Welcome

Greetings,
I invite you to join discussions, it enhances the reading experience for everyone. Please share your thoughts, opinions and knowledge in a respectful manner. May we all learn something in our endeavor to educate our hearts and minds. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
TC AVEY

Monday, December 31, 2012

A Change is Coming...New "Wisdom of a Fool" Schedule



Happy New Year!

Many are thinking about New Year Resolutions. 

I’ve been praying about mine for months now…though I wouldn’t call them “resolutions”. 

I’m concerned with my time management and priorities. 

For now, I feel God leading me to change things to Wisdom of a Fool.

My new posting schedule will be Mondays.

On rare occasions, I’ll have Wednesday postings. 

I will read my friends blogs on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

My Monthly Newsletter will now be Quarterly- Jan, March, June, Sept (you can sign up in the upper right hand corner).

While I had reservations about doing this (what will this do to my following/stats/traffic?), God has given me peace. 

My top priority is God. 

Then, my family. 

Neither should suffer because I’m worried about my stats. When I keep God first, all else will fall into place (Matt 6:33). 

I hope you will continue to support this blog. I endeavor to bring you messages from God and to not waste your time. 

Thank you for your support, kindness, and friendship. You all mean so much to me. 

I look forward to journeying through this next year with you. (And who knows, maybe God will tell me to start posting more frequently- wink). 

I’d like to begin the New Year with serving you…so tell me, HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU?

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Merry CHRISTmas



Merry Christmas!

I’m enjoying this holiday…I pray you are as well.

To fully experience it with my loved ones, I’m taking a break from blogging

I’ll be back Dec 31, 2012. 

Have a blessed Christmas. 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NIV

I pray you reflect upon this scripture and not just glance over it. 

Unto US a child is born! (You and me.)

The GOVERNMENT will be on His shoulders. (As Followers of Christ, we have a citizenship in Heaven. This world is not our home…just a sojourn.)

Wonderful Counselor. (Do you let Him in or shut Him out when you hurt?)

Mighty God. (Do realize how powerful He is? He deserves respect.)

Everlasting Father. (He will never leave us. He’s a dad who doesn’t disappoint nor will he ever die.)

Prince of Peace. (I know of no other source of peace, I know distractions but not peace.) 

Merry CHRISTmas to all and to all a good night!

Monday, December 17, 2012

How's Your Fruit Look?



Shiny
Red
Ripe
Firm
Nutritious
Crunchy
Sweet
Juicy
 Delicious

Those are words describing a Red Apple.
If an apple tree is watered, pruned, has sunlight and given nutrients it will bear healthy red apples.

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control

Those are words describing the Fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 NIV

If we “Keep in step with the Spirit” we will bear fruit with these characteristics.
But how do we “keep in step”? 

It’s like tending an apple tree. 

To get the Fruit of the Spirit we need Christ’s rain to fall upon us, we need to be nourish by our Creator, we need to be pruned by God, we need to grow in HIS light and not hide in the shadows of this world. 

So how do we do all that?

Simple…stay plugged into the tree - AKA God. 

He is the tree, we are the vines. We get what we need by staying connected to Him. 

Being connected to Him takes more than church attendance, offerings and tithes…it means obeying ALL His commandments- even the ones we don’t like, such as loving EVERYONE. 

Remember back to “The Cost of Discipleship Chapter 19”, we talked about recognizing wolves in sheep clothing by the fruit they bear. We also discussed looking at our own fruit. 

So I ask you now, how does your fruit look?

Is it a ripe, juicy, crisp apple…or a bruised, dry, mushy mess?

To help you recognize the difference between Godly fruit and worldly, take a look at this list:

Hateful
Depressed
Full of Turmoil
Resigned
Rude
Mean
Deceitful
Violent
Self-indulgent

Ask God to help you evaluate your fruit. I bet you need some pruning. 

I know I do.

"Because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Heb 12:6 NIV





Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Get Real!



I hear God saying it’s time for the Body of Christ to “Get Real”. 

Real with ourselves.

How can we pour Christ’s love into the world, if His love is not in us?

Let me explain.

Christians “Say” they love Christ…it’s part of the package. But not many of us truly “LIVE” like we love Him. Our actions don’t match up with our words…and the world sees that.

Why would the world ever want to join the Family of God when we act like “in-laws” who barely tolerate each other? (Don’t get your panties in a wad if you love your in-laws and don’t start thinking I don’t like mine- this is an analogy). 

To be perfectly honest, if I didn’t love Christ and respect His Word that says Christians should fellowship together (Heb 10:25), I’d probably never set foot in another Church.  Why…because I’ve been beat up and tore down more by fellow believers than I have from the world. 

I don’t think Christians mean to do it…I don’t even think they realize they do it. 

But let’s be honest…there are clicks inside churches, divisions, gossip wheels disguised as “prayer requests”, fashion shows, popularity contests, competition between talents, drive for numbers/business formulas, entertainment wars and so on. 

And this can be inside ONE denomination…forget that various denominations think theirs is the “best” and therefore judging others as “less holy”. 

Christians tear each other up!

Why would any sane sinner want to join our ranks? 

So how can we “Get Real”?

I think the Body of Christ needs to start working on self BEFORE it can focus on changing the world. 

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God.” 1 Peter 4:17a NIV

Our lights are dim.

Individually we must learn how to shine before collectively we will.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matt 5:16 NIV

In Chapter 7 of “The Cost of Discipleship” series we looked at how each individual becomes “light” when we accept Christ as Savior. We also discussed how to get our lights to shine…fix our eyes SOLELY on Him. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Do what the Bible says and you shine bright.

But we often chose to cover our lights. We may not even realize it, but each time we skip reading God’s word, nod off during prayers, or look the other way when someone is hurting, we are covering up our lights. 

God is our electric source…our lights don’t shine well without being plugged in to Him. 

You want your light to shine?

Good. So does God.

Time to “Get Real”. 

Do the hard work.

Be radical…obey God’s word…even if no one does it with you.

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Matt 12:30 NIV

Following Christ is individual. You can’t change how others act…but you can change how you act.

The choice is yours.

Are you ready to “Get Real”? 

I am. I'm going to start by letting God's love pour into me so I can pour it into the world. 

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35 NIV

Questions: 
Do you really love God? What are your actions? How's your fruit look? 

Disclaimer: This is not a post meant to berate Churches. I attend a Spirit filled Church with a Pastor who has a true servants heart.  However, as a whole, it's time the Church GETS REAL. 
Time to change our name or change our actions!

Monday, December 10, 2012

“Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim world?” Book Review



“Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening the Muslim world?” by Tom Doyle with Greg Webster was an enlightening book. 

To be honest, I had no clue what I’d learn and wasn’t sure I wanted to read it. But I’m glad I did. I gained new insight and feel in awe of those who risk so much to share the love of Christ.

During Jesus’ time on Earth, He walked among the outcasts of society. Today, if He were here, who would He walk among?

After reading this, I don’t think He would be walking in my neighborhood…He’d be reaching out to the lost…to those who need Him most.

Muslims, like all lost souls, need Christ.

Satan has deluded many of us regarding this. 

We let fear, pride, ignorance, hatred, and tolerance cause us to look the other way. Some of us appease our guilt by giving to missions and/or saying prayers. But we can do more. We are called to do more in the Great Commission.

Doyle helps dispel fear as he educates the reader on how Christ is moving among the Islamic community using dreams. He also enlightens readers on HOW to witness to someone of Muslim faith. It’s different than the witnessing many are used to. 

I encourage you to read this book. It’s inspiring and humbling. God is doing mighty things in the Middle East. People risk much to know Christ as Savior. I’ve never had to honestly ask myself if I’m willing to die for my belief in Jesus…but for many, this is reality. They are living and dying to follow Jesus.  

This book will challenge you to love Christ more authentically and to show that love to everyone you meet. 

Pick up a copy…it’s an easy but powerful read. 

This book was provided complementary by BookSneeze for honest review.