Tra's blog

Righteous by faith...

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:00:00 GMT

5Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!"
6And Abram believed the Lord , and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
�gen.15:5-6
(----he was counted righteous by his FAITH, because he believed in the words of the one true god...wow! Not for what he's done, but for his faith. I love it!----)
http://bible.us

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Hearing aid time

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:00:00 GMT

So I'm in the middle of practice and I realize my left ear is killing me..due to lack of hearing protection. Mr. van patton had a good idea when he said get protection early so you can keep those ears for later. Goodbye left ear.....i will miss you :/

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Crying babies

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

One thing I cannot stand is a crying baby. My cousin trevor's baby...cries all the time. I have been over here for the past couple weeks helping him and his wife get packed up to move. All the while having to bang my head against the wall until I pass out just to get some peace of mind for the next couple minutes. Could I possibly be able to handle a child of my own?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Finished Radical

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Well guys it would seem I've finished radical, and I must say it was amazing. One thing I did not like about the book...now I have a choice. Either follow what I've learned from Pastor Platt's book, or continue in the same rut I've been in since before I had even heard of the book. If I decide to follow what I've learned I will have to step out on full faith. If I continue in this slump I will allow myself to stay complacent and not have to worry about the command that Jesus issued to his disciples and, therefore, all believers, which is to go into all nations and make disciples. What to do, what to do.
I honestly am having trouble with this...

great aunt hickey...

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

I failed to let everyone know my great aunt's predicament a few weeks ago, but not to worry for she is no longer with us...maybe this sounds a little funny when reading, but let me explain.
My aunt Dora "Hickey" Carmichael had several heart attacks before being admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago, and then several more while under the hospital's care. She passed away at about 1:25am on tuesday feb. 8th. Before she passed away I got to talk to her(through a phone being put up to her ear), and tell her how much I loved her. I also asked her to ask a specific set of questions to God if she was able to hear me and was close enough to God to hear His voice loud and clear(for she was basically in a coma of sorts). They say the hearing is the last thing to go, so I took a chance and asked her to ask God this one thing. I told her, "Will you please ask God if you have fulfilled your purpose on earth? If you haven't I ask that God would let you come back to us and get better so you can, but if you have I would ask that God allow you to follow Jesus to that place He has been preparing for you since you accepted His hand in marriage. If you have completed your journey here on earth we don't want to keep you from your home. I would ask that God answer these questions quickly so you don't have to stay in that hospital bed suffering for much longer." I then repeated how much I loved her and would miss her if she was gone, but that I knew if she did go then she was finally going home.
I am convinced she heard me. I didn't get to have a lot of memories with her due to the distance my family lived from her and the rest of that side of the family, but the memories I do have I will cherish forever.
I love you aunt hick and am anxious to see you again when the time is right.

This is funny and really sad at the same time...televangelists watch out!

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

...One evening I was meeting with an underground house church overseas, and we were discussing various issues in Scripture. A woman who lived in the city and knew some english shared, "I have a television, and every once in a while I am able to get stations from the United States," she said. "Some of these stations have church services on them. I see the preachers, and they are dressed in very nice clothes, and they are preaching in very nice buildings. Some of them tell me that if I have enough faith, I too can have nice things."

She paused before continuing. "When I come to our church meetings, I look around, and most of us are poor, and we are meeting here at great risk to our lives." Then she looked at me and asked, "Does this mean we do not have enough faith?"
In that moment I realized the extent to which we, as churches and christians across America, are in some cases explicitly and in other cases implicitly exporting a theology that equates faith in Christ with prosperity in this world. This is fundamentally not the radical picture of Christianity we see in the New Testement.
-David Platt

This comes straight from pg.117-118 of Radical in the sixth chapter, which is entitled "How much is enough?: american wealth and a world of poverty".

If this book were a woman...I'd be smitten. I already day dream of this book quite often. I can't wait to dive deeper and find out what it will say next. :p

A great end to a great weekend

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

This weekend we(prelude to paradise) went to pleasanton, tx. We were so blessed by our host and ask who were behind the scenes making everything a success. Isn't it so amazing when you actively search for God how He erl maker His presence known. I pray that the young adults and children, as well as the adults, who attended were as amazed as we were to have the holy spirit reside in that area. I love unearthing new sides of God. And micah mariano...may God continue to use you in great and powerful ways!
Amen

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

It's late

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Here I am up very late on the eve, or should I say day, of our drive to the pleasanton area. Why do I do this? I'm not sure I'll ever know. I think it's time to pray for that town to be indwelt with the holy spirit! I would love it, and I know the rest of the p2p group would love it if you prayed as well!

Well goodnight all.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.6

A question from Steven Camp...

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Question: When was the last time you received a phone call, a letter or note, an impromptu visit from the pastors/elders of your church when there was no crisis and without you prompting it in anyway whatsoever? Sadly, I would say for most people the answer would be never. Failure in ministry usually occurs at the most fundamental levels and this is without question the weakest link in the chain for any church leadership.
-Steven Camp

HELP WANTED:

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

We will be in Pleasanton, tx. this friday - sunday and are in need of your prayers for the D-NOW event to not only be a success physically, but that God would receive the glory He deserves. I would like to ask that your prayers be centered around individuals receiving new life through God's all-sufficient grace, and a healing that only the Holy Spirit can administer. We were CREATED to bring God glory, and COMMANDED to go out into all nations preaching the gospel of a living God! Help us in this by praying for God's Holy Spirit to go before us and prepare Pleasanton, TX. to receive the fullness of God's glory!

late night, outa sight!

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

So I'm sitting here contemplating what I just read from Radical by David Platt when I catch myself asking...myself...why I'm not following the path laid out for me by God? My footsteps are ordered right? I'm supposed to be righteous, correct? Then why don't I feel righteous? Why do I feel like I'm waving at the boat as it slowly moves past, but I've got a ticket in my hand. I could be on the boat. I could run and still make it, but it seems like I'm waiting for something to push me onto the boat. That thing, it seems, hasn't come yet, but my view of the world around me is changing. So, maybe I will start walking toward the boat. It couldn't hurt to get a closer view of it, right?

If you haven't purchased the book RADICAL by David Platt, do it please. Your life depends on it, quite literally.

A night of true worship...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

I feel for my readers sometimes, haha. You guys have to read my blogs that really aren't blogs but a conglomeration of book quotes and what-nots. Today I will stick with my guns, but on something that made me want to slap myself in the face and say "WAKE UP!" This little bit from RADICAL needs no introduction. It will speak for itself as you read along:

-----------------------------------------------

Just imagine going to a worship gathering in one of those house churches. Not an all-day training in the Word [Mr. Platt had just finished talking about a week of training where he led twenty something house church leaders through a semi-detailed overview of each book of the Bible]. Just a normal three-hour worship service late in the evening. The Asian believer who is taking you gives you the instructions. "Put on dark pants and a jacket with a hood on it. We will put you in the back of our car and drive you into the village. Please keep your hood on and your face down."
When you arrive in the village under the cover of night, another Asian believer meets you at the door of the car. "Follow me," he says.
With your hood over your head, you crawl out of the car, keeping your face toward the ground. You begin to walk with your eyes fixed on the feet of the man in front of you as he leads you down a long a winding path with a small flashlight. You hear more and more footsteps around you as you progress down the trail. Then finally you round the corner and walk into a small room.
Despite its size, sixty believers have crammed into it. They are all ages, from precious little girls to seventy-year-old men. They are sitting either on the floor or on small stools, lined shoulder to shoulder, huddled together with their Bibles in their laps. The roof is low, and one light bulb dangles from the middle of the ceiling as the sole source of illumination.
No sound system.
No band.
No guitar.
No entertainment.
No cushioned chairs.
No heated or air-conditioned building.
Nothing but the people of God and the Word of God.
And strangely, that's enough.
God's word is enough for millions of believers who gather in house churches just like this one. His Word is enough for millions of other believers who huddle in African jungles, South American rain forests, and Middle Eastern cities.
But is His Word enough for us?

When a book is this good...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

you can't stop quoting it! Page 17 and 18 of RADICAL by David Platt convey a big picture that American Christians, as a whole, have LONG forgotten and swept under the rug. Our quest to fulfill the "American dream" while slapping a big Christian logo on it has forced us to forget something we should've held near and dear to our hearts.---------------------Did you catch what Jesus said when He told the rich man to abandon his possessions and give to the poor? Listen again, particularly to the second half of Jesus' invitation: "Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven."(matt.10:21) If we are not careful, we can misconstrue these radical statements from Jesus in the gospels and begin to think He does not want the best for us. But He does. Jesus was not trying to strip this man of all his pleasure. Instead He was offering him the satisfaction of eternal treasure. Jesus was saying, "It will be better, not just for the poor, but for you too, when you abandon the stuff you are holding on to."...This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something -- someone -- worth losing everything for. And if we walk away from the Jesus of the gospel, we walk away from eternal riches. The cost of nondiscipleship is profoundly greater for us than the cost of discipleship. For when we abandon the trinkets of this world and respond to the radical invitation of Jesus, we discover the infinite treasure of knowing and experiencing Him.--------------------------------------------------------How beautiful is this?! We as Christians, more often than not, think too locally and not globally enough to understand what Jesus was saying. Instead of storing all our treasures up here, why don't we actually follow the Christ we claim to believe in and do as He says. Didn't He say the man would "have treasure in heaven"? What He will do for one, will He not do for another? Jesus also coined a phrase that has stuck with so many about their so-called "mansion in heaven". He said " if it were not so I would have told you". He said He's going to prepare a place, so I believe He is preparing a place. Will it be a "mansion"? Old english way of saying dwelling place, so I don't believe so. So if what He says is true there, reason would lead me to believe that if He says sell all your possessions here on Earth and you will be rewarded with treasure in heaven...we will have some form of treasure in heaven. He said it, so you better believe it's there for those who follow His commands. What kind of treasure? Who knows? Even if it's just getting to spend quality time with our creator...I would take it! Would you? Think honestly. Will you actually sell everything you have right now to have a closer relationship with Christ? :) Have a good day

Puddles of Tears

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:00:00 GMT

My first blog will be a lengthy one due to my newness to this site, AND my having just started reading RADICAL by David Platt. Please read this, and don't let the length deter you in any way. It is worth the read!

This excerpt, found on page 4, stirred me to my core in the most amazing way:

Imagine all the blinds closed on the windows of a dimly lit room. Twenty leaders from different churches in the area sat in a circle on the floor with their Bibles open. Some of them had sweat on their foreheads after walking for miles to get there. Others were dirty from the dust in the villages from which they had set out on bikes early that morning.
They had gathered in secret. They had intentionally come to this place at different times throughout the morning so as not to draw attention to the meeting that was occurring. They lived in a country in Asia where it is illegal for them to gather like this. If caught, they could lose their land, their jobs, their families, or their lives.
I listened as they began sharing stories of what God was doing in their churches. One man sat in a corner. He had a strong frame, and he served as the head of security, so to speak. Whenever a knock was heard at the door or a noise was made outside the window, everyone would freeze in tension as this brother would go to make sure everything was okay. As he spoke, his tough voice soon revealed a tender heart.
"Some of the people in my church have been pulled away by a cult," he said. This particular cult is known for kidnapping believers, taking them to isolated locations, and torturing them. Brothers and sisters having their tongues cut out of their mouths is not uncommon.
As he shared about the dangers his church members were facing, tears welled up in his eyes. "I am hurting," he said, "and I need God's grace to lead my church through these attacks.
A woman on the other side of the room spoke up next. "Some of the members in my church were recently confronted by governmental officials." She continued, "They threatened their families, saying that if they did not stop gathering to study the Bible, they were going to lose everything they had." She asked for prayer, saying, "I need to know how to lead my church to follow Christ even when it costs everything."
As I looked around the room, I saw that everyone was now in tears. The struggles expressed by this brother and sister were not isolated. They all looked at one another and said, "We need to pray." Immediately they went to their knees, and with their faces on the ground, they began to cry out to God. Their prayers were marked less by grandiose theological language and more by heart-felt praise and pleading.
"O God, thank you for loving us."
"O God, we need you."
"Jesus, we give our lives to you and for you."
"Jesus, we trust in you."
They audibly wept before God as one leader after another prayed. After about an hour, the room drew to a silence, and they rose from the floor. Humbled by what I had just been a part of, I saw puddles of tears in a circle around the room.
In the days since, God has granted me many other opportunities to gather with believers in underground house churches in Asia. Men and women there are risking everything to follow Christ.
Men like Jian, an Asian doctor who left his successful health clinic and now risks his life and the lives of his wife and two kids in order to provide impoverished villages with medical care while secretly training an entire network of house-church leaders.
Women like Lin, who teaches on a university campus where it is illegal to spread the gospel. She meets in secret with college students to talk about the claims of Christ, though she could lose her livelihood for doing so.
Teenagers like Shan and Ling, who have been sent out from house churches in their villages to undergo intensive study and preparation for taking the gospel to parts of Asia where there are no churches.
Ling said to me, "I have told my family that I will likely never come back home. I am going to hard places to make the gospel known, and it is possible that I will lose my life in the process."
Shan added, "But our families understand. Our moms and dads have been in prison for their faith, and they have taught us that Jesus is worthy of all our devotion."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't made it past the first chapter and my world has been rocked. We as American Christians have NO IDEA what it means to truly put our lives in God's hands! If you don't have this book, it is worth the money..meaning, buy it!

P2P, Access, RunKidRun

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

This past weekend(Aug. 27-28)we played with The Access and Run Kid Run. I can tell you that I personally haven't had fun of this caliber on the road in a long time. The Access guys are so fun to be a...

P2P, Access, RunKidRun

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Look here...Is this something tangible and understandable to you?

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

http://frimmin.com/faith/godinall.php i stumbled across this while searching for a scripture on google that basically says (paraphrased)"I am everywhere and in all things". There are some inter...

lifeboat...good read. I think it's worth it!

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Here is a little blog by a girl. I don't even remember how I got to this site, but this has been on my clipboard for several days just waiting for me to paste it on this note. feel free to tag o...

A perfect end to a good day - you're grace is too much for me Lord God!

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

"i understand it now. I get it. Like earlier Myles told me the news about him moving thursday. Yeah everyone is sad, but God has a plan for Myles and his family." -Braden Hufstetler -Growth i...

Late night...I love you Francis Chan...it's the Crazy Love

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT

(Lengthy, but mostly worth it. haha) Page 142, if you ever get the chance to read Crazy Love, made me think more than most of the book did. There was a lot of great stuff in it, but this page jus...