5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
We should never be content with our journey with God. So many people say "I believe" or "I have faith" We should constantly be growing in our knowledge of Christ and what he wants for our lives. How sad is it for people of faith to be characterized by being called "ineffective and unproductive." I know several of you set goals for yourself...acedemic goals, athletic goals, financial goals, relationship goals...sadly many of us do not set any spiritual goals. Think about it. How absurd would it be to say "This time next month I want to do less. I want to be less productive. I want to be ineffective at my job. I want to repeat the same mistakes, furthermore, i want to learn new ones. I want to be the most pathetic football player the world has ever seen." Actually, that might not be so bad cuz at least you would be setting some sort of goal. Unfortunately, most of us just wonder like Forest Gump
"I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze..."
God's potential for us is so amazing. He has wonderous plans for your life. When i think about being an 11 year old in Our Lady of Peace Hospital...ate up with anger, resentment, frustration, rage, and self-loathing...it's hard for me to believe the blessings God has bestowed upon me and my family. I could have never imagined it. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that I hae a destiny. I AM NOT just floating around accidental like on a breeze. And we are doing a diservice to ourselves and our creator if we don't pursue him with everything so we can be "productive and effective." Peter instructs us that we should be continually putting things into practice. This is the secret to being "effective and productive". We should also remember Jesus' parable of the sower. The servant who buries his talent is called "wicked and lazy". Truly he did not invest all he had in finding out more about Christ. Putting his talents and opportunities to work. Worse yet those who do not put these things into practice are called "nearsighted and blind". You have forgotten all that Christ has paid on your behalf and simply respond with "I'm a Christian...I go to church...I believe". Friends, our goals shoul be so much higher than that. Set some spiritual goals for yourself. Grow in your knowledge of Christ. Practice Godly things outlined in Scripture. Don't you want to be "effective and productive"?
Hey guys! I went to see Mark Crutcher, a pro-life speaker and founder of Life Dynamics. They have made a great impact on the pro-death culture by investigating abortionists and planned parenthood clinics. Some of their discoveries include the selling of baby parts by abortion mills and Planned Parenthood fighting to protect child predators. Check out their website at www.deathroe.com
Don't forget about the show this weekend. Also, anyone who wants to go to the abortion mill to pray this Saturday, we will meet there at 7am. Let me know if you need a ride.
Also, we saw several amazing pro-life bands this weekend. Be sure to check out www.onedayless.net and www.thehouseofheroes.com They played the Rock for Life stage at Purple Door ad they were great. Continue to be a voice for the voiceless
10.08.05 Cincinnati, OH The Underground 1140 Smiley Ave. 8pm, $14/Adv, $17/Show, All Ages Project86 w/ Spoken, Number One Gun, Mourning September, The Fold www.theug.com
Last night as I was watching coverage of the disaster in New Orleans, I almost felt guilty that I was sitting in a warm, dry house. I had a full belly as I watched thousands of families trying just to make it to dry land. I know I have nothing to feel guilty about, but it is so hard to see this kind of devastation and loss of human life without being greatly saddened.
Stand True has been very vocal about pro-life being more than just anti-abortion. It is about the respect of personhood and the protection of all innocent human life from fertilization to natural death. The situation on the Gulf Coast is a pro-life issue, and it should be a concern to us.
First, I want to encourage everyone to spend some extra time in prayer for victims of this hurricane; prayer is the most powerful tool we have.
Here are some things we can focus on in prayer.
1. Pray for the fast and safe rescue of those still stranded in the floodwaters.
2. Pray for the safety of the police and other rescue workers giving so much to help.
3. Pray for those families who have lost loved ones.
4. Pray for provision for those without homes or food or even water.
5. Pray for the churches in the region as they try to reach out to those in need.
6. Pray for housing for those displaced and for those who are providing housing.
While I encourage you to pray for these things, there is something more important than all of these. We must pray for the souls of those who do not know Christ. So many people who are devastated and lost do not know where to turn for help. While the Red Cross may be able to give them physical help, what they need is a true Hope, and that Hope is Christ. I know when God saved me, I was at rock bottom in my life; and He as it says in Psalm 40:2 "lifted me out of a horrible pit of mud and mire and set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Many of these people are in that pit both physically and spiritually and need Christ to lift them out. Pray for hearts to turn to God as their hope and find the true rest they need in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Of course there are also the immediate physical and financial needs of many people, and we do encourage you to donate what you can. Many churches are collecting relief offerings to help those in need. Please find a way to help.
Here is a list of organizations that you can either donate through or volunteer with. While we do not necessarily agree with every thing all of these organizations stand for, we can agree that help is needed.
With all of this said, I must also let you know that during times like these, many small organizations lose much of their funding. We do ask that you give to the hurricane relief as you can, but please also remember the needs of Stand True during this time. While many people are suffering in the Gulf area, thousands of babies are still dying every day from abortion, and we need to be able to continue our work to save those lives also. You can make an online donation to Stand True at www.standtrue.com
For Christ I Stand,
Bryan Kemper
Scripture reflection
Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
