Who doesn't like free music?

I heard of these guys from Travis and I must say that I really like them. And they currently are offering their newest album for free from their website. No sign up or anything. Just click and download.
Angels and Airwaves

Yep, those are my nephews!

What are you living for?

10 Words That Don't Exist, But Should

I got this in an email, and I thought some of them were pretty good.

1. AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks'trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub tap on and off with your toes.

2. CARPERPETUATION (kar'pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.

3. DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To sterilize the piece of confection (lollipop) you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow 'remove' all the germs.

4. ELBONICS (el bon'iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.

5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

6. LACTOMANGULATION (lak' to man gyu lay' shun) n. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the 'illegal' side.

7. PEPPIER (peph ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper.

8.PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

9. PUPKUS (pup'kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.

10. TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay' shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away.

Christ wants everything...not just what yout think you should give...everything!

Dang it, I keep seeing this theme of giving it all to Christ. To count my life as nothing and give everything I have. I'll present the evidence and you can decide for yourself.

Matthew 13:44-46

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 16:24-28

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Luke 14:25-28

The Cost of Discipleship

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Philippians 3:7-9

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

Well, there it is. What did you decide? I'll tell you what I think though. As much as I would just rather live for myself and what I want, the Bible says otherwise.

Christ is a treasure and a pearl and the people in the parable sold everything that they had to attain it. Not just some or part of it, but everything they had to attain what they had found. They put their complete trust in Christ and they he would take care of the rest.

I think that Matthew 16:24-28 says it pretty well. You must deny yourself, take up your cross, and then follow him. I don't want to be one that gains the whole world and have my soul be forfeit. You cannot give 100 percent if you don't deny your life. How can I give 100 percent if I love my life more than what Christ has done for me, which is what Luke 14:25-28 says.


While at Faithwalkers, there was a person on my team where they realized how worthy Christ is of everything I am. And I just have to say that I completely agree. Christ is completely worthy of my whole life because of what he did for me. My prayer is to be more like Paul in Philippians 3:7-9.

Amen!

The Parable of the Sower

We have all heard this story many, many times. I probably cannot count on all of my fingers and toes how many times I have heard it and read it. Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear."

"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

 Wow, now that is quiet a parable. Jesus tells us the crowds the parable and then later on his disciples ask him what it means and he tells them. It seems to be laid out pretty well. I think this is a great parable and I have seen every single type of seed Jesus talks about. But what I want to talk about here is the seed that was sown on good soil.


The very last part was pretty convicting to me. Jesus says that the seed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and another thirty. I had to stop and think about it, what do I yield? Twenty, fifty-five, eighty? I sure hope that I am one of the cases that produce a hundredfold. I want my life to count for something more than just living for this world.


What seed are you, and how much to you bear fruit and yield?