GREENE STREET LETTERS: David's Song of Praise

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

David's Song of Praise

David, a man whose passions took him up and down the emotional scale, now writes a song about the faithfulness of God. David realizes his own frailty, even as a king, and knows that salvation comes in the admission of his need for God.

II Samuel 22 --
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior.
My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold.
My high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.
The waves of death surround me.
The floods of destruction swept over me.
The grave wrapped its ropes around me and death itself stared me in the face.
But in my distress I cried out to the LORD.
Yes, I called to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary. My cry reached his ears.

The the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook.
They quaked because of his anger.
Smoke poured from his nostrils.
Fierce flames leaped from his mouth
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He opened the heavens and came down.

What an incredible picture of God's answer to David's cry.
Why do we not believe that God will act on our behalf when we acknowledge and embrace our weakness and cry out like David?
The God who came to David is the same God who sits in power and majesty today.
The same God who desires to have an ongoing, personal, up close-let's-talk-relationship with you and me.
Right now, right here, today!

I'm not smart enough to explain how this relationship works.
I don't have language for every thing that happens to me and my family that I know has come from the hand of God.
I JUST BELIEVE!
I'm just crazy enough to believe that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he says he will do.
That is the truth I have operated by and from since 1993 and it has served me well.
It has brought direction to my life when I had none.
It has given me daily encouragement to not quit or give up even though my mind is screaming for me to give up.

Today is the day to reach out to God.
He is longing and waiting to be with you and talk to you.
How cool is that?
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.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

David's Song of Praise

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD