tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34137353659210056852011-07-07T23:09:32.765-07:00The blog of Joshua Generation Young Adult Ministry, National Church of GodJoshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.comBlogger251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-85732459941022509192009-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:002009-10-20T13:54:41.761-07:00

"Is anyone thirsty?Come and drink—even if you have no money!Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?Why pay for food that does you no good?Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.You will enjoy the finest food.”-Isaiah 55:1-2I have a phrase with Terri that we share all the time. Why do we call the Lord wise and then don

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-59762808893566829262009-09-26T04:27:00.000-07:002009-09-26T05:46:41.742-07:00

As we look at the world today, we can see a lot of things that need to be done. The homeless needs shelter and to be fed, abandoned children need loving homes, and even our churches need people to fold the programs and clean the facilities. All these tasks are admirable through which we could show forth the love of Christ to a lost generation.However, these tasks take time out of your busy

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-47704754508422153552009-09-14T06:19:00.001-07:002009-09-14T06:32:32.956-07:00

Most of the employed people I know hate their jobs. They don’t exactly hate what they do; many of them enjoy the field their in. But they hate their office environment and most of all, their bosses. And I’ll admit that I’ve been in their position a time or few. I started working at 15 and since then, I’ve only had one boss I would consider “good”. She was fair and level-headed. She knew how to

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-48423111758320352822009-09-06T02:58:00.000-07:002009-09-06T02:59:11.770-07:00

One of the worse feelings in the world for me is to lose something. I lose lots of things. Sometimes I feel like misplacing everything has made me lose my mind. I often lose my glasses, keys, lists and pens. And looking for these lost items is not fun. Sometimes I find them quickly because I’ve lost them in an obvious place. But it rattles my nerves when weeks go by and I still haven’t recovered

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-11177871904135997712009-05-27T17:41:00.000-07:002009-05-27T19:18:33.355-07:00

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-70840811398759083502009-05-19T12:02:00.000-07:002009-05-19T17:05:06.657-07:00

"To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (Pro 16:1)"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Pro 16:9)Over the past few months, years really, the Lord continues to bring me back to these two scriptures and others like them. There are three words that each of these scriptures share: man, the Lord, and BUT. The word

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-41261592749078355052009-04-24T08:24:00.001-07:002009-04-24T08:42:29.378-07:00

I had the pleasure of babysitting Isaiah Cooper last week. Isaiah is Benjamin and Cindy Cooper's one year old (almost two). Isaiah reminded us of what it was like having a toddler in the house again and how old we are (LOL). He sat at the table with my family and ate dinner, talking in his Isaiah language the whole time.Isaiah is at the age were children discover what they can do and developing

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-28878576513634525342009-04-24T08:00:00.001-07:002009-04-24T08:00:56.932-07:00

I hate when scripture is misappropriated. Drives me bananas. Mainly because when people do this, they take away the real power of the scripture.For instance, Psalms 50:10 is often misappropriated. It reads “for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” People often pray this prayer as God’s promise for provision, but that’s not what this scripture really means. We

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-18967032408634865062009-04-24T06:43:00.000-07:002009-04-24T06:44:47.869-07:00

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Judges 11:1 (TNIV)What an introduction. Short, sweet and to the painful point. A great warrior born of a prostitute. That simple caveat seems to contradict everything before it. And in verse two, it is clear that people identify him as the son of a prostitute more than they do as great

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-6162072584336050162009-04-22T14:10:00.000-07:002009-04-22T14:15:34.115-07:00

Luke 16:30-3130 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”So the rich man wants Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his equally self-absorbed brothers in order to save them

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-18907457360972103692009-04-15T14:05:00.000-07:002009-04-15T16:02:34.581-07:00

"As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation'" (Luke 11:29 - 30).Humans are obsessed with spectacle . . . if you don't believe me, just think about the last accident that you witnessed. By the time

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-14024894960673061082009-04-07T13:33:00.000-07:002009-04-07T14:29:21.885-07:00

So you're in the mall and somebody in a rush bumps you and keeps rolling without saying a thing. Or you're in the parking lot and pedestrians are walking right in the middle of the street. Or your best friend borrows your favorite shoes and brings them back to you with holes in them. What would you do?I was listening to a contemporary christian radio station on Sunday and a hispanic pastor was on

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-14476336229493340622009-03-11T18:33:00.000-07:002009-03-12T14:16:57.754-07:00

Numbers 20:2-5 (NLT)2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! 4 Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? 5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-88985933794497239502009-03-04T19:32:00.000-08:002009-03-04T21:03:09.177-08:00

"You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; you ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough" (Msg. Bible, Psalm 30:11 - 12).This psalm actually represents part of a testimony for me. And I must say, that I absolutely love David because he is one of the most

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-57762881678475483252009-02-26T11:54:00.000-08:002009-02-26T12:36:56.787-08:00

Psalm 25 has a special place in my heart because from it I wrote my first song. It was called "O Lord I Lift Up My Soul." Being a songwriter, your first song always has a special place in your heart. I think the reason why this song is so special to me is because the theme of it speaks to the heart of my desire for songwriting and for ministry in general. The song essentially is Psalm 25: 1 - 2a,

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-47204444538719962232009-02-10T07:54:00.001-08:002009-02-10T08:00:28.480-08:00

Jesus is an interesting person. Every time I feel like I know His character well, I read something that awes me. I have been captivated by Matthew 23 for a couple of days now. In this passage, Jesus is addressing the crowds, namely the religious leaders, about hypocrisy. I giggle each time I read verse 3, because Jesus is being a little sarcastic. He says to the crowd, “So you must be careful to

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-88646068661260316712009-02-04T08:24:00.000-08:002009-02-05T08:00:10.358-08:00

"I am the Lord thy God."What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this? Honestly, what is it? Sadly, for me it’s a reflex to duck so I don’t get water thrown at me. (You would have had to been there to understand). But I need to remember that it was in the Bible first and regardless of my previous experience this is a good thing to know.The Ten commandments (Exodus 20) are so

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-83885612472884707712009-01-27T17:35:00.000-08:002009-01-28T15:41:55.207-08:00

I am fascinated with change — with transformation; I am uncertain about the reason for this fascination. I am just fascinated. When my students and I study and dialogue about a novel, one major thread that runs through our discussions is this business about static vs. dynamic characters. Static characters in literature or film are one dimensional at best; they are the same throughout the story,

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-46463039415169015632009-01-21T15:10:00.000-08:002009-01-21T16:44:48.255-08:00

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34I love scriptures like this because they challenge our perception of our Lord. When we think of Jesus, one of the first things we think of is peace. Here Jesus says, "wait a second. Don't automatically assume I came to bring peace to the earth. I came to bring peace to the

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-57584017340565409022009-01-19T16:17:00.000-08:002009-01-21T03:06:33.782-08:00

This past Sunday, Linda Sothern taught on journaling as a spiritual discipline. She called me the Journal Queen and I am. But Linda talked about a type of journal that I don't have: the Impossible Prayer Journal. This journal is to record things that seem impossible. She talked about how Chaplin Black at the Senate has one and how he has seen God answer his impossible prayers.Since I'm such a

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-13183256523995815302009-01-14T04:48:00.000-08:002009-01-14T17:32:09.010-08:00

We live in a society where it’s not what you know, but who you know. Your forward progression is no longer based on your skills or ability to effectively perform a job. It’s based on a what clique you belong to.Being in the military, I’ve seen this all too often. When my family and I lived in Belgium, Terri began looking for a job. Most US agencies used a software program called Resumix. It is a

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-46355183609622969502009-01-09T03:08:00.000-08:002009-01-14T04:52:16.941-08:00

I love New Years. There’s something about leaving your past disappointments, failures and hurts behind you that makes New Years more special. Not only that, but you’re still recouping from the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.As I was preparing New Years dinner, I watched Terri roll out her home-made biscuit dough on the kitchen table. (Terri makes the best biscuits…anything baked out of the

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-86460990542690456762009-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:002009-01-09T06:22:13.372-08:00

Today's scripture reading came from Genesis 11. It's the story of the Tower of Babel. I've read this passage many times before, which is why I think going through the Bible in a systematic manner is so helpful. It gives an opportunity for my to revisit some passages with fresh eyes. And that's exactly what happened today.Verse 4 reads:And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-259103333493155262008-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:002008-12-31T08:04:27.167-08:00

I am not very fond of people who do the theme/number rhyme thing for each year. For instance, Debt Free in '03. Or More in '04. I have two reasons for not liking these catch phrases: 1.) they are hookey and 2.) they are a waste of time. I wasn't debt free in '03. As a matter of fact, I have never hit any of these hookey themes spot on. But I do believe years can have themes. Themes that come from

Joshua Generationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10274284018828883160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413735365921005685.post-12201893229942024052008-05-28T06:59:00.000-07:002008-05-28T07:06:02.373-07:00

So I took a trip this morning through the Gospels in search of the Why Questions of Jesus. As you read these questions, think about how you would answer. (All these scriptures are from NLT)And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.-Matthew 6:28And why worry

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