Worship at John Michael's Tonite

Guys, there will be no official Listenup tonite. However, for those who are around, John Michael is hosting a worship night. His address is: 345 Kellogg Way #21, Goleta, CA 93117 It is behind the Hampton Inn. It will be at seven o'clock. Bring your heart and vocal chords to sing to the Lord!

Christmas Trivia

Hey Guys,
A couple of weeks ago we had a moment of Christmas trivia and one of the questions was: "What's a yule tide log?" We got as far as identifying that a yule is a type of tree. According to Wikipedia, a Yule is "a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures." (Wikipedia)

Historically, the Yule log has frequently been associated with German pagan origins. Wikipedia continues, "Robert Chambers in his 1832 Book of Days notes that Two popular observances belonging to Christmas are more especially derived from the worship of our pagan ancestors—the hanging up of the mistletoe and the burning of the Yule log. James George Frazer in The Golden Bough (p. 736) holds that "the ancient fire-festival of the winter solstice appears to survive" in the Yule log custom."

So what's the deal with burning the log?

Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, was identified with the Babylonian Sun God and worshipped following the winter solstice, on about December 22-23. Tammuz was thought to have died during the winter solstice, and was memorialized by burning a log in the fireplace. (The Chaldean word for "infant" is yule. This is the origin of the yule log.) His rebirth was celebrated by replacing the log with a trimmed tree the next morning.

For more cool origins of Christmas info. check out Koinonia House

Do your homework. Don't take my word for it. Be like a Berean!!

tarik

Romans 6

An Old Hippy Van

Hebrews 10

What do you think about Christmas?

Below are 2 links.

One of them is an article from the Daily Mail in the UK. Can you imagine what would happen if this was published in an American newspaper? Granted, this man is a known "hate-preacher" but what do other "normal" people think about Christmas? The other link is to blogs about Jesus birth. You may find some of them interesting...remember it's always important to understand why people believe what they believe. Why do you believe?

Psalm 1:3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1093414/Christmas-pathway-hell-Muslim-lawyers-extraordinary-rant-evil-celebration.html?ITO=1490

http://wordpress.com/tag/jesus-birth/

Merry Christmas. Read all of Luke Chapter 2.
tarik

Keeping your "Ship" on course...

Hey Guys,
Just wanted to follow up on Monday’s discussion after everyone shared whether or not their “Ship”, so to speak, was on course. Navigating the direction of a ship is controlled by the rudder which is connected to the Mariner’s wheel. We can associate each spoke of the Mariner’s wheel with our Christian walk:

Word – are you reading and studying your Bible?
Prayer – I John 5:14-15
Worship – it’s what we’re gonna do in heaven so you better practice now!
Witnessing – Who puts a lamp under a basket? Let your light shine before other men.
Giving – For God so loved the world He gave His only Son…
Fellowship –Heb 10:24-25; besides, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

So, one of the questions was: How do we get our ship back on course when our hearts have been hardened? How do we make a wrong, right again whether we are on the giving or receiving end of the matter?

Before everyone showed up that night, John Michael shared with me how he noticed that God’s voice during Israel’s disobedience became clearer and louder through His prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and all of the Minor Prophets. The message: repent. This was also how John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministry and is clearly a recurring message throughout the Bible.

So what does repentance look like in real life? I thought about you married men and your wives. I pictured each one of you “repenting” to them. I thought of the single men and how we are “married” to the Lord and pictured what would be spoken. Repentance looks like this:

I’m sorry. I love you. Forgive me.

Whatever you shared Monday night, bring it to the Lord and repent. Remember David in Psalm 51? He stated that he sinned against God and God alone regarding his sin with Bathsheba. How could this be given that he also committed murder? We are all God’s creation and He has invested resources in each and every one of us. How we use those resources He gave us is up to us. Go to your wife and repent. Go to your brother and your co-worker and your boss and repent. For the pain is but for a moment, the weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning!

Below are some of the Scripture I read this morning after thinking about what John Michael shared with me:


Jer 8:6 I hearkened and heard, [but] they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Everyone turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle

Jer 25:5 They said, 'Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

Eze 14:6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.

Eze 18:30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin

Hosea 11:5 "He shall not return to the land of Egypt; But the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to repent.

Hosea 11:7 My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, None at all exalt [Him].

Joel 2:12-14 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; [even] a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

Mat 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mar 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Finally, we have arrived at the application station. This ties into our message last week at church—the danger of apostacy.

Drifting away from God, fellowship, accountability leads to doubt. Doubt turns into unbelief. Unbelief results in a hardened heart. A hardened heart doesn’t respond to God’s word and when that is absent from our lives we are in danger of shipwreck!!

So, are you at your best in regards to following Christ? Are you slipping? Are you drifting? If you are, repent. If you aren’t, then you certainly know someone who is…pray for their hardened heart to be made a heart of flesh.

tarik