Happy Mother's Day! -Angela's Blog

I was laying in bed this morning and some thought led to the next and I found myself thinking of pregnancy and the “born again” experience. They don’t seem to go together at first, until you start thinking about the little life in complete darkness, but he doesn’t know he is in darkness because he has never experienced life outside of that darkness. He doesn’t know what light is. He is in his own little world. There is another life, the mother, that sustains him and keeps him alive, but he doesn’t really have much knowledge or understanding of her. As he develops though, he begins to hear a voice that is consistently there. Sometimes he feels some poking and prodding, and it always goes along with that voice. One day, when the time is right, he doesn’t just feel a little poking and prodding, but much more and he knows he can’t remain in that dark comfortable place any longer. He doesn’t really know what is happening, but he does know that he still hears that one voice that he has been hearing for so long now. He can fight and resist and stay in darkness a little longer, or he can just surrender to the process of being born. Once out of that womb, things are not always so comfortable, but wow, the light, the understanding! There is so much to see! The face, the smile of the one who’s voice he has been hearing. So much to feel, the warm and comforting embrace of the one who was sustaining him and he didn’t even know it. Now he knows to look to that one for comfort, nourishment, guidance, love, everything. When we are given spiritual life, many of these things are true for us. For one, we don’t understand the spiritual darkness we are in until we come out of it and are in the light. We may hear the voice of the one who gives us life and feel his prodding now and then, but it is not until He fills us with the life of His Spirit that we are truly in relationship with Him. We begin to see Him, learn about Him, experience Him and His love and care for us in a real way that just like a child and his mother, we rely on Him for everything, love Him more than anything, and desire to be with Him and please Him more than anyone else. -Angela

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." -John 10:27-28

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." -Colossians 1:13
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again." -John 3:3,7

North Carolina or bust!

We've had North Carolina on our hearts now for 3 years. It's been randomly consistent. And so we've decided to venture out, check it out and see if it's indeed the Lord who is directing us.

We're looking to move to Raleigh (the Capital) of North Carolina, and from there we will seek God's direction on where He wants us to live specifically.

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all of your heart; do not lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."

We have God's Divine promise to lead us! That's all we need...

10 North Carolina Fun Facts
1. North Carolina’s State Motto is “Esse quam videri” or, as we say in English, “To be rather than to seem.”
2. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States.
3. In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.
4. High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.
5. Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem.
6. The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead.
7. The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.
8. The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare.
9. Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.
10. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.

RC Day

For some of us "nerdy types" the temptation is just too strong to go out and watch remote controlled air planes.....

Interview From Hell

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This is a sermon I preached on Luke 16 "The Rich Man and Lazarus."
If you could interview someone in hell, what would they say?

Luke 16:19-27
The Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, by Jesus

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Jamesercise

Sometimes God will use your children to get you to exercise...