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, January 28, 2013

Praise God...I Make LESS Money!?!



Since the beginning of 2013 you might feel beat up after reading my posts.  I don’t apologize for that; I simply spoke what God laid on my heart. I do however pray you are built up in Christ and not torn down.

Therefore, today I want to encourage you.  But before I do, I have to start with a reality. 

Reality:  The economy is getting worse. If you think it’s getting better you’re only deluding yourself, or listsening to media who's out of touch with reality. 

Now on to some encouraging news: 

My spouse got a raise this year. We were pretty excited. 

Then we got the first check and discovered we now make  LESS each month than what we made last year! 

Seems mind boggling.

 How can someone get a raise and yet make LESS money?

Before you start thinking we must be in the “rich” category and therefore we are paying our “Fair Share”, let me tell you, we are Middle Class. The very Middle Class that wasn’t supposed to be affected by these taxes. The very Middle Class who wasn’t supposed to be affected by raising health care costs. 

We are that Middle Class. 

We live pay check to pay check and on occasion manage to stuff some back for a rainy day. 

We are thrifty and we budget. 

(I bet you’re wondering how this is supposed to be an encouraging post.)

Well…when I saw our new monthly budget my first thought was “Praise God.” 

God is my provider, not the government.

God is my provider, not a company.

God is my provider, PERIOD.

God is your provider too.

Don’t let this economy, the healthcare crisis, the war on everything, distress you. 

We are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37).

Don’t you know, the very God who clothes the fields each day clothes us (Matt 6:25-34)?

Remember, God warned us trials would happen. We shouldn’t be dismayed when they do (Matt 24 and Mark 13).

 Trust God. He has good things planned for you (Jer 29:11).

You can be overwhelmed by the challenges of life or you can see them as opportunities for God to work.(Click to tweet this)

The perspective is yours.

God doesn’t force himself on you.

To sum it up: The economy is going to keep on stinking.

The silver lining is how you chose to look at it…overwhelmed or victorious in Christ!

Remember: God is your provider!

God bless you all richly with eternal treasures.





Monday, January 21, 2013

Can’t We All Just Get Along…



The health of the Church has been troubling me. 

So much bickering INSIDE the church…inside each denomination as well as between denominations. 

It’s frustrating and sorrowful. 

 WHY CAN’T WE JUST “GET ALONG”?

Searching the scriptures has brought fresh revelation on UNITY within the Body of Christ.
Even in the early Church there was division. This is nothing new. 

1 Corinthians 3 Paul talks about building on the foundation of Christ instead of focusing on denominations. “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos”….In modern times that would read something like, “I’m Baptist”, “I’m Pentecostal”, “I’m Methodist” and so on. NO, you are Christian first. YOU are the temple of God.  Your denomination or what preacher you listen to won’t save you. Your only hope is in building on the foundation of the cross. Don’t get caught up in the details. 

Galatians 2 Paul confronted Peter about being a hypocrite, acting one way around one “denomination” and a different way around another “denomination”.  Paul was commissioned to go to the uncircumcised and Peter to the circumcised. But they both preached Christ’s grace. Today, part of the reason we have various denominations is there are various personality types. Some like modern praise music while others enjoy traditional hymns. Some enjoy multiple instruments while others prefer none. Some partake in communion weekly while others only on occasion. Some are more flamboyant while others are reserved. But all should be built upon the Word of God, upon the grace found in the Cross. THAT should be the foundation that unifies denominations.  We should focus more on our similarities and less on our differences. We should build each other up and not tear each other down.

Philippians 2 Paul repeatedly admonishes followers of Christ to have the same mind, be like minded or ‘stand fast in one spirit’. Why would he need to say this more than once if there wasn’t a real issue of disunity within the Body of Christ?
 
The call to follow Christ is an individual call; therefore your walk is an individual walk. Being born to Christian parents doesn’t make you a Christian. Going to Church, tithing or giving to missions doesn’t make you a Christian…answering the call to discipleship makes you a Christian. THAT’s the foundation the collective Body must build upon

We come together to share in our gifts, to edify each other, to be lights, to pray for each other and to carry each other’s burdens.  We shouldn’t come together for the purpose of getting our way, seeking approval from men, working our way to heaven, to tear others down, to gossip or any other carnal reason.

“…For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” 1 Cor 3:3 NKJV

For a while satan had me frustrated over the disunity I saw…God has shown me it’s going to happen but that I mustn’t lose heart. “There’s nothing new under the sun”…Paul had these problems but he kept pressing forward! 

That’s what the church must do today…press forward!

“…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13-14 NKJV 

So to answer my question…no, we can’t all “just get along”. It’s never happened before and it won’t happen now. But we mustn’t get discouraged- that’s what satan wants. With Christ all things are possible. We press forward and let Christ work in us to complete what He started on the cross. He is our foundation and He is our goal!

 I can think of no greater thing to be unified about…can you?

Monday, January 14, 2013

GLANCING BEHIND, LOOKING AHEAD: Guest Post



In my January Newsletter, Floyd, from But by the grace of God...there go I  shared a powerful piece in my Featured Bloggers section and I wanted to share it here. Floyd's a great man of God and wonderful blogger. I encourage you to check out his writing.
(If you haven't signed up for my Newsletter, you can do that by clicking on the link to your right.)


                            GLANCING BEHIND, LOOKING AHEAD

“Hey! I used to have a shirt like that!” He almost yelled to make sure he had everybody in our P.E. class’ attention. Then he bellowed the punch line, “Till my dad got a job!” He laughed. I didn’t laugh… As a hundred and twenty pound twelve year old freshman, the big senior wasn’t too threatened. I did make it a point to continue wearing that shirt until I outgrew it.

We didn’t have much at times when I was growing up. Two pairs of 501’s had to last the year, despite growing, rips, or tears. As I think back on the meager days and compare our society now and then, the difference is startling. My children, us, and all of society have so much more.

I listen to statistics of the poor and how they live and I’m grieved. I know what it’s like to get by with little… but that’s only part of the story. The statistics of what the statistically poor people have tell a different story. They have houses. They have cars. They have air conditioning. They have computers. They have cell phones.

Growing up in Arizona, it would have been nice to have central air conditioning when I was a kid… and we were considered middle class.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I see that those material things were nice, but not coveted. We were taught by society, in majority, that while material things were okay, they weren’t what we longed or strived for. Honor and pride of a moral character mattered more than a car or air conditioner… even new clothes.

In that same hindsight I can see how the meanings of words have changed. Equal rights was and is a hot topic. We recognize that every living soul that is manifested in the form of a life here on earth is special and has rights and responsibilities that are inborn into all of us.

How the rights of a soul changed into the rights of a soul’s actions in the flesh is puzzling to say the least. We all have inborn weaknesses without exception, just different ones. How can an action in the flesh deserve the same recognition as the life itself?

If there are no absolutes, where does it stop? Does the pedophile deserve equal rights? How about the person that has unnatural affections for animals, what about their rights?

The nation that was rich beyond the rest of the world was rich due to the moral fabric that made up this great nation. That moral fabric is the Biblical, Judeo Christian values that the majority of this society embraced.

Now our society embraces things that can be touched. The greatest value in this land was on the inside of its people. It couldn’t be seen on the population, it wasn’t fancy or polished on the outside. It was measured on the inside and became evident by the selfless actions of real men and women on the outside. The fruit of who we are as a nation is evident by the things we cherish.

What is the origin of the wisdom that declares it can solve societies problems by passing more laws? The war on poverty has been estimated to have cost us fifteen trillion dollars so far, yet we have more “poor” people than ever before and more percentage wise relative to the population since the war began. Wisdom screams of the proof that this war is lost and a new one be waged.

The government that has failed at every endeavor except militarily, believe now it’s magically qualified to run medicine? And the masses have bit the shiny lure hook line and sinker with the same intelligence as the fish their eyes resemble.

I miss the old days… While we didn’t have much in the way of material things, we had light years more than society does now. It’s time to get back to basics. The basics of Biblical morals, and it starts with us; the Christians. We need to educate the willfully ignorant in love.

If you see me in my holy sweatshirt don’t be surprised. It’s just me reminding myself that what I and we as Christians have on the inside is the most valued thing in this cosmos… Greatness can’t be seen in material possessions. Greatness is He that lives within us.  That’s the Power that will take this nation back… Starting in 2013…

Happy New Year and God bless.


Monday, January 7, 2013

I Pledge Allegiance To…



Disclaimer: I didn’t want to write this. It might offend people know, however many of my closest friends and family don’t read my blog. So if they do read this post, it’s because God wanted them to hear this message. If you’re one of the people to get offended, I encourage you to take it up with God. Spend time with Him and be open to hearing whatever He has to say.

I Pledge Allegiance To…

The book of Revelation talks about various conditions churches can find themselves in (left their first love, suffering persecution, called to repentance, false prophets in their midst, asleep, patiently enduring/little strength, lukewarm).

Today, I see many of these characteristics manifesting in our churches…I’ve even attended a few with these illnesses. And each time, I wonder how others don’t realize what’s going on. 

Now, NO church is perfect. Churches are filled with humans. ALL churches have room for growth and improvement. HOWEVER, if you’re attending a church that isn’t endeavoring to overcome challenges and seeking God’s correction, YOU might NEED TO LEAVE-consult God.

In the past few years I’ve heard more than a few people give disheartening excuses for why they are attending a church that isn’t experiencing Spiritual Growth. 

Here’s a few of the excuses I’ve heard:

My family’s always gone here.” (Okay, does that mean you have to? Traditions can kill growth). 

We should be loyal while our church goes through a tough time” (meanwhile the church has been in a rut for years and hasn’t begun to address anything…only apply Band-Aids). 

I have friends here, they wouldn’t understand if I leave.” (Who are you pleasing…God or men? Maybe they feel the same but are too scared to make the first move. Be a leader!)

“My kids are really involved here.” (Okay, but are they growing in Christ or just participating in fun events? Also, who’s the parent? If God’s telling you stay for your kids- great! But don’t use them as a crutch for you not making a tough decision. They might be upset at having to move, but if you’re not growing in Christ, how can you lead your family?) 

Now I’m asking you…

How’s the health of your church? 

Are you growing in Christ…Is your family growing?

Is there anything you can do to help your church move forward in Christ? 

Are you using any of the above excuses (or similar excuses) for NOT making a tough decision?

What’s God speaking to you? 

What are you pledging allegiance to…

Man or God?

Traditions or Spiritual Growth?

Religion or Relationship with our Savior?

Comfort or Discipleship?

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