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By now, I’m sure you are wrapping up your gift list for your Children, Grandchildren, your Mom and Dad, your Grandparents, yours Aunts and Uncles, Nieces and Nephews, Cousins, and Friends! \u00a0It is Jesus birthday, what are planning to give Him? \u00a0Before you give it some thought, remember He owns it all, everything you have, everything in the world. \u00a0We have all we have by His grace, He can take any or all of it back in a moments notice! \u00a0I can tell you with great authority, (the Word of God), \u00a0that He only desires one thing, \u00a0your heart. \u00a0Jesus did everything He did so that we might accept Him and receive forgiveness and eternal life. \u00a0That’s why he came and why we celebrate His birth!<\/p>\n
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A new spiritual journey started for me in August when we held our Faithful Friends Retreat. \u00a0I was looking for new Christian films to share during our devotional time. \u00a0I found and purchased a new film, Do You Believe<\/span><\/strong>. \u00a0I watched it and was immediately, deeply impacted. \u00a0A scene at the beginning the movie riveted me with a question I have \u00a0been wrestling with ever since. \u00a0Early in the film a pastor is driving through the city at night when he sees a black street preacher dragging a huge cross and talking to people on the street, he rolls down his window as the preacher approaches his car. \u00a0The preacher asks him, “Young man, \u00a0do \u00a0you believe in the Cross of Christ?” \u00a0The man answers, “I’m a pastor.” \u00a0But the street preacher says, “You didn’t answer my question, I asked do you believe in the Cross of Christ?” \u00a0to this, the man in the car, \u00a0the pastor, says,”yes”. The street preacher goes on, “You see the cross is bloodstained, painful, it loves, forgives and demands…but what does it demand? \u00a0That we profess it to this dark world…and if you believe then the question is….what are you going to do about it!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the months since I saw that film and listened to that line from film, over and over, and the question remains for me, what am I going to do about it! \u00a0I’ve watched news reports of Christians being beheaded, students in Oregon being asked if they were Christians, and then shot if they said yes. \u00a0I’ve been bombarded with all kinds of groups that want Christmas erased from our society. \u00a0My faith is under attack, people are hurting and lost, and the world wants to eliminate their only hope! \u00a0So, what am I going to do about it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’m going to stand for Christ. \u00a0I’m going to unashamedly live for him, love for him, reach out to the hurt and lost for Him. \u00a0Today I’m forming an organization of men and women that want to take up the cross of Christ and serve a lost world for Him! \u00a0There are no dues, no officers, no meetings, no charter, no by-laws, just and agreement. \u00a0If you want to join with me, you only need to do one thing, decide for yourself if you are ready to make a stand for Christ, to accept Him into your heart, give your life to Him, and openly proclaim that you belong to Him. \u00a0That’s it! \u00a0If you want to send me an email saying, \u00a0“I’m in”, with your name and email address, so we can stay in touch with you, that would be great, but you don’t have to even do that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My friends the Oakleys in St. Augustine Florida have designed what they call G Beads or God Beads, shown below, I would encourage you to go to their new website which I will announce here very soon, and pickup a G Beads bracelet. \u00a0As a way of us recognizing that we belong to the same army for Him. \u00a0I have no financial ties with them whatsoever. \u00a0The G Beads can be as reasonable as $20. and they will have a selection with beads from other exotic woods, lava rock, and other materials should you desire something different. \u00a0My wife has one with river pearls which is very dressy for women. \u00a0I hope this will become a modern day ichthys<\/strong><\/span> for us, a way of signaling to one another who we are and an opening to witness to those that ask about the beads. \u00a0The central three beads are made from the Olive Tree from Bethlehem and the two beads on either side for ASFC members will be deep blood red. \u00a0The three beads are for the Father , Son, and the Holy Spirit, the two red beads for the blood of Christ. \u00a0The other beads are decorative and your choice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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