Hello east coast!
Topic: Blogging
And the Chris Tomlin concert tour keeps moving along. They are on the eastern leg of the tour right now, as evidenced by the hits on my sitemeter.

It is cracking me up how people go home from that concert and do what I did after the concert: immediately get on the internet to find all that information for themselves. Here's the post they are looking at when they search:

How Great is our God?

***So everyone wave hello to Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana!****

Good movies
Topic: People/Family stories
We are enjoying President's Day. Thank you to all you presidents who gave us a day off! My 2 teenagers invited a group of kids over to watch a movie and I made a big pot of pinto beans, along with tortillas for them to munch on....brownies will be ready in a few minutes. I love days like this and I don't mind the extra work (usually) while my teens have company. I like to know their friends and I like to know exactly where they are and what they are doing on days like this. So they have the living room, watching Radio, while I am hunkered down in Maggie's room finally adding a post here after almost a week!!

Many times this week, I've thought about posting something, but couldn't get inspired. It's feast or famine in my brain!

The Blogging Chicks have a carnival of blogs every Sunday, so I was browsing there yesterday, when I found some useful information! Michele, who runs the Blogging Chicks sight, has a movie review of Bridge to Terabithia, a new movie that began in theaters last weekend. Now I can't wait to see it! The story is about a boy and girl who begin to write a fantasy story together, which is why you see fantasy scenes when you see the previews. It is mostly about relationships and friendship though, and that is why it interests me.

Does it seem to you that kids these days are different (scary different) than they were just a few years back? I want to see a movie that depicts the innocence and wonder of childhood without the kids becoming rock stars or over-glamourized symbols. So I will let you know what I think in a few days....or a week. We are planning on seeing Amazing Grace when it comes out next weekend too! *can't wait...it looks very good*

In a world where you can't turn on a television without seeing the minute by minute reports on what misled, very sad superstars are doing to themselves or others, it's exciting to have some good things to view....to take your kids to and just enjoy a good movie.

And remember, just go to Plugged in online to see Christian movie or television reviews on any little thing that may be offensive in today's entertainment industry. They really do write about every little thing that could offend someone, so you can decide for yourself if it is worth paying to see!

Happy President's Day!

The Most Important Love
Topic: God things


The Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

29-31"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

32-33"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

To be a liberator
Topic: God things
A week ago I wrote an entry on feeling kind of helpless when I see a homeless person asking for help on street corners. My friend Kim, who I went to college with and is a very wise and intuitive person, wrote a comment which I wanted to share with you. She graciously agreed. The following is her comment. She offers very practical advice about how to handle the street corner situation as well as actually making a difference in the lives of these people if they choose to take a step to getting on their feet.

From Kim:

Your Q: But what can you do for a man with a sign at a busy intersection?

Good to pray for God to work. But, is it a situation that only falls in God's bailiwick? Could Christians take it one step further and dedicate time in their busy lives to pray and think critically about developing a personal approach and doing whatever their part is? Save a miracle, these problems will continue to be here 2 years, 5 years, 10 years from now, with Jesus' return as a caviete. So why not prayerfully plan a meaningful response that includes both faith and works? I am not downgrading the prayer approach blessing our friend on the street- but asking to go farther.

Getting out of guilt and developing a thoughtful approach is more equipping. As a former chaplain on skid row in LA- I have ideas. Read if you are interested, if I go on too long, please forgive. Biblical times, which Christians use as a yardstick in our faith - were both somewhat kinder and somewhat crueler to the disenfranchised than our era. At least in the Old Testament there was thought to leaving grain in the field at harvest for poor people to gather with the dignity of their own effort. There was the Year of Jubilee to help people get out of any financial bind they were in (just 2 examples). But, there were many injustices in biblical times as well.

What we face in our large, anonymous American culture is almost no active thinking, no developed social constructs to support disenfranchised people through family, church or law. No prayer for personal direction that is ongoing and thoughtful. Most families and churches do not want to really think about it OR have these people around- I suspect that is one of the first things that Christ might want to chat with our faith-professing people about. As a result we have eliminated any personal, civic or corporate reality to assist them that ever was in place on this continent. As an example: mental institutions no longer received government funding to care for many of these souls in the 70's, I think. We have lost a personal and corporate sense of community care. I knew a woman who would bum change, with her child at her side, and was making about $60 an hour. AND she was higher than a kite while doing it. And she loved Sundays near the mega-church, as they poured out of the service...

This is our generation's shame. Most have not had the collective will to think hard and long and do anything large and bold. Or small and steady. I don't see guilt as a motivator here, there is plenty of it floating around and it actually does not really help these people. If it did we might have seen plenty of results by now. It does make for good fund-raising for homeless shelters, but it is a demoralizing milieu to further subject these people to. I don't know too many people who, after handing change to the disenfranchised feel good.

You cannot blame the disenfranchised - when I worked with them closely, I found that many of them had a greater faith that had been more tested than my own. Many of them had developed belief systems that they could articulate - not a ruse. They had biological problems, runs of bad luck, cruel addictions, lack of cunning or abusive situations that they were trying to escape. It rains on the just and the unjust- and there by the grace of God we all go. Most of us in America are about 3 months away from financial fragility. A run of bad luck or a triggering event or physical or mental illness. This is what we should think about it when we see them - because we can see a version of ourselves in a harder situation, not because they are so "other". Do onto others....

I have found that having a 2 pronged approach - personal and civic- that I have prayed over and chosen to be worked out in my life is equipping. It is a way to be present and courageous in the face of this horrible situation in our country. Dignity and no guilt. I have prayerfully provided in my daily life a certain budgeted approach that I can afford toward this problem through a local agency. I take active interested in seeing our laws change and urging an increase of grants through government given to independent social service agencies that can contextually address specific community shortfalls. In my neighborhood I make a point to know where the social services are located so that I can direct people there. If they ask for change, I will say that I give my money through this particular organization and how to reach them. I keep literature in my car on the agency. Some don't respond nicely- but I have had some speak a blessing over me because of this. And, I receive it gratefully.

If we pray for direction on what our part is- and yours might look different than mine - then we are liberators. There will be moments when a unique situation requires ingenuity and a spiritual power encounter, but truth be told, most of these are generally the same type of scenarios week after week. The guys peering into your car on many off ramps from the freeways. I actually feel more hopeless when I look at LA women driving Escalades or I see previews of the "Real House Wives of Orange County”. Sorry to go on and on- but there is truly no reason for people to be stuck on this issue. And if you pray to get yourself past it into whatever you are going to do, you will do your part. Knowing you, Christie, you will become more and more liberating. We can all grow as liberators.



***Thank you to Kim for allowing me to post this and thank you for reading it. I urge you to pray and think about what you could do to be a liberator! (SUCH a cool word!)

I was going to post the verse she referred to in James chapter 2, but the entire chapter is about this subject. So if you took the time to read this post, you should really take a few more minutes and read what God's Word says about it.

Banana Pancakes
Topic: Crickl's Recipes
My 3 oldest daughters love to listen to Jack Johnson's music. And last week Emma was playing one song over and over....Banana pancakes. It's a silly song about being lazy, but I've had banana pancakes on my mind ever since. I've never had them before, but we made them this morning and YUM....they are worth writing a song about. =)

Banana Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

****I tripled the recipe because Emma had some friends spending the night. And I used brown sugar instead of white and used about a teaspoon of vanilla. Next time I may try using my whole grain pancake mix from Sprouts with mashed bananas in it.

Referrals
Topic: Blogging
I have been finding some new websights lately and want to share them with you in case you need some inspiration or maybe a laugh. =)

My friend, Crystal has a video up on her blog this morning. It is for parents, but it's a big (huge) social statement as well as parental reminder. Please watch it. I found it here, on Youtube too. It is a little raw and rough to watch, but I think the message will stay with you.....it's worth a watch and less than 2 minutes long.

There is a 'place' here in cyberspace called Bloggityville and once you find yourself involved, it is hard to put into words the community you find there. Christian women bloggers are rapidly growing in number and have a distinct (and sometimes hilarious) voice out there! I quickly recognize the names of bloggers I've seen in comment boxes, encouraging each other and giving shout outs on their own blog to advertise a new blogger sister out there. I will be trying to put more of my regular stops up on my sidebar, but for now, just a little newsy thing. And my own Phoenix church girls will LOVE this.

Beth Moore has a blog! It's called The LPM Blog and she is a blogging sista if ever there was one. She and her daughter Amanda blog almost daily and they are seemingly melding right into Bloggityville. Go and welcome them. Beth has been given a powerful ministry from God and if you've never done one of her Bible studies, why not!?? Here is the main website for Living Proof Ministries.

E-mom has another very good set of articles this week on Knowing God's Will. Go on over to Chrysalis to check it out. I was really moved and challenged by e-mom's own testimony of listening to God's leading in her own life.

And now, here is a very silly website. I hope there is nothing too off color here *in way of disclaimer*, but so far it has seemed ok to me. I've been going there and just listening to him ramble on in the background while I surf the net. It cracks me up! So go here for Clearification.

Wordless Wednesday: Expectant Sky
Topic: Photo entries


A building in Israel, pointing to the expectant sky.

**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**

This is war....
Topic: Prayer
On our way home from the mall tonight, we were stopped at a freeway exit ramp traffic light. And there he was, our delimma, standing there with a weathered sign, asking for help. He looked younger than us, 30ish, and he was jabbering on to himself or maybe to the cars he was scanning with his eyes....wanting to make that eye contact...that connection....and some cash.

I really am not being cynical. I know that is what he wanted, why he was there and I am seriously conflicted at that point. Charles and I have worked with homeless people quite a bit and money never changes their situation. So we make it a point not to hand them cash. I have handed out food to someone like this man, crackers or something quick that I could reach. And I've bought hamburgers for a homeless, hungry looking soul in Burger King. My husband talks to a lot of people coming to the church, looking for help. So he takes them to buy gas or gives them a bag of groceries. And he talks to them about Jesus while he's doing it.

It really is a delimma these days for Christians. The Bible says to give to all who ask....to be as wise as serpents, as gentle as doves...to give a cup of cold water, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit those in prisons. And we definitely should!

But what can you do for a man with a sign at a busy intersection? I knit my brows and thought about it for a moment, then I prayed for him, silently. He didn't know, he was jabbering at cars and concentrating hopefully on windows rolling down. I didn't assume he was on drugs or mentally ill, but I prayed for God to draw this man to Himself....to break his chains and set him free.

Because prayer changes things.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16

So the next time you see a situation you can't change, pray. I'm still thinking about that man tonight....and it prompts me to pray again for him. I'll never know, until that Day, what may change for that man because of a prayer of spiritual warfare, whispered while waiting on a traffic signal, but I think I can trust God with that. I know something is going on because I keep thinking of it. So I do what I can....and that is the most effective thing we can do....PRAY.

I never want to underestimate what God wants to do....and how He may want to use me to do it.

From Isaiah 59
14 So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.

15 Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The LORD looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.

17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.

And Ephesians 6
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

God wants us to intervene for the helpless.....so I want to dust off that armor, polish that breastplate, and sharpen that Sword.

And I won't just pray for the homeless men I see with signs at busy intersections. I'll pray for that tired, irritated mother of preschoolers in the grocery store, for the angry young man, covered with tattoos at the movie theater and for those emo kids who skateboard past my house every day.

And I will be keeping watch......God wants to cause change.

And He will.

Hit me baby!
Topic: People/Family stories
I am tracking something with my sitemeter. A sitemeter shows you when someone visits the sight (called a 'hit'), where their server is located, and how they got there. For example, if they do a search, it will say google search and show you the search words. Or if they are clicking in from another blog or an email it will say the email server's name or the blog name. It is cool to see where people are coming from.

Ever since I wrote about the Chris Tomlin concert, I have been getting numerous hits on my blog from people in the cities the concert has just gone through. The hits are all from people doing searches on msn, google or other search engines with the words laminin or Louie Giglio. I can literally tell you where he had a concert the night before! It started with my own city, where the tour actually began, Phoenix. Then I got hits from all over California, then Las Vegas, Colorado and now Texas. Next week they go to the midwest, starting with Wisconsin.

Hello Wisconsin! *waves*

And I can tell you why they search. It was an amazing concert and such a thought provoking sermon from Louie Giglio. I was driven to find out more about this scientificly based information including evidence of Jesus in the outter reaches of the universe and also in the most intimate, smallest detail of our bodies....the very protein that holds our cells together.

So once again, here are those links!

Louie Giglio's teaching

Chris Tomlin concert review

Oh, and welcome to all those who are searching for more scientific tidbits (the tip of the iceberg really) that build your faith.

Horsing around
Topic: Photo entries
You've got to watch this video! Kelsey, from Holy Mama shared the link and I am amazed. It is of a freestyle horse show competition. Turn up your sound to hear the music and commentators and watch the whole thing. Notice the tail action too. This horse looks like she's having a blast! I don't think you've ever seen a horse do this:

WEG2006 Freestyle Final

Wordless Wednesday: Forced Spring
Topic: Photo entries



**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**

ABC Day
Topic: Humor/memes
This is a meme (blog questionaire) about the media. I found it over at A Gracious Home. If you want to join in and do it too, make sure you let me know or add your name to Sallie's list on the Gracious Home sight.

It's an ABC theme, which is funny because today I found an old packet of Alphabet pasta which I added to our chicken noodle soup! Maggie loved it and then used the dried pasta to make Emma a birthday card. =)

Action – Favorite action movie?
National Treasure, Batman Begins

Beautiful – Most beautiful performer?
Audrey Hepburn

Comedy – Favorite comedy (TV or movie)?
Just one??? Gilmore Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond (ha, can't help it!)
And oldies: MASH, Northern Exposure

Drama – Favorite drama (TV or movie)?
Cold Case (like CSI but no gore), Smallville =)

Event – Historic event that kept you riveted to the TV?
9-11 of course, and Hurricane Katrina coverage

Favorite – If you could only own and watch one DVD the rest of your life, what would it be?
The one my husband made of our family videos and pictures would be first.
The 5 hour A&E version of Pride and Prejudice for the epic quality and beauty of the setting, as well as an all time great story and acting. but also because if I can only choose one, it better be long! =)
OR
You've Got Mail I don't know why, but I'm a cult follower of it, memorizing lines from it and ritually watching it. (usually with my daughter Hannah)

G – Favorite G rated movie?
Finding Nemo! It is so original and creative and always cracks us up completely!

Head over heels – Which star were you in love with when you were younger?
Is this to show our age or what??? Peter Tork from the Monkees (yes, it was a tv show and yes, I'm really that old) and also Bobbie Sherman from Here Come the Brides....heehee

Ice – Did you see the “Miracle on Ice” live (tape delayed) in 1980?
Nope, or if I was at someone's house watching it, I don't remember, but we love and have the dvd Miracle, a retelling of the story with Kurt Russell.

Justice – Did you watch any of the famous O.J. Simpson chase down the freeway?
I saw part of it. Weird.

King of the Thriller – Favorite Hitchcock movie?
I LOVE Alfred Hitchcock movies! Although I've never seen Psycho or The Birds all the way through. They both freak me out too much. My favorite is Rear Window.

Laettner – Did you see Duke’s Christian Laettner make the winning shot against Kentucky?
I don't even know what that means!

MP3 Player – Do you own one??Several ;) 2 that play mp3's off of burned CD's and we have 4 iPods among us. Our 2 dvd players play mp3's too.....oh, and in the car.....lol

Never get enough – Which movie have you watched the most times and how many times have you seen it?
I don't count....that would be incriminating! Probably You've Got Mail.

Opie – Opie or the Beaver?
I refuse to choose between those 2 icons! Let me just throw into the mix though, for your consideration, Ernie Douglas from My Three Sons. We saw almost all of the reruns of it a few years ago and he is hilarious!!!

Pride and Prejudice – Do you prefer A&E or 2005 release?
A&E, but I do love some of the scenes in the 2005 one, like the scene in the pouring rain, when Elizabeth and Darcy meet 'by chance' (as they are in the habit of doing). With our surround sound system, it sounds as if it's raining IN our living room!!! I also love the scenery and settings a lot better in the new one.

Quality – Best TV show of all time?
91210 of course....NOT! lol I've actually never seen it, so it very well may be a real worthy show, but I'm thinking not.
That is a really tough one.....The Cosby Show is up there in the greats, but let me please add: The Andy Griffith Show and MASH

Remote control – Who is in charge in your house?
Whoever is fortunate enough to grab it first...ha! Actually, on Monday nights, only 24 is allowed on the big tv. This decree is by my husband, who is an addict...I know...sad. On Tuesday nights I get to watch Gilmore Girls and the rest of the time, there really isn't much TO watch.

Super Bowl – Game or commercials?
Commercials please.

Television – How many in your house?
4 *blush* one of them only plays dvd's (in the teens room) and one of them has a video tape player and can tune in local channels, but only one is permitted=PBS for kids' shows only. One is in our room and the other one....the monster, with surround sound....is in the living room.

Ultimate – Who is your favorite movie star?
I love movies with Tom Hanks or Colin Firth/Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, Emma Thompson, or Julia Roberts in them.

Victory – The best sporting event/game you’ve watched live on TV?
*blank stare* Oh yeah! I actually watched the World Series when the AZ Diamondbacks won!

Walkman – Did you ever own a Sony Walkman?
Yes, but we don't use it much...what with ipods around. ;)

X – Movie you wish you had never watched?
Road to Perdition=easily the most violent movie I have ever, EVER watched. Also, Reds because it was a serious waste of time. (I promised the friend I went with that I wouldn't leave though, so I stayed. When I found out that at intermission there was more movie to come, I think I almost cried.)

Yesterday – How many hours of media did you consume?
2 Hours? I was really busy yesterday and I think the only tv/music I saw/listened to was a Sesame Street best of video and the little electric piano toy we have that my little 11 month old nephew watched and played with. I was babysitting. =) Oh, after he went to bed, we watched Ice Age 2.

ZZZ’s – Best music to fall asleep to?
I can't fall asleep when music is playing....I tend to listen to the words. So...maybe instrumental? Although I have a feeling that would be distracting too. I usually have a big fan that roars to block out all noises. lol

How Great is our God?
Topic: God things
I really liked the speaker at the Chris Tomlin concert. Louie Giglio is a dynamic preacher, who uses a lot of word pictures...just what gets into my brain the best. His theme was the greatness of God, as the tour was called How Great Is Our God, after one of Tomlin's songs. He used the Universe with pictures up on the powerpoint screen to drive home how great the universe is and the God who literally breathed the stars into being. Then he told us about the Whirlpool Galaxy....a far off galaxy that was found using the Hubble telescope. It is a beautiful galaxy, white spirals with red jewel looking spots all through it. But at the very center of the galaxy is the most amazing picture. Usually at the center of any galaxy is a round black hole. This is what they found at the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy:


.....the cross. He was slain from the creation of the world. (Rev 13:8)

John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Colossians 1:19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (emphasis mine)

Then, after wowwing us with word pictures and visual pictures of God's awesome Greatness, he brought it down to how God is also interwoven into the smallest detail in our lives. There is a protein called Laminin which is like scaffolding of our cells...it holds it all together, like the rebar in the cement of our being. Then he showed us a picture of what laminin looks like....amazingly enough, it is in the structure of a cross. Laminin, the very protein that holds our being together, is shaped like the cross of Christ, who holds all of life together.

Colossians 1:17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (NAS)

There are so many clues, or confirmations, to us concerning God's presence and the deep meaning of the cross....that horrible instrument of torture and death, our symbol...and God's symbol, I believe, of His purpose of redemption from the beginning.

How Great is Our God.....indeed!

Free to run, free to dance, free to live for Him...I am free
Topic: God things
Some friends took us to a 'concert' last night. It was really a worship service....one of the most powerful ones I've been to. It was held in a very large concert auditorium....pictures of famous rock stars lined the lobby, along with autographed guitars in glass cases. The auditorium holds 5,000 people and it was almost full. Chris Tomlin was the worship leader for the night, along with Matt Redman. And the speaker was Louie Giglio. I looked out at one point and saw a sea of pink faces, beaming with the joy of the Lord.

I don't know why my mindset was ready for a calm, sedate concert. But I was wrong! These guys were energetic!! I don't know if you've ever seen Chris Tomlin live, but he bounces. It's kind of a jumping/moshing kind of bouncing and it gets you excited and pumped up. By the last few songs, my husband and a friend who was with us were bouncing too. ;) For two hours we rocked out, praising God loudly to worship songs and inspired by Bible verses and testimony from the singers. I don't know if it was the set up of the auditorium or just their sound system, but you could literally feel the drums beating inside your chest. It wasn't too loud though. The sound was just right and you could hear every word the singers said. Tomlin kept thanking us all for being there, as if we were doing him a huge favor.....so humble and refreshing. In fact, they had sold so many tickets that last night's performance was sold out and they scheduled an extra concert the night before for the 'late' ticket buyers. Well, it was worth it. The speaker was captivating and dynamic. I have written a blog entry about his talk already, but I will post it tomorrow. He had everyone's full attention through multimedia and professional, yet very real (not forced) sermon delivery. The night absolutely drew us into joyful, exuberant worship of the Almighty Creator.

It reminded me of another worship service we went to last Saturday night. A group of people from our church went to a ministry we are going to help sponsor to attend their Saturday night service. They didn't exactly rock out, but it was true worship. The building would have only held 100 at best, although it was in no way close to being full. The hallways were dingy and the old floors creaked, but the grounds and the buildings were clean and well kept. The building was a church whose original congregation had moved out of the downtrodden neighborhood long ago. As I looked over the assembly there, I saw a gathering of black, brown and pink faces and some shaved heads with tattoos scrawled across them. Some of the people were shaking, all of them looked tired, some looked sick, their faces showed the signs of a hard lived life. When the music began, everyone sang to their own beat, key or 'melody'. There was an elderly man on an electric piano...it had the sound of a '70's rock song electric piano....and a guitar, but they did not play 'together'. It was a little chaotic, no one was on key (even the worship leader) until I nudged my husband with my elbow and said, "Sing! Loud!" My husband has a great voice and a loud, joyful one, so we all got on track and could sing after that. And even though they didn't sound pleasing to our ears, I know it was a beautiful sound to God. The speaker for the evening was not polished, he simply stood in front with his Bible, no powerpoint or videos to show us. But he held our attention, captured our imagination and drew us to God's Word through his testimony and love for the Word. A former biker who rode with a very notorious gang, he is now free from addictions and shame. He is called to lead there at this ministry and God is using him powerfully. This was one of his very first sermons.

Set Free is a ministry to drug addicts, alcoholics, bikers, and skin heads. It began in San Diego, California and this chapter in Phoenix has been up and running for years now. The church grounds have housing for the men in their program. The program involves Christian based substance abuse recovery, anger management, counseling, intense Bible study, and street witnessing for those who have been in the program a while. They also have low income housing apartments for people who want 'clean' living. (no substances allowed and they are strict about it) The people do not have to be Christians to stay there, but it is a very strongly Christian atmosphere, so I'm sure it draws the people to God. They are quite a presence there in south Phoenix. The neighborhood they are in has finally come to accept them and to be glad they are there and some of the neighbors have even started attending the Saturday night services. On Sunday mornings a Spanish speaking church meets there and the Set Free men load up onto a bus and visit various churches around the city. This is how our church got to know this ministry, as they come to our church about once every 6-8 weeks.

You can't miss the Set Free guys when they come to church either! They come filing in to our adult Sunday School classes and into our worship services, smiling and greeting everyone they see. They all open their Bibles, give imput on the Bible studies, offer to pray aloud during prayer request times, praying with fervor and passion, and they LOVE the Lord. In worship, they sing, sway, clap, raise their hands. It inspires and draws the people around them into a more sincere worship as well. And that is how they were worshipping last Saturday night too at their old, small, run down church building, as if God had made them princes......and indeed He has. I had tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat when they began singing I Am Free!

Because they are....and somehow it shows so much more on their faces than on the people of most of the churches I've been in....because they know, literally, what being a slave to sin is and they know the deliverance and fresh hope that life in Jesus brings.

Luke 7:46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Wordless Wednesday: Seedlings
Topic: Photo entries


ETA: This is a picture of a sprouting seed in a planter, not an aquarium....just for clarification. I was practicing with the macro setting on my camera.

**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**