With my song I will praise Him

I worship with song. In fellowship, we worship with song. The Father loves our worship!

Joy in His promises

Only a follower of Christ can know the assurance, the joy, that come with the promises of the Father. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." When a fellow believer dies we grieve like anyone else, but our distinct response as Christians is not "Goodbye," but "See you soon!"

2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV

^"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

Battling cacophony

More Word. Fewer words.

"O how I love Your law!
It is my meditation every day.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,
For they are ever mine.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
Because I have observed Your precepts.
I have restrained my feet from every evil way,
That I may keep Your word.
I have not turned aside from Your ordinanances,
For You Yourself have taught me.
How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey in my mouth!
From Your precepts I get understanding;
Therefore I hate every false way."
Psalm 199:97-104

More (of His Word). Fewer (of man's) words.

The LORD is a consuming fire

Not "unbroken," but surrendered and saved

http://www.harvest.org/tv/

I encourage anyone who has not heard the story of the late Louie Zamperini to watch the attached interview with Pastor Greg Laurie of Riverside, CA (click on link above photo). Zamperini survived not only an airplane crash and weeks on the sea, but Japanese prison camp as well. He made a pledge to God before being saved from his life raft ... but he forgot that promise until a moment under a revival tent with young evangelist Billy Graham in 1949. He then recalled his promise ... and more importantly he came to grips with the fact that he was lost for eternity but for God's promise through His Son Jesus Christ. His story, like the story of all followers of Christ, is HIS story. Enjoy.

Her story to His glory!

We received with joy a Facebook post from a sweet sister in Christ who lives in Oahu, Hawaii. She, her husband and children have consistently put their trust in the LORD through a series of challenges ranging from temporary homelessness to stage 4 cancer. Through it all, their testimony of faith has served to glorify God.
In her Facebook entry she included a sunset/palm photograph she had taken, accompanied by a treasured Scripture. The entry read: 
"This is an old photo I posted two years ago this month (September 2013). We had no home, (were) in the middle of moving into yet another temporary home, so much unknown in our future. It was so very difficult, but God was teaching me to TRUST Him. Along with this photo I wrote, 'And the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.' Psalm 92:12
"We hung in there, made it through six different homes in six months, Stage 4 cancer, healed with nutrition and great faith."
"Researching about palm trees, this is what I found: they grow upright, under the greatest pressures, and rise upwards against the greatest weight upon them."
She continued: "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! He is my Rock, my Love, my Savior, my All. And I belong to Him ~ He is mine and I am His. Thank you Jesus for everything!"
In response to one of many comments to her entry, she concluded: "At the time I wrote that scripture, I was clinging to the Lord and His comforting word. I had a mix of great faith and great fear. I now walk with Jesus in such peace and great faith. Fear no longer holds me captive. His word is TRUE! It is all for Jesus, and to Him goes all the glory. It's His story alone, and I am just grateful to be a part of it. God bless you all! He is faithful!"

'Chrislam' is a lie

We listened the other night to Eastern Washington Pastor Shahram Hadian, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity in 1999. In an impassioned presentation regarding so-called "Chrislam," Hadian argued there is absolutely no commonality between the God of Christianity and Islam's Allah. American Christians in particular, he said, must study the foundations of Islam theology and then be prepared to step up and "speak the truth in love" as misstatements and outright lies become more and more common in the media and even in churches. "Islam," he said, "is an absolute perversion of the Word of God," completely incompatible with a church whose cornerstone is Jesus Christ, Son of God. He urged his audience to speak out against those who claim "a common good between Christianity and Islam." One assertion of Islam alone -- that Jesus was a prophet and NOT the Son of God -- creates a chasm between Christians and Muslims. In fact, the Christian truth of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is apostasy according to the Qu'ran, Islam's holy word. And while Christians believe Christ's death on the cross is the key to God's promise of salvation (eternal life), Muslims have no such assurance (other than a martyr's death). For more about this Iranian-born Christian's life story and ministry, visit Truth in Love Church.