GREENE STREET LETTERS: Saturday...Better Wear Your Hatter Day.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

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........
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.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Saturday...Better Wear Your Hatter Day.

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD