Some New Friends

On Monday afternoon Peter Andersen who had heard about me in Southern California brought Tony and Brenda Krukow and Dr. Shelli Baker Manuel to see me.

We had a nice time talking about the Lord and they asked me questions about how the Lord had lead me.
They shared some of their experiences.

 Dr. Manuel told about her concern for preserving our national anthem which some people want to change.
She wants to get people to come together to express their appreciation for the US national anthem and take a stand against those who would want to change it.

 She wants people to practice the national anthem and then record yourself or your group at https://www.facebook.com/events/713557518677724/
 or www.SingItAmerica.com.  September 14th is its 200th birthday!  You can help make a difference.

We had about a half an hour of prayer together before they left.
They were a blessing.

Movies about Jesus

A friend on Facebook asked me this question:

" What is your opinion on these movies, Dr. Horton ! I have read so

 many different opinions on them !!!! Everything from saying almost

 they are heresy, to devil inspired, to thinking they are fine !!

Please give us your wisdom on these !!! Thank you ,We can always

 learn from you !!!!!!!"

The purpose of these movies is not to teach Theology and that

 is a good thing!

 Its purpose is to get the attention to Jesus and his disciples.

 

Since so many people don't read anymore if the truths of the Bible can be pictured in a movie it 

will at least give them some understanding of God's plan of salvation.

If you take a non-Christian friend you will find the movie may touch their emotions and make them willing to listen a little more to what you share with them about Jesus.

It should also help your Christian friends to draw closer to Jesus and His Word by making it new

and fresh and alive to them.

I plan to go and see these movies if I can and I will let you know what I think.

Remember Jesus said we are to make disciples or learners and that means you must get them interested in studying the Bible.

The movie can be a first step to that.

We All Grieve

Our entire community grieves with the family of Hailey Owen, the 10 year old who was abducted and murdered yesterday here in Springfield MO. 

 It is impossible to comprehend how any person could do such a thing.  We grieve.

Jesus wept and there are many places in the Bible that show we need to grieve with those who grieve.

Jesus wept, those words cover it all on a night like tonight.

Jesus wept and so do we all.

A Heart for Jesus

Do you remember being a kid and hearing about giving your heart to Jesus?

Since it is almost Valentine's Day I thought we could talk about hearts and how we give them.

Giving your heart to Jesus.  It implies giving your whole self to Him to do His will for your life.  This implies faith and obedience.

In the Bible the heart is treated as the center of your whole being and includes your desires, your will, your thoughts and your feelings.  So that means that it includes your mind as well.

This is something that calls for a daily turning our minds and hearts to Him.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with grief today, give that to Jesus.

If you are struggling with situations you can't tell anyone about, give that to Jesus.

If you have temptations, look to Jesus for victory over them.

Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, Jesus is here in the midst of your life.  Jesus is always ready to listen and to help you. 

He is always there to help you tell others about His love and what He has done for you.  Jesus said He would send another Helper - the Holy Spirit.

So where is your heart, your focus today?

Our Heavenly Home

I wish the King James Version hadn't mistranslated the Greek word 'monas' in John 14:2.

The KJV translated it 'mansions' and it should be 'rooms'.

The important thing is we will be in the same place and we will be in close in fellowship with the 

Father and Jesus and with each other.

We won't be thinking about one of us having a bigger mansion than someone else.

Instead we will have wonderful eternal fellowship.

God has an eternal plan for each of us and that will mean that He has something for each of us to do.

Our new bodies will be free from pain or sickness or decay and will be well suited for enjoying what God has prepared for us... and perhaps for enjoying the New Jerusalem and exploring the new heavens and the new earth.

When Paul was caught away to heaven he was not able to describe all that he experienced there.  It will be beyond anything we can imagine with our present limited frame of reference as human beings here on earth.

Even so come Lord Jesus.

In the Beginning

Genesis 1:1 emphasizes the idea of a real beginning by putting it first in the sentence.  None of the ancient religions had the idea of a real beginning.  That means that God is the Creator of the entire heavens and the earth.

Not until modern science was the idea of a real beginning confirmed by anything outside of the Bible.

The beginning calls for a Beginner.  Most ancient religions had  different gods bringing different parts of the universe including different parts of the earth into being.

But the Old Testament makes it clear that there was only one God who began everything. 

All through the Bible God is addressed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth (Isaiah 42:5) He has ultimate control of everything. 

 He gave us free will because he wanted us to be more than puppets.  He wanted us to love Him as He loves us.

  His creative powers raised Jesus from the dead.  That gives us a sure hope of the future.  God will be Victor and if we believe in Jesus we will share in His victory.

Another cold day

Another cold day. I finished reading Luke and am about to start reading Acts again. It is so good to be able to read the Bible on my computer.

Faith and Zachary are here. I really appreciate them.

I am really looking forward to seeing so many of you at the Society for Pentecostal Studies at the 2014 SPS Annual Meeting, hosted by Evangel University, being held here in Springfield, MO, March 6-8, 2014.

Every day I am thankful for the many wonderful promises in God's Word. God is so faithful to them.