Living Above the Sun Ministries

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." -Romans 12:1-2 (My life verse for the past 10 years.) This post in no way will cover everything the past 10 years have offered, just a synopsis and a giving thanks to God for what He has done and continues to do. Click here to see my Graduation Post in 2008, but don't forget to come back here!! I was home schooled through high school. So it's really a joke of some sorts when I announce that I will be going to my 10 year class reunion. Also that I was valedictorian of my graduating class. Life has been hard, so I try to keep the mood light and have a reason to celebrate. I dropped out of ...

"The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions." Conscience is that thing that feels bad when everything else feels good. The guilt condemns you. Paul addresses law and conscience in his letter to the Romans, see especially chapters 1 & 2. The Law- the truth - God is hard wired into our brain, God made us that way. But some of us keep running, and try to numb it all out when our conscience tells on us. Alcohol, cutting, denial, hiding in a cave (just a few of my personal choices). We just can't seem to get away from it no matter what we try. There is a correlation between wickedness and fear on the one hand, and righteousness and courage on the other hand. And the gospel is a message about how wicked people can get right with God through Jesus Christ so that they have a righteousness that makes them as bold as a lion. How do we get there? There is a law; a truth; a Wor...

There is a question I have been pondering, "How do we reconcile Ecclesiastes with Culture as being Redemptive?" By now you know this ministry, Living Above the Sun, is founded and rooted in the wisdom of Ecclesiastes. Since 2012 I have given my life to studying this book in all it's wise sayings. Also, in studying culture and theology, the more I am provoked to ask questions and study deeper. The book of Ecclesiastes is one of philosophy, law, and theology. Reading the book by itself alone will be depressing, but read it with the rest of the Bible and it's stanzas reverberate through the Old Testament Cannon, and into the New Testament! In just 12 chapters, King Solomon captures life and asks, "Does it matter?" Life does matter, and what we do with it under this big sun matters. What do we value? What do we worship? Who is our King? In the depression of vanity, nothing worthy of life under the sun, what could be the contrast? The sandpaper tha...

The King of Glory and His Kingdom, a song of David. We have a King in glory! The Lord Jesus was born King, the wise men worshiped Him as King. He was Crucified King. This is the Song of Ascension. When Jesus, being triumphant over death, after His resurrection, ascended into Heaven in a Shekinah cloud of glory, the gates of Heaven burst open wide for the King of Glory! Christ Jesus won the victory. He is the Lord strong and mighty in battle! Last year I wrote a song called Christos Doxa, Greek Lexicon translates it to Christs Glory. It's a sweet little Easter Song, and I believe it is a song when we truly encounter Jesus and His glory in our lives this becomes our response. Make way for the King of Glory! Verse 1: King of Glory lifted high, holy passion burns in my heart. Hosanna leaves my lips I sing, King of glory in my midst. Beholding beauty this holy thing, I'm in awe, I'm in awe. Who is this King of Glory? Chorus: Holy is your life, Hosanna to the cross, H...

1 "On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman,why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the gue...

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." -Matthew 5 (Picture in Pearland, TX sunrise) In the wake of Billy Graham's death, I was reminded of my trip to Texas with Samaritans Purse this past November.  Samaritans Purse is an organization within the Billy Graham ...

The truth of what happens in the wilderness is something that can only be highlighted in the wilderness. What happens in the wilderness? Miracles do. Sure, miracles happen all the time, but there is something special about it in the background of dry and dead. Our eyes tend to focus more, and our minds highlight events in the seclusion of nothingness. I've been in the desert a while now and slowly have been approaching the edge of an oasis. But more than an oasis, I want the land of promise. There are wildernesses of our own choosing and making, there are times when circumstances and things come against us that suck the life out of us. There are times we are tested in the faith that leads us away in the seclusion of the desert. The wilderness can either push us towards leaning into Jesus, or it can make us bitter, not ever fully recovering. There has been a deep longing in my heart for more. It has been a time of solace. A time for God to be highlighted in my life, to b...