Proud? Or Humble?

I Peter 5:5
God opposes the proud but shows grace to the humble.

Sober words that I don't know that I truly understand.
The very thought of being opposed by God kind of sends a shiver down my spine.
The Creator of the universe....
The Almighty God....
The One True Living God....
Stands against me because of the selfish attitude I carry around.
I don't know if this is the right way to look at this verse or not, but I somehow think the proud is tied to the verse back in Genesis 3, where the serpent (a.k.a. the devil) is having that fateful conversation with Eve. She has explained that if they eat or touch the forbidden fruit, they will die because God has decreed it. With a sly chuckle the serpent tells her..."Not so...not so. God know that if you DO eat the fruit, that your eyes will be opened. Your ability to discern and understand will be increased. Having this view of life, you will be like God!!!!"

If I am like God, then I won't need God. I will decide for myself what is best for me. There you go..there is the foundation for pride. I would go on to say that pride is a defect of character, not to mention one of the pillars of our old sin/nature. Kind of glad the Apostle Paul didn't stop with the verse from I Peter, but went on to conclude that yes, God does oppose the proud...But gives grace to the humble.  Humble? Yes....those who realize they are spiritually broke and destitute. Those who realize their need for God in their lives. Those who admit their need for God. Kind of like the first step in the Twelve Steps. "We admitted we were powerless".....The admission of being broken, in need of being healed.

Pride keeps us from admitting our flaws...our sins...our character defects. Pride keeps us from the life-saving....life-giving....life-sustaining gift of salvation from God. Pride keeps us from seeing the truth about ourselves. In Revelation Chapter 3, we read about a group of people who claim to have it all together. They are referred to as the church @ Laodicea. In verse 17, we get to here how this group sees themselves.  God tells them.."You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." God then gives them the truth about their lives. "But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Pride would not let this group of people see the truth.

Those who humble themselves before God receive the ultimate of Gifts from Him....His Grace. According to James Ryles (one of my most favorite teachers) the definition of Grace is as follows:  The EMPOWERING PRESENCE of God in my life which enables me to be who God has created me to be, and to do what God has called me to do."  Isn't that what we've been searching for? The ability to live a new life free from the darkness and destruction that we brought upon ourselves? I think maybe "yes" it is. Chew on this today and see what God would reveal to you.

Until next time...
God on you...
mbb

Look At Me!!! I'm On The Greene St. Letters

Luke 24:11
And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
The women had returned from the tomb where Jesus had been laid.
Out of breath and everyone jabbering like magpies, they had tried to tell the others what they had found. But it was to far fetched to seem true. Truth was..............the women were not lying. Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. Whether the men believed it or not did not negate the truth. The truth stood in stark contrast to any argument that could have been delivered to counter it. Truth has a way of operating in this manner. It is not taken down by any conflict of interest or argument thrown out as a roadblock by those who don't believe. Now,  couple this idea with the knowledge wrap around the Truth of God.

I can speak truth to those still under the bondage of addiction and you can see it in their eyes.
"Fairy tales!"
"Yeah, right!"
"Who are you kidding!"
And on and on the litany of excuses surfaces with each statement of truth. 
Yet my Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved".
Now that is a statement of truth.
Believe----rely on----cling to----lash yourself to this individual we call Jesus---and throw down all your arguments. You will be saved.
You will be counted among those who are living, breathing and prospering in this life we have been given. Prospering as your soul prospers. You know there are riches that go beyond dollars and cents. Now if God deems that you make a lot of money, more power to you. But don't use this whole "getting saved" idea to think you are going to launch out to "moola" island and live the rest of your life soaking up rays and eating cheese. Like I said, there is more to life than money and stuff. 

We have listened to the inner voice that plays out in our minds for so long, that we have bought into a lie. We need to listen to the heart voice that pulls us whenever we hear anything to do with Jesus or the gospel (come to think of it, the two are inseparable aren't they?) and when we feel or are aware of that heart tug, respond by saying, "Yes Lord...I give myself to receive whatever you want to do in me. That is called surrender. For once in your life, don't listen to the argument that comes to your mind and spirit whenever you are conflicted about what to do. Simply surrender and then wait for the real deal Jesus to speak to your spirit. Then do it! 

I don't know about you, but if I don't listen with my heart, my first response to anything I'm told is to reject it as not being the truth. That is not a healthy or smart way to live. So the more I walk daily with Jesus........the more I practice listening for His voice (inside me)......the more I study His word.............The easier it is for me to get out of the way and simply let Him work in my life.
Sure does make things more bearable and simpler.

God on you....
mbb

TIME MACHINE

psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise the LORD!

This has been an incredible week for me. One that got me jazzed, pumped, and about a gazillion other adjectives. I found a treasure, and because of what I found, I bought myself a TIME MACHINE.

Been contemplating buying such a device for a while now, but always managed to talk myself out of doing so. But not this time. Walked into the store that had a selection of time machines. DISCLAIMER: Only those who have collected a few years upon this planet would look at such devices and see the potential for time travel. People who are much younger would not be capable of taking such trips or seeing the upside to owning a time machine. This, in no way, is meant to belittle those who are younger.

There it was! The one that caught my eye. It was sleek and built for travel. It just screamed..."Buy me!". I did. So I took my turntable home. Turntable? Yeah....you know...to play vinyl records on.....a turntable.

You see, earlier that day I was at the Center of Hope Thrift store checking out their books and music. Found myself amidst a stack of 8-tracks, cassettes, and sheet music, when I spied a bin of records albums. What caught my eye was the cover to Elton John's MADMAN  ACROSS THE WATER. It was one of my favorites. Alas...it was the album jacket, but the record itself had made an escape from the bin and was no where to be found. So I started to go through the stack of records. To my amazement, I found a copy of REZ Band  "MOMMY DON"T LOVE DADDY ANYMORE".

Glen And Wendy Kaiser's ode to the split of the American family and the damage that is done to children. Glen and Wendy were founders of JESUS PEOPLE U.S.A. in Chicago. REZ BAND was one of the first groups of Christian musicians that I heard when I came back from my wandering in the wilderness. 

I pulled the album from the stack and laid it aside.



Leaving through the stack, I passed a number of classical albums. I would have bought them, but I have no class. Wait a minute...what is this? Benny Hester? You've got to be kidding me. Music circa the 1980's.

 This album had one of my favorite songs ever. 
"GOODBYE SALTY" is God's promise to come back and take us to be with Him. Salty is used as God's nickname for His children, a reference to the verse from Matthew 5, where Jesus says we are the "salt of the earth".

Man!...
"No One Knows Me Like You"....
"Rubber Canoe"...
Many on the list I had forgotten.

What else could be waiting in this pile of Albums?


Few seconds later, there was a double bonus. No way!!! The Sweet Comfort Band..two albums...

"BREAKING THE ICE"...I had first encountered this album via a concert I saw on TV from Maranatha Music and Calvary Chapel. SCB's sounds was a mix of rock and jazz. Vocalist Brian Duncan was incredible. 

The term "Breaking the ice" refers to the power of the Holy Spirit to break through the coldest, hardest heart to bring conviction. 




"THE CUTTING EDGE" draws its name
from the power of the Word to rightly divide the human heart to reveal our need
for salvation.

Collecting my albums, I made my way to the register only to discover another bonus. Asking the cashier how much these treasures were going to cost me, he replied, "Ten for a dollar". Did I hear this right? I'm getting this part of my history....long since gone...for a dollar?" Hey, it was the best dollar I've ever spent.

Leaving there, I headed straight to the mall to purchase a turntable.
Finally reaching home and setting up said turntable, I placed the first album on the platter and hit the switch to start it. Sitting down on my couch, I watched as the needle arm lifted like a Saturn Rocket.....the arm moved over the album and dropped with the weight of a feather, hitting the first groove of the album with precision. What came next was when the time machine kicked in. With the first sounds of the song, I was immediately transported back to the early 80's.

Christian Brothers.....

I saw the faces of people I haven't seen in years. We were all so young....so full of fire for Jesus.....

I saw the coffeehouse on 6th street, and later when we moved it to Broad.

Quickly the time machine transported me to falls where the FALLS FESTIVAL was held. I saw Don Rakestraw manning the sound board, as Pat Terry was playing on the stage.

You make think me crazy, but what I experienced was the power of music to bring up memories, and for whatever reason, I needed those memories. I wish  not live in the past, but I am grateful for all the people God let me meet. People whose lives and love for Christ has made me a better man, and encouraged me to chase Him.

So I will be grateful for the past.....today...
And I will move forward into the future, unsure of what is around the next bend, or over the next hill.
But I am confident of one thing....Jesus will never leave me, nor forsake me.

On that, I can count on.

God on you...

mbb

Last Words

Last words in Scripture.

The very last words in the book of Hebrews.

Grace be with you all......

Grace? Unmerited favor? I don't think so even though this is the definition that most Christians use.

The unmerited favor of God be with you all?

I don't think so.

Scripture reads that Jesus was full of grace.

Jesus was full of unmerited favor?
If anyone deserved merited favor, it would be Jesus.
What is grace?

Grace is a power.
Grace is a force.

Grace is more than what you say before each meal.

Grace!

Grace is the empowering presence of God in me that enables me

to be who God has created me to be....
And to do what God has called me to do....

In other words......
Grace is that power in me, given to me by God through His Holy Spirit

that allows me to be elevated above my human condition

and carry out the wishes and plans of God

to usher in his kingdom rule here in our time and space....

to bring the offer of His salvation to those who don't know Jesus...

to make disciples.....

and to worship the Father in Spirit and in truth...
Grace...
What a word....

No wonder John Newton called it Amazing!

Grace to you all......

Grace on you all....

And

Grace fill us all for His purposes.

God on you......

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Catch The Fire 1998

Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a devouring (or consuming) fire.

Is it possible that it really has been 20 years?
Lot has happened since then. 
For one thing, I'm 20 years older. Not complaining, simply stating a fact.
October 6, 1998, I made a journey to Toronto to attend the "Catch The Fire" conference.
Toronto plays an important part in the history of our church. In fact, I would say that what took place during that conference laid the foundation for everything I do today. Had no clue that such would happen....just a knowing that I needed to go there and experience this move of God for myself.

A good friend of ours, Randy Horvath, had called us in 1994 to alert us to the fact that something was going on at the Toronto Vineyard, and that we'd better get up there to check it out for ourselves. Several from Gadsden Vineyard made the trek to see what all the hubbub was about. Turned out that God had begun a move of His Spirit and it was growing with each passing day. The ones from our church who attended came back changed. They would never be the same. There was a new hunger for God, for His word, and to participate in His Kingdom work. In other words, they were not content to simply sit in church any more. God had let them have the keys to the car (so to speak) and once they had tasted driving they didn't want to go back to the old way of doing things.

I was not able to be a part of these early journey's to Toronto.
It wasn't until the fall of 1998 that I was approached about going.....by myself.....alone....no one else. I said o.k.
Wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I was open to whatever God wanted to do.

I flew out of Birmingham on Monday Oct. 6th. - 7:45 a.m. headed North.
The one thing I felt for certain about was that God had told me I was to go and observe. He would show me what I was to bring back. 

Prior to my trip, I'd been having dreams. May not sound like much, but I really don't dream. Let me rephrase that. I don't remember dreams. If I do, then I take them to be from God. I'd had several dreams in the days before leaving, and they all centered around one thing.....Blue's music. In one, I was in a library looking for a book. Jim Bentley was with me, and we were moving up and down the isles in search of a book that I didn't even know the title. At one point Jim turned to me and said, "Here, you're going to need this."
He handed me a book that had a cloth cover. The cover was a faded blue, almost like jeans that had been washed a gazillion times. The title of the book was embossed on the front..."THE BLUES WAY". I took the book, asking Jim, "Why this one?" He replied, "I don't know. I just know that you're to need it." As I type this, it suddenly dawned on me that Jim didn't say that I needed to read this book....Just that I was going to need it. 

My initial impression of the conference on the opening session, was that I felt like an intruder. Like I had wandered into a private party and was going to be asked to leave at any moment. Of course I tend to feel this way at anything or place that is new to me. As I moved into the main auditorium, my ears were filled with the most wonderful, and beautiful sound I'd ever heard. There was worship going on, but it was a different kind of worship. It was "Blues" worship. Turned out that the worship leaders for the week were Bryn Haworth and Dave Markee, both incredible musicians from England. Both had toured and recorded with the heavy weights of the music world. Here they were together leading the worship for the conference. Blues? The book Jim gave me in the dream was "The Blues Way"....hmmmmm. Are you trying to tell me something? Yes He was. And yes He did. This style of music would become the basis for everything I have done in recovery. Why this style? Because it truly speaks to the heart of those who are struggling with addiction. In the natural, blues music is nothing more than an outlet for the pain and misery one is going through. Take that same music and turn it into worship, and you take the pain and misery and give to the Healer, Jesus. Big difference.

This week I spent there (Oct. 6 through 11) was incredible. It wasn't until later, that I fully realized how much this meeting with God in Toronto changed me. He pointed me in a direction that has been my journey for these past 20 years..

 I'm a person who likes to record his thoughts and experiences on paper. So I kept a running journal during my time at the Catch The Fire conference. This has allowed me to revisit the event that became my starting point for where I am today spiritually.  Like I said earlier, this conference was the foundation for what I am doing today.

I've been in a lot of meetings, but the one I attended in Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart. This was where God gave me direction that is still in play today. He started me on a journey that I could never have chosen for myself. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Toronto and to be changed by a God who is still in love with those outside His will. Those who are living under a cloud of depression and misery that we call addiction. 

Here is the song that started it all for me. This is the song that grabbed me and pointed me to the path I've been walking on for the past 20 years.
Bry Haworth's "I Can Do All Things".
Enjoy!

God on you....
mbb

Power And Glory

Psalm 63:2
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.

Power and glory, huh? I picked the photo above because I thought it says a lot about how we view power and glory. Bold letters in front of an explosion, all coming at you off the page. Big letters to spell out the content...letters that catch your attention. But is that really what Power and Glory is about, especially when it comes to God....especially when it comes to His interaction and work in my heart?

Granted we are talking about the One and Only, True, Living God of the universe. One who does hold all power and authority, whose glory does fill the earth. But when it comes to me and my life, His  Power and glory (or his nature and character) come with a gentleness to it. He beckons me (now there's a good word...beckon) to make the choice to not look to the darkness for my answers on how to live life. His Power is given to me to aid me in my daily walk. Just like the Big Book of A.A. tells us..."God did for me what I could not do for myself". What that boils down to is a simple fact. I could not live or find life outside of my addiction. I tried and tried to overcome,but the power of darkness swallowed me every time. My good intentions fell to the ground in a heap. But God touched my heart and I cried out to Him. He came! He came with the ability to overcome (that is His Power), and He came with the mindset and heart-set to look to Him for how to be the man He created me to be, giving to me some of His Spiritual DNA, through the implanting of His Holy Spirit in me. He gave me His nature and character (see Galatians 5:22-23). In spite of all my failure, I am a new creation of infinite worth when I turn will and life over to His care.

What was once impossible has been shattered and replaced with His will and presence.
What was once unattainable has now been given freely to through His power and glory.
What was once only a distant hope and wish, is now a reality as I get up every day ready to handle whatever is out there waiting on me. That is the true Power and Glory that has been made a reality in my own life.
I pray that you find it for yourself today.
God on you...
mbb

WHY?

Did you ever find yourself in a position or situation where you asked yourself, "Why did I do that?"
"WHY?" seems to be a question that we ask a lot during our lifetime.
But really one thing we need to take a look at is "Why do we believe?"
Why do we believe in God?
Why do we need to go to church?
Why do we need to read and study our Bible?
I guess one could build a "WHY" list that would reach from here to Piedmont

This Saturday night @ Vineyard ReCovery Church we are going to be taking a look at "WHY?"
Debbie Handy will start off these messages giving us some insight as to the benefit and growth that comes from knowing and understanding why we are called to certain behaviors.
Todd Bagley will continue these "WHY?" teachings next Saturday (Oct. 27), and I will take it up and continue  the first Saturday of November.

I guess one of the reasons I felt the need to go down this rabbit trail is because I hear different people make statements about what they believe, but when pressed about why they believe, they are unable to give a response. "Well, I just believe!" or "That's what everyone believes!" I have a need to know the "Why" behind my own beliefs. Such is why I try to spend time in Scripture making sure that what I claim to believe is grounded in the truth of God.

So join us this Saturday night / 7 p.m. @ Vineyard ReCovery Chruch

THE RED LETTERS

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.
Signs that a storm was brewing came to herald its arrival.
Temperature drop.
Wind increasing, at first a pleasant gentle breeze, but later it descended with all its fury.


But the outcome of this event 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.

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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Addiction Is An Equal Opportunity Destroyer

This was forwarded to me this morning by a friend of mine.

We must never forget that behind every addiction is the story of

a family that has been drawn into the life of the one who is

addicted.

They suffer from sleepless nights filled with worry.

That the next knock at the door might be a policeman there to inform

them of the death of their child.

Stormy nights weigh them down with wondering if their child has a

safe place to sleep.

Children are tucked in their beds, asking when Mommy or Daddy is

coming home.

Our beloved Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir died on Sunday, October 7. While her death was unexpected, Madelyn suffered from drug addiction, and for years we feared her addiction would claim her life. We are grateful that when she died, she was safe and she was with her family.

Maddie was born on March 31, 1988, in Burlington, Vt., where she grew up and lived on and off throughout her adult life; she also spent time in Sarasota, Fla.; Keene, N.H.; and Boulder, Colo.

Madelyn was a born performer and had a singing voice so beautiful it would stop people on the street. Whether she was onstage in a musical or around the kitchen table with her family, when she shared her voice, she shared her light. She was a member of FolKids of Vermont, a dance and musical troupe that toured the world. Maddie visited Russia and Thailand with the group and, as part of their exchange program, hosted kids from other countries at home in Vermont. She loved to ski and snowboard, and she swam on the YMCA swim team, winning medals at the New England regionals.

When she was 16, she moved with her parents from Vermont to Florida to attend a performing arts high school. Soon after she tried OxyContin for the first time at a high school party, and so began a relationship with opiates that would dominate the rest of her life.

It is impossible to capture a person in an obituary, and especially someone whose adult life was largely defined by drug addiction. To some, Maddie was just a junkie — when they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient. She could and would talk to anyone, and when you were in her company you wanted to stay. In a system that seems to have hardened itself against addicts and is failing them every day, she befriended and delighted cops, social workers, public defenders and doctors, who advocated for and believed in her 'til the end. She was adored as a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, friend and mother, and being loved by Madelyn was a constantly astonishing gift.

Maddie loved her family and the world. But more than anyone else, she loved her son, Ayden, who was born in 2014. She transformed her life to mother him. Every afternoon in all kinds of weather, she would put him in a backpack and take him for a walk. She sang rather than spoke to him, filling his life with song. Like his mom, Ayden loves to swim; together they would spend hours in the lake or pool. And she so loved to snuggle him up, surrounding him with her love.

After having Ayden, Maddie tried harder and more relentlessly to stay sober than we have ever seen anyone try at anything. But she relapsed and ultimately lost custody of her son, a loss that was unbearable.

During the past two years especially, her disease brought her to places of incredible darkness, and this darkness compounded on itself, as each unspeakable thing that happened to her and each horrible thing she did in the name of her disease exponentially increased her pain and shame. For 12 days this summer, she was home, and for most of that time she was sober. For those 12 wonderful days, full of swimming and Disney movies and family dinners, we believed as we always did that she would overcome her disease and make the life for herself we knew she deserved. We believed this until the moment she took her last breath. But her addiction stalked her and stole her once again. Though we would have paid any ransom to have her back, any price in the world, this disease would not let her go until she was gone.

If you yourself are struggling from addiction, know that every breath is a fresh start. Know that hundreds of thousands of families who have lost someone to this disease are praying and rooting for you. Know that we believe with all our hearts that you can and will make it. It is never too late.

If you are reading this with judgment, educate yourself about this disease, because that is what it is. It is not a choice or a weakness. And chances are very good that someone you know is struggling with it, and that person needs and deserves your empathy and support.

If you work in one of the many institutions through which addicts often pass — rehabs, hospitals, jails, courts — and treat them with the compassion and respect they deserve, thank you. If instead you see a junkie or thief or liar in front of you rather than a human being in need of help, consider a new profession.

We take comfort in knowing that Maddie is surrounded by light, free from the struggle that haunted her. We would have given anything for her to experience that freedom in this lifetime. Our grief over losing her is infinite. And now so is she.

Sears Closing?

Just walked out to get the paper for my wife to read, when she wakes up. There on the front page was a headline that I thought I'd never see in my lifetime.  "Sears to close @ the Gadsden Mall". I was flooded by memories of times when I went with my mother to Sears.
Funny how things get stuck in your mind, or at least the perception of how things will always be. The sun will come up....the temperature will begin to drop as we enter into the fall season, headed for winter, and there will always be the stores that you grew up with as a kid. Well, life is not dictated to by the longevity of commercial investments. 

In fact everything has a time and season. Every part of life is always winding down. As I've gotten older, I am getting a taste of what my parents must have gone through during my teenage years. All the social unrest of the 60's....the assassinations....the war in Viet Nam.....the dismantling of the moral structure in our nation by the left-thinking groups. No wonder my parents kept holding on to the old ways that had sustained them. It was their way of coping with all the change that was happening around them. 

Even in Scripture, God gives us a glimpse of what we are experiencing today. Why? Because life and time are on a constant move downward. Time is winding down, and life is only getting darker in our nation and the world.
II Timothy 3:1-5 
But mark this; There will be terrible (perilous / stressful) times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-----having a form of godliness but denying the power...have nothing to do with such people.

Now the case could be made that such behavior and attitude have been around forever. Basically what we have is a listing of character defects, but if the verses had not started with the idea that such behavior would mark "The last days", I might thing differently about it.

In our country today, we see these behaviors not only evident in our society, but held up as being the right way to live. No thought given to the simple truth that these things are an the complete opposite of the life Christ is calling us to live.

Now here is the dark part to this whole "character defect" part. Take this kind of behavior and cover it with an addiction, and you've got yourself a mess to end all messes. Not only do you have a life locked into high gear toward self destruction, you've got a life that is spiritually blind and deaf, driven by a hard heart that is only bent on "self". "I want what I want, when I want it" is the creed for a person headed this way.

That list from II Timothy is a sobering list.
God did not allow it to be a part of the scripture to throw fear and hopelessness in our face. He gave it as kind of a mirror that allows us to see ourselves and check our hearts. Do I possess any of these character defects? If so, am I willing to let God's Holy Spirit work in me, to change me into the person God desires me to be? 

Do I take this list of defects in II Timothy and reach out to others who may also be in the darkness, outside of God's will? Am I willing to love them into the Kingdom and a new way of living? A way of life that can only be found in Christ.

Hebrews 4:8
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."
Food for thought here on Tuesday morning.

God on you...
mbb

Learning To Stay Out Of The Way

Luke 1:38
....."Let it be to me according to your word".....

Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's announcement that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. A simple reply. One that conveys a sense of "getting ones self out of the way." To put it bluntly, the angels proclamation to Mary is a pretty far out word.
Let's see...
"You've got plans of your own....but God has bigger plans. You're going to be impregnated and give birth to God." Yeah..that's pretty big stuff right there.
But Mary's response of "O.k. whatever your word has declared, then let it be done to me...I'll cooperate with you in this matter." ....Now this response isn't chicken feed, is it. She didn't say these words to placate the angel. She didn't let them roll off her tongue just to let them be empty promises. Her response was from the heart.

Now I know it might seem a stretch to you who are reading this posting, but the same mindset has to be in place as we begin this journey in recovery. "Let it be done to me according to your word."
In other words, I'm going to get out of the way...my will and life..and I'm no longer going to live according to what I want. Rather, I'm going to simply do what I know to do and follow your directions, O' Lord.

I have dealt with some people who make this recovery thing way to hard. They want to wrangle with the steps, questioning the "why" of doing them. They put up ten million reasons why they are so different and why it will be extra hard for them to live clean and sober. They balk at every turn and roll their eyes when you make statements of truth such as..."This can be the last rehab you have to go to!" These poor unfortunates actually are not ready for recovery. They want to take the principals of recovery and fit them into their current life. Well, it doesn't work that way. You don't fit recovery into your life. You don't fit Jesus into your life...you fit your life into Jesus. His life becomes your life.It's called being humble. It's called getting yourself out of the way, because "your self" has been your greatest enemy and roadblock to your own recovery.

Steve Yarbrough, founder of Rapha, use to say, "When you're sick and tired of being sick and tired..then you're ready to recover." When you quit asking questions at every turn, challenging the steps..then your ready. That is the heart and mind that is needed by an individual before the journey can begin. I don't care what brings you to rehab....whether you were court ordered or your momma made you...what I care about is how you leave. At some point during your stay in treatment...the lights should come on and you should come to the conclusion that you are powerless over your addiction. Or,as I like to put it..."Your best thinking...the top of your game, got you sitting in yellow chairs at white folding tables." If this is the best you can come up with...maybe you need to change the way you're doing business with life and the world.
When a proclamation is made as to your recovery...your response should be..."Let it be done to me according to the word of God."

Sounds to simple, doesn't it?
It's is simple.
Let everything be done according to God's directives for your life.
Get out of the way and let Him lead.

God on you...
mb

Happy

Reading in Hebrews 11 yesterday.
The great "Faith" chapter.
The Hall of Faith.
A list of what we would consider to be the "who's who" of Bible-dom.
Moses....
David...
Enoch...
Rahab....
Etc....
Etc...
Each verse begins with "By Faith"....then the name of the individual and what they accomplished.
As you read the chapter it pretty inspiring. Men and women who did great deeds under the unction of the Holy Spirit. But by the time you get to verse thirty-five, things kind of go south. 

But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They place their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half. Others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. THEY WERE TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD.

This kind of smacks in the face of the happy, happy, joy, joy God has a wonderful plan for your life.
Yes, God does have a wonderful plan for your life but it may not look like the plan we would choose.
I don't want you to think this is a downer posting this morning. What I want you to understand (even as I am trying to get my brain wrapped around this one) is that our Faith in God, our Hope in God, our Belief in God supersedes whatever the world has to offer, good or bad. 
Faith is the greater connector that locks me to God. Not faith in what God will do or not do, but faith that He is who He says He is and that His will and nature will be displayed in every situation I face...good or bad. For this very reason, I choose to wholly lean on and rest in Him.

I think one of the greatest examples of a person's faith and placing themselves in the hands of God came from my mother. She was told in February of 1981 that she was dying of pancreatic cancer. Mom set about getting all of her affairs in order. She made lunch appointments with old friends to have one last time where they could talk and share and make sure that everything was alright between each other. She got all of her financial business taken care of. She did what she had to do as with each passing day, you could see the cancer taking it's toll on her. She never complained, she never said that this was unfair that her lot in life would end this way. My mother told me time and time again that God was still in control of her life and if this was the path she was to walk out, she was not going to hold back but see it through to the end. She knew that "the end" was not that, but only the transition to the next part of her relationship with God.

On May 14, 1981, she left her house for the last time. As we walked out on the porch, she stopped for just a moment and turned to look at the front door. She turned back around, holding me by the arm said, "I'm ready to go home now." She was not bitter because she was not going to be here to see her grand children grow up. She was not angry because of this disease that invaded her body. She simply walked in the grace that God covered her with and she did so until she died on May 26th. 

In the eyes of the world, this was not a happy ending. 
In the eyes of my Mom and myself, she was receiving the ultimate healing.
She would no longer suffer or hurt.
She would be free of the confines of a sinful body and world.
She would know for herself the truth of what she lived by and for. That Jesus Christ is Lord and worthy to be worshiped.
I pray that God grant me strength during the hard times and that I may not cower in fear but stand strong in His strength.

I rest in the God's truth and knowledge that I will "live happily ever after".

God on you........
mb