Judgement Day, Some Wisdom From Capt. Jack Sparrow, and Biblical Truth

Well, according to billboards around the country, the Bible guarantees that today, May 21, is Judgement Day, and I, a Christian who loves God with all my heart, am still here after 10:00pm in California. I did not get taken up to be with Christ (nor did anyone else I know), nor can I find a verse in the Bible that guarantees that today (or any other day) is the appointed Judgement Day. But I did find a passage out of Christ's own mouth that I'm sure many of you have now heard regarding the rapture. That passage is Matthew 24:29-45, where Jesus told His disciples,

"“Immediately after the anguish of those days,

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will give no light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰And then at last, the ^fsign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.³¹And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

³²“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.³³In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.³⁴I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.³⁵Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

³⁶“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

Jesus’ Return Will Be Sudden

Matt 24:37-41; cp. Luke 17:26-27, 34-35

³⁷“When the Son of Man ^greturns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.³⁸In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.³⁹People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

⁴⁰“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.⁴¹Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming

Matt 24:42-51 // Luke 12:39-48

⁴²“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.⁴³Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.⁴⁴You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

⁴⁵“A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.⁴⁶If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.⁴⁷I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.⁴⁸But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’⁴⁹and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?⁵⁰The master will return unannounced and unexpected,⁵¹and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the ^hhypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

According to this passage, and to Christ Himself, not even Christ knew the exact time He would be returning, but He did guarantee that it would not be at an expected time, but instead like a burglar sneaking into one's house. Considering this passage, it seems more like the Bible guarantees Judgement Day wouldn't be today, a day when it was widely (and falsely) predicted.

No, the rapture did not take place today, but that does not mean that it won't ever take place. The Bible is clear that Christ will someday return to judge us. That day may not have been May 21, 2011, but as far as anyone knows could be tomorrow or next week or a day hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years from now. All we know is that it is coming and that the judge is standing at the door (James 5:9), and that I are to live our lives in a way that is Holy and pleasing to the Lord in expectation of that day.

I went to see Pirate's of the Caribbean today and Captain Jack Sparrow had some insightful words when it comes to knowing the hour of one's death. WARNING: May contain spoilers* As several crews raced to find the Fountain of Youth, a conversation between Black Beard and Captain Jack Sparrow brought up the question of whether or not it is preferable to know the hour of one's death. Capt. Jack ultimately decides that he prefers not to know the hour of his death, and his reasoning fits right in with God's reasoning for not allowing us to know the hour of Christ's return. Capt. Jack states that not knowing will allow him to live fully because he'll never know which moment will be his last. Many believers of the May 21st Judgement Day gave up everything and prepared for judgement day being today. GOD WANTS US TO LIVE EVERYDAY PREPARED. HE WANTS US TO FULLY LIVE OUT OUR FAITH AND KNOWS THAT WE WON'T DO THAT IF WE KNOW THE HOUR OF HIS RETURN.

I would like to end this post with a reminder of why the Bible is my guide. It is Spirit-breathed, not just made up words of one man or a certain group of men. Without it, there is no truth, for truth must be universal and not subject to the biases of men. Without it, men can make up anything they want and lead people to believe it. Without it, it is simply one word against another and anything goes; morality would not exist. And why do I believe that the Christian Bible is God-breathed and not simply man made, but not other religious texts? Because the Christian Bible contains no biases towards any group of people. According to Galations 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." There is no division among groups of people. Everyone is listed as a sinner, for as it says in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And EVERYONE is given the opportunity be saved through Christ Jesus for John 3:16 says that,“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." These words are from Christ's own mouth. The only condition for salvation is that we believe Him, that we have faith in Him. This is not the case with any religious text that was created by man with a personal agenda. Only God's agenda is for the benefit of ALL people.

God bless and may you live in His truth!

LIVING PROOF

Hello blog! Long time no see! Had something worth writing about today, though.

Today is what I like to call Security Day. A year ago today, April 24, 2010, was the Beth Moore So Long, Insecurity simulcast. It was the wrap up to 9 weeks of going through the book by the same title on the Living Proof Ministries blog. About a year and a half ago, my pastor brought up my insecurity. I felt God wanting to change that. The very next day, my lovely Siesta Mama, Beth Moore, announced the release of So Long, Insecurity on her blog as well as the fact that she'd be leading us through it if we chose to participate. As I participated and met with my pastor, my security began to grow. God was in the process of transforming my life. Finally, it was time for the simulcast. Beth chose to focus on Ephesians 4:17-24:

"With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." (NLT)

My old way of life had been corrupted from the deception that came from believing things about myself that weren't true based on ways people had treated me and lies. But after learning the truth that comes from Christ, the TRUTH about who I am, I was able to nail my old way of living to the cross with Christ and be raised to a new way of living with Him. I was ready to put on my new way of living created to be like God.

Yep, today is Security Day, but it is also Easter. The fact that they fall on the same day this year has tremendous meaning for me. Christ died so that I might be free from my insecurity, as well as other sins. Today, I am not just celebrating Christ's death and resurrection, but also the fact that I AM LIVING OF PROOF of what His death and resurrection are still accomplishing today. I am not just celebrating Christ's general victories, but His undeniable victories in my life that I have experienced. I am celebrating the fact that God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. I am celebrating that I am who God says I am and can do all things through Christ. I am celebrating that God's Word is alive and active in me and truly is life altering. I am more than a conqueror in Christ! Do I still struggle with insecurity? Of course, but not nearly as bad as I did before God began the process of ridding me of insecurity. It is a process, and one that God and I are continuing to take on together.

As I reflect, I have on my wrist my wristband from Living Proof Live in Fresno. I decided to keep it on until my rain comes. Every time I look at my wrist, I see the words "LIVING PROOF", and I am reminded that I am living proof of the power of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!

VOTE JOY!

Hey, everyone! The Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization founded by actress Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU) is in the running for a $250,ooo grant from Pepsi Refresh. If they win a grant, the grant will be used to help survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. To win the grant, they most be voted into one of the top 2 spots. you can help by clicking on the attached link and voting every day through February 28. This cause is very close to my heart. Please click on the link and help JHF win a one of these grants! VOTE JOY for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse!


http://www.refresheverything.com/votejoy

I'm Still Alive!

I thought I'd post something since I haven't posted in awhile. Ah, school! And work (thank God)! I got out of that pit with the help of my good friend (atleast I like to think so) Beth Moore. I am excited about writing the book that I feel commissioned to write. God has been encouraging me along the way and teaching me how to do this. Take that, Satan! I am also loving the teaching gift that I once thought I absolutely did not want. They say that someone who has the gift of worship will get fired up after seeing great worship. That's how it was for me at the Stockton LPL. Beth got me fired up about teaching. I am using this gift now as a high school youth group leader, and LOVING it! I am growing so much before embracing it, and Scott (my awesome pastor) has noticed a big change in my confidence level. I love that teaching brings me closer to God by forcing me to dig down deeper and to more actively engage in conversation with God!

I am happy to also say that Covenant Grove Church launched almost a month ago! Please keep our church in your prayers. We can't wait to see what God will do through the Grove!

God's been doing huge things in my life lately, and I am so incredibly grateful to Him! I would not trade walking with my Almighty Bridegroom for anything in the world! I pray that you also will feel His loving arms around you, no matter what season your life is in! God bless!

Book Update And A Prayer Request

Hey, everyone. As of now, the book officially has a beginning. God provided an awesome introduction (at least I think so) to help get me started. I'm still in the beginning process of taking notes, but for someone like me who is afraid of having absolutely no idea how to put a book together, having a beginning to the actual book gives me hope. So far God has been guiding me through this and providing resources, so I'm pretty sure this is something He wants me to do. Also, I as I read about videos being made by people who think that Prop 8 was all about hate, I feel that it is important to get this book about why marriage is sacred and how it represents our relationship to God done and out on shelves as soon as possible. One thing that frustrates me in the argument for gay marriage is the main argument: "Love is love." I want to provide a detailed description about the love in marriage and where it comes from, because "love is love," just doesn't satisfy my philosophical mind.

Please pray for me as Satan is attacking me throughout this process and I know he will continue to so even after the book is published. Currently, I am struggling with fears of incompetence. I have no idea how to write a book and I am afraid it won't turn out very well. I'm so afraid of failing. Please keep me in your prayers and pray that I will faithfully follow God through this and trust Him to guide me through it. My world the past year has been one where I have experienced so much hate from people because I believe marriage is sacred and is meant to be between one man and one woman. Sometimes I feel like the book will have no impact other than to make a target for a larger group of people looking for someone to take their anger out on. But then I remember Jesus on the cross. Satan came at Him with a large crowd of mockers, but He trusted in the power of God and the victory went to the ONE backed by the power of God, not to the many who mocked God. I'm going to trust that God will do the same with this book. Please, if you are reading this blog, I ask that you would stop by every once in awhile and leave a comment of encouragement to help me along. You have no idea how much I would appreciate it along this difficult journey! Thank you and God bless! I'll give you another update soon!

Prayer Request

Hi, everyone. I just talked to a young woman that Brad Wiiliams, Nicole Naravage, and I served with at an aborigine church in the southern part of Taiwan last year. The church was very small and within walking distance from a river in Pingtung County, which was hit hard by the typhoon. Fortunately, the person I talked to was not in the area and is fine, but she said that the village is full of water and someone is still missing in the river. Roads and bridges were also damaged, and the road to Pingtung is closed, so family members are unable to get down there. Please pray for that the person who is still missing will be found safe, as well as for all the others who are still missing. Please also pray that God will provide the much needed help and funds to repair the damage. Last but not least, please pray that God will bring good from this disaster by using it to bring people to Him. Thank you. Your prayers are much appreciated!

Don't Take The Girl

Hello peoples! I was driving home from my grandma's house tonight and Tim McGraw's song "Don't Take the Girl" came on the radio. The part where the wife is dying after having their baby and he pleads with God to let him take her place totally reminded me of Jesus on the cross. He came down to plead for God to take Him instead. Here's the verse of the song:

"Take the very breath You gave me.
Take the heart from my chest.
I'll gladly take her place if You'll let me.
Make this my last request.
Take me out of this world.
God, please don't take the girl."

Just like the song Jesus sang for us, His Bride, up there on the cross. Jesus showed us that GOD IS WILLING TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING EXCEPT US!!! Granted, He'll let us go if we choose to walk away, but He gave up EVERYTHING to hold on to those that choose Him. This song reminds me so much of God's love for His Bride. He gave His riches, and ultimately His life so that we might be spared. Take a few moments to reflect on this. God loves YOU more than ANYTHING! Out of every wonderful thing that God created, WE are His most treasured possession! I don't have the words to express how this makes me feel as I soak it in!

I pray for you to experience life in full knowledge of the fact that YOU are His Beloved! May He be with you on your journey. God bless!