GREENE STREET LETTERS: Family Business

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Family Business

Isaiah 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Who shall I send, and who will go for US?"

I've waited about posting from last Saturday night, until I could collect my thoughts. As most of you know we took care of some family business, so to speak, in the ordination of Seth Barber. It was truly an incredible evening as family, friends and regular attend-ees to VRC gathered together.

Seth is the first person that we have ordained under the covering of Vineyard Recovery Church. During the service, I opened the room up to anyone who wanted to either share a memory of Seth or wanted to pray a blessing over Seth and Emily. Several stood, including Steve and Marilyn Yarbrough, founders of Rapha. Each story only emphasized the miraculous work God has done in Seth.

I shared our (Vineyard) view of ordination is a bit different from others, that John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard, was always being asked by people if he would ordain them into the ministry. John's reply was always, "Go get the puppies and I'll give you the papers." In other words, go show me you can pastor, that you actually do have a call, and I will give you the papers of ordination. After sharing that, I said that Seth comes to us with all manner of puppies. He has proven that indeed he has been called to the ministry.

To top everything off, we also had two others who wanted to be baptized. So the entire group moved from our regular meeting room over to the Great hall.
There was family of the two men being baptized present and you could tell that this was a huge milestone for them. To see their sons being baptized was just the beginning of this new life these two men have laid hold of. It was one more stone laid in a wall of hope that God was erecting in the lives of these families.

At the end of the evening as I locked the door, once again I looked back into that empty room and said, "Wow, God! How are you going to top this?" Funny part is that when we meet again this coming Saturday, I know He will. He's kind of like that, isn't He?

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, September 23, 2014

Family Business

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD