GREENE STREET LETTERS: Friday....

Friday, May 7, 2010

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..........
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.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday....

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD