a divine appointment with a certain Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Now was her appointed time to receive the gift of salvation, to drink from the Living Water!
She had come to the well for one purpose to draw enough water to get by on for a day or so. She never dreamed that today would be the day God would draw her to himself through His Son Jesus Christ. She came carrying her empty water pot, but once she met Jesus Christ, her life was transformed. Scripture tells us that she left her water pot and ran to tell everyone about her encounter with the Christ. You see, her water pot represented her old life. An empty, thirsty, void of purpose, love, acceptance, security and satisfaction life. After her encounter with the Living Water of Jesus Christ her heart was filled, no longer empty, no longer did she hang her head in shame. She had drunk deep from the well of Life.
How about you? What empty wells are you drinking from? Will you leave your water pot and come and drink deep from the well of LIFE in Christ Jesus?
"But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water
springing up to eternal life."
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Are you relevant and reverant?
I love American Idol. Actually, I am an American Idol junky!!!! I never miss an episode and, thanks to a DVR, I might watch one twice, if it was a really great show. I love the growth process of talented people as they strive to become a great singer, performer and star. It is ever so obvious that some have it and some don’t. Over and over I have heard Simon, my favorite judge, explain that each contestant must take the older song from whatever genre is chosen, and make it their own rendition AND make it relevant, fresh and current, if they are to succeed. The singers seem to really struggle with this. They know enough not to change the words, but they often just do a repeat performance of the original and it seems old fashioned, at best.
As I thought about how those singers struggle to take the old and make it real and relevant, I realized that we have the same struggle in the church today. In our fight to make scripture come alive, we have gotten confused and the lost our reverence for the Word. Where an Idol participant would never change the words to the song, just the arrangement in order to package it freshly, the Christian culture of the late 20th and early 21st century has wanted to change not only the words but the meaning! Our culture has demanded a change and we are giving them the wrong one.
As we look back over the decades of music, we see that Elvis produced music on 45’s, one song at a time. As a little girl, I listened to my favorite tunes on 45’s. Then, along came an album, multiple songs, half on side 1 and then half on side 2. My heart throb was Bobby Sherman; the album cover and poster hung on my wall. Many of us still have stacks of albums and an old worn out record player that we are not quite sure what to do with. Next, in the line of musical applications came the 8 track tape player. I guess it was necessary to move us forward, but was an awkward season at best. It was such a short season that I never even owned one. Cassettes were the next move. Now, cassettes hung around for a while. I have dozens of cassettes stuffed in a drawer and a great Sony Walkman that played those cassettes as I walked. The player though, outlasted the generation of the cassette and we moved onto CD’s. A decade later and mp3’s became the rage. I am on my third mp3 player. I hope we stay here a while because I love the simplicity of downloading music and putting my headphones into my small iPod and off I go. I have 1000’s of songs at my fingertips. I am only 47 years old and I have gone through all of these musical application changes. I can still hear the oldies exactly as they were and I can hear everything new and current also. But, what if I was resistant to the change? I would be lost in the cassette world and have to drive an old car because there are no longer cassette players in the new ones.
For some churches today, they seem to have gotten stuck in the 8 track tape era but in order be relevant they have simply changed the words to the Bible and the meaning. This is not relevance this is irreverence. It is about the freedom to change the packaging to make it relevant, but having integrity and respect for the artist, God, keeping it reverent. We can change the application to keep it fresh and current for this new generation. We can use power point, mp3 players, skits, drama, and even dance. God will not be offended by our fresh changes. What offends God is when we are irreverent to the word and we change the meaning and the words. We can never change the intent of the Word because the climate and the culture are shifting.
We would never do this with an Elvis song. "You Ain't nothing but a Hounddog" will always be "You ain't nothing but a Hounddog". We might speed it up or slow it down but we would never change the words. We might listen to it still in album form or on the current mp3 player but Elvis is Elvis and no amount of application change will change his music. So, why then are we intent on changing the words and meaning of the Word of God to meet our culture and resistant to fresh delivery means. We might consider dance irreverent to express our worship but yet we will be open to tolerance for sin saying the Word was written 2000 years ago and is not the same today.
HOW WRONG WE ARE!!!! As the church we need to get up to speed and become fresh and relevant in our technology and meet this generation where they are at. We need to freshen our application process to meet each man, woman, child and teen where they are at without ever compromising the integrity of GODS’ WORD!!!! Make it relevant but keep it reverent!
Jane Wolfe
As I thought about how those singers struggle to take the old and make it real and relevant, I realized that we have the same struggle in the church today. In our fight to make scripture come alive, we have gotten confused and the lost our reverence for the Word. Where an Idol participant would never change the words to the song, just the arrangement in order to package it freshly, the Christian culture of the late 20th and early 21st century has wanted to change not only the words but the meaning! Our culture has demanded a change and we are giving them the wrong one.
As we look back over the decades of music, we see that Elvis produced music on 45’s, one song at a time. As a little girl, I listened to my favorite tunes on 45’s. Then, along came an album, multiple songs, half on side 1 and then half on side 2. My heart throb was Bobby Sherman; the album cover and poster hung on my wall. Many of us still have stacks of albums and an old worn out record player that we are not quite sure what to do with. Next, in the line of musical applications came the 8 track tape player. I guess it was necessary to move us forward, but was an awkward season at best. It was such a short season that I never even owned one. Cassettes were the next move. Now, cassettes hung around for a while. I have dozens of cassettes stuffed in a drawer and a great Sony Walkman that played those cassettes as I walked. The player though, outlasted the generation of the cassette and we moved onto CD’s. A decade later and mp3’s became the rage. I am on my third mp3 player. I hope we stay here a while because I love the simplicity of downloading music and putting my headphones into my small iPod and off I go. I have 1000’s of songs at my fingertips. I am only 47 years old and I have gone through all of these musical application changes. I can still hear the oldies exactly as they were and I can hear everything new and current also. But, what if I was resistant to the change? I would be lost in the cassette world and have to drive an old car because there are no longer cassette players in the new ones.
For some churches today, they seem to have gotten stuck in the 8 track tape era but in order be relevant they have simply changed the words to the Bible and the meaning. This is not relevance this is irreverence. It is about the freedom to change the packaging to make it relevant, but having integrity and respect for the artist, God, keeping it reverent. We can change the application to keep it fresh and current for this new generation. We can use power point, mp3 players, skits, drama, and even dance. God will not be offended by our fresh changes. What offends God is when we are irreverent to the word and we change the meaning and the words. We can never change the intent of the Word because the climate and the culture are shifting.
We would never do this with an Elvis song. "You Ain't nothing but a Hounddog" will always be "You ain't nothing but a Hounddog". We might speed it up or slow it down but we would never change the words. We might listen to it still in album form or on the current mp3 player but Elvis is Elvis and no amount of application change will change his music. So, why then are we intent on changing the words and meaning of the Word of God to meet our culture and resistant to fresh delivery means. We might consider dance irreverent to express our worship but yet we will be open to tolerance for sin saying the Word was written 2000 years ago and is not the same today.
HOW WRONG WE ARE!!!! As the church we need to get up to speed and become fresh and relevant in our technology and meet this generation where they are at. We need to freshen our application process to meet each man, woman, child and teen where they are at without ever compromising the integrity of GODS’ WORD!!!! Make it relevant but keep it reverent!
Jane Wolfe
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Prodigals - We Pray, God Pursues!
Luke 15:4-6; 11-24
Are you the mother of a prodigal? If so, have you been pursuing your child in order to bring him back to the fold? You know what I mean; do you find yourself filled with anxiety, pleading, preaching and prodding them? One more question; in the words of Dr. Phil, "How's that working for ya?"
After a few years of preaching, prodding, worrying and yes praying, I am finally understanding that as our children become adults our role as mother changes. While we still have influence in their lives, the way we go about it should be drastically different. Our job of laying the ground work and the foundation is over. We are to love them unconditionally, be a listening ear and speak the truth when the Holy Spirit leads us, but our main job is to PRAY and let God PURSUE!
Recently, when I shared these words at our retreat, Jane reminded us that God's feet are swift, He can pursue like no other! I am also reminded that not only are God's feet swifter than mine but His arm is longer and His reach is farther. Our prayers for our wayward children are part of the long arm of God.
He is the Good and Chief Shepherd! He will leave the ninety-nine and go after the one who has strayed or is lost in the wilderness. What encouragement to a mother of a prodigal. One day they will return to the fold. The Great Shepherd of their souls will welcome them with open arms, a kiss on the neck and cover them with His righteous robe.
Until then my sisters...."We PRAY and God PURSUES!
Praying Twenty-Four Seven!
Jeremiah 24:7
Renee
Are you the mother of a prodigal? If so, have you been pursuing your child in order to bring him back to the fold? You know what I mean; do you find yourself filled with anxiety, pleading, preaching and prodding them? One more question; in the words of Dr. Phil, "How's that working for ya?"
After a few years of preaching, prodding, worrying and yes praying, I am finally understanding that as our children become adults our role as mother changes. While we still have influence in their lives, the way we go about it should be drastically different. Our job of laying the ground work and the foundation is over. We are to love them unconditionally, be a listening ear and speak the truth when the Holy Spirit leads us, but our main job is to PRAY and let God PURSUE!
Recently, when I shared these words at our retreat, Jane reminded us that God's feet are swift, He can pursue like no other! I am also reminded that not only are God's feet swifter than mine but His arm is longer and His reach is farther. Our prayers for our wayward children are part of the long arm of God.
He is the Good and Chief Shepherd! He will leave the ninety-nine and go after the one who has strayed or is lost in the wilderness. What encouragement to a mother of a prodigal. One day they will return to the fold. The Great Shepherd of their souls will welcome them with open arms, a kiss on the neck and cover them with His righteous robe.
Until then my sisters...."We PRAY and God PURSUES!
Praying Twenty-Four Seven!
Jeremiah 24:7
Renee
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Good, Best, Despised or Worthless
1st Samuel 15:9
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the Best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good and were not willing to destroy them utterly, but everything despised and worthless that they utterly destroyed.
To appreciate this verse and gain new insight from it you must read the first 14 chapters but especially the first 9 verses of chapter 15.
God told Saul through His prophet & priest Samuel to utterly destroy Amalek and all that he had, do not spare anyone or anything. Destroy it all. As you read the rest of the 8 verses you will see Saul prepared his soldiers and came to the city of Amalek. He let another people group go because of their kindness to Israel and the verse says, Saul defeated the Amalekites, but wait, in verses 8 & 9 we see He captures King Agag and destroys all the people, but He and the people spared the king and what they deemed the best and the good they were unwilling to utterly destroy, but what they deemed to be despised and worthless they utterly destroyed! Yet, God said to utterly destroy it all!
I couldn't get past this verse. So I looked up the words good, best, despised and worthless. Good means: bountiful, fertile, suitable, free from injury or disease, profitable or advantageous. Best: offering or producing greatest advantage, most productive of good. Despised: to look down on with contempt (like the weak), to regard as negligible, worthless or distasteful. Worthless: lacking worth, useless, contemptable, despicable (a worthless criminal).
After pondering these eight verses I learned a lesson or two. We like King Saul think we know better than God what is good, best, despised or worthless. Even when God commands us to exterminate or walk away from something in our life that will eventually destroy us;we listen, but we don't heed His instructions to utterly destroy that which He says is despised or worthless. Another lesson learned is that what God deems to be best and good, we so often see as worthless or despised. We like Saul think we are in a position to judge whether something is good, best, despised or worthless.
I thought about this on a larger scale. Think about Adolf Hitler, he thought he knew what was "good & best" and who should be exterminated. He saw the Jewish people as a people group to be despised and considered worthless. He convinced many to follow his ideology and almost pulled it off. But GOD would never allow His chosen people to be exterminated.
How about the decision to expell prayer from public schools? We as a people thought we knew better than Almighty God that we could decide what was good, best and worth keeping and what was despised and worthless and should be utterly destroyed. We are now paying the consequences of that decision.
I then began to think about the aborted babies, mentaly ill, elderly and terminally ill. People who society might consider "weak", useless, not the best for the "common good." Of course you can't get away from God's word without it coming right back around to you personally. I asked myself why do I think I am in a position to judge what is good, best, despised and worthless apart from God's word? Who or what do I see as despised or worthless, is it a certain race, religion, a certain people group? Do I see criminals as someone to be despised and worthless? How about the homeless people all around me, do I think they are to be despised and worthless?
Oh how far we have come as a nation, not for the BEST or for the GOOD, but for the worst. We have decided that what God says is good and best is the very thing we see as despised and worthless. Our philosophies of life, our ideologies and our worldview has been poisoned and perverted. Our nation must turn back to God in true repentance. Especially His people who have been saved by the Son of the Living God must turn back to His word. We must read and know our instruction manual.
It is through hearing and heeding His word that we will be able to discern the good, best, despised and worthless. It is by the principles of His word that our nation was founded and established upon. Apart from His Word, His Instuction, His power & promises in our lives we will continue to be like King Saul, being deceived by our own perception of truth to the point that we no longer think we are wrong and He is right, but replacing His mission and His truth with our own version of it.
Following His Lead,
Renee Peebles
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the Best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good and were not willing to destroy them utterly, but everything despised and worthless that they utterly destroyed.
To appreciate this verse and gain new insight from it you must read the first 14 chapters but especially the first 9 verses of chapter 15.
God told Saul through His prophet & priest Samuel to utterly destroy Amalek and all that he had, do not spare anyone or anything. Destroy it all. As you read the rest of the 8 verses you will see Saul prepared his soldiers and came to the city of Amalek. He let another people group go because of their kindness to Israel and the verse says, Saul defeated the Amalekites, but wait, in verses 8 & 9 we see He captures King Agag and destroys all the people, but He and the people spared the king and what they deemed the best and the good they were unwilling to utterly destroy, but what they deemed to be despised and worthless they utterly destroyed! Yet, God said to utterly destroy it all!
I couldn't get past this verse. So I looked up the words good, best, despised and worthless. Good means: bountiful, fertile, suitable, free from injury or disease, profitable or advantageous. Best: offering or producing greatest advantage, most productive of good. Despised: to look down on with contempt (like the weak), to regard as negligible, worthless or distasteful. Worthless: lacking worth, useless, contemptable, despicable (a worthless criminal).
After pondering these eight verses I learned a lesson or two. We like King Saul think we know better than God what is good, best, despised or worthless. Even when God commands us to exterminate or walk away from something in our life that will eventually destroy us;we listen, but we don't heed His instructions to utterly destroy that which He says is despised or worthless. Another lesson learned is that what God deems to be best and good, we so often see as worthless or despised. We like Saul think we are in a position to judge whether something is good, best, despised or worthless.
I thought about this on a larger scale. Think about Adolf Hitler, he thought he knew what was "good & best" and who should be exterminated. He saw the Jewish people as a people group to be despised and considered worthless. He convinced many to follow his ideology and almost pulled it off. But GOD would never allow His chosen people to be exterminated.
How about the decision to expell prayer from public schools? We as a people thought we knew better than Almighty God that we could decide what was good, best and worth keeping and what was despised and worthless and should be utterly destroyed. We are now paying the consequences of that decision.
I then began to think about the aborted babies, mentaly ill, elderly and terminally ill. People who society might consider "weak", useless, not the best for the "common good." Of course you can't get away from God's word without it coming right back around to you personally. I asked myself why do I think I am in a position to judge what is good, best, despised and worthless apart from God's word? Who or what do I see as despised or worthless, is it a certain race, religion, a certain people group? Do I see criminals as someone to be despised and worthless? How about the homeless people all around me, do I think they are to be despised and worthless?
Oh how far we have come as a nation, not for the BEST or for the GOOD, but for the worst. We have decided that what God says is good and best is the very thing we see as despised and worthless. Our philosophies of life, our ideologies and our worldview has been poisoned and perverted. Our nation must turn back to God in true repentance. Especially His people who have been saved by the Son of the Living God must turn back to His word. We must read and know our instruction manual.
It is through hearing and heeding His word that we will be able to discern the good, best, despised and worthless. It is by the principles of His word that our nation was founded and established upon. Apart from His Word, His Instuction, His power & promises in our lives we will continue to be like King Saul, being deceived by our own perception of truth to the point that we no longer think we are wrong and He is right, but replacing His mission and His truth with our own version of it.
Following His Lead,
Renee Peebles
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Remain Under
In Exodus 32 the children of God cast off all restraints and indulged in complete revelry. They not only cast off their gold rings to make a golden calf "god", but also cast off the leadership of Moses, the man of God.
Jane shared with us the meaning of perseverance which means the same thing as endurance in the original language: hypo(under), mi no' (abide) - abide under, remain under.
Moses was to remain under the covering of God. The people were to remain under the covering of their leader Moses, who at the time of their rebellion against all authority was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God Almighty!
They chose to come out from under the covering of their authority, casting off all restraints! Their very place of holiness, health, harmony and help. We are no different today. Even on this side of Calvary, we somehow think casting off all restraints in the name of "freedom" is a good thing. It is just the opposite. God puts us in places where we are called to remain under so we will live holy, healthy, harmonious and helpful lives.
What authorities or restraints has God placed in your life that you are wanting to CAST OFF? Could it be Christ, the Word of God, husband, boss, parents, teachers, healthy eating and exercise?
Before you cast off your "restraints" better ask yourself this question: Am I willing to endure the consequences that will not only affect me but the next generation by casting off what God means for my good and His glory?
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