Christine's Blog – July 2010 Archive (21)

A couple days ago, I was in a conversation with one of my Long Beach friends, who we affectionately call ‘Vodka Steve’, though he is just

about to enter a rehab program—thank goodness! (Intelligent

and gifted, Steve was a long-time sales executive for Dupont, though

first drugs and then alcohol have almost destroyed his life. With the help of a counselor from the Village, and clinging to his…

What makes having faith such a challenge? I fear that sometimes it is the ‘faithful’. I was painfully reminded of this again today.

Invited into a desperate situation, I went to pray for the healing of a Christian woman stricken with brain cancer. A large, loving…

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5.7

Seven simple words which command all who would follow Jesus Christ. Christians are called to live by faith . . . ‘got that, but why?…

Fix your Gaze . . . on the Horizon.

Good Day~

Boat rides on the San Francisco Bay are an experience! (especially if you are in a small boat!) I remember well . . . we would set out from Alameda, my…

Yesterday marked our second prayer meeting at our new Long Beach location—the Sanctuary. It was a delight to have a few more folk with us, but more than that—God was in that place. It was a sweet time.

I started our time with this new song by Daniel Doss:…

I am not fixated on discouragement, but sooner or later, everyone of us will face it. In fact, I am convinced that it is one primary way that the devil seeks to

get us off balance, and tear us down. Paul

gives us insight into his discouragement—both explanation and hope. Take

a look:…

When I was a little girl, I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland; for me, it had it all. A little bit of thrill, a lot of action, boat ride, and hey, it ended

with beautiful jewelry and treasure spread out on the sand—everything

that would bring a sparkle to a little girl’s…

This last Tuesday, I made the move to the Sanctuary. It is only about a block away from the Friends’ Church, the site of the prayer

meeting with the Long Beach street people that I have led the

last six months, but . . . it was a big change. Moments

were inspiring and God-filled, others…

Do you wear a veil? More on 2 Corinthians 3—the end.

I’ve been thinking more about the veil . . . in my last briefing, I referenced Exodus 34, and I should like to take you there again.

Stand with me and follow Aaron’s gaze, as he looks to see the familiar…

The Law didn’t fail—we did.

The Law relied on us to be faithful, and we couldn’t be. ‘Truth is, we needed a whole new system . . . one based on the righteousness of

another, not our own; we needed what only God could have conceived of—…

Company sales numbers had just come across her Blackberry; sure enough, Amy had moved to number 37 in the country. Thirty-seven? Is that good or

bad? It meant 37^th place out of 500

pharmaceutical sales representatives in a large company. The

results were quite measurable and they were good.…

Company sales numbers had just come across her Blackberry; sure enough, Amy had moved to number 37 in the country. Thirty-seven? Is that good or

bad? It meant 37^th place out of 500

pharmaceutical sales representatives in a large company. The

results were quite measurable and they were good.…

Has it occurred to you that you represent God to others? Whether or not you like it or you applied for the job, your words and actions reflect God to others. Hmm .

. . how do you feel about that?

Take a look at the end of…

Forgiveness is costly. . . .Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3.13 The Lord forgave us

of the very thing that cost him his life.…

Good Day!

Yesterday we spoke of Paul’s desire to forgive a man who had hurt him deeply . . . forgiveness is immense. It breaks down walls, frees hearts, mends

countries, restores families, and draws out the best in us. It can turn

hatred into tenderness and the desire to destroy into a passion to

protect. It is more powerful than any weapon,…

I always think of Paul as bold—assertive, even to the point of being aggressive, with keen intellect and a ‘take no prisoners’ kind of

mentality. Somebody wronged him terribly, and the whole

assembly knew about it. Consequences were meted out, to

correct the behavior not to cause him to feel alienated or unloved. Now….Paul

tells them, ‘Enough! It is time to forgive him and move

forward.’ We see Paul’s…

This last week I got to be with my Long Beach people two times, Thursday and Friday. Love that. On Thursday, I took the

message of “In Jesus Christ…yes!” to a large, restless crowd. Crazy

Bonnie came waltzing up, wanting to interject things, but the folks

shut her right down. A young Hispanic woman in the back

yelled, ‘sit down, I want to hear,’ which only…

JOY . . . People want it.

People want to be around others who have it.

People want to know how to get it.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “we work with you for your joy . . .” 2 Cor. 1.24…