Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in A.J. Hammerforge's LiveJournal:

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Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004
9:23 pm	Consummata Est CORE13 is over! What a ride God took us on. I am so thankful for all of you that could attend. I dont have anything really to say other than this verse Galations 2 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. He died for us. Live for Him. A servant of Christ -hammer (Comment on this)
Monday, May 31st, 2004
3:39 pm	Weekly Update Howdie Folks! Every Monday Night at 7pm at my house. Call me or email me for directions. Dinner at 7:00 Worship around 8:00 and we end around 9:00ish. Even if you cannot or dont want to stay for the bible study, I hope you can come for the fellowship and food! We love and pray for all of you! with the Love of Christ Jesus -hammer (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 20th, 2004
2:21 pm	SUMMER BIBLE STUDY!!! Howdie folks! Here is the deal on the summer bible study thats happening in Norcross. It will be Mondays at 7pm. I hope that dinner will be provided, but in the very least snacks and drinks. After food comes some praise and worship with our very own D-Funk the Magnificent (Dominic Bruno), and MC HammerTime (me). We will then procede to the good stuff! We will be studying the Gospel of Mark. It is going to be a blast. Games!, Singing!, Jesus!, Food!, Jesus!, and did I mention FOOD!!!!!!!! I hope and pray that all can come, and drop me a line or an email ifin you're interested! -In Christ Jesus who Arose -hammer (Comment on this)
Monday, April 5th, 2004
7:19 am	Christs Compassion Howdie folks. Semester is boiling down, and its go time! w00 w00! Have a great week! Mark 8 During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance. Christ had compassion on these four thousand people, and he then performed a miracle and fed all of them by blessing, breaking and multiplying the little food they had. Jesus came to earth as God for us, but he did not come to do miracles. In fact, Jesus tried to avoid them because he came to teach us. He did miracles because he was merciful, and when we repent, God is ALWAYS merciful, (Jonah and Nineveh, Moses and his sons, ect.) These miracles distracted from what Jesus had to say, and often times he told people not to repeat what he had done for them, because it always created a crowd of sick of body. Jesus came for the sick of heart as well as the sick of body. A friend of mine once said this to me, "I bet if God would just do one undeniable miracle in front of everyone, we would all just fall down and be his." Well, God led the Israelites out of Egypt, split a sea, drowned Pharos army, and led Israel through the desert in a pillar of clouds in the day, and fire by night. And one day, in the desert, the Israelites made a golden calf and said this is the God that brought us out of Egypt. And they sinned around that idol, standing literally in the presence of God. Miracles are when God has mercy or compassion for us. The important stuff is his word!! in Christ Jesus -hammer (Comment on this)
Friday, March 5th, 2004
1:49 pm	Seek first Howdie folks! Way long time! I pray for ya'll and hope ya'll are doin super duper. Im just peachy cause the weather is very lovely outside. If you havent seen The Passion yet, go see it. On to the show. Matthew 6:25-34 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. This is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. We are told not to worry about things in our life because God will provide. Trust in God to provide what you need, through your hard work and his infinite power. What will worrying about all this stuff we do and collect here on earth do? Nothing! It definitely wont make you a bit happier, nor will it provide anything you need. Well, Jesus said that God will provide, so we shouldn’t work hard right? God will provide everything? No way folks, that’s a pansy human argument. Colossians 3:23-25 says, "23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." "10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." Ecclesiastes 9:10. The previous passages say to work hard at what ever you do, because you should be serving the Lord in whatever you do! Serve God and your needs will be met in his plan (remember this is HIS world and HIS plan, we just screw it up). Last weekend at a retreat in Gatlinburg Tennessee, I was in this little small group deal with some folks who had been missionaries all over the place. We did this little exercise that ended up with a piece of paper saying this, “God can do more with Andy Hammer dead than Andy Hammer can do with Andy Hammer alive.” This is so true. You belong to God, one way or another, you’re his. All creation is his, and God takes care of his creation, and since we are his best creation, why shouldn’t he take care of us!!! In verse 30 Jesus says "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not clothe you, O you of little faith?" Remember, with our God, you will always be OK in the END. Work hard and on earth you will get what God intends for you! But know this, sometimes you will not have everything you need. Sometimes you will be cold, hungry and in danger. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 "8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." Ya’ll, this is not a perfect world. We are here and abide by some of its rules, like gravity and the fact that eating lots of cookies makes you fat. *pats belly affectionately* This world is tough. There are so many things that are beyond our control, and we have to accept that. But we can control ourselves, and to an extent manipulate our surroundings. Work your hardest, and trust that God has your back, and know his plan sometimes involves pain, suffering and death. Remember, God can do more with you DEAD than you can do ALIVE! a servent of The Christ hammer (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 25th, 2004
12:16 am	The Passion of the Christ As I sit here with the sharp hint of tears still fresh in my eyes I can come to no conclusions. Theres nothing but racing thoughts and emotions tearing through my mind. I will not talk to you about the movie unless you have seen it. So go see it. You're all adults and can handle what The Passion has to show. Do not by any means make an excuse not to see this movie. Do not make excuses. Go see this movie. a son of the almighty God hammer (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 22nd, 2004
10:42 pm	The Passion of the Christ Howdie folks, The Passion of the Christ comes out this Ash Wednesday. Im seeing it tuesday night. Go see this movie. Go see this movie. Go see this movie. If not to just understand more what Christians believe go see this movie. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
10:47 pm	Another People Howdie folks! It’s been long overdue that I have typed here again, mostly due to me being a lazy college kid. Up and coming soon will be the movie "The Passion", and I hope you're as psyched as I am. If you're not, get psyched!! It is going to be an experience, and I hope ya'll see it and I pray it is as good as it looks. Exodus 1:8-14 "8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." This story began in Exodus, when God told Jacob to take all he had and travel to Egypt where God told Jacob that he would become a great nation. They became a great people, but they were a people without a nation. When they became numerous the Pharaoh of Egypt grew fearful and had the Israelites put into slavery. Ya'll have heard the rest of the story. Moses, plagues, Red Sea, wandering around the desert, and so on, until one day a long time later, 40 years and then some, Israel gets home. Their situation was not unlike our own present situation. We are just waiting to go home. 1 Peter 2:11-12 says "11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Peter wrote this three other times in this book alone. This world is not our home, and we are told here to not get comfortable. All this "stuff" we have on this earth is doomed to dust, so why should we make things our concern? They are temporary and flighty. We are told here to abstain from sinful desires, which will war against your soul. We abstain from sinful desire because it conflicts with what God wants. These things on earth that seem right to us, but they lead only to death (Romans 6:20-22). So sinful desire leads to death. If you are living in sin I pray that you will repent, which means say "im sorry God" and then STOP SINNING <--- very key part. I know we are gonna screw up, I do all the time, and it is foolish to think otherwise, but the difference is that we come back to God and say we are sorry. We were bought at a very dear price, the son of God (Jesus/God himself). I thought previously that I had understood the crucifixion. I thought I had understood the pain. Last Sunday proved me wrong. In a 90 second clip of The Passion showing beatings and a beaten Jesus, I suddenly realized how wrong I was. There no a way to describe it, but if you haven’t seen the preview check it out here. (Copy/paste) http://www.cinemovies.fr/cinetv/cinetv3.php?IDfilm=1298&IDBA=2383&typba=quicktime&run=haute%20res. I hope you watched the preview; maybe the price will then become a bit more real. Anyways. 1 Corinthians 6 "19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." We belong to God, we are his and that is why he made us. He has a better place waiting for us and we should look forward to that. Jesus said there are many mansions waiting for us in heaven (John 14:2 KJV). The Israelites had something to look forward to when they had no home, and we have something wonderful to look forward to also! the least of God's servants hammertime (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 29th, 2004
1:39 pm	Why are we here? Glory to God! Howdie folks, I hope you had a great weekend/week (honest injin, when i started this it was the weekend), and if not, chin up and put your trust in the Lord and everything will eventually be OK. Anyway, I myself used to wonder the above question, stuff like " 'Why am I here?' 'What possible reasons should I exist?' or a silly statement like 'I didn’t ask to exist!'". Philosophers and religious men have pondered these questions and still haven’t exhausted the limits of human reason on the matter, but to little avail I think. These are all very good questions, and there are many man-proclaimed answers out there. ‘Self-help' books that claim to have the answers and diets and meditations and yogas and yogurts and all sorts of things that claim similar answers. I wont recommend that any of you read these self-help books that do not have spiritual influence because they will focus on the now and the here, instead of Whom and the What. More on Whom and What later. I came upon a little quote in Romans as I was reading "Purpose Driven Life", which although the latest fad-book (woe is me to follow the crowd), it is a fad-book for a reason, more on this later. Anyways here is the verse. (Derived partially from Isaiah 40 and Job 41). 33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" 35"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. So as you look at this what do you see? Well this is a one way conversation so I’ll tell you what I see. I see two parts. Part 1, verses 33-35, and Part 2 verse 36. Lez break it downa now! Paul is quoting scripture from Isaiah in part 1 here. No one and/or nothing has ever given God any advice or given God anything that God should repay him/her/it for. It is basically saying 'Who can understand God!? He is 'the being that no greater can be conceived!', and we cannot possibly fathom the reasons why things happen, but know that they all happen for a good reason, even though we cannot comprehend this reason. His plan is infinite, ours usually stretches oh I’d say a few days in advance at best… mine usually to the next meal though. I find this fact extremely comforting, knowing that God has it all under control, even though I may not like it. So far we have basically said that God is almighty, which isn't anything new to us. But the next part you may not of thought about before, I know that I hadn't. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." You may of heard this in a church service or someplace else before. I know I have, but I think I’ve heard a lot of things before (hehe). I never really understood what this meant. The first part was understandable, basically God made everything, and everything exists through him. But I misunderstood the later part. "To him be the glory forever!" This seems a little bit vague to me even, so I looked up other translations... take a look at them. "36For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen." New Latin Translation "36For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." New King James Bible I think these translations are a little more clear and to the point. The NLT says "...everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore." Here is the Whom and What that I mentioned earlier. The Whom is God and the what is his Glory. We exist for the glory of God. That is What we were created for. God made everything for himself! He didn’t make you and me for company! He made us so we could glorify him! Isaiah 42:8 says "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to idols." God also knows how we as humans work because he made us. It was not by coincidence that we were made to be happiest when we are one with God, and initially, that’s how we were. Just hangin out in dah Garden-O-Eden playing nude volleyball on the balmy beaches of the Euphrates, chilling with God, naming all the animals (hippopotamus hahaha what a silly name), and generally just being so cool. Then yadayadayada Adam and Eve eat the fruit, ya'll know the story. So we lost that relationship with God, and instead of us glorifying him we gave him a big spiritual finger and said we gonna do it our way. Life got a bit harder then because we weren’t as we were intended to be. (wow what a sentence). OK! So we exist for God’s glory, how do we glorify God? Strive to be like Jesus Colossians 3:15 says to let Christ rule your heart. What does this mean? Does it mean no more drinking, cursing, sexing, lying and hanging out with women who do? Yes, but there is more to it than that. You’ve been forgiven and are set to go to heaven if you’ve accepted Jesus into your heart, but God wants so much more of you than that. God wants you to be like Jesus. It’s the difference from listening to the talk and walking the walk. It is easier to just listen to the talk and believe, but your life won’t change just listening. God wants you to take point and step out of your fear into his hands. Its fear that keeps us tied to sin, its fear of missing out on something, whether it be sex or getting high or drunk or any other fun things us ‘normal college kids’ enjoy so much. Again let me reiterate fellas and fellettas, God wants you to wait for sex. It is important to him, and do not go deceiving yourselves about it. Bill Clinton was a dirty liar on the subject and you know it. :-p. Honor God with your bodies, 1Corinthians 6:19 and 20 says, because you were bought at a great and terrible price. with God and his love, cause he is always right here anyways no matter what:) -hammertime (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 21st, 2004
3:04 pm	Everything you need I am sure that many of you have heard this song before, but I am not sure that you know that this song was written about God. (Christianity Today). "We are not a 'Christian band,' but I'm a Christian, and the bass player [Sergio] is a Christian," Jason told UCLA's Daily Bruin Online. Sorry ladies, this song was not written for you, but to express the love of God. And I sorry ladies, you will never be all someone needs (disapointing no?). I could go find some verses for you, but I think the song speaks for itself. Finally here once speak to me I want to feel you, I need to hear you You are the light that's leading me to the place Where I find peace again You are the strength that keeps me walking You are the hope that keeps me trusting You are the light to my soul You are my purpose You're everything and how can I stand here with you And not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better than this You calm the storms and you give me rest You hold me in your hands You won't let me fold You still my heart when you take my breath away Would you take me in take me deeper now And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better than this And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better than this Cause you're all I want, you're all I need You're everything.. everything You're all I want You're all I need You're everything.. everything You're all I want You're all I need You're everything.. everything You're all I want You're all I need Everything.. everything And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better than this And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better any better than this And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by it Would you tell me how could it be any better than this Would you tell me how could it be any better than this -Everything, No Name Face, Lifehouse (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 14th, 2004
7:31 pm	Brother Howdie folks! I finished up my readings in 1 and 2 Samuel, so I decided to start reading Hebrews. I found this and enjoyed it so. It brings forth a rather understated aspect of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Might be easier if you read the rest of chapter 2 to understand but I dont think its totally neccesssaryys. (i wissh i cud spel an tipe) Hebrews 2:9-18 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Although Jesus was God, he didn't come to earth in the form of a burning bush or whirlwind or have an angel sent. God came to earth in the form of a man, his son, named Jesus Christ. These verses say that Jesus was made a little lower than angels and was sent to earth, but still he had all the powers of God. (said a little earlier Heb 2:7+8) So, God came to earth with all his powers in the form of a man, his son. But wait theres more! Not only did God come to earth, he came to be our b r o t h e r. He didnt come to rule us, he came to have fellowship and friendship and kinship with us. Jesus... is like a fine wine, he gets better all the time. Not like a jar of mayonase though... those dont appriciate in value so much. in short. So far we know Jesus is our... God, King, Wonderful Counselor, Homie, and Brother, Father...(wierd father and brother) Ill find some more someday... anyway I hope all of you have a great long weekend. your servant in Christ Jesus hammer
Sunday, January 11th, 2004
10:23 pm	Time for school again! Im back at skool here at auburn. I hope all of you had a great Christmas break that was relaxing and happifying. My break made me fat and happy... mostly fat. :) A verse i came upon. 2 Corinthians 5 Our Heavenly Dwelling 1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, Your life here on earth is just a glimps compared to eternity. Do not store up riches here on earth, for they will do you no good. Instead, turn your life towards God's purpose and your riches in heaven will be immense. Must you live in a dumpster with a bible? No. Serve your family and others. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 1st, 2004
10:38 pm	Wonderful Counselor Hey guys, I hope ya'll are enjoying your Christmas break! I know I have been enjoying my break, so much so, that I have been a big slacker. No excuses. I should of posted more. But heres the latest idears from the ol think tank. The Wonderful Counselor “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This prophesy of the glorious reign of Christ came from Isaiah. It was written about 800 years before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah was warning Israel that they needed to change their ways or God was going to lay the smack down on them. The whole book of Isaiah is Isaiah laying his heart out to the people of Israel. This man is being stripped bear of all his strength. The entire book is filled with verses like 1:21 "See how the faithful city has become a harlot!” and 10:19 "By the wrath of the Lord Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will fuel the fire; no one will spare his brother." I found it easy to get lost in the oppressive subject at hand. But in the midst of all this darkness shines a beacon of hope. This popular verse is read across the nation at many Christmas Eve services and rightly so. But I want to focus on one thing. "...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor...". Jesus came to save us from our sins, and grant us eternal life. But his death and resurrection is not the end. Jesus is an ever present force in our lives. He is our friend, our leader, our Counselor. He’s a bit more than that too. God made us, so he knows exactly what will make us happy; being with him. God intended us to be with him, and we were. In the beginning, God, Adam and Eve were hanging out in the garden until Adam and Eve decided to mess everything up and eat the forbidden fruit. And BAM! here we are. So from Adam to Jesus, mankind was lacking that original Creator to created bond. We lacked a true relationship with God. The only possible relation was The Sovereign Lord to whiney, dirty human. The Jews of Jesus’ time viewed God as their Sovereign Lord and Mighty Wrathful God, and that was the closest God got to anyone, until Christ. After Jesus was crucified on the cross, we were able to have a personal relationship with God, through Jesus. Jesus became our mediator, our leader, our counselor. How is Jesus a counselor? I have been pondering and praying about this question for a week now, and have just began to see the answer. Jesus is a counselor in many ways. He showed to the world a perfect life that we should strive to succeed. So he through his actions, he counseled us in how to live our lives. To sum up his life of counseling read John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jesus, who is God incarnate in the form of his son, came and showed us many things, most in particular, love. With his love, he counsels our hearts, and through the Holy Spirit, he sways our actions. With Jesus’ death upon the cross, he became the great counselor between God and us. Jesus became the ambassador between God and us. When Jesus was crucified he hung up there for six hours. For the first three hours he suffered on the cross, then at the end of the third hour, darkness came over the land. For the next three hours Jesus saw and processed all our sins. He paid the toll that allowed us to ride on the superhighway of God straight up to heaven. Jesus stands between God and me as a counselor. Every time I mess up, and God is getting ready to smite me, Jesus says “I got it” to God, and all I have to do is ask forgiveness. but he also came so that we could be free and have life. In John 10:9 Jesus says "9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." I think I said enough, but anyways yaay baby Jesus. Holy cow! I think my cat just ate something because theres lots of potty language coming from upstairs. Anyways Yaay baby Jesus in Christ hammertime
Monday, December 15th, 2003
11:30 pm	God wants you! This verse was taped to the study room door, on the second floor of my dormitory. I really enjoyed it. 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." God loves you so much, that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, the Sovereign King, the Big Kahuna, is letting us call him Father! The verse does not end with "we should be called children of God!” it continues saying "And that is what we are!" Your heavenly Father is endlessly merciful, and wants you like a Father should. Since I am studying King David in 2 Samuel right now, let us consider the story of Absalom's rebellion against King David. Here is a much shortened version of the rebellion of Absalom. A while after David had been restored in to his throne, his son Absalom killed a man named Amnon (also a son of one of David's many wives), who had raped Tamar, Absalom's sister. That was a really confusing sentence, ill draw it out. Absalom = one of David's many sons, killed Amnon (same mother as Tamar) Amnon = one of David's many sons, raped Tamar (different mother than Tamar and Absalom) Tamar = Absalom's sister (same mother as Absalom) SO, after Absalom killed Amnon, he fled from Jerusalem to Geshur. For three years he stayed there and David mourned the loss of his son. Eventually, Absalom returns and is forgiven with open arms. Here comes the rebellion. Absalom then gathered himself a small group of people and a chariot, and stood outside the gates of Jerusalem and sweet talk people. After four years, Absalom began to win the hearts of the people. David and his crew flee, and Absalom is welcomed as King of Israel. David is heartbroken that his son would abandon and betray him. He is not angry, but spends his time weeping. Absalom pursues David/David's crew with his army. Prior to the battle of Mount Ephraim, David orders his men to "be gentle with the young man Absalom, for my sake." David does not want Absalom killed. The two armies meet and they fight, and the army of Israel was defeated by David's army. After the battle, David’s men find Absalom, with his head stuck in a tree (hahaha), and Joab kills him. When David hears the news he says "O my son! Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you - O Absalom, my son, my son!" Even though Absalom sinned greatly against David, he forgave him. Not only did he forgive him, he wanted him back. In John 10, Jesus compares us to sheep. He says "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.” That is exactly what he did. Jesus (God) came to us when we were lost. He came to us and laid down his life for a bunch of lost, dirty, mean sheep, and when he died, we could become clean. He was our sacrifice, like the sacrifices made in the tabernacle (Heb 9). Just as David forgave Absalom, God can forgive you. All you have to do is ask. Feel free to contact me at Hammeaj@auburn.edu or IM me at OOAndo1111 -your servant in Christ Jesus hammer
Monday, December 8th, 2003
8:52 pm	NEW RESPONSE STRING TO MAKE PERDY! Isaiah 53 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. A prophecy of Christ written in the 8th Century BC. One of many prophecies written long before the coming Messiah. with a Love in Christ -hammer (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 7th, 2003
2:16 pm	Faith of the Fallen, David to Ephesians Ephesians 2:1-5 "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." Look at verse three again. "3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. ..." We are gratifying the cravings on our sinful nature. We are naturally inclined to sin, and although we were not meant to be that way, we are sinful because of Adams fall. Not only are we naturally inclined to sin, we have the flaming arrows, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 6, of the evil one, refered to in the above passage as the ruler of the kingdom of air. Now, let us consider David, King of Israel and Judah after Saul and Jonathan were slain in battle. In my recent studies of 1 and 2 Samuel, I have come upon the story of King David and his fall from good standings with God. David was a righteous man, who had never sinned against God, but also David had served God his whole life. He slew Goliath, he spared Saul the king of Israel prior to himself, David asked God to allow him to build God a permanent temple and thus establishing the Davidic Covenant. David followed God's commands to the letter, and only compromised his relationship with God once in his life. Here is the summerized story of his fall. All of this occurred after David had established his kingdom in Jerusalem, previously in Judah. David was walking on the roof of his palace and he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful, and David asked someone what her name was. They told him that the bathing woman's name was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David had already numerous wives and concubines, so he was not short of pleasurable company. David sent word to Bathsheba, she came to him and the had sex, and committed adultery. Later, Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant. Instead of confessing his sin and admitting his guilt, David sends for Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba's husband, and tries to get him drunk and then have him sleep with Bathsheba. This does not work, so David has Uriah sent to the front lines of Ammonite-Syrian war. Uriah is killed and David thinks he is safe. To sum this up, David committed adultery and then by his orders in battle murdered Uriah with the sword of the Ammonites (Nathan's words to David). The prophet Nathan was sent by God to rebuke David. The child of David and Bathsheba was struck down by the Lord for their sin, and David repents of his sin and is forgiven. In that instant on the roof, David made one poor decision that would haunt him for a long time. Although not stated, I am sure that he was tempted by the Devil at that instant, he had two options. Send for Bathsheba and give into the fear that would not ever enjoy her company, or acknowledge that she was the wife of another man and off limits. David chose the path of sin, he made a compromise that ended in him having a man murdered. These "compromises" are the beginnings of sin. David did not want to compromise his relationship with God and fall from good standings, but he made a conscious decision to do so. He gave into the sinful nature, as put by Paul in Ephesians 2:3, and paid a great price for it, the loss of his child. David became for the first time in his life, a subject of God's righteous wrath. Before you accept Christ into your heart, you are in the same predicament king David was in. Up the creek with no paddle and a very angry God to reckon with. Why should God be angry with us? I have been asked before that "why should God be angry and wrathful, he made us, if he didn't want us to screw up, he would not of made us this way." God did not make us this way initially, and in the beginning he made mankind with a free choice to choose him. Adam and Eve did not choose him; instead they chose the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, here we are, objects of Gods wrath, and now as Christians we have the opportunity to choose God, choose him among a great number of presently appealing alternatives (sinful pleasure, drugs, homosexuality, whatever). These things will not be too appealing in the end though. David was made alive again in God after he admitted his guilt and repented his sins. Again David regained his standings with God, and after he married Bathsheba, they had a son who would become one of the most renowned kings of Israel, Solomon. Likewise, now you too can gain that right standing with God that was lost through sin. By accepting Christ into your heart you regain what was lost with Adam. Paul writes in Ephesians "4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved" God is all merciful and you have a lot of time here on earth to accept him. Honest to God (hehe), the best day of my life was when I accepted Christ into my heart. -your servant in Christ Jesus hammertime
Friday, December 5th, 2003
11:26 pm	Christ, Jonah, and Miraculous Signs? Howdie! I am glad and grateful again to be writing here. I hope, and hope does not disappoint me, that you get something out of this post. Matthew 12:38 "38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." 39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here." I bet a bunch of ya'll have heard the story of Jonah and the whale. I’ll summarize it for you again though. God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, a wicked sinful city, and preach against sin there. Jonah tries to run away from God, and boards a ship and tried to sail to the city Tarshish. On the way, God invokes a big ol’ storm and the crew decides its Jonah's fault. They toss him overboard after Jonah says that it is his fault and that the storm will calm when they throw him overboard. All the men on the boat make vows to God. So Jonahs in the water and is swallowed by a "Great Fish". The Greek word used here is not whale or great fish but "sea monster". Jonah is in the "sea monster" for three days and Jonah prays to God. God commands the fish to vomit Jonah up on dry land. Jonah is again told to go to Nineveh, and he does this time (hehe good choice). He goes and preaches, and all the people of Nineveh repent and see the error in their ways. Now on to the points. First off, I have heard someone say once that the story of Jonah is just a hyperbole to demonstrate God’s wrath or something like that, or that it is impossible to be swallowed by a whale. Read the above verses in Matthew again, Jesus believed Jonah was swallowed by a whale. So if Jesus believed it, I will too. When Jesus is asked to perform miraculous signs he responds saying “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for miraculous signs! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” This is a direct reference to Christ’s crucifixion, being dead for three days, and resurrection. Jesus also mentions signs and a wicked, adulterous generation. This is one of many references of “signs” in the context of wickedness. In Matthew 24:23-25 Jesus said in reference to the great tribulation, “23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.” Jesus is saying that just because someone can do powerful signs and speak great words does not mean they are empowered by God (Holy Spirit). In 2 John, John writes that there will be many deceivers who do preach that Jesus Christ was not what he said he was and died to be. John goes as far as to say that these people are the ‘antichrist’. (I want to touch on that word in a moment) John continues saying that you should not even listen to these people, nor let them into your house, for it is wickedness to do so. Anyway about the word ‘antichrist’ which, since the millennium has become a taboo word. John is not referring to the antichrist but to someone who is anti-Chirst or anti-Jesus. There is great heated debate about Revelations and the “Antichrist”, I personally do not know. I think that it is just one of those things, like predestination hehe, that we are not truly meant to fully know or understand. There are not answers for every question, just people who think there are. Thankyou for reading, I hope you have a greatweekend, I will try to post again soon. your servant in Christ Jesus, -hammer Lord I lift your name on high Lord I love to sing your praises I'm so glad your in my life I'm so glad you came to save us You came from heaven to earth To show the way from the earth to the cross My debt to pay from the cross to the grave from the grave to the sky Lord I lift your name on high Current Mood: chipper Current Music: hahah chipper thats funny
Thursday, December 4th, 2003
7:12 pm	RIP Dr. Chompers Sometime in the night Wednsday November 3rd or early in the morning Thursday November 4th, our beloved Dr. Chompers took that big float to the surface and died. His sudden death is under rigorous investigation. This is a tradgedy for those who knew him, and an even greater tradgedy for those who did not get the chance to meet this wonderful Beta. He was buried at sea and rests in the great septic ocean alone (except for some turds). He was buried with only a little known relative at his side. His master was not even their to flush the toilet and let the ebbing tides of the dark aquatic eternity take him down in a torrential maelstrom of porcelin and 1000 Flushes. But this is not a post of death, but a celebration of life. Named Chompers by his one finned brown of a mother, Chompers was the progeny of a secret love triangle between a Pink male named Pinky and a Blue and Green male named Pablo the Destroyer. Leaving his broken home at an early age he joined the Navy. Chompers' drive to succeed brought him to the rank of Corporal, a little known fact. Eventually, the drudgeries of Naval life began to wear at Chompers' air bladder, and he was honorable discharged and went on to further education. Chompers graduated at the top of his class with a PhD in Chomping. Thus Dr. Chompers. Somehow or another he ended up in a glass vase with a big plant in it. He was traded for this and that, but eventually ended up in the hands of his former Master, a Mr. Andrew Hammer. These were the best times of his life, and Dr. Chompers thrived in his aquatic home. His fins grew to mammoth proportion, and he became the biggest freakin beta on the planet. Rumored to weigh in at 5500 mg, Dr. Chompers was a sight to behold. The circumstances of his death are being investigated. A press leak indicated that five felines were retained, but then released with no charges pressed. But I guess, it was just his time to go. No foul play or murder. Anyway here is some responses to this tradgedy. CAnMarieS: OHH SADDDD :-( Bfj310: campbells is donating a can of soup to the homeless every time someone goes to their website and clicks on their favorite nfl team. it will take two seconds, so do it and help some people out. also forward this to everyone on your buddy list. www.chunky.com/click_for_cans.asp OOAndo1111: DR CHOMPRS IS DEAD GoldSnake3: who? OOAndo1111: my fish you bastard a joe 2: aaaHHHHHHHHHHHH a joe 2: you should come barry him next to mr phish OOAndo1111: dr chompers died OOAndo1111: went wel Loki591: :-( im sorry Loki591: um who is dr. chompers? Post your respects for our loved and lost Dr. Chompers Veni Vidi Rumini He came He saw He Bit RIP Dr. Chompers Current Mood: crushed (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2003
9:48 pm	1 Samuel 17 David and Goliath and Faith Hello! I have been reading 1 Samuel for myself in my devotional time each morning. I just wanted to share with ya'll what I have been reading. Previously, I had never actually read the story of David and Goliath nor did I even know where it was located in the Old Testement. I had heard it numerous times as many of you probably have too. It is too long of a story so I will sum it up. After Israel rejected God as their king and demanded a human king, Saul was enthroned over Israel. The Philistines and the Israelites were engaged in war, and the Philistines had a 9 foot tall giant hero whom no one would fight, Goliath was his name (go figure). So every day Goliath would taunt the Israelites and curse God. But still none of the Israelites would fight Goliath. This is where David comes in. David is the son of Jesse and a only a shepard boy. Jesse had eight sons, the three oldest were at war with the Philistines. One day, Jesse told david to take some food and wine to the three oldest who were fighting. David gets to the battlefield and sees that Goliath is defying God. David sees this, and being a righteous man says "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." (1Sam17:32). Saul, the King of Israel replies "You are not able to go out against this Philistine"... ect ect. David then responds by saying that he has slain lions and bears, and that God will deliver him from the hand of the Philistine. You all probably know the rest. David faces Goliath, and sinks a smooth stone into his forhead with a sling, then decapitates Goliath with his own sword. The Philistines are routed and Israel wins the day. Many of you have heard this story. It is a neat story where the underdog triumps, but it is also more than that. It is a testament to the immense power of faith. Alone, David was a mere shepard boy. Just a child, not many children can even take care of themselves, let alone slay a giant warrior. But through God's power David killed Goliath and eventually became the King of Israel! Later, King Solomon wrote many Psalms about having faith in God. The last response string I posted was Psalm 62 i think. "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." David's faith at the time was that God would deliver him, from the hands of Goliath, his enemy. Our faith now has changed little, other than now, our faith lies in Jesus Christ who was Crucified. Before Jesus was nailed to the cross, mankind was dead in sin. We were objects of God's wrath Eph 2:3, and were all dirty with sin. After Jesus died for us, our sin was washed away and we were made new in his name. All you have to do is believe that Jesus was God and he came to earth and he died for you and you have been cleaned and saved. Thats why he came. Jesus came for you. He came and died for everyone. <--- John 3:16 oh how often we quote thee! -thats all folks its bedtime... i might expand on this later;) -ps im looking for ppl who could perhaps proof read some stuff...give me ideas...it would be very spur of the moment and quick, so if you are interested message me? 00Ando1111 Hammeaj@auburn.edu -your servant in Jesus Christ hammer
12:04 am	Back! + NEW RESPONSE STRING! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I was so happy and thankful for all the stuff I got to eat, and that I got to spend a bunch of time with ya'll back home in the 'cross. I slacked off a bit over the break, but I hope to get into full swing again. I want to post a new response string. MAKE ME PURDY! Heres a cool Psalm I found Psalm 62 1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down- this leaning wall, this tottering fence? 4 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah 5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God [1] ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah 9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. 10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. I enjoyed the part about my rock and my salvation. And the bit about the fortress and how God loves you. Yaay God loves me! Even when I do stupid stuff! -Did you know that the bible calls us Saints? Saint hammer? -the least of the servants of Christ Jesus hammer (4 Comments |Comment on this)