GREENE STREET LETTERS: Taking Stock

Monday, August 3, 2009

Taking Stock

Monday again.
Seems as thought they roll around too often and too quick.
Here we are going into August and it only seems like New Years Day was only a couple of weeks ago. I don't think time really flies just my perception of it. Last time I checked there was still 24 hours in a day and those hours were still made up of 60 minutes.
We baptized two on Saturday. I've said it before and I'll continue to say it. The two biggest thrills I get in life are seeing someone come to a saving knowledge of Christ and then be baptized. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have been John the Baptizer, standing in the Jordan day after day as an endless line of people came to be baptized.

Not sure what the week has in store.
I guess I'll just leave that up to God and try and follow where he is leading.
We have a good number of new men here in the camp so that means a lot of time talking. Trying to get an understanding of what is going on in their lives. Lot of prayer over each man that God would draw them from the blindness and spiritual darkness they have been living in and begin to speak to their hearts, minds and spirits.

I am on the upside of this crud (for those who may not be familiar with the term 'crud', it is any sickness..in this case it is an upper respiratory infection). Feel really good during the day time but the night time comes and I am hammered down. Hard for me to sleep, so I spend time in my chair in the living room watching infomercials about "shamwow's" and "colon cleansing". Television just doesn't get any better than this.

In all of this that I have shared there is one inescapable truth.
God is still God.
God is still in control.
His word is still "yes and amen."

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (Good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation (for deliverance from eternal death) to everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance to the Jew first and also the Greek.

May you find Him today....
God on you........
mb

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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.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Taking Stock

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD