GREENE STREET LETTERS: Voice In The Wilderness

Monday, March 14, 2011

Voice In The Wilderness

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes froth from My mouth.
It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please.
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Vicki and I drove downtown Attalla yesterday to do some shopping. As we approached the underpass that leads to Meighan Blvd, there he was. Off the road set up near the sidewalk, stood a man with a portable sound system. White pressed shirt and black pants, tie and shoes that were shined, Bible in one hand, the other raised to the heavens. I stopped .

His message was to everyone that passed by. Repent, turn from your sins, follow Jesus. Several cars that drove by honked and yelled at him. I would like to say that they spoke words of encouragement but that would not be true. There was ridicule and mockery. Laughter and fingers pointing. Yet he kept on preaching.

He never let up and he never wavered in his message.

What manner of man would subject himself to such?
Some would say this was the behavior of an unbalanced man.

A Holy roller or a religious fanatic.

Could it be the heart of a simple man who was following the dictates of His Lord?

You see, this mans very presence uncovers our heart.

Some feel uncomfortable in this man's presence and his message, so they try to hide their discomfort in mockery or derision.

This uncomfortableness comes from the Spirit of God .

Maybe God put this man on this particular corner to make us uncomfortable and to awaken us to the need for our Salvation. Maybe this man is the New Testament counterpart to the prophets that were sent to Israel to warn them about God's coming judgement.

I know this.

You could not pass by this man and not have an opinion one way or the other.

You either were drawn to him or driven away by him.

As we drove up, Vicki and I began to pray.

"Thank you Lord for such a man as this. Strengthen him and continue to put fire in his message. Let him stand in places that you have called him to just as we must occupy the part of the Kingdom you have given to us."

What a God we serve.

God on you...

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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.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Voice In The Wilderness

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD