At The Back Door This Saturday Night 6/5/10

This Saturday Night at THE BACK DOOR

Nori and Barbie Kelley!

Meeting begins at 6 p.m.

If you want to worship....
If you want to hang out with some really neat musicians

(not to mention good people)

Then come and be with us this Saturday night.

Nori, Barbie, Cynthia and Lizzie are currently living in Japan

working to teach and train others

in the importance of worship.

Come and be with us!

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New Message From Saturday Night's meeting

now down loaded for your listening enjoyment.

Seth Barber talks about "DOWN IN THE DIRT!"

Rapha Update:

Saturday:
Dark and overcast. Probably going to have scattered showers today. Not a problem as we have skirted with summer temp's and humidity all week.

Seth Barber speaking tonight in our meeting (THE BACK DOOR).
Seth always brings a good word. I think because he lives it before he delivers it. Seth always speaks from his own struggles with addiction. Be sure to check in here on Monday (After 9:oo a.m. Central Time) for the down load in our pod casts section to hear Seth's message.

Verse Of The Day: Psalm 124:1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side.........

This verse causes me to stop and think about how my life would be if He had not reached out to me with the message of salvation.
So many things that I probably take for granted (God, forgive me) would not be a part of my life.
So many people that I have interacted with and come to love, would not be a part of my life.
I would not be here at Rapha.
I would never have been a part of the Vineyard.
I would not have had Rev. George Creel as a mentor and teacher for 14 years.
In other words, my life would have been extremely different, and I don't mean in a good way.

I think the thing we may be amazed at when we stand before Jesus, are the things that God the Father kept from happening to us. Things and situations that never materialized or happened because the hand of God reached out and said, "No! Not now."

Last night our family gathered for a meal. I sat there at that table listening to the laughter and conversation that filled the air. It just washed over me, that God has blessed me beyond measure. In ways that money cannot nor ever will be able to buy. It all goes back to a small school room at Gallant Elementary, in 1960 when I was saved. Rev. Lewis Wood had come to our school to give a devotion (you could actually do that back in the '60's). At the end of the message, he explained what it mean to be saved. I remember it like it was only yesterday....my heart beating out of my chest. Wanting to go up front and yet scared to death. I stepped out from my desk and went forward. That was fifty years ago. My life has been a series of ups and downs. Of following hard after Jesus, and taking side trips away from Him and His plans for me. Yet through it all, He has been faithful..........not me. Through it all, He has kept His word and His promises.......not me. Through it all, He has displayed the wonderful and beautiful side of God...................me? I was (as Paul wrote in Romans) a wretched man. A perfect example of fallen humanity. Yet, Jesus called and I answered. Where do we go from here? Forward. I do not know what the next day holds, but I know that He is faithful and has not brought me this far to simply drop me and say, "I'm through with you."
Thank you, Lord!

God on you....
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Hmmmmmm!

O.k.....I'm the one who sometimes see "Symbolic stuff" in an event that happens in our world. Call it a sign, if you will, but I feel God is trying to show us or lead us to pay attention to what is going on.
First off, I do believe that God uses the natural around us to speak, although I don't always get it. I think He gives us tokens and pictures to get our attention. Call it a sign. If you don't believe that a sign is important go up to that house with the one posted that says, "Beware! Pit Bull with Rabies". Go ahead! Open the gate and walk on in. In Scripture, God used signs to get the people's attention. To turn their thinking and focus toward seeking Him and His will for that day and that moment.

You see, I want to be like the children of Issachar mentioned in I Chronicles 12:32 -- "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do....." You see, it's the whole "understanding of the times" being able to discern God in the events that are happening around us. That is what I want.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 16:3 ....."And in the morning, it will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky, but can you not discern the signs of the times?"

I believe that God's words and God's work's are happening around us, but we don't always see them. (disclaimer-- I am in no way saying that we put our Bibles down to look at nature. I am saying that God uses nature to explain our current situations which should, in turn, lead us to Scripture for answers on what we are to do.)

I have said all of that to say this:

When I read in the news that Greece has been overcome with what is referred to as a "plague" well it causes my spiritual ears to hone in. When I read that the plague the news service is referring to is frogs, well I'm very interested. My first question is always, "What are you trying to say through this Lord?" Let's take a look.

According to stories coming in over the news wire, the plague is taking place near the town of Thessaloniki. Sounds familiar....Oh yeah, the Apostle Paul wrote two books in our New Testament...now what were they? Oh yeah....First and Second Thessalonians.

Paul wrote to a new church, a baby church and shared some thoughts with them.

1.) Stand firm in the face of continued persecution.

2.) Remain constant in the faith and in the Word of God.

3.) Continue in mutual love for each other.

4.) Walk in an orderly fashion (after the example Paul gave them)

5.) Have a correct view concerning the resurrection and the second coming of Christ.

These are points that we are called to follow, not as regulations or commands, but as a simple by product of having the Holy Spirit working in all who are believers. In other words, what Paul has written is a revealed portion of the TRUTH of God. These 5 things I've written are not held by the world as being of value. In fact the world scorns anything that comes from God.
Greece, being the center, during Paul's day, was looked to as the height or pinnacle of human wisdom, thinking and philosophy.

Paul gives an example that can be found in Greek culture and life, even today, and of the modern world in his writings of Romans 1:21 - Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became foolish.

Frogs, in Scripture (especially in Revelation 16:13) the frogs represent false reason against the truth of God. They ( in Revelation 16:13) went forth out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and of the mouth of the beast, and of the false prophet. They went forth to deceive and draw kings of the earth into a battle. Theologian Emanuel Swedenborg wrote that "frogs" were a symbol that represented a state of the human mind and spirit that reasons from false principals and lower "worldly precepts, rather than from God's precepts.

We see whats going on now in Greece. Riots and uprising, rebellion and lawlessness and it isn't because the people are demanding spiritual benefits or holy perks. It is happening because of a humanistic, worldly thinking that is devoid of God attempting to find happiness for their life here and now. They have no regard for the truth of God or for the prophetic future we read in Scripture. In other words, Jesus is coming back! You can bank on that little deal.

According to the godguy blog ( http://www.godguy.wordpress.com/) he writes, "Human attempts at reaching some truly worthy goal (destination) are hindered by false or flawed reasoning. In the same way that any physical form of travel (as in cars) has been hindered by the gazillion frogs covering the road (as of this writing, there have been many accidents as some have tried to drive over the frogs).

In reference to the date of the news article (May 27 or 5/27) I looked up in Scripture Psalm 52 Verse 7. Hmmmm!

Ps. 52:7 - Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

coincidence? I don't think so. We see the governments of this world all rejecting God and his Word. All trying to build themselves up and strengthen themselves, all the while trusting in the power of finance as a means to weild power and rule. I don't think the events in Greece are isolated and solely for Greece. I believe God is speaking to the entire planet and is saying, "Hey guys.....you better wake up and see and understand the truth."
Sounds and looks like a sign to me.

God on you...

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Isaiah 35

I always look to Isaiah 35 as the "hope" chapter.
The heading in my Bible says "Hope for restoration".
I was restored yesterday.
I am being restored today.
I will be restored tomorrow.
It is a work in progress.
Sometimes when we look at what is going on in our lives, it feels like we are going backwards.
It even feels like we are being punished. (isn't it funny that we use the term punished instead of disciplined when we are the ones going through everything.)

In Isaiah 35 there are some incredible pictures and visions that can come forth as you read the words.
V1. - Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers.
A.) That's weird! The change from wilderness to flowers happens when rejoicing takes place. Could it be that worship is part of this restoration? That no matter where we are today (it begins with wilderness) when we worship that opens the door for change and restoration. Now before you write me and call me new age or heathen.....we do not cancel confession and repentance.

V.2 - Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.
A.) I love this! An abundance! Not a few pots scattered around. Not some flea market vases full of plastic flowers. But an abundance! Abundance of what? Evidence of change that God is bringing to our lives. This is also coupled with singing and joy. I don't see this part as being like church where we go and sit in rows and sing the first, second and last stanza. I see it as each person just abandoning themselves to God. Abandoning themselves and just going crazy, not even thinking about the person next to them.
B.) It is in the evidence (flowers) of change and in the singing and joy that we find that this is the place where God will display his glory (nature). I guess Scripture is true when it reads that God will come down and inhabit the praises of His people. One translation says that God will come down and put on the praises of His people like a coat. Cool!

V.3 - With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.
A.) Tell the story. Better yet, tell your story. Tell what God has done to you. Tell of your love for him. Don't cover your story with religious jargon or "church-speak" ...put it in words that others can understand.

Like I said, Isaiah 35 is an incredible chapter.
Read over it.
Chew on what you have read and digest it.
Let God reveal to you the things that you need to see and understand.
Have a good weekend.

God on you....
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EUREKA!

God is good!

I could write more, but I won't

I could say more, but I'll stop

I could expound on those three words "God is good"

But I choose not to

I could ask for comments on what I've written
But I don't think I will
Why?

Because sometimes we need to let simple truth sink into places

inside of us that have been devoid and empty

of such simple truth.
These places tend to be over-explained

over-hyped

and often serve as places of excuse for our flaws

and nature that we, for whatever reason,

choose not to surrender to the goodness of God.

God is good.

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Day's of Change.....

"Behold the day is coming....."
"Behold the time is near......"
"Look up........."
"Today if you hear His voice...."

There is a sense of urgency in the air.
It tugs against our own senses and even as it does, we seek to push it aside.
Why?
This urgency does not feel good, nor does it make us feel good.
We are too busy trying to simply live life.
I'm no prophet, nor do I lay any claim to such office, but sometimes the words of Scripture ring true. Oh it isn't a visible, tangible evidence that you can lay your finger on or point to it an say, "There it is." But none the less, it will not go away.
Right now, in our country, there is a cloud of fear hanging overhead.
The Economy...
The Environment...
Disputes between countries..
These all seem to be converging in what might be called the perfect storm.

What is a believer to do?
Look to Psalm 37.

V.3 - Trust - in the LORD, and do good
Dwell - in the land (or in this case...the life God has given us) and cultivate faithfulness.

V.4 - Delight - yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart

V.5 - Commit - your way to the LORD
Trust - (Gee...we've seen this one before) also in Him and He will do it

V.7 - Rest - in the Lord and wait patiently for Him
Do Not Fret - because of him who prospers in his way

V.8 - Cease - from anger and forsake wrath
Do not fret - it leads only to evil doing.

But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

It doesn't matter the state of the world.
What matters is where is my heart, soul, mind, spirit focused?
On CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox....
or on the Word of God?
Like Joshua said, "As for me and my household, this day I choose to serve the Lord!"

God on you.......
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Moon Pie And Butterfinger

There are some things in life that are so simple yet so enjoyable.

Some of these treats have slipped from our memory as we have gotten older.

A fresh Moon Pie is one of them.

Nothing worse than biting into one that is stale.

You plunge your teeth deep into that pie and your throat says, "Wait a minute!"

The chocolate covering taste old and has a bitterness to it.
The graham cracker crust has the consistency of cardboard, and the

marshmallow center is something akin to roofing tar.

A stale Moon Pie can send your world into a tale spin if you let it.

But you get a hold of a fresh one and it is heaven in a circle.

Why it'd make you want to run around the room an slap your momma.

That's some good eating...them thar' Moon Pies.

Use to buy Moon Pies for a nickle back in 19---well, never mind.

Thing was, when you bought it, you knew that it was going to be good.

What else do I like when it's fresh?
Butterfinger candy bars....

There is nothing like biting into a fresh one...the peanut butter center is flaky and just melts in your mouth.

Fresh is good.

Fresh is good when it comes to food.

So why do we not think about the freshness of God?

Why do we move about day after day never asking God for a

fresh touch of His presence?

Lamentations 3:22-23 speaks of God's compassion being made new every morning.

That means every morning we arise, there waiting for us to partake of is the compassion of God.

I need a fresh awareness in my Spirit of God each day. I need to shake off the "yesterday" with all it's problems and troubles, triumphs and failures, so I can put on "today"

Each day brings a freshness to it as we arise, that no matter what happened yesterday....

no matter how good or how bad yesterday was.....
God is fresh this morning and waiting for me to follow.

Good stuff!

Grab a Moon Pie and a 2nd cup of coffee and find God today.

God on you....

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New Day...New Way...

Funny how a day can change your perspective when you are following hard (sometimes) after Jesus. You know, the whole "take up your cross and follow". Some days I am very aware of that cross. It weighs heavy on me. Usually when this is the case, I am being drawn to things of this world. Stuff and situations that would only feed my worldly appetite. O. k. lets call it what it is....my old sin nature. When I find myself wrestling with these things, it is then I feel the weight of the cross. A reminder of who has called me. What He has called me to, and the price that was paid so that I might have the wonderful privilege to carry my own cross and not hang upon it.

The weight of the cross is felt through the conviction the Holy Spirit brings to me. As terrible as I feel sometimes when conviction comes, the very fact that God brings it to me is such an incredible token of His love for me. All of these thoughts combined strengthen me and in this strengthening, the cross grows lighter. I move on in my journey with Jesus.

I am reminded of the tremendous benediction given by Jude:
Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.....
To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen.

That pretty much sums it up!
I am called to follow Jesus.
Every time something seeks to draw my attention away from the journey, He lovingly reminds me of the call.
I still have a choice in the matter....
but I choose daily to surrender my will or as the Bible puts it...."Deny myself!"

SO...
I am grateful for this new day.
I pray that I get it right today and that I don't embarrass my heavenly Father.

Think on these things...
God on you............
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Message From Saturday Night

I was experiencing trouble with the "thingy-bob" that uploads the messages to our podcast.
A helpful, detached voice on the other end of a phone call guided me through the dark and murky world of Technology.
Eureka! The message is now available for your listening pleasure.

Step # 5 - Nuts and Bolt Look at Step 5

Enjoy and don't forget that we post here at Greene Street Letters ...Monday through Saturday.
God on you....
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What? It's Monday Again?

Yep! Time to start another week.
Saturday night was a good night (if you ask some) and a stinker night (if you ask me). I struggled with the message and in giving it. My wife said it was a clear and concise teaching but as I was giving it....it sounded like the teacher on the Peanuts cartoon.....(remember her?)
When she spoke, all we heard was "Blah, blah, blah,blah,blah." I guess that if the word went out and it touched people then God was good. Truth be known......NEWFLASH!!! I'm not the center of this little world. So I can live with my struggling and God doing good.

I have been in Genesis now for 2 weeks and I am amazed at what God is showing me.
Not that it is profound or earth shattering, but that I am seeing things in a new light or new way.
New thing #1 --- Man really has been called to be the head of his family. That as the man goes, so goes the family. I see so many other families where the man has given away his authority and duty as husband and father. The wife suffers and is forced to try and be the leader of the family, a place God never intended her to be.

I know that there are situations where the woman has to do this. Maybe her husband left her or has died, then I believe that God gives grace to the woman. In fact when she turns to God, Scripture says that He will become her spiritual husband.

Funny part you find if you read Scripture is that no where is woman called to love her husband. She is called to respect him and honor him. What's up with this? If the man will love his wife and treat her the way the Bible says to, she will respond. She is drawn to a man who loves her and shows her this love through his protection and provision. Doesn't really play out this way in our society today. Maybe that is why the divorce rate is so high. I don't know...you figure it out.

I have been blessed beyond measure to have married a wonderful woman. Vicki and I have been married for 37+ years and I am just now understanding the role of a man in marriage. Not that I have been perfect, I haven't. One thing I do have going in my favor is I am very teachable.

Have a great Monday....
God on you.........
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Saturday...Better Wear Your Hatter Day.

Saturday...
Two cups of coffee and a doughnut.
Talking with my wife.
Off to Rapha.
The chapel is set for tonight's service.
Once again, I find myself in a "Oh God...Oh God...Oh God!" mode.
I have a partial message with a whole bunch of pieces floating around in my brain that may fit.
We will see.
The one thing I have discovered after years of preparing messages....
Hold it all loose and allow the Holy Spirit to take over at any time.
Be open to what you are hearing, even if you're not sure that it is God or you.
I usually think to myself, "O.K. God...I'm gonna jump out there with what I am hearing so if this isn't you, let if fall harmlessly."


Genesis 1:20 (yes, I'm still stuck there!)
And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly.....
So simple yet so profound.
God is an abundant God.
When he blesses he does so completely.
We never ever receive a half hearted effort from God.
Shouldn't such a behavior on His part cause me to look at how I approach Him?
DO I do the same for Him?
Do I recklessly abandon myself into His hands.
To live my life in a total giving to Him?
My self..
My time....
My money (ouch!)
I want to be an abundant follower of Jesus.
To lavish on others what has been given to me.


I want to be like Peter in Acts Chapter 3, when he encountered the crippled man at the entrance to the temple.
Expecting to receive some money from them, the man listened as Peter said these incredible words. "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you...in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk".
Wow! The name of Jesus is worth more than anything this world has to offer.
I want to be extravagant with the name of Jesus.
I want to give it away to those who are hurting.
I want to give it away to those who have lost hope.
I want to give it away to those who are alone.
This could be a really good day.
Am I going to be tight fisted and hold everything close?
Or am I going to open my hands, my heart and my spirit and give away everything God has provided for me?

God on you........
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Stuck At The Start

Never really intended to stay parked here in Genesis 1:1 for as long as I have, but I've been listening to some teaching and I can't seem to get away from this portion of Scripture.

Ten simple words.
Ten words that have no hidden meaning.
Yet within these ten words is the mystery of mysteries.

These ten words have caused debate and furor over their meaning.
Myth or truth?
Legend or fact?

"What ten words?" You may be asking yourself.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The entire story of creation in ten words.

The complete first two chapters in Genesis all summed up in these ten words.

Think on this.......

What a majestic verse. Genesis 1:1 is the door through which everyone must pass to enter into Scripture. You cannot ignore it. You cannot simply turn to another book and begin to read.
You cannot deny the existence of this fact. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. In the vastness of space, as we know it, God selected and set aside our earth. He did so because of the importance it held to Him. Here on this terrestrial ball God revealed Himself to His creation, and now His creation seeks to disprove God's existence. No matter how low we sink in our humanity, the faithfulness of God is displayed for everyone who would see be able to comprehend the depth of God's love.

These ten words of Genesis 1:1 stands as a sentry to either reaffirm your belief in God, or to uncover your wrong beliefs, your fears and doubts, your sinfulness. The very idea that there is a being we refer to as God, preexisted everything we know is beyond our comprehension. Yet this is the truth of Scripture. God seeks not to prove himself to me, He seeks for me to come and know Him.

Genesis 1:1 is not for scientific discussion or debate. We miss the point when we begin to read the book of Genesis. There at the opening of the Bible, God has placed a statement of fact that goes right to the very core of who we think we are. If we read II Timothy 3:16 -17 we find the following statement.

"Every Scripture is God breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience (and) for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Even Genesis 1:1 is to teach us. It stands not as a point of contention with the world. Let them rail about evolution and scientific theories. (If you ask me, mankind has been engaged in devolution not evolution). Scripture and Science does not stand against one another, God harmonizes the two together. It is our finite minds that try and hypothesize and understand that which we are incapable of understanding.

I guess I'm just kind of simple like that.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
I think I'll leave it at that.

God on you......

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I'm being stretched....

As I have continued to write this ongoing blog about my journey with Jesus, I have come to the conclusion that it's all bigger than I imagined.
I have a tendency to think that God's kingdom only exists here at Rapha and maybe, just maybe down on Greene Street where I live. Funny part is that when I meet other people, I hear their stories and how God has touched their lives and changed them. They tell of their struggles and encounters as God moves in their lives. Suddenly the whole "kingdom of God" idea has boundaries that stretch farther than I imagined.

It is my own "small" thinking that has caused me to see God in such a narrow, defined space. Partly because of my own struggles and battles keep my attention on my part of the world.
From time to time, God drops a token into my life that makes me stop and say, "wow!"
Posting this blog on the Internet has been such a token. When I get E-mails and comments from people around the world, it truly makes me realize that the Kingdom of God is so much bigger than I could ever imagine. What is the Kingdom of God? It is wherever the rule and reign of God is being carried out in the lives of the people who have become disciples of Jesus.
It causes me to realize that God is indeed at work around this planet. His plans and desires are being carried out in the hearts and lives of those who have been called to join themselves to Jesus.

When I begin to think about what God is doing in China as well as Attalla, in Australia as well as Gadsden, it boggles my mind. Yet, in all of this, I so glibly recite the words "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Do I truly understand exactly what I have just prayed? I have asked the omnipotent God to bring here to this earth the same evidence and purpose of His will that is taking place in heaven even as I type this. I'm not sure I can appreciated the magnitude of what I have just prayed. Yet, even in this praying, it is my lack of faith that sometimes keeps God from interacting and changing things I know are on his heart. Does this mean that I am more powerful than God? No, but I should be aware of the power the word "NO" has when it comes to my interaction with God.

I don't know that I have seen the Kingdom of God here around me come in with great leaps and bounds. I do know this one thing though............the Kingdom of God comes daily and it penetrates every area of my existence. It has changed me.........it is changing me........it will continue to change me. I pray that I am not a hindrance to God's will here on earth.....
Let it come, Lord!

God on you.....
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Many thanks to the Ghuru for stopping by and commenting on the Greene Street Letters. Thanks for the invite to your blog. I visited and read several of your postings. Hope to drop back and read more....
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Ready...Set......Create!

Did you ever really stop and think about how the Bible opens up in the book of Genesis? It could have started a gazillion different ways. It could have opened up with a greeting: "Hello, I'm God and I'd like to take a few moments to introduce myself to you."
Genesis could have gone off a so many different directions, but God, in His wisdom, saw fit that He should take humanity, those lost or saved, behind the curtain and show how everything started.

Genesis begins with a very simple statement that is really beyond our comprehension. "IN THE BEGINNING GOD....."
The assumption is that God was has always been around. That he created time as a canvas upon which to measure the story of mankind. Even the measuring of our story as a species shows and reveals God's love for us. It shows that even through all our mess ups and mistakes, our sins and transgressions, God's is faithful even when we weren't. God's faithfulness is found in the plan that He brought about to rectify and correct the mistakes made in the garden by the first woman and the first man.

Genesis reveals that God is a God of order. That no matter how big the chaos of the situation, He has the ability to look into it and bring order to it. To arrange and set in place the very things that bring stability to our lives. That is a comfort to me.

I'm grateful that God would allow us to see the beginning of life as we know it and be introduced to the power and awesomeness that is God's nature. What better way to introduce yourself than through those wonderful words "In the beginning God."

Until tomorrow...
God on you.......
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"To the Praise of the Glory of My 'Free' Will." ...? (1of3)

Turn The Page Part II

Donnie, Seth, Elmo, Kevin and Jerry. Living proof that Rapha works (if you work it). This was part of our closure as we met Sunday for a last time with Steve and Marilynn. Our paths will take different directions now as we all continue to seek God's will in our lives. We are all richer for having spent time together and more than that, be family.

No, these aren't the three wise men, nor are they the three stooges. Left to right, Barry Hooks, Bill Hayes and yours truly. We will carry on with the call that God has placed on us. We will do so until God says, "Thanks boys, time to do something else." Then we will simply follow where He leads.

It was a good day Sunday.

Good food. Lot's of laughs.

Tall tales and some tears.

I think everyone went away with the thought that "what has transpired is from God."

Can't ask for more than that.

So as Rapha has changed hands, as far as earthly leadership is concerned, Father God continues to be the real leader and force behind what we do here.

Would not want it any other way.

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

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Draw Near--Dance! Scream!Yell! Be Quiet for God!

Amos 9:11 (get it? 911...God's calling!)
In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David, and wall up its breaches. I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.

I Samuel 3:3
And the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was....

II Samuel 6:14
And David (the king) was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod.

Drawing near to God in a corporate setting or by ourselves is truly what it is all about.
What do I mean when I say "draw near to God?"
Focus our attention solely on Him.
Put down all our "stuff"............
Our baggage (emotional, physical and spiritual0 that we tend to drag around all day and turn our hearts, our minds and our spirits and think on God.
As we do this, we express our love and devotion in what ever manner it happens to erupt in.
I know that some are very uncomfortable with such displays of emotion.
I'm not saying get sloppy for Jesus.
I'm just saying "get real" for Jesus.
Music has a way of drawing out these things into the open where we can publicly declare our worship unto God.
When I am a part of a worship team and I am playing guitar, it is a place where I hear and sense the presence of God unlike any other.

I know that not everyone responds to music in the same way.
What I do want to encourage you to do is to not be bound up by what others think.
Don't let someones opinion or idea of you dictate your worship.
Let God direct you.
Like Samuel, I just want to discard everything that isn't from God, so I can embrace everything that is from Him.
God is desiring a people who will worship him, as He states in John Chapter 4....worship in Spirit and truth.
That is what I want to learn how to do.....worship with reckless abandonment into God hands.
What better place to be.
Then from there, walk out into the world..........
to the marketplace.....
to the hospitals...........
to the schools............
and just drop Jesus seeds on everyone I meet.
Make disciples.
Baptize them all....
Teach them to do what Jesus did.
Let them know that they truly are on a mission for God.

Wow!
God on you.......
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Looky!

Just have down loaded the message Saturday night:
Step # 5 - Walls and Temples.

Also threw in a little extra at no cost to you.
"PRELUDE BLUES".....it just kind of happened at the beginning of the meeting when everyone was coming in.
Hope you enjoy it!
Tell your friends about GREENE STREET LETTERS!
Drop by anytime...
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Me?

Me?
I'm not an intellectual. Not dumb either. I try to be informed but realize that information is not the key to power.
Me?
I'm not a theologian. My theology is very simple. Jesus is who He says He is. I use present tense because He exist in present tense. He is here, He is now. Don't have to prove it, I believe it and know, via the change in my own life and the way He has directed me and my wife over the years, that this is real truth. Nothing has made more sense and been backed up more times during my lifetime than Jesus and His Word (some call it the Bible).
Me?
I'm not a power broker to our society. I don't aspire to hold a political office nor do I see much good in it. There are those who argue that the call of the church is a social call. They expend vast amounts of energy and money to right social ills in this country. They do good work but I don't know that I would focus solely on that. Yes, Jesus called us to feed the poor, visit the sick and the ones in jail. To clothe those who have no clothes, but He also commanded (not suggested) that we make disciples. I don't know how good the church has been at that. Truth be known, in 12 years of being here at Rapha, with disciple making as a focus, I have probably only seen a handful of men who actually could be classified as disciples. Does that mean I'm a failure? I do accept responsibility, but to carry around this idea that everyone will be a disciple is not very valid.
Just because you attend a 10 week teaching on discipleship doesn't make you a disciple. To be a disciple is a commitment that never ends. There are times I want to quit and run away (to the circus if I thought it would help) but the call to follow Jesus won't let me. A disciple is someone who has taken the call of Jesus to heart and lives it out daily where ever they may be. It does more than consume their thoughts, it invades their very heart so that a "divine" restlessness is always just below the surface. This restlessness keeps one from becoming apathetic or complacent. These two are the enemies of anyone who is a disciple of Jesus.

Find out the truth for yourself today.
Let us pray for each other that we may grow today a little more like Jesus.
God on you......
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The message from last Saturday night is not ready for download.
I will try to get it up before the week is out.
Thanks....
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For Me.......

Psalm 147:1
How good it is to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how right.

I think it is so funny that when we read verses like the one above we automatically link "singing to God" with being in a church building. Dressed in our Sunday best or at least our Sunday Casual-ness, in rows, holding books or watching overheads, singing to God.

What if that verse meant to "Sing praises to God" while you were in the shower?
What better place to worship God than in the shower. At least there you have nothing to hide (pun intended). At least in the shower there is nothing between you and God except water.

What if singing to God was o.k. while you were mowing the grass? Maybe baking a cake. Walking the dog. Sitting on the front porch. Hanging out with friends. You see, I don't think there is a bad time or place to sing praises to OUT God. I think if we limit the praise to only Sunday, it's kind of like treating church as visiting hours at the jail.
"How you doing Lord?"
"They treating you o.k. in here?"
"Do you need anything?"
"Well, we'll see you next Sunday!"
How sick is that?

For me personally, the best times of praise is when there isn't a song, so to speak, but I just kind of cut loose and sing what's in my heart. Oh the tune ain't that great and the words don't always rhyme, but it's real and it's from the heart. I think God likes it when we leave the page and the notes and go straight to the heart and spirit for our songs.

Have you ever tried to sing your prayers to God? Now that is way cool. Mine always sound kind of like blues songs. Not that I'm depressed or down but my prayers just have a way of being like a heart cry to God.
Don't discount the power of music.
After all, God created it.
The devil warped it.

Until Monday....
God on you.......
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Bore-----ing!

Matthew Chapter One. Not your most interesting reading found in Scripture. Names. Hard names. Names that no one uses any more. How many parents do you know that have named their children Hezron or Salmon. Rehoboam? There you go.

Sometimes we need to kind of scrape away the boring and look for what is just under the surface.

Matthew One opens with a very simple statement.

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ............"

Did you know that there is only one other place in Scripture that has the same opening. Only one. Genesis Chapter Five.

"The book of the genealogy of Adam............"

Hmmmmm.

What is Adam known for?
Eating fruit. Not just any fruit but the fruit God specifically told him not to eat.
What was the consequences for his actions (Adam)?

Well, sin was ushered into the world.
Dominion over this planet was handed over to Satan.

Mankind was separated from God.
And Adam was probably having a really bad hair day.
In other words, Adam messed up.

By the time we get to Matthew Chapter One, we see God's plan for restoration of everything Adam messed up being brought to the foreground.

Genesis Adam is referred to as "first" Adam.

Matthew Jesus is referred to as "second" Adam.

Jesus comes along and breaks the power of sin......

Breaks the penalty of sin.......

Sets free mankind to enter into a restored relationship with God.

Cool, huh?

You bet.

Today you can be freed from the power, the penalty and the presence of sin.

You can be listed among those who have been and are being restored.

Today can be day one, year one (See Exodus 12: 1-2 ---God can reset your calendar) for you.

Thank you for stopping by Greene Street and reading today's post.
God loves you, O yes He does!

So do Vicki and I.

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

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Ummmm Ummmm Good!

I Thessalonians 4:18
So comfort and encourage each other with these words.

What words?
Why would I need encouragement?
The words to lift us up and encourage us that Jesus is coming back.
When?
I don't know.
Then why encourage?
Because life on this side of eternity is pretty hard.
It's really hard if you are a believer, because everyone looks at you like you're a leper.
"Oh...he's a holy joe!"
"Stay away from him, he's one of them!"
The encouragement comes from the simple fact that Jesus is who he claims to be and is going to do what he has said he will do.
He is going to come back for a people.....a church, if you will.
You don't hear too much talk about comforting each other to not give up.
You don't hear too many people talking about Jesus coming back.
I don't care if you consider yourself a pre-tribulation believer or a post-tribulation believer or if your purple with green polka dots.............Jesus is coming back.

I don't know when.
I don't concern myself with that.
But you know what?
Having the hope of his return and knowing that it could be at any moment, that is a comfort.

I like what Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5......

V.1 - I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this (Jesus' return) will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quiet well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.

V.9 - For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.

V.10 - He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return.

V.11 - So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Keep looking up....
God on you..........
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Humble Pie

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the high an lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit.

We often think that we only need a contrite spirit or brokenness at the time we repent and believe in the Lord. Maybe we need it when we fall into a sin and desire to be forgiven. It's like we pull out our humbleness, our brokenness and put it on so God will look on us with favor.
What if God wished that we would walk in such a manner? What if God's desire was for us to live in a state of contrition and humbleness constantly. What if this is the place of great blessing from God?

There will be times where we go through our day and don't sin, but nonetheless, we are required by Him (God) to be humble......constantly, because our flesh (sin nature) still exists and may be stirred up at any moment. We should not sin.......yet we should have a sorrow for sin. When we walk in such a place as this, the presence of God is felt in our spirit's.

Being humble helps us to confess instantly should we sin. It keeps us from hiding (or at least we think we are hiding it) sin from others, and too some degree, from ourselves.
SO what does it mean to be humble?

1.) Simply agreeing with God, who God says you are. Nothing more, nothing less.
2.) The ability to be in a crowd and simply be in a crowd. Not needing to stick out. It isn't all about me
3.) The ability to simply follow instructions.
The core of being humble is simply not thinking more of yourself and inflating your own self worth.

Think on these things today.
Perhaps even do a word study on the word humble.
God on you............
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Exodus: Will We Learn?

Seventy go down to Egypt to escape the famine.

Seventy relatives of the sons of Jacob make their way to Egypt only to find that Joseph, the brother they thought was dead, now had power over their very lives.

God, in his wisdom, had brought about through all the pain, the heartache, the sorrow, a wonderful ending to the story. Family reunited and taken care of by the one who should harbor the most resentment, bitterness and anger...Joseph. But he didn't!

It would have been great if the story ended right there but, like life, things have a funny way of turning and changing. You could even say, "Hey! We didn't see this one coming."

We read in Exodus 1: 7 reads But their descendants had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so quickly that they soon filled the land. In other words, the Israelites became prosperous and wealthy. They filled the land to the point that they became a threat to the powers that be. One other thing that is not mentioned to much when it comes to the Israelites........they adopted the customs of the land. They worshipped the Egyptian gods. In other words, they became pseudo-Egyptians in habit and custom.

God, when he led them from Egypt using Moses, took them into the desert to get them out of Egypt. Once there, God began the process of getting Egypt out of them. We see the people's heart when Moses went up on the mountain to be with God. After being gone for 40 days, the people assumed that Moses was dead so they entertained Aaron, Moses' brother with a proposition. "Make us a golden calf so that we may worship it!" Where do you suppose that idea came from? From their time in Egypt.

One thing that we have got to guard against is becoming prosperous in our society to the point that it draws us into the customs and worship of this world. Wealth has a way of changing people and enticing them to partake and participate in things they normally would not. It is the customs, the rituals, the subtle worship of this age that is so dangerous to people. It draws and woos our senses, making these outlandish promises if we partake. We will look better, our lives will have more purpose, we will become a part of a select group. Every bit of that draws our own flesh (sin nature). God clearly states that when we become a follower of Jesus, the world hates us and we should have nothing to do with the world. By saying "have nothing to do with the world," it means that 1.) we have to live here 2.) we don't have to indulge in what the world considers to be of great value.

Prosperity is not a bad thing.

But when that mindset and lifestyle become the driving force and reason for your existence, then you have crossed over into some dangerous territory.

Let God guide you in your financial decisions.
Give as God commands you to give. Give generously. Give joyfully but give.

Don't be enticed by the lure of a lifestyle that you would trade the eternal things of God for the temporary things of this life.

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

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Monday Update

New message downloaded for you too listen to.
Step # 5 - Psalm 51: The ultimate 5th Step.
So far God has allowed me to carry on with the Twelve Steps teaching for this year.
If you go back to the message from Dec. 26, 2009, you'll hear Seth Barber make the statement that "if you are willing to go to any lengths, here are a few simple steps to follow." That sparked or stirred me to began to teach one step per month. Hopefully you will follow and see how God is center of the steps.

Mother's day was yesterday and I trust that if you are a mother, you had a great day.
Around the Bynum household, Mother's Day means that Mom doesn't turn her hand all day. She gets the morning paper to read first. She gets the first cup of coffee. The television is hers for the day and she doesn't have to prepare any meals.

I grilled steaks yesterday (lucky me, I get to benefit from Mother's Day also) along with some baked potatoes and salad. For desert I baked an Angel food cake and prepared fresh strawberries to go with it. Needless to say, by the time we finished and I had cleaned up the kitchen, everyone was in need of an afternoon nap and that is exactly what we did.

VERSE OF THE DAY:
Psalm 51:6
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Truth in the inner parts. Truth about what? About ourselves. We have got to see ourselves as the Holy Spirit shows us our true hearts. It is from the place that we can honestly offer up confession and repentance to God for His restoration and cleansing to come to us.

Think on these things...
God on you........
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Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.
All across this land, homage will be paid to women who have done more than simply given birth to a child. We will honor women who have nurtured, raised, taught and loved us.
I always look to Proverbs 31 whenever I approach Mother's day.

V.10 - A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
I know that there are good mothers out there. I know that there are women who are filled with love and compassion and every thing good and godly that this verse speaks of. Too often our society places great value on image and financial security rather than character. Character seems to have fallen by the wayside and is even frowned upon by some. The Word of God said that a woman of good character is worth more than rubies.

V.11 - Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
I have supreme confidence in my wife. I am her greatest champion and supporter. I firmly believe that part of a husbands roll is provide a place where his wife can be all she is suppose to be. Scripture says that husbands are to love their wives "As Jesus loves the church". Jesus' purpose is to see that the church grows up in him and be all that it is suppose to be. Same with our wives. Husbands are there to love, protect, help, guide and support their wives.

V.30 - Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
The Lord is to be first and foremost in the home. Mothers are to teach their children. Not the church, not the school but Mother's. I can look back at the times my own mother spent reading to me from the Bible. Telling me the stories of David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's den, Jesus healing blind bartimaeus. She taught me how to pray. She instilled within me a love for God's church.

God in his infinite wisdom and love, put within women a heart for the children they give birth to. It goes deeper than a father's love. Maybe it is because the woman carries the child within her body for nine months. There is a connectedness that science cannot explain between mother and child. A mother will forgo her own needs in order to take care of the child. She does so from a heart of love not from necessity.
Thank you God, for mothers.

Happy Mother's Day!
God on you.......
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Friday....

Friday-----
Movie day here at Rapha.
The guys have been in class all week during the day and evening.
By the time we get to Friday they are pretty well "classed" out, so a movie seems to help them.

Tomorrow night, at the BACK DOOR (our Saturday night meeting) we will be moving into STEP # 5 of the Twelve Steps.
We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

While studying for this next teaching, I ran across Psalm 51 which is a 5th step Psalm. King David has been uncovered for his adultery with Bathsheba. David has gone before God to confess the "exact nature of his wrong."

Verse 2, David says, "Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin."
Did you notice how those two things seem to go together?
Guilt and Sin.
Ham and eggs...
Guilt and Sin.
Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Guilt and Sin.
Sounds like two attorney's doesn't it?
GUILT & SIN : Attorney's at law!
Only these two are toxic to us as human beings.
Guilt and sin work together in our minds, hearts and spirit to keep us mired down in the world's biggest pity party.
"Welcome To Guilt City--------population: ME!"
King David looks to the only source that can free him from Guilt. God!
I find it ironic that there are two opposites at work here to free David.

David says "wash" me from my guilt.
Washing would imply water.
Would that be the Holy Spirit? Always associated with water, the Holy Spirit is the cleansing agent God uses to remove the dirt, grime, crud of guilt.

When it comes to sin, David says to "purify" me from my sins.
Fire has always been the agent associated with purification.
Just as a person purifies gold by heating it with fire, God uses the fire of the Holy Spirit to purify us. Spiritual heat brings the impurities of our life to the surface where they can be dealt with.

So here in the Psalm, we have fire (to purify) and water (to cleanse). Two opposites that bring about a total healing to our lives.
Maybe today, we all need to ask for more fire and water to be poured over us.
Food for thought.
Until tomorrow....
God on you..........
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Doesn't Matter What Direction.....

Genesis 39:1
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt...........

Against his will....
Against his wishes......
Joseph was taken by force to a place he did not envision as part of his future.

Matthew 4:1
The Jesus was driven (led) by the Spirit into the desert......

Part of the plan.
God sometimes draws us, leads us and, yes, forces us into places we other wise would not have chosen for our self.
The story of Joseph is perhaps the most dramatic story in Scripture.
Even in this terrible event of being beaten by his brothers and then sold into slavery, God was with Joseph.
You see, we cannot base how well we are doing spiritually on whether our life situations and circumstances seem to be positive and upbeat and in our favor. If we insist on measuring our Christianity in this manner, we will be sorely disappointed and probably will miss what God is doing.

The directions of God for our life is sometimes unknown to us. In the day to day movement or our life, we are not always keenly aware of God's hand or plan for us. We tend to see what God is doing, after the fact when we look back on our circumstances.

Sometimes what looks like tragedy and defeat only gives way to the realization that God was at work behind the scene carrying out a bigger and greater plan.
For Joseph, standing before his brothers.....the very ones who sold him into slavery, Joseph realized that God has sent him ahead to Egypt to put in place the very things that would preserve and deliver his family from famine and death.

I know that each of us have problems and troubles we are going through today, this very instant. Be faithful in the midst of the storm you are in. Keep crying out to God, but ask Him to take today's grief and sorrow and turn into to good for the future.
God is in control (I know...we say it over and over...but you know what? God IS in control.)

God on you.........
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Come On In!

Ever since I have been in ministry, every service I have done, every prolonged meeting that I have over seen, God has given me a name for that service.

It wasn't something I set out to do.

I didn't sit around thinking of names. It just happened.

When I took over the A.M. service at Gadsden Vineyard, God told me to name it NEW COMPASSION'S because of the verse in Lamentations 3 where it speaks of the compassion's of God being made new every morning.

When I started the recovery meeting on Saturday night, He had me call it HOUSE OF BLUE. Why? Because blue is the color of an open heaven and also symbolizes revelation or illumination from God to His children. God showed me that what we were doing on Saturday night was going to increase or make people aware of the need to pray and communicate with God. Not only communicate, but listen to what God was saying.

Next was our Wednesday night meeting. It became known as Vineyard After Dark, or Vineyard A.D. Kind of a play on words that revealed the fact that we were on "this" side of the cross and the work wasn't done that God was calling each of us to lay our hands to.

Now here at Rapha and celebrating our 4 th anniversary, God has given me a name for the Saturday night service. THE BACK DOOR. Why that name? It has to do with the nature and lifestyle of the men who come through this program. Story after story from them reveals times that they went to church and because of their sin or pain or whatever it might have been, they felt out of place. I know now that the main reason they felt out of place or uncomfortable, was that the Holy Spirit was pulling them under conviction. But God gave the name BACK DOOR to show us that we can enter into relationship with Him. It didn't matter whether it was the front or the back.....as long as Jesus was the door we entered through. Jesus did say that He was the door......He never said which one. He never claimed to be the front. He never claimed to be the back. He simply stated that He was the door.

The front door can become a show place for people to enter in and try and get other's attention by trying to put on airs or show. Not every one, but some act in this manner. I am reminded of the publican and the Pharisee. The publican stood at a distance, head bowed and cried out to God..."Have mercy on me a sinner." Such a man as this would have come through the back door. The Pharisee, on the other hand, adjusted his robes and prayed loudly for others to hear proclaiming his pride in the fact that he wasn't like the publican.

I think I more comfortable with the folk that find their way to God through the back door.

So from now on, the Saturday night service will forever known as "THE BACK DOOR".

Pray for us as we continue to seek God's will.

God on you today!
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Milestone

I have been so busy lately that I forgot the dates that just passed us by.

April 28th, 2006 was my last day as Associate Pastor of Gadsden Vineyard. I gave my last message there on this day, and my first message at the first service here at Rapha on the same day (two for one if you will). Wow, 4 years of having a service here. So many memories in that little chapel. So many times we have seen God come and stir those present and then heal and restore and save.

One of my most favorite memories is one Sunday I was giving a really good message (at least it seemed that way in my mind) and right in the middle of it one of the guys raised his hand. My first thought was, "You want to ask a question now? C'mon!" But as I looked at him, there were tears streaming down his face. I asked him what he wanted and with a very soft voice he asked, "What do I have to do to be saved?" Needless to say the message went out the window and we immediately moved to ministry.

The first Saturday night in June (8th) was our first meeting moving Sunday morning time to Saturday night. I have posted that message on the pod casts so feel free to listen to it.

The one thing that Vicki and I realize with each passing day is that we have been blessed beyond measure to be called to Rapha. Even with the change in ownership, we feel as though the call is still in place and will continue to work, teach, love and minister to those who come through here.

I pray that God would give us 20 more years of ministry in recovery.
It is a good day to be alive.
God on you all.....
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Simple Things

Peace and contentment are found in God.
God is found in the little things.
Knowing.......
Not a gathering of information or head knowledge, but a truth that resonates deep inside your spirit.

Psalm 100:3
KNOW that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and now we (ourselves).
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

How many times have we come across this verse? Many I suppose.
As we read it, it conjures up images of bright blue skies and green, green grass with fluffy white sheep as far as the eye can see.

We forget the first words of this verse.....KNOW.
God desires us to understand who He is and who we are and the relationship between the two.
God desires us to understand the extent of power that He has.
We read Genesis 1 where "In the beginning God".....but we don't really think much about what transpires next.
That God spoke....get it......words.....speaking.....forming a language that was not only heard, but when spoken brought forth out of the nothingness, everything we take for granted today.
Power beyond our comprehension.
That same God, with that same power.....
created us.
And not only created us, but provided a place for us to live. His pasture. How big is His pasture?
Let's just say it is roomy enough for all of us sheep.
If God lays claim to us as "His sheep," then He will take care of us.
That is a simple truth.
I stay close to Him, listen for His voice and follow where He says to go.
Simple things....
Peace comes from knowing God.
Knowing God brings contentment to my life.
This morning I am blessed beyond measure. How do I know this? Because I look around at my life..............my wife.........my sons..............my precious daughters-in-law and my grandchildren.
I look at what God has called me to do here at Rapha.
Thank you LORD!
God on you..........
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Matthew 16:1-4

Some Pharisees and Sadducee's were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather----why can't you read the signs of the times? An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

I can't help but believe that most people cannot read the signs of the times.

Oh there is one side that I would classify as "hyper" prophetic. Every time something happens in the natural they are all over it. Dissecting it, turning the Greek to Hebrew and back again trying to dig up something "new" in Scripture. Is there really anything new? I think not.

But according to Jesus, he compared seeing the signs to reading the weather. Is not the weather all around us? Is it not evident when the weather changes? Which draws our attention quicker a thunderstorm on the horizon or a spring day when everything is peaceful? Of course the thunderstorm.

I believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all believers is the most valuable asset we can possess. He is the voice of truth that will speak to us concerning spiritual "Weather" that may be coming our way. We are simply to watch and listen. Instead we run around listening to a million different voices all prophesying multiple things. Each voice trying to cry the loudest so it can be heard above all the others. In the midst of this cauldron of voices, one speaks quietly and with assurance......the Holy Ghost. He speaks truth from what has been told to him. Why would we not listen? This is the instruction that will define and discern for us the signs of the times.

One other thing.

What good is knowing the signs of the times if you aren't given instructions on what to do?
It's not enough for someone to cry out, "HEY! The Train is coming!" if you don't have plans to either get on or get out of the way. Signs and prophetic words are always followed by instruction.

Listen.

Learn to hear.

Learn to discern.

God on you........

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