I Believe In God

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called  Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Aliens.....
U.F.O.'s.....
Jesus......
Sasquatch....
Loch Ness Monster....
The Messiah.....
Roswell, New Mexico....
The Christ.....
Ghosts.....
King of Kings...
Lord of Lords...
Elvis Presley Sightings

Sometimes I think that Jesus is lumped into this group of other things that people claim to believe. You'll hear people say, "Oh, I do believe in Ghosts!", or "I did see a UFO. I do believe in them!". You'll even hear a proclamation of, "Yes! I do believe in God!".
But it is the word "believe" that I think we have a misunderstanding about.

The very first words of the Apostles Creed are..."I Believe In God".
According to J.I. Packer, in his book I Want To Be A Christian, the translation of "I believe in God"...actually should read "I am believing into God." That is to say, over and above believing certain truths about God, I am living in relation of commitment to God in trust and obedience. I am professing verbally the truth that God has invited me to this relationship with Him. I am declaring that I have accepted His invitation.

To enter into a relationship of this type requires me to live daily by my faith, that God is who He claims to be, and will do what He has promised to do for those who have turned will and life over to His care.
II Corinthians 5:7 - For we walk by faith, not by sight.
I guess I could include that we walk by faith, not by feelings (which have a tendency to take the train off the tracks when we use them to direct our daily choices.)  So when I make the statement "I Believe in God"...it is much more than a mental ascent to an idea. It is a heart commitment to God Himself. Such an action, stance, or belief, if you will, is done so in faith. I am placing my whole being...my future...my life in the hands of God because I believe He is who He says He is. Such belief is fueled by my faith in God. 
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible)
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of things we hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality. (Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses).

Here's the same verse taken from the MESSAGE BIBLE.
The fundamental fact of our existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It is our handle on what we can't see.

So next time you feel the need to say, "Yes, I believe in God".....Remember exactly what you are proclaiming to those around you....

Do you really believe?
Does your life reflect this statement of belief?

Food for thought.

God on you...

mbb

They're Coming To Take Me Away- Ha Ha!

Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
Been thinking a lot lately about people and their attitudes.
One thing that seems to have raised its ugly little head is the idea of separation between what we read in Scripture and what we see going on in our every day lives.
Yes! We believe in God. Yes! We believe in the Bible. But we do not really believe that the God we read about in Scripture still operates in the affairs of mankind in our day and time.

In the verses above from the book of Daniel, we see where God hands over Judah and in particular the city of Jerusalem to a foreign, pagan king. Now keep in mind that what God has allowed to happen hasn't come on a divine whim or instant change of mind. God has been warning Judah about what would happen if they did not repent from their sin and return to Him. God sent prophets who spoke many words at many times to the not only the people, but the ruling government......."Turn from your wicked ways." After much instruction and information on why they should turn, God set in motion the very thing that would be used to bring the country under judgment. God raise up Nebuchadnezzar to attack Judah and the city of Jerusalem, conquer it and take away captives back to Babylon where they would serve him.

Good story! Lessons to be learned by us. If we do not repent and turn back to God, what will God do to bring us into line? Will He do anything? Will he chastise us or discipline us? Will he use our own government to inflict punishment on a people who claim to be believers?
I think we have way to many believer's and not enough follower's.
Believer's only give a mental ascent and nod to who God is.
Follower's reveal their faith and belief's by the actions of their lives.


They deny themselves.
They lay hold of the cross.
They take it up daily.
They follow wherever Jesus says to go.
Kind of simple............Kind of hard.
None the less required.

Psalm 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Jesus is LORD of all who claim to be lord,
and KING over all who lay claim to the title of king.
We might should wrap our noodles and noggins around this simple fact and do some repenting, lest it be too late.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus!
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Spiritual Horticulture

The Post for this morning was originally posted

on October 9, 2014

Psalm 1:3
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in season.  Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.

II Timothy 3:1
But know this, that in the last days, perilous (stressful / dangerous) times will come.

One verse speaks of strength and prospering.
The other talks of events and situations that will tax the mental, emotional, and spiritual state of a person.
One verse uses symbolic language that reflects a need to be grounded.....to be established....to be firmly planted.
The other reveals that time is moving close and closer to a definite close. 
Can these two verses coexist in the same moment?
I think so.
In fact, I think we are living them out right now.
Usually when you mention the "last days" people go all crazy with talk of Revelation, the beast, the mark of the beast....and all the other apocalyptic verses found in Scripture. Let's tone it back a bit. Let's take a look at today. Right now. Here. October 9, 2014.

I wrote in a previous posting about how the month of October has always been a time or season of change in what God was doing. It seemed that the spiritual air around me took a new direction and I would see God at work in ways previously not noticed by me. 
Well, it seems that the wind has shifted and people are seemingly under emotional and mental stress. I go back to the verse in II Timothy because of the wording used. In the last days, events will happen that will tax a persons ability to function in every day life. The pressures of the day and our inability to cope with them will reveal exactly who we turn to and who we really believe in.  In other words, the real "US" comes out when we are under stress. What we really believe will be made evident (to ourselves) when we find ourselves in times of great mental and emotional anguish.

The verse from Psalms 1 gives us a wonderful picture of how we can survive, and even thrive during these times of stress. It all comes down to where you are planted. It all comes down to who your foundation is. That would be our Higher POWER Jesus. When the affairs of the day seem to be closing in on us, and we feel as though life is being sucked from us, where do we turn? Do we truly fall upon Christ and let His Power and person become the bedrock of our emotions? Or do we try to weather the time in our own ability and strength?

If you are a person who has come out of addiction, stressful times will stir up old thoughts and emotions if you aren't grounded in Christ. The thoughts of using will flood over you. Why? Because Using was the bedrock of your old life. Hard times come....run away.  Stressful times come.....go use. But now, in this new life, we turn to Christ. IN fact, our need for Him is the same as our need for air to breath. I need Jesus no matter what the times are. I need Him whether I'm have the day from hell, or everything is sunshine and lollipops. I had someone tell me that Jesus was just a crutch from people who are to weak to stand on their own. That person meant it as a sarcastic remark. I took it to be truth. He is a crutch for weak people. The incredible truth was that the individual who made the remark could not even see that he was cripple himself.  In fact, less than a year after making this remark, he took his own life. I wish that he'd met my "crutch". 
And I do not make that statement in a "I told you so" haughtiness. I do so with a broken heart for this person and their family who still struggle with his death. 

The Psalm 1 verse tells us that life is all about location, location, location. 
It's is about who your are planted in and near.
When we place ourselves in Christ, we are plugged into a source of life that will enable us to go through whatever storms come our way. Jesus alone is the only real source of life.
Now it may just be a by product of my age....
getting older....
but it seems to be that times have grown darker spiritually.
It seems that society has lost its way and runs by majority opinion these days.
Good has become bad...
And evil is celebrated with great gusto.
I think our day and time would fall under the II Timothy heading of perilous times, stressful time.
So I guess the question begs to be asked....
"Where are you planted?"

God on you...
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Selah

Life is a mixture of joy and sadness....
High's and low's.....
Success and failure....
We meet each day with a hope and a strength that is not produced in us, but rather is given by our Father in heaven.
Such hope and strength is why you can go to a funeral and find great sadness, but such is tempered by the fact that the promises of God are true. Death is not the end but rather the transition point from this life to the next.

As I've gotten older, I have found that are certain disciplines in my relationship with Jesus that have become dear to me. As A younger man, prayer was an important part of my life, but I don't think I took it as serious as I do now. Oh, I prayed but the depth of my prayers was shallow. I was inconsistent at best. Praying here and there for things I thought were important.

Not so now.....
Prayer is my time with God when I can pour out my heart to Him.
A time when I can be still and listen for His voice. Receive direction for my day, as He orders my steps. Prayer has become a comfort to me at this stage of my life.

Scripture....
The Bible has become about the only book that I read.
I will find some reference book every now and then that will compliment what I'm reading in the Scripture. Funny part about studying the Bible is the way the verses have changed as I grown older. To be honest, the verses don't change. They are solid and read the same way each time I open my Bible....
But I have changed, and what I use to skim over or read without giving it much thought have become these incredible jewels of wisdom and insight given to all of us from God.

God is no longer an after thought, or some idea or concept that I thought I could place in my life. He is life.
This morning, as I sat down to type out this posting, I wasn't sure what I was going to write. I cracked open my Bible and there before me was Psalm 61. My eyes fell to the opening verses. It described perfectly where I am today in this journey we call life.

Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God....
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to THE rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of Your wings...
SELAH!

There at the end of this passage, you see the word "Selah"...
There are differing opinions as to what this term actually means..
Some think it to be a musical term since the Psalms are actually songs.
Others think it means to stop and ponder what you've just read...
Selah! Think on these things....
Selah! Let them sink down into the core of your being....
I'm not sure which one it truly is...
I just know that the verses before the word "Selah" cause me to stop and think on the greatness of God.
Such greatness is worthy to be pursued....
Such greatness is a pearl of great price that demands I sell everything to possess it.
I guess I'll close this posting today with that mysterious word, with the thought that all of us should ponder the greatness of God...
Selah

God on you...
mbb

We Are On Display For The World To See

Psalm 106:8
Nevertheless, He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty POWER known.

The verse from Psalm 106 is the very core of recovery and moving through the Twelve Steps in our daily lives. Jesus is the Higher Power. He does for me what I cannot do for myself. His work in me puts me in a position to where my very life is a walking, talking message as to His goodness and His ability.  He saved me....He is saving me....and He will save me. All a work of progress as I move farther and farther away from that old Life I use to think was so valuable.

Hanging on to places that only fed me death...
Not knowing what real love was, I tried to do so to people who only wanted to use me. I can't get too mad, I did the same things to others around me. We fed on each other. Now all of that has changed. All of that old life has been swept away. I have a new life, a new reason to live it. II Corinthians 5:17 reads---"Therefore, if anyone is IN Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. " Did you catch that? The old things.....the old ways, thoughts and behaviors....the old places we use to haunt.....the "old" people we use to run with....all of these have become dead to us. They no longer hold or have the same value they use to. How so? Because we are not trying to live this life that seem to escape us in our own strength and ability. We are IN Christ...And Christ is IN us.  From this place, I only desire to hang out with others who have found this new way of living. I want to hear their stories. I want to be encouraged by them to not quit when life gets hard, but to push on. Push against the resistance that seems to want to slow me down so I will become frustrated and give up.

I am nothing more than an empty vessel for God to pour himself into. When I come to him, turning will and life over to his care, he fills me up with His Holy Spirit...the Power I've been looking for.
II Corinthians 4:7 - But we have this treasure (God's Spirit living in us) in earthen vessels (our mortal bodies) that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. In other words, it's all about God....
He saved me....
He placed His Holy Spirit inside me....
That Spirit directs me daily on how I should live....
I simply follow Him instead of my own thoughts and desires....
I do this one day at a time....
One moment at a time....
If I stumble and fall,  I get up, ask for forgiveness and move forward.
I Will not lay there in the mess of my failure and allow the devil to belittle me into rejecting the forgiveness that only God can provide.
Today, may you find this POWER I have written about.
My you run into my Jesus, and find out the truth about today's posting for yourself.

God on you...
mbb

Today's Afflictions Do Not Compare With Tomorrow's Promises

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Comforting words from the Apostle Paul that should stir hope in the heart of every believer.
If you were in addiction and have come out through the work of Jesus and the 12 Steps, then these words should especially be comforting to you.
This great transition from one life style to another....this trading of ways of dealing with the world brings great distress and challenges with it. 
The unknown of what is next....
The subtle reminders that your past seeks to chase you down and bring you back....In other words, your sin nature (some call it the flesh) seeks to restablish itself as the dominating thoughts and attitudes. Praise God! It doesn't have to be. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has broken the power of sin, the penalty of sin and puts down the presence of sin in our lives.
We move through some difficult times and difficult decisions that have to be made.
The trading of old friends for new friendships and relationships...your past....they all converge in your mind creating this struggle to make good, sound decisions.

These sufferings that Paul writes about are the result of the clash between your new found relationship with Jesus and the pull of your old lifestyle of addiction and the ways of the world. 
It is important that we understand who we are in Christ and whose we are in the Kingdom of God.
As our declaration here at Rapha states:

Because of Christ's redemption I am a new creation of infinite worth.
I am deeply loved...
I am completely forgiven....
I am fully pleasing.....
I am absolutely complete in Christ....
I am totally accepted by God.....

No matter what may come my way today, I rest in the knowledge that it pales in comparison to the glory that is coming to me in the future. Today, I will not let the weight of this world rob me of the promise and glory of Jesus in my life. I will not let the world define me or conform into the image of its ways.
My life today is not going to reflect the values of this world.
This is a choice...
I make it today....

God on you.....
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What A Weekend

I Kings 8:56
May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all his commands, decrees, and regulations.....

Family came together last night.....
I saw Donnie Toole, Doug Johnson, Greg Shaneyfelt, Shane Elmore,Celia Lott, and many others at Catalyst Recovery. There are meetings...and then there are meetings. I can tell when a service is going to be good..when you first arrive and walk into the room, there is such a peace there. You're not anxious or overwhelmed. Peace rules. Such was the case last night.

What better way to start a meeting than with a baptism. No religiosity here...as Seth was putting them under the water..there were "hoots" and "hollars", sprinkled with a loud chorus of "AMEN's".
It was a celebration.....One more life that had given themselves to Christ was sealing the deal with baptism. like I said, I knew it was going to be a good night. God was in the house, and he was ready to move.

As Blake and the worship team took to the stage, it was all about Jesus. The songs selection and the sound that came from the stage only took us higher into the presence of God. Todd Deegan was back on guitar, and used his talent to punctuate the songs with some pretty incredible licks.

The series that the meeting has been going through in October was "THE MAN IN THE MIRROR". So when it came time for me to speak, It was all about mirrors, asking the question, "Which mirror are you looking into?" The mirror that God sets before us? Or the mirror the devil tries to place in our path?" Yesterday afternoon, as I was studying over the message, it came to me that the Twelve Steps are nothing more than a series of mirrors that has been provided for our healing and health.

Step # 1 mirror lets us see the extent of the damage we've done, as well as the ultimate truth that our lives have become unmanageable. As we move to the second mirror found in Step #1, it begins to take us into the depths of who we really are. WE find that with every layer of our addiction, we are incapable of saving ourselves. We have traded away life for a feeling...a high....a false reality.

Each subsequent mirror takes us deeper and deeper to the very core of why we did what we did. All the while, we are given a promise that there is a solution to our problem. That solution is found in a person. That person is Jesus.

Came time for ministry, and the front was flooded with people coming in need of healing. This was payday! God working, people receiving. A celebration that God was indeed who He claimed to be, and would do what He promised He would do.

What with Vineyard ReCovery on Saturday night and what took place in that meeting...along with Sunday Morning up at Northside, and now closing out the weekend with the meeting at Catalyst, as I was driving home all I could think of was "You beat everything God, you now that?" He is a good God.

Big Shout out to my new friends Melissa Fox. Welcome to the family!! She has an incredible story of the journey God has had her on. And the story isn't finished either.
Well, time for that first cup of coffee....

God on you...
mbb

Jesus....There Will Never Be Anyone Else

Psalm 95:6 - Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care.

No matter what my lot today....

No matter what life may bring to me.....joy or sadness......riches or poverty......I will worship you. These are not flattering words to bolster my own self image or ego, or ability. They are words of truth that fill me up with the wonder and awe that a God so powerful could love me, a sinner. Not just say that He loves me, but demonstrated it by giving His own Son as payment to ransom me from the one who kept me in darkness, imprisoned by my own selfish desires. 

It's the realization that any life I experience today comes from a heart that has fallen in love with the God of the universe. The praise and worship that I feel comes from a heart forever changed by blood that was shed on a hillside outside of Jerusalem over 2000 years ago. Blood that has not lost any of it's ability to lay hold of lives and break the power of sin. Blood that paid the price of the sin/debt I owed. Blood that enables me to rise above sin and not be under its power.

Experts from every field stand and proclaim the exact nature of this thing we call addiction.

Some say it is brought about by genetics....

Some say it stems from a physical malady that rises up within the addict.

Some say it is psychological and need only be dealt with through changes in the way we think and behave.
Well, I know that I cannot count myself among any "experts"...and they are a heap smarter than me. But this one thing I do know....

"Rarely have we seen anyone fail who has thoroughly followed this path." A path laid out for those who have run into this God....those who have turned will and life over to His care, and then, as Jesus declared, took up their cross and followed Him. Following Him, you can see and understand the value that is found in having a relationship with Him.

Today....
I will worship God with my whole being...every fiber of my existence.....that my life would be a reflection of the goodness of God.

May you find this for yourself.....

God on you....

mbb

Denial

(Taken From The Intro To The Book Of Ezekiel In The Message Bible)

Denial refuses to acknowledge the destruction we have brought on ourselves. It shuts its eyes tight or looks the other way. It manages to act as if everything is going to be just find. It takes refuge in distractions and lies and fantasies.

I need to see the truth about myself. When I say "I need to see"...it means that I need a complete understanding of what I have done to bring this destruction on myself through my using. I need to also come to an understanding of what I am capable of. Denial robs me of this necessary vision I need in order to move forward in recovery and this new Life that Jesus is offering me.

The best example of breaking out of denial and not only admitting the truth, but acknowledging our part in it, is found in Psalm 51. Written by King David, this particular Psalm records his uncovering of an affair he had with another mans wife. Not only did King David have the affair, he also had the woman's husband, who was a soldier in David's army, killed. David's right hand man-to-the-throne, Nathan, exposed David and this sordid tale of sin. Now out in the open, David admitted his guilt and expressed his feelings of remorse and shame in the writing of Psalm 51. If you read this Psalm, you see that David takes us through his emotions, right into the act of confession, repentance, and restoration by the hand of God, as forgiveness was extended to David.

Psalm 51 (the Message Bible)

Generous in love-----God, give grace...

Huge in mercy --- wipe out my bad record

Scrub away my guilt
Soak out my sins in Your laundry.
I know how bad I've been

My sins are staring me down.

In these verses, we see that David fully understands that God alone is the only one who can clean him up and restore him. I guess the thing that grabs me the most is that here we have a kind....a ruler over a nation....a man who holds tremendous power is on his knees before God in complete recognition that God alone is the only one who can forgive his choices and actions that brought about this sin of adultery and murder.

You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all

You've seen the full extent of my evil

You have all the facts before you

Whatever you decide about me is fair

I've been out of step with you for a long time,

In the wrong since before I was born

David refuses to shift blame to anyone else for his actions and behavior. In fact David has an incredible understanding of what it means to sin. He understands that his actions and behavior, as well as his thinking, was against God. He sinned against God....such sin demands an eternal payment. One that we, on our own, could never pay. That is why Jesus died on a cross. He became payment for our sin...past and present as well as future. He has given us the incredible gift of conviction, confession, repentance and the receiving of forgiveness.

What you are after, O'God, is truth from the inside out
Enter me, then conceive a new true life

David knew that God's chief aim in his life, as well as in each of us, is that we come to a saving knowledge of the truth. You see, truth is the real power afforded to us when we come to God broken and acknowledging our sin. Truth is the real power, given to us by God, that will break the hold of that old life we've been living under. The life of lies, half-truths, deception and manipulation. We no longer have to move under the direction and influence of the power that sin held over us. We are free.... Romans 6:14 tells us...."After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You have dominion over sin. You're now living in the freedom of God."

Take today's posting and chew on it.
Ask God to show you how this applies to your life.....

To reveal any areas that may have been covered over by your denial.
Then let God be God as you confess and turn to Him.

Now that's something to write home about.

God on you..

mbb

Wednesday Ramblings

Psalm 107:1-2
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say "SO!" Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.


Good morning to you all....
Lot's is going on all around me, as I sit here trying to sort through all the stories and events that have been shared with me over the past week. Thought I'd simply put out some prayer request and a few praise reports.

I got a call from Mike Kelton last night concerning his sister, Judy. She had been having heart issues and the doctors wanted to do a heart cath to assess the situation. They were not the most encouraging group, telling Judy that she had major blockage and might have to have surgery to correct it. Well, Mike, who is a regular on Saturday night, shared this with us and received prayer for healing on Judy's behalf. The procedure kept being postponed, but at the same time, the doctors were telling her that time was important and she did not need to put off having the procedure done. We kept praying. Last night Mike called me to let me know that when the doctors did the heart cath, there wasn't any blockage at all. Hmmmm....I wonder what happened. So I guess I'll take Psalm 107:2 at face value where it says, "let the redeemed of the Lord say so."   SO!!!!!

Brandon and Jessica Waller contacted me concerning their baby daughter, Bonnie Rae. She is in the hospital after having a rough weekend. Please pray for her and for the family. Brandon's job takes him out of town during the week, so he is not able to be there with Jessica and Bonnie. Jessica is having to shoulder the load, so to speak, as well as take care of the rest of the family. Strength to Brandon and Jessica....healing to Bonnie Rae...to her body....we pray this in the name of Jesus...Amen.....

There are several I know who have returned to old ways, old thoughts, and old places. The reason doesn't matter, as we can play should-a, would-a, could-a till the cows come home. Pray that God will break through the hardness of heart...the blindness of their spiritual eyes and deafness of their spiritual ears, that they might be awakened to the truth of God. Pray protection that God would stand angels around them to stay off the enemy from laying claim to their very soul.

we read in Psalm 107:10-11 and 13-- Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and irons because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the Most High.They cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them out of their distress. You know me....I'm just crazy enough to believe that God is still in the "saving / redeeming" business.

I'll be speaking this weekend at Seth Barber's meeting @ Catalyst Recovery. Come out and join us, as we gather together to see what God wants to do that night.
Meal @ 5:30 p.m.
Large group @ 6:30 p.m. /  followed by small group. Great way to spend a Sunday night as well as setting the tone for the coming week.  I guess I'll wrap this posting up. Think the coffee's finished and there is a cup with my name on it waiting to be consumed.

God on you...
mbb

Them Thar Construction Blues

Matthew 7:27
And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell and great was its fall.
Things coming down from above.....
Water rising from below.....
Winds blowing from all directions......
Being beaten from every side......
Collapse.
It wasn't sudden.
It wasn't unexpected.
It happened over a period of time.
But the outcome was never in doubt.
The house would not be able to stand against the weather.
The house itself was well built.
The foundation that was chosen for it to be built on wasn't.
It had no substance to it. It was not solid.
The foundation itself was subject to the weather.
It was affected by the rain, the flood and the wind.
The foundation offered no protection to those who built there.
It could not save them.
They just believed that it would.
After all, they had put effort, sweat, toil and tears into this building project.
But the house was wrongly built.

Need I write more?
Jesus.
Just Jesus.
On Him.
In Him.
That is the solid place.
A good place to store my faith.
To put my trust.
To secure my hope.
To bind my love.
To lash my salvation.
Jesus.
Just Jesus.

All else is passing away.
All else is crumbling.
Not my hope.
Hope in Jesus.
Just Jesus.

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The Real SUPERMAN

(Reprint from October 17, 2013)

John 2:7-8
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them up to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

Jesus was incredible was he not?
He had the ability (power and authority) to alter matter.
He could simply speak and elements would increase, or they would be changed into something totally new.
In the case of the verses in John 2, a wedding was going on. Wine was a part of the celebration and in this case, someone forgot to inventory how much was needed. The hosts were running out. To have this happen was the most embarrassing of situations a person could face. So what did Jesus do? Told the servants to fill up some urns with water. Six urns and the capacity of each one was estimated to be between 20 and 30 gallons. That is at least 120 and could have been 180 gallons of water.

Somewhere along the way between the filling and the talking....Jesus altered the molecular structure of the water and turned it into wine. Not the cheap stuff either. His authority and power went down to the atomic level of matter and changed it. Hard to wrap my head around that one.

Then there was the matter of feeding 5,000 plus people with a Happy Meal. To be honest, it was 5 biscuits and 2 fish sticks.  I mean, come on! How can you even look at that meager portion of food and then look at that crowd and declare, "Well, we've got enough here."?
But that is what Jesus did.
He took the fish and bread.
He broke them (like that was going to make it go farther)....No, all blessing come to a place of brokenness in our lives. We can't be blessed until we are broken and ready to receive.
He blessed the food.
Then He distributed it among the disciples to be passed out.
Here again, Jesus goes right to the atomic level of matter. Only this time, he isn't going to change it as much as he is multiply it. If I remember correctly, my early science teachings told me that matter can neither be created or destroyed. I think maybe Jesus messed all that up when the fish and bread was created and multiplied to feed the multitude. That Jesus! He'll get all up in some science and mess it up, won't he?

Why all the "matter" talk this morning?
Because if Jesus can do that with water and bread and fish.....
Imagine what he can do with me.
Imagine what he can do with addiction.
If this Jesus can command all the way down to the atomic level....I am certain he can speak into my heart and work a new work.
I'm sure he can move attitudes and thoughts and behaviors by the introduction of the Holy Spirit into my miserable existence, putting me on the path to a new way of living and doing business with the world. That's my Jesus!
As Larry Norman sang----"Why don't you check into Jesus...he's got the answers."

God on you...
mb

Meeting the Real-deal Jesus

Psalm 108:1
A God, my heart is satisfied.  I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

The thing that makes Vineyard ReCovery different is the emphasis we put on meeting with God. Now when I use that phrase, "meeting with God"...I'm sure that everybody has a different idea of what I mean. I'm going to give you my best definition.

#1- we know that God is everywhere:  Omnipresent.
#2- We know that we aren't always aware of His presence.
#3- Some people have never been awakened to the God's presence. They have heard about Him. Listen to sermons given on who God is. They have sung songs about this God, but have never really had a personal---one-on-one encounter with Him.
#4- VRCC's purpose is to introduce them to God. To set a table , so to speak, where the finite can meet the infinite. Where the mortal can be touched by the immortal. 

To be touched by God...
To be made aware of His presence by the work of the Holy Spirit, gives a person a frame of reference from which to understand God (as best as we can). It makes the idea, and person  of God come alive in heart's of those who have existed in spiritual darkness and blindness.
Every one of us has free will to either reject or receive from God. That is what VRCC is all about. Putting the two together so a decision can be made.
"Yes! I want you God...I give my life and will over to you!"
OR
"No! I want to continue to live and run my own life!"

Greg Birdwell brought the message last night.
The zeal, and love and honesty that poured out of him into that room was awesome.
Greg has a natural love and passion for Jesus, and it shows.
He is not afraid to be excited about what Jesus has done to him, for him and through him.
Greg reminds me of the cripple man who got healed in Acts chapter 3. "So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them.....walking, leaping, and praising God."  So what this God has done to Greg fills his heart, and when there isn't any more room, it spill over and out through Greg's voice and movement and words. At this point, if you know Greg, I will ask you to give a big ol' "WHOOOOO!!!!!" for Jesus.

Greg spoke on the story of Jesus and Lazarus. If you're not familiar with this one, it is a keeper. Lazarus dies and his sisters send word for Jesus to come. He delays for reasons that didn't make a lot of sense to the disciples. Eventually Jesus shows up (at just the right time)...Lazarus has been dead for four days. Now that is some kind of dead and, as his sister told Jesus, he "stinketh". Four days dead? Stinks? No problem for Jesus. He speaks the words that the sisters have been wanting to hear. "Lazarus!!!! Come out of that tomb!!!" It's all downhill after that. Tomb's stone is moved...Lazarus comes out....Jesus tells the local's to remove the grave clothes. End of story. Except maybe for some "WHOO-hooing" and "Jumping about".....and a whole lot of "Can you believe this!!".

When Greg finished, I opened the floor up for anyone to come forward who wanted to be set free from their own tomb, and to meet and experience this Jesus we had just heard about. The front filled up and we began to pray. Simple prayers.....two words..."Come Lord!' He did.  Much crying...much repentance.....hearts were open to receive, and receive they did.  I could go on and on about the different stories I heard from the ones who came up. Suffice it to say that we achieved our purpose last night. To be a place where people are introduced to Jesus, and have a personal encounter with Him.  It was some kind of good night.
Last night, some who were there moved from Step# 1 through Step # 2, and wound up squarely on Step #3. Now this coming week, they can began to take a fearless and moral searching inventory.

Thank you, Greg Birdwell, for being who God has created you to be.
May you just get even more crazy and passionate for Jesus...
God on you...
mbb