Daily Devotion

Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

If you are exhausted, turn to God!

God is not like some pill you pop into your mouth to pep you up; He is not like a spiritual energy drink that will keep you awake as you drive. This passage is clearly not inviting you to use God for energy as you live a self-centred life.

No, God is "the Creator of the ends of the earth"! He is to be the centre, the defining force, of your life. But as the Creator of all things, He has unlimited strength. As you bring your life under His leadership, and as you learn to "wait for the Lord", He will infuse your inner life with His strength. He will enable you to do what He calls you to do.

When you come to that conviction in your life, a huge weight lifts from your shoulders. Find out for yourself!

New Years Eve Lock In!!!!

This New Years Eve join us at Grace Community Church for our Ampd Youth New Years Eve Bash!!!

It will be a fun time of fun games, staying awake until our eyes fall out,
fellowship, movies, laughter, music, prayer, testimonies, food, snacks, 
and much more. There will be no better way to bring in the New Year then to hang out w/ Ampd Youth Group.


Time 8:00 pm - 7:30 am
    :What to Bring:
Old cloths in case we get a little crazy!
Sleeping bag and clothes if you plan to sleep
camera for memories-trust me you will want to bring one


    :Rules:
No leaving after entering (only if emergency or if Parents request)
Proper clothes Girls- No tang Tops, Short Shorts etc... Guys NO Shirt NO Service, just proper clothes!
Absolutely no entering into the opposite sexes rooms if caught with the opposite sex alone you will be ask to leave. No exceptions


We are going to have a blast, you don't want to miss it!!!!!!!
      See you there!!:)

Daily Devotion

Romans 5:7-8

For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God is trustworthy because His love for you is unconditional!

Before you ever loved Him, God set His love on you. Centuries before you were conceived, Jesus Christ died for you. As you went through life ignoring God, He began reaching out to you, showing you your need for Him, introducing Himself to you through the lives of Christians around you, bringing you to understand the gospel of His forgiveness.

Even as He reached out to you, He knew all the sins in your past and all the sins you would later commit as a Christian. Did they stop Him loving you? No.

God's blessings in your life are sometimes conditional. God withholds blessing to get your attention and bring you to repentance. But even that is an act of love. Sometimes God lets you go through difficulty when you don't need to repent. He is giving you the opportunity to grow closer to Him, or to minister to someone.

But His love for you is unconditional and unchanging. You can always rely on that truth. Is God asking you to trust Him about something today?

Daily Devotion

Isaiah 7:14
"All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us')." 

God With Us

When the virgin gave birth to this Son, Immanuel was at last present among us, yet in so many ways he was still hidden from us. Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!"

Have you ever wondered why God would want to live among us and even within us, when we cannot fully comprehend him?

If you've ever gone to live in a foreign country, you've known the temporary loneliness and frustration of living among people who can't fully understand you. In spite of the hardship, most likely you endured because you knew that one day you would eventually be fully understood.

1 Corinthians 13:12 promises a day when we will no longer see through imperfect eyes: "Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely."

Could it be that Immanuel—God With Us—is looking forward to that day just as much as we are, that day when we see him with perfect clarity and know him completely?

The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-5,10-12,14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. When he came into the world as a baby, he was sent from heaven to earth to become the living expression of the Father God. This was the gift he brought. His very life would speak to us everything that God ever wanted to say to us about himself. What an amazing gift!

One day we were discussing this passage in John 1 on the Christianity forum. As we considered the enormity of this gift, we were struck by the phrase, "the living expression." One member of the forum, G. Anthony Buchsbaum, marveled, "The living expression ... for that speaks of nothing less than the living Christ encountering us in our present circumstances. He is the personal Word of God to us. Through Christ, God continues to communicate himself to us through the personal revealing of his Son. In the person of Christ, all wisdom and knowledge is to be found. Yet the Father must reveal the Son to us so that the Son will in turn reveal the Father."

Buchsbaum continued, "Our knowledge has always been two-dimensional in nature. Yet the knowledge of God presented to us through his 'living expression' takes on a three-dimensional form, for it addresses the entire person, from head to toe. It not only informs us, it transforms us."

Have you ever stopped to consider this concept? God so intimately wanted to communicate with you, that he sent Jesus to speak forth the living demonstration of his heart. As you dwell on Jesus Christ and his Word, realize that God is still speaking his "living expression" to transform you, not just this Christmas season, but every day.

Daily Devotion

Psalm 33-22
"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you."

Jesus Our Hope

For millions of people, the Christmas season means nothing more than parties, gifts, decorations, and time off work. For Christians, however, this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus came, God seemed distant, hidden in the Holy of Holies in the temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshippers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They doubted their salvation.

Christ means hope—to the person out of work, to the struggling single mother, to the dying believer. Even if you're just slogging your way through the disappointments of life, if you have Jesus, you have hope. And he is not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. When Christ rose from the dead, that ended the argument. Period. Our hope in him is solid and it is real.

Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms it for us if our vision has grown dim. It was settled long ago, so we don't have to doubt any more. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope, our deepest longings come true.

John 15:15

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

Jesus Our Friend

When Jesus came into the world in human form, he changed our relationship with God forever. He made it possible for us to become adopted sons and daughters in God's family, co-heirs with him to the gift of eternal life with the Father.

But he gave us another Christmas gift few of us ever open: his friendship. He experienced firsthand the loneliness of being human, and he saw that as much as we need a savior, we also need a friend.

What better friend could you have? Jesus is steadfastly loyal. He forgives your every fault. He supports and encourages you when you need it most, and he listens whenever you want to talk. He is a tireless listener. Jesus loves you as a friend who wants to see you grow to your full potential. There is no jealousy in him. He wants only the best for you.

Enter more deeply into friendship with Jesus this Christmas season. You can trust him. If you reach out and accept the friendship he offers, your life will never be the same.

The True Avatar

Would you ever make a movie?  I'm not talking about a YouTube upload that you and your friends filmed with your cell phone, or at make a movie night with ampd youth group...I mean a real movie.  If so, what would you do?

Let's take it a step further.  What if you had pretty much unlimited time, equipment, and cash?  That's the situation James Cameron found himself in a few years back, and the result is the visually stunning sci-fi cowboys and Indians movie called Avatar.

And when I say he had money, I mean he had bank.  Cost estimates for Avatar run between 300 million to half a BILLION dollars. With that insane amount of money that dwarfs the gross domestic product of over a third of this planet, you better create an out-of-this-world place that rocks.

And James Cameron did that with Avatar. Don't expect any dialogue that would make Shakespeare nervous

It's interesting, isn't it, that this movie was released around Christmas? Because at the heart of this holiday is the shocking, amazing, and breathtaking truth that the true Creator, Jesus, became the realincarnation of the deity to earth.

But do anticipate the 3-D cinematic equivalent of a 162-minute roller coaster ride that will leave you wishing for another round of Avatar.

By the way, do you know what "avatar" means?  No, not "freaky blue creature that looks like a misshapen cousin of Jar-Jar Binks." It actually comes from the Hindu religion, meaning,

The descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god. (www.dictionary.reference.com)

It's interesting, isn't it, that this movie was released around Christmas? Because at the heart of this holiday is the shocking, amazing, and breathtaking truth that the true Creator, Jesus, became the real incarnation of the deity to earth:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

No one has ever seen God, but God's one and only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (John 1:1-3; 14; 18).

Think about it...the eternal and all-powerful God wrapped Himself in human flesh to live on the planet He created and dwell with the inhabitants He formed from the dust of the ground.

In the film Avatar, the main character named Jake links with his own avatar so he can infiltrate the "Na'vi" creatures. But the God of the universe, named Yahweh, incarnated Himself as Jesus so He could accomplish the most important mission of all time:

"Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21).

As the Christian band 4Him says, "That's such a strange way to save the world." What a wild idea that God would step down from the throne of heaven and allow himself to be subjected to life in this evil and fallen world...and for what?

To die.  The only way to save us from an eternity separated from God was for God Himself to pay the penalty for all our wrongdoing.  And the only way for God to die was to take on humanity.

Jesus came into our world as a visitor to accomplish His salvation mission.  He lived a perfect life and died a horrible death so we could have hope here on Earth and a glorious eternity in heaven.

So this Christmas, remember that the scene of Jesus lying in a manger has the dark shadow of the Cross in the background, but behind the Cross is the doorway to heaven, open to anyone willing to trust in Jesus alone for salvation.

If that doesn't rock your world, I'm not sure what could!

Flashpoint: Ignite into Action

Talk to your friends about the movie Avatar and transition into what the word avatar means.  Explain that Jesus really was the incarnation of the deity into human form and that He came to save humankind. What a great opportunity to explain God's incredible plan of salvation!

Accelerant: Feed the Fire

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Random thoughts from the Bathroom

 Can someone please tell me who is responsible for naming the continental breakfast the continental breakfast? What is so continental about it, anyway? You get some stale donuts, some cereal rations, crusty bagels, and room temperature milk. Am I supposed to get excited by this? Is this what they’re serving on other continents? Is that why it’s continental? Because if it is, that explains why I haven’t been to Europe yet. I’m not flying 5000 miles to be served warm orange juice when I wake up.

Daily Devotion

Hebrews 11-12:1

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also [like them]…run with endurance the race that is set before us (12:1)

We can trust God because of the testimony of those who have trusted Him before us!

When you read the chapter before this verse, you see that the "great cloud of witnesses" is talking about those who have stepped out in faith and trusted God in the past. In every case, when they stepped out in faith, God was there, meeting them at their point of trust, accomplishing His work through them, often in supernatural ways.

Why can we trust God? Because He has never failed anybody yet. Ever.

It is true that God does not always do what we want. It is only trust if we allow God to answer our prayers and faith according to His insight and wisdom and purpose.

If your faith is weak and you are struggling to trust God, I encourage you to read some of the great biographies of Christians who have taken great steps of faith and found God faithful. ReadBruchko by missionary Bruce Olson, or read about George Muller or Hudson Taylor. Or read in your Bible about Daniel or Joseph or the Apostle Paul. Your faith will be strengthened.

Daily Devotion

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Focusing on God helps you to reach up!

Your life today can be so much more than you can make of it.

"In all your ways acknowledge God." As you wake up, acknowledge God—"Good morning Lord." As you take your shower, acknowledge God—"Lord, I am looking for Your involvement in every aspect of my day today." As you eat breakfast with your family, acknowledge God—"Lord, we thank you for providing all of our needs." As you have your daily quiet time, acknowledge God—"God, I don't want to just read words on the page; I want to hear from you. Please speak to me from your Word."

As you go about the business of your day, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that every person I encounter today is someone you want to minister to through me. Please show me how I can minister to this person spiritually right now in a way that will move them closer to you."

As you experience problems or hardship or deep personal struggles, acknowledge God—"Lord, I know that you are in control of all things, and so I know that you have allowed this difficulty into my life for a reason. I can't see the reason but I will respond to this by trusting you and looking for ways to glorify you to others in the midst of this."

Daily Devotion

Philippians 4:11-13

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (v. 11-12)

Focusing on God helps you to look up!

Paul had learned the secret of contentment in every circumstance. When he honoured and pursued God in his life, and God blessed him with financial prosperity; and when he honoured and pursued God, and God put him through times of hunger and suffering—in "whatever circumstances" he encountered, he was content. His spiritual life continued to thrive.

How? The next verse (v.13) tells us:

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

The psalmist says, "From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth"

Does your life work well when you try to live it in your own strength? No. Does your life work well when you invite God to live His life in you by His strength? Yes! Yet we continue to try to live life on our own. How foolish we are.

God wants you to begin each day with an attitude that says, "I don't know all that this day holds, but I know God has designed my life so that I need Him today. I know that I need to be walking close to Him, depending on Him in every circumstance."

Reserve your spot in heaven for $12 this Christmas?

Just in case you haven't seen it, there is a new holiday gift that can get you into heaven for the low price of about $12. My initial thought is that this is pretty funny, ridiculous, but funny. My second thought is that our eternity costs a lot more than that and I hope people don't 'buy' into this stuff. Go ahead and have a laugh and get a little annoyed and please don't buy me one for Christmas, I'm good. Here's a little taste of the story..."Worried that your good deeds on Earth won't guarantee you a place in heaven? Fear no more. Reserve A Spot In Heaven's basic $12.79 "Essential Travel Kit" comes with an "Official Certificate of Reservation" with the recipient's name written in, a "boarding pass to heaven," an ID card and a Heaven 101 instruction booklet to "prevent culture shock," Kim said.
An additional $12.16 buys an "All Access" package, which includes a framed certificate and a "VIP pass."
A Seattle-based company is offering to hold a spot for you at the pearly gates, and it will even throw in a money-back guarantee. ReserveASpotInHeaven.com sells "travel kits"— complete with boarding passes, certificates and "Heaven 101" booklets — that offer the "chance to enjoy your sin-filled life" without consequence while lowering the "risk of eternal damnation."
The kits are intended to be gag gifts, but some critics say there's nothing funny about getting into heaven. They say you certainly cannot "buy" your way in, and there's no such thing as enjoying a sin-filled life without the risk of damnation. 
click here for the article

Daily Devotion

Daniel 1:1-17

But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. (v.8)

Focusing on God will help you stand up!

Not only do I need to wake up God's way, recognising that each new day is God's day that He has brought into my life—a day in which He wants to walk with me, and make my life spiritually fruitful, and deepen my knowledge of Him—but also I need to make up my mind to stand up for what I know is right, to stand for God no matter what, to honour and glorify Him in my life.

Even when no one else around you is pursuing God, make the commitment to pursue Him. Even when everyone else accepts moral compromize, you stand for what is right. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. When you pray, there will not be anything shaming you in the back of your mind. When you get older you will not regret the way you have chosen to live.

Though others may not always like it, they will respect you for your stand. If you choose not to stand up for what is right, then your life will lose its significance.

Is God calling you to be bold for Him in some area of your life today?

Daily Devotion

Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Focusing on God can help you wake `up'!

Psalm 118 is a ‘Messianic Psalm' and this verse is talking about the day when Jesus came into our world. But still, isn't it true of every day we begin? Motivational speaker Jim Rohn points out that one of the reasons that many people are not doing well is that their outlook on life is wrong. They are simply trying to get through the day.

Instead we should be looking for what we can get out of the day! As you think about this day today, God wants you to recognize that it is His day. He has brought you into it; He has things in store for you today that will bless you and strengthen you. Rejoice in God's plan for your life today.

As you begin today with the anticipation of God's involvement with you throughout the day, it will change your whole perspective on life. Life becomes, not drudgery, but anticipation of God at work.

How would your day be different if you woke up thinking: "God made this day. How does He want to use it in my life? How does He want to use me in someone else's life? What is He going to bring to my mind for prayer about? What challenge will require His intervention? How will I see God at school today? Bring it on!"

Daily Devotion

Forgiveness 


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

His forgiveness is instant! Jesus' death on the cross and his rising from the dead, earned our forgiveness. You have confessed your sins, and God has forgiven you. That simple. If you are feeling guilty and beating yourself up for your past - stop. You as are playing judge over your life where God has already pronounced forgiveness. Are you a higher judge than God? I think not.
The difficult truth is, while our sins are forgiven the moment we confess them to God and repent; do all we cannot to walk back the same way we walked before, we often have to live with the earthly consequences of our sin. For example, we who have overeaten, smoked and drank heavily all our lives, may have health difficulties because of our sin of gluttony. God's forgiveness is there for us but our bodies may still bear the burden of decades of abuse.
Sometimes, others choose not to forgive us for things we have done against them and in that unfortunate case, all we can do is ask their forgiveness and go as far as we can in restitution. However, God's forgiveness is instant. They choose by their unforgiveness to hold us to a higher standard than God holds us. We can walk in freedom of forgiveness, deep within our hearts, by allowing Christ's death and rising from the dead to bring us to new life. God never refuses a truly repentant heart.
If we "die" to sin, that is, repent of the specific sin, saying we are deeply sorry for that particular sin, take total responsibility for that sin, and take that sin to the "cross" of forgiveness, we've done our job. God's job is to forgive us,
If you will not accept God's forgiveness, then you are in danger of committing another sin. You are saying. "God, your forgiveness isn't good enough. I refuse to forgive myself!"
When we don't forgive ourselves, we hold ourselves in chains. We find we cannot overcome the sin in our lives... because our unforgiveness to ourselves becomes a heavy chain around our neck that pulls us back down into sin repeatedly. However, when we accept God's forgiveness and we forgive ourselves, we give God permission to snap that heavy chain from around our neck and we no longer find ourselves sinking under that horrible weight.
An important point to remember is - forgiveness is not an emotion, it is a legal transaction. God knows you are guilty of your sin, and He knows the only way for you to find forgiveness of that sin is through the death of His Son, Jesus. Jesus stands for you in the court of Law, and says. "I have taken the punishment for this sin on the cross and I rose from the dead so this one can be set free." Jesus took our punishment. Once we confess our sins, we are forgiven. We do not need to wait for a warm fuzzy feeling of acceptance to know we are forgiven. We only have to look to the Cross and know that we are indeed forgiven. Jesus paid the price; he took our place, and took our punishment.
As is said often in your denominational tradition... "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the Sins of the World." You are part of that world and so you have been given an invitation to live in that forgiveness. Once you have given yourself to God and you have surrendered your life to Him, you have full access to that forgiveness, every day, every hour.
Does this mean that you won't have to face earthly consequences for your now forgiven sin? Unfortunately, that is not always the case. We often have to walk out the consequences of our sinful actions and the Lord will often prompt us to pay restitution to those we wronged. The restitution could be as simple as a heartfelt apology and accepting full responsibility for our actions. It could be as complicated as paying for the damage we have caused others. It could mean legal ramifications in the court system. It is important to note that those consequences have nothing to do with the fact you are forgiven and they should never be seen as a sign as God's punishment over you. Jesus paid your debt and in the eyes of God, there is nothing between you and his loving arms.

Daily Devotion

Nobody can tell me What to Do!

Isaiah 40:22- 24 “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers . . . He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing . . . He blows on them and they wither.” Does God control Mankind? Do you ever wonder what it would’ve been like if you were on one of the airplanes that crashed into the Twin Towers? What would you have been thinking? Would you have been screaming? Would you have been telling others about Jesus? Or, do you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a country where you have to constantly wonder if a bomb is going to explode at a bus stop or a grocery store or a mall? Would you be afraid or confident? Humans can inflict severe damage on other humans. Humans can ravage people. Rulers can murder, destroy, and build bombs. But, they cannot rule God. God wasn’t surprised by September 11! He knows the past, the future, and the exact thoughts of every ruler, terrorist and murderer in the entire world. Sometimes, thinking about God’s great and AWESOME POWER over people blows my mind. In Genesis 19, God destroyed the entire city of Sodom and Gomorrah with burning sulfur because of man’s sin. Were those people stronger than God? No way! The Egyptian army pursued the Israelites through the sea in Exodus 14. But, God made the wheels of the chariots fall off and then engulfed the army in the sea. Not one member of Pharaoh’s army survived. Take comfort in this: No one can harm you unless God allows it. Psalm 121:6- 8 says, “The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm; he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” The Bible says in Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Today’s Prayer: Dear Father, I praise you for your awesome power. I praise you that you rule over all mankind and that I don’t need to worry about what man can do to me. I thank you for watching over my life. Please help me to trust you daily and not to fear. You are truly awesome, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

CHINA — House Church Leader Released

On Nov. 18, Wusiman Yiming, a Christian convert from Islam, was released from prison in China after being imprisoned for two years, according to China Aid Association. Yiming, a prominent house church leader among the Uyghur people, was grateful to be reunited with his wife and two young children. China Aid reported that Yiming looked "fragile, but has a very strong spirit."
"[He] asked [us] to extend his heartfelt thanks to all those who have been providing care and help to his family members during the past two difficult years," China Aid reported.
In September 2007, the Chinese State Security Bureau of Southern Xinjiang arrested Yiming and Christian business owner Alimujiang Yimiti. Yiming was sentenced to criminal detention "for the crime of divulging State secrets." In November, Yiming was secretly sentenced to two years of "re-education through labor" by the Re-education Labor Committee of Hetian City. Yimiti remains in prison and, after 250 days, still has not received a verdict in his case.
I encourage you to continue praying for Yimiti's release. Ask God to protect Yiming, Yimiti and other believers in China who risk their lives for the sake of their faith in Christ.

Daily Devotion

The Christian’s Secret Weapon

1 Samuel 4:7-8 The Philistines were afraid. “A god has come into the camp,” they said. “We’re in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. God is Powerful One of the most important reasons for reading the Bible is to learn what God is like. What we know about God’s character, and personality greatly influences how we relate to him. It determines how much we can trust him to help us when we’re in trouble. Beginning today, we’re going to look at seven stories to discover some of the important aspects of God’s character.

1 Samuel 4 tells the story of how the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant in a battle against Israel. The Ark represented God's presence and power. The Jews had carried it into the battle for that very reason. After losing the battle the day before, they decided they could only win against this stronger and better-equipped army if God fought for them. When the Philistine army found out that the Ark had arrived in the Jews’ camp, they were terrified. They realized that they would have to battle the God of Israel. This was the same God who had delivered the Jews from Egypt using terrible plagues. They knew they were in deep, deep trouble. These days the army that has the most “Star Wars weapons” wins. Men armed with weapons they can carry are no match for those whose missiles are guided to their targets by satellites. This Bible story provides the same contrast. Both Israel and the Philistines knew they same thing about God. They knew about his awesome power. The Philistines understood that they faced an army whose most important weapon was their God. And, Israel knew she could win the battle only if God would use his power to fight for their side. God’s power has helped Israel miraculously win many battles over the course of history. For instance, he made Israel win over Egypt and Syrian in the Six-Day War in 1967 through a series of coincidental mistakes made by her enemies. That same power is available to God’s children today.

We often battle powerful enemies like fear, depression, sorrow, and peer pressure. These are powerful enemies. How can we possibly win? In the same way the armies of Israel defeated superior powers and weapons. We win by tapping into the power of God who promises to be our defender. As we admit that we are weak and ask for his help, we release the power that God used to create everything in the universe by just speaking it into existence. That power is the most important weapon we have in our battle against sin. Let’s do like the Israelites did and ask for God’s presence to help us in our battles. Today’s Prayer: Dear Father-God, I need your power today. I know I can’t win without your help. I ask you to help me win my battles today because I know that you are truly on my side. Please fight for me, especially when you know I’d lose if I tried to go it alone. Amen.

Awful Advertising

I was watching TV the other night at a friends house and I was literally dumbfounded by 2 commercials back to back.
I don’t know what these advertising geniuses are thinking when they put together these campaigns, but I don’t feel like they’re giving the viewing public much credit.


3 things that made me go “wha???” in less than 60 seconds


#1 – The Coors Light Cold-Activated Can
“When the mountains turn blue your beer is cold!” Gee thanks, Coors Light. Prior to this amazing technology I had no idea how cold my beer was because I wear mittens 24/7.
I’ve got to be honest, I’ve been grabbing 12-ounce cans for almost half my life now (most all of them soda), and I don’t ever remember saying to myself. “You know, I wish there was a better way to know if this drink was cold. Touching it is so annoying.” As it turns out, like 99.99999% of the population, my hands have the ability to detect temperature by the transfer of heat to and away from them. And considering I have to actually touch my beer to drink it, it’s usually not much of a hassle.
Are we that bored by technology that this is the best we can come up with? Maybe next they’ll invent a better way for me to tell that my toast is done other than looking at it.
#2 – The Coors Light Tagline
Sorry Coors, I don’t mean to pick on you, but check out this beauty:

Refreshment isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

Wow.
First of all, no one ever said that refreshment WAS everything. So thanks for knocking down that straw man. Imagine sitting around with your buddies and one of them takes a swig of his beverage and says, “ahhh. refreshment is everything.” My question: would you punch him in the face, make fun of him for the rest of your life, or both?
Second of all, refreshment is the only thing? Really? If anyone out there is going through a really difficult time in life right now – lost their job, relationships crumbing around them, dealing with a major illness – do me a favor and drink down a tall glass of your most refreshing beverage. If quenching your thirst makes all your problems go away and fills you with permanent joy, then i stand corrected.
#3 – The Zales Sale
Zales is running a sale where the more you buy, the bigger the discount you get on your jewelry. Not a new idea, of course, but I couldn’t help but laugh when the voice in the commercial exclaimed:

The more you buy, the more you save!

Yeah we all understand what they’re saying, but take a look at that statement at face value. It’s preposterous.
How about this instead: “The more you buy, the more you buy”
Or maybe, “The more money you spend on jewelry, the less money you have.”
No wonder most of this country is up to their eyeballs in debt.
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There’s got to be a ton more out there.
What commercials drive you up a wall?
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