GREENE STREET LETTERS: Like An Easy Sunday Morning

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Like An Easy Sunday Morning

Already well into my 3rd cup of coffee.
I am suppose to play on the worship team at Gadsden Vineyard Church this morning.
Debbie Handy will lead and, as always, it will be my pleasure to worship with her and the others.

Last night's meeting at Rapha was a doozy.
Good crowd.
Visitors.
Babies.
Babies?
Yes. Donnie and Shannon Toole brought their new daughter to the meeting.
When ministry began, I wanted to pray for their daughter so they brought her up front.
I gathered some people around and we prayed over her asking God to keep her and lead her into a more complete relationship.
I asked Shannon what her name was.
"FAITH"......was the reply.
Faith! Fill her with her namesake Lord.

We got to pray for a young man.
Big, muscular....rough.
He has had a hard life.
In and out of jail. Spent time in the state prison.
He wants to change, but carries around a lot of emotional baggage from his past that he isn't sure he can change.
As he stood there, I only heard three words.
They weren't even unique words, or mystical words. Just three.
I told him that God wanted to relay a message, and that it was just three words.
"I.........Love..........You."
When I spoke those words, this young man began to cry and sob.
I saw him go limp as though the very life had been sucked out.
Three little words that went to the very heart of who this young man was.
How quick we are to dismiss the power of love especially when it comes from God.
Not any more. I will not dismiss or discount the power of God's love.

It was a good night.
We (the leadership) all wound up at Cracker Barrel afterwards to talk and laugh and go back over the evening in a kind of critique to see if we need to do anything different.
I look forward to the meal afterwards.
I have been blessed to be surrounded by a group of wonderful, godly people.
So now, Saturday has come and gone.
We prepare for the next one.

God on you..........

VERSE OF THE DAY:
Psalm 65:4
How blessed is the one whom you have chosen, and brought near to yourself.
To dwell in your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.

2 comments:

Bobby said...: God is on you....man! Enjoyed breakfast,lets do it again.; May 17, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Greene Street Letters said...: Same here...
mb; May 18, 2009 at 5:47 AM

Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Like An Easy Sunday Morning

2 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD