Photo by sea turtle, creative commons
Hi, I’m on vacation, hiking in the North Cascades National Park with family. So you’ll see a guest post today (with a short comment from me at the bottom) and a few posts with links to people who write better than I do, until Saturday, July 28. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
The following is a guest post by Kassidy Lane. Kassidy is the manager of Oregon Painting and Repair. He is a disciplined follower of the paleo diet and I’m pretty sure his body fat content is less than what you find in a carton of 1% milk. He lives in Springfield, Oregon with his wife, two kids, two dogs, and an undisclosed number of chickens. He is my favorite nephew (in a tie with all my other nephews, but don’t tell him that). Most importantly, he is a lover of Jesus Christ.
So I was in church last Sunday and I’m not proud to say that It was one of those services where I could not wait for it to be over so I could get on with my day. I had a long list of things I planned on doing and felt I did not have enough time for it all. My pastor said something to the effect of how some people think they don’t need God, how they have it all figured out, and how those people need to be shocked and completely surprised by God to see and feel his awesome power. One thing I know for sure and I’ll never forget, he used the word “shocked” when he shared this with us.
As the service ended I rushed out without talking to anyone so as to have more time to get my many tasks done.
Later that day I was up on a ladder, painting my neighbors house, and was electrocuted by around 220 volts/amps (don’t really know which), when my arm came in contact with a power line. I was lit up for about two seconds, then I fell 12 feet to the ground. It was by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. The electricity went in my right wrist and out my left wrist leaving a burn about the size of a quarter. The 220 volts passed directly through my heart and, from what I have read, could have killed me.
I just hugged my family and I cried like I have not cried in years!
God really got my attention and I hope to remember Him and His awesome power and His Grace in my future days!
-Kas
Kas’s story is so timely. As I’m posting this for Kas, I’m trying to find my Kindle. I’ve been trying to find it all day and it’s really bothering me. At the same time the wounding of the 59 and the killing of the 12 by the gunman at Dark Night Rises in Aurora, Colorado is all over the news, which really puts things in perspective. What’s a lost Kindle compared to losing a loved one? I’m betting there were more than a few families and friends of those who suffered, who let the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word — before the shooting. (Matthew 13:22) After the shooting, I’m betting most of these people have turned their hearts toward God. I’m betting the little worries of this life, and the pursuit of wealth don’t seem very important right now.
Turn your heart toward God. Don’t wait for the shock to come, or the tragedy.
You’ll be glad you did.
The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
-Jesus Christ, Matthew 13:22-23
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The Redemptive Power of Connection: Genesis 50:7, 9, 11
What’s All The Fuss?
I was involved in a huge funeral once. Two friends died in the prime of life, in an ATV accident. They were firefighters and we had this huge procession through town with fire department vehicles. The streets were lined with well wishers. There were even helicopters flying overhead above the procession. One helicopter flew a giant American flag underneath. Another filmed the whole event in high def. Had my two friends been insurance salesmen none of that would have happened. It was their relationship with the fire department that resulted in such an ambitious funeral.
Jacob’s funeral was a much bigger deal than my friends’. Every single one of Pharaoh’s officials were there. Every dignitary from the nation of Egypt was there. All of Joseph’s family was there. Chariots and horsemen were even there. The funeral lasted a whole week. This thing was huge. When the people of Canaan saw it, it was easy to recognize someone very important had passed away. But why? Why was Jacob honored in such spectacular fashion? Read More
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Posted on March 2, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Marriage
Connection to Jesus Christ, Genesis 50, Jacob's funeral, Jesus and Joseph, Redemptive Power of Connection, Salvation
Lecrae Interview on PBS
Click link to watch Lecrae Extended Interview on PBS. Such a great piece–had to share it.
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Posted on February 12, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Christ, God, Hip Hop, Lecrae, Lecrae interview
Can Christ be Tested out in Practice? – My Story
The following is a guest post from the blog Ambling Saint. I’ve never heard of anything like it before.
At Easter 1985 I went to a J John evangelism talk. J John said that you could take the Bible, assume it is true and act on that assumption. Test it out for six months or so, believing it completely during that time, and then you could look back and see whether it had made a difference to you. I decided to give it a go for myself.
I got a Bible and highlighted it in different colours. One colour highlighted practical instructions – these being the things I now needed to do, and then a different colour for the blessing which should follow that particular action. I found out quite soon that a lot of the Bible is written in this ‘IF you do this, then THAT will happen’ style, which is quite easy to test out in this way. Read More
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Posted on January 19, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
apologetics, atheism, bible evidence, Christ tested, Evangelism, test Christ, test God
Top 10 Posts of 2012
You can check out the top Love Like Jesus post by clicking on Love Like Jesus–Love the Unlovable. Or check out the whole series by clicking on Love Like Jesus.
2) Senna Part 2–Teach Us to Number Our Days: One of the most compelling stories I’ve ever heard is that of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. I was surprised to find I’m not alone. Senna Part 2–Teach Us to Number Our Days is one of the most popular posts I’ve ever written. We can learn some valuable lessons from his life. If you’re interested in Ayrton Senna, you might also like Senna Part 1–Senna vs. Prost–Esau Ran to Jacob.
3) Sex and Your Future–Trading 45 Minutes for 1,000 Years: Read More
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Posted on December 27, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
bennett's blog, God and money, Holy Spirit, Love like Jesus, marriage, Most Popular Posts, Negative Media, Senna, sex, Surrender Yourself to God
Your Thing (I wish someone had told me this when I was young)
Old Man: Over the years I’ve had a bunch of different “things.” When I was in high school and college, sex was my thing–I was consumed with looking for opportunities. Read More
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Posted on December 11, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
atheism, Matthew 22, my thing, spirituality, why God
Thanksgiving and Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway
He was coming up over a hill at sixty-five miles per hour on the Dan Ryan Expressway. His three year-old son was doing what many three year-olds did in those days, he was standing up in the middle of the back seat, so he could see out the windshield. Suddenly, as he came up over the rise, there were wrecked cars everywhere. There was no time to react. The situation was impossible. A high speed impact was unavoidable. Read More
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Posted on November 21, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Dan Ryan, perception, perspective, thanksgiving
Still Waters: Psalm 23:2
My son Gabe and I planned a trip to Howard Prairie Lake in the mountains of Oregon, East of Ashland, on Saturday, October 13. When we woke that morning it was windy, cloudy, and rainy. We actually stopped to buy rain gear on the way up. We never could have anticipated what God would do on that day. It was spectacular. Gabe was fortunate enough to capture it in this photograph. (If you click on the picture you’ll see the full size original)
I couldn’t help but share it with you.
God is truly good to us.
Naturally this picture brought to mind Psalm 23, verses 2 and 3, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.
Samuel said to Saul in 1 Samuel chapter nine, “…stand thou still awhile, that I may show thee the word of God.” (v. 27)
If you want your soul restored,
If you want to experience God’s still waters,
Slow down enough to carve out a still and quiet time in His word.
I think the pace of life can kill your opportunity to be led by His still waters. If you’re too busy to spend time with God, then you’re too busy.
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Posted on October 18, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
blessed, God is good, Howard Prairie Lake, Psalm 23
Is Jesus God?
Photo by iko, Creative Commons
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
-C.S. Lewis
For more see Believing God Today:
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Posted on August 2, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Seeker
C.S. Lewis, CS Lewis, God, Is Jesus God, Jesus, Jesus is God
Five Ways To Be A Better Character In Your Story – Prodigal Magazine
Hi, I’m on vacation, hiking in North Cascades National Park with family. So you’ll see a few posts with links to people who write better than I do, until Saturday, July 28. I thoroughly enjoyed this one from Prodigal Magazine…
Outstanding article about how your life tells a story, and what you can do to tell the best story possible. This is an outstanding read:
Five Ways To Be A Better Character In Your Story – Prodigal Magazine.
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Posted on July 25, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Character in story, Darrell, million miles, prodigal, Storyline, Vesterfelt
Shocked by God — Seriously!
Photo by sea turtle, creative commons
Hi, I’m on vacation, hiking in the North Cascades National Park with family. So you’ll see a guest post today (with a short comment from me at the bottom) and a few posts with links to people who write better than I do, until Saturday, July 28. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
The following is a guest post by Kassidy Lane. Kassidy is the manager of Oregon Painting and Repair. He is a disciplined follower of the paleo diet and I’m pretty sure his body fat content is less than what you find in a carton of 1% milk. He lives in Springfield, Oregon with his wife, two kids, two dogs, and an undisclosed number of chickens. He is my favorite nephew (in a tie with all my other nephews, but don’t tell him that). Most importantly, he is a lover of Jesus Christ.
So I was in church last Sunday and I’m not proud to say that It was one of those services where I could not wait for it to be over so I could get on with my day. I had a long list of things I planned on doing and felt I did not have enough time for it all. My pastor said something to the effect of how some people think they don’t need God, how they have it all figured out, and how those people need to be shocked and completely surprised by God to see and feel his awesome power. One thing I know for sure and I’ll never forget, he used the word “shocked” when he shared this with us.
As the service ended I rushed out without talking to anyone so as to have more time to get my many tasks done.
Later that day I was up on a ladder, painting my neighbors house, and was electrocuted by around 220 volts/amps (don’t really know which), when my arm came in contact with a power line. I was lit up for about two seconds, then I fell 12 feet to the ground. It was by far the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. The electricity went in my right wrist and out my left wrist leaving a burn about the size of a quarter. The 220 volts passed directly through my heart and, from what I have read, could have killed me.
I just hugged my family and I cried like I have not cried in years!
God really got my attention and I hope to remember Him and His awesome power and His Grace in my future days!
-Kas
Kas’s story is so timely. As I’m posting this for Kas, I’m trying to find my Kindle. I’ve been trying to find it all day and it’s really bothering me. At the same time the wounding of the 59 and the killing of the 12 by the gunman at Dark Night Rises in Aurora, Colorado is all over the news, which really puts things in perspective. What’s a lost Kindle compared to losing a loved one? I’m betting there were more than a few families and friends of those who suffered, who let the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word — before the shooting. (Matthew 13:22) After the shooting, I’m betting most of these people have turned their hearts toward God. I’m betting the little worries of this life, and the pursuit of wealth don’t seem very important right now.
Turn your heart toward God. Don’t wait for the shock to come, or the tragedy.
You’ll be glad you did.
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Posted on July 23, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
church, give yourself to God, God, God first, Jesus, Kassidy Lane, shocked, Surrender Yourself to God
God vs. Basketball
God vs. Basketball
So I spoke with a 20 something who wrote a blog post about basketball yesterday. His post received a lot of attention and reaction which prompted me to say,
“Wow, your basketball post got a lot more reaction than most of my blog posts.”
“Yea,” he said, “but I’m posting about basketball, you’re just posting about God…”
Hmmmmmm.
What’s ultimate in your life? Basketball? Football? Video games? Work? Or, dare I say it, shopping? It should be noted, the 20 something who made this comment, did so sarcastically. He knows Who is most important. But it’s a great reminder, to recommit yourself to…
Make Him your ultimate.
Put Him, before everything else.
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Posted on July 6, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
God, God vs. Basketball, priorities
4th of July and the Space-Time Continuum
4th of July and the Space Time Continuum
I thank God we’re living in this precise spot in the space-time continuum. Do you ever think about that? You could have been born a peasant in Europe during the dark ages. Or you could have been born a slave to a cruel plantation owner in the late 1700’s. Or, perhaps worst of all, in our present time, you could even have to live in Cleveland.
But by God’s grace most of you reading this blog live in the the United States, the greatest nation in the most amazing time in the history of the world.
Happy Independence Day!
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Posted on July 4, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Uncategorized
4th of July, continuum, Independence Day, space-time, thanks, thanksgiving, United States
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