The Prosperity Gospel

And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have no faith?

Mark 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have no faith?

I feel like so often we get wrapped up in things of this world and the many stresses anxieties and pressures of today. I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. Its like I don't have time to spend with my wonderful future husband because I am so busy doing the things I feel like I need to. Being this busy also creates anxiety. But the Lord demands us to "be anxious about nothing" which is such a hard thing for me!
This semester is growing us in so many (painful) ways we never could have imagined. It amazes me how I never expect what God will teach me next.

It's only February 3?!

Dear friends,
    Please pray for Amanda because her flesh has no patience. none.at all. And the problem is that she has already been dating the love of her life for the last 40 months, and quite honestly, doesn't want to wait another 11 months to marry him. Please pray that I will just stop focusing on the future and be content with what God has blessed me with now; which is a wonderful fiance and fabulous best friend :)

-Amanda

Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
-1 Corinthians 13:1-3

I read this passage this morning and had a thought about it that i wanted to share. As it is read, i have always seen how these verses talked about doing "Godly" things but without His love in our hearts, and how doing this this way is worthless. It says that our motivation must always be love and we learn in scripture that this love only comes from God. Well my thoughts of late have been on marriage, for obvious reasons, and how a marraige is supposed to be a picture of Christ and the church. This verse then i thought is very applicable in my future marriage and current engagement as well, and i have seen the effects. As the verse says, i can do all of the most amazing, above and beyong things for Amanda but if they are not out of a God motivated love, they are a worthless waste of time. I have seen this in the past in that when I am not loving her with Gods love and am trying to just do things on my own she can always tell, and things just dont have the same affect (effect?) no matter how big they are, but when i do things with Gods love for her, even the smallest thing, like making her bed for her while she goes through her end of the day ritual, seem monumental and make her feel loved. So i have realized to an even deeper exent yet again how much my marriage vows to her will really be commiting to Love God and Love through God. Well, that was my brief thoughts from this morning, time to go to class.
Shalom,
TJ

The Treasure Principle

The Treasure Principle



You can’t take it with you–but you can send it on ahead.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" Jim Elliot


So I just finished this book last night and it has really revolutionized how I think about giving. The entire premise of this book is that this world is not our home, so why build up these earthly treasures that we can't take with us when we die? I have to admit, this is one of the few books that I have read cover to cover as carefully as possible.
 One of the things Randy Alcorn points out is that we are stewards of all of God's assets. We should  carry no sense of entitlement to any of his assets. It is our job to find out what God wants us to do with HIS assets, and then to carry out his will. Alcorn points out that when the basic needs of life are met, why shouldn't the remainder of our money go to further the Kingdom? This book really made me think about my priorities with money. TJ and I have had alot of really good talks about money since God placed this on our hearts a few weeks ago.


" Money never stays with me. It would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it should find a way into my heart" John Wesley

Here are the major points in the book
T r e a s u r e P r i n c i p l e K e y s


1. God owns everything. I’m His money manager.

We are the managers of the assets God has
entrusted—not given—to us.


2. My heart always goes where I put God’s money.

Watch what happens when you reallocate your money

from temporal things to eternal things.


3. Heaven, not earth, is my home. We are citizens
of “a better country—a heavenly one”(Hebrews 11:16).



4. I should live not for the dot but for the line.

From the dot—our present life on earth—extends a line

that goes on forever, which is eternity in heaven.



5. Giving is the only antidote to materialism.

Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and

a greater agenda. It dethrones me and exalts Him.



6. God prospers me not to raise my standard

of living, but to raise my standard of giving.

God gives us more money than we need

so we can give—generously.

"I am not the point. He is the point. He does not exist for me, I exist for Him. God's money has a higher purpose than my affluence. Giving affirms Christ's lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him. I recognize God as owner, myself as servant, and OTHERS as intended beneficiaries of what God has entrusted to me"

Read it. It is 94 pages. You have time for that. It has had a huge impact on my life

Adoption

This is something that has been our hearts since we met. Especially with the disaster in Haiti it is something that we have really been talking and praying about. Adoption has always had a soft spot in my heart because of my precious sisters. I am so thankful that God chose them to be in our family and I hope that one day, God will choose children for the White family :)





Hereis the blog with the adoption story

Life has gotten a little crazy...

School has started. The madness has begun. In two days I have seen people that have been stretched to what they think is their max capacity. This will be a demanding semester no doubt. Between forecasts, oil logs, work and wesley, this semester will demand a servant's heart from both of us. God is showing us that no matter what kind of day we have had, it is selfish to assume the other person's day was easy. I feel like so often I assume TJ can serve me because he didn't have work all day, but in reality he has been in class ALL day! Seeing this servant's heart is an intimidating thing. Proof that we need Jesus every second of every day. Praise God! In the last two days I feel like we have gotten a huge dose of reality, between the stresses of class, work, classandwork....it really feels overwhelming. We serve a mighty God who is able to help us in immeasureable ways. what a blessing. It is a weird thought, trusting one human to be faithful to you forever and serve you, and doing the same in return.
   This semester, please pray that the Lord will teach us, that He would sustain us, and that in everything our faith, our passion, our hope will be in the LORD, not each other, not things of this world. It is only in His presence that we are strong. Only here are we energized, motivated. Only here can we love each other and do our best. Pray that we would be here in the presence of our Lord everyday, all day.