“May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God’s presence,”~Andrew Murray

37stories — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:26:22 +0000

Murray's ministry was in the 1800's. He wrote hundreds of books and tracts. He passionately lived a life fully devoted to Jesus Christ. He desired that all people do the same, but noted obstacles to participating in the life of God.

"Murray wrote to interpret the Scriptures in such a way that Christians were free to believe and experience the grace of God. He believed that God had done everything necessary for people to live rich, productive, meaningful lives that participated in the life of God. The obstacles to such lives included half-hearted surrender to God, a lack of confidence in the anointing of the Spirit, and a deep-rooted skepticism about the power of prayer."

I too, wish to live passionately and participate in the life of God. This brings me to consider the impact of his noted obstacles on my life. I must ask myself….

Am I fully surrendered? Unlikely
Do I lack confidence in the anointing of the Spirit? Probably.
Am I a skeptic about the power of prayer? Maybe

This is all a bit frustrating. I have been a believer for 50 years and can't confidently answer I am fully surrendered, fully confident in the anointing and equally confident in prayer. What happened?

I find myself crying out, "Father! What must I do? Help me! Remove any obstacles in my life. Allow me to live a life fully participating in the life of God… "

What obstacles are keeping you from living a life fully devoted to God?

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Identify your mission. Pick your target. Nail the objective.

37stories — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:47:33 +0000

Peer pressure is a funny thing. Mostly, it snares those of us who are people pleasers. We tend to be manipulated into doing things we really don't want to do, just because we don't want to make a scene and want everyone to be happy.

Jesus encountered peer pressure. "Everyone is looking for you." That is a pretty strong statement. My natural response would be to go back and try to help those looking for me. Notice what Jesus did? He kept going the direction He started out and didn't let peer pressure interfere with His objectives.

This is a good model for us. Check with Jesus. Pick your objective. Don't let others deter you from the task at hand. Now go walk with Jesus today. He likes the company.

"Simon and those who were with him followed after him;

1:37 and they found him, and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.” He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.”"~Mark Surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

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Tips on keeping fruit fresh…

37stories — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:09:53 +0000

Working hard for Jesus is not all it is cracked up to be. Imagine a tree that is meant to bear fruit. You are the tree. Now work hard for Jesus and for everything you do, you get a fruit to stick on a branch. Before long your tree is going to look pretty cool for a short time. You might have an orange stuck on the end of one branch and lemon stuck on the end of another branch. Maybe even some pomegranates, figs, grapefruits and who knows what else.

Pretty cool, right? But you know before long, the fruit begins to rot because just working hard and sticking them on the end of the branch does not provide nourishment. The fruit all dies pretty quick. It turns rotten and begins to stink. There must be a better way.

Consider an alternative. Consider the possibility that Jesus resides in you and desires to produce His own fruit through you. He really doesn't need you to tell Him how to produce fruit. He is the original fruit orchard creator.

Take a step back. Refocus. Keep your eyes on the creator and let Jesus produce His own fruit through you. The fruit will ripen in its own season and Jesus will keep it fresh and nourished. Others will want to know what makes your fruit so much better…

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How many times will you look into the eyes of a people with fear?

37stories — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:50:51 +0000

So there was this guy Simon who just happened along…

"As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus."~Luke

I have wondered what was Simon thinking? He's coming in from the country and finds himself carrying the cross of Jesus. The Word says, "they made him". It would be human nature to want to avoid the murderous mob with expectation of not getting involved. Yet Simon not only fails to avoid the mob, but finds himself in the middle of it. Simon likely is thinking this is not going to be good. You have to imagine fear is playing a major part in his mind as he picks up the cross.

As my imaginations consider Simon being forced to pick up the cross, I consider the possibility. As he kneels down at the feet of Jesus he looks up into the master's eyes and sees a deep loving compassion that few in the world has seen. His heart melts beneath the cross and shoulders the burden of a Christ he has just met. As Jesus is further abused on the walk to "The Skull", Simon may have winced in pain with the sound of each lash on Jesus' back.

Somewhere in the walk, Simon likely became a changed man. How could anyone carry the burden of a cross for Jesus and not be a changed man? Have you looked into the eyes of Jesus? Have you picked up His cross. Has your fear of the crowd become insignificant in comparison to the love of Christ?

Sadly, you may have picked up the cross of Jesus only to set it down when you looked into the eyes of the crowd. It's not too late. Once again, pick up the cross of Jesus and look into His eyes. The love you find will cover all fears and you will shoulder His cross with honor amidst the pain.

"Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you. But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified."~Peter

I love the thought of kneeling at the cross. Gazing up into the eyes of Jesus for the first time and seeing incredible love amidst the blood and gore. Picking up the cross and putting in on my shoulder as I cry out, "I'm not worthy! Father, forgive me. Holy is thy name! Sing praises to the King. Sing Hosanna. Sing!"

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Dancing with Demons… How ’bout you?

37stories — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:10:53 +0000

I have a Bible believing friend who recently had major surgery. He ended up in ICU for a few days while he, the doctors and God sorted things out.

He said during the time he was in ICU, he quit caring whether he lived or died. It was during this time the dark demons began dancing in the peripheral of his vision. He could physically see their presence. He said it was the darkest of moments he had ever experienced. He said the depression that accompanied the demons, was unbelievably bad. My friend said he never wants to experience that again.

Toward the end of the stay in ICU, a doctor walked in and asked who was a believer? My friend said it was he. Very quickly the not caring about life and death disappeared and he was back to caring deeply about his friends and family. That is a God Spot!

It is a pretty incredible story. It makes me wonder if there are other ICU experiences, other friends would like to share? You can post anonymously if you wish. God bless.

Also "my friend" if I got anything wrong in the account, shoot me an email and I'll fix it.

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God will use the “other person”. huh?

37stories — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:17:16 +0000

It is easy for us to think God will use the other person to fulfill His will and purpose. It seems many times the other person is more qualified, has more money, is in position, has the better job or whatever. It just makes sense God would use the "other person". I'd suggest God has you where He wants you and is ready to use you.

Take a look at Nehemiah. He was nothing but the cup bearer for a king. God used him in an incredible way and at great risk to Nehemiah.

"It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence. The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.”
Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”
Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”

So whether you serve tables, sweep floors or are some big corporate executive, God can use you.

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Homeless for the Holidays

37stories — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:05:44 +0000

Cora and I went grocery shopping for the holidays and I couldn’t pass
up the opportunity to chat with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They are
homeless. They have a camp up the hill a couple of miles from the
grocery store. Lee was sitting at a bench outside the grocery store
while his wife was shopping at the party store.

Lee and his wife were very friendly and were eager to share their
stories. Lee found Jesus a couple years, ago. Since that time, he
has totally kicked his drug habits and does not manufacture meth any
more. His wife is also clean, but alcohol is still a part of their
daily existence.

Although life had been hard on the two of them, they were incredibly
positive. They were eager for company and offered to take me to their
camp to show me around. I declined but got their phone number in case
I changed my mind. I wish I could remember his wife’s name, but sadly
can’t. I asked if she had ever seen God do anything for her. She
very excitedly asked me how many times would I like to hear about?

She then sang me a pretty song. It was her best “Valley Girl”
rendition of a song she had written about Adam and Eve in the garden.
She had previously sung this song to a prostitute and drug addict
while locked up at the county jail. She saw God in the song and
believed it a strong witness to her friends. It probably was. Lee
loved to hear her sing.

You likely will find this statement odd, but I don’t know if I have
ever met any couple as excited about God and His place in their life.
They were really pumped and it was hard for me to get away. They just
wanted to keep talking about God in their life as they shared a
bottle.

The experience does make me wonder. Why did I expect less out of a
homeless person, then I’d expect in talking to any other stranger.
Why was I surprised they had a relationship with God? No matter how I
slice it, I was blessed in the opportunity to meet the Andersons.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from 37stories!

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THE CANCER CONNECTION

37stories — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:58:48 +0000

Update on my friend with cancer follows. Please pray…

On October 27th, I was diagnosed with mouth cancer; a stage 2
squamous cell carcinoma inside my right cheek. Surgery is scheduled
for Monday, November 30 at which time the surgical team will remove
the tumor, 5 teeth and a portion of my upper and lower jaw. I am
advised to allow at least two weeks before even thinking about
resuming any normal ministry activity. So, I will be out of
commission for a couple of weeks. For those of you who sent your
support check after the 15th, you will be receiving a receipt letter
as you normally would but it will not have any personal comments on
it. Please know that whether there is a note or not, I am very
grateful for your ongoing support of our ministry. It is a blessing
beyond belief.

But God, who is rich in mercy has opened some doors of ministry for me
since the diagnosis. One opportunity was with a 38 year old male,
I’ll call “Z”. When I visited him in the hospital, upon the request
of his sister, “Z” told me that had been diagnosed with lymphoma and
was facing a chemotherapy treatment plan. As we talked, he broke into
tears when he shared with me the possibility that he would never leave
the hospital. I grabbed his hand and words of encouragement began to
flow from my mouth. He confessed that he had not been in church in
over 20 years, that he had lived a hard life as a truck driver and
just didn’t know how God could forgive him. I assured him that
forgiveness was his in Jesus and if he, by faith, would give Jesus his
old life, that Jesus would give him new life in return. A life of
supernatural hope, peace and love that he could experience despite his
serious prognosis. So, on a Monday morning, just before I went for a
CT scan, “Z” gave his life to Christ. Please pray that this
confession will take deep root and that “Z” will be drawn into a
close, personal relationship with Jesus.

I visited another gentleman in the hospital following surgery to
remove a blockage in his small intestine that had caused him a great
deal of discomfort. The surgery went well and he was looking forward
to going home to his family. He was released from the hospital but
later received a pathology report that revealed that he has a very
rare form of intestinal cancer. He is currently undergoing
chemotherapy with additional surgery on the horizon. I shared my
diagnosis with him and all of a sudden, our relationship deepened.
All of a sudden he felt I could understand better. He has always been
cordial during our interactions but now he gladly received prayer and
has sought my counsel on when and how to share this news with his
children, his co-workers and his friends. We talk on a weekly basis
for updates and to encourage each other.

So, here we have an opportunity to experience Romans 8:28 which says:
“For we know that God causes all things to work together for good so
those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” The Lord
is at work. I believe that either He is deepening my faith so I can
more effectively minister and/or He is purifying me. Perhaps there is
some dross on my heart that inhibits the fullness of the Spirit to
work or that keeps me from being an accurate reflection of Christ to
those He puts in my path. Whatever the reason, God knows the outcome.
I have told Peggy this and I may have shared it with you and, if so,
forgive me for repeating myself. “I don’t know where this road leads
but I know Who paved it”.

If you are prompted to pray for me, please pray for Peggy also. We
are asking that the Lord use this for His glory and for our
strengthening. I would also ask that you pray that the surgery will
be adequate and that no radiation treatment will be necessary.

Your partnership with us in ministry is a gigantic encouragement and
because of your support, I am able to share the love of Christ in the
workpalce with many who have never been to church or have been away
from it for a long time. I don’t know how many people have shared
with me that, as a result of my encouragement, they are actively
visiting churches to find one that they can become involved in. You
enable that through your gifts of support. THANK YOU!!! And God
bless you.

To Know Him, To Make Him Known,

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AHHH God’s love. A topic that is fresh on my heart.

37stories — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:27:17 +0000

Guest post by Elisha.

There was this woman in my life that was someone I just couldn’t seem
to get away from. She drove me crazy. She was one of those people that
when she was around my true colors rose up. Sure on the outside I kept
a pretty face, but on the inside I was the biggest hypocrite as I
wished with all my might she would just go away. Everytime she was
around she would say things to cut me, to make me feel bad, or just to
be mean. It was irritating.

All the while I knew all the right answers…I knew I was to forgive
her, I knew I was to love her and I knew that there was probably some
underlying hurt in her life that caused her to say these things. And
as much as I prayed and vowed that I had forgiven her and that I would
kill her with kindness, everytime I saw her I still wanted to ring her
neck.

One day when the topic of the home group that we hold in my home came
up she stated that she was going to start coming. GREAAAAT!! Just what
I needed.(Please note the sarcasm). So she had been coming for a few
weeks and the ministry always seemed to be directed at her and that
drove me more crazy as she would sit there with a blank stare and say
she was fine and she was already doing everything she needed to.

The pharisee in me sat there despising her. The unforgiveness and
bitterness in my heart was rampant and I knew then that I could not
ever love this person. I could pretend and even say all the right
things, but in my heart there was no love. So, yesterday came and we
decided to meet and get on our faces to seek the Lord. As I lay there
on my living room floor I heard the Lord asking why I cared so much
what others thought of me when I know the King of Kings. Why I longed
for others approval when I was the bride of Christ.

Then He showed me this woman I despise who was next to me at the time
and asked if I was willing to love her. I confessed that I couldn’t.
He said to humble myself and consider her better than me. Immediately
I knew I had to drop my pride and be obedient. As I submitted to the
idea that I was the least and the worst, God cleansed my heart from
the unforgiveness and bitterness. No formula, just a change of heart.

Then, my spiritual authority said out of the blue…”I think we should
pray over (Sally).” I knew I could lay my hands on her to pray because
of what God had just done in my heart. As we prayed I just asked for
Him to show me His love for her. I knew if I could see it, then I
would be able to love her.

As she sat there she began weeping and crying out to God for all the
times she fealt alone. She said, “For the time I was alone in my
closet, for the time they beat me, for the time the called me
worthless, and for the time my parents killed themselves.”

Immediately a flood of sorrow rushed through my body. So much I could
barely stand it. I kept my hand on her and wept with her. God showed
me this was just a taste of the sorrow He fealt through all these
things that she went through and that He never left her. We wept and
wept and wept.

Then she turned to me and we embraced and on top of all the sorrow a
new emotion came…..LOVE. An overwhelming love for her that physically
my body could not contain. I began shaking and could barely speak to
tell her how much God loved her. We sat embraced for awhile as this
love took over my entire being. Love so great I couldn’t even look her
in the eyes becuase it was so overwhelming.

Again, God revealed that this was just a taste of how much He loved
her. When the emotion died down enough to be able to come together
again as a group there was something new in me. God had given me love
for her.

I looked at her with new eyes. She honestly looked different and I
swear her voice was different. We were new women. Released from the
grasp of the enemy who loves division and strife. I could not love her
with any ounce of the religiousity that is in me, but God’s love is
more than enough and so much better.

Elisha

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Friend with Mouth Cancer…. How can we pray for you?

37stories — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:13:44 +0000

I have a friend who has a cancerous growth in his mouth. Likely, he
will be embarrassed if he reads this. He is a humble man of God and
actively seeks His pleasure. I believe if God were to heal him,
others’ faith would be increased and God would be blessed.

I want God’s abundance on his life. So it is not my desire to get you
and I between him and God’s best. If it pleases God, pray with me in
requesting God’s healing power on my friend. Pray for the doctors to
be astonished with his miraculous healing. I know my friend will
point others to God as the miracle worker.

So as you read this, pray for God’s healing on my friend’s mouth.
Pray the tumor will miraculously recede at the doctors’ astonishment.
Pray God will be blessed and my friend will be healed.

Ask this in the name of Jesus who has already given all for us, as
believers. If He chooses, my friend will be healed.

If you have a word of encouragement or prayer post it here.

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