Helpful resources for all Bible believers!

I just wanted to share two awesome resources that i've been using.

1) http://www.youversion.com/
Pros:
a) Free, my Bibleworks software was over 200 bucks... this one...just as useful...but without the original language stuff.

b) Lot of versions (ESV, NIV, and NASB are the ones i recommend).

c) It also has a daily bible reading schedule that allows you to set goals and helps you to be disciplined in your reading. This new year I just started a one year "read the bible in a year" program on this website (McCheyne's bible schedule?)...and if you need more accountability, you can even send out emails to your friends to ask them to keep you accountable through this program.

d) Most awesome- Audio Bible. For those of you who are like me and have a hard time reading and focusing...this audio bible allows me to concentrate and follow along.

This website is especially fantastic b/c we're on our computers a lot. And instead of facebook, espn, twitter, blog?, etc....we can go online and read the bible! Fun!

p.s. i am already a week behind in the reading, so if any of you sign up, keep me accountable.

2) http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/

Audio Bible, this link came from the youversion website...but here you can download an audio bible for FREEEEEEEEEE! burn it, put it in your car and listen to it! awesome.

- also there is a link that allows you to donate Bibles to Haiti...a worthy cause.

enjoy!

Dwell on THESE things....

I was recently listening to John Piper's sermons on the past Puritan preachers/pastors/godly men, and man they're pretty crazy...and what's interesting about every single one of them is not how famous they are or how many books they've written, what amazes me is the passion that each and every one of them had to be WITH God. To be in communion with God. Their journals talk about how intimate their times were and how sweet their prayers were with God. That was always at the forefront of their minds. That's what they thought about, talked about and lived: a satisfying, joyful relationship with God.

When i hear that I sometimes feel ashamed b/c a lot of times when me and my pastor friends get together, we want to talk about "ministry," What kinds of programs are you doing? What's your vision? Are you building up leaders...all of which are important things to talk about...but it gets a little uncomfortable when we start talking about GOD himself....

imagine a conversation like this with your friends at lunch:
"Hey man, I just had the best time with God today...i was reading his word and meditating on Scripture and you know what thought came into my mind? How faithful God is! Man spending time with God is so sweet!"

...awkward...WHY?!?!?!

we can talk about sports, purses, animals, clothes, people, gossip, even partying and all the taboo Christian things, talk until our heads fall off...but why can we not talk about our relationship with our Father?

Isn't this part of growing together as brothers and sisters towards Christlikeness and an intimate relationship with God?

Is the world influencing us so much that b/c its taboo to talk about our faith in the workplace/school, that its taboo to bring it up with brothers and sisters?
Are we so filled in our minds with secondary things that the primary thing stops becoming the priority?

AH!

Philippians 4:8 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.

--> If God is our utmost, our minds and hearts belong on him...

Whats up!!!

If I ever speak at your youth group and i start with, "whattup whattup"...its probably b/c i'm pretty nervous. Its my way of letting out to feel looser.

This time, it was my default saying b/c i didn't know what else to write.

Goal of this blog:
- to encourage others in their walks with Christ.
- to share my thoughts.

Here i go!