…And Then The End Will Come.

Matthew 24:9-14:

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Kinda depressing, huh?

In this passage, Jesus is telling his disciples what they’ll have to face until He comes back, and it seems pretty darn accurate so far.

All over the world, people are being put to death because of their faith, and many people are leaving their faith altogether in order to pursue a life that the “false prophets” have set before them. Also, let’s face it, there has certainly been an increase of wickedness and deceit in the past century.

Don’t worry; it gets better.

Revelation 21:3-4

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ “

Poetry. Pure poetry.

All this suffering is going to end!  It will be as if it never happened – everything will be new.

Just think about it, at some time or another, I know I’ve coveted the relationship Adam and Eve had with God. I mean, they lived with Him, for Pete’s sake! They saw Him all day, and there was no separation.

That’s exactly how it’s going to be!

No separation. Complete intimacy. Forever, getting to worship the One who’s truly worth it.

I don’t know about you, but that makes today’s persecution a little bit more bearable, knowing that we come out on top in the end.

The end is coming, and I’m ready for it.

Are you?

–Dani

Whoa; God Loves Me? Who Knew?

Brittney gave me this verse, and I loved reading it in The Message translation…just thought I’d share

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.“
-Isaiah 43:1-4

That last part really gets to me…

God loves us more than anything in the world. Sometimes we just need a little reminder of that.

–Dani

Sisters Sold

I sat in my room tonight weeping. I’ve never felt like this. I’ve felt anger. I’ve felt disgust. But tonight, I just felt pain. I felt heartbroken.

Flip through this, and you’ll see why:
http://love146.org/slavery

I can’t get past the feeling that something must be done. These are God’s little princesses. And for the first time in my life, I don’t just feel pity or hurt for them. I feel connected to them. They are my sisters. And they are yours as well.

Sometimes perspective comes in tidal waves.

–Tiffany

Ask Anything Saturday 9

Hey people!

The week is coming to a close, and now you have a chance to ask any question about anything!

And I mean anything.

Let’s the comments begin

–Dani

Making War

If you’ve been to Fuse* recently, you’re very familiar with the term “Make War”. It’s the title of the series that’s been going on for about 4 weeks now, and it’s what BCoop has been urging us to do since day 1.

Brad’s done an awesome job on explaining exactly how to make war every day, but I want to know what you think.

What does the phrase “Make War” mean to you?

How do you make war in your life?

Let the rest of us know – it may even help us make war in our lives.

–Dani

Small Group Recap 1/27

So here’s what went down last night at small group:

Kendall: shared some downright godly wisdom about life and such things without even knowing it. God obviously speaks through her in a very real way, and we’re so happy to have her influence around us. Also, please pray for Kendall and her family. They’ve got a lot of possibly serious medical issues going on, and if you’ve ever been down that road, you know that prayer and miracles are the only things that can really help.

Brittney: is learning some very valuable things about being a wife. Sometimes it’s hard to be unselfish, but when you’re married to a (wonderful) hard-working man, going the extra mile for someone else without expecting anything in return is the best thing you can do.

Lydia: also imparted some accidental wisdom on God’s behalf. By defining for us the term “miracles” she brought light to the fact that miracles can be anything from a physical healing to an emotional healing to just coming out of a bad time or being clear of a bad time… In other words, life is a miracle; a fact we forget much too often.

Landon: needs our prayers. Please pray for her soul to settle down and for her to be able to see the fruits of her relationship with Christ. We love you, Landon!

Tiffany: is just coming out of a 3-week fast, which is something we’ll hopefully soon have more to share about. That kind of dedication always reaps a result, and let’s hope that result was what Tiffany and her church, Mount Zion, were praying for. That is, direction for said church.

Elizabeth: …Let’s pray for her in general. I don’t know what’s going on in her life since I had to leave small group, but praying that she finds strength, boldness, healing, or whatever she’s wanting in Christ should pretty much cover it.

Anna: finally has a phone again! I know, that doesn’t let us know about what’s really going on in her life, but that’s pretty much what came up in small group.

And Me…: I’ve been feeling really good so far. I’m on my 5th day of being in a relationship with Jesus, and I can’t help but look forward to the 50th, 500th, and 500,000th. He’s been showing me a lot of how Christians should act by leading me to read 1 Timothy in my quiet time. For any  new Christians out there, or older ones who haven’t read these books yet, I definitely advise reading 1 Timothy-James in the new testament. Reading a chapter a day, it will only take 32 days to finish all 5 books (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James) and they all apply directly to living every day for Christ.

To Megan, Kirstie, Miranda, and Amber – we miss you guys! We love you so much and, every week, wish you were with us. If you girls are reading this, how ’bout commenting on this post and tell us how you’ve been? We’d love to hear from you.

I love all of you so much, and I’m honored to be able to spend time growing and learning with you beautiful ladies.

–Dani

A Thought From Paul…

1 Timothy 1:12-14

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

I think that describes how most of us have felt at some time in our walks with Christ. I mean, who are we that we should enter the gates of Heaven? We were all sinners; thoughtless beings seeking only self-preservation. But God gave us new eyes, and I will always be grateful for that.

After being a part of the NewSpring service yesterday at the Bi-Lo Center, I can begin to realize exactly how powerful a thing it is when people cross over from death to life. Not only was I one of those people yesterday, but I also saw  the effect it had on the multitude around me. Perhaps they were remembering their own salvation, or maybe they were considering how amazing Heaven is going to be, with everyone worshiping like this all the time; I don’t know.

All I do know is that when there is life-change, there is celebration.

If someone were to be given, for free, a 2010 Ford Camaro, they would be jumping up and down, thanking the giver all day long, and getting psyched to drive their new car home.

If someone were to be given eternal life in Paradise, don’t you think the celebration level would be a bit higher?

I do believe so.

–Dani

Ask Anything Saturday 8

Here’s your chance to ask any question, about anything.

…Ready…

…Set…

…Comment!

Perfect Love

Have you ever felt like you’re the only single person on earth?

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, most of us are really feeling the pressure to find that special someone, even if we only have them for a week or two.

I mean, who doesn’t want to be romanced and reminded they’re beautiful by someone who means it?

Nobody, that’s who.

But I feel like sometimes we forget that we are being romanced every single day, by Someone who is way more understanding and loving than anyone else we know.

God wants to love you, and He wants your love. When you’re  wasting your affections on things (or people) that won’t even be in your life 5 years from now, He gets jealous. Who could blame Him? Your love is worth a lot more to Him than anything else He has created.

Allow Him to love you the way you were designed to be loved, and love Him back in every way you can. Doing so gives you the most fulfillment you could ever achieve.

Let’s face it – there’s nothing better than being loved with a perfect love.

–Dani

Ask Anything Saturday 7

Let’s catch up.

What’s going on in your life?

Anything happening that you’ve got questions about?

Or, anything you just wanna know?

I mean, when I say anything…

…I mean anything…

So…

Go.

Ask anything.

–Tiffany