That’s exactly what we’re trying to do here. We all have Monday’s but we seek to bear one another’s burdens and edify the body. It costs nothing to smile and most people smile back. We’re all in this together so chin up, chest out… have a Happy Monday! Continue reading
Live Webinar Featuring James Banks
RBC Ministries (the publishers of Our Daily Bread) are doing their first ever live webinar event “Prayer: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters.” The event will feature James Banks; check out James Banks .org for background and go here for more details and registration.
Happy Monday
The Read and Share File
It’s a short list, but I wanted to go ahead and share. Pay particular attention to the second entry.
Christians sometimes need to be careful when using our own lexicon of “Christianese” words that outsiders should not be expected to understand. Tim Challies warns us not to over-simply our vocabulary, pointing out the value in learning new terms. We are expected to grow, and that growth includes knowledge of God.
Mikey Weinstein is the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. He equates the sharing of the Gospel to spiritual rape and wants to see military chaplains court martialed for sharing it. Thanks to Loopy Loo for writing this article at Army of God. This article suggests any soldier, including chaplains, may be court martialed for sharing his faith.
They Called Him White Jesus
I listened to Bill Rieser speak this morning at a local prayer breakfast. Abandoned by his father at an early age, basketball became his life in east Harlem. Known in the neighborhood as “White Jesus” he knew nothing of the actual savior. While recovering from an injury and rehabilitating at Eastern Kentucky University he fell in love with a nice church girl. Despite natural talent, NBA stardom never happened for Bill due to his own attitude and a long series of bad decisions. While his story has elements of abandonment, sexual abuse, drug abuse and organized crime, it’s really a story of God’s love.
Bill Rieser has written two books, They Called Me White Jesus and Vertical Leap. In the video below he describes the premise of White Jesus, there are links beneath.
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National Day of Prayer
I’m posting this now so I can get up early. The Rome Area Prayer Breakfast is at 7 a.m. (that’s Rome, GA). New to me this year is an event to surround our local hospital with prayer. The goal is 500 believers. If you can’t find an organized event in your area, any place from which God can hear you will do.
Happy Monday
Yep, it’s that time of week again. Hopefully it’s nothing a few scripture posters and some funny animals can’t fix. Try to think of it as Post Sunday, Sunday 2.0, or maybe pre-Tuesday. And it that doesn’t work, have a Happy Monday!
Whom Shall I Fear?
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The one who goes before me, the one who stands behind is a reference to God leading Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness. He fought their battles for them; He defeated their enemies. God took a group of slaves without weapons or resources and made them a nation, in much the same way as Christians in 1 Peter. The one who reigns forever, he is a friend of mine should not be taken tritely. The maker of heaven and earth, the creator God that has ordained the events of history and in whose image we are made has called us his friends. Jesus told the disciples he was more than their master; they were his brothers in the faith and ultimately his friends.
Whom shall I fear? What is there to be afraid of? The people we worry about offending are created in the image of God but remain under his judgement unless they hear the Gospel and repent. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Rom 10:14) Sometimes people respond with arguments as if there is a debate to be won. We don’t have to win the debate. Arguing with the umpire about where the strike zone is will not change his call. The rules of the game were decided before hand and are not being made up as the it goes along. So it is with life. Heaven and hell are real places and God has decreed the standard or admittance. What are we afraid of? “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28)
God created the heavens and the earth, and all that lives on it. He establishes kings and kingdoms; Jesus told Pilate he would have no authority at all unless it was given to him by his Father. Noah, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Mary, Simon Peter etc. were not super saints with some extraordinary ability. Each person in the Bible that did anything for God was a mortal man or woman that acted in faith and God used. When God asked who he could send Isaiah responded “Here I am, send me.” We should say the same thing each day. The fields are white unto harvest; send me. There are hungry children starving in Africa; send me. There are hungry children and elderly Americans starving right here; send me. All around us people are hurting, searching, working themselves to death to obtain junk that will turn to dust, empty in their souls and ignorant of the Gospel. Send me, send my family, send my church.
Imagine being hired by a couple to babysit. You do not answer to the children you are caring for, but to the parents when they return. In a general sense all people everywhere are God’s children. Are they being cared for? We have an advocate with the Father. He will be with us to the end of the Age. The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of every believer. He is a friend of mine. Let me ask once more; whom shall I fear?
The Flowers Appear
See the rest of my spring pics at My Other Blog.
The Read and Share File
At 105 years of age this pastor in Minneapolis has no plans to retire. He said he tried once at 90 and it didn’t work out.
We borrowed that first link from the Wednesday Link List, published weekly at Thinking Out Loud.
Shifting gender roles is a serious issue, but if you need to laugh to keep from crying check out why this blogger is thankful for skinny jeans.
