And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html Lance Christopher: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:23 -0700 Gardnerville, Nevada: Saturday night! http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/gardnerville_nevada_saturday_night Saturday was a blast!


Thank you Gabi and Forrest for making us feel so welcome, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gabi :)


Kaeli sang 15 songs in two sets and sounded lovely as always!


Several times she gave me chill bumps, as she sang with emotion.


I wrapped it up with "I Believe You Do", and then we had us a good ol' fashioned jam with Forrest rockin' out with power chords, and Rachel strumming away on acoustic guitar...  some blues, some rock, some praise tunes, and all FUN!


Having my beautiful family there was precious.


Seeing my Mama's beautful face as she enjoyed the show, is something I will never forget.


It was truly a GREAT time for all present!


Praise God!!!

]]> http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/gardnerville_nevada_saturday_night Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:23 -0700 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog Bishop, Ca http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/bishop_ca Sunday morning was wonderful!


The folks at Oasis of Grace Foursquare were so supportive and loving!


Monday night was a beautiful experience as well!


Michelle and I are so proud of how Kaeli Anne ministered :)


A big thanks to Dave Tackett, my incredible inlaws Ken and Roberta Wilder, and the precious believers at Oasis of Grace!!!


Hopefully next time we can see Pastors Chris and Deedee :D

]]> http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/bishop_ca Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:54:50 -0800 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog TOUGHER THAN HELL http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/tougher_than_hell Lance Christopher: RE-CONSTRUCTION


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TOUGHER THAN HELL

My Grandpa Ivan was a "man's man". He was an outdoorsman whose skills in hunting and fishing were unmatched among his peers.


What he lacked in stature, he made up for in grit.


Unafraid to go to blows with any man, he was proud and wiry strong.

My uncle summed him up in a thick, resonant voice - a voice like his father's, "Boy, your grandpa was tougher than hell."


I knew then and know now that in the world of men where grandpa walked, this was how he was viewed.

As lung cancer (he was a lifelong smoker) cruelly sapped the life from him, he made peace with his Saviour.


In the end through the grace of God, he really was "tougher than hell".


He went to be with the Lord in his fifties.

With his favorite song, "Amen Jesus", playing in his heart, he crossed over to the wilds of heaven.

I was a preteen then.


Disillusioned with my grandpa's death, I thought God had turned His back on us.


Not long after, I turned my back on God... But that is another story.

To be "tougher than hell"?

I wanted it then.

You know what?

I want it now, though I understand it a little differently than I used to.


In truth, there is only one man in all of history who really was "tougher than hell".


The Scriptures tell us that Jesus having disarmed principalities and powers, made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them (Col. 2:15).


Furthermore, during His earthly walk, He suffered every temptation known to man and never gave in.


That is pretty "tough".


Then He chose to die in our place, taking on the sin of all of us and enduring the cross, all it's shame and horror, because He loved us.


That is, mathematically, "toughness" to the infinite power.


He defeated hell.


He was and is "tougher than hell", and His scars and what is written in Scripture faithfully attest to this fact.

Here is the cool part...


Now, through Him - His strength and authority graciously imparted to us - we too can become participants in this truth.


Matthew 16:18 says, "...I (Jesus) will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

His Church is called to walk in His victory (that's all of us who by faith call Jesus Lord).


It is His power in us that makes us "tougher than hell".

However, count on this.


True toughness, the kind that prevails over hell and its forces, often goes unrecognized by society at large.

CLICK TO LISTEN TO TOUGHER THAN HELL

It finds its source in a bona fide relationship with God, requiring personal sacrifices - sacrifices made in the secret places of our lives.


No cheering crowds... No kudos... No "atta' boys"...


Maybe not on earth, but that's okay... Heaven knows!

Are you "tougher than hell"?

You never will be without radical dependence on God.

Allow His strength, found in the secret place of relationship with Him, to be your strength and you will simply BE tougher than hell.

Sick and tired of a lifeless message without sacrifice?

There is no bloodless cross.

Go ahead... Get bloody.


Your brother,

Lance Christopher Watkins

]]> http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/tougher_than_hell Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:46:49 -0800 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog I AM YOUR BROKEN HEART http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/i_am_your_broken_heart I have been involved with music most of my life, but I have to admit that my beautiful daughter Kaeli Anne Moriah has injected new joy into my musical endeavors! 


I have stretched out and tried my hand at directing a music video, hers to be exact : )


We did the whole project on a true "shoestring", but even on a "shoestring", St. Pete's beach is AMAZING!


Please watch the video and let me know what you think!



 













 


Kaeli ANNE Moriah | 




 

]]> http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/i_am_your_broken_heart Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:13:24 -0800 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog Jesus Needed Help? http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/jesus_needed_help "Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus." Luke 23:26

Jesus, the One who commanded His followers to take up their cross and follow Him, was so torn from the horrors of His scourging that He could not continue to carry His own cross.

Let that sink in for a moment...

The Almighty God allowed Himself to be so abused for you and me that the weight of the cross became too much for Him.

Jesus needed help.

The Roman soldiers pulled a man from the crowd, Simon a Cyrenian, from Africa.

Then they roughly laid the cross, already soaked with Jesus' blood, on his back.

Simon had to carry Jesus' cross!

...And I complain about mine :-(

Jesus still had to make the sacrifice, for the cross was still His, yet the lessons in this agonizingly weak moment are central to the Christian walk.

1) If Jesus needed help to carry His cross, how foolish and proud must I be to believe that I can carry my cross alone.

2) At times, the cross WILL be too heavy for me. This is the very reason that the Word directs me to walk with others in Christian community, bearing one another's burdens.

3) Whatever my cross, I need to realize that my time of weakness and need is an opportunity for someone else's strength and abundance to become an eternal reward for them.

It is important to recognize that God the Father provided the help that Jesus received - He was really the source.

God loves to partner with people like you and me in blessing others, but we must not look to people first!

Therefore, if your cross has fallen from your back and you just can't go on, make sure you cry out to God before you do anything else.

BEFORE all else fails... PRAY!

Honestly pour out you heart to Him.

Throw out your preconceived idea about how the help will come.

Then ask others to pray for you and your help will arrive!

Think about it... God brought Simon all the way from Africa to Israel just to carry someone else's cross for a little while.

Pretty cool, huh?

God's help for you will likely come in a surprising package.

Remember, however, that it is still your cross.

Thank God for His help, but never lose sight of the fact that we take up our cross in order to die to selfishness.

Then, be prayerfully open for opportunities to help someone else carry their cross.

You might just find that God will give you even more strength as you joyfully serve!

Your brother,

Lance

]]> http://lancechristopher.net/blog.html/jesus_needed_help Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:27:35 -0800 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9a - Lance Christopher - Blog