"Do Hard Things" Conference

Tomorrow, we(some of my family and I)will be leaving to go to the "Do Hard Things" conference in Colorado. If you already know we live in Texas, then your probably wondering why we don't just go to the Dallas conference. Well, we're also going to see our friends who live up there(we knew each other when we lived in California). We haven't seen each other in a long time, so we will be staying there a few extra days.

Please pray that we have a safe flight there and back.

Due to our leaving, I will not be able to post until Monday.

-cj

Trust in the Lord

Prov. 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. God's love is steadfast, he never changes. He is the only one who is completely trustworthy, there is nothing that lasts forever or anything that can save us from our sin except for God. The more we put our trust in other things, the more apt we are to fall. It seems as though the more stable and comfortable our earthly circumstances are, the more we trust in them and the less we trust in God; but the more uncomfortable and unstable our circumstance, the more prone we are to trust in God. We should trust in God for he is everlasting and will never break his promises nor will he let you go.

12 ways to improve your blog

There are some great tips about blogging at the blog, Between Two Worlds(Justin Talors blog), they really helped me. Read them at Between Two Worlds

The post is actually by Abraham Piper from Desiring God.com

God's pleasure

"There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." -Jonathan Edwards. This thought is so humbling. We are not in hell because he takes pleasure in us, and he takes so much pleasure in us that he killed his only son who was completely perfect, so that we might live with him for eternity.

But what in us does he take pleasure in? We are so sinful! Well, to me this is a mystery. All I know is that he loved us so much that he was willing to pay the ultimate price to save us.

Chapter eight, "What Jesus Demands from the World" by John Piper

Jesus demands us to follow him, even if it means leaving everything behind and/or suffering persecution; our lives should be totally focused on him. Being joyful in persecution shows Jesus' worth, it shows how valuable he is to us. When Jesus suffered the ultimate persecution he showed how valuable we are to him. He loves us so much and we don't even come close to deserving his love.

Jesus demands us to pick up our cross and follow him until he returns, and he has sent his spirit to guide us until that time. Jesus didn't mean a light and easy cross, in John 15:20 he said that we will face persecution. So he knows that it will be hard for us, but not so hard that we cannot bear it. That is why he sent his Holy Spirit, to strengthen us in those hard times.

We will receive eternal life and that is much greater than what we must suffer down on earth. So it is totally worth it to take up your cross and follow him.

Prince Caspian

We(my family and some friends)went to see Prince Caspian last night, the action was awesome. The story, even though some of the time it did not follow the book, was done very well. I thought it was definitely a great movie and I'm looking forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD.

Favorite Fiction books

OK, next question, what are your favorite fiction books? please comment and tell me.

I don't read that many fiction books, but Here is what comes to mind:"Safely Home," "Lord of the Rings," and "The Chronicles of Narnia".

Favorite non-fiction books

What are your favorite non-fiction books? please comment and tell me.

Here are my favorites:
"Holy Bible" by God,
"Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris,
"What Jesus Demands from the World" by John Piper,
"Quest for Character" by John MacArther,
and "Christ our Mediator" by C.J.Mahaney.