No more ‘Walkman’ people.

Uncertainty is scary.
It is human nature to want to know everything and feel in control of every situation. We like to feel like we have some sort of remote we created and press buttons to our liking, settle for what we thing works for us, and never move from there because who knows what would happen if we did. But the dark side of always wanting to be in control and always go for what we know is that we will never get to experience new and exciting things, better things, or worse yet, we'll never know what God wants to bless us with. We’ll always stay behind in our own little bubble, surrounded by millions of needles ready to burst it in the worst way possible.

Remember the good ol’ Walkman? Oh, the 90s… Since the Walkman worked for us because is simple and easy to use, we settled for it, carrying a bunch of heavy cassettes around to listen to the good oldies when we could have accepted a change, a new device called the “Ipod”. (lol).

“What’s that?” “Is it safe?” “How do you use it?” “How do you know it’ll work?” “Why would I want that?” “What’s the benefit?”

“Nothing’s for sure.”

“Ok then, I won’t use it.”

Lame, right? Well, sadly, we tend to be 'Walkman' people in life. Whenever something new is coming, we tend to see it as a threat to our “customized” life and we question it endlessly before we end up rejecting it anyway. Since the Ipod is new and “unknown” to us, we reject it first-glance without knowing is a positive change and continue to use our beat-up Walkman and carry with the burden of all those heavy cassettes we know and love, or hate, but we don’t have time to toss those out. Yep, that’s how many of us live as Christians. Even though God wants to offer us a life of unlimited glory, new blessings for us every morning, to change our lives, completely, make us anew, for us to experience new levels in the spirit, of knowledge, love, blessings, etc . We get scared because it doesn’t “fit” into our plans or lifestyle. So, we end up being Christians who still carry the burden of the past with us, we settle for the blessings that worked in the past, and a systematic Christian life. We miss on what God is doing and moving today, we close our mind to the new, crazy things God yearns to do in our lives; we are simply clueless and miserable, and we end up blaming God for our misfortunes. We like to think that our plans are sacred and no one should mess with them, but as my mother always told me, “want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans…”

Something I realized along the way, is that believing in God is not enough, we have to believe Him. He loves us, and he knows exactly what is best for us. Everything he gives us and plans for us is for our own good and for the fulfillment of the dreams He placed in our hearts. If things suddenly change and you’re anxious because you don’t know what’s going to happen…BREATHE, and remember His promise, let God deal with it. Just rest in Him, knowing that He holds your world. He knows it all, we don’t. Isn’t it smart to give the remote to the One who really knows everything and exactly what we need?
I don’t know about you, but I will not settle for the walkman. I will not carry those old cassettes and hope for the best. I will not settle for what God did for me yesterday, or even today. I refuse to live a life in which I miss out of what God is doing. I will yearn for what He wishes to do tomorrow and embrace the changes that he wishes to bring in me and through me. Pain? That’s a given. No human being escapes pain, but I’d rather be inflicted by something glorious and good than inflicted by the world and its condemnation.

Crazy? Yep. That’s what is all about, baby. Living a life with God is crazy fun, and just...crazy, period. But the type of amazing and wonderful crazy you will never want to leave.
Get rid of your old walkman, the past is gone. Be open for what God wants to do today and tomorrow.

-Linda Angeles

Altars Band practicing

Altars Band Practice from altars band on Vimeo.

Do I truly Listen?

As I grow in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, I want to hear him speak and show me things more than I want to speak or share with him. I have realized that seeing, realizing, and understanding Gods truth about who I am and what is in me, both good and bad is necessary and liberating (the truth will set you free). We as Christ Followers all have things in us that we don't want in us because it hinders and or separates us from the God we love. So we surrender daily, we pray and ask for forgiveness, strength, grace, we worship him, we ask him for direction often. BUT do we take the time and focus to Listen to him....Do we really want to hear him? because if we did wouldn't we stay up, press in, and not stop until we did? or do we put way more effort an time into telling him things he already knows and asking things from him? (not that those are bad)  So we need to listen to God's more than were talking.
        BUT THEN IT HIT ME I do "listen" to the Lord allot...I hear his voice and word through other people, the bible, His Spirit, But do I always have the intention of obeying? The Hebrew meaning of the word "LISTENING" means to hear with the intent of obeying. I so often ask and listen and never truly intend and commit to obey. Sure I obey God allot of the time...but do I listen to him with the intent to obey no matter what? So I was challenged with this, this week so for anyone that might be reading this I challenge you: Do you talk to the Lord? do you Listen to him? and do you really listen with the intent of obeying. WE might have the DESIRE to listen, BUT OUR DESIRE TO OBEY MUST BE EVEN GREATER!
 BE BLESSED - the creator of all loves you!

Kyle

Lekker bru!!!

Today is a good day. I've been busy all morning. Took the parents to the airport, they both go on Kingdom assignments. Clean up the house.I have visitors!! lol Now I'm writting this, and later my friends from Florida arrive here to Raleigh. This weekend is gonna be busy, crazy,raw,firey, exciting, explosive, radical.... and well you get the idea.
Now definitely you should be part of this weekend!! this saturday at Altars of Worship Church, we have our incredible guests from AWC joining us in what is gonna be a night of intense worship and Godly craziness, so be there!! ;)
Now before I go, I'd like to leave here a verse that is been in my heart:

^31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

   They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
   We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Romans 8:31-39 MSG

Much love,
Gabriel

Put your Hope in His Unfailing Love

Why is that even though we know God's love never fails sometimes we still  try to find love and happiness somewhere else, we try to put our hope in other things, and we get distracted , we walk away from his love...
Psalms 33: 18 says that The eyes of God are on those whose hope is in His unfailing Love...


So where do you put your hope in?
your spouse?, friends?, money? your own effort?  or can you truly say your hope is in His unfailing Love.


the truth is that  nothing nor anybody has the ability to COMPLETELY satisfy  us with true happiness and love . When we hope that something or somebody makes us happy we are asking them to do something they can't do. Only God can do that!!! so if our hope is not in Him we are wasting our time.
But when your hope is in Him then His love flows through you and he gives you joy, a joy that doesn't go away even in the middle of trials and darkness. You are simply OK no mater what ,cause you know HE LOVES YOU!!   and then you can't help it but spread His love everywhere you go!


Put your hope in Him!!
His love never Fails !!!

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well Matthew 6:33

Fire and Water

I was reading the book of psalms this morning and this verse caught my attention:

    

"…We went through fire and water,

     but you brought us to a place of abundance"

     (psalm 66:12b)

It's never easy to go through situations that we would prefer not to go through.

I recently went through "fire and water" in my life and although it wasn't easy to face what I had to face I was amazed of how much strength and peace I had.  I realized that it is because God has used fire and water many times before to test me and refine me  that  I have learnt how to give Him my anxiety and trust Him.

It's because the "fire and water" that today I have the ability to enjoy the miracle of having peace in the midst of any circumstance.

It's because the "fire and water" that I keep growing and becoming more like Him and less like myself.

He doesn't take us to the "place of abundance" if we aren't ready for it.

He doesn't take us to the "place of abundance" if we still get anxious about everything.

He wants us to trust Him, He wants us to believe Him. He wants us to let Him lead us to the place of abundance.

Fire and water are elements that help us be less like ourselves and more like Him.

Trust Him!!! He knows how much fire and water we need before we can be in the place of abundance.


Gaby

Undefeated but Untested

As a background for you, I think I went through some of the hardest personal tests ever in the past year. I'll spare the details, as some are still unfolding, but here's some randomness that's still pretty fresh on my heart...

Sports can offer great parallels to the nature of life, and even walking with God. A few months ago, I read the words "...undefeated but untested..." in a news article describing a college football team (don't remember which team) and they caught my attention. This undefeated team's previous games were a mix of opponents who were of lower caliber and talent. Now, the winning team would face an all-around stronger, more demanding opponent. They would have to prove who they were by securing another win to garner more respect and weight in the college football arena. This opponent would test their substance and reveal their strengths and weaknesses. The writer of the article was implying that the winning team needed to be well prepared for the next game.

Most people dislike being tested - including yours truly. I've heard it said before that "personal trials reveal the worst in us". It's true. Often in the American church (and elsewhere, too), we're like the winning team, spiritually speaking - feeling 'undefeated' and 'cruising'  and taking things more lightly than we should - while untested and unprepared for bigger demands yet to come. The things we struggle with are relatively small, so when a weighty test comes we're caught "off guard", which means our perceptions are small and incomplete. Thankfully, the purposes of trials can better us...

Testings can often be 'layered' (especially in our culture), as we deal with certain constant life things, while other things are situation-specific. Here are a few things I've noticed:
- tests are (not always) made of uncomfortable pressures, both internal and external
- biblically, pressure is equated to fire - hence a FIERY TRIAL - see 1 Peter chapter 4
- tests can remove some personal security - depending on where it lies
- If we fail a test, it can breed self-disgust, regret and shame if aspects of God's nature aren't embraced
- tests can reveal blind spiritual perceptions, places in the heart that are hard and cold, and the reasons why if reflected upon

- tests are U-G-L-Y, not every battle is won
- our responses during tests are crucial, in that if we aren't getting the encouragement we need, it can affect how we go through the rest of it
- every ungodly thing we come up against is some kind of test, so remember Jesus' prayer not to take disciples out of the world
- there WILL BE emotional places you will have to, like King David, talk yourself out of  (encourage yourself or have someone help)
- tests are connected with people around you
- they can show you how close you are to God and how far there is to go at the same time

For me, it's daunting to think about these things through natural eyes because I, like you, am reminded of weakness, even in the face of victories - until I realize a lot of other people experience the same.

But a more powerful truth is the revelation of the INFINITE MERCIES of God. When I begin to think about those two words.......well........try it and see what happens.  It's like seeing a broad horizon after being sandwiched between two rock cliffs. By the way, why does the Bible call them "mercies"??  I believe it's because for every situation, He applies very specific love. Check out these relevant things that have recently resonated in my heart around this theme:

Our culture doesn't teach us how to properly handle failure or success... 
- Jim Sink

Failure is critical to success. Absence of war - absence of heroes. 
- Kim Clement

I'll take my cold, cold heart 

I'll take my unrenewed mind

I'll take Your Word in my hand 

And I'll give You time 

to come and melt me...

I can't even love you lest you call my name

I can't even worship lest you anoint my heart, God...

Come fan the flame...
- Misty Edwards

Well all I have to say

About these serious days

And the condition of my heart

Is they're both still as much a mystery to me

And they both get so hard
- John Mark Mcmillan, "Alive"

 

 Man, it's encouraging to know that other people (& more mature) go through the same REAL stuff I do. The grace and love of God are soooooo BIG...
- Brian (R)