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Ocean Ten Shekel Shirt

Ocean Ten Shekel Shirt
	Something about the ocean Makes me rise up and praise "Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?" (Isaiah 40:12, NLT). To read the descriptions of God in the Bible, and to see the wonders of the universe around us, it?s amazing that we all don?t cower in fear before him. But the sight of the oceans stretching to the horizons or the mountains towering over our heads has the opposite effect. Why? It?s because the works of God are beautiful and anyone who?s ever tried to write a love poem knows that beauty inspires. The difference in the power of God is that it?s a power that inspires and uplifts.

Forgiven

	Forgiven
	by Sanctus Real
	When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere/ When I don’t measure up to much in this life/ Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ
	Allow God to work through your brokenness and insecurities, you may just be surprised at what He chooses to do. In Philippians, Paul used his weaknesses to draw others to Christ:
	Philippians 3:8-14 , New Living Translation
	Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I f ocus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
	Why is it so easy to feel out of place in this world? It is easy to look around and feel like everyone around us knows exactly who they are and where they’re going. Everyone else seems to have it all together. But the truth is that nobody actually has it all figured out. Those people who have all the “right” clothes, and the “right” car, and the “right” house, and the “perfect” kids, they are in the same boat as you. Scratch the surface and you’ll find they have the same insecurities and problems that you do. They think you have it all together too. But Christ is the great equalizer. As Sanctus Real said, “When I don’t fit in…I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ.” When you follow Christ, your problems don’t go away. You don’t instantly figure out the meaning of life or get a bigger bank account. But knowing that you are somebody to Someone so powerful can change your outlook. Knowing Him allows you to see others differently, and to not judge yourself against them so harshly. And more importantly it allows you to be honest about who you are, your problems, and your fears, because you know that He’s not going to leave you or abandon you because of them. And that allows you to reach out to others out of your brokenness, which will ultimately bring you, and them, healing and strength.

If you seek me with all your heart you will find me.

If you seek me with all your heart
you will find me.

Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God,
you will find him if you look for him with all your heart
and with all your soul. (NIV Bible) 


The Lord encourages us to seek Him with all our heart and all our soul. If we do pursue Him with everything within us, He promises that we will find Him. I imagine this to be similar to a child's game of hide and seek. When my children were young, they would love to play this game with my wife and I. They would turn towards the wall and close their eyes and count to ten.

In the mean time, we would scamper off into another part of the house to find a place in which to hide. At the count of ten, our children would shriek in delight and begin their quest to find us. Their anticipation would build as they would open every closet door and look under every bed.
While the searching part of the game was always fun, it was the finding part that was the real climax! We never chose a place too hard for our children to find us for we loved the moment when our children would finally catch us. Our cry of "You found me!" and their cry of "I found you!" would happen simultaneously followed by a mutual celebration that the game was over.
The game wouldn't have been fun if our intention was to hide so that our children would never find us. The fun is in being found. I think it is the same way in our relationship with God. When He calls us to search for Him, He never hides Himself so well that He cannot be found.

PRAYER
Father, I am thankful that You do not make it difficult for me to find You, for You are never far away and are always happy to be found! I pray that I might pursue You with all my heart and my soul, all the while having a child-like anticipation of finding You! In the name of your beloved Son Jesus I pray, AMEN.

You Do The Math 

 

Faith versus works is a debate that still continues. 

Can we work our way to heaven? 

Can we obtain salvation simply through faith regardless of how we live? 

This video investigates how the truth really adds up.

salvation Animation

God is Love
The bible says that God is love. Pure love. And He wants to lavish His love on you. He is not looking for more servants to add to His Kingdom but more children to fill His house. He wants to be in relationship with you, not because you deserve it but just because He made you, and is "head over heels" in love with you. It is our hope that after visiting this website, you might have a better understanding of His heart for you.


God's Original Intent
It was God's original plan in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve would live all the days of their lives in the presence of a loving Father, and would in turn reflect His love to their children. It was the Father's hope that each generation would grow up in the light of His love never knowing a day of rejection or pain.  


Love Cannot Be Forced
However, love is not something that can be forced so God gave Adam and Eve the privilege of a free will. They had the freedom to trust God and stay in the garden or disobey Him and leave. In Genesis we read that the latter happened and as a result of their choice to become independent, they became separated from God. 


Broken Relationships
As a result of Adam and Eve's actions, a new deadly disease called 'sin' infected humanity. The world that God originally intended to be perfect and full of love,
was now wrought with pain and suffering because of the consequences of sin. Hurting people tend to hurt others, which is a legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation. 


Understanding Our Need For Love
Since God created us for love, we are born with a great expectation to be loved and accepted. It is a scientific fact that babies who are not shown loving touch in the first few months of their lives can be physically and emotionally affected for the rest of their lives.


We All Have A Love Deficit
Unfortunately our parents could only express the love that they had first received from their parents. As a result, many of us have grown up with love deficits in our hearts. While we may know we are missing something, we might not be able to identify the emptiness that resides in the deepest part of our being. 


Filling The Void
All we know is that we need to try and fill the emptiness somehow. Some try to fill this void in relationships, others in performance and success. And others seek to dull the emptiness with addictions. No matter what we do, if we do not encounter the real thing, we will always be left with a feeling of emptiness and unfulfillment.


Having A Personal Relationship With God
There is only one place where we will find the true love and acceptance that we are looking for and that is in a personal relationship with God. We were all born with a God sized "hole in our soul" that can only be filled by God Himself. Many of us have tried to fill this void with other things, but it is like putting a square peg in a round hole...it just doesn't fit. 


The Good News
The good news is that God wants to be in a relationship with us more than we want to be in a relationship with Him. The One who knew us before we were conceived (Jeremiah 1:4) and knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) wants to be our Father. While we are His offspring by creation, His desire is that we might become His children through redemption. 


Finding Our Way Home
While we were still estranged, God the Father made a way for us to come home by sending His only son, Jesus Christ, to earth two thousand years ago to take care of the "sin" issue that had kept us separated. In obedience to His Father, Jesus bore upon Himself the weight of our sin, nailing it to the cross so that we could be born into His wonderful family.  


Jesus Is The Way To The Father
His resurrection from the dead signalled the victory that would allow many sons and daughters to come into glory! In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me". Our access to the Father is through Jesus alone. His sacrifice was the one and only price that could be paid for our redemption and restoration into the family of His wonderful Father. If we receive God's gift of His Son Jesus Christ, we receive the right to become children of God! 


Would You Like To Receive This Gift?
If you would like to accept this gift (eternal life in relationship with God), Jesus Christ has secured it for you. All you need to do is to tell God that you want to be saved. You are saved by believing, and the words below might help you express your thoughts to God. It's not these exact words that will save you, but the attitude of your heart towards God.


A prayer to accept or reaffirm your
relationship with Jesus Christ:
Father, I'm coming home. Please make me your child. I turn from my sin. I accept your forgiveness made possible through Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection. I place my faith and trust in Jesus alone. I receive him as my Savior and Lord. I want to follow and serve you. Let today be the beginning of my new journey as your child and a member of your family. Thank you for making a way for me to come home. In Jesus name I pray Amen. .....


....         Your New Relationship With God
As you begin your new life as God's child, you will have the privilege of getting to know Him as your Father. You are now part of His incredible family! By faith in Jesus Christ, you can be assured of the following truths...

1.You Are God's Child - John 1:12-13
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (NIV Bible)

2. God Loves You - 1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are! (NIV Bible)

3. You Have The Assurance Of Eternal Life - John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV Bible)

4. He Put His Holy Spirit In You - 2 Corinthians 1:21-21
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.

5. You Can Talk Directly To God - Matthew 7:7-11
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (NIV Bible)

6. Nothing Will Ever Separate You From His Love - Romans 8:38
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Steps To Help You In Your Walk With God
1. Get a Bible and read it each day.
2. Begin to cultivate "talking to God" in prayer each day.
3. Go to a church that believes and teaches the Bible.
4. Share your decision with a close friend 

On and On

On and On
by Chasen
I tried my way It always ends up being a mistake But You’re right when You say That You set the time for the plans You make I never thought that I could ever learn to let it go Somehow its better when I follow in the paths You show You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21 , New Living Translation All too often we make our own plans,  set out on the path, and then when we get into trouble,  or things don’t work out like we thought they would,  we throw our hands up and ask God to rescue us.  What He’s probably thinking is, "I’ll help you,  but this wasn’t where I wanted you in the first place." Instead if we ask God to guide our decisions  and plans on the front end, we might not end up  in trouble, or at least we’ll know that where we’re headed is exactly where  He wants us to be. And where  He wants us to be is always better than anything  we could ever want on our own.

Is temptation a sin? Why or why not?

For a quick answer to that,
check out Matthew 4:1-11—
the story of Jesus’ temptation.

That story provides a basic truth:
Temptation is not a sin.
According to Matthew 18:7-9,
it’s the natural
consequence of living in this world.
Giving in to temptation,
 however, is where sin comes in.

Though temptation always will be present,
 we don’t have to wave the white flag
and admit defeat.
The Holy Spirit provides any
believer with the power to resist.

God’s Word also teaches us how to over come temptation.
First Corinthians 10:13 has the scoop:
'The temptations in your life are no different
from what others experience.
And God is faithful.
He will not allow the temptation
to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure.'

God provides a way out of every temptation.
We can choose to take his way out or to give in.
If we stay close to God,
we’ll be more likely to resist and do what is right.
We don’t have to give in to temptation.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:30-31, New Living Translation

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,  do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:30-31, New Living Translation

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever Sonicflood

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever

Sonicflood

But when the world has seen the light

They will dance with joy like we’re dancing now

It’s hard not to look at these lyrics by Sonicflood and think, "C’mon, get real. No one will be dancing in the streets. We live in the real world." Maybe we have it backwards.

David knew how to dance with joy. When the ark of God was brought back to Jerusalem, David and his men celebrated with all their might. When his wife confronted him, David basically said to her, "I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD" (2 Samuel 6:21b, NLT).

Maybe what’s keeping people away from the church is the fact that the Christians they see don’t seem to be enjoying themselves. Why is that? Are you worried about what others will think if they see you dancing in the streets? Maybe we should be worried about what they think when we don’t.

You speak with thunder and lightning

Your voice shakes the mountains

Think about thunder, lightning, earthquakes, rushing waters, fire, strong winds, etc. etc. They are more than forces of nature. They are created by God!

When the writers of the Bible wanted to describe the power of God, they turned to the most powerful forces they knew. For example, look at 1 Samuel 7:10 (NLT): "But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder". Todd Agnew also reminds us of this with his lyrics.

God, our God, is a mighty God. If He can control the elements of unfathomable nature, He is more than able to handle anything we can bring to Him.

Ocean by Ten Shekel Shirt

Something about the ocean

Makes me rise up and praise

"Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?" (Isaiah 40:12, NLT).

To read the descriptions of God in the Bible, and to see the wonders of the universe around us, it’s amazing that we all don’t cower in fear before him. But the sight of the oceans stretching to the horizons or the mountains towering over our heads has the opposite effect.

Why? It’s because the works of God are beautiful and anyone who’s ever tried to write a love poem knows that beauty inspires. The difference in the power of God is that it’s a power that inspires and uplifts.

Hold my Heart - Tenth Avenue North

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16,

One tear in the driving rain/ one voice in the sea of pain/ could the maker of the stars/ hear the sound of my breaking heart/ one life, that's all I am

Do you ever feel like you're bothering God? Why? When you go to him with a prayer, a desire, a need, why do you feel like you are imposing on His time? Because He's GOD! Because He has a whole universe to run, and if I had a whole universe to run, I probably wouldn't have the time to listen to little prayers.

I only have a house to run and can barely listen to everyone in my life, let alone everyone on the planet. But that's why He's God, and we're not. He not only has the time to listen to you, but He wants to listen to you. He would drop everything He had to in order to listen to you and hear what you have to say. He thinks that there is nowhere better to be than listening to your wants, desires, and needs.

"Mystery Of The Holy Spirit "

 

Romans 8:1 Therefore, There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the Law of the spirit of life set me free from the Law of sin and death

^{Romans 8:8-9} Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.  ⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.