"NYC Trip"

Last Friday, the 17th of April, I took my younger sister Becky to NYC to see the Statue of Liberty. She has always wanted to see it. I'm glad I didn't go when I was in Jersey. Abba gave us a beautiful day not too cold or hot. It was fun but at a very fast pace though. We left around 4:30am and boarded the train after five. We arrive in the city around eight in the morning. Some people didn't appreciate how slow we were walking, I guess a half jog isn't fast enough!?? But a lot of people were really nice. Me & Becky took a hop on, hop off tour bus around the city. We headed to Battery park around noon after lunch and stood in line for over an hour and a half just to get into the tent to be scanned before hopping on the ferry. For some reason the gate didn't like me and I had to get wanded twice, joy. The whole Statue/ Ellis island thing took about four hours. Everywhere we went it was packed with people. I felt like I was at the Great Escape for 12 hours. We got back to Penn Station around 7:30 and headed home around 8pm. As the train was leaving the city, I got to see the lights on everything. I wish I could have taken those pics. It was a good day. Only problem was I didn't get to see Marty Goetz on Saturday. My legs were tired and I was completely exhausted. I never walked so much in my life. The whole trip cost was 172.00 each including the train, tours & 3 meals. Abba got us great deals on everything. I finally put the pictures I took in my pic album on my MySpace page. At the 9/11 site, my employer, is sending product to the site covering areas at the subway level. Another drafter has this job but it is still cool we get to help in the rebuilding.

“When You Rise Up”

In the song “When You Rise Up” by Joel Chernoff, he speaks of Abba rising up, but it is not really Abba rising up, it is us. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are representatives of Yeshua here on earth. When we, as true believers, “rise up” and believe what was given to us by Yeshua over 2000 years ago on the cross, we become more than conquers in him - Romans 8:37. It is time for us to stop wandering around in the desert and take hold of the promises Abba has given us. In the book of Joshua, Abba directed Joshua to go into the promise land and conquer it. Joshua's success was his strong faith & belief in Abba and he always followed Abba’s instructions. That land was originally for Moses and God’s people whom he pulled out of Egypt. But because of not trusting in and not following Abba, they remained in the wilderness for 40 years and only the next generation was allowed to enter. What the “promise land” means to us today is the call Abba has on our life. We need to “rise up” and crossover into the promise land and fulfill what Abba wants us to do. No more staying in the desert. “When you rise up, the nations will scatter, the nations will scatter, the nations will flee.”

When You rise up
When You rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee,
When you rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee.
For you are the giver of law,
And You sit enthroned above all,
For the Lord is the King of Kings,
It is He who will save, and victory bring.
When You rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee,
When you rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee.
For you are the giver of law,
And You sit enthroned above all,
For the Lord is the King of Kings,
It is He who will save, and victory bring.
When You rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee,
When you rise up, the nations will scatter,
The nations will scatter, the nations will flee.
At the thunder, thunder of Your voice,
The thunder of Your voice, the nations will flee,
At the thunder, thunder of Your voice,
Thunder of Your voice, the nations will flee.
Rise up, when You rise up, rise up

Auggh, Homework!

For the next two months, I’ll be taking a New York State haz-mat tech course. It is only the second day and I already have two take home quizzes plus chemical write-up sheets to fill out YIPE! In my fire district each station has a specialty - rescue, fast team, first responder etc. My station deals with Haz-mat. So if I glow in the dark you’ll know why. WAFD – Hazmat covers other counties and we work with the Albany Fire Department. We have a few guys from other stations and districts in the class to learn for various reasons but they are all welcomed to train with us. More the merrier. In a true believer’s life the same thing holds true. Each one of us has a special gift Abba has given us. I was told this once ”no matter what a person does to you, look at them as what they would be doing if Yeshua was in their life.” They are right, we are special in Abba’s eyes and we have a purpose. Whether we chose it or not, Abba gives us that choice. We are to develop it under his direction and be prepared to have lots of homework! Philippians 3:14 “ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Yeshua, is calling us.”

"Yeshua Our Pesach Lamb"

"Ever chased chickens?"

In the movie “Lady and the tramp,” The Tramp starts to walk Lady home and passes a chicken farm.

Tramp: Not to change the subject, but... um... ever chased chickens? 

Lady: I should say not
Tramp: Oh-ho, then you've never lived!
Lady: But we shouldn't.
Tramp: I know. That's what makes it fun. Aw, come on, kid. Start building some memories.
Lady: But we...we won't hurt the chickens?
Tramp: Hurt them..no, we'll just stir them up.. a bit.
Tramp: Look at those fat, lazy biddies - why they should’ve been up hours ago.”
The Tramp sneaks into the hen house and starts to bark. The chickens wake up startled and run in all different directions.
     Some christians are a lot like these chickens. Once they get saved that’s it. They never want to help in ministry, always want to be fed, and complain when things are not comfortable. These christians wander too close to the edge of the fence and then… SNATCH right up by satan. These christians need a wake up call before it is too late. So not to change the subject, but.. um... ever chased chickens?

1 Thessalonians 5:11-14 "Therefore, encourage each other, and build each other up — just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are working hard among you, those who are guiding you in the Lord and confronting you in order to help you change. Treat them with the highest regard and love because of the work they are doing. Live at peace among yourselves; but we urge you, brothers, to confront those who are lazy, your aim being to help them change, to encourage the timid, to assist the weak, and to be patient with everyone."

"For many are called but few are chosen"

Mathew ch 22 v 14 passage bothers me a lot. Why would so many be called but in the end only few are chosen. Then I look at the state of the church today and get my answer. In many churches, a lot of people look to the pastor to be the one responsible for their walk. What are they thinking? Last time I checked my pastor could not walk on water. When I go before Yeshua, I and I alone will be responsible for my walk not my pastor. Abba is his boss and we need to respect our pastors as if they are our boss as well but not as some god. My pastor is only responsible for his teachings to be biblically accurate and to give sound counsel - not to be Abba. So many people do not learn past the four walls of their church. I don’t expect my pastor to know everything much less teach on it. Abba has my pastor where he needs him to be and teaching the way he is teaching. Not only do I listen to my pastor but I also listen to 3 other pastors. They teach on things my pastor does not. I get a balanced meal. No person can survive on just meat their bodies would go into ketosis as well as a person only eating potatoes will become anemic. Everyone needs to have both biblical foundations and scriptural insight with revelation to grow balanced. A house with pretty windows without a foundation will not stand likewise a foundation without a home would just be empty. It cannot be one or the other. Too many people stay at the bottom of the mountain and never seek Abba to get to the next level. That is not what Abba intended the true church to be. When Yeshua comes for his bride, the true church will be a body of believers not a building. Churches are just ministries and yes it is very necessary to have them for fellowship and accountability, to help the hurting world but we cannot rely on it totally for our growth. That is Abba’s and our responsibility. The Holy Spirit will guide us and direct us. He is our pilot, the pastor is not. It is up to us to read the word and have fellowship with Abba to grow. Our pastor should only be one of many tools Abba uses to shape us into what he needs us to be.

"It's a cake thing"

This Saturday, I’ll be bringing my mom to a women’s meeting at her church to hear speaker Mary K. Baxter. I have been to my mom’s church before and it’s ok. I guess I’m just use to the way my church is but the one thing that seems to be the same in most christian churches is the worship. Back in the 70’s and earlier most contemporary christian music songs were based on sound doctrine. The bible tells us in Psalm 22:3 “God inhabits the praises of his people.” Where are the songs today that praised Abba, worshipped Yeshua, celebrated and rejoiced with the Holy Spirit? They repackaged them and call them praise & worship songs now. Most other CCM songs today are self centered. What has happened to our music? In Luke 6:45 says” For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” has today’s music lost its first love? The songs I hear on the radio seem empty. They focus on our need rather than praising Abba. If these songs played 25 years ago, I believe we would see the difference. The music today seems to get worse. Is this what we are leaving for the next generation to listen to? Is this the spiritual nourishment we are giving our kids? Is the music today helping with bible illiteracy and the falling away of the church? The CCM songs seem to feed the flesh rather than our spirit. This reminds me of cake. Yup cake. What is cake made of? Eggs, milk, flour, sugar, oil, and water. You could probably live on it but how would your body react? It would become full but at the same time it would be starving. A lot of Christians are not getting enough good spiritual songs. They seek to be comforted by their “cake” songs. Cake may be good once in a while but all the time it will hurt you. The spirit is starving in people today. They are always looking for the next move of the spirit but what spirit have they been looking for and feeding?