GOD DOESN’T HAVE VOICE MAIL

He's Always Listening!


Have you ever called to talk to someone only to hear their recorded message? When that happens, we often leave a message, a voicemail. Hopefully they’ll return our call so we can talk to them directly.

Wouldn’t it be awful if when we prayed to God, we heard back by way of a recording? “Hi, this is God; sorry I can’t answer your call at this time, but if you leave Me a message, I’ll get back to you.” Imagine how shocking that would be!

People sometimes don’t answer their phones for a variety of reasons. They may be busy and not answering any calls; they may be screening their calls, choosing which ones to answer; they may in fact be on the phone talking to someone else. They might even have their phone turned off.

On the other hand, God has told us in His Word that His ears are always open to our prayers. That clearly tells us two things. First, God has the ability to hear our prayers, even if we all decided to pray at the same time. God is that almighty to be able to do that!

Secondly, He is willing to have His ears open to our prayers. He chooses to always be listening. He’s never too busy. He never “screens” our prayers. We never have to leave a recorded message that He might listen to later, and, He never puts us on hold.  He is always there and always listening.

Keeping those things in mind when you pray can really enrich your time in talking to your heavenly Father. They also serve to remind us to spend some quiet time listening for His answer, expecting to hear back from Him.

So, the next time to pray, aren’t you glad God doesn’t have a cell phone?

WINTER ADVANCE 2017

A Weekend In The PNW

Winter Advance 2017
This past weekend we were in the beautiful PNW (Pacific Northwest) for the annual, Winter Advance. A new location this year: Ross Point Camp and Conference Center, in Post Falls, Idaho, just across the border from Spokane, Washington. A gorgeous location and a refreshing weekend with folks from near and far. dozens and dozens of folks coming in from 6 or 7 states.

The teachings focused on our theme: Reverence for God. Proverbs 1 says, The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

It is so very right, fitting, proper, and should really go without saying, that the Creator of the heavens and the earth deserves our reverence. Recognition. Praise. Glory. Thanksgiving. Service. Obedience. Love.

I think we all left with a greater understanding, appreciation, reverence, and commitment to and for our wonderful loving God and Father. I know I did!

And by the way, we were all cozy and warm under a blanket of snow!

THE GREATNESS OF GOD

Our Brains Cannot Conceive The Greatness Of God

earthMost people have heard the first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Our earth is enormous, nearly 25,000 miles in equatorial circumference. The resources on this planet are vast. Plants and vegetation, along with fish and animals all abound in variety. Not to mention the billions of human beings all over this world.

But how do you even begin to compare the earth with the heavens? How big are the heavens? God created the HEAVENS, and also this little thing over here called Earth.

How Big And How Far?

Okay, so from our point of view

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Why Some Christians Miss The Bigger Picture About The Election

white houseOn Friday, January 20th, a new president will be inaugurated, the 45th president of the United States of America. Following a long and bitter election cycle, this country doesn’t seem to be very “united” at the moment.

I rarely comment here about political matters. However, because this blog is about “Practical Christian Living,” I offer a perspective I’ve heard very little about from fellow Christians over the past two years.

There have been discussions, debates, speeches, arguments, vicious verbal attacks, physical attacks, hatred, lies, tears, depression, disbelief. None of that really surprises me. But the rhetoric of some Christians has. Perhaps they do not see

WAS 2016 A TOUGH YEAR?

A Great Key In Expecting A Better Year Ahead

new-year
The New Year is upon us.  2017 is here!  Are you hoping for things to be better than they were in 2016?

Many people prepare goals for each new year.  It’s a good idea to have plans and expectations for a better year ahead, especially if the past year was challenging or difficult.

For me personally, 2016 was very challenging.  I could now list a number of difficult things that came up over this past year. Perhaps you could as well.  But the point of this article is not what was unpleasant this past year, but rather the blessings of 2016.

Oh Holy Night

The Words And The History Of This Song Are Awesome

My favorite song this time of year is, Oh Holy Night, by Nat King Cole. I know that dates me a little, but I think Nat’s voice is the most beautiful singing voice I have ever heard.

But even more than that, much more in fact, are the words to the song. And when you add to the words, the history of the song itself, it gives great insight to the the meaning of the long awaited Messiah, the savior of the world!

On our radio show, The Optimistic Spin, Saturday, December 24th, I share the awesome history of this song, and then play Nat King Cole’s version. I share my perspective of both the awesome history and the words to this song. You can listen live to the show at 11am pacific time.

On Monday, December 26, I’ll post the show on The Optimistic Spin website. And on Wednesday, December 28, the podcast of that show will be posted.
Below, a video of Faith Hill doing a fantastically beautiful performance of, Oh Holy Night. Below the video are all the words to this amazing song.

Oh Holy Night
Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices
Oh night divine, oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine, oh night, o night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother
And in his name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name

Christ is the Lord, then ever, ever praise we
His power and glory ever, ever more proclaim
His power and glory ever more proclaim
His power and glory ever more proclaim

Written by,
Adolphe Adam

HOLIDAY STRESS – REPOST

Lots Of Folks Need A Little Extra Love This Time Of Year

stressed

(In case you missed it, I posted this last year. This can be a very stressful time of year for some people) 

For some, “‘Tis the season to be jolly,” is more like, “‘Tis the season to be stressed!”  It is a busy time of year: lights, greeting cards, presents, parties and other joyful festive activities. While the “reason for the season” has become much less obvious, there are still many who will endure another year of holiday stress for lots of reasons.

Perhaps the biggest holiday stress comes from money, or the lack of it. Some feel obligated to buy gifts that often totals more than the funds they have. Far too many solve this dilemma by adding to their current debt which in turn causes more stress. Dave Ramsey offers some help with this on his site with a free tool called, “My Christmas Budget.”