SANCTUARY...

SUNDAY IN THE SON

Lord,

prepare me

to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy,

tried and true
With thanksgiving,

I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You
It is you, Lord
Who came to save
The heart and soul
Of every man
It is you Lord
who knows my weakness
Who gives me strength,
With thine own hand.
Lord prepare me

to be a sanctuary
Pure and Holy,
tried and true
With thanksgiving,

I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You
Lead Me on Lord
From temptation
Purify me

From within
Fill my heart with

Your Holy Spirit
Take away all my sin
Lord prepare me

to ba sanctuary
Pure and holy,

tried and true
With thanksgiving,

I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You

SHINE ON US... PUSH US...

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD SATURDAY

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Today our youngest daughter flies in to Philly for her spring break. I am thankful that she chose to come home and spend it with us! The sun is shining in South Jersey and for now it is not snowing!

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For those of you who know our family, you know that we love mexican food! Mexican food with ketchup and mustard? As Crystal would say, "I'm not feelin' it!" So, I'm going to forego the K & M today and get ready to head for the airport and then out for Mexican Food.

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Of course, I don't want to leave you high and dry! I would not be a very good hostess if I did that! I have a ton on my mind to share with you, but today is just not the time. I hope you can stick around and enjoy this brief video that I have linked you to. Of course, as you watch it, you'll connect with the "mama eagle". Think for a moment, though, of the "mama eagle" being God and you being the baby eagle. Then, think of it in terms of what we've been talking about over the past weeks: We are God's Workmanship! Enjoy!

http://www.eaglesneedapush.com/

SHINE ON US... MAKE US FAMILY...

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Ephesians 2:8-10 Tells us that salvation is a gift!

"For it is by grace you have been saved,

through faith-and this not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God- 9 not by works,

so that no one can boast.

For we are God's workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Philippians 2:12-13 reaffirms the concept that God is the One who is working on us during this process...

"Therefore, my dear friends,

as you have always obeyed-

not only in my presence,

but now much more in my absence-

continue to work out your salvation

with fear and trembling,

for it is God who works in you

to will and to act according to

His good purpose."
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Yesterday, we used the example of being offered the gifts of 3 different types of makeovers:

• body
• wardrobe
• house
  

In each makeover, even though a gift, the receiver has to do something to receive that gift. Accept it... cooperate... let someone else take the lead... submit (get out of the way)...
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These concepts are all there when a person decides to accept the gift of salvation from God. What does that look like? Many people would have us believe it is "saying the sinner's prayer" and "accept Jesus into your heart"... Others would have us believe that it's not about acceptance, "we just need to cover our bases and 'baptize' that baby"...
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I think the best way to get a basic grasp of how people become christians, is by looking at how they became christians (part of the family of God) in scripture. Join me today as we read through a few of those:
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Acts 2:38-47 - Here, is the day "the church" or "the family of God began" after Jesus had ascended back into heaven. The apostles' (through the power of the Holy Spirit) aided 3,000 people in becoming christians that day. See how it was done and note how the word "accepted" is used:

• 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call."
• 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
• 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
• 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
• 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
• 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
• 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
• 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
• 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. "

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Here's another New Testament example of salvation:

Acts 16:25-34

• 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
• 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
• 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
• 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
• 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
• 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
• 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household."
• 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
• 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
• 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God-he and his whole family. '

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Acts has many stories of people converting to christianity after accepting the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Each new convert did not become "perfect" because "christians aren't perfect... they're just forgiven. Each convert became God's work in progress!

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If you have not yet read the poem over on the right side bar, close to the top and right underneath the clock. I hope you have time to read it now. Be blessed!

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SHINE ON US...THE MAKEOVER IS TRANSFORMING...

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

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If someone surprised you with the gift of a makeover, you still have to make a choice as to whether or not to allow that makeover to happen... whether or not you will accept the gift of the makeover of you, OR your wardrobe, OR your home is your choice.

• If you choose, then there are things you need to do like humble yourself and let them see all your blemishes, OR your lousy wardrobe, OR your house that's falling apart. Usually this entails accepting it on their terms and following their guidelines, saying "Whatever it takes!"


• You may be so sorry for not doing a better job ... so embarrassed... feeling so helpless that you wish you would have taken better care of your body/appearance, OR taken better care to select your wardrobe, OR cared enough to do timely repairs on your house... you articulate those feelings...


• Your choice leads you to sit down in a chair and allow them to begin their work on you, OR give them permission to have access to your closet, OR give them the keys to your house to go in and literally take over the work...
  

I hope by now you're beginning to make the connections to a personal transformation from darkness to light. Salvation has been offered to us as a gift of God by the faith and grace of Jesus Christ who gave His blood sacrifice for it to happen. Yes! It is a free gift, but I still have to accept it on His terms. Remember the verse last month? "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- ..."

• If you choose salvation, then there are things you need to do like humble yourself and let God see all your blemishes (sins), OR all your lousy attitudes/habits (sins), OR your spiritual house that's falling apart (sins). This entails accepting on God's terms and following His guidelines... saying "Whatever it takes!"



• You may be so sorry for not doing a better job ... so embarrassed... feeling so helpless that you wish you would have done things differently.... you articulate those feelings...



• Your choice leads you to give God access to your heart and the reins of your life..., OR give them the keys to your spiritual house / heart to go in and literally take over the work...

The work is quite a MAKEOVER! In fact, it is all about God's work. God's work is transforming! God is the One who does the transforming...

• From hate to love


• From death to life
  
• From backbiting to encouragement


• From lies to truth
  
• From stealing to giving


• From murder to rejuvenation


• From discord to harmony


• From impatience to patience


• From unkindness to kindness


• From faithlessness to faith


• From hopelessness to hope

Come back tomorrow to look even more deeply at how scripture says this transformation takes place in the FAMILY!

SHINE ON US... AS WE WORK OUT OUR SALVATION...

Scripture says that salvation is a serious business! If you do not believe that God exists and that the Bible is His words to mankind, I respectfully suggest that you study it out with an open mind. There is a link over on the right sidebar to the DOES GOD EXIST? website that will give you much food for thought. Scripture states, in Hebrews 11:6,

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"And without faith

it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to Him

must believe that HE EXISTS and

that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

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Here is a major claim of The Bible:

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

"All Scripture is God-breathed

and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness,

so that the man of God may be

thoroughly equipped for every good work."

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Please don't get wrapped up in the "gender" statements of scripture. When using terms like "man" here, it is referring to "mankind" in general.

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Consider the first verse of our "March Scripture of the Month" and the verses that I have included below it. Ponder your own salvation in light of these scriptures and the scriptures and discussions that will follow in the next few days...

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Philippians 2:12

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have ALWAYS OBEYED-

not only in my presence,

but now much more in my absence-

continue to WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION

with fear and trembling..."

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"Work out your own salvation?" What does that mean? Over the years I have met many people with amazing stories of seeking to find the truth about salvation/eternal life or "the true light". Recently, I have come to know an older couple who have come to Christ after first experiencing Hindu and Jehovah's Witnesses. They continued to pray, question, and seek for answers to eternal life. Two things that seekers learn when they study scripture is:

1. "The word" can refer to scripture.

2. "The Word" refers to Jesus Christ.

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John 1:1-5 says,

"In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through Him all things were made;

without Him nothing was made that has been made.

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness,

but the darkness has not understood it. "

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Seekers, will not always find their answers in black and white. They will not always understand it in their first searches. Much like putting a 1,000 piece puzzle together, the big picture will come together in time. For some it takes longer than others. Like my friends, many find that their search has roadblocks because there is an enemy.
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Yesterday, as I was traveling around to meet and observe with different Clinical Practice students, I was listening to christian radio in the car. I heard multiple declarations made over the airwaves that gave me reason for concern... were these declarations really "truth"? Part of the verse above "continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling..." connects to the daily spiritual battle for our souls between the forces of darkness and THE LIGHT.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says,
"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."

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Earlier in this same book of the Bible, it refers to Satan as "the god of this age".

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2 Corinthians 4:2-6

"...we have renounced secret and shameful ways;

we do not use deception,

nor do we distort the word of God.

On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly

we commend ourselves to every man's conscience

in the sight of God...

...The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,

so that they cannot see

the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,

who is the image of God.

For we do not preach ourselves,

but Jesus Christ as Lord,

and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who said,

"Let light shine out of darkness,"

made His light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge

of the glory of God in the face of Christ."

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1 John 1:5-7
"This is the message we have heard from Him

and declare to you:

God is light;

in Him there is no darkness at all.

If we claim to have fellowship with Him

yet walk in the darkness,

we lie and do not live by the truth.

But if we walk in the light,

as He is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus, His Son,

purifies us from all sin."

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Please join me tomorrow as I share what it looks like to be transformed from eternal death to eternal life... from darkness to light...

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SHINE ON US... BABIES AND GOD'S OMNIPRESENCE...

In June of 1985, I gave birth to our 3rd child, a son named Caleb. Caleb had multiple respiratory challenges in his first year of life that included one hospitalization. He also had severe colic! One night I sat straight up in our bed knowing something was very wrong. I ran to the nursery to find our baby Caleb almost a purple color. He was not breathing! Steve ran him outside in the cold and shook him upside down while I called 911. By the time the ambulance got there, he was breathing on his own and we headed for the hospital. Scarey times for young parents!.

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Caleb is now a father to be. He and his wife, Krista are expecting their first child in June. On Sunday, they were stopped at a stop sign and got rear ended by someone who did not put on their brakes. Their car has been declared "totalled".

Thank You, God, for Your protection! Thank You for Your grace and mercy as You protected Caleb's life once again... this time it was Caleb, Krista, and their unborn child. Thank You! This could have been so much worse! I realize that and am so grateful that You spared their lives! Thank You for Your amazing omnipresence... You are here and You are in Missouri... and I am so thankful!!! Because of Jesus...

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My nephew, Eric, and his wife Lindsey welcomed their newborn first child into this world on February 11. Clayton Ray Klein is named after my dad who was Eric's grandpa. Dad passed away in January of 1998. Little Clayton Ray is in the hospital right now with RSV. Yesterday, Eric posted multiple times on FB requesting prayers for little Clay. Then he said, "Tried to pull Clay off the oxygen last night around 12 this morning and he didn't last long at all. Really discouraging.....Pray for me and linz, it is starting to get frustrating ..."

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Thank You, God for this couple who love You and love their son! Please help Clay to breathe on his own today and be able to go home with his daddy and mommy! Thank You for healing! Thank You for Your amazing omnipresence... You are here and You are in Alabama... and I am so thankful!!! Because of Jesus...

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My friend Brenda was a student at York College when I taught there from 1995 to 2002. Soon after moving here to South Jersey, in 2007, we got an email from her saying that she was pregnant and her husband was being transferred to the Philadelphia area with the Marines. They began worshipping with us at Pitman and their first born daughter was born here the next year. The Marines decided that Matthew was just too good and promoted him. Soon they were transferred to Okinawa. Brenda was pregnant with twins! Those twins, Connor and Caleb, were due on March 30th but arrived very early on February 20th. They remain hospitalized!

Thank You, God for allowing Connor and Caleb to remain in utero for as long as they did! What a blessing that they were each over 5 pounds. Please give this young family strength as they meet the many challenges of each new day. Please grow Connor and Caleb's lungs to be strong soon, so they can go home with their new family. Thank You for Your amazing omnipresence... You are here and You are in Okinawa... and I am so thankful!!! Because of Jesus...

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Sunday, there was a lot of talk about "new births" in the Pitman family! We rejoiced with the news of Connor and Caleb. Then, we joined Transformed Mom, Diana, and her family as we witnessed the last of 3 children put his LORD on in baptism. Afterwards, our church family got in our traditional "love circle" to welcome L.H. to the family of God! It was a time of singing, sharing, and prayer.

Thank You, God, for Your patient calling L.H. to You. Thank You for the love of this former missionary family to France who know You and desire to make disciples of all nations. Thank You for Your amazing omnipresence... You are here and You are in France... and I am so thankful!!! Because of Jesus...

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Sunday at lunch I went for pizza and salad with Transformed Mom, Mandy and her family. Steve was at a church leaders meeting and I enjoyed the encouraging fellowship with this lovely family of three. Mandy's baby is due in August and we just had to take a picture!

Thank You, God, for the way You grow babies inside of their mommies underneath mommies heart! Thank You for Your amazing omnipresence... You are here and You are in Arkansas where the rest of Mandy's family lives... and I am so thankful!!! Because of Jesus...

SHINE ON US... AS WE FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS...

MEDITATION MONDAY

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THOUGHT #1: The moon is the reflection of the sun in much the same way the christian is the reflection of the Son.
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QUESTION #1: If the above is true, then why are so many christians so different?
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I could write all day to give you my complete incomplete answer! Bottom line? I believe it has a lot to do with our individual perspectives of Jesus. That's why, this year, on this blog, we are taking a memory verse a month to read, ponder, memorize, and recite. You may never get to the memorize and recite part but today let's look at January, February, and March verses and read and ponder.
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Much like the four pictures / perspectives of the cross below, our perspectives of these verses will be somewhat different depending on where we are in our spiritual journeys. I'm curious to know how they touch you!




JANUARY 2010 VERSES:

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Hebrews 12:1-3

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 will not grow weary and lose heart."
  

FEBRUARY 2010 VERSES:
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Ephesians 2:4-10

4 But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. .
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MARCH 2010 VERSES:
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Philippians 2:12-16a

12 "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have ALWAYS OBEYED-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION with fear and trembling,

13 for it is GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU to will and to act according to His good purpose.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 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

16 as you hold out the word of LIFE..."