People Are Watching

I read this morning a great thought from Pastor Greg Laurie out in California. Be blessed, but be challenged…

People Are Watching

A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.





— Proverbs 14:25

Every Christian has a story to tell of what God has done for them, a personal testimony. People can challenge what you believe, but they cannot deny the impact Jesus Christ has made on your life. Make no mistake about it: it is a profound witness for God when people see your life radically changing after you have made a commitment to Christ.We need to recognize that as Christians, we are constantly being watched. When people find out you are a believer, they are going to start watching you. The first time you open your briefcase and take out your Bible, the first time you bow your head to pray for your meal, people will be watching you. They want to see if you practice what you preach. They want to see whether you are legitimate, whether you are the real thing.Now if you are, then it will drive them crazy. Nothing torments an unbeliever more than a changed life and consistency. But if they find hypocrisy and shortcomings and inconsistency in your life, they can conveniently hang their unbelief and doubt on those things.I came to put my faith in Jesus Christ because of the consistent witness of a group of Christians on my high school campus. They really lived their faith. They had smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. They intrigued me. They interested me. I found them consistent. And it was that very consistency that drew me to a Christian meeting. No one invited me. I went by myself, and I gave my life to Christ.We as Christians are representatives of the Most High God. It does matter what impression we make on others, because we are being watched.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Camey's Testimony

My Testimony
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Camey Joy Armstrong and I was born in the mountains of Guatemala, November 14, 1981 in a small village called Penal. I was the sixth child of Rita and Jesús Molina Milian; and as far as I know, the pregnancy was normal until I saw the light of the world. As I drew my first breath and cried, it was a shock to my parents to see that I was born with a birth defect known as a bilateral clef palette and clef lip.
Because of the bilateral cleft lip (which means, no upper lip) I was unable to nurse. Within a couple of agonizing days of trying to keep me alive, my parents knew that I was going to die if they did not find help. Out of love, Jesús, my father, walked down a mountain 130 kilometers cradling me in his arms to Guatemala City where he would try to find help. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors told my father that they could not help me and ultimately I would die, as Jesús did not have enough money to perform the surgery. The doctors sent Jesús away with a no hope for my survival. Jesús, overcome with sadness, began to weep for this little life he held in his arms. It was at this point that two men approached Jesús sitting on the curb and asked him why he was crying. As Jesús pulled the blanket away from my face, it was easy for the two strangers to see the problem.
The two strangers told Jesús of an orphanage called Casa Guatemala in which children with medical needs are sent to other countries around the world to have the surgeries or medical treatments performed and then returned to their home. It took so much love and encouragement for Jesús to give me to the orphanage, but he did it to save my life. I lived in the orphanage for approximately two months, and then I was sent on an airplane to Washington State. I was sent to live with a foster family named Rea and Judi Thompson. After visiting with the doctors, Rea and Judi discovered this process was going to take many years. My foster parents traveled to Guatemala a few times to meet my biological parents and to make a long story short, Rea and Judi fell in love with me and later received permission from Jesús and Rita to adopt me. It took twelve years for my adoption to become complete.
Since I was a little girl, I loved music. My adoptive father was a pastor and any chance I had, I would be on the platform singing. One time while traveling from Dallas to Houston (to supposedly complete the adoption papers) I was in the back seat singing away. My mom asked, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Oh, nothing, just talking with the Lord.” She replied, “Oh, really, what did He say?” I told her that He told me I was going to sing around the world for Him. She smiled and said, “That’s wonderful!” Although, for a five year old who is difficult to understand, and had been told that she would have to have tubes in her ears and possibly have speech problems for the rest of her life, it took a lot of faith for a mother to believe what the Lord had just told her five-year-old daughter.
I have had more than twenty major surgeries and a few minor surgeries. But with the faith of my family, friends, and my doctors, I have come a long way. God has blessed me with a voice that I know has come from Him. I was told that I was going to sing all over the world for Him and I believe His promise is being fulfilled in my life today. I have traveled to some parts of the world including Australia, Singapore and am planning on going more places for His glory. I give thanks to my parents who have been there and lifted me up to believe in myself.

Christ's Body, Our Body

This Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. As we gather for this wonderful time, here is a great reflection from Henri Nouwen, and I hope you reflect on this thought this week before we gather. It is also my desire that we prepare in advance for the gathering of God’s family. When we do that, times like this past Sunday easy take place in the environment of the Holy Spirit.

Christ's Body, Our BodyWhen we gather for the Eucharist we gather in the Name of Jesus, who is calling us together to remember his death and resurrection in the breaking of the bread. There he is truly among us. "Where two or three meet in my name," he says, "I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20).The presence of Jesus among us and in the gifts of bread and wine are the same presence. As we recognise Jesus in the breaking of the bread, we recognise him also in our brothers and sisters. As we give one another the bread, saying: "This is the Body of Christ," we give ourselves to each other saying: "We are the Body of Christ." It is one and the same giving, it is one and the same body, it is one and the same Christ.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Sharing my week with you...

Hey all, if you didn’t see Saturday’s article about my “blog” on the internet, please know that weekly I do my best to share the deepest devotional thoughts that are running around in my head (the other things in my head are more confusing than the Yankee locker room!). You can receive these blogs by simply emailing info@btmcallen.com, or Barbara@btmcallen.com. This week, along with my thought on Our Lord’s Supper, I would like to share this story from Sylvia Reinmiller, a woman who is a hero of mine, and whose husband, Otis is a saint I look forward to see in heaven. Her story is incredible. BT is a collection of stories, and if you have a story of God’s protection, faithfulness, and blessings you would like to share, please email me at Trevor@btmcallen.com. I would love to share that with our family. I love you and look forward to this weekend already.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Right with God

Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.





— Job 14:5

The Bible says our days are numbered, which means there is a day coming (we don't know when) when we are out of here. We can worry about that, or we can simply trust that God knows when that day is. It doesn't mean we take foolish chances or put our lives at risk unnecessarily. But it does mean we recognize the fact that our lives belong to God. They are in His hands.This is a very comforting thought, because it means that until God is finished with us, nothing will happen to us. That's great to know. But it also means when our number is up, it is up. When that day comes, there is nothing we can do to turn the clock back.So what are we to do? As Christians, to live is Christ and to die is gain, as the apostle Paul says (see Philippians 1:21). So we should thank God for each new day, thank Him for the opportunities He provides, for the blessings He gives us, and for our family and friends. Then we should be available and willing to serve Him in whatever plans He has for us.God values you. He loves you. But if death came for you today, would you be ready? If not, you would face a certain judgment. That is the last thing God wants to happen to you. That is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross and shed His blood for every sin you have ever committed.Only the person who says, "To live is Christ" can then say, "To die is gain." That is a person whose soul is right with God.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com