<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728</id><updated>2011-09-17T04:40:13.022-07:00</updated><category term='CHANGE'/><title type='text'>Off-Road Disciple</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>19</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-5314983933561384282</id><published>2011-03-07T19:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2011-03-07T20:00:01.569-08:00</updated><title type='text'>ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt;This Wednesday we'll be having an Ash Wednesday service here at New Life beginning at 7pm. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a day when we focus on repentance and identifying with Christ in His suffering for us on the cross &lt;a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%203:10-11&amp;amp;version=NIV" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); "&gt;(Philippians 3:10-11)&lt;/a&gt;.  It is a time to remember how Christ suffered and died for us.  During an Ash Wednesday service, there is a time for confession, reflection, and commitment. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"    style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="border-collapse: collapse;  line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"    style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="border-collapse: collapse;  line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"&gt;Our service is very interactive.  Part of the service is a community celebration. We'll sing together, share in God's Word together, and take communion together. But another part of our service allows you to design your own personal experience.  We'll have four stations set up for you to participate in individually.  You can participate in as many stations as you like or none at all. At one station you can write down a commitment to deny yourself (in essence fasting) something during the Lent&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt; season in order to better reflect upon what Jesus sacrificed for us on the cross. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt; At another station you'll reflect on confession, repentance, and forgiveness of sin in your life.  Another station will be a graffiti wall where you can write a prayer alongside the prayers of others for what you want God to do in your life during Lent.  At another station we'll have the imposition ashes as a sign of humility.  And when you get done doing stations or if you don't want to do any of the stations at all, there will be music and scriptures on the wall playing to help you focus on Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"    style="font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="border-collapse: collapse;  line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt;I hope you'll join us for our service. It will be about 45 to 60 minutes long. We have activities planned for children from birth to 3rd grade in our children's area. Make plans now to be a part of this worship experience. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt;One heads up: be thinking about what indulgence you might be willing to give up until Easter in order to help you better focus on the sacrifice Christ has made for you&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"   style="  border-collapse: collapse; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-5314983933561384282?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/5314983933561384282/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=5314983933561384282' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/5314983933561384282'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/5314983933561384282'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2011/03/ash-wednesday-service.html' title='ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-4611572739478671709</id><published>2011-01-13T09:14:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2011-01-13T10:04:05.403-08:00</updated><title type='text'>CLINGING TO LIFE OR RISKING LIFE?</title><content type='html'>&lt;p class="text"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;I was reading an article by Mark Galli, the senior managing editor of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" &gt;Christianity Today&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt; about how followers of Christ cling to longevity and health in a way that can be unhealthy for us spiritually.  Below is an excerpt from Mark's article:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="text"&gt;"&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;A week ago, the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;em style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Los Angeles Times &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-sci-faith18-2009mar18,0,2501786.story" target="_blank" class="text"&gt;reported that a new study&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;  shows that "terminally ill cancer patients were nearly three times more  likely to go on breathing machines or receive other invasive treatments  if religion was an important part of their decision-making process."  This was true even though such treatments didn't improve a person's  long-term chances.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;In other words, it was the most religious who seemed to  want to hang on to life the hardest, no matter the prospects. The  writer, Karen Kaplan, bent over backwards to be charitable about it,  saying, "And for some, extending life by days or even hours buys  precious time for prayers to be answered." She then quoted the Rev.  Percy McCray Jr., director of pastoral care and social services at  Midwestern Regional Medical Center: "They're giving God every  opportunity to operate as they believe that he can or will, which  obviously leaves the door open for miracles."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;Nice try, but the reason we seek invasive, risky treatments is to get our miracle—&lt;em&gt;so we can live a few years longer&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;Some of the devout argue that we have a responsibility  to be good stewards of our bodies. Yes, up to a point. But it seems  clear that the height of discipleship is to put our bodies at risk for  the gospel, no? If Paul's priority was to steward his body, I don't  think he would have put himself in situations in which shipwrecks,  beatings, and hunger were a regular part of the regimen. And throughout  the church's history, saints (the exemplars of faith) end up sickly,  thin, ragged, and exhausted, and die prematurely precisely because they  "left nothing on the floor" when serving God and others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="font-style: italic;" class="text"&gt;I wonder sometimes if stewardship of our bodies—from  keeping fit to living long—has become another way of trimming the hard  edges off discipleship. So tonight, do I work out and burn some calories  and lower my stress levels, or volunteer at the homeless shelter? Given  our busy schedules, that is often the real choice we face, and sadly  many today think of them as equal and worthy obligations."&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="text"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="text"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;We have to be careful about the altars we lay our lives upon.  Too many of us as followers of Christ cling so tightly to this life that we forget it's not all about here -- it's about eternity.  I'm reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15:19 (NIV):  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;I want to be sure that I don't cling so tightly to this life that I forget to spend and risk my life in order to "&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Phil. 3)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="text"&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;***You can read Mark's complete article &lt;a href="http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2009/marchweb-only/112-41.0.html"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-4611572739478671709?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/4611572739478671709/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=4611572739478671709' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4611572739478671709'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4611572739478671709'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2011/01/clinging-to-life-or-risking-life.html' title='CLINGING TO LIFE OR RISKING LIFE?'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-5867822678806968745</id><published>2010-11-13T11:21:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-11-13T11:34:50.350-08:00</updated><title type='text'>PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH</title><content type='html'>Sunday, November 14th, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Thousands of Christians around the world are persecuted every day for following Jesus. Some are beaten and bullied but many are imprisoned and even executed for not only believing in Jesus but sharing their faith with others.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, on November 8, 2010, Asia Bibi was sentenced to death by a judge in Pakistan, according to The Voice of the Martyrs. The judge also fined Asia $1,190 (U.S.). Asia was arrested by police on June 19, 2009, and charged with blasphemy after she engaged in a religious discussion with co-workers. Many of the local women, including Asia, worked on the farm of Muslim landowner Muhammad Idrees. During their work, many of the Muslim women had pressured Asia to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. Her family is one of only three Christian families in a village of more than 1,500 families. On June 19, there was an intense discussion among the women about their faith. The Muslim women told Asia about Islam again, and Asia responded by telling the Muslim women that Christ died on the cross for our sins. She told them Jesus is alive. “Our Christ is the true prophet of God,” she told them.Upon hearing this response, the Muslim women became angry and began to beat Asia. Then some men took her and locked her in a room. They announced from mosque loudspeakers that she would be punished by having her face blackened and being paraded through the village on a donkey. Local Christians informed the police, who took Asia into custody before the Muslims could carry out their plan. She is currently being held at the police station in Nankana city. Christians there had urged the police not to file blasphemy charges, but police claimed that they had to go forward because of pressure from local Muslim leaders. She is currently sentenced to death by hanging for the crime of blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is just one story. If you would like to know more, there are many organizations supporting the persecuted church. Click &lt;a href="http://www.persecutedchurch.org/"&gt;HERE&lt;/a&gt; for links to these organizations.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-5867822678806968745?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/5867822678806968745/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=5867822678806968745' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/5867822678806968745'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/5867822678806968745'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/11/prayer-for-persecuted-church.html' title='PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-4703137198488384425</id><published>2010-10-26T11:56:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-10-26T12:00:55.498-07:00</updated><title type='text'>NEW LIFE BIRTHDAY WAS A BLAST!</title><content type='html'>It was exciting to celebrate our 10th birthday Sunday.  It was good not only to reflect on the past 10 years and what God has done in our lives, but to look forward as well.  God has great things planned for us.  We have to be willing to trade today for tomorrow; trade the instant gratification of today for the promise of what God is doing in our lives for tomorrow.  The first 10 years have been exciting but our best days lie ahead of us New Life!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-4703137198488384425?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/4703137198488384425/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=4703137198488384425' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4703137198488384425'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4703137198488384425'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-life-birthday-was-blast.html' title='NEW LIFE BIRTHDAY WAS A BLAST!'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-7523993488474305931</id><published>2010-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-10-21T10:46:00.402-07:00</updated><title type='text'>TRADING UP</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;The last few weeks we've been talking about being Traders. One important area we need to learn to be Traders is in regards to the struggles that life brings our way. Every challenge that comes into our lives can either be a weapon the enemy will use to destroy us or a powerful tool for God to shape us and form our character to be like Christ. We can choose to be pain managers or we can trade up and, trusting God, allow Him to work through our trouble to make us into the kind of person He desires for us to be. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Sunday we showed the testimony of Brenda Rehkop. Brenda is on our Leadership Team here at New Life. In March of 2009, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her story is about trading up and allowing God to transform her life through the struggle of cancer. Below are links to her testimony that we played Sunday as well as another video telling how God used her witness to impact the life of another cancer patient.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="480" height="385"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0WV76Bl-WZc?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0WV76Bl-WZc?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;object width="480" height="385"&gt;&lt;param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tq3GkyepBVI?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US"&gt;&lt;param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"&gt;&lt;param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"&gt;&lt;embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tq3GkyepBVI?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-7523993488474305931?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/7523993488474305931/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=7523993488474305931' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7523993488474305931'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7523993488474305931'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/10/trading-up.html' title='TRADING UP'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-4014362467044371580</id><published>2010-09-24T10:03:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-09-24T10:28:38.441-07:00</updated><title type='text'>EVEN THE LONE RANGER HAD TONTO!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;In the culture in which we live today, religion and spirituality are treated as personal choices that we should keep to ourselves.  If you express your spiritual viewpoint in public places, you are seen as pushy, divisive, and at times intolerant.  In the name of freedom, we muzzle everyone and tell them that what they believe is fine-- as long as they keep it to themselves.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the effect this has had on our lives is multifaceted, there is one overlooked area where I think it has impacted the church the most:  our dependence on others to help us grow more Christlike.  The culture's "keep it to yourself" emphasis gives Christ followers pause when it comes to sharing our struggles, admitting our spiritual faults, asking for help, or entering into accountable relationships with other followers of Christ.  The church in America today is all about Lone Ranger Christianity.  The thing is-- even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.  Not even the Lone Ranger rode alone.  And neither should followers of Jesus.  Following Him is a team sport.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Not convinced?  Below are all the "one another" verses in the NIV translation of the New Testament.  Give them a read and ask yourself:  am I a Lone Ranger or a One Another kind of Jesus follower?  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Mark 9:50 - "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· John 13:14 - "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· John 13:34 - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· John 13:35 - "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· John 15:12 - "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· John 15:17 - "This I command you, that you love one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 12:10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 12:16 - Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 13:8 - Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 14:13 - Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 14:19 - So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 15:5 - Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 15:7 - Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 15:14 - And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Romans 16:16 - Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Corinthians 11:33 - So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Corinthians 16:20 - All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 2 Corinthians 13:12 - Greet one another with a holy kiss.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Galatians 5:13 - For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Galatians 5:26 - Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Ephesians 4:2 - with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Ephesians 4:25 - Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Ephesians 5:19 - speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Ephesians 5:21 - and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Colossians 3:9 - Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Colossians 3:13 - bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Thessalonians 4:9 - Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Thessalonians 5:13b - Live in peace with one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Thessalonians 5:15 - See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 2 Thessalonians 1:3 - We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Hebrews 3:13 - But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Hebrews 10:24 - and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· Hebrews 10:25 - not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· James 4:11 - Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· James 5:9 - Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 1:22 - Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 4:8 - Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 4:9 - Be hospitable to one another without complaint.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 4:10 - As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 5:5 - You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 Peter 5:14 - Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 1:7 - but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 3:11 - For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 3:23 - This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 4:7 - Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 4:11 - Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 1 John 4:12 - No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:times new roman;"&gt;· 2 John 1:5 - Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-4014362467044371580?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/4014362467044371580/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=4014362467044371580' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4014362467044371580'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4014362467044371580'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/are-you-lone-ranger-christ-follower.html' title='EVEN THE LONE RANGER HAD TONTO!'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-8956796800785052205</id><published>2010-09-11T15:53:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-09-11T16:04:14.561-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM</title><content type='html'>I saw this video on You Tube and found it interesting.  It is not a Christian production and in fact there are some things it says about Christianity that bother me.  However, that said, I find what it says about Islam interesting.  I don't understand why the media in this country will not wake up to the agenda of Islam as a religion.  It runs contrary not only to the principles of a democratic government but it seeks world wide domination -- politically, militarily, and religiously. Watch the video and see what you think.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdMlT3E7cg"&gt;THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-8956796800785052205?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/8956796800785052205/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=8956796800785052205' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8956796800785052205'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8956796800785052205'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/three-things-you-should-know-about.html' title='THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-8084190309516195327</id><published>2010-09-11T15:41:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-09-11T16:05:18.628-07:00</updated><title type='text'>DO SOMETHING TO GET INTO GOD'S WORD</title><content type='html'>Sunday morning at New Life, we talked about the importance of being in God's Word. Daily reading His Word has a huge impact on our walk with Christ and can bring clarity into our relationship with Christ.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are several steps we can take to make the Word of God a more active part of our lives. One would be to join our Developing Your Devotional Life class that starts on September 29th at 9 am and runs for three weekends only. Another step would be to join another person or two in a Life Transformation Group. We'll be talking more about this the next couple of weeks. The other step would be to use YouVersion, an online Bible resource. It has not only daily reading plans but you can access various translations, journal, even listen to the Bibe being read to you through the use of it's audio Bible. You can sign up for YouVersion for free &lt;a href="http://www.youversion.com/"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Of all of the things we do at New Life, this is the one I wish we all did: hear and obey the Word. I hope you'll go more to get into God's Word this week.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-8084190309516195327?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/8084190309516195327/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=8084190309516195327' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8084190309516195327'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8084190309516195327'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/09/do-something-to-get-into-gods-word.html' title='DO SOMETHING TO GET INTO GOD&apos;S WORD'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-137892476864740713</id><published>2010-02-12T07:27:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-02-13T14:33:24.301-08:00</updated><title type='text'>ASH WEDNESDAY</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"  &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;This Wednesday we'll be having an Ash Wednesday service here at New Life.  Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt; occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;) before Easter.  It &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;is a day when we focus on repentance and identifying with Christ in His suffering for us on the cross &lt;a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%203:10-11&amp;amp;version=NIV"&gt;(Philippians 3:10-11)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt; During an Ash Wednesday service, there is a time for confession, reflection, and commitment.  Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitents way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults.  During an Ash Wednesday service, the symbol of the cross is made in ashes on a person’s forehead as a symbol of that person’s identification with Jesus Christ.  Ash Wednesday and the subsequent season of Lent is usually observed by denying oneself of something (in essence fasting) in order to better reflect upon what Jesus sacrificed for us on the cross.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;Why is New Life having an Ash Wednesday service?  While Ash Wednesday and Lent have been an important season in many liturgical churches, I believe that many Protestant churches (including ours) fail sometimes to fully reflect on what Jesus did for us on the Cross.  We celebrate and reflect on Christ's coming into the world at Christmas during the four weeks of Advent.  Shouldn't we also take some time to seriously contemplate and reflect on what Christ did for us on the Cross?   Like Paul we need to know the "fellowship of sharing in his sufferings."  When we fast and deny ourselves during Lent, we spend that time and energy reflecting on what Christ did for us.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Have you ever seen the movie &lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;The Passion of the Christ&lt;/span&gt;?  When I watch that movie, I am often overwhelmed with sorrow for the price Christ had to pay for my sin.  Ash Wednesday and Lent are seasons meant to help us reflect on the very same thing:  sorrow for the price Christ had to pay for our sin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another reason why we need to observe Ash Wednesday and Lent is to focus on  what it means for us to live a repentant life. These days are a great time for us to focus our hearts and lives again on what it means to live our lives with hearts that are fully turned toward God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;font-size:100%;" &gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;I hope you'll join us for our service.  It will be about 45 minutes long and highly interactive.  There will be time for confession, a time for commitment, and an optional time for the imposition of ashes. Our children's director, Louann Davis, has activities planned for children from birth to 3rd grade in our children's area.  I sincerely hope you'll make plans to be here.  One heads up:  be thinking about what indulgence you might be willing to give up until Easter in order to help you better focus on the sacrifice Christ has made for you.  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-137892476864740713?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/137892476864740713/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=137892476864740713' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/137892476864740713'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/137892476864740713'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/02/ash-wednesday.html' title='ASH WEDNESDAY'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-7983762002648417690</id><published>2010-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2010-02-12T07:27:23.004-08:00</updated><title type='text'>A PRAYER FOR DANGER SIGNS</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Last Sunday morning I mentioned a prayer that Andy Stanley says his family has been praying for years.  I've had several people ask me for it.  Here it is:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Lord, help us to see trouble coming long before it gets here.  And give us the wisdom to know &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;what to do and the courage to do it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"  style="font-family:arial;"&gt;I think it's an awesome prayer not only for adults to pray but also to teach to our children.  I'd encourage you to talk about it as a family and incorporate it into your personal and family worship time.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-7983762002648417690?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/7983762002648417690/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=7983762002648417690' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7983762002648417690'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7983762002648417690'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2010/02/prayer-for-danger-signs.html' title='A PRAYER FOR DANGER SIGNS'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-8761322761785750000</id><published>2009-07-11T16:04:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-11T16:15:23.864-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BACK PACK BLESSING</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NyYgXGC5Ads/SlkbsMVlzDI/AAAAAAAAAD8/5TJuyU6zxPA/s1600-h/BRIDGE+OF+HOPE.jpg"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357343677773892658" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NyYgXGC5Ads/SlkbsMVlzDI/AAAAAAAAAD8/5TJuyU6zxPA/s200/BRIDGE+OF+HOPE.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Shawen Farley, the Pastor of St.  Louis Bridge of Hope, was with us Sunday to tell us about a way we can partner with his ministry to make a difference in the lives of kids returning to school this fall.  For only $10, you can help a child have a successful school year by supplying a backpack loaded with school supplies.  Bridge of Hope will serve as a distribution center and point of contact with several hundred children who recieve these backpacks.  They will be delivered to their homes and give Shawen and the people involved in his ministry an opportunity to touch them with the love of Christ.  If you need more information, call our office or check out the &lt;a href="http://www.stlbridgeofhope.org/2009/07/04/2009-backpack-blessing/"&gt;St. Louis Bridge of Hope &lt;/a&gt;website.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-8761322761785750000?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/8761322761785750000/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=8761322761785750000' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8761322761785750000'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8761322761785750000'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-pack-blessing.html' title='BACK PACK BLESSING'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NyYgXGC5Ads/SlkbsMVlzDI/AAAAAAAAAD8/5TJuyU6zxPA/s72-c/BRIDGE+OF+HOPE.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-2602231050031826958</id><published>2009-07-11T15:47:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-11T16:04:12.073-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THE COMPASSION OF JESUS</title><content type='html'>Studying for my sermon this past week on how God is Compassionate, I ran across a story I'd read a number of years ago. It's something that Tony Campolo was a part of a number of years ago. He organized a birthday party for a prostitute in Hawaii. It's a great story. It reminds us that we need to go about doing God's work in the world -- preaching good news to the poor, proclaiming freedom for the captive, and releasing the oppressed. You can view Tony Campolo himself telling the story by clicking the title of this post.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By the way, we've got links to the Love Alliance at our &lt;a href="http://www.nlchurch.org/Social-Justice.html"&gt;church website&lt;/a&gt;. There's lots of great information there about how you can be involved in making a difference by doing the work of Jesus in our world.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-2602231050031826958?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWlMV-UmueM' title='THE COMPASSION OF JESUS'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/2602231050031826958/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=2602231050031826958' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/2602231050031826958'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/2602231050031826958'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/07/compassion-of-jesus.html' title='THE COMPASSION OF JESUS'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-7106337266297738814</id><published>2009-06-13T10:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-13T10:36:37.747-07:00</updated><title type='text'>SLAVERY TODAY</title><content type='html'>The Love Alliance does an awesome job educating and calling people to action when it comes to some of the biggest social issues in our world today.   As I was researching my sermon this week about Joseph and how he was sold into slavery, I read some current statistics put out by the Love Allliance on slavery today.  They are eye opening.  Go to this &lt;a href="http://www.thelovealliance.net/education/enslaved/index.html"&gt;link&lt;/a&gt; and read about it for yourself.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-7106337266297738814?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.thelovealliance.net/education/enslaved/index.html' title='SLAVERY TODAY'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/7106337266297738814/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=7106337266297738814' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7106337266297738814'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/7106337266297738814'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/06/slavery-today.html' title='SLAVERY TODAY'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-8342033858339796921</id><published>2009-05-21T13:44:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-21T14:00:25.104-07:00</updated><title type='text'>CANNONBALL BAPTISM</title><content type='html'>Last Sunday morning we baptized 8 people and celebrated what God had done in each of their lives. Each person's baptism was an expression of God's grace and power that changes lives.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes baptism doesn't go the way we planned. Jeff Dillow found this video on YouTube called &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzwDL_qsV9Y&amp;amp;feature=related"&gt;Cannonball Baptism&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-8342033858339796921?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/8342033858339796921/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=8342033858339796921' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8342033858339796921'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/8342033858339796921'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/05/cannonball-baptism.html' title='CANNONBALL BAPTISM'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-504389613093985910</id><published>2009-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-21T13:32:35.769-07:00</updated><title type='text'>LIVE LONGER -- GO TO CHURCH!</title><content type='html'>Deanna Cignetti ran across something in the St. Louis Post Discpatch that is worth reading. It is an article by Dr. John Morley from St. Louis Univeristy about how going to church helps you live longer.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dr. Morley said: "While the United States remains one of the most religious nations in the world, an increasing number of people fail to see the need to regularly attend worship services. This raises the question of whether there are secondary benefits of religious attendance. The answer is a resounding yes, with studies showing that people who regularly attend church have a reduced risk of death.  An article by Dr. Daniel Hall, a surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh, explored whether attending religious services was more cost-effective in increasing longevity than taking statins, which are drugs that lower cholesterol and prevent the development of plaque in the arteries. Using a sophisticated mathematical analysis, he concluded that regular church attendance extended a person's life by two or three years while cholesterol lowering agents increased lifespan by 2½ to 3½ years. More dramatically, even if a person followed the Old Testament edict of giving a "tithe" of 10 percent of his or her income to God, it actually was more cost-effective to go to religious services than to use a statin. His analysis did find that physical exercise extends life even further — by three to five years — and costs even less per year of life gained.The reasons why religious attendance increases lifespan are unclear. Emerging evidence from Duke University and other places suggests that being spiritual helps people deal with stressful life crises, an important factor in survival. People who regularly attend church tend to take better care of their health than those who don't. For those who are older, simply getting out of the house is associated with improved physical function. The importance of this is underlined by the finding that those who "attend" televised religious services do not have the same improvement in lifespan. Going to church provides both an interactive community and social support, which can help in times of illness. However, studies that have examined these factors tend to find that there remains an X-factor as part of the explanation for these findings. Dare we suggest that this is a belief in God? Despite the robustness of his analysis, Hall did not suggest that health professionals should recommend going to church along with exercise and statins. He also made it clear that he did not support managed care paying for the church's 'tithe'."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Live longer! Be healthy! Worship at New Life Sunday!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-504389613093985910?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/504389613093985910/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=504389613093985910' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/504389613093985910'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/504389613093985910'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/05/live-longer-go-to-church.html' title='LIVE LONGER -- GO TO CHURCH!'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-3298746504031665759</id><published>2009-05-12T21:49:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-12T22:00:38.429-07:00</updated><title type='text'>TURN THE TELEVISION DOWN</title><content type='html'>Lou has been after me lately to turn the volume on the television in our bedroom down. I like listening to ESPN in the shower -- what can I tell you. In order to hear it, I have to turn it up really loud. Unfortunately I'll forget to turn it down before I turn it off. When Lou turns it on, it almost blasts her out of the room. I'll admit I haven't given her request very much attention. But all that changed today when I read this newspaper article:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;A horrifically terrifying woman admitted yesterday that she stabbed and killed her husband because he turned up the volume on a Dallas Cowboys game. The woman, ironically-named Kimberly Shanks, said her husband turned up the volume "knowing it would keep her awake." She then went into the kitchen, got a knife, and "tried to stick the knife in his heart." She then proceeded to run into a neighbor's yard, pick up a big rock, and whack him on the back of the head with it. Then she stabbed him some more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;There were too many similarities to be ignored. I have a wife who is irritated with the loud volume. I love to watch the Cowboys play with the sound up. We have knives in our kitchen. And our neighbor has a big rock in his yard. I'm not taking any chances. Sorry about the television volume babe -- I'm turning it down now. &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-3298746504031665759?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/3298746504031665759/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=3298746504031665759' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/3298746504031665759'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/3298746504031665759'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/05/turn-television-down.html' title='TURN THE TELEVISION DOWN'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-480192378497250728</id><published>2009-05-08T10:18:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-08T10:30:49.943-07:00</updated><title type='text'>WHEN GOING BALD IS A GOOD THING</title><content type='html'>A big shout out to the Overtons and Hannah Lovekamp for the money they raised for cancer research.  They had their heads shaved last Sunday as part of an annual event to raise funds for St. Baldrick's Foundation which funds research to help find cures for childhood cancer.  You can see the Overtons shaved heads by clicking &lt;a href="http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/search.php?NewSearch=Y&amp;amp;SearchFormID=20090508122049&amp;amp;SearchFor=Participant&amp;amp;SearchEventYear=2009&amp;amp;SearchForShavee=1&amp;amp;SearchFirst=&amp;amp;SearchLast=overton&amp;amp;SearchTeamName=&amp;amp;x=17&amp;amp;y=14"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  The Overton's team raised over $3000 while Hannah raised more than $500.   Awesome!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-480192378497250728?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/480192378497250728/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=480192378497250728' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/480192378497250728'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/480192378497250728'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/05/when-going-bald-is-good-thing.html' title='WHEN GOING BALD IS A GOOD THING'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-684351633784805543</id><published>2009-04-30T15:12:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-04-30T15:28:10.867-07:00</updated><title type='text'>PAPER PASTORS</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;On Facebook the other day, Paul Baugher had a link to a great blog about how local pastors have a hard time living up to the expectations created when people adore mega church pastors from afar. You can find the blog at &lt;a href="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/04/porn-and-paper-pastors.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"&gt;http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/04/porn-and-paper-pastors.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-684351633784805543?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/684351633784805543/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=684351633784805543' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/684351633784805543'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/684351633784805543'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-pastors-are-treated-like-porn.html' title='PAPER PASTORS'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36701728.post-4178565764389286952</id><published>2009-04-30T09:58:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-04-30T10:34:25.541-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='CHANGE'/><title type='text'>CHANGE</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;In just three weeks my daughter, Brianna, will graduate from Fort &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"&gt;Zumwalt&lt;/span&gt; South High School. Where did the time go? It went too fast. Before long she'll leave for college, joining her brother at &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"&gt;MNU&lt;/span&gt;. And what about him? He already has enough hours to be considered a Senior at &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"&gt;MNU&lt;/span&gt;. Transitions in life. Change. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes it's bad. Sometimes change is easy and needed. Many times change is hard and undesired. But change is inevitable.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;There are several families in our church feeling the effects of change. Besides Brianna, we have five other Seniors graduating from local high schools. This weekend, Darin Ware will be graduating from &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"&gt;MNU&lt;/span&gt; with a &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"&gt;degree&lt;/span&gt; in marketing. And in just a couple of weeks -- May 17&lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"&gt;th&lt;/span&gt; -- Craig &lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"&gt;McMillen&lt;/span&gt; will be reporting for duty as a member of the United States Marines. Transitions in life. Change. They happen all the time. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;In a world of change, how can you find stability? Only one place I know - our faith in God. In a world of transition and change, He never wavers. In a world of constant movement, He is the one who provides stability. I'm finding I'm having to learn to lean in new ways on His steady arms as I go through the transitions of my life. I hope you'll learn new ways to lean on Him as you do the same.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36701728-4178565764389286952?l=walking-the-journey.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/4178565764389286952/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=36701728&amp;postID=4178565764389286952' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4178565764389286952'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/36701728/posts/default/4178565764389286952'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://walking-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-just-three-weeks-my-daughter-brianna.html' title='CHANGE'/><author><name>Bryan Davis</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/10859131057322449789</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
