My Christmas Prayer

Christmas. It is upon us.

For some people it is stressful- all the money spent on "stuff" that really they couldn't afford.
For others it is loneliness- a depressing time of year because of loved ones no longer here, or because of brokenness.
For some, it is just a commercial: Santa Clause and children.
For others it is another day of hunger, with no job and no financial support for their family.

What is Christmas to you? How does it affect you? And most of all, how do YOU affect Christmas?

I think that Christmas should start with CHRIST... just like the word Christmas. My prayer this Christmas is that the world will start their CHRISTmas with Christ and let Him take their cares and give them rest.

The message of Christ as a baby in a manger is the greatest event in the History of the world. Without this tiny baby being born, we have no "way" to have a relationship with our Creator. Jesus gave up His heavenly place beside God to come down to earth and be born of a poor young girl, betrothed to a Carpenter. Not born in a palace, but in a stable among animals. God's plan to bring us into relationship with Him once again started with the birth of this baby- God's own Son. Jesus's death and resurrection paved the "way"to commune with God, and He forever intercedes in prayer for us daily.

Jesus came to bring peace to the world, and teach love to all of us. To heal the broken hearted, and give hope to the down trodden.

My Christmas prayer is that CHRIST in your Christmas will penetrate your heart like never before. That love will overflow from Him to you, from me to you, and from you to OTHERS, as He has commanded us to love one another as He loves us.

God Bless each of you on this glorious Christmas and know that you are loved deeply by Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: Love is a VERB, not a noun...

10/19/2009 6:56:26 PM

(Please notice the date as this post was written 2 years ago. I have since met a wonderful person and am very much in love.)

Last Sunday, as they announced what the new series of sermons would be on, I quickly thought of going to visit some other churches for a few Sundays... The new series was going to be "how to stay in love (forever)".With my recent situation, I really did not want any part of hearing about being in love, falling in love, or staying in love. I had that BAD taste in my mouth about relationship love, and just really wanted to skip it.... weeeelllll God thought otherwise. He was quick to tell me while I was sitting there, that I would be coming to hear this series as He had MUCH to say to me...MUCH!!! I then decided to keep an open mind. It certainly could not hurt as everything, so far in my past relationships, has not worked- why not give HIS method a try.

So, I showed up today, eager to hear what I did not think could be diffferent than what I have seen, heard, experienced, or read about before in the last 25 years of being in love and having relationships, but, as usual, God always has something to give me/us in His own time, and it of course was meant to be today.

One thing that I really like about Lovers Lane United Methodist is they have multiple Pastors, and they give some of the Associate Pastors what I would call "pulpit time". The Youth Pastor, Grant, is Leading this Series on "Staying in Love (forever)" and he did a good job today on this first of the series.

One statistic that Grant gave today was that there are over 1500 organizations that will take your profile information to help you find a relationship with someone with a similar profile, but Grant stated that we don't want just to BE in a relationship, and we don't want to just SURVIVE through the years with someone -  we want to BE IN LOVE!!

Most of us know at least one couple that have been together for 30 or maybe even 40 years, and are still in love!! Yes, those couples do exist... but HOW?

Grant stated that the following is what experts say is needed for one to have a healthy relationship: encouragement, respect, affection, support, attention. That is the short list but you get the picture. It is no wonder that there are so many that cannot have successful relationships when they never got any of these growing up in their families, or from their surrounding environment. How can you give these things if you don't possess them for yourself and have never received them from others?? We get into a realtionship and demand these things because we were deprived of them either in our youth or our past relationship, and then we blame the one we have now for what we have lacked before them.

Our culture has become low tolerance for pain in relationships...example: we think we have found the RIGHT person and we fall in love, but then when times gets hard, it is easier to say "well i don't FEEL that I love her anymore" so we just find the next person that we feel is the RIGHT person that makes us FEEL that way again.

Then Grant blew me out of my chair by saying this... "Learning to BECOME the RIGHT person is part of the process as is CHOOSING the RIGHT person".

"Love", my friends, in this context is a VERB, not a noun. In John 13:34 Jesus said "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another.." this "Love" that Jesus is talking about is action!! It is active!! It is not a subject or a person, place, or thing... it is MOVING, giving, sharing, helping, caring, touching, actively showing another person LOVE.

In your relationship right now, Are you loving her/him?? ARE YOU ACTIVELY LOVING? I learned today that Love is not something I am in or a state of mind... it is something I DO.

The foundation of making a relationship work is making LOVE a verb- making it something we do!

Ephesians 5:21 Paul said " Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ". Submit here is speaking of "mutual submission". If two people that love each other in a relationship can have "mutual submission" towards each other, then that is what Jesus considers love. Mutual submission was explained by Grant as making the other person the priority and then THAT person making THEM the priority... it then becomes a selfless love that examples itself after the way God loves us- WE are HIS priority... He is always going to do the right thing by us, for us, because we are His and He LOVES us... unconditionally.

Are you willing to learn to BECOME the right person for your spouse? Are you actively loving your mate?

Raise your tolerance of pain and submit mutually to your loved one.

FatherGod, only You know what is in our hearts. Only You know what is going on with each person reading this right now, and what relationship problems they could be facing... I pray that You would touch each heart with these words and shine Your light on a path to give them the peace they are searching for.. We know that lessons learned help us to grow. Teach us Lord how to Love as YOU actively Love us, daily and without fail. And I thank you for these things that you taught me today. May it root in my heart so I do not forget it.

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: Come and See/Right Where I am

Come and See/Right where I am....

10/13/2009 10:30:51 PM

I have two themes to talk about.... two things that rose up in the message on Sunday morning and bit me so hard, right to the bone! I can't just share one, they are both very important... both very strong... both very needed.

The actual title of the message Sunday was "Come and See". This is described in John chapter 1 when Jesus meets His first disciples. Actually, they were disciples of John the Baptist, but in verse 35, John says "Look, the Lamb of God" and by John's word, His two disciples began to follow Jesus. Jesus saw them following Him and asked them "What do you want?" and they replied "Rabbi, where are you staying?" and Jesus replied "Come and See", and they went and saw where He stayed and spent the day with Him. A few passages later, Andrew who was one of the two disciples went and got his brother Simon and said "We have found the Messiah", and he brought him to Jesus.

Come and See! ... We all get excited when we have new good stuff to tell our family and friends right? We love sharing positive, uplifting things that will bring happiness to someone else??? Right?? That is what Andrew did when He found out that Jesus was the One... he went and got one of His loved ones and brought him to Jesus: literally!

Come and See! ... Jesus was bringing and inviting everyone into His life while on this earth. I know that a lot of non-Christians and some Christians feel like religious people try to separate themselves from non-believers, just like the Pharisees did back in Jesus' day… but guess what? Jesus IMMERSED Himself with everyone: the unclean, the disabled, the outcasts... He even TOUCHED them physically when healing them. He didn't have to! He could have easily not touched anyone and kept His distance to do His miracles... but that was not what He was here to do...

Jesus says "Come and See" for whatever you are looking for, He will give it to you....

He is the Rock of Salvation, and I would like to say to all of my friends "Come and See" what Christ is doing in me. See what He has to offer you, and you will not go away empty, but full like a river that is overflowing.

The next message that was impressed upon me was on missionaries.  Now, I have been a Baptist for about 40 years now, and trust me when I say that I know what Missionaries are and have heard many great stories of foreign missionaries abroad and even people here in the States that do mission work, but Pastor Shante' defined “Missionary” differently than when I was younger. She said Missionary means "to send". A Missionary is someone who tries to persuade others to accept or join something such as a belief, a cause, or a movement. The message here that the Pastor was trying to convey was that I am a Missionary "Right Where I am"

I spoke in my very first blog about how I felt God was telling me to start in my own back yard by telling my friends about Him... well friends, He is still telling me that by the sound of this message... He is not asking me to go join the Peace Corp, to move to a Foreign Country mission, or even to join something local here in Rocketown that is part of a group. He is asking me to be willing to be "sent" among His people- among you, and among anyone else that I associate with...that makes ME a missionary.

One thing that I thought very significant was said... the bible says "For God SO loved THE WORLD" As a believer, I am to be IN the world, because that is where His children are that need Him... so…. not trying to hide out from anyone... if you want me, want to talk, would like to hang out, I am here as your friend. Right here...

Not a Fan Series:Week 3- "The Comfortable Cross"

Today's message was given by Pastor Shante' Buckley, and it is the third week of the "Not a Fan" series that has really been one of THE best sermon series that I have heard at LLUMC. Since I did not blog the first two weeks of the series, I will give a short summation of the first two parts of the series. Most of the quotes and notes that I have in this blog are directly from Pastor Shante's message to be accredited.

The series is based on one scripture, Luke 9:23:

Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me."

The first week in the series we learned that a fan was defined as "an enthusiastic admirer". Jesus never called us to be fans, but to be followers. We learned that fans don't have to "sacrifice", but followers do. Then the questions were asked "why we are here?" Why were there so many people hanging out with Jesus? Was it for what he could do for them? For the "show" of signs and miracles he performed? If so, these people were fans....

Pastor Shante' also challenged us in week 1 by asking "are you all in?" There are so many non-committed Christians in the churches. She used an example of a "flexitarian" which is a vegetarian that sometimes eats meat. Are we flexitarians when it comes to following Christ? And lastly in week one, Pastor Shante' asked "have you made it your own?" In other words, is your walk with Jesus yours personally: not your mother's religion, or your spouse's relationship with Him.

Week 2 emphasized Luke 9:23 on the single word "Anyone". Pastor Shante' spoke of University requirements and criteria to be accepted. Also, that in Jesus' day, Rabbi's had students that followed them that came from certain families, and held certain standards. Not just "anyone" could be a student of a Rabbi ....... but Jesus changed all of that. Even Jesus' pick of his disciples were random. "Anyone means Everyone." There are no qualifications, no prerequesits. "Following will not cost you anything, but it does cost you everything."

Finally, to catch up to today's message in week 3, Pastor Shante' started the sermon with a pic on the video screen of Jesus sitting next to a man on a bench in modern day times saying to him "No, I'm not talking about Twitter, I literally want you to follow me." It was a picture that was being passed around on email that she wanted to share that I thought was very appropriate for our modern day techno world to ponder upon..... including myself. Just yesterday, I was challenged by my girlfriend on how much time I spend on my phone Facebooking, Sports-tapping, ebaying, texting, and emailing instead of engaging with her in conversation, reading, or just being in the moment with her. I have found myself on more than one occasion being defensive of my socialistic nature and being "in the know". Little did I realize that being on my phone so much could be part of my "comfortable" existence. During today's sermon, I realized that my girlfriend is right. God showed me alot of things in Pastor Shante's sermon today about being "comfortable" that challenged me.

Pastor Shante' said that the word "comfort" is described as a state of ease and quiet enjoyment free from worry or trouble. We all strive to be comfortable, but there is a danger on being too comfortable as a Christian. She talked about how we like to come to church, sit in our normal comfortable seat, get our donuts and coffee, and we are "comfortable". Even the Pastor's sometimes make the sermons comfortable.

The part of Luke 9:23 this week that is emphasized is "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS".

Followers:
1 Deny Self- as followers, we must deny ourself and put others needs and the cause of Christ before our own needs.
2. Die to Self- Following Jesus MUST be a priority. Where does following Jesus rank in your life? Fans occasionally root for another team. A follower never gives up, even when times are tough.
3. Follow Jesus.

The cross, prior to Jesus' death and Resurrection, has been the symbol of weakness and death. It was something people looked upon with fear and gloom. Jesus' death and resurrection transformed the symbol of the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:18 says "The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God."

God takes what is foolish and demeaning, and uses it to show the power of salvation! It became a symbol of grace. What once was felt as condemnation, pain and death, now has hope and healing.

This is the part of the message that got to my heart, and I hope it does to yours. What God did for the cross, God can do for YOU! God took a symbol of weakness and gave it strength.

1 Corinthians 1:27 says "Instead God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful."

He chose the cross BECAUSE of it's weakness! God uses the weak all through the Bible. Pastor Shante' used a great term for these people, and for all of us that are used by Him: Imperfect misfits. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." Verse 10, Paul speaking, continues to say "That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Our culture today does not like weakness. But Followers know there is no forgiveness without repentance...... no life without death......

This leaves us with just one thing to ask our Creator: Do for me Lord, what you did for the cross.

Father-God, thank you for showing us the true meaning of being a follower of your Son Jesus. Thank you for this revealing message on what the cross truly means and how it is the symbol of what was weak used to show Your power of salvation. Teach us how to take up our cross daily and follow you and not be a fan just through the comfortable times in life. Through our weakness, your strength be evident.

Amen

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: The Breaking of Bread , and How to get"leftovers"...

The Breaking of Bread, and How to get "leftovers"...

10/4/2009 10:04:53 PM

Today is World Communion Day. I knew today's service would be special as we would take communion in Remembrance of what Christ did for us; however the message that the Spirit brought to me was even more than that.

The scripture was found in I Corinthians 11:23 that speaks of Jesus receiving the bread, giving thanks for the bread, and then breaking the bread. So, in that we see that Jesus received the bread as a gift, and it is a gift from God. He then thanked God for the gift as God is the giver of all gifts, and sometimes is forgotten as such. Jesus then broke the bread to share it with His disciples.

In this message we learn that we all have a gift to receive, and it is from God. In receiving this gift, we need to always remember to give thanks to the one who gave it to us- God. And, as much as WE received this gift, we must generously SHARE this gift with others. Most messages I have heard on Communion is more on the Bread symbolizing Christ's body and the drink, His Blood.  This morning was a new perspective that made me realize that those of us that have this gift which is given to us by God which is Jesus; we need to give thanks OFTEN to the Gift Giver- God Himself. We should not be hoarders, but should generously share whatever we have been blessed with to others, including the gift of Life that has been given to us through Jesus Christ.

Another part of the message that I heard today, was found in Mark 8:1-21. This was the story of Jesus feeding the 4,000. Feeding that many with only seven loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish. The story goes on to say that after He fed them, there were seven baskets of pieces left over. After this, Jesus and His disciples got in a boat and set sail. While on the boat, the disciples began to argue and grumble because they had only brought one of the loaves of bread. Jesus then began to ask them why they were arguing, as if to say "Are you kidding me?? Am I not in the boat with you?? Did you not just see me feed over 4,000 people with only seven loaves?? Do you still not get it??"

I know I sometimes (actually a lot of times) know that Jesus is in the boat with me, yet I worry, and I question, and put myself in situations when He is right there to take care of my every need. It is a matter of if I will just open my heart to Him. Jesus is MORE than enough of what we need in our lives. God promises that if we will make HIS priorities, OUR priorities that He will rain Manna down from the heavens on us - enough to have LEFTOVERS! Those are the kind of leftovers we need.

Thank you God for your Son who is in the boat with us... Remind us to remember to be thankful to you, the giver of all gifts and to others who give to us from their hearts. Make my priorities, YOUR priorities and rain your love down on me and let me overflow into others lives who need You.

Amen

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: He loves us and there's nothing we can do about it...

He loves us and there's nothing we can do about it...

9/27/2009 8:00:12 PM

The message I heard today was from more than one “Messenger”.  I heard it a second time when I got home from church by Joyce Meyer who was speaking on the same topic - Love.

The series that we are on is the Christian Mysteries of Why? Today was "Why Christian Living?" The scripture that was read was I John 5:1-3 that speaks of Loving God and if we Love God we will love His children as well. It goes on to say that love for God is to obey His commands, and His commands are not burdensome.

Mark 12:28 says that a teacher of the Law asked Jesus "of all of the commandments, which one is the most important?" I did not know until today that the Torah, which made up the first 5 books of the bible, consisted of 613 laws that the people lived by. There was always great debate among the teachers and priests of which laws were more important than others. When Jesus was asked this by this teacher, He quoted the familiar law from Deuteronomy 6:4 that says to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. But then Jesus added the Leviticus law that said to Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

In short- God commands us to Love... That is the whole concept and meaning of the Bible as it stands anyway, but it brought a new meaning to me today.

The way it was explained is that:

1. God loves us. He has from the beginning and there is nothing we can do about it. We need to just receive His love.

2. Once we receive His love for us, we then will begin to learn how to love Him with all that we have and all that we are.

3. We need to love ourselves- do what is best for us and take care of ourselves to be able to do what is needed to live and love on this earth.

4. In being loved by God, and loving Him with all we are, we in turn can begin loving ourselves. Then we can love His children and reach out and show love that He has shown us. Many may not or possibly will not, get this kind of love from anyone other THAN us that have been blessed with this type of love.

Receiving God's Love is sometimes hard- we don't think we deserve it; there could be a catch to it.

God's love is called Agape love, love that is without condition.

To be a Disciple of Christ, you must love and be loved.

When we become His followers, we cannot help but love Him, ourselves, and others if our Heart has truly made a transformation.

A statement the Pastor made near the end made an impact on the rest of my day. She said "God cannot love you anymore than He loves you in this moment."

Friends, that means every moment…. of every minute… of every day.

No matter what...

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: Get Rid of the Corpse!

Get Rid of the Corpse!

9/20/2009 8:49:47 PM

It seems every Sunday sermon the last four weeks has been directed at me. Today the message was on "Why Baptism?" in our series called Christian Mysteries. The long and short of it was that we get Baptized because of three main reasons: 1. Jesus was Baptized and wants us to follow His example, 2. He commands us to be Baptized, and 3. He commands us to go out into the world and Baptize.

Now for the get-to-me part... and I am quite sure there are more than just me that this applies to which is the main reason I am writing this tonight. Baptism represents death, burial, and resurrection. The message I received today is I must daily die to self...MY self... and ensure that it is God on the throne and not me..next, I need to bury the corpse- all the stuff that brings me down or tempts me to dwell in my sin. I need to get rid of those things in my life, whether they are material things, thoughts, texts, photos... they need to be buried so not to distract my walk with Christ. Next will come the resurrection, which will only happen if we die daily and bury the corpse...

This was a strong message to me as I tend to hang on to things of my past that have nothing to do with my now nor my future. It is like I want to keep some things around to continue to bring me pain, or pour salt on almost healed wounds. That is so not healthy for me or for anyone else.

I am going to bury some of my corpses I have hanging around, and I hope you will look around you, and into your heart, and see that being Baptized means being immersed not just in water, but in Living Water- the Holy Spirit. We cannot immerse ourselves in the Spirit if we keep holding on to our Corpse!

Father God, help me to remember that You are on the Throne, and that my ways have not and will not work, but You have a plan and a path for me. Give me the strength to get rid of my Corpse so that I may be resurrected and immersed in Your Spirit. I thank You for the message You gave me today and pray that ones that may read this will be blessed because of it.

Amen.

The "Real" Social Network-Group and Living Social, the Power of Learning other languages

Sunday, August 21st, Pastor Shaunte' delivered the message of the last of the "Real" Social Network Series at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. These are the notes I took from her incredible sermon at the Crosswalk service.

Pastor Shante' began by saying that we were created to be "in community". As much as we want all people to be in church worshipping as we are on Sundays, people don't have to "walk" in those doors to receive a message of hope. The question arose: Are we using the social network to our advantage?

Matthew 9:9 says "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him." The word "follow" is in the Bible 86 times. A Disciple is defined as a follower, a learner, or a pupil. When you become a Disciple of Christ you begin to know who you are and what you are to do with your life.

Pastor Shante' gave a couple of points on this:

1. You will find a need and meet it. Luke 10:33-37 is the story of the good Samaritan. If you have never read it, you should. It is a story Jesus tells to His disciples to let them know they should be as the Samaritan by saying "Go and do likewise" (verse 37). The Pastor mentioned that we are not really "bad" people, but that we tend to be "too busy" hence the priest and the Levi in this story.

2. You will find a hurt and heal it. Matthew 9:35 says "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness."

3. You will do a bunch of things Christ calls you to do that won't fit neatly in these points. John 10:27 says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

What are you doing as a Christ follower?

Pastor Shante' said this at the end of her message: Before you tweet, Facebook, or post anything in your social media again, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is what I am about to share promoting God and His love?
2. Will it promote love to other people?

Father, thank you for this modern day series that was given to us through your messengers. May what is read here be carved on our hearts to serve you better and make us more aware of how to love others. Continue growing in our hearts and minds and help us to be mindful as the Samaritan. We need your grace and loving kindness daily in our lives. In your Son's precious name.

Amen

The "Real" Social Network- The Power of the Crowd

The Real Social Network series started the previous Sunday which I missed, but part two of three was on August 14th. "The Power of the Crowd" message was given by Kay DeBlance who is the Pastor of Discipleship at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. Below is her message from the notes I took that Sunday. Kay was definitely tuned in to what modern day Christians need to hear about modern day social networking.

As I began to take notes on this sermon that Sunday morning, I noticed that my pen was almost out of ink. It almost became a distraction to me as I was listening to Kay and then trying to concentrate on writing words. I bore down so at least an imprint was made for me to see it. I chuckled at the thought of Satan's poor attempt to have me give up and not take notes so I could not post this blog. He KNOWS the terrible memory that I have.

Kay started out her message with talking about the Power of Crowds in our history. The Nazi's, the Mob, and gangs just to name a few of those. The main "Crowd" she spoke about was the Israelites that were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years: 40,000 people waiting to go into the land God had promised them. God had called upon Joshua and gave him His plan on how to defeat Jericho and that if he would do exactly as God said, the "power of the crowd" would reign supreme! The crowd's power enabled them to succeed at what God wanted them to accomplish, and the walls of Jericho came down because the Israelites were in one accord with what God had asked them to do.

Kay brought up some great thoughts on how alot of us tend to not "engage" ourselves in person to person social contact on a regualr basis. Could it be because modern technology has made it easier to hide behind a so-called "screen"? Many of us spend so much time texting, tweeting, Facebooking, emailing, etc., that we forget about the real live person that sits next to us on the public transit, at a seminar, or even at church before and/or after service. She said that we sometimes can be present with people without being "present". We get so preoccupied with our "online" friends and networks that we tune out the people that are in our "presence".

Matthew 18:20 says "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them." Jesus knew that there is power in crowds. Many times He stayed among the crowds because He wanted to "engage" with as many people as He could. Jesus was put to death by a crowd. And then after His resurrection, He told His disciples to "get out of this little room" and go and preach the gospel to all nations, and make disciples. That there would be "power" where two or three were gathered together!

I'm not sure what your "social media" and personal social skills are, so maybe ask yourself these questions:

Do I tend to spend more time "hiding behind a screen" than being "present" with people face to face?

Am I aware that God needs me to be "present" with people because someone may need me?

Isolating ourselves from the "real" social network is not what God had in mind for us. Reach out in person and feel God's power and love in the midst.....

Lord God, thank you for this message from Kay, and teach us to be "present" with others in a way that will give glory to You. Help us to understand the power that You have given us as believers and as the body of Christ to help, serve, and love others that need more of You. 

Amen

Recovered from Windows Live Spaces: Rocketown- the meaning

9/20/2009 1:44:05 AM

I want to welcome all to my first blog. I have anticipated this moment for the last couple of weeks, and now it's here. This website is very special to me, because honestly, it is not intended to point the spotlight in my direction, or make me feel as though I am anyone of real importance...

I am merely a messenger... and I live in Rocketown.

Rocketown is a song by Michael W. Smith, a Christian singer songwriter that I saw in concert in 1984 in Oklahoma City. It was his solo debut the night I saw him, and he was the opening act for Amy Grant. He was her keyboard player, but that night I knew he was much more than that. He was an anointed musician of God that would eventually touch thousands upon thousands of lives with his music...including mine.

The song Rocketown is on his album titled "The Big Picture" released in 1986. One of the best Contemporary Christian Albums ever recorded. Track # 5 was Rocketown... First of all the music of the song is incredible, and the story is no less than intriguing... I asked God weeks ago when I first thought of writing a blog and having a website, what would I name it? What would catch my friends and others on the technology highway's attention to check out what I might have to share with them? I kept coming back to this song from 23 years ago...

Why?

Earlier this year, I began to experience a series of traumatic events. Throughout this time, God brought someone back into my life that I had not seen or spoken to in over 25 years. I know now that God timed that reunion perfectly to set me on a path that I now see, I was destined to take. This friend of my past walked close to the Lord, and reminded me of how close I once was to Him and how they remember specific things of my walk with Him. Through each traumatic problem that then came throughout this year, I found myself seeking God again and finding peace only through Him in the midst of my turmoil...

It has felt like I have walked through fire in the last 3 months. But just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the fiery furnace, Jesus came down and walked with me through my fires, and I was not consumed by the burning flames, but left unharmed, safe with His arms wrapped around me as if to never let me go...

So many of my friends have told me in the last several weeks that God has a plan for me... and little by little, I feel He is revealing it to me... there are so many that I know, and don't know for that matter, that walk through fires daily that don't know of the loving arms that long to reach out and shelter them from their fires and from their storms... He has given us free will to choose... I choose Him that shed His blood that I might have life and love overflowing...

I encourage you, if you do not know the song "Rocketown" by Michael W. Smith, go- listen and hear the message...

God has told me to start in my own backyard... and to me that is Rocketown.

Getting Past your Past Series Part I: Breaking the Labels that Bind

Today was a start of a new series at Crosswalk. One I really felt afterwards everyone should have heard. Pastor Shante's words today touched many lives. I could feel it all around me that people were really listening. Why? Because she was talking right to the heart of alot of peoples problems- the past, and the labels we put on others as well as ourselves. Bear with me as I write out my notes to you, many direct quotes, from Pastor Shaunte's message as it spoke to my heart today.

First let's talk about the past. Everyone has a past. Some would prefer to forget theirs, or at least alot of things in it. Pastor Shante' brought up about how others used to describe us in our past, and even, how we thought of ourselves back then. As we look in the Bible, so many people in that day were not always what they wanted to be. They were not always walking God's path perfectly. In fact some led very ungodly lives before they found the God of Israel, or before they met Jesus. They were much like we are today. We're born, we grow, we learn, we grow, we make some good, some bad choices, we learn, we grow, we try to control our own lives, we learn, we grow.... and then one day, some of us, like them, realized that we couldn't do it on our own. That we needed God to guide us and direct us. Therefore, what our past has done is not "define" us, but it has brought us to this moment, this "time" that God will use to change our lives and our future forever.

We all label each other and label ourselves. Pastor Shante' gave us many examples of labeling and the negative impact that it has on our society. Think about the negative labels in your life. How some of them have followed you from your past until now. The passage Pastor Shante' stressed on this thought is II Corinthians 5:17. She read it in the NLT version that says:

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

One of the things this verse is saying is the past is broken..... the sin is broken. God's power is bigger than your past! God's truth about you is bigger than any current or past truth about you!

SO, now we have a new life! But what about all those past negative labels?? What if we still feel our past haunting us?? What if we are feeling as if we have no direction in our life?? 

Pastor Shante' then gave us three things that God will give us once we turn our life over to Him... our old life for a new one.

1. God will give you a new name.

The passage we read concerning this was Isaiah 62:2:

"The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord's own mouth."

There were many examples given of people in the Old and New testament that received new names from God or Jesus after their conversion of giving their life and believing God's truth. Jacob was named Israel after wrestling with the Lord, Simon became Peter after proclaiming to Jesus that He was the Messiah. Both of these men's names were changed as their lives changed in their encounter with God. The change in the name does not change us 100%, but God helps us "grow" into our new name. We just have to believe what God says that we are!

2. God will give you a new purpose.

Jesus didn't just change Simon's name, He gave him a new purpose. As Simon, he was a fisherman. He too had some negative labels that followed him from his past. But Jesus saw through that. He told Simon (who he renamed Peter) he would begin catching men instead of fish. And then later told him that He would build his church on Him- and called him the Rock. Even when Peter denied knowing Jesus 3 times the night they arrested Jesus, Jesus forgave Peter after the resurrection. This is an example of how we can still get off track, like Peter. Lose sight of the path that God has us on. But Peter was used by God in many ways, just as we can be used.  

The power of Christ is greater than any label....

3. God will give you a new future.

I love this statement. Because I know that it's true. God has given me a new future. One that glorifies Him, and that is what I was created for. The person that Pastor Shante' wanted us to read about concerning this was Rahab. Most of the time she was known as Rahab the prostitiute.This was quoted many times in the bible. However, Rahab eventually found God and gave her life over to Him. Her past was broken! God gave her a husband and a new future! Her future? Well, if you look at the generations of her grandchildren, the fifth generation was a baby named Jesus.

"Do not insult God with your "faithlessness" of what God can do for you"- Pastor Shante' Buckley

Are you letting your past control your present and future? Are you caught up in labeling people or labeling yourself? Do you want a new purpose and a new future? God can give you both.... and He is the only one who can.

Lord, speak to the hearts that are reading this today. Thank you for giving Pastor Shaunte' such a powerful message that all need to hear, right here, right now. May your Spirit move in a way to cause someone to take action towards you. To lay down whatever it is that is in between You and them. May their past become only their past, and may their present and future be what You provide for them. Change our names Lord. Change them to be conquerors over evil, selfishness, and hate. Change them to be Warriors of Love and kindness. Seekers of truth and wisdom. Give us purpose, and change our future to serve and care for each other as You care for us... thank you for this word, and thank you for your Son.

Amen

Made New series: Part 2 - Puzzle Piece

Today was a special Sunday for me. A day that I will remember as a corner turned, or a new chapter that begins in my life. This Sunday I became a member of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. Part of a family of God that truly loves people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It has been a long road of prayer and seeking God's will in my life that has brought me to this point. But I know in my heart, this is where God wants me to make myself available to His service, and I am humbled for the opportunity to serve with such loving people.

The message today was given to us by Pastor Shante'. So what I write today are from the notes I took from her sermon, and some are direct quotes from the Pastor. I knew in the first few minutes of her preaching, I would be blogging today. What an important message to me, as a new member of this church, and a great message to all of us that are Christ followers. Pastor Shante' has been preaching on the passage in Revelation 21 the last two

weeks. God is speaking to John about making all things new at the end of the world as we know it.

Revelation 21:3-5 says "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." And the One sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true."

There were some old pieces of stained glass at the church that was put on display in our sanctuary today. They had been broken, dirty and put in a storage room until this week. These pieces were taken by someone who cleaned them up, polished them, restored their original beauty, and then put them on display with lights shining behind them to make them even more beautiful. Pastor Shante' was quick to point out to us that our God does not throw us away when we are broken and beat up like a piece of junk. She said that when broken and beat up junk is put in the hands of someone with a vision, it can be renewed and restored.

We see ourselves as useless, but God see's ourselves as "priceless".

The next passage of scripture we read was I Corinthians 12:12. It reads, "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ." As we walked into the sanctuary this morning, we were all given a puzzle piece. Just one. At this point in the sermon, the Pastor asked us to get out our puzzle pieces and look at them- to compare them to the person's sitting next to us. No two puzzle pieces were/are alike..... the same is true in the body of Christ. Each one of us is different. Different in circumstances, different stories of our lives..... However, each one of us is needed as a puzzle piece to create the "whole picture"- the picture of God's love. Every piece of the puzzle is important and is needed.

I have heard many people say in my life that they can believe in God and not go to church, and not have to be involved in any small group or ministry. Pastor Shante' made a great modern illustration for this: how can you say you are part of the body of Christ as a believer but not be involved in some way. It's like saying you are a Mav's basketball player but you never play in any of the games.... you don't know any of the other team members..... you never come to practice.... you don't know the coach..... so how is it that you are actually a part of the Mav's team?

We are called to do "life together". We can do so much more together than we can alone. Everyone has a place in this puzzle, and every piece is important to show the world the picture of the Love of Christ. Sometimes the pieces have to be moved around to get the right fit, and that's ok..... The important thing is to be like minded in the renewal and restoration that God has for us and let God's dream define us, and not ours.

I am so thankful to be a "piece" of the puzzle in the body of Christ. I take my puzzle piece today and will put it somewhere to remind me that I am important in the completion of the picture of God's love and salvation to the world.

Do you need to be renewed? Do you need to be restored from your brokeness? Take the broken pieces of your life to Jesus. Ask Him to put you back together, and to help you moving forward. Put Him in charge of your worries and sorrows and allow Him to give you rest.

Father, I ask that you deliver those that are depressed, that are burnt out, that feel that they have no one to turn to. They have you Lord, but they will only know that if someone tells them - if someone reaches out and helps them. God, show your followers the importance of a family as a body of believers. Help them know that many can do what one may not can do, and that old broken pieces put together with other broken pieces becomes a beautiful piece with Your renewal and restoration for our lives.

Teach us Lord, that being a piece of the puzzle means You need us in the game-rappin' with the other players- practicing for the big games- and listening to the Coach. Thank you for your Son as I ask these things in His name.

Amen.

Practical Atheist Series: Part I "I believe in God, but I don't fear Him"

A new series began today at Crosswalk called "Practical Atheist". Pastor Kay DeBlance gave the message on how 94% of Americans say they believe in God. That is a huge chunk of people in this United States wouldn't you say? However, how is it that so many people "believe" in God, yet we still have so much crime, homeless, divorce, etc. There are some of these "believers" that could be known as "practical atheists".

Pastor Kay defined a practical atheist as "someone who believes in God, but lives as if God doesn't exist".

The scripture that was referenced was 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  Paul was speaking to Timothy saying "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." That list sounds pretty familiar in the world today from where I stand. These are actions that have destroyed our world- people living as if God doesn't exist.

Another practical atheist could be called a  "cafeteria Christian". Pastor Kay gave us the image of Luby's and waiting in line to "pick" whatever we wanted to eat. There is always food we definitely want to pick, and some that we don't want. These people treat their Christianity in this way. They say "yes, I'll have some grace- uh no, I don't want judgement. And yes, I'll take prosperity... no, I'll pass on the generosity."

If we are to be called believers in the Creator of the Universe, the One who came to die for our sins to redeem us eternally, the One we call upon when our life isn't going the way we want it to- we need to be obedient to everything God asks of us and thankful for what He freely gives us. The ending to this cafeteria imagery is at the end of the line, you do have to pay.

A practical atheist does not fear God because they don't "know" God. The closer we walk with God, the more we study His Word and get to know Him, the more we are in awe of who He is and fear Him.

Pastor Kay spoke of two things when we truly fear God:

1."We will serve him wholeheartedly without any conditions". The scripture referenced was Genesis chapter 22 where God told Abraham to take Isaac his son up to the mountain and sacrifice him. It was pointed out that verse 3 of this chapter states that "early the next morning" Abraham got up. I found it interesting that Abraham did not procrastinate, or make an excuse to not go the very next day etc.. but got up early. He was obedient... without condition. And Abraham did exactly as God asked and laid his son down and was about to kill him. Then in verse 12 God said "Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God..."

2. You will be forever ruined.
What a strange thing to be.... ruined.... I look at this in two ways, one way as Pastor Kay described it, and one way of my own personal experience. The funny part about both ways is they are completely opposite, however if one way had not happened, the other way may not have either.

In my own personal experience, before I came back to Christ in 2009, I felt that my life was in ruin- financially bankrupt, broken relationship, depression. I felt ruined. Trying to run my life "my" way. Putting so much of my "stuff" in front of God and making people and money my idols. But Pastor Kay spoke of a "ruined " that has changed my thought process. She referenced Isaiah 6 where Isaiah saw the Lord. And it says:

"In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Isaiah 6:1-5.

Isaiah knew that as soon as he saw the Lord, that everything he had ever known in his past, or had ever done did not matter anymore. I can only speak for myself, but when I gave my life back to Jesus in 2009, and came into His presence and received His joy, love, and peace for my life- I was ruined.... I never looked back. I chalk it all up to I was "there" to get me "here". He ruined me, and I will never be the same.

Are you a cafeteria Christian? Picking and choosing what you want from God, and leaving everything else He asks or has for you behind? Do you fear God? Not in the sense to be afraid or scared of Him, but to be in awe of who He is as Creator, Savior, Father, and the Holiest of Holies.

Has Jesus "ruined" your life? In the sense that once He gets hold of your heart, nothing else matters but to serve and praise Him for who He is?
....Allow Him to. Open your heart and get ruined.

Father-God, I thank you for this message given to your church by Pastor Kay. I thank you for those that are receiving it now, that it may penetrate their hearts and minds to want to be "ruined" by your love. Speak to each person where they are, right now, and reveal to them the awe of who You are.

In Jesus' name I pray this,

Amen

Words That Matter to God Series: Part 1- INTEGRITY

We started a new sermon series today called "Words That Matter to God". There will be three parts to this series and three words that the Pastor will be focusing on. I am not going to give you alot of fluff for an introduction on this post, I just want to get started on it.

The Pastor started the message with a question "Who are you?" Who are we to our family? Our spouse? Our children? In front of our coworkers? And then who are we when no one is looking? Think about that for a minute...... when we are alone, no one around, what do we think about? What do we do? Are we projecting the same image of us by ourselves as we are in public? For some of us, there is a small gap between who we are in private and who we are to others, or in public, and for some the gap is huge.

The passage of scripture that was used today was in Revelation 3:1 from the New Living Translation. Jesus is speaking to the church, "....I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive- but you are dead." The church here believed in God and in Christ, but they were not living a life of "active faith". Therefore, regardless of their belief- their "reputation" of being believers- to God they were as "dead" because they did not do as they said they did or act as they said they acted when they were away from others.

God is more concerned about our INTEGRITY than our reputation.

INTEGRITY was described as honesty, being free from deception, the condition of being "undivided". The best way I heard it described today was that INTEGRITY is deciding to fuse together the heart values into our daily actions. Notice the word "deciding" . We don't luck into or fall into INTEGRITY, we decide on it! It is a decision we make everyday, all day long.

Proverbs 28:6 in the NASB version says "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich".

The example that was given to us today on INTEGRITY was David. David, who was an anointed musician, a great military leader, and a great man of God whose heart God loved. However, in II Samuel, chapters 11 and 12 is the story of how even God's beloved David lost his INTEGRITY. He lusted after a married woman, slept with her, impregnated her, and then tried to cover it up by having her husband killed. This is the one sentence version of this, but you should read these chapters in Samuel to get the full meaning of what this important story of INTEGRITY teaches us.

In Revelation chapter 3 where we were reading earlier, there is another verse that Jesus continues His talk to the church. He says in verse 2 "Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.."

There are things we need to "wake up" in our lives. Some of us need to wake up financially. Stop living beyond our means, pay off some of our debt and be more responsible with our money. Some of us need to wake up in our relationships with others. Our spouses, our children, our coworkers. And then some of us need to wake up in our morality. To get back to what is "right".
We simply need to stop pretending to be someone we aren't in front of others. How do we fuse our hearts and our actions? How do we become the same person all the time and not divided like a Jekyll and Hyde? In these verses that we read in Revelation, it tells us:

First: we need to WAKE UP- this means to recognize and acknowledge to ourselves, and to God, that we have been putting more stock in our reputation than our INTEGRITY. That we desire to be the same person in the light that we are in the dark.

Second: we need to "strengthen what we have left". We cannot change what has been done in our past, but we can "decide" that starting today, starting now, to have an active faith in the One who loves us, and love everyone around us, including ourselves, as Jesus commanded us.

Third: The last verse in Revelation 3 that was read today was verse 3. It says, "Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again.." Jesus is simply asking us to repent and turn back to Him. So many of us feel that what we have done or how we are living could never be forgiven, or that it is too late, that too much has been said and done..... my dear friends, it is never too late with God.

Are you divided? Are you in need of waking up areas in your life that have gone to sleep or seem dead? Jesus is only a prayer away, and He simply wants you to turn to Him for help. Let Him bear your burden and give you peace.

Father, thank you for the open hearts that are reading this word from you. Thank you for your messenger that opened my own heart today to receive it, and in turn has given it to those You have gathered here right now. Help us Lord to make INTEGRITY matter more to us as it means so much to You. Help us to seek out those things which keep us pretending and give them to YOU to handle. Wake us up in our day to day decisions to make good choices, right choices, that please You.

In your Son's name we pray,
Amen

Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer?

The sermon today was given by Rev. Shaunte' Buckley at Crosswalk service at LLUMC. It was one that pierced my heart, and totally blog worthy. Rev. Shaunte' is so anointed by God, and her message was one for ALL to hear. Far be it from me to keep this vital information to myself....

The sermon series is called "Why?" and this is the second week of the series. Today's message was on Prayer. More specifically, why God doesn't answer prayer, or why God doesn't answer some prayers, or even MORE specifically why He doesn't answer my/your prayers. I want to share with you my notes that I took on the sermon, and the scripture that the Rev. gave on this VERY common question that we ask from time to time: Why doesn't God answer my prayers?

The first scripture we looked at today was Psalm 10:1."God, are you avoiding me? Where are you when I need you?" (The Message) This was David praying to God, so even in the Bible, people prayed as if God did not hear their prayers.

Some of the things that were pointed out about prayer is that we think of it or use it for something that it isn't.
For example:

Prayer is not magic. We don't just need something, pray about it and expect it to happen when we want it and how we want it.

Prayer is not like a vending machine. We don't ask God for something and think all we have to do is press some buttons and it instantly is given to us.

Prayer is not a weapon to be used to hurt others.

Examples of what prayer is:
Prayer is relational. This means that prayer was meant to be a way for us to communicate with God, and Him with us.

Prayer is a lifestyle. It is a major part of an intimate relationship that God longs for us to have with Him daily as part of who we are.

Ok, so now we know some examples of what prayer is and is not, let's ask the question.... and state some reasons:

Why doesn't God answer my prayer/prayers?

1. Because we have a broken relationship. This broken relationship could be with a family member, a friend, your spouse- anyone. In Mark 11:24-25, Jesus says "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." (NLT) Maybe the broken relationship is with God Himself. There is a barrier there between you and Him, whether it has been there for years or just lately.

2. Because you don't really believe God will answer your prayers. There is a big difference in believing God can answer and God will answer.  Matthew 9:27-30 says "After Jesus left the girl's home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting,"Son of David, have mercy on us!" They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do." Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen" Then their eyes were opened, and they could see!" (NLT) This shows us that God responds to our faith.

3. Because God has something better for you. Maybe that is why He says no. Or maybe that is why He says not yet. Sometimes He even says are you kidding me? And then other times He is just .... silent. I John 5:14-15 says "And we are confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. And since we know He hears us when we make our requests, we also know that He will give us what we ask for." (NLT)

If we will think in terms of God being a BIG God, not a medium sized God, but the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God that is the Alpha and Omega, the God that knows us even before the world was formed.... THAT God has a will and a way that is more amazing and bigger than any will that you or I have for our lives.

Maybe God says no to our prayer because He is trying to develop something in us. Sometimes, God's no is better than His yes. We need to learn to give God the right to say no to us. If we don't, we could end up angry and frustrated alot with our prayer life. Prayer is about surrendering what we want, to what God wants for us.

I want to end this with one more passage of scripture that Rev. Shaunte' talked about. It is found in the book of Daniel. The story of the three Hebrews that refused to bow down to the statue the King made, knowing they would be thrown into a fiery furnace if they did not bow. The King told them he would give them one more chance to bow down, and if they again refused, they would immediately be thrown into the blazing furnace. And what god would be able to rescue them from his power. Daniel 3:16-18 says, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if He doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." We still need to believe my friends even when God doesn't answer our prayers

So, let me ask you.....
How BIG is God to you?
How BIG is your faith that God can respond to?
How much time do you spend with Him in prayer intimately seeking His will for your life. Asking Him what He wants to give you, and not steering your own will or wants.

Father, I pray earnestly that everyone reading this today will have a better understanding of why things concerning prayer can go unanswered. I pray that your Word that was read here tonight will give us conviction of the daily intimatcy we have communicating with You. That we will believe and trust in You even when you are silent, tell us to wait or even say no. Make prayer a lifestyle in us. Thank you for each lesson learned by answered and unanswered prayers...

Amen