Here’s A January Update For You...

What can I say? It's 10:09 AM and we be doin' fine. Trusting for more open doors to go through. Liney and I are still zealous and praying together in 2011.

Man, and it looks like there's some extra nice weather outside in Dallas today. Love that. Liney is home painting a room a medium shade of blue today so she is happy and joyous at the same time. We hope you are doing well too!

Been workin' on paying our taxes again. Fun. NOT! But it's that time of year again. We've been out hiking some too lately. I really want to get back on my mountain-bike soon.  Really enjoy that. And even more than mere exercise outdoors, we would love to serve God in some new areas this year reaching more people needing some edification.   

Our kids, like all American kids today it seems, need some prayer. Thanks in advance. Our second son, Nathan ..after some hospitalization following four tours of duty as a sniper in Iraq.. has unfortunately been diagnosed with the highest form of Bi-polar that there is. He indeed had some major problems starting in his teen years, but we never knew all that. Thank God there are some meds that address his condition—we pray he just remains on them. Many people with this do not.

I not sure what you might be dealing with where you live, but please know that no matter how you feel, up or down at times, and no matter what is going on around you there, that you are highly valued and very important to God, who is indeed by your side. We don't have to do a thing to be in His presence—we already are. He's omnipresent. It might not always be the easiest place to shine for Christ where you work and live (not sure), but Jesus Christ can help you as you continually yield to His Spirit, and He indeed has a good plan for you. Sounds kind of cliché I'm sure, but please don't give up hope because things can change ..even overnight in amazing ways at times.. if you and I will only trust the Lord and obey.

I just heard the latest U.S. unemployment figures. Still not good. Man, I think it's the right time for this Nation to get back to the God of the Bible in repentance, confession, humility, and faith ..and to turn back to His principles that work.. that made this country great in the first place. Like me, do you ever ask yourself, what is it going to take to get our attention? It has been 20 months, after all, since the national unemployment rate last stood as low as 9.4 percent. In December joblessness was down from 9.8 percent in November, but here are some current aspects to take into account...  

* As Bloomberg News reports, unemployment ballooned to 9.8 percent in November because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics undercounted 70,000 jobs that were added to the economy that month and in October as well.

* The 103,000 jobs added in December fall well short of the median job growth of 150,000 positions  forecast in a Bloomberg News Survey that preceded the release of Friday's employment data.

* If you wonder why joblessness dropped four-tenths of a point in December, the Economic Policy Institute says look no further than the 260,000 Americans who left the labor force last month. 

* The EPI analysis also reveals that the workforce "participation rate" is now 64.3 percent -- "a stunning new low for the recession."

* The upshot, again from the EPI: "Incredibly, the U.S. labor force is now smaller than it was before the recession started, though it should have grown by over 4 million workers to keep up with the working-age population growth over this period."

* Finally, this, the Labor Department says 8.9 million Americans are still employed involuntarily in part-time jobs, 2.6 million displaced workers were not counted in the report because they had not looked for jobs during the four weeks covered by the monthly employment survey and another 1.3 million people have simply given up hope of finding a job.

Hey gang, it's easy for the Lord to provide for His people and He does want what's best for us. Just put Him first. If you've been suffering some and part of that is your own fault ..or not your fault at all.. I am so sorry about all that. There's no condemnation in Christ.

We love you and God loves you even more! Come as you are and change. Listen, He's more concerned with where you are headed, than where you came from.

You already know that all have sinned and in addition, God took out all His "mad at" on Jesus on the Cross so to speak (He wasn't really mad at His sinless son, but Christ got treated as if He were the sinner).

My point? God ain't mad at you or me, though He still intensely hates sin for how it severely destroys so many lives and people groups. We need to hate sin, and Satan too and not be involved in any works of the flesh. Sounds religious, but it ain't. This is just very practical-speak for a nation in our condition, that are led by the type of people leading our government. 

My other points? Your life does matter to Him and His Kingdom, no matter how you feel! And the Lord can bring good out of any bad if we serve Him (see Romans 8 in the Bible).

My following points? Please be encouraged to love the Lord, to seek Him and His will, and then to hang tight with Jesus Christ going the distance with Him. Why? Because, "God is love, and he (or she) who abides in love abides in God, and God in Him" (1 Jn. 4:16, nkjv). Just immerse yourself in a simple, candid love relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - and yeah, simply abide there! Find a Bible teach church to worship with.

I do wanna be uplifting for you, without bein' preachy. Sorry if I'm coming off that way. But I just love how God the Father and God the Son do not have a hard laboring complicated type of kinship, nor a business partnership, nor some cold or robitic legal kind of friendship, nor some competing dictatorship (you know how ruthless those can be), nor a mandatory, forced, or egotistical fellowship, nor an obligatory guardianship.

No, but They (the Members of the Trinity) enjoy a simple, straightforward, loving relationship. How do you spell harmony and order? That's what they have always known. Yes, and we can also keep it simple with them too.

Their union has existed since long before the earth and all the stars were formed! God doesn't change. It's way cool to me that we can be welcomed into such an awesome eternal sphere of a ministry partnership too—a union of grace and unconditional love because of the blood of Jesus applied by faith, not works. It happens when we are born of God's Spirit, and as we continue to walk in His Spirit. Go for Him. Sincerely, kurt

On The Verge Of Losing It All ..Or Have You Already?

Rainy days and Mondays never get me down. And that's what we had early this week together ..a rainy Monday. How 'bout you? It's been raining a lot here in Dallas lately. The plants, lakes and trees really need it too--they've been very thirsty. How has it been there where you live? What's the weather like there? What's your favorite thing to do or see in the area where you live ..when you get time off with your friends there? Just curious. Anyways, Liney and I trust that you are doing well spiritually. How can we pray for you? Please do feel free to let us know how we can better add practical value to your life, or challenge you, or simply minister to you with this blog etc. Please do pray that we can help more people as well. Thanks! Oh.. about that photo I attached above. No, Liney and I didn't start drinking to escape troubles or anything, but I simply scratched out a quick devo this morning at home (see below) that deals in part with people who are struggling under cruel habits and addictions that will sooner or later make them lose out and we do not want anyone to lose anything good that God plans to bless them with, or already has blessed them with. 

Ready To Lose It All?

I hate loss… don't you? It's so needless and obviously some things hurt to lose more than other things.. they have far more value than other toys and junk that are easy to replace.

A week or so ago after returning from California, my wife lost her diamond wedding ring right down the bathroom sink accidentally. She cried real tears and I just felt sick for her.. and for me. How would I be able to save up enough to replace that temporal thing that had sentimental value to her? We did what we could to recover it, but no use.

It was totally gone ..we thought ..until a week later when she pulled it out of the dryer with some clean laundry. Don't ask me how (We both remember praying about the matter though).

Are you currently on the verge of losing something valuable and have you even prayed about whether God wants you to lose it? Sure some destructive relationships need to be cut off at different times, but are you about to lose your spouse due to their sin or yours? Are you willing to fight spiritually to keep this from happening? Now you know that God hates divorce but allows this in certain instances, but please don't under-value your spouse! There can be grounds for forgiveness there due to what Jesus already accomplished.

Maybe you are about to lose a job, some commissions, or a car that you've had trouble paying on ..and then subsequently your good credit.

Perhaps you are clinging to your own life of pleasure or you idol (that which you have put number one ahead of everything else).

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. —Jesus, John 12:25-26, nkjv

What are you so tightly holding on to today? Jesus Christ basically encouraged His followers not to cling to their own life, to their own stuff, to their own way, to their own agenda, to their own ingenuity, plans or lifestyle, but He was promising life everlasting to anyone who would follow Him completely.

I'm talking about life during life here and then some ..a lot more, with no end.

In the context of those verses, Jesus was talking about dying so that life could come forth and help others. Man, He was and is our greatest Example of this type of thing.. when He chose to do the Father's will instead of His own even to the point of dying on a cross for our sins. And to prove the validity of those words He said, He is alive today!

Yes, Jesus said, "where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." Have you been looking for acknowledgement, approval, respect and honor in all the wrong places? Jesus indeed wants the closeness with you and to meet all your needs as He leads you, not visa versa.

He desires to be your Lord and Savior… not just Savior alone as you insist upon living as a bullheaded carnal Christian that refuses to trust. May I ask.. is He either to you? You might have thought that you've been a real Christian for a long time now, but is there evidence to back this up? Sure, maybe you've served in a church, sung in a choir, given to some charity, but all that can be worthless-chaff and doesn't save anybody.

Maybe many of your friends think you are a real Christian too. Will it all stand up under the fierce light of the soon coming Judgment Seat of Christ?

Is there fruit from a biblically born again experience in Christ? I know those terms have been over used and misused, but Christ was the One who said you must be born again (see John 3:3). Do you even desire the things that a real Christian desires? Going to church regularly, prayer meetings, evangelism, fellowship with growing believers, meditating and memorizing Scripture, worship, talking and listening to the Lord while all alone and all through the day, intercession for others in need? Do you have your priorities in the proper order today?

Jesus commanded, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). And a literal rendering of that in the original language means, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness!"

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