The Cross in Our Bodies

This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that few of us know. It's brief, so please read. (FROM A DOCTOR)

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being.. How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire.. Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .. And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!


It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin.. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue' You see.... Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE..

But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it.... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see....






Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him All things HOLD TOGETHER.' Colossians 1:15-17
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another.... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!
What I found when I googled laminin !!!!!!!!!!!





-- May you know His love today and always!!!

Put Down the Chocolate and Pick Up Your Bible

by Rick Warren

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NIV)

Are you down in the dumps? Need a mood elevator?

Put down the piece of chocolate cake. Don’t have a pity party. Pick up your Bible instead.
You need a Word break.

God gave us the Bible to encourage us. One way you can think of the Bible is as a mood elevator.
The Bible says in Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (NIV). Everything in Scripture is written for our encouragement. That’s a big statement — but it’s true! Even the tough parts of God’s Word are there to ultimately encourage our lives in the right direction.

That’s why we need to spend time alone with God every single day. Whether it’s your daily devotional, your quiet time, or your personal inspiration time, you need to be getting alone with God, reading his Word, and talking to him.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:114: “You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me” (MSG).
If you’re discouraged and have lost hope, I can tell you one thing about your life without ever meeting you: You’re not spending time in God’s Word. If you were, you wouldn’t be discouraged. The more you read God’s Word when you’re down, the more he lifts you up.

So the next time you feel discouraged, don’t come home and turn on the television. Instead, open up your Bible and read it. Listen to Dr. Luke instead of Dr. Phil.

God’s Word has the power to change your life. It has God’s power in it. Nothing else does. The Bible will give you the “real stuff” — true encouragement.


Talk About It
- What are some of the things that you turn to when you feel discouraged? Do those things really offer you encouragement or give you hope?

- We can fit anything into our schedules if it’s really important to us. Have you carved out a time in your day for “quiet retreat” so that God can renew you?

Joyce Meyer Conference 2013

Each session is unique and will include a powerful message from Joyce Meyer as well as worship with Matt Redman and Christy Nockels. Be sure to arrive early so you can grab a seat and have time to check out the resource tables. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Schedule is subject to change

Event Dates
Apr 25 - 27 , 2013
Doors open two hours before each session.
Admission
Free and open to the public. No registration is required.
Hampton Coliseum
1000 Coliseum Dr.
Hampton, VA 23666
(757) 838-5650
www.hamptoncoliseum.org

Seek God All the Time

by Joyce Meyer - posted March 18, 2013

Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. —Matthew 7:7

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast to show his sincerity to God. Missing a few meals and taking that time to seek God is not a bad idea. Turning the television off and spending the time you would normally spend watching it with God is not a bad idea either. Stay home a few evenings and spend extra time with the Lord instead of going out with your friends and repeating your problem over and over to them. These things and others show that we know hearing from God is vital.

I have learned the word seek means to pursue, crave, and go after with all your might. In other words, we act like a starving man in search of food to keep us alive. I would also like to add that we need to seek God all the time not just when we are in trouble. Once God spoke to me that the reason so many people had problems all the time was because that was the only time they would seek Him. He showed me that if He removed the problems, He would not get any time with the people. He said, "Seek Me as if you were desperate all the time and then you won't find yourself desperate as often in reality." I think this is good advice, and I highly recommend that we all follow it.

Reflect

God's grace is needed on good and bad days, but it's often sought only on those days when you feel worthy and approved. But whose approval are you looking for? Yours, or the One who knows you best?

When you have your next cranky pants day, ask this question: Will I live today ACCUSED or will I be RESCUED by my Heavenly Father who promises to quiet me with His love?

Power Verses:
Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (ESV)

Philippians 4:6-7, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (NLT)

Stop and Praise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXnO2mPNI5w

Tailor Made

There is a proverb that says “ A man’s curses will fall and wrap themselves around him like a cloak.” What if every word we said fell and wrapped itself around us like a garment? What kind of wardrobe would we have?