Grace under Pressure

Have you ever used a coffee press? It is by far one of my favorite ways to make coffee. I wont go into all the details, but one that i want to focus on is the pressing part. Like all coffee is made it takes water...and coffee. The coffee grounds and the water are added together, now if they were never separated i don't know how good the coffee would be, not very good at all cause i have tried. The thing is they are not separated immediately, they have to sit together before anything can come out of it-and then when the separation takes place it takes place under pressure. Then when the process is over, you have one of the most amazing things God has ever made!

I have been studying grace lately. It is crazy to me how many different thoughts there are about it and how many misconceptions about it. My theory, along with any other Bible believer is that thoughts are worthless unless they are tied to scripture and proven through Gods word in context.

Have you experienced grace? The very fact that i was born, and am still alive is a big enough sign to me i have experienced grace along with the millions of other examples i could use. So if you are reading this, i am sure u have experienced grace by some means. Hebrews 13:25 "May Gods grace be with you ALL". So we have established we ALL have grace in our lives. Now we all have gifts, and the word says they are given through grace. Romans 12:6 "In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well" . Think about this, Gods gift to the world was Jesus Christ, and it was only by grace that Jesus endured what he went through. Ephesians 1:7 "He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." The ultimate gift was given through Jesus(salvation), but the full benefits of the gift was not established until Jesus endured the cross. So the gift was given through grace, but the gift was not fully utilized until he endured the cross.(which took grace) I know for a fact this was not easy for Jesus, the fact that he sweated blood praying prayers like Mark 14:36 "Father, please take this cup of suffering away from me. yet i want your will to be done, not mine." This shows me that it took the strength of the father given by grace.

Do you want your gifts to be fully utilized? No matter what you have them, but i am convinced they are never gonna be completely utilized until they have undergone "Grace under Pressure". Its like the coffee press, i could eat the coffee grounds and get something out of it, some energy, maybe a awkward taste and probably not much more. But when mixed with water and put under pressure, something amazing comes out of it. If God is mixing you up right now, don't expect him to pull you out right away, expect for some pressure that's gonna happen. Its in these seasons of mixing and pressure that the greatest gifts are created, world changing gifts. God is gonna give you grace to get through it, 2 Corinthians 12:9 "my grace is all you need."

Rooftop Coffee

Have you ever been to a rooftop restaurant? I went to this really cool one in Hollywood one time, I ate a meal they charged way to much for, drank a cup of coffee out of a glass that looked like my sisters old tea party glasses and had some desert that still to this day have no idea what it was.(It was good though) To get to this place i had to take an average escalator, then go across a balcony and then go up this extravagant staircase. There was signs the whole way letting me know where i was going and eventually i got there. I believed in my heart there was a restaurant up there, my friend had told me about it, there was signs and i had even heard other people talk about it.

Have you read the story in Mark 2 about the 4 men with the paralyzed man on the mat? I was thinking about these guys relating it back to my adventure in rich people land. These guys walk to a house hoping to see this man healed and see a crowd of thousands...The first thing that probably filled there minds(because of human nature) was doubt, "oh well lets come back tomorrow" they thought. But they got passed it, the 1st huge step they took i'm convinced was getting above the crowd. They shimmed up a drain pipe, carefully walked across this mud roof and got to the place where they knew Jesus would be under them. There was a roof between them now, but these guys saw something the average Christian doesn't see, they saw an opportunity to Jesus and NOT an obstacle. They knew it would take work but they were determined that this was the way to Jesus. As christians we cant see obstacles, we have to see opportunitys to Jesus, that is how we are going to expand our faith.

These men finally had breakthrough, they could see Jesus clearly and now they just had to get onto his level. Which is sometimes so hard for us because we are always on our high horse and want to do things our way. What does Jesus do? He throws these guys a curveball, they came for healing but he forgives his sins instead. Jesus does things his way, before he can heal you physically he has to heal you spiritually. He is our REDEEMER(thank you Lord) Through all of the mockery of the pharisees he held fast, he waited it out with faith and found himself healed because of it. When we hope for healing in the natural and dont see it, we need to get past our flesh and go deeper than that, how is God trying to heal me spiritually and not try to picture how he is going to do it. He does things his way not ours!

There is so much more to this story, you would be reading for days so i will just end with this. These four men didnt have faith because they were on top of a roof, they had faith so they got on to the roof. It was there faith that got them above the crowd and into a spot of OPPORTUNITY. It doesnt mean that our opportunitys wont be hard, getting above the crowd might be hard, but that is when our faith is going to grow. Sometimes we will find ourselves in great spots and postitions, but our faith cant be only based on where we are, it has to be based on where we are going. Its your faith that is going to position you, if you let your position determine your faith, your faith is going to be determined by your circumstances.

"My Grace is sufficient"

So it has been awhile since i have written anything for you guys, for personal reasons i went 24 days without coffee or my computer. During this time i had some great time with God, along with some great headaches! As i laugh at myself.

A few verses that have stuck out to me through the whole month of January were 2 Corinthians 12:7-10(dust off that old bible and read it). This is the passage were Paul is given a thorn in his flesh. Not "given" by God, but "allowed" by God. Was this an actually thorn in his foot? probably not or he would have just pulled it out.(me trying to be funny) I have reason to believe it could be a number of things. 1. Sexual temptation-He talks about the "adulteress" first hand, and in Romans 7:18-19 he kinda goes off and asks to be delivered from the forbidden waters. 2. maybe opposition-others were always questioning his apostleship(2 cor. 12:12), didn't like his message of grace(Gal. 1:7) Maybe the thorn was others trying to break Paul? 3. Physical thorn-Have u seen when Paul writes ,"look what big letters i have written in"?(Gal. 6:11)Maybe Paul never fully recovered his eye sight when he was blinded on the road to Damascus. In Gal. 4:15 Paul says "you would have taken out your eyes and given them to me if possible". Paul traveled and wrote letters, think about what a thorn it would be to be partly blinded? There is still more but to save time we will just keep going.

So this last month i really wanted coffee, but i promised God and myself i was gonna restrain. So i prayed! "God, you know i want/need it". My head was hurting, i was tired and i couldnt think very well, then i decided to get out of bed for the first day:) I knew i didnt want it,I did, but i wasnt gonna cave to my fleshly desires. I got into this conversation with God. "you know my heart, you know why i am doing this, why wont you stop it?" And he brought me to 2 Cor. 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you"! I got this revelation, he isnt gonna get rid of our fleshly desires to experience his glory. He is gonna make us "pick up our cross and die daily" to get past our flesh and rely on his grace, which is sufficient.

Paul wrote 2/3rds of the New testement, he was the ultimate apostle, but still God didnt take away his thorn. Is it because God isnt just? Absolutely not, its because God is that good of a father. He hasnt given us a handicap, he has given us grace.

This week i want you to think about what you are struggling with. Then i want you to think about his grace. You cant do it on your own, but he has given you the strength to overcome the impossible. When your flesh starts kicking in, dont try to get rid of it, admit it, "dont claim it but name it'-Pastor Kriste Wilde. Paul states in 2 cor 12:10 "thats why i take pleasure in my weakness....For when i am weak, then i am strong". Gods strength is shown through mans admitted weakness, and his grace can only be a experienced when we are faced with the "humanly" impossible. For we know, Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God".

This is "NOT" what i ordered

Have you seen "that guy", or "that girl"? The one who flips a wig in the coffee shop because they got there order wrong. They say something like "i ordered a non-fat iced, quad venti, 4 pump toffee nut with a twist, 6 sweet N lows, one sugar, light ice latte with whole milk foam on the side". yah that one! The poor barista has 20 different orders going on and misses the drink by 1 sweet n low packet and that person is just ruthless to them. We have all seen this played out in so many different scenarios, fast food, coffee, fine dining and more. But what happens when they get something more or better than what they ordered? usually its a different story isn't it. They walk a way with the little smirk thinking "OH YAAAAA"! There is usually not even a thank you involved cause they want to get away hoping nobody will think twice about it.
We do it with God all the time, it started in "The gardern of Eden" Gen. 2, and with Jesus in Mark 6:3 Then they scoffed,"He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon." and the early church did it all through out Acts and the Epistles. We are given something, but its not what we asked for, so we whine and complain to God. Our prayers are filled with complaints and suggestions on how God could do it better if he just listened to us and answered out prayers the way we want them. We get the scripture of John 14:14 totally wrong, "yes, ask me for anything in my name, and i will do it." I love that scripture, but so many of us think of it as Jesus is now my magical genie..."Poof what do you need"? We need to look at it as God knows best for us and knows exactly what we need. He wants to answer our prayers when they are lined up with his will. 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." Wow that is so good!!! We need to quit thinking as if God got our order wrong and as if he heard, but really new that's not what we needed, and in the long run not even what we really wanted.
Then there is the side of getting more than we bargained for! I had 1.64$ in change and got a 4$ drink out of it! God says in Eph. 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" God so often gives us way more than we bargained for but we shrug it off as luck with out even giving thanks. Do you know why we dont? Its because we as humans are born to be selfish, its part of the sin nature we are born with, thats why GOD says PS.50:23"But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me, if you keep to my path, i will reveal to you the salvation of God". Sometimes giving thanks is a sacrifice, especially if i am giving thanks for something i really didn't ask for. But what does this scripture say? Giving thanks is the password to the revelation of God. Giving thanks is what is gonna open the door to abundance and to the revelation God has for us. What do we give thanks for? EVERYTHING!!! James 1:¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.
Remember, everything you get comes from God. You may not want it or like it at the time but God knows the beginning from the end and he knows what you need and dont need. Garth Brooks nailed it on the head..."Sometimes i thank God, for un-answered prayers". I think we need to do the same, considering he knows way more than we do!

The Great Coffee Debate

Some great thoughts from Jillian McConaughey!

The Great Coffee Debate

I am so excited to be a guest blogger on Jesus & Coffee! While I don’t have a blog of my own, Jesus & Coffee has got me thinking of my own Jesus & Coffee life-style and how it reflects the attitude of this generation. Let me elaborate…

Every day I have this choice-do I drink coffee or not? Do I indulge in a white chocolate mocha, a pumpkin spice latte, or black coffee with more sugar and cream than actual coffee, or do I refrain? I want to drink that wonderful brown liquid with lots of flavor, but is it worth it? You see, coffee usually makes my stomach hurt!! So do I indulge and suffer the consequences or do I find an alternative?

I find it interesting that we have the opportunity to indulge in things that are so good or at least feel good, but ultimately will bring about something negative? What’s more interesting is that we do indulge in these things, knowing that they are wrong or bad for us! How easily we are led by our own desires. We live in a generation that is willingly doing wrong because of its instant gratification not knowing that there is an alternative that brings a good and lasting result! Galatians 5:17 says

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

Let me suggest the alternative-Jesus! He is more satisfying and fulfilling then any indulgence or fleshly desire. Everything about Him is good and is good for you! He loves you and desires the best for you! So my ultimate, lasting alternative is Jesus! Now my alternative coffee drink is a soy vanilla Chai latte (introduced to me by my BFF who is also a non-coffee drinker but totally in love with Jesus)!

Disclaimer: I am in no way suggesting that drinking coffee is a sin! Drinking coffee and reading the Bible is totally fulfilling both naturally and spiritually. And yes, I do on occasion continue to drink coffee.

Really? This is a Grande?

The first time i ever went to Starbucks, looking at the menu i almost thought i was reading Greek. There is a plethora of names of coffee, types, flavors, styles, so on and so on. Asked the guy, "do you just have Black Coffee?" "Oh yah, we have Pikes Place brewing, what size would you like?' Looking back up at the foreign billboard i see Grande. Grande-think about it, Rio Grande, Grande River and it just sounds like something BIG! So thats what i order, i pay for it and wait for my BIG cup of goodness to pop out on the other side. First thought! "oh i ordered a Grande, you gave me a small by mistake." Come to find out, i was wrong...I felt DECEIVED, i got over it though and learned my lesson. You have to order a Venti to get the BIG guy! It took me reading the billboard, making a mistake and asking somebody for help to finally get it right.
You know the crazy thing about being Deceived? You think you know the truth, when in fact you are wrong and have no idea. This seems to be a re-occuring theme among our day in Christians and non-christians alike. They think they have truth but in reality they are so off its not even funny. My main focus in this is to talk to Christians, we know the Basic outline of truth. 1.There is a God. 2.Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. 3. The Bible is where we find absolute truth for every aspect of our life. The problem is so many Christians stop at either 2 or 2 1/2. What do you mean 2 1/2? MOST Christians read the Bible, but most of them stop there. James 1:²²"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." I know of alot of Christians who can tell me where scripture is and even quote it to me, but they have no idea what application is.(Read coffee on the beach)
Have you ever met someone who will always quote Romans 8:28? Great scripture, "^8:28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." But how many of them can quote romans 8:26-28? ^{Rom. 8:26}In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Yah, all things do work for the good of those who believe, but they must also PRAY about all things before they will work out for there good. We are deceived because we are always told Rom. 8:28 but never study the scripture and find out the whole truth. You cant just hope for, you have to pray. This is only one example, you would be reading this for the next month if i were to list some more examples.
We have to get into our word more, and you know what your still gonna make mistakes! But when you make a mistake or things dont go right, talk to someone about it! A pastor, parent, or a strong Christian friend. If you dont you are only deceiving yourselves. 1 Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." The devil is a sneaky little guy, dont let him deceive you by being lazy, being ignorant or even fearing man. Read your Bible! PS.1:² "But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." Study the Scripture. PS 119:15 "I will study your commandmentsand reflect on your ways."and dont just read and study, Apply it to your life. James1:²²"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
My prayer for this generation is to find truth! John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." But the truth cant set you free until you find it, believe it, and apply it.

A Fathers Love

Your watching every step,
Sometimes i don't have time
You gave up your life
But i hold on to mine
Surrender seams so trying
Still you gave it all for me
Not because of who i am
But because of the man
You knew that i would be
Just knowing how much you love me
knowing how much you care
Falling to my knees
Mindful you are there
Open up my mind
I want to here from heaven
A word so unbelievable
It could only be from you
Today is the day
Its not about the past
My God so strong and Mighty
In a Kingdom made to last