GREENE STREET LETTERS: Open Letter To A Friend

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Open Letter To A Friend

Good morning.....
You've been on my mind and my heart. I prayed for you last night and then again this morning. I won't stop praying for you. I know that you are in a hard place right now. You've gone back to some old ways and old thoughts. The "why" of this behavior is not important. What is important is that you stop and read this letter.

Stop what you're doing right now. That's right---stop. I know that you think you can't. I know that you think you've crossed the line and there is no returning from the darkness. That is all a lie that is being told to you by the devil and his minions. I know that you are trying to validate why you've started using again. You may even be able to justify and rationalize it all away. But the truth is, you've come to far to allow this to carry on.

I know that you are weighed down by guilt and shame and that it is these "terrible two" that are fueling your behavior. Stop! You made claims and proclamations about your love and commitment to Jesus. Well, He feels the same way about you, and He has not given up on you. Even at this hour when it seems the darkest, He is right there with you, waiting on you to turn to Him.

My Bible says "If we confess our sins, then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Those just aren't flowery words to make us feel good. They are words of truth that bring life. Words that bring hope. Jesus is not walking around with a "mad-on" towards you. He loves you. Did you catch that? He loves you. Not He loves you because you do right, but loves you because you are one of His creations. He loves you with an everlasting love. Is He proud or happy when we go off into sin or return to old addictive ways? Of course not. But such behavior is why he created "forgiveness"..."Mercy"...."Grace".

So today....
Right now....
Confess....
Repent (change of heart and mind as well as direction you're headed in)
And receive it....
Receive His love....
Receive His mercy....
Receive the healing presence of God's Holy Spirit inside you, and rise from the ashes of destruction and death and be who God created you to be.
I love you.....

Michael b.

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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, February 19, 2013

Open Letter To A Friend

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD