How it Your Way by Britt Nicole

A powerful song by Britt Nicole

Feels like I`ve been here forever,
Why can`t you just intervene?
Do you see the tears keep falling?
And I`m falling apart at the seams.
But you never said the road would be easy,
But you said that you would never leave.
And you never promised that this life wasn`t hard,
But you promised you`d take care of me.

So I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And I`ll trust you,God, with where i am,
And believe that you will have your way.
Just have your way.
Just have your way.

When my friends and my family have left me,
And I feel so ashamed and so cold.
Remind me that you take broken things
And turn them into beautiful.

So I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And I`ll trust you, God, with where i am,
And believe that you`ll have your way.
Just have your way.
Just have your way.

Even if my dreams have died,
And even if I don`t survive,
I`ll still worship you with all my life.
My life.
Whoa-oh..

And I`ll stop searching for the answers,
I`ll stop praying for an escape,
And i`ll trust you, God, with where i am,
And believe that you will have your way.
Just have your way.
Just have your way.

I know you will.
I won`t forget.
Whoa-oh
You love me.
Have your way.

Listen to the song

Prayer: an act of humility

There's something we need to be able to pray effectively: humility.

Think about it. When we are praying, we have to admit that Someone is greater than we are. We have to admit that we can not control everything, and we have to go to Someone for help.

This is one reason why praying on a daily biases is so important; to helps us remain humble.

Killer Questions

If you don't know who Bill Jack is, you should get acquainted. I had the honor of meeting him at TeenPact. I bought some of his DVDs, of one which discussed the power of asking good questions.

First, it takes little knowledge to ask good questions. Yon don't need to know everything, (which is good news for me!)

These questions will get you to the heart or foundation believe of whoever you are talking to. I've used these questions before, and it's amazing how many people don't think through their world view.

Here are the four killer questions:

1. What do you mean by______________?
2. How do you know?
3. What if you are wrong?
4. What differences does what you're saying make? (or, so what?)

If you know how to use these questions, you can get to the heart of any believe conversation you have.

Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle

O the cross I look and to the cross I cling
of its suffering I do drink
of its work I do sing

on it my savior both bruised and crushed
showed that god is love
and god is just

at the cross you beckon me
you draw me gently to my knees, and I am
lost for words so lost in love
I am sweetly broken wholly surrendered

what a priceless gift undeserved life
have I been given
through Christ crucified

you called me out of death
you called me into life
and i was under your wrath
now through the cross I’m reconciled

at the cross you beckon me
you draw me gently to my knees and i am
lost for words so lost in love,
I am sweetly broken wholly surrendered

at the cross you beckon me
you draw me gently to my knees and i am
lost for words so lost in love,
I am sweetly broken wholly surrendered

in awe of the cross I must confess
how wondrous your redeeming love and
how great is your faithfulness

at the cross you beckon me
you draw me gently to my knees and i am
lost for words so lost in love
I am sweetly broken wholly surrendered

at the cross you beckon me
you draw me gently to my knees and i am
lost for words so lost in love
I am sweetly broken wholly surrendered

I’m broken for you
I’m broken for you my lord
Jesus, what love is this
I am sweetly broken

Listen to the song

Why Parables?

Why did Jesus tell parables to make his point? He could have just told his listeners. Why did he tell stories?

One reason is because we remember stories. Stories provide an emotion connection. It's one thing to be told something; it's another thing to see that principle in action. It's one thing to hear that God is forgiving; it's anther thing to see that forgiveness acted in the prodigal son.

Jesus faced a lot of opposition in the later years in his ministry.

That's about the same time he started telling parables. It was a way to make his point without the religious leaders breathing down his neck.

The disciples also asked Jesus this question; why parables?

¹¹He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:
"Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
" 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'--Mathew 13:11-15

What is a Parable?

Jesus told a lot of parables. Some where about fish, other about wheat, and another about rebellious sons. Jesus didn't tell these stories merely as a form of entertainment. He told stories to make a point, or to show us something new about God.

First, what is a parable? Parables are earthly stories with a spiritual truth. Most parables are told by Jesus and are found in the Gospels, mostly Luke.

Parables compare the known to the unknown. Parables draw examples from the familiar.

What are some things parables are not?

Parables are not fables. A fable is a myth or legend, or a story that is not true; falsehood.

In parables, the examples used should not always be emulated. The application should be repeated, but somethings the examples shouldn't be. When Jesus tells the parable about the sower, it doesn't mean we need to go down to the store, buy a bag of seeds, and casts them as we walk through our neighborhoods.

Should you ask your father for your half of the inheritance, then run off and waste it all on parties? Probably not. Somethings, the examples are not Biblical; a servant who refuses to forgive, or the shrewd manager who steals from his master. The application should always be applied, but the examples themselves should not alway be repeated.

Parables are not factual. The stories themselves aren't historic accounts. That's one reason there are no names in parables. Did a Samaritan really find a injured Jew on the road? We don't know. The point of a parable is not to tell a historic account, but rather that we learn something from the story.

I hope you can join me as we look at some of the parables that Jesus told and that we can find the meaning and application together.