GREENE STREET LETTERS: My List

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My List

Today I am grateful for

7 year old grand son named Tyler

3 year old grand daughter named Ashley

Sons Chad and Joshua

Daughters in law Robin and Heather

my wonderful wife, Vicki

I am grateful for Rapha

For Steve and Marilyn and Susan Joy, leaving what they knew

to start a new adventure 12 years ago.

I have been the recipient and beneficiary of the struggle they went through

to be obedient to God to make Rapha a reality.

I am grateful for Bill who keeps the camp running.
With great wisdom and a heart for those who are hurting, Bill

meets everyone who comes to Rapha with words of encouragement.

I am grateful for Barry and Brendon

my buds and brothers.

The wisdom they share with me makes me a better man.

I am grateful for Debbie and Wayne for sharing their

musical ability and letting me play with them.

For all the worship that has gone up through our feeble efforts

to learn how to worship.
God is so patient with us...wrong chords, wrong notes, wrong words....

but hearts that were right cover all the human mistakes.
God likes it when we try.

I am grateful for my brother Wayne and his wife Sue.

They shared their home with me as I was growing up.

They showed me what real home was like.

I am grateful for my brothers heart and his desire to grow even more.

He is not content to be the man he is...
He desires that God continue to change him and make him into the man

God wants him to be.

I am grateful for Jim Bentley.

For meeting him in Mrs. Hicks 12th grade home room.

For the years we spent together searching for God.
"There has to be more to God than they are telling us"

this was our battle cry during our early years of chasing God.

I am grateful that God put the following men in my life

Keith Green

Leonard Ravenhill

A.W. Tozer

John Wimber

Randy Clark

George Creel

Don Gentry

Lewis Woods

Lewis Perry

Danny Daniels

Don Rakestraw

Nori Kelley
David Asbury

David and Brook Finlayson

Bobby Sparks

Chris Connor
Wayne Finley

John Wesley

Jonathan Edwards

And too many more to even mention.

Looking back on this...
I have been blessed beyond measure.

My life has been and continues to be full.

I pray that I can give away to others

what has been freely given to me.

God on you....

2 comments:

David Finlayson said...: I'm grateful for my friend Michael as well.; December 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Bobby said...: I appreciate your wisdom. And I'm grateful to God that he has allowed me to travel with you on my spiritual journey.; December 30, 2009 at 8:56 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.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

My List

2 comments:

THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD