Still I Believe in the Bible

I believe that Bible because of the countless lives that have been changed.

Hebrews 4:12

¹² For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV 1984 Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™)

The bible is not a dead book, it is 2,000 years old yet it still gets the job done.

 Charles Colson Politician made famous through the Watergate trials tells a story of how he met with Tom Phillips an old friend.  Something was different and decided to find out for himself.  He went on vacation by himself with a Bible, a copy of CS Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, and a legal pad. He drew a line down the middle of the page and wrote at the top, pros and cons.  He studied and studied to decide if this Jesus stuff was for real. 

Do you know what happened?  After a long and intense study, he accepted Jesus Christ, went back to DC confessed his role in Watergate and went to prison. 

Today Charles Colson is out of prison and spends his time sharing Christ with inmates, and authors books in defense of Jesus Christ. 

What changed the skeptic CS Lewis to write a book like “Mere Christianity”?

What changed the wealthy business man Tom Phillips?

What changed a powerful politician and political aid Charles Colson?

Let me tell you, It was the word of God that is living and active.  It not only converts people, it builds us up

In Psalms 19;8-11we read

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant,  giving light to the eyes. ⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. ¹⁰ They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. ¹¹ By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (NIV 1984 Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™)

There is something about this book that builds us up and it has been said; "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person that isn’t."

Are you willing to check it our for yourself and see if God's word can change your life.  I encourage you,  In fact I challenge you to read it and see if you are the same after.  

Community Health Fair

Free health screenings with local health professionals

Free meal will be served from 11:00 am-1:00 pm

Services Offered

Flu Shots* ~ Blood Pressure Checks ~ Vision Screening ~ Dental Screening ~ Diabetes Education ~ Scoliosis Screening ~ Exercise Education ~ Counseling ~ Massage Therapy ~ Chiropractic Screening ~ Blood Donations ~ And More

(*Fee may be required for flu shot)

Special Thanks to our Professional Volunteers

Dawson County Emergency Services ~ Dawson County Health Department ~ Forsyth County Health Department ~ American Red Cross-North Georgia Chapter ~ Dentistry For Children, PC ~ Pediatric Health Care of North Georgia ~ Lori Holbrook, Christian Counseling ~ Annis Family Chiropractic ~ Nature’s Way Chiropractic Center ~ Chris Scott, Exercise Education ~ Elizabeth Brooks, Massage Therapist ~ ENT Institute ~ Lanier Technical College ~ And other local professionals

It's All About God!

For the next few weeks we are going to be looking at what it takes to achieve our “God Potential”.  Our “God Potential” is that potential we achieve when we are in tune with God’s will, direction, and plan.  It’s when we realize that we can truly do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

To start our study, I want to look at developing a heart that accepts and believes that “It’s All About God”.

By the time we get to Matthew 22 Jesus is reaching the end of his earthly ministry.  He has attracted crowds in every town and has preformed amazing miracles.  He has made the lame walk, the deaf hear and the blind see.  He has cast out demons, and healed the diseased.  As if that was not enough, He has taught as no one else in history, with authority, power, passion, and compassion.  Jesus has made great friends and bitter enemies.  It’s in Matthew 21 that Jesus gets closest to being treated like royalty in what has been described as the Triumphal entry.  It is after this event that his enemies try even harder to discredit and destroy him.  It is in the context of answering his critics that Jesus reveals one of the most important truths of scripture.

A Pharisee, an expert in the law, a scholar, comes to Jesus asking what is really important.  What is the most important commandment? What rises above all else in serving God? What do I need to know to be what God want me to be?

Jesus replies;

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. (Mt. 22:37)

Just as these leaders needed to accept and believe this truth, we need to love God with ALL OUR HEART,

ALL OUR SOUL, and with ALL OUR MIND.

Today let us look at loving God with all our heart.

Basically, if we are going to love God with all our heart, we are going to fall in love with him all over again!

In Revelation 2, John shared the words of Jesus with the church at Ephesus.  Jesus had many good thing to say about the church, but he had one problem that if not corrected would destroy their ability to fulfill their potential. 

Look at Revelation 2

 ² “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance… ³ You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. ⁴ “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!  ⁵ Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. (NLT)

All through the scripture we see a series of what we could call “Spiritual Cycles” in which people go from spiritual revival to spiritual decline.  In this cycle a great leader with a love for the Lord ignites a passion and love for the Lord in his people.  The people repent, turn to God, fall in love again, and God’s greatness is celebrated, the people become great and God is glorified.

 It’s in the following generations that things begin to change.  As the young mature, they do not know of the revival that took place in their parents, grandparents and nation.  They do not have the same heart for God and the slowly begin to turn away.  Slowly the nation falls into decline and eventually tragedy strikes.  In many cases years go by and God’s people are beaten down, at times they were slaves in captivity.  Then God sends one who again falls in love with him and ignites the hearts of the people and the cycle starts over again. 

I remember when I first met Kim, my wife; she was all I could think about.  I wanted to spend every moment with her.  She became everything to me and I thought in “Hallmark Phrases”.  We have been married for 23 years now and our love grows stronger every day.  We have had our moments but as we get older we realize just how much a gift God has given to us. 

Many relationships start out strong but through the years, instead of the love growing, they become distant and even disturbed by the other.  Sadly many relationships could best be described like an illustration a read years ago called the “Marriage cold”  It went something like this;

Year 1:  Honey I’m so sorry you are sick, can I get you some soup, a blanket, some tissues, rub your back.

Year 2:  Hey, it is horrible to be sick, there is some soup in the fridge, and here is a blanket

Year 3:  Hey, don’t you think you need to go to work?  I’ll have some soup ready; when you get home.

Year 4:  Don’t even start!  We have bills to pay so you can’t afford to stay home!  Go to work and go by the store and get some canned soup on the way home!

Year 5:  You’ve got to be kidding!  Get over it already!

According to our Lord, when everything else is gone, these three will remain, faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Let me ask; Are you in love with God?  Is he on your mind all the time?  Do you want to spend every moment with Him?  Is He everything to you?  Do you think his words?  Does your relationship get stronger with time?  Or could you best describe your relationship to God like the “Marriage cold”.

God wants our love!  He wants it to be all about Him and for us to love him with all our heart.  If your spark has faded, I encourage you to go back in your heart to the beginning and fall in love all over again. 

God has something very special planned for us!  We have a “God Potential” but God will not fulfill what he has planned for us until we realize it’s “All About Him” and love Him with all our heart.

Fall in love with God again! Spend time with him!  Get to know him!

Love him!!

~Mike

Jesus, He had it all, but chose me!

When he saw the crowd, he had compassion on them….!   What a response!  But it describes the love that Jesus had for the lost in the world.  The quote above comes from Matthew 9:36 (NIV) Jesus is being …Jesus!  He is traveling throughout towns and villages teaching about salvation, the Kingdom of God and healing people along the way.  One could make the argument, that the miracles and healings were a great “Hook” to get the attention of the crowds.  Those with a marketing background would agree that Jesus knew how to capture the attention of the crowd.  Just imagine what would happen if someone came to town today and went from street corner to street corner, healing the lame, the deaf, and the blind.  There would be chaos in the streets.  People would travel from any distance to see and be in the presence of this person.  That person would become famous instantly!  In no time would have a manager, marketing team, and would figure out how to use this gift to become one of the wealthiest men on the earth.   No doubt anything they wanted they would have!  Now mankind has not changed much since the days that Jesus walked on the earth, true we know more, have more and have made amazing advancements in education, knowledge, technology and  industry but the character of man has changed little.  In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the fruits of the spirit and the sinful nature.  All we must do is read down through that list and we realize that we are guilty of the same flaws that plagued the church over 2000 years ago.  We can even go back further to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah as recorded in Genesis 18.  Or even further to the very first sin that took place when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and realize that the character of man has not changed. 

So what happened?  Why would we accept and embrace a person who performs miracles, yet the contemporaries of Jesus rejected Him?    I think the answer in part can be found in Matthew 3 and 4.  In chapter 3, Jesus is baptized by John and the heavens open, the Spirit of God descends on Jesus and God says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (3:17 NIV)  What follows in Matthew 4 is a trial by fire for Jesus.  He goes into the wilderness for a 40 day fast.  It is then that we discover something amazing about Jesus as Satan comes to tempt Him.  First satan challenges his identity when he said to Jesus, “If”!   This was an amazing attempt to get Jesus to fall.  He has not eaten for 40 days, has already turned water into wine and turning stones into bread would be as simple as wishing for it.  Jesus refuses to give in and satan tries again.  This time, satan takes Jesus to the holy city at the very highest point in the temple and says “If” you are the son of God, jump and have the angels catch you!  Again, Jesus knew that if he wanted, he could jump and would not need a single angel.  He could fly, float, or simple disappear and reappear on the ground, but He refused to jump.  Finally, satan takes Jesus to a very high mountain and says everything you see can be yours, I’ll leave and never cause any trouble again, you will have your kingdom and you will be loved, admired, the richest man in all the world.  All you have to do is bow down and worship me.  At first reading we think, how ridiculous, this was not even a temptation for Jesus but I think that is a bit simplistic.  In fact I believe it could very well have been the most difficult temptation for Jesus.  Bowing to satan would have meant no cross, crucifixion, or death.  If Jesus had bowed to satan, the world would have loved Jesus, elevated him as a king and loved him as long as they lived.    Jesus refused however and said, “Away from me, satan!  For it is written:  Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only!”

So why?   Why didn’t Jesus take the offer?  Why didn’t he jump on this chance to become the most famous, wealthy and loved man in the entire world?  The answer can be best summed up with the words found in John 3:16.  He loved us to much!   With Jesus, it was never about Him, it was always about us.  Jesus could have been famous, wealthy, an earthly king.  He could have ruled on this earth, and every man woman and child would have loved him, served him, and lived their entire life for him, but in the end we would die.  Without His sacrifice, our death would be the end of our relationship with Jesus and we would be separated from Jesus for eternity!   Jesus has always had one desire and that is to spend eternity with us.  The only way that was possible was for him to be the perfect son, the spotless lamb.  Sin entered this world and destroyed our relationship with God.  The only way to repair what man destroyed was for Jesus to pay the price for our sins.  Jesus loves us so much that he had no choice but to die for us.  He loves us so much that he was and is still willing to endure the scorn, the hatred, the betrayal, the cruelty, beatings, and death in hopes that we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.   He could have, and in the minds of the worldly, maybe he should have used what he had to serve himself, but He choice us instead!

I am so very thankful that Jesus chose me!

~Mike

Isaiah 40.31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It’s very likely you’re familiar with this verse; it’s a popular choice for greeting cards and coffee mugs. But when is the last time you really tried to hear what God is telling us here in these 32 words?

When we grow weary, we must examine ourselves and ask our heart to reveal the truth about where our hope lies. Most likely, my hope can be found hidden in tasks, responsibilities, and accomplishments that I have on MY agenda. God always shows me when my hope has been displaced because it is then that I am weary. I grow weak. I become emotionally faint, going through the motions and trying to make it through each day.  Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing about this verse- we so often miss the practical truth because we can’t wait to imagine soaring on eagle’s wings. We’ll get to that, but for now, don’t miss this: God isn’t telling us to stop moving. Do you see that? He’s telling us that when our hope, our future, our perspective is in Him alone, we can RUN and not grow weary. We can WALK and not grow faint. In other words, when we move with our eyes focused to an eternal perspective, God will multiply our efforts. Refresh us as we MOVE.

Much like water stations along a marathon route, God knows our path. He sets our pace. He knows when to meet us with refreshment, with nourishment that is just enough to satisfy our soul as we move. And yet, while God expects us to always move, He doesn’t always expect us to run. Or even walk. He knows when our tired and aching legs tremble for a break. That’s just when He promises to renew our strength, and true to His character, God chooses an amazing way to do it!

God promises that we can soar on wings like eagles. Now don’t read this with a coffee mug picture in your mind…really imagine EXACTLY what this means. The problem with coffee mug quotes is that they allow limited perspective. You saw this verse and had a mental image given to you by a photographer looking up at an eagle, right? Guess what- that’s not at all what God wants us to see when we read this verse.

God lifts us from the pounding cadence of feet upon earth to the clarity and perspective of an aerial view. Eagles have vision that is among the sharpest of all animals, seeing twice the distance of humans. So while God renews our strength, we are able to move at a faster pace because it is His vision that now guides us. On eagle’s wings we are able to view things from His perspective, but we must not forget the fact we’re still limited by our capacity to see with clarity. When we sense that God is moving things along at a swifter than usual pace, we must resist the urge to “see” what is going on, or to anticipate where He’s taking us. Continue to hope in Him, trust in His promise and His ability to take us places we could never imagine. Enjoy the view, but remember that you aren’t physically able with human eyes to appreciate all that lies around you.

Did you know that the largest eagles (such as the Harpy Eagle) often weigh more than 20 pounds and have a wingspan of 8 feet? 8 feet!! I’m only 5 feet tall on a good day- so in 8 feet I have plenty of space, no matter how much I stretch out, yet it’s still enough room for someone half again my height to be comfortable! Now THAT’S an image of a place to rest!

And yet there is another interesting point, that God chose an eagle. I know it doesn’t seem that interesting at first, beyond the obvious “wow” factor. But, did you know that even though God created eagles to be magnificent soaring birds that can cover large amounts of territory at a time, they aren’t exactly good at flying? This means that while they are amazing to behold in flight, they aren’t very good at taking off and landing! How funny is that? Ever sense that God was about to show you an amazing perspective, only to find that the times immediately before and after your intimate revelation with Him weren’t very comfortable? Don’t be distracted by frustration, just remember that eagles are known for soaring, and that even in the sometimes bumpy take-off and landing, you’re still moving!

©2010 Carmen Powell

carmen.r.powell@gmail.com

Used with permission