Tyler's Story Goes National!

It's truly amazing what God is doing through through the struggles of a young man in Montana.

I've been following the story of Tyler Boshae for about 9 months now.

Tyler, who's an avid SOS listener in Missoula, has a very severe case of Tourette Syndrome.

This condition causes involuntary muscle movements known as "tics".

It's made his life so very difficult.

They had to put him in a coma not too long ago so that his body could rest.

This Christ follower has been a guest on the show and let me tell ya... his faith in God despite this challenge is truly inspiring!

As he told me... "I know God is going to use this for His glory and my good!"

Just recently Tyler underwent a major brain operation to reduce his symptoms.

Despite the risks, he came through just fine!

A lot of SOS listeners have been praying for him.

I hope you're one of them!

They're still raising money to help pay for his medical expenses.

All of the details plus updates on his condition can be found on this website:

http://www.clubtwitch.com/

Tyler's story was featured on Inside Edition this week!

Tyler Boshae Inside Edition Click here to download

I'm told People Magazine and Good Morning America may be covering the story as well!

Yes Tyler... God will use it for your good.

And HIS glory!

Elizabeth George: Following God With All Your Heart

Hey ladies... just a reminder:

Author and Bible teacher Elizabeth George will be in the Las Vegas Valley for a conference this weekend.

She's written so many best-selling books.

Her most famous one is "A Woman After God's Own Heart".

The focus this weekend will be following God with all your heart.

This is really powerful stuff.

If you can't make the conference be sure to get the book.

But if you're here in Southern Nevada I want to encourage you to invest in your spiritual growth by checking out the conference.

Here are the details:

Elizabeth George Women's Conference

Date: Friday May 1st 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.Saturday May 2nd 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Location: Green Valley Baptist Church, 270 North Valley Verde Dr.,Henderson

Description: Hear Elizabeth George live, as she encourages women in their walk with Christ. Tickets are $40.00 thru April 25th, no tickets mailed after that date. $50.00 at the door, if there are any left! For tickets or information call 702-434-1906 or www.greenvalleybc.org .Free childcare provided BY RESERVATION ONLY. For childcare reservations, please contact Liz Tretina at 459-1029 or jjeers83@cox.net

Elizabeth joined us on the show recently.

Many of her comments were so awesome.

Click on the link below to listen:

Elizabeth George on SOS: http://www.box.net/shared/hljned37gu

Blessings your way today!

Not The Original Apostles But More Funny I'm Sure

For all of our listeners in Missoula, Montana and Salt Lake City, Utah heads up:

The Apostles of Comedy Tour is on the way this week.

Click here for the details: http://www.sosradio.net/200812/concert.html

One of the Christian comedians on this tour joined us on the show yesterday from Los Angeles.

His name is Ron Pearson.

No doubt you've seen some of his great work on television.

Click here to listen to our conversation:

Ron Pearson-Apostles of Comedy: http://www.box.net/shared/ob24ucb624

And remember: Laughter is very biblical.

No Joke.

Proverbs 17:22 (ESV) " A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

I'll pass on the dried up bones, thank you!

A Thought To Live With

I'm so focused on my future that I'm missing something important.

Walking with God today.

Wow.

What a wake-up call.

I think I'll live with that simple yet profound thought for the rest of the day.

Psalm 118:24 (ESV) "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Don't Rob The Cross

Recently I had a conversation with someone about the meaning of the cross.
This person claimed that many Christians view the cross in an "unhelpful way."

Alarms went off inside my spirit.

Basically, his position is that we should never view Jesus' death on the cross as taking the wrath of God for our sins.

How could a loving father torture and kill his own son?

Isn't that cosmic child abuse?

Instead.. he went on to say... we need to focus on God's love at the cross.

More alarms went off.

Big ones this time.

They were almost too loud to hear what else he was saying.

But I got it.

He claimed this whole "wrath of God" thing makes us fear the Lord.

He didn't mean fear as in "have reverence and awe for a perfect and Holy God."

He meant be afraid of Him.

There's big difference between the two.

What about the Old Testament "fear of the lord"... that reverence and awe?

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."

That's just one occurrence out of 1,272 in the Old Testament.

Okay.

That's the Old Testament, he says.

In the New Testament, there's a new covenant.

Jesus changed all that stuff.

Oh really?

"Yes," he says, and then quotes this verse:

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Sounds good.

Until you read the context of the verse.

Paul was referring to Timothy using his gifts in ministry, boldly doing what God asked him to do.

2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV) "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."

The truth is God is not only Holy and Just.

He's also merciful and forgiving.

There's the dilemma.

How can I remain true to My Holiness and yet offer mercy.....forgiveness of sins?

I must punish sin.

But I am love.

I'll send My own Son to take the punishment.

Because I love people.

What I demand, I will provide.

Isaiah 53:10 (ESV) "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."

The will of the Lord to crush Jesus.

For your sins.

For my sins.

That is love.

John 15:13 (ESV) "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends."

I think we've lost a true fear of God these days.

And it robs the Lord of His Glory.

And Jesus Himself said this:

Luke 12:4-5 (ESV) "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

That's a healthy fear.

Isaiah 66:2 (ESV) "All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

He's the King.

We trust in the Lord.

He is always for us.. and loves us!

Romans 8:32 (ESV) "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

Yes, Jesus rose from the grave.

Yes, He defeated sin and death.

He is Risen!

But those who want to focus only on the Risen Lord and refuse to linger at the cross need to remember something.

The nail holes remain in His hands and feet.

John 20:25 (ESV) So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."

John 20:26-27 (ESV) Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."

We will remember the cross for eternity.

The blood poured out for our forgiveness.

The blood that makes this new life possible.

God Holy and Just.

Full of mercy and loving kindness.

He took His own wrath.

I'll never tire of thinking about it.

Pure joy in my heart.

I bow down.

I worship.

Again and again.

Dying To Live

To truly live as a follower of Christ, we must die.

Die to our own agenda.

Our own way of doing things.

Only then can we be fully used by God.

Dying in this way isn't easy.

It sure doesn't come naturally, does it?

Let these words of Jesus fill your mind and heart:

Matthew 10:38-39 (ESV) ".. whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "

Striving to keep your life today?

You'll never be truly satisfied.

Lose it.

For His sake.

It's worth it!


I love Clive Calver's new book "Dying to Live".

I recently chatted with him and lifted some highlights of our conversation for a Total Impact segment.


If you missed it, I hope you'll click on the link below to listen:

Total Impact-Dying To Live: http://www.box.net/shared/p0mpxh6u6i

The Plan Is Still The Plan

Remember when the Israelites sent the spies into the land God had promised to give them?

Here they were in the wilderness.

After unbelievable miracles God led them out of Egypt.

The memory of the parting of the Red Sea alone should have given them great confidence.

But no.

The spies came back.

Here's the majority report:

Numbers 13:31-33 (ESV) "Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are."

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."

Here's the minority report from the other spies, Joshua and Caleb:

Numbers 14:6-10 (ESV) And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, "The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land.

If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them." Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones..."

Having confidence that God will do what He promised to do can make you unpopular.

Maybe you know all about that.

But there wasn't a stoning.

God was in control as He always is.

In the end, because of their unbelief, God sent the whole nation into the wilderness.

For 40 years of wandering.

All of the Israelites.

Even faithful Joshua and Caleb.

God used these two men as spiritual leaders all of that time.

That generation passed from the scene.

But...

Numbers 14:38 (ESV) "Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive."

God honored their faithfulness by using them as the key leaders when Israel finally headed into the Promised Land.

What an adventure!

God used them in many great victories.

As Henry Blackaby writes....

"The decisions and disobedience of others will not cancel God's will for you. Other people's actions will affect you, but no one can prevent what God wants to do in and through you."

For me, those words are like fresh water to a thirsty spirit.

Kid's Letters To God

Yesterday on the show I mentioned it was my youngest's birthday.

Nicolas turned 9.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, I played something he recorded here in our studios some time ago.

He read a few letters to God written by real kids.

I don't think I could have read them nearly as well!

Click on the link below to take a listen.

Kid's Letters To God: http://www.box.net/shared/2qcjdlrzo5

I hope they make you smile:)

Empty Nets

In the days following the Resurrection, Jesus appeared many times to His disciples.

But In John 21 I absolutely love this snapshot:

John 21:3-7 (ESV) "Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, do you have any fish?" They answered him, "No."

He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea."

Peter says "I'm going fishing."

The guys say "Yeah, us too."

I love it.

Even though they had seen the Resurrected Lord a couple of times, they still didn't know exactly what that meant for them.

So they just fell into default mode.

We know fishing.

I mean really know fishing.

So they try and try to catch some fish.

Nada.
Nothing.
Zippo.

"Maybe we're a little out of practice."

"This is tougher than I remember."

And then Jesus shows up and tells them to try again.

This sounds oddly familiar.

"Hey guys.. remember?"

Luke 5:3-7 (ESV) "Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink."

The ultimate catch of the day twice in one lifetime.

Been toiling?

Working hard to make it happen?

"I don't know what else to do!"

"Where do I go now?"

"I'll just retreat into my comfort zone."

And fish.

The empty net mocks you.

But that's okay.

Empty nets can hold a much bigger miracle.

Financial Hope

If you're having financial challenges, you need hope.

Not just pie-in-the-sky stuff.

Biblical hope that brings God into the equation.

God's economy for the believer is both practical and faith building.

That's why I love having financial expert Mary Hunt on our Total Impact segment.

Every single time I'm blessed.

She's going to be at Green Valley Baptist Church this Sunday in Henderson, NV.

Maybe going to this event will be an answer to prayer for you.

Here are the details:

Meet Mary Hunt: How To Get Control of Your Finances

Date: Sun. April 19th

Location: Green Valley Baptist Church, 270 N. Valle Verde, Henderson

Session 1: Stepping Out of the Darkness, offered at 8:30 am, 9:45 am, or 11:00 am.

Session 2: How to Break the Debt Trap, Learn about the Rapid-Debt Repayment Plan begins at 3 pm.

Session 3: How Do We Thrive in These Tough Times? - Ask Mary your questions, begins at 4:15 pm. FMIC: (702) 434-1906

For some big time encouragement click on the link below to listen to my recent conversation with Mary:

Total Impact-Mary Hunt: http://www.box.net/shared/udk15q91cb

Here's Mary's very helpful website: http://www.debtproofliving.com/

And one more thing on this Friday.

Remember this:

If God is for us, who or what can be against us?! (Romans 8:31)

Your Gift

What is your gift?

The one thing that makes your heart sing.

A natural gift.

Or a spiritual gift.

Either one.

Or both.

Does something come to mind?

Proverbs 18:16 (NKJV) "A man's gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men."

This proverb isn't a promise, of course.

God decides where our gift will take us.

If we're wise enough to let Him, that is.

Clutching it too tightly will choke the life out it.

Maybe not now.

But eventually.

Two things:

*May we always realize it's a GIFT

What have we received that we have not been given by the Lord?

*May we care more about honoring God with it than honoring ourselves

To Him be the glory!

And another thing.

Great men are still men.

May I never make their approval more important than God's.

One final thought: Your gift is meant to be shared.

Never to be worshipped and isolated.

But shared.

Unwrap it.

Use it.

Desire to please the Giver.

The joy that follows is the best gift of all.

I Believe. I Really Do.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sins, and rose from the dead on the third day?

I mean... do you really believe?

Funny thing about that word believe.

It used to mean so much more than it does today.

"It's a commitment that shows up in your life."

Sigh.

Not so anymore.

Many people (and I used to be among them) hang their hat, and their faith, on this verse:

Romans 10:9-10 (ESV) "...... if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

I used to think like this:

"Hey, I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I believe God raised Him from the dead. I'm in!"

"No matter what I do or don't do, I'm Heaven bound."

"It's a done deal."

"I can live the same life I've always lived."

"I've got fire insurance."

Thank you Jesus!

Maybe you have had those thoughts, too.

You wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but you know they're rattling around in your head.

But one day I realized something truly life changing.

What does it mean to really believe?

If I can live the same life and not care about sin and what it cost Jesus to purchase my forgiveness with His blood, that's a facade of belief.

If I believe He's Lord, I do what He says.

Gladly.

With joy.

And love.

Jesus said....

John 14:21 (NIV) "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."

True belief is active.

Not passive.

Surrender in living color.

You can't put a lid on it.

You can't hide it in a box marked "For Sunday Only".

"So... what you're saying is that if I really believe I'll always get it right?"

Nope.

And it's those times when you'll need to believe the most.

Tax Day: Need Some Comfort....Food?

Time to digress.

Or should I say.. digest.

Tomorrow is of course Tax Day.

How about a little comfort food to ease the pain?

Just what the doctor ordered!

Well.. maybe not.

But my guess is he's not going to be all that comforted with his broccoli.

Check out the deals:

Free Food on Tax Day!

T.G.I. Friday's, Cinnabon and P.F. Chang's are among the national chains that will offer free or heavily discounted food on April 15 for taxpayers who've just coughed up serious cash, USA Today reported.

Sales at restaurants are expected to dramatically decline this year -- so eateries are upping the discounts to lure cash-strapped customers in the door, experts say.

T.G.I. Friday's will give its customers $5 gift cards for every $15 to $25 purchase they make at the restaurant and $10 if they drop more dough.

Cinnabon is offering an even sweeter deal -- from 5 to 8 p.m., you can get your sugar fix for free when the chain hands out its mini-bun Tax Day Bites to hungry customers.

He's Alive!

I hope you and yours had a fantastic Easter!

We sure did.

This year our boys seemed to really grasp the significance of it all.

Bravo!!

If you're like me, you wonder what Jesus looks like today.

Right now.

Cool to ponder.

The best clue we have is John's description in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 1:12-18 (ESV) 12 "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

14 The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

How awesome He is!

Mighty.

Powerful.

Merciful.

Holy.

All knowing.

Compassionate.

Unbelievable.

And yet I believe.

Lord, help me to believe more today than I did yesterday.

And live like I mean it.

Nothing But The Blood

He took my punishment on that cross.

1 John 2:2 (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

He died so that when I die I might live forever with Him.

John 11:25-26 (ESV) 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

The sin debt paid in full.

Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

John 19:30 (GW) 30 After Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died.

I am forgiven.

Jesus died for sins He never committed to forgive people who had no right to be forgiven.

From noon to 3pm, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, there was a solar eclipse:

Mark 15:33 (NIV) 33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.

But what many people don't know is what happened at THIS MOMENT:

Mark 15:34-39 (NIV) "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

At 3pm, when Jesus died, there was a lunar eclipse.

Using software that can recreate the night skies in the past, Rick Larson made this startling discovery.

Guess what?

This lunar eclipse is also known as a "blood moon."

It's as if the moon had turned blood red.

Doesn't that make you catch your breath?

Listen to what Rick told me by clicking the link below.

Rick Larson On The Good Friday Blood Moon: http://www.box.net/shared/dy15lt14c7

Simply amazing.

Washed

Today we mark the Last Supper.

As I ponder this scene, I feel overwhelmed.

There's so much here.

But this morning I felt drawn to one particular moment.

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples:

John 13:3-11 (ESV) "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.

He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."

Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean."

The washing of the feet is filled with symbolism.

*The humility of Jesus

*The example of how we should serve one another as believers

*The reality of faith leading to action

But there's also something else.

In a matter of hours, Jesus will be hanging on a bloody cross.

His shed blood will wash away our sin.

And yet as we walk through this life, the dirt will collect.

That's the way it happens for sinners living in a fallen world.

Even sinners who are forgiven and clean.

The dust still gathers.

The mud collects.

Jesus, I need my feet washed.

1 John 1:9 (ESV) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Confession doesn't make me forgiven.

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His Resurrection from the grave does that.

But it does humble me.

To see the basin fill with dirty water.

My dirt.

The Savior smiles.

I'm beyond words.

By What Authority?

During the last week that Jesus walked the earth as a man, He did many things.

Every event, even the seemingly small ones, took on new meaning.

I've been thinking this morning.

Jesus spent a lot of time in the temple.

Teaching.

Out in the open.

A stationary target for His enemies.

Matthew 21:23 (NKJV) 23 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

More of the same.

John tells us about an earlier time when Jesus was teaching in the temple.

They sent some officers to arrest Him.

John 7:31-32 (NKJV) "And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him."

But it wasn't yet time for that.

John 7:45-49 (NKJV) Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"

Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

The so-called authorities who knew the Old Testament scriptures inside and out missed it.

"Hey... we're the educated ones here. Unless we say he's legit... he's not legit!"

We can be sincere.

And we can be sincerely wrong.

The plan is hatched.

Judas will sell Him out.

Under the cover of darkness.

But the plan of man is really the plan of God.

Isaiah 53:10 (ESV) Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

John 19:10-11 (ESV) So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above."

When true authority meets evil intent take heart, believer.

In some mysterious way it's all a part of the plan.

The Hand

I ran across this picture today and I just couldn't resist sharing it with you.

We talk about God's fingerprints being all over the universe.........


Pretty cool huh?

The story and the picture are courtesy of The Imaginova Corp.,Space.com, & Fox News:

Giant 'Hand' Reaches Across Space

Tiny and dying but still-powerful stars called pulsars spin like crazy and light up their surroundings, often with ghostly glows.
So it is with PSR B1509-58, which long ago collapsed into a sphere just 12 miles in diameter after running out of fuel.

And what a strange scene this one has created.
In a new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, high-energy X-rays emanating from the nebula around PSR B1509-58 have been colored blue to reveal a structure resembling a hand reaching for some eternal red cosmic light.

The star now spins around at the dizzying pace of seven times every second — as pulsars do — spewing energy into space that creates the scene.

Strong magnetic fields, 15 trillion times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field, are thought to be involved, too. The combination drives an energetic wind of electrons and ions away from the dying star. As the electrons move through the magnetized nebula, they radiate away their energy as X-rays.

The red light actually a neighboring gas cloud, RCW 89, energized into glowing by the fingers of the PSR B1509-58 nebula, astronomers believe.

The scene, which spans 150 light-years, is about 17,000 light years away, so what we see now is how it actually looked 17,000 years ago, and that light is just arriving here.

A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).

Poor Little Donkey

The last week of Jesus' earthly life.

How easy it is to let Passion Week come and go without much reflection.

Yesterday we marked Palm Sunday.

The beginning of the last week.

Jesus arriving in Jerusalem amid the shouts and cheers of the people.

How fickle popularity can be.

By the end of the week many were still shouting.

Only this time for his Crucifixion.

He knows all that will happen, of course.

From beginning to end it was all recorded in the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Here's the scene as he arrives:

John 12:12-15 (NKJV) "....a great multitude that had come to the Passover feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt."

There's an old story about that donkey Jesus was riding on.

After carrying Jesus through the streets he returned to the barnyard.

The animals were all pressing around him, asking him questions.

"What happened?"

"Tell us everything!!"

"Well," said the donkey, "It was marvelous! I rode into the city and there was a multitude of people there to greet me. They were all shouting and celebrating, putting palm branches down for me to walk on.

Some people even put their clothing down on the road. It was glorious! It was all for ME!

I held my head high and the crowd continued to roar. And then.. this is the really unbelievable part... someone shouted "Let's make him our king!"

Poor little donkey.

He didn't know who he was or who he was carrying.

May we keep this in mind as we lift Jesus up this week.

Do You Look Like Your Dog?

"Hey.... you look just like your dog."

Even if you think your dog is pretty cute, I'm not sure that would be a compliment.

There's people cute.

And then there's dog cute.

Check out the pic and article below.

They're courtesy of http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

DOG OWNERS DO LOOK LIKE THEIR PETS, SAY PSYCHOLOGISTS

Researchers found that members of the public could predict which breed of dog a person would own almost twice as accurately as they should be able to, just by looking at a photograph of their owners.

Volunteers rightly connected poodles, labradors and Staffordshire bull terriers with their masters.

There were a number of physical reasons why owners looks suggested which dog they would have, including what clothes they wore and their build, said Dr Lance Workman, from Bath Spa University.

"There is a little bit of truth in the theory that owners look like their dogs, but if you are of a robust build you will probably have a more robust dog so that you can gets lots of exercise. If you are more slight you may want a poodle as you think that they need less exercise," he said.

Dr Workman, who previously carried out a study which showed that the Birmingham accent was the most hated in Britain, added: "When we tested the dog owners' personalities, we found no strong links between any particular personality trait and choice of dog breed, so any shared qualities are only skin deep."

Many celebrities have been compared to their dogs, including the petite Paris Hilton and her miniscule Chihuahua, Tinkerbell.

But dog lovers should be warned that volunteers also wrongly thought that choice of breed could predict the owners' personality.

Overall, they judged bull terrier owners as less intelligent than the others, while those who had plumped for poodles and labradors were thought to be nicer.

However, personality tests revealed no such differences between the three groups.
Dr Workman added: "What this study shows is that you shouldn't judge a person by their dog, but we all do."

The tests also showed that overall the dog owners were nicer or "more agreeable" than the general population, the only major personality difference the study found.

Psychologists asked 70 people to match 41 dog owners, found through the Kennel Club, to their breeds.

They were correct between 50 and 60 per cent of the time, when chance suggested that they should have a success rate of around 33 per cent.

The volunteers were shown full-length pictures of the owners, mainly photographed in their own homes.

The team behind the study decided to look at Staffordshire bull terriers because the breed has had a lot of negative publicity in recent years, while they were interested to discover if poodles attracted more "sophisticated" owners and labradors were considered to be a "neutral" breed.

The findings were presented at the British Psychological Society annual conference in Brighton.

Proudly Presenting......

I'm not proud of the pride in my life.

It surfaces in good times and bad.

In quiet moments.

In noisy moments.

In subtle and not so subtle ways.

There are so many verses in the Bible that address this sin we all grapple with.

But the bottom line is that even though God hates all sin, pride is the worst.

It's at the top of His "Things I Most Hate List":

Proverbs 6:16-17 (AMP) "These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others]......."

Remember Satan's big fall?

Trace it back to pride:

Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

When we indulge in pride we are opposed by God Himself!

1 Peter 5:5 (ESV) "....... Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

This holds true even for Christians.

God is against us because He is for us.

He wants us to depend on Him alone.

The goal is one of great love.

He'll bring us down.

Down to a place where we'll really learn that He is the Lord.

That's a good place to be.

A place of true joy and satisfaction.

We'll be so content there He may surprise us one day.

1 Peter 5:6 (ESV) "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.."

Funny thing about God's promotions.

When we least want it we may get it.

I think that's the point.

Are We Reading Between The Lines?

It's been a yearly tradition for the past several years.

And it's a perfect fit for a bookworm like me.

This week is Nevada Reading Week.

The goal is to get kids excited about reading.

The schools invite adults to come and read to the kids.

I always love to do it.

Especially because my own child is sitting right beside me.

Today I visited my youngest's 3rd grade class.

I read a short story out of the Encyclopedia Brown series.

Do you remember those?

He's a boy detective.

He cracks the case.

How did he figure that out anyway?

It's fun speculating.

And the answers are in the back of the book.

Gotta love that.

But I can't help but wonder.

Will these kids develop a love of reading in a world with so many other choices?

I think about that with my own kids.

The stakes are high, especially for the Christian parent.

Readers will read God's Word.

The Bible.

And hopefully not just read but camp out on a verse or two.

Giving The Holy Spirit a chance to make the words come alive.

An opportunity to reflect on The Truth.

If you were listening to the show yesterday, you know how many listeners called to join the conversation about how God's Word is playing out in practical ways in their lives.

I really think that's the key.

We need to be telling our kids about our own experiences.

That way, we'll both be on the same page.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (ESV) "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. "