Living Above the Sun Ministries

 Casting Crowns - Set Me Free .mp3 Found at bee mp3 search engine I heard a table full of guys at school talking today. I was listening in, of course. They were talking about how they felt like they went through the motions at church anymore, like how they couldn't get excited about God anymore, and how it didn't have any meaning for them anymore. It broke my heart, one, because I could identify with them, and two, because already at a young age God was becoming uninteresting to them. So being the deep thinker I am, I got to thinking why we go through the motions of church? Does it really get that boring? Are we really that unattached? Then I thought the awesome sermon my pastor preached yesterday, it wasn't anything I had never studied for myself, but it's good to be reminded what a good worship service is like. We were in what I call "the joyful book" Nehemiah 8. Here is what my pastor highlighted based on this chapter....yes you need to go read i

So it's been a rough past 48 hours. I have this bad life pattern that I fall into time and time again. I got called on it today. I expect so much out of myself. When I don't reach my expectation for myself, I loose it. It's all or nothing in my life standards, there is no room to fail, and when I do I give myself Hell. I tell myself I am stupid, and I shame and guilt myself into thinking that there is no hope to fix it. Then as I am falling I don't sleep so I can think I'm getting even more done, and I don't eat because I don't have time to eat, and am accompanied with anxiety attacks, then before I know it I'll be in this state for a week or more. A lot of it has to do with my younger years growing up, I've always struggled with self esteem issues. Teachers have called me stupid, people have just been cruel to me. I guess the mentality I have is, prove that I am a good person, and not stupid. But I end up hating myself more than anyone ever

"Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith." -Galatians 6:8-10 Lately I feel like I am reaping blessing. The Lord just continues to blow me away, and it's like I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The past 8 or 9 years of my life have been so hard, so toilsome, just fighting and barely hanging on. I've had victories in my life along the way, I've experienced happiness and good things, but nothing compared to the SHOWERS of blessing God is pouring out right now in my life, and I'm overwhelmed and am moved to tears. The song Hezekiah Walker sings, "Faithful is

"For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy one of Israel, your Savior. And I love you" -Isaiah 43:3 When I got out of church today, I had the craving for an apple pie at McDonald's, and I was hungry! You can get 2 pies for $1.00, that is a good deal!! So that is what I did; I whipped into the drive thru and ordered some pies. As I was sitting in the line waiting to pay, I was thinking about the service and the things I had heard this morning, then I thought about all the things in life that make me not want to be a grown up anymore. I was thinking about how I'm in the hole in my bank account, I have late fees on my library card to where I can't use it...and every good college student must have access to the library, I own my school some money...just overwhelming thoughts. In the past I have freaked out over things such as this. But I know the Lord will provide, because my Father owns it all! He has shown himself faithful in giving me a job, and showing me that

“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?" -Isaiah 51:12-13 If you remember back in January I highlighted some key points in the book "Radical" that we possess and are given the fruits of the spirit. Many times when we ask for things in our lives, God gives us His Spirit. I stressed that we should not miss that in life, because so many of us do! We go through a trial and we cry out for God to deliver us and when we are still in the midst of the trial we assume God has not answered our prayer, when really HE HAS! He always, always, ALWAYS answers prayers, it's not always yes, which leads people to say he did not answer. When we cry out to G

"If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." -Psalm 139:8-10 In the original text of St. Patrick's prayer, "Christ beside me" was "Christ on my right, Christ on my left." Cecil Alexander compressed the two lines in the hymn version in 1889, and sacrificed the explicit reminder that Christ is on both sides. Christ makes every step of the journey at our sides, known or unknown. He who walks beside me sees, and my perspective. When you think of small children, they are comforted when their parents are beside them; especially when they are scared, it's reassuring for them. When Jesus is beside us is provides the right kind of reassurance we need, and that we see in so many biblical stories of encounters with divine messengers: "Do not be afraid."

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”" -Isaiah 30:21 My Aunt tells me she walks behind me sometimes because I'm her child, and she has to keep her eye on me, and watch me even at 21. Really anywhere you go in public you will see the kids in front of the parents, and it's because 1 the kids have already run ahead in excitement, and 2 the parents watch their children to make sure they are okay. Or sometimes you will see one parent in front and another in the back with the kids in between. This is how it is with Jesus and his children (us). On this journey of life on the narrow road it gets hard. Jesus said that "the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it." (Matt.7:14) There are several reasons He is both behind and before us. When we are behind he encourages us when we lag, and he motivates us when we are weary, He also guard

Coexisting is becoming a popular thing in our society today. You've seen these bumper stickers right? I was VERY OFFENDED at an exhibit that has been set up at my school portraying this mind set that I'm suppose to be okay with Jews and Muslims because they are just like me in my "religion" of Christianity. Yes, we "coexist" in the world, but can we live in peace? I don't know. I would have to say probably not. Muslims hate Christians, they want to kill Christians. Not to mention they hate America. You should start watching Glenn Beck. Muslims want to kill Jews too. Just look at what all is happening over in the middle east, it's bad. This exhibit they have in my school portrays Christianity so badly, but I really just now realized it's being portrayed as a religion, and not a relationship; that makes all the difference. I first went through the entire exhibit a few weeks ago, it's basically about the seed of Abraham, how Christ

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. -Romans 1:24-27 This post will offend many, it will offend even Christians. But, these words are not my words, these judgements are not my judgements. It is the Word of God, which is alive and active separating the truth from evil. Can you be Gay and Christian? Yes, possibly. Howe

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always , to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:20 The whole Bible is essentially "God with us." It is full of stories of how God was with His children, from the children of Israel to his pouring out wrath and judgement in the prophetic books. Then Emmanuel came, God with us. Jesus, fully God, and fully man stepped off His throne and lowered himself to our level; He came to us. Jesus is referred to as The Light, because He is our light. If you read John 1:1-14, this passage of scripture describes and explains Jesus as the light that surrounds us, and is among us. The light is Salvation, we are asking God to dwell within us and be with us. We know that God is with is when peace reigns, and when God is with is our knowing is certain. "Don’t

 Be Thou My Vision .mp3 Found at bee mp3 search engine Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Slane, of Ir­ish folk or­i­gin. Slane Hill is ten miles from Ta­ra in Coun­ty Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Pat­rick de­fied a roy­al edict by light­ing can­dles on East­er Eve. High King Lo­gaire of Ta­ra had de­creed that no one could light a fire be­fore Lo­gaire be­gan the pa­gan spring fes­ti­val by light­ing a fire on Ta­ra Hill. Lo­gaire was so im­pressed by Pat­rick’s de­vo­tion that, de­spite his de­fi­ance (or per­haps be­cause of it­), he let him con­tin­ue his mis­sion­ary work. Patrick would go on to convert 100,000 people and establish 2,000 churches. St. Patrick, was born, Maewyn Succat. Kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, he was taken to Ireland as a slave. It was there that he gave his life to the Lord. He later

"I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!" -Psalm 139:7 During the month of March I want to look at the life of St. Patrick and hopefully teach you that this celebrated holiday is more than wearing green and drinking beer, and things such as that. Not a lot is known about St. Patrick, but what little I have pulled up about him in my research I hope you will have a greater appreciation for St. Patricks Day, and see it in a totally new light. St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. Most of what is known about him comes from his two works, the Confessio, a spiritual autobiography, and his Epistola, a denunciation of British mistreatment of Irish christians. St. Patrick described himself as a "most humble-minded man, pouring forth a continuous paean of thanks to his Maker for having chosen him as the instrument whereby multitudes who had worshipped idols

"Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" -Matthew 14:29-30 Keep your eyes on Jesus, I tell my kids that all the time. My student worship kids, kids I teach, anyone I can tell it to, I tell them, "Keep your eyes on Jesus." We see Peter was walking on water until he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the things around him. When he did that, he sank! In our lives we need to learn to seek God more than things. Hannah in the Bible had to learn this. Her story can be found in 1 Samuel 1. She wanted a son so badly, that's what she was fixed on. But it wasn't until Hannah prayed and told God, if you give me a son, I'll give him back to you. God honored her prayer, and how she sought Him as her Lord first that He gave her a son, Samuel. You see, when we seek the Kings heart, and keep our eyes