the race!

What would I do without this Book??? I LOVE this Book that we have the greatest honor of having in our country. Listen to these words and may they affect your soul the way they affected mine this morning:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that SO EASILY entangles, and let us run WITH PERSEVERANCE, the RACE marked out for us. Let us FIX our eyes on JESUS, the AUTHOR and PERFECTER of our FAITH, who for the JOY set before him, ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, and sat down at the RIGHT HAND of the throne of God. CONSIDER HIM who endured such opposition from sinful men, SO THAT YOU (YOU, YOU , YOU) will NOT GROW WEARY and LOSE HEART. In your struggle against SIN, you have not yet RESISTED to the point of SHEDDING YOUR BLOOD......" Hebrews 12:1-4

After reading the word race, I wanted to know more so I looked up the word RACE and here is what I found:

Race- any contest or pursuit of supremecy.

CONTEST- a STRUGGLE for superiority or victory between rivals

SUPREMECY- greatest in power, authority, rank, importance, significance, character. Utmost; Extreme; Ultimate; Final: situated above.

I was reminded that we are living for the JOY SET BEFORE US,, the hope of heaven, the place where God dwells and everyone adores him, perfect in beauty where is no more crying, mourning, pain, sickness or death.  Until we get there, we must ENDURE, we must PERSEVERE (keep going no matter how hard) and we must set Jesus at the highest place in our heart and mind who gave up everything out of his great love for us and his desire for us to dwell with him forever in paradise. This is the time of struggle between rivals. Our time to make our choice for whose team we are on and who we are going to give supremecy in our lives. Who, this day, will be the greatest in our lives???? May it be  Jesus! May it be Jesus! The one who is

"ABLE TO SAVE COMPLETELY THOSE WHO COME TO GOD THROUGH HIM BECAUSE HE ALWAYS LIVES TO INTERCEDE FOR THEM." Hebrews 7:25

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link

p.s.- I will be in Florida visiting my mom and dad tomorrow thru the next week. May you prepare your own heart well  next week for the greatest celebration of our faith!!!

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

John 12

In preparing my own heart for Easter and remembering what Jesus has done for us, I'm going through John and desiring His words to "dwell in me richly." This is what I read this morning:

"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs IN THEIR PRESENCE, they STILL WOULD NOT BELIEVE in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

'Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

'He has blinded their eyes
and deadened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn- and I would heal them."

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; FOR THEY LOVED PRAISE FROM MEN MORE THAN PRAISE FROM GOD.
Then Jesus cried out, 

"When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that NO ONE who believes in me SHOULD stay in the darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to SAVE it. There is a judge for the one who REJECTS ME AND DOES NOT ACCEPT MY WORDS; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me WHAT TO SAY AND HOW TO SAY IT. I KNOW that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." John 12:37-50

A few things to ponder:

    1. Many people say "if I could just see a miracle, then I would believe." According to this piece of Scripture- that's not always true. These people saw LOTS of miracles done in their presence- yet- they still didn't believe.
Miracles do not equal belief.

    2. Finish your own statment, "Because of ____________________, she wouldn't confess her faith for fear of _________________________________."  Is there anything/anyone that is keeping you from confessing your faith? What are you afraid of?

    3. Check yourself- do you love praise from men more than praise from God? Here are a few other verses given to teach us that we should live to please God:
        *John 5:44
        * "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still                 trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

    4. According to Scripture-at the end of our life here on earth,  we will all stand before God and have to answer to how we have responded to Jesus and his words- whether we accepted him/them or rejected him/them. Are there any words of Jesus that you have rejected?

    5. The same God who sent Jesus into the world and commanded him "WHAT to say and HOW to say it" is the same one who sends us as his servants into the world to continue his work. John 17:18 says, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." May we walk so closely with him that we hear him commanding us "what to say and how to say it" to all he sends us to.

"Sanctify me by your truth; your word is TRUTH." John 17:17

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

realize

This Sunday, many churches around the world will celebrate what is called, "Palm Sunday." It's the day celebrated, one week before Easter, when Jesus rode into town and the people took palm branches and worshipped him as the King of Isreal. Listen to what Scripture says:

"The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

"Hosanna!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Blessed is the King of Isreal!"

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

"Don't be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." (Zech. 9:9)

At first his disciples did not understand all this. ONLY AFTER Jesus was glorified did they REALIZE that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him." John 12:12-16

There are some things going on in our lives RIGHT NOW, that we may simply not understand. However, there WILL come a time when we WILL REALIZE what was really going on.

REALIZE means to comprehend completely or correctly.

Jesus says in John 13:7:

"You do not realize NOW what I am doing, BUT LATER you WILL UNDERSTAND."

You may not comprehend completely or correctly right now what Jesus is doing in your life, but later you will see his wisdom and perhaps why things needed to happen the way they did. Be joyful in hope that someday you will understand. If not here on earth, most definately in heaven.

"Now I know in part; then I shall know FULLY, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

You are not alone. May we say:

"But I TRUST in YOU, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands."
Psalm 31:14

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

God is at work. He is very aware of all our situations. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He knows what is best. He knows what is to come. He knows what we need before we even ask. He can be trusted.
 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Dealing with selfishness.

If any of you were at the River yesterday at the second service  you heard my husband give me a hard time about struggling when there is no worship music. He was being incredibly truthful. I HATE not having worship music. In fact, as soon as I entered the sanctuary yesterday and noticed that there was no one up on stage, I said in my heart, "Ahhhhhh! Bummer! I hate when there isn't worship!" It's at these times that I become very aware of my need for Jesus and his words. Left to myself, I would be negative, complain, pout and not get anything else out of the service, and can certainly understand the temptation people have to leave the church. Since my husand is the pastor and I don't think it wise that I leave the church (wink, wink, hee, hee....I really do LOVE THE River...just struggle occasssionally when I don't get what I want..doesn't that sound awful! ), I seek to take a different perspective.    It's these situations that arise that really do
provide opportunities for growth, for putting God's word into practice, for becoming more like Jesus, for really learning how to love and submit and obeying his commands.  Deuteronomy 8:3 says:

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and TO TEST YOU in order to know what was in your heart, WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD KEEP HIS COMMANDS."So what are some of the Lord's commands???

1. "For I seek not to please myself (Jesus) but him who sent me." John 5:30

2. "Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself..."Romans 15:2 & 3

3. "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."
Hebrews 13:17

4. "Be joyful always; pray continutally; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

5. "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your ATTITUDE should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became OBEDIENT TO DEATH- even death on a cross!.........Therefore me dear friends, as you have always obeyed- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling....Do EVERYTHING WITHOUT COMPLAINING OR ARGUING, so that you may BECOME blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you SHINE LIKE STARS in the universe as you hold out the word of life." Phillipians 2: 4-15

6. "If anyone would come after me, he must DENY HIMSELF and take up his cross and follow me." Luke 9:23

7 "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices (singing worship songs) as much as ing OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE LORD? TO OBEY IS BETTER  THAN SACRIFICE, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:22- 23

8. "Submit yourselves FOR THE LORD'S SAKE  to every authority instituted among men..." 1 Peter 2:13

9. "Love is patient, love is kind....it is not rude, it is NOT SELF-SEEKING, it is not EASILY ANGERED, it keeps no record of wrongs....it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
1 Corinthians .13:4-7

10. "During the days of Jesus' life on earth he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he LEARNED OBEDIENCE THROUGH WHAT HE SUFFERED......" Hebrews 5:7-8 

May we, MAY I , be obedient to God's teachings when we don't get what we want at church or in life, believing He is the King and the King is always right!

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

mercy

MERCY- kind compassionate treatment of an offender, enemy, prisoner, or other person under one's power

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your REWARD WILL BE GREAT, AND you will be sons of the MOST HIGH because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. " Luke 6:35- 36

Oh, my friends, may we be known for our mercy. Hmmmmmm....I wonder what that reward will be???? I love knowing there is a reward and He sees all of our choices to be obedient. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy
 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

you never know who is listening!

If I use the phrase, "butt-dialing" do you know what I'm talking about? I didn't until this past week when I apparently did it three times. Without my knowledge, I called three different people  in my address book by possibly sitting on my phone and pressing numbers accidentally. They each told me how they listened to my family laughing and chatting .......thankfully. Through this, I was reminded of why God gives us these words:

"Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say." Ecc. 10:20

May we be very careful and Godly in our speech and in our thoughts because you never know who is listening. Sooooo much damage can be done when our speech and thought-life goes unchecked.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing  in YOUR SIGHT, oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Joy Link 
 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day.It was soooo good for my soul to read about his life this morning, especially after last night. I had shared with you that I was going to have the  opportunity to speak to "Big sisters & little sisters," from Kalamazoo, and last night was the night. I couldn't believe how nervous I felt. It was so different than going into a church and speaking to a group of women who I know believe. I was speaking to  girls and women who may sit there staring at me like I'm crazy because they don't believe at all. I know through experience that the name of Jesus can produce some SERIOUS negative reactions.   I found myself praying a TON yesterday in preperation for this event and having to tell myself over and over the following truths:

" If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26

"I am NOT ASHAMED of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Romans 1:16

"Don't be ashamed to testify about our Lord.." 2 Timothy 1:8

I kept saying to God, "I'm not ashamed of you, but it sure is a lot easier speaking of you with people who already believe." I kept thinking that if I feel this way in a country where there is great freedom to speak of God, how are my friends doing it in other countries that are hostile to Jesus and persecute/kill those who take a stand for his name? 

In his autobiography,  CONFESSIONS, St. Patrick wrote: "As every day arrives, I expect either sudden death or deception or being taken back as a slave or some other misfortune. But I fear none of these, since I look to the promise of heaven and have flung myself into the hands of the all-powerful God, who rule as Lord everywhere."

May we be faithful to the One who gave up his life for us. May we be bold and fearless when it comes to declaring what we believe about Jesus Christ....no matter what comes............just like St. Patrick. Happy St. Patricks day!
Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

p.s. I'm taking my children( & myself) out for a shamrock shake tonight at the McDonalds on Stadium drive around 6:30p.m. I'd love to have you join me.

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

beauty tips

I am sooooo excited to have been given the opportunity to speak to a bunch of young girls through the "Big Sister/Little Sister" program here in Kalamazoo this coming Tuesday night. I've been asked to speak to them about the issue of "BEAUTY."  I will be sharing many things with them, one of them being the following:

GOD'S TOP TEN BEAUTY TIPS:

         DO'S                                                                 DONT'S

10.     Be others focused / selfless                             Be selfish..."me first"

9.     "Be thankful in all circumstances"                    "Don't complain about  anything"
            Be positive                                                    Be negative 

8. Trust God, believe Him, do what He says & pray     "Don't worry, fret, or be anxious" 

7. SMILE!!!!!                                                            Frown (not meaning don't be real)

6. Love sincerely                                                      become unforgiving, bitter, hateful,careless

5. Accept who you are & how God has made you        "Don't covet/compare..." & try to be someone else

4. Be modest/mysterious, saving body for one man    show all you've got to every man you meet   

3. Fill your mind & heart with good, true things            fill your mind & heart with junk/untrue things

2. Speak what is helpful for building others up            use your words to hurt /tear down

1. Fear God (be in awe of him)& "tremble @ his words"       make life all about you. 

1. Accept Jesus & allow Him to live his life through you    think you can become "perfect" on                                                                                                             your own   

There are so many more things I could say. This issue of beauty runs deep in the soul of a woman. Would you pray for me Tuesday night that something form God's word would stick with these precious girls. Blessings. Kristy
                              
 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

Real and True

As I chatted on the phone with AT &T many times  this week due to someone else's deception and my foolishness, I was told over and over again, "The REAL AT & T would NEVER ask you for your password."
It is sooooo important to KNOW the REAL from the deception. So may I remind us of a few things:

1. THERE IS A ONE TRUE, REAL GOD AND THE ONLY WAY TO HIM IS THROUGH JESUS!

"I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." John

"This is eternal life; that they may know YOU, the ONLY TRUE God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3

"He is the TRUE God and eternal life." 3 John 5:20

"I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is REAL food and my blood is REAL drink. ...Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." John 6:53-57

"No one has ever seen God, but God the One and ONLY, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:18

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Hebrews 1:3

"No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." 
 1 John 2:23

2. THERE IS ONE OUT THERE SEEKING TO DECEIVE US..........BE ALERT!

" For such men are FALSE apostles, DECEITFUL workmen, MASQUERADING as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 1 Corinthians11:13-15

3. THE TRUE GOD WOULD NEVER:

    *do anything without LOVE (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness & self-control)
    *tempt you to do anything evil ("God does not tempt anyone..." James 1:13)
    *lead you to hopelessness
    *allow you to go through something if something good wouldn't/couldn't come from it.
    *condone sin....GOD HATES EVIL........it's what sent Jesus to the cross.
    *be all mercy with no justice
    *be all justice with no mercy............that's why Jesus is so WONDERFUL. Jesus is jusice AND mercy.
    * AND SO MANY MORE................. Make a list for yourself what the True God would never do.
   

May we know the Real God. May we not be deceived by all that isn't REAL and TRUE.
 Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link 

 "I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." Phillipians 1:25 & 26

My name

Last night I spent a good hour of my evening deleting 4,626 contacts that a deceiver added to my address book. It's my fault, I know, and I take full responsibility for being computer naive and gullible. I received a message a few days ago from "AT & T" telling me they needed my e-mail and password for some reason and if I didn't send it to them my e-mail would not be working in a matter of days. So,having come to value deeply my e-mail and not wanting to lose it,  I sent "AT & T" my password. Now, I am reaping the consequences of my naivete.  According to my "sent" box, "Kristy LInk" is sending out all kinds of something about an Asian lottery. I have no idea what the implications are involved in all this.  I am sooooo ANGRY that someone is using MY NAME to send out a message that I AM NOT SENDING!  My name is being misused! A name of a soul that has been captivated by God and is seeking to use her life to bring honor to His name is now being
deceitfully used to scam people with some kind of "fake" lottery thing.  I keep thinking two things:

1. If I, a very  imperfect, human being is troubled by the misuse of my name, HOW MUCH MORE must our PERFECT GOD, be so deeply troubled when His name is misused.

"Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God."Exodus 20:7

2. I wonder how sad and angry God must feel when we send messages to people about Him or from Him that are not really about him or from him at all. I just read:

"You have wearied the LORD with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "where is the God of justice?"
Malachi 2:17

These people who are received these messages that I apparently have sent, have no idea who I am and so they have no idea whether they are really from me or not. Hopefully, the people who know me would know that I would NEVER send something like that. The best way to know if a message is really from God is to know God and His words. The best way to be one of God's messengers is to know God and to know his words.

May we not misuse the name of our God and may we get to know him so well that we can discern between what messages are from him and which ones are from an imposter/deceiver seeking to destroy us. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

ps. I am having trouble with my computer due to this incident. So if you have sent me an e-mail  within the last two days I don't think I've received it. Sorry.

"Blessed."

I had a man approach me last week at the YMcA and say "Kristy, you sure are lucky, aren't you?" I responded by saying to him, "I'm not sure I would use the word, "lucky," to which he quickly corrected himself and changed the word to "Blessed." I was then able to agree and say, "Indeed, I am." I shared with him a little on that day why I considered myself blessed, but this morning I was able to write my friend a note and share with him what Scripture says about being blessed. Below are a few of the truths I shared with him:

 

" BLESSED is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1

 

"BLESSED are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. BLESSED are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." Psalm 84:4 & 5

 

"BLESSED is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be BLESSED." Psalm 112: 1 & 2

 

(I shared with him how I come from a heritage of people who have loved Jesus and his words, have taught me about him and his words from the time I was a baby, and I am simply experiencing the truthfulness of this Scripture.....if you are parenting right now, may you find great "DELIGHT IN HIS COMMANDS" that YOUR children may be blessed.)

 

"BLESSINGS crown the head of the righteous." Prov. 10:6

 

"Don't merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!....the man who looks INTENTLY into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be BLESSED in what he does." James 1:22 - 25

 

 

"......the testimony of Jesus Christ. BLESSED is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and BLESSED are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Revelation 1:2 & 3

 

 

May we HEAR what God says! May we TAKE TO HEART and BELIEVE what he says! May we DO what he says!May we be BLESSED! Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

Myrtle

I have a beautiful neighbor by the name, "Myrtle." I came across her name in God's word and felt prompted to type out Isaiah 55 so she could see her name. In order to "kill two birds with one stone," ( ahhhh- I actually don't like that expression at all but it's the only one I know to say quickly what I mean) this is the truth I will pass on to you as well. So hear the words of God and remember that "This is the one God esteems,.....he who TREMBLES at his word" ( Isaiah 66:2)

"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is NOT bread,
and your labor on what does NOT SATISFY?
Listen, listen to ME, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Giver ear and come to me;
hear me, that your SOUL may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.
Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you
will hasten to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Isreal,
for HE has endowed you with splendor."
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS,
NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS," declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and FLOURISH,
so that it yields seed for the sower
and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth;
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You wil go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the MYRTLE will grow.
This will be for the Lord's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."

May we eat the words of God and be richly satisfied. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy

Fw: laminen explained

I read this last night, and my spirit soared. I could find nothing better to share with you this morning. K

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Esther Blackmore <hadassah@q.com>
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Sent: Wed, March 3, 2010 12:59:04 PM
Subject: FW: laminen explained


 

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Subject: God Holds Us Together Shared by an anonymous doctor A  couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my  treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN  AWAY!  I want to share what I learned... But I fear not being able  to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway. He (Louie)  was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the  universe into being....  Then He went on to speak of how this  universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with  amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.)... And I was remembering how I was   constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about  God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking.. 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???' Louie went on to talk  about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the  power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart..how  our loving Creator is also our sustainer. And then I lost my  breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!   It was  because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is  how Wikipedia describes them: 'LAMININS are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes  in almost every animal tissue.'  You see.... Laminins are what hold us together.. LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what  holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would  literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't  know is what they LOOKED LIKE. But now I do.  And I have  thought about it a thousand times since (already).. Here is what the  structure of laminin looks like...AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it!!  If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical  piece of literature, this is what you will see...   Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!  Amazing. The glue that holds us together..... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross.  Immediately  Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind. 'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by  him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD  TOGETHER.'  (Colossians 1:15-17) Call me crazy. I  just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the  world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell  to another... By the cross.  You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look from the very beginning!    What an amazing God...what an awesome God... and we are made in his image...now I understand.

 

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God's hands and feet

 
This will be short this morning because I have spent my normal writing time seeking to do the following:
 
"Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those who are staggeing towards slaughter.
If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
Does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"
Prov. 24:11 & 12
 
I don't always know how to do this or what it looks like.  It most certainly takes A LOT of prayer and wisdom. This morning it looked like writing a letter to a fatherless boy encouraging him to follow his Heavenly Father. However, I know and believe, where the world tells us to mind our own business and to not get involved, Jesus commands us to fight, rescue, speak up, go after and encourage those who are being led away from God.
 
In Hebrews 3:12 it says,
 
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness...."
 
And again in James 5:19 it says,
 
"My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
 
 
Remember that we are God's hands and feet. May we all be used to rescue the precious, precious souls that God loves more than we can imagine. May we be alert to those He has cross our paths. May our prayer be,
"Tell me what to say and how to say it," (John 12:49) and  show me  the "proper time to speak" (Ecc. 3:7).
May we have the heart of the Father that HATES SIN because it DESTROYS THE PEOPLE HE LOVES SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DEEPLY.
Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

"Written in the Book..."

This morning I took a few moments to write down the cute ( and some not so cute) things my children have been saying and doing lately. As I was writing I heard the faintest whisper, "I do this for you too, Kristy." I found myself in an unexpected conversation with God asking him, "Do you really? Do you record things I do and say, God, as a mom/dad delighting in her/his children? I sat quietly before him for awhile pondering the wonder (and fear ) of that thought and then my mind was full of different truths that speak to the reality of what I had heard whispered in my ear. Listen to these pieces of Scripture:

" You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord.
    "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
    'You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'
    Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and THE LORD LISTENED AND HEARD. A SCROLL OF REMEMBERANCE WAS WRITTEN IN HIS PRESENCE CONCERNING THOSE WHO FEARED THE LORD AND HONORED HIS NAME.
    "They will be mine,' says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Malachi 3:13-18

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.....Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE." Revelation 21: 27

"..........help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, WHOSE NAMES ARE IN THE BOOK OF LIFE." Phillipians 4:3

"So we make it our goal to please him..........for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the THINGS DONE WHILE IN THE BODY, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD." 2 Corinthians 5:10

"Here is the conclusion of the matter:
    Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment ,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."
Ecclesiastes 12:13 & 14

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything  is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13

So, my husband and I were having a disagreement about tile vs. painting the floor in our basement. I was feeling very selfish and insistent on wanting my own way.That is, until I spent time letting God's words have their  way with me. Realizing that even in these small things God has commanded me to "Love" and taught me that "Love does NOT INSIST UPON ITS OWN WAY." 1 Cor. 13: 5. Knowing that He has said, "Each of you should look NOT ONLY to your own interests, but also to the interests of  others." Phillipians 2:4
Reflecting on the greater reality that some day I will have to give account to my Creator for my decisions and deeply desiring that he write in his book, "Oh Kristy, today you and Rob had a disagreement and I was proud of you for choosing to  love him and not insist that you have tile but consider his opinion in this matter as well." Knowing and believing that there will be a day when I will meet my Maker and have to answer for the deeds done in the body has affected how I will handle this situation with my husband. May your decisions be affected today and every day by the Scriptures that teach us that He is indeed watching our lives and He is soooo pleased whevenver we choose LOVE. I don't know exactly what it will look like, but Scripture is clear that our lives are being recorded by the One who loves us more than anyone else and we will have to answer to Him. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy Link

lots of kissin'

I'm not sure what was going on in her little heart and mind  last night, but I received a crazy amount of lip kisses by my daughter, Reese.  She would cup my cheeks with both of her hands, pull my face toward her and then kiss my lips until even I, (Miss. affectionate) got a little uncomfortable. This went on for quite awhile during the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Although I did feel a little awkward receiving sooooooo many smooches on the lips from Reese, there was something absolutely beautiful about it. It reminded me of the story Jesus tells in Luke 7:36-50

"Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
        When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is- that she is a sinner."
    Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
    "Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
The he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house, you did give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet wiith her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell yoiu, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
    Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
    The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
    Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Just a few things to ponder, remember, consider as you go about your day:

1. Jesus knew what the Pharisee was thinking to himself. 
   
    "YOU PERCEIVE MY THOUGHTS FROM AFAR.....
    BEFORE A WORD IS ON MY TONGUE, YOU KNOW IT COMPLETELY, OH LORD ." Psalm 139: 2 & 4

    Jesus knows what you are thinking to yourself today. Make the connections between what you think and what takes place around you that reveals that God is very aware of what is on your mind. Be in awe of His knowledge of you.

2. Jesus had something to teach him.

*I wonder what Jesus wants to teach us today???

3. The Pharisee embraced Jesus' teaching by saying, "Tell me, teacher." He was eager to learn from the Master. May we be eager to learn what God has for us this day. He has something to teach you today!  

4. Jesus used a story because that is the lanuage  of the heart. May we be open to the movies and stories around us that Jesus may use to teach us.

5. Every single person on this earth is in debt toward God.
    "All have sinned, and ALL have fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

6. None of us can pay the debt we owe.

7. All of our debts are canceled. Jesus has paid the price for our sin. 

8. We all should be extremely thankful and extravagent in our love for God because of what he has done for us.
    How can we show our love for him for not holding all of our sins against us?

"Therefore, in view of Gods' mercy, offer your bodies as LIVING SACRIFICES, HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD- this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

"This is love for God:, to  OBEY HIS COMMANDS."  1 John 5:3

9. If we are not loving him much, perhaps we don't understand just how holy he is and how unholy we are. Perhaps we don't yet understand what he did for us on the cross. Ask him to reveal to you your state of sinfulness. Read his words over and over until you come to a deeper understanding of what Jesus did for you.

10. It was her faith that saved her. It was her loving and believing in the name of Jesus and coming to Him for forgiveness of sins. It wasn't her moral lifestyle that saved her.

May we be women who understand the holiness of God. May we be women who acknowledge our own sinfulness, failures to be perfect, selfishness and stubborness in going our own way, lack of love, seeking to live life apart from God and His ways. Ohhhh- may Kalmazoo and beyond  "be won over without words by the behavior of us, when they see the purity and reverence of our lives." 1 Peter 3:1 & 2. May we do  A LOT of "kissin'" of our Savior. Blessings from Bombadil. Kristy