It's Blurry Without Your Glasses by Ron Hutchcraft

It's becoming a pretty frequent refrain around our house. I'll be trying to read a label or some instructions or something my wife has given me to look at, and it becomes obvious that I'm having a hard time deciphering what's in front of me. The first clue is that my arm is extended as far it can go with that item in my hand. My wife knows I'm not seeing words clearly; I'm seeing a blur or I'm seeing letters or words that aren't really there. Thus, the refrain "Put your glasses on!" Oh yeah. I do that, and what looked so blurry suddenly looks pretty clear.

Something exciting happens when you begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - you get a new pair of glasses. It's the ability, actually, to look at your world, look at our culture, look at your choices and see God's perspective. Our vision of what really matters, or what's valuable, or what's right is pretty blurred and fuzzy and often it's expensively wrong. But when you start evaluating and living according to what God says in His Book, the Bible, you can see what's really going on.

The problem is, though, that we tend to be defined much more by our culture than we are by our Christ. Oh yeah, we have Jesus in our heart, but we've got a lot of earth-junk in the way we think. It's not a new problem. When God's ancient people were entering a culture with values that were the opposite of God's, He gave them a very important warning. It's one we need every bit as much today, and it's our word for today from the Word of God. In Leviticus 18, beginning in verse 2, God says, "I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do was they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey My laws and be careful to follow My decrees." In other words, don't take your cue from your culture - take your cue from your Creator!

One of the reasons we're so spiritually lame and powerless is that we mix our faith with a lot of garbage from Egypt and Canaan. So we end up seeing our faith more through our culture than seeing our culture through our faith. And there are lots of cultures people are or have been a part of, each with its own values, its own lies and its own distortions about life. Which culture or cultures have helped shape your attitudes and actions: the business culture, where people are commodities and profit is decisive? Or maybe the academic culture, where you must believe certain premises in order to be considered academically respectable? The youth culture, the entertainment culture, the pop culture where trivial things get hyped, superficial is important, and where irreverence and disrespect are the style?

I remember what former Attorney General John Ashcroft's godly father told him when he was going to Washington to become a United States Senator. "John, the culture of Washington is a culture of arrogance; the culture of Jesus is a culture of humility. Don't ever let Washington's arrogance replace Jesus' humility." Wow! In a sense, Jesus calls us to live counter-culturally, judging everything by His standards, seeing everything through His glasses.

Follow the culture and you'll be cynical, sarcastic, irreverent...you may be arrogant, negative, casual about sex, or driven by the bottom line. But when you trade in your blurred vision for what Jesus sees, you'll realize that a lot that looks cool isn't cool. A lot that is supposed to be funny isn't really funny. That some of what's considered an "educated viewpoint" isn't wise at all. A lot that most people consider acceptable has no place in a life that Jesus bought with His blood.
So, "Put your glasses on!" That's what God may be trying to say to you. Would you let God show you what things look like through His glasses? You'll see things as they really are, and that will change your life.

I Am a Warrior by April Osteen

I AM TIRED OF SETTLING
I AM TIRED OF LIVING LIFE BEATEN DOWN
I AM TIRED OF BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS HOW LIFE IS GOING TO BE
I AM TIRED OF BEING AFRAID
SO I AM TAKING MY POSITION AS A CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH

I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM
I KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE AND WHO I BELIEVE IN
I KNOW WHO I'M FIGHTING AGAINST AND WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR

TODAY I AM MAKING THE DECISION TO STOP LIVING LIKE A SURVIVOR
AND START LIVING LIKE A WARRIOR

I REFUSE TO SETTLE
I REFUSE TO JUST "GET BY"
I REFUSE TO LAY LOW, COWER DOWN, AND LIVE MY LIFE IN THE BACKGROUND

I AM IN THIS THING TO WIN
MOUNTAINS DON'T SCARE ME
VALLEYS WON'T STOP ME
AND PEOPLE WON'T HINDER ME

I WILL FIGHT UNTIL I CONQUER
I WILL NOT GIVE UP ANY GROUND THAT I HAVE FOUGHT FOR
I WILL NOT BE PUSHED OVER, UNDER, OR BACKWARD
I WILL STAND MY GROUND UNTIL I MAKE PROGRESS

I KNOW TIMES WILL GET TOUGH, BUT I WILL GET TOUGHER
I KNOW I MIGHT FALL DOWN, BUT I WILL GET BACK UP
I KNOW I MIGHT FAIL TRYING, BUT I WILL KEEP ON TRYING

I HAVE SETTLED IN MY HEART THAT I WILL NOT BE A CASUALTY
I WILL NOT BE MISSING IN ACTION
I WILL NOT BE A PRISONER OF ANY WAR

I HAVE DETERMINED IN MY HEART THAT I AM NOT A QUITTER
I AM NOT A FAILURE
I AM NOT A COWARD
I AM NOT A VICTIM
I AM NOT JUST A SURVIVOR-I AM A WARRIOR!

Our Cause

"The cause for which we stand will never die. Atheism,humanism,materialism,and paganism may seem so strong that any action is no more than a protest in the dark. But keep moving ahead, because the God who is in charge of the future will vindicate every action done in His name. Every time you stand for Him, every time you act in love or reach out in compassion; every tear you shed for the oppressed, every act of justice, every word of witness, will make an impact.
The God who controls the future will see to it."
Steve Brown

A Leaders Dream for the Entire Church by John Stott

I have a dream of a church which is a biblical church—which is loyal in every particular to the revelation of God in Scripture, whose pastors expound Scripture with integrity and relevance, and so seek to present every member mature in Christ, whose people love the word of God, and adorn it with an obedient and Christ-like life,which is preserved from all unbiblical emphases,whose whole life manifests the health and beauty of biblical balance. I have a dream of a biblical church. I have a dream of a church which is a worshiping church—whose people come together to meet God and worship him,who know God is always in their midst and who bow down before him in great humility,who regularly frequent the table of the Lord Jesus, to celebrate his mighty act of redemption on the cross,who enrich the worship with their musical skills,who believe in prayer and lay hold of God in prayer,whose worship is expressed not in Sunday services and prayer gatherings only but also in their homes, their weekday work and the common things of life.I have a dream of a worshipping church. I have a dream of a church which is a caring church—whose congregation is drawn from many races, nations, ages and social backgrounds, and exhibits the unity and diversity of the family of God,whose fellowship is warm and welcoming,and never marred by anger, selfishness, jealousy or pride,whose members love one another with a pure heart fervently, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, and bearing one another's burdens, which offers friendship to the lonely, support to the weak, and acceptance to those who are despised and rejected by society, whose love spills over to the world outside, attractive,infectious, irresistible, the love of God himself.I have a dream of a caring church. I have a dream of a church which is a serving church—which has seen Christ as the Servant and has heard his call to be a servant too, which is delivered from self-interest, turned inside out, and giving itself selflessly to the service of others,whose members obey Christ's command to live in the world, to permeate secular society, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, whose people share the good news of Jesus simply,naturally and enthusiastically with their friends,which diligently serves its own parish, residents and workers, families and single people, nationals and immigrants, old folk and little children, which is alert to the changing needs of society,sensitive and flexible enough to keep adapting its program to serve more usefully,which has a global vision and is constantly challenging its young people to give their lives in service, and constantly sending its people out to serve.I have a dream of a serving church. I have a dream of a church which is an expectant church—whose members can never settle down in material affluence or comfort, because they remember that they are strangers and pilgrims on earth,which is all the more faithful and active because it is waiting and looking for its Lord to return,which keeps the flame of the Christian hope burning brightly in a dark, despairing world,which on the day of Christ will not shrink from him in shame, but rise up joyfully to greet him.I have a dream of an expectant church. Such is my dream of a living church. May all of us share this dream, and under God may the dream come true!

Life Principles by Charles Stanley

1) Our intimacy with God -His highest priority for our lives- determines the impact of our lives.
2) Obey God & leave all the consequences to Him.
3) God's Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.
4) The awareness of God's presence energizes us for our work.
5) God does not require us to understand His will just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.
6) You reap what you sow, more than you sow, & later than you sow.
7) The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.
8) Fight all your battles on your knees & you win everytime.
9) Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.
10) If necessary God will move heaven & earth to show us His will.
11) God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.
12) Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.
13) Listening to God is essential to walking with God.
14) God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
15) Brokeness is God's requirement for maximum usefulness.
16) Whatever you acquire outside of God's will eventually turns to ashes.
17) We stand tallest & strongest on our knees.
18) As children of a Sovereign God,we are never victims of our circumstances.
19)Anything you hold too tightly you will lose.
20) Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.
21) Obedience always brings blessing.
22) To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.
23) You can never outgive God.
24)To live the christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in & through us.
25) God blesses us so that we might bless others.
26) Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.
27) Prayer is life's greatest time saver.
28) No christian has ever been called to "go it alone" in his or her walk of faith.
29) We learn more in our valleys than on our mountaintops.
30) An eager anticipation of the Lord's return keeps us living productively