Living Above the Sun Ministries

In Christ Alone, and The Solid Rock have been songs to be on my mind this week. I can't listen to them enough. Building on what I wrote about yesterday, a thought occurred to me this morning sitting in a History lecture at school. If you pay close attention in life God is always speaking to our hearts, sometimes we're just to wrapped up in other things to hear. At least that's the case for me. In history we've been learning about the Development of the West, my group had to discuss a story called the "Grasshopper Attack in Kansas" from Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier by Joanna L. Stratton. The year was 1874, this story is about when floods of grasshoppers destroyed everything the pioneers had worked so hard to establish. They ate their crops, tools, clothes...everything, trees, anything green, their barns and their homes. They were in the peoples beds and on them. So in reading this story we had to answer these questions: 1. What does this accou

I'm glad that in life God can still teach me while I'm in the ditch....or what feels like the ditch at least. Lately I've been putting my hope more in things like a job, my family, or what my future may hold. When that happens our focus tends to go off of Jesus and into these things you hope will get better or see change. Our hope and our focus should be in Christ Alone. I've had to really learn that this week...and I'm still learning it. Monday night at my church we sang "In Christ Alone" and it's such a beautiful powerful song. Songs can change their meaning to you as you encounter different circumstances in life. But in thinking about the lyrics this week, they have really touched me. One of the bad habits I have is when I get down or upset I don't feel like reading or doing much of anything. That's bad because in those times I need to be reading my Bible and stand firmly on the Solid Rock. You would think by now we would learn that

"Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them." -Hosea 8:12 Sometimes when listening to sermons, I will think to myself, "Boy, I wish this person was sitting here right now hearing this." We've all had that thought. The Israelites were constantly known for applying God's laws to others and finding fault in them than in themselves. We deflect God's Word when we do this, and put off or don't recognize the changes we need to make in our own lives. The application of God's Word fits us all not just the "bad" people, or the people who get on your nerves and drive you crazy. Often times the faults we find in others are our faults too. What are the areas of our lives where we need to repent? Just to give a few personal examples, sometimes I can have a bad mouth especially when I get upset. I desire things I shouldn't. When we repent, we should ask God to not only forgive but to help us con

These past couple of days God has really been pressing the thought upon my heart that He is trying to bring His children back to Him. In this time of financial crises and unemployment I believe in my heart that God is stripping everything away for a purpose. He is preparing us for our eternal home, but I think He's also trying to reiterate what job He has assigned us. We as believers don't belong here, and I think we put a lot of energy, time, and resources into our earthly life, and don't contribute or "lay up treasures" in Heaven. Like I said in my last post it is easy to chase after things that are tangible, and that we can enjoy. I don't Jesus has a problem with that, He wants to bless us. At the same time though I can't help but think, are we investing in the Kingdom? As technology progresses we become so wrapped up in it. Which again, no problem, but we must acknowledge that all we have and all we are is because of God. I think if anything G

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9 Lately in life I have been learning what it means to follow Jesus. Things haven't been going as I have wanted them too, in other words how I had planned. By now I thought I would be on my own, have a job, with a little money in my pocket, have a descant car, and be on my way to a 4 year college. Successful in my definition. However, God's definition of successful and my definition of successful aren't alike. God takes us his way, and we have to follow Him...most of the time blindly. That's hard for me to do. Sometimes when life gets really tough, I think God hates me; all the while knowing in the back of my mind he really loves me. He tells us so in Isaiah 43:4 "I Love You." It's all about Faith. The harder the trial, the deeper our faith will be grown and stretched. My pastor made an awesome statement in church last Sunday: "It's not

It's has been a day of revelations. Praise the Lord! When we throw trash away, do we ever think about it again? Typically, no. When we are cleaning stuff out like old food from our fridge, or cleaning our office space up we keep the good stuff and throw away the bad stuff. We should do that in our lives as well. We need to throw away bad thoughts, the sin, bitterness, the unforgiveness we hold on to, all the stuff that starts to stink up our lives. Bad music (lyrically), anything that doesn't please Jesus needs to go. Toss in the trash can and don't think about it again. Amen? AMEN! God convicted me about a verse this week about Forgiveness and how we when we forgive someone we need to throw away what they did to us and get on with life. Because when we hold on to unforgiveness it starts to stink and cause others to get a whiff of it. Check out this verse Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 5 " I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all

My thought for today is short, but in no way simple. God is Omnipotent, and Omnipresent meaning He is everywhere, and has power and authority over our lives. Sometimes we forget His presence is in every corner of our lives, whether good or bad. He knows our thoughts and every secret thing we do. Don't overlook or under estimate the power and presence of our Great God. He loves us. His presence and power convict us. It fills us and renews us. Who is like our God? Who can compare to Him? 1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. 5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Wh

"Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage , And He shall strengthen your heart..." -Psalm 27:14 Courage means to have the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. To have the courage of one's convictions, to act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in spite of criticism. We all have challenges and obstacles in our path, things that effect our everyday lives. I am so encouraged by this psalm of David. We are encouraged to wait on the Lord, don't walk ahead of Him, or piddle behind Him, walk right beside Him. He's taking you His way, a way that he believes will benefit you. Be brave, fight the battles look who you have walking beside you (Jesus, if you forgot). If we do this God promises that He WILL strengthen our hearts. So this has been my prayer lately for courage: Dear Heavenly Father, I recognize that this mountain you have in my path right now is preparing me for something you

Apart from God, life is meaningless. Everything we do, if it is not for God then we have wasted our time. This is what the book of Ecclesiastes is about. Solomon is looking back on his life, much of which was lived apart from God. He wrote this book hoping to spare future generations (us) the bitterness of learning through our own experiences that life is meaningless apart from God. If we are going to enjoy anything in life, we need to keep God at the center of everything we do, marriage, jobs, relationships, eating, drinking...everything. When you work to the glory of God he's going to bless you, you're laying up treasures in Heaven. When conflict comes up in your family or marriage, if God is the center of that relationship you go to Him, go to His word he will prove who is right and wrong. God will deal with each of his children individually too. We all will answer to Him one day. Many people feel dissatisfied. Solomon tests our faith in the book of Ecclesiastes. H

Well I'm not going to lie, I am no where close to being where I'm suppose to be this week, but I am trying, and am making progress as I stay up late reading. I wanted to highlight a few things that have stood out to me as I have been power reading through the Bible. Presently I am in Psalms, Psalms was started in week 6...so that will give you an idea of how far behind I am. I got kinda discouraged there for a while figuring if I had missed all that reading there is no point in trying. But there is a point, and after talking to the Lord about it, I put on my big girl britches and got to reading again. For further information about this challenge click on "The Bible in 90 Days" tab. I will also put further contents and thoughts on that tab than I will in this post. In reading 1 and 2 Kings I was really amazed at how the Kings behaved. I kept track of who did good in the sight of the Lord and who didn't. 1 Kings opens with the reign of Solomon, a time when