Psalm 66:18

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; – Psalm 66:18 (NIV)

The key phrase in this passage is “cherished sin”. To cherish something is to value it, to protect it, to hold it dear. As artist Makoto Fujimora has written, “We, today, have a language to celebrate waywardness, but we do not have a cultural language to bring people back home.” In other words, we have many ways to make rebellion to God normal, and in doing so, have created a dullness in our relationship with God. When we look at the patterns of our life, what do we hold dear? Have we looked at both God and sin too lightly?

Today’s commentary by:Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

My new favorite

Ok so I love love love OrangeLeaf frozen yogurt! It is my new favorite place to go for a sweet treat! They have 24 different flavors and tons of different toppings! My favorite flavors to get are pomegranate and white chocolate! MMM it is soo yummy...and a little healthier than regular ice cream!!!!!!!!

OrangeLeaf Self Serve Frozen Yogurt

 This is the inside...so cool and chic!

 Look at that goodness!

Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was pierced for our transgressions

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

What happens when the judge is also the father of the accused? That was the “dilemma” God had when Adam rebelled against God. God loves his children, but they have sinned against His nature and the punishment for that is death. So He determined to take the punishment of man’s rebellion Himself. Jesus Christ came as a man and took the judgment due to us so that we could experience the favor due to Him. Because of Jesus, we have an open door to the Creator, and that door brings us into peace, healing and restoration. God’s justice and love meet in Jesus Christ.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.

Mark 15:37-39

Mark 15:37-39 – Surely this man was the Son of God!

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” – Mark 15:37-39 (NIV)

How could an act of weakness, such as a man dying on a cross, cause this kind of response in an elite Roman soldier? In the Jewish temple there was a place called the Holy of holies. A heavy curtain covered the entrance; separated unholy man from a holy God. When that curtain was ripped in two the separation between God and man was gone. Suddenly the centurion saw what he couldn’t see before: Jesus was not an ordinary man, but God’s very act of reconciliation. Can you see that? Or do you still see just a man on a cross?

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Glorious Day

This song has been on my heart as we approach this Easter holiday. What a very powerful song by one of my favorite Christian bands, Casting Crowns. Jesus paid it all for us on the cross and because of His suffering we have been redeemed! Hope you all enjoy!

This is just a commentary from lead singer of Casting Crowns, Mark giving a little insight on the inspiration to the song

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Judges 6:11-12

Judges 6:11-12 – When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” – Judges 6:11-12 (NIV)

The Mideanites were stealing all of the Israelite’s food, so Gideon was hiding in a winepress in order to keep his wheat. Yet when the angel of the Lord appears, Gideon is hailed as a mighty warrior! Even if we feel that we are hiding, the Lord sees much more. God has a vision for our lives that is much greater than what we have the courage to believe about ourselves. So how do we know what God thinks of us? God has given us His word as a way to expose our hearts and lift us to Him. Approach the Scripture today and let God pull you out of the winepresses of hiding and into your destiny.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Sweet sweet poem

I wanted to share this with you, after my husband, Chad had a pretty crappy night, he wrote me this poem! I love this man so much and would go to the ends of the earth for him!!!

Through every light my eyes let pass, I see your face, your smile, your laugh! Your perfect form God blessed you with, he gave me you, my love, my gift. So now I'm endebted for the love I have, and I will always thank the Lord for everything, good or bad! For you are my rock, my shelter, my soul, joined together through the sanctity of whole! Everything is perfect when your near! I cherish each moment, each smile, each tear!

Drum roll please...

I went to the doctor today for my annual exam, I started going to a new Doctor, so it was my first time to see him and I was kinda nervous going in but it turned out to be a really good appointment and I really like my doctor and his bed side manner. Pregnancy came up and we talked about me wanting to get pregnant, so we decided to start out just tracking everything and see what nature does and if anything happens. We will go on from there and see what happens. This was some what of a relief to me, because of always having irregular periods I wasn't sure how the whole trying to get pregnant thing would go, but I am going to give everything to God and put it in His hands and I know then that everything will work out according to God's will for my life. My doctor suggested I start taking a pre-natal vitamin so guess what I did after I got done there, went and bought pre-natal vitamins! So we begin this road of trying to get pregnant, though it might not be easy or nice we are willing to do whatever we are able to start a family! Let me leave with this bible verse- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6

Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17 – You shall not covet

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. – Exodus 20:17

The word covet does not come up in everyday language much. But it certainly is a part of everyday life! The definition for coveting is: to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others. Behind this is a heart of ingratitude, selfishness and a belief that God has somehow withheld something from us. “I sure wish I had one of those… or, “why isn’t my spouse more like them…or, “why do I have to stay in this job…?”

Wanting what we don’t have displays that we are not satisfied with God’s provision in our life. “I deserve better than this!” And, “I know what I need better than God does.” When we believe that God is infinitely good, and we remember that he alone is sovereign, we can set all coveting aside. Another way of translating this command would be, “Be satisfied with what your generous God has given you!”

Today’s Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Exodus 20:16

Exodus 20:16 – You shall not give false testimony

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. – Exodus 20:16

Lying distorts reality. We give a false testimony, or tell a lie about something, to change someone’s perception. It may be a person’s opinion of us, our abilities or strength. It may be to change their perception of another person. Either way, we are trying to be “God” in the situation. We are actually taking control over another person’s mind and emotions when we tell lies. Lying is an offense to God because he has commanded that we have no other gods before him-including us! If we believe and trust God to love and care for us in all things, we never have to lie to try and manipulate the circumstances. We only lie because we do not believe God is big enough to handle a given situation, so we take control of people and things with our words. We act like we are God in the situation. Trust that God is ‘large and in charge’ of everything in your life. Allow him to be your defender and you will no longer need to lie.

Today’s Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Exodus 20:12

Exodus 20:12 – Honor your father and your mother

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

None of us showed up on this planet by accident. God, in his sovereignty, has chosen the time and place that each of us would live. He also chose who our parents would be. Because of this, we can honor and respect our parents-not because they are perfect-but because God is perfect. If we live with unforgiveness or distance between our parents and us, we actually place our self in the position of being God. That would violate the 1st Commandment of having no other gods before God. We are not God! If we reject our parents, we are rejecting God’s perfect will for our life. To honor our parents is to respect them, as fellow flawed image bearers of God, and allow God to love them through us. To honor our parents is to honor God as LORD in our life.

Today’s Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 20:8-11 – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. – Exodus 20:8-11

When God finished creating the world, He rested. And He set aside a way of resting for all of His creation to observe from that day forward. God did not rest because He was tired; He rested to show that everything was complete and perfect in Him. Nothing else was needed. It was finished. When we keep God first in our life we stop living like we are gods, as if everything depends upon us. We show that God is in control of all that He created-including us!

If we live in the reality that God is the only true God, we do not have to live frantic, frenzied lives. Because God is great and powerful, we can rest. And now, the amazing truth is, we can live a life of Sabbath rest because of Jesus’ completed work on the cross. There is nothing left to do…it is finished!

Today’s Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities.org

Exodus 20:7

Exodus 20:7 – You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. – Exodus 20:7 (NIV)

Did you know that God’s name is not God?! The word that we see throughout the Bible translated as LORD is actually a transliteration of the Hebrew letters that make up God’s name, meaning, “I AM that I AM”. God said that this would be his name for all generations.

God’s people, the Israelites, were permitted to use his name in swearing solemn oaths, but they were not to use God’s name to pledge or make promises that they never intended to keep or for personal gain. To use God’s name in making a vow was to command the power and holiness of God himself into the relationship. It was to show others that we could be trusted because God was trustworthy. If we are keeping no other gods before God (the 1st Commandment), then we will never invoke God’s name and glory for personal gain. “Oh, you can trust me, I’m a Christian…” That would be putting our self and our desires before God’s. God cares deeply about keeping first position in our lives and is not pleased when we misrepresent him, and use his name to make us look like “gods” to others.

Today’s Commentary by:
Caesar Kalinowski, Pastor, Soma Communities

John 8:31-32

John 8:31-32 – Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 (NIV)

The gospel is the answer to every issue that mankind will ever face. However, the gospel is something that is outside of us – we must get it through Christ. It is as we hold to, or live intentionally in, the teaching of Jesus Christ that we get to the gospel of God. How does this happen? When we get a hold of the words of Christ, the Holy Spirit gets a hold of us, and turns words into truth, then truth into freedom.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Lola by Marc Jacobs

I got some new perfume today, which is called Lola by Marc Jacobs and to my surprise when I got home and opened it, it had the neatest lid that is a mulit colored flower!

Joel 2:12

Joel 2:12 – return to me with all your heart

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” – Joel 2:12 (NIV)

This is an important part of repentance. Don’t just feel bad for what you did; return to God with all your heart. Repentance should be marked with true sorrow and urgency, for sin creates insensitivity in our soul towards God. Do you feel pain over sin? That is a good sign! Turn to God quickly and be healed. Do you feel nothing at all over sin? Cry out to God to soften your heart, for you have been deadened in your heart, and any dullness toward sin also creates dullness toward joy. It is when we are able to face the pain of our sin that we can receive the joy of God’s healing. This renews a heart to return to God.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

The Daily Bible Verse

I always recieve thedailybibleverse,org's bible verse every day on my facebook (with a small insert about the verse) and I have decided I am going to start posting it each day on my blog. I always love getting the new verse daily and I am happy to share it with you!

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 – So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! – 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 (NIV)

The apostle Paul is correcting the immorality of the Corinthian church by recounting the Israelites journey through the wilderness. As he does so he brings us a sober warning: don’t think that you are exempt from the same sin as your spiritual forefathers. We deal with the same temptations to make idols of our everyday lives, so we would do well to listen to Pauls correction. The fulfillment of the ages has come; Jesus has given us the power through the gospel to live as a people set apart by God for the earth. Ponder that reality and let it soak into your soul. It can keep you from falling today.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

My new bob cut!

Well here it is, my new hair cut, i decided to go short and do a bob! Let me tell you, it is so much easier and faster to fix now!!!!!! Loving it and excited to have a new do for this spring season!

Spring has sprung!

 

It is finally here and I am so excited! Finally got the blog re-designed and put new music on it! I am hoping to start blogging alot more, but working nights and trying to buy a house makes that hard! I am so glad that the seasons are changing and I am so excited about the coming months! Well here is just a little update, I know its not much but I am really going to try to get on here a little more often!

Jen

Welcome to the blizzard!

Woke up this morning to this 

The weather channel says it is 0 degrees and feels like -20 outside! Perfect day to stay in and get some things done!!!!

Kamden's 1st Birthday!

I can not believe that Kamden Reece our nephew is already 1!!!!!

Kamden Reece Myers

January 28, 2010
9:43 pm 7 lbs 9 ozs 20 ins

We celebrated big mans birthday on Saturday January 29 at his gam gam and grandpas house!!!!!

 Yummy cookie cake!

 It's a western party!

Kamden with mommy and daddy!

 Mmmm icing!

I am not sure about this cake...maybe I should throw it on the floor!

Time to open presents!

Cruising in my new car

It was a fun filled day spent with family and friends, many new gifts, cake and ice cream and an all over good time!!!

Snow Day

Well this is what I woke up to today

It doesn't look like it's that bad outside, but it is...the weather channel is saying 

that it is 2 degrees and feels like -22 degrees! BRRR I would say that calls for a cold day! So on that note I plan on staying in and trying to keep warm!!!!!

Stay warm and safe everyone!!!!

The good and the not so good

Ok peeps, so just wanted to let you all know that Chad and I are officially house hunting! We have talked to a realtor, the lending company and now we are just waiting to see what they are going to offer us, and then we can figure our budget. I am so excited for this time in our marriage! It is such a huge milestone to buy our first house and we could not be more excited! I am so glad we have made it so far despite the road blocks that were in the way!!!! On another note, my aunt was in a bad accident last Thursday. She was airlifted to the burn unit in Lubbock and remains there while trying to heal. We are hoping that she will be able to heal on her own so she won't have to have skin grafts done. I finally got to talk to her today and she sounded wonderful! You would have never thought anything was wrong!!!! I am praying and putting all my faith in God to bring her through this, to have a super speedy recovery and to just be well! I love my aunt, one reason because I am named after her, but I do love her so much and just hope she has a good recovery! That's about all for now! Hope you all have a good week!!!!!!

Finally

Ok so after a month I have finally fixed my blog to the way I want it to be! This is a short post but I am just happy that I finally have everything finally fixed!

Jen