Freebies

Free.

A great word.

A word filled with many possibilities.

A word not limited by phrases like....

"It's not in the budget!"

"We can't afford that!"

"It costs... how much?!"

Maybe it's time to embrace your inner tightwad.

Click and read on for a few freebies courtesy of Kiplinger.com:

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/107638/fabulous-freebies-2009.html?mod=banking-budgeting

Tips you can use.

At no extra charge.

A Friday Funny

And so the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the desert wilderness.....

Trial By Fire

Are you in the midst of some kind of fiery trial right now?

You're in the furnace.

The heat keeps getting turned up.

"Does the Bible have anything to say to me today?" you ask.

It sure does.

Just one example: What happened to three guys named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Remember them?

Their story is in the book of Daniel Chapter 3.

They're in Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar sets up this huge statue of himself.

When the music plays.. everyone has to bow down and worship the statue.

Not our three heroes from Israel.

They only worship the one true God.

This leads to a trial by fire.

Literally.

Because they refuse to worship the idol, they're thrown into a blazing hot furnace.

Daniel 3:21-27 (ESV) "Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."

He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods."

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!"

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men.

The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them."

Yes... they were thrown into the fire.

Circumstances were bad.

Very bad.

But they never let go of their faith.

I think this snapshot BEFORE they were tossed into the furnace really highlights a faith that trusts in God no matter what the outcome might be:

Daniel 3:16-18 (ESV) "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

"God is able to deliver us...........BUT IF NOT....."

God can do it.

But in his infinite love and wisdom He may not.

That's okay.

He knows best.

He's sovereign.

At that point they didn't know how this whole thing was going to turn out.

Either way God was to be worshipped.

And even though he let them be thrown into the fire, He was with them.

They were in trouble but with God.

A safe place to be even if it doesn't look all that safe.

Isaiah 43:2 (ESV) "..... when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."

Clear the smoke from your eyes.

You'll see Someone standing right there with you.

Okay. So Now I'm Afraid.

Danger is lurking in the most unlikely of places.

It's germ warfare.

Every time one of these articles appears I tell myself I'm not going to read it.

And every time I do.

Call it morbid curiosity.

Call it news you can use.

You know you're just as curious as I am.

Click if you dare:

8 Things in Your Home That May Be Harming You:
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100243934&GT1=31036

Level 3 Wisdom

Happy Tuesday!

I always love having Ray Pritchard on the show.

He's a former pastor, longtime author, and now the head of Keep Believing Ministries.

Here's some insight from his blog today:

"I received an e-mail from a friend who endured a very difficult trial that lasted for several years. He wrote to say how his ordeal has changed his view of what it means to know God.

There are three levels of knowing God, he wrote....

"First, there is the level of experience. All of us who know the Lord have some experiences with him that we can use to help others.

Second, there is the level of knowledge. This comes from going to church, listening to sermons, reading the Bible, reading good books, going to a Christian college or to a seminary.

Most people consider knowledge a higher level of the spiritual life. “This is a level I tried to work from, but it did not seem adequate,” my friend said. But there is a third level, which he called the level of wisdom. This level comes only by prayer.

He offers this very helpful insight about a Level 3 relationship with God:

We begin to see things through God’s eyes and less through our eyes. Peace only comes from this level. It is not measurable, explainable, nor understandable.

Levels 1 and 2 are not prerequisites. I see prayer lifting the illiterate to great levels of peace and wisdom where certain PhDs in religion may feel empty. Our prayers become less “gimme” and more “Help me see what you want me to learn through this—to deepen my relationship with you."

God invites us to seek his face. He wants us to know him better. It’s not as if our Heavenly Father is hiding himself from us.

As my friend has discovered, out of pain comes prayer and out of prayer comes a closer walk with God who is the source of all wisdom."

Isn't that good stuff?

Check out his ministry: http://www.keepbelieving.com/

See ya on the radio!

Face Decorations

It's amazing what you can do with a little facial hair.

Or a lot of it.

This guy to my left looks like he's wearing a white octopus on his face.

I mean that in the nicest possible way, of course.

He's a contestant in The World Beard and Moustache Championships.

I know.

I didn't think there was such a thing either.

Some of the photos are so cool they make a guy seriously consider entering next year's competition.

For about a half a second.

Until he thinks about breaking the news to his wife.

He pictures her threatening to wear a bag over her head when they go out together.

It's only then that he realizes the true ramifications of his decision to turn into a walking canvas for facial art.

For a few grins check out some photos from the competition:

The World Beard and Moustache Competition:

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1658835_1439509,00.html

Catch The Wind

Are your sails up?

Or are you simply exhausted from trying to row the boat yourself?

The Christian life isn't supposed to be lived based on what WE can do.

It's God's Holy Spirit working in us that carries us through life.

Isn't it interesting that the Holy Spirit is often linked with wind?

Acts 2:1-2 (ESV) "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting."

Jesus said....

John 3:8 (ESV) " The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The Apostle Paul wrote....

Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.."

This verse is really interesting.

In the original Greek the word "filled" presents a word picture of a sail being filled with wind.

We aren't alone on the sea of life with only a pair of oars.

Prepare your heart and you'll find the sail.

Put it up.

Can't you feel a breeze stirring already?