GREENE STREET LETTERS: Good Morning!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Good Morning!

Weather has been wonderful. A present from God that we usually don't have in July.
Rich Delafino is visiting at Rapha for the next two weeks. Rich is a retired New York City Detective who has been coming to Rapha for 9 years. He takes his vacation each year to come down and teach and hang out with the men.

Rich brings a zeal and fire that touches everyone he comes in contact with. Some find him abrasive and in-your-face, but truth be known, Rich wants the men to know what the believe. He takes no short cuts or tries to sugar coat the message of God. It is clear and simple. "You are a sinner in need of being saved. Jesus is the only way. If you don't your destiny is hell."

I want to thank Seth Barber, Barry Hooks, Todd Bagley for filling in for me last week while I was on vacation. I have listened to a CD of the Saturday night meeting and it was really good.....start to finish.

Don't forget this week that we will not be having the Saturday night meeting, but will return on July 12th.

IF you would like a copy of any of the services we do here at Rapha, feel free to email me and let me know.
My address is:
www.GreeneStreet91@bellsouth.net

Until next posting.....
God on you............

mb

2 comments:

Bobby said...: I've actually been thanking God for the weather. It's been very unusual.; July 3, 2008 at 12:20 PM
A.J. said...: Wow! I really hate that I didn't get to see Richard Delfino last week...I know he would have remembered me...

can't wait till Saturday!

see you then,

A.J.; July 8, 2008 at 2:45 PM

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.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Good Morning!

2 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD