George Mueller

                George Mueller was a man of prayer through faith. He ran an orphanage of over 10,000 in total, pastored a church of over 1,000 members, supported almost 200 missionaries, and organized the Scriptural Knowledge Institute. He did all of this, not from some well paying job, but from prayer and prayer alone. he did not take a salary from his church and was not working in any other areas. In other words, every meal that he put on the table for his family and every month's rent was provided for strictly by God.

                There is one story in particular where George was in the orphanage and a worker came to him, telling him that there was no food for the children. he gathered the children together before school and prayed with them. As soon as he was done praying, there was a knock at the door. a local baker said that he felt a conviction from God to bring bread, so he had been up since 3 in the morning baking hundreds of loaves of bread and brought it all to him. Moments later, a milk cart broke down in front of the orphanage. The milk would all go bad before anyone would be able to come in time to repair it, so the man came to George Mueller, asking if he would like free milk. The children were provided for, all by prayer. Instances like this happened more regularly than we clock in and out of work.

                George Mueller prayed for five friends, one who came to Christ soon, two others who came later in his life, and two others who were saved after his death. Even though George did not see them all come to Christ, he never stopped praying until death. His prayers were heard by God, even if he did not see the fruit right away.

                Maybe you are in a tough situation, or a family member or friend is in the world and it is breaking your heart. God was faithful to hear the prayers of George Mueller, and He is faithful to hear yours as well. Whatever you are going through, do not just pray. Pray knowing that God is going to answer you, and continue praying until you see the answer. Yes, it will take time and patience, but God is faithful. Just trust Him and keep your trust in Him.

                1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."


                                                                                                                                         -D

Suicide

                I know, for some people, this could be a dangerous and personal topic. For others, it may not be as emotionally taxing. For some, this may be a topic that has never come to mind. Many people believe that suicide sends you straight to Hell. Allow me to answer this question with three questions.

                1) Is suicide a sin? Yes, it is a sin. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that we are not our own and that we were bought with a price. Exodus 20:13 makes it clear that God hates murder, even murdering yourself. It is a sin, there is no way around it. So yes, even suicide deserves Hell; but hear me out.

                2) Can suicide be forgiven? Yes. All sins can be forgiven if we are in Christ. So, suicide will send you straight to Hell if you do not know Christ; but suicide will not send you to Hell if you are a true follower of Christ. Here is why. There is one sin that is unforgivable, and it is the rejection of the Holy Spirit, which means that you are not accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not unforgivable because of how bad it is, but because you are literally rejecting forgiveness and therefore cannot be forgiven. So, suicide is a huge sin, it is the most selfish act possible; but if you are truly in Christ, you will be forgiven. Your last moment on Earth would be tainted in sin, but Christ does forgive if you are found in Him.

                3) Can a Christian get to such a low point that they would commit suicide? Yes, it is possible if they were never able to grow in their relationship with Christ and if the enemy continued to beat them daily. Here is the thing though, would a true Christian want to do such a selfish act? This would be spitting in God's face for giving you life and saying that whatever plan He has for you on Earth isn't worth it. It's saying that you're too good to go through hardships or that Christ can't provide the strength that you need to overcome. If you are truly in Christ, your hope is in Him and that makes it infinitely harder for a true believer to do such a sin.

                In the end, it comes down to this. Are you truly a Christian or not? If you are, you are going to Heaven no matter what. If not, you are Hell bound no matter what sin you end your life on. Our only hope is in Christ Jesus who saves us. Take rest in the Lord, He will provide everything that you need if you just trust in Him with everything.

                Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."


                                                                                                                                         -D

Women and Respect

                While talking to a group of high school boys last night, some of them began to mention women and saying how it was so difficult to respect them. In some of their eyes, girls that could receive respect and treat you nicely back are the ones that deserve it. Here was my point: none of us deserve anything, not even respect; but to pick and choose is only furthering the stereotype of these specific girls.

                When talking to a friend just last month, she asked me if it was right for a male friend of hers to call her a slut. She said, "well I do slutty things but that doesn't mean that he should call me one, right? I mean, it only happens when I'm drunk so it's not really even me." Now, my first point to tell her was that no real man would ever call her anything outside of her name. It was not alright for him to call her that. Next, I told her that if she did not want to be labeled as something, she should not act like the stereotype. This was not me telling her what to do, but stating that he would continue to call her this if she acted in this way and that she could make the choice to mold her own identity.

                While in high school, most of my friends were females, and not all of them were given the best reputation. Most guys and girls did not even try to know them, but just gave them a label and walked away. They were not able to see the full story. When a girl lives with an abusive mother, has to deal with a dead father, and has never had a man in her life to show her how to be treated with respect, you cannot expect her to respect herself. She would have never known what that looks like. To expect a girl in a situation like this to respect herself is like expecting a five year old to understand Political Science. If it has never been presented, how can you know how to react to it?

                So I dare you, before you go an label anyone or talk poorly about anyone, look at Jesus and how He treated Mary. Men, treat women with respect and show them how a man is supposed to be. For all you know, she has never been respected before and you, as a picture of Christ, could show her the love that God has for her. Women, do not tear one another down. Instead, look at Proverbs 31:20. "She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hand to the needy." Instead of gossiping or judging, reach out to those in need if you claim to be a woman of God.

                We live in a world that does not understand the power and grace of God. That is why we are here, to show them how great He is and how much He loves us all, even the ones who we may not like or know. I dare you to be the body of Christ and imitate Christ, not the world.

                "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.' Since you called on a Father who judges each person's works impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:15-17


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Guitar

                Psalms 30:11 says, "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy." At my old church at home, Psalms 30:11 was part of a song that we sang.

                These past few months, I have been dealing with major depression. The depression only continued to get worse. I tried to turn to God in prayer, but it became difficult. I tried to fast to focus my mind on God, but it was of little benefit at the time. I tried to focus more on the reading of the word, but it would only do so much. I knew that something was missing.

                I knew, coincidentally, I wanted to learn the guitar in order to learn how to sing worship songs. I had a burning passion to learn but no one who was free enough to teach me. Just last night, a friend of mine, Vince, came over to my dorm and began to teach me how to play. Just in the one night, he taught me a few cords, we talked about life, and he taught me how to play the song "Set a Fire." It was exactly what I needed. In fact, I was overjoyed that night. I even woke up this morning, when I could have slept in a bit longer, and grabbed my guitar to start practicing again. In fact, as soon as I post this, I will probably go back to playing again. I was mourning and I was not able to let my soul express itself in every way. Just because reading the word wasn't encouraging me doesn't mean the Bible wasn't working. It just meant that God had something in store, and the depression that I was going through was all to bring glory to Him.

                I will still struggle with depression. I am fine with that. Even if singing to God does not make me feel totally better every time, I am fine with that. Christianity isn't about how to improve our lives. It's about giving God the glory that He rightfully owns and deserves. I will always bless the name of the Lord, no matter how my flesh may feel. I am so glad that He has allowed me to praise Him in this new way; not for the sake of my happiness, though He does care about His children's happiness, but for the sake of being able to keep my joy in Him no matter what life throws at me. I fine my joy in blessing the name of the Lord. It is more satisfying than anything else in the world.


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He Carries You

                I know that it has been a while since my last blog. With the school year wrapping up, finals just ending (less than thirty minutes ago) and all of the chaos of little ol' college life, it has been a crazy time for myself and everyone around me. I can safely say, without hesitation, I would be so lost without God's grace.

                I am tired, out of energy, exhausted, and so ready for a vacation. I have been dealing with things that most people don't know about; but I can say that God has been carrying me through this storm. No matter what I have been going through, God has been right there next to me helping me through it all. When I ran out of energy to even wake up the next morning, God gave me exactly what I needed.

                Now that I am coming out of this storm (or into the eye of it, I can's tell) I can safely say that God will always give you what you need. You don't have to live on your strength alone. He is your provider, even of your strength. He will provide for you exactly what you need. I can't say I know it all; but I do know that whatever you are going through, you can lean on God to help you get through it. He is faith in helping His children. He is a loving father, after all.


                                                                                                                                        -D