WE ARE SOME KIND OF BADDDDD SHEEP!

 

Sometimes the simple things are the hardest to understand. Maybe because they are simple, we don't see the value in them. Maybe I suffer from TOKOGAE (Tree of knowledge of good and evil). I live under the delusion that everything is a mystery and very deep for my understanding. In other words, I'm trying to see the forest, but the trees keep getting in my way. I discovered long ago that the deep things of God are not really deep at all. I remember when serving as associate pastor at Gadsden Vineyard, people would come forward and ask for prayer that they may know the deeper things of God. It took me a while, but during my prayer time, God spoke to me and said,"Hey! Let's do the simple things and not worry about the mystery's. I've got that covered."

Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
What an incredible verse. A verse that is very familiar and one that has been quoted over and over. Yet, very few actually live as if it were truth. First off, we see a view of the relationship we have received through our salvation.
God isn't the shepherd.....The LORD is.
I don't want to get into word-wrangling or try to twist anything but lets look at this.
The world cries out and professes their belief in God....
Yet very few have placed their lives in submission to Him. Only when we give ourselves (and live like it) over to His care do we have the right to call Him "LORD".  Luke 6:46 reads: "And why do you call Me, "LORD, LORD, and do not do what I say?" The right to proclaim Jesus as Lord, is evidenced by our willingness to follow Him and do what we have been called to do. So the idea that the Lord is my shepherd is one of position. He is over me. I am submitted to Him. Not in certain areas of my life, but the whole. I look to His guidance in every decision I have to make. As my wife so aptly puts it..."If He ain't talking...I ain't walking."

We see that if Jesus is Lord and I view Him as "MY" shepherd, then that would make me a sheep. I love this declaration by David in Psalm 23. Here we have the King of Israel. Ruler. Able to control a nation with a single command. A man of power and of war, yet with all the ability to govern a nation, he considers himself nothing more than one of God's sheep. Knowing that this is who he is, David can say emphatically...."The Lord is my Shepherd. I am under His care and guidance." Can you say that this morning? Is God your shepherd only in times of great need or distress? Or does He lead you every day in every way?

The shepherd was responsible for the well being of his flock. He lead them to the best pastures where they could graze. He made sure that there was ample water for them to drink. He fought off every predator that came looking to steal a sheep away from his flock. Jesus is referred to as the good shepherd. He wasn't a hireling only carrying out a job for money. He said that a good shepherd was willing to lay down his life to protect the flock. That is exactly what Christ did on the cross. His death brought eternal protection to all who are part of his flock.

The last part of Psalm 23:1 reads: I Shall not want. Let those words soak into your heart this morning. Do you find yourself in turmoil over wanting things or thinking that you can't live without a certain thing? Here is an eternal truth that will set you free from the desires for this world. When Jesus truly is made LORD of your life, and you can call Him your shepherd, then you can rest. Your mind can be at peace. Your heart can be at peace. It is an incredible place of trust and rest, even when you feel like the world is closing in on you. Your inward selfish wants or turned outward as you look to Christ to meet your needs. There isn't much I can lay claim to in this world, but I can truthfully say that God has supplied the needs of this family over the years. He has proved himself faithful and worthy to be trusted, not because He gives us "things". But because He is a God who is true to His word.

In a world whose mantra is "It's all about material possessions", I have found a place of peace where the Lord meets my needs. I don't have to struggle or worry. Jesus is my all sufficiency. His grace is sufficient. His love is overflowing. His mercy never fails. Don't forget that this is the same Jesus that took 5 fish sticks and two biscuits and fed 5000. I imagine he is still capable of doing the "Shepherd" thing.


God on you....
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THURSDAY MORNING THOUGHTS

 

Pondering this morning, and boy it has taken a lot out of me. Doesn't seem like the "ponders" or the "ruminations" come as easy as they use too. But I managed to stay on course and not be distracted by butterfly's or the neighbor's mowing their lawn.

Been thinking a lot about how the world has unspoken rules and ways of doing things that most folks don't even consider much less think about it. Culture and society shovel out daily messages that direct you on how you are to live and what you are to think. People seem to happily take in like little birds being fed by momma bird. 

Usually the cultural belief system runs counter to the Kingdom rule of God. One of my most favorite sections of verses is found in Mathew 5:21-48. I usually refer to this section as "You have heard". Jesus is speaking truth about how the culture of the day creates its own truth, He counters this with God's truth. He starts with "You Have Heard".....and then counters with "But I Say To You". I think maybe we have way to much "You Have Heard" and not enough of  what Jesus has to say. 

Somewhere along the way, our culture has tried to marry these two concepts together, with a self centered thought that "Sure, listen to what the Bible says"...but remember that you have to live in this world, so decide for yourself. Sorry Charlie! It doesn't work that way. 

Culture presses hard to water down the gospel. Society sets standards that run contrary to the heart of God, then those who seek God are ridiculed and chastised for being out of touch with life now. If you don't know what you truly believe.....you'll follow the crowd. If you aren't grounded in Christ, you'll be swept away by the tide of public opinion. 

Culture is constantly changing (unfortunately in this day and time, the change isn't always for the better)

Jesus never changes. His message doesn't change. His heart is steadfast. His promises are yes and amen. For that I am grateful. Why doesn't His message change? Because even though culture changes, the dark hearts of people do not. Technology is advancing, the heart of man isn't. We have more toys than those who lived when Jesus walked this earth in the form of man, but the dark heart of people still beats within. A heart that demands its own way. A heart that rejects God because it has fallen prey to the lie that "We Are Like God!" (See Genesis 3:5) If I am like God, then I have no use for God.

Saturday night, I hope to continue this teaching by taking a look at some men who refused to allow the world to change them. The teaching will be posted here on this blog shortly after our meeting closes. It will also be posted on ReCovery Church Facebook page, as well as my personal Facebook page.

Until next time...God on You!

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PEGGY

 

Six years.....has it really been that long since you were with us? Oh, I still believe that you are with us, and I am not merely talking about memories. Your presence is felt every day. With every event that this family faces, there is the thought of you. You had that kind of impact on all of us.

Six years.....A lot has happened since this day back in 2015. Tyler is 19 now, entering his second year at the university of Alabama. He is taking classes that I can't even pronounce. Doesn't matter.....I know you'd be proud of him.

Miss Ashley "Louise" is still that free spirit that you loved. She is 15 now and, heaven forbid, will be getting her drivers license next April. You had such an impact on both our grandchildren and for that I am grateful.

Vicki? Why a day doesn't go by that she doesn't miss you.  As Vicki stated, "You can't work with someone for 30+ years everyday and not miss them." Some days are harder than others. The grief comes and the pain is almost unbearable. But Vicki, like me, rests on the hope that we will all be together again at some point.

Since you left us, there has been this unmeasurable empty spot in the Campbell family that only you could fill. We've tried to carry on....we've had family hoo-ha's but they weren't the same. Vicki has shouldered the planning load of such events, but more than once she has commented that she wished you were still here so she could bounce ideas off of you. She calls you her touchstone.

Would I love to have you back? Sure. Would I love to have you back in the same condition when you left us. No way. That is the beauty of the "ultimate healing" that God will bring to all of us at some point. We will shake off this body of flesh and rid ourselves of the pain and disease that defines life here on this earth. We will no longer need medicine, or tubes running in and out of our bodies. Time spent in clinics and hospitals will be discarded and left behind. We will rise and leave all these things to find ourselves standing in front of the one who died to secure our salvation.

So this morning my thoughts, my heart and my love are directed to you, Peggy. We will sit down to a meal tonight and once again pull out all our memories of you. We will pour them out like pieces of a puzzle and put them together until the picture is complete. There will be memories that make us laugh....some will fill our eyes with tears. No matter which it is, there will be a mixture of hope and a longing to see you again.

Thank you Father for all the years that you gave Peggy, and for the time we had here on this side of heaven. Sometimes a person doesn't realize the value of a life that has been plopped down into their midst until that life is no longer with them. Help us today Lord to see the true value of having Peggy in our lives. Truth be known, we were all changed by her presence and hopefully we are better because of it.

God on you...

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ARE YOU GOING TO JUMP IN OR WHAT?

 

I don't know how it was when you were a kid, but for me, swimming was the thing. Any chance to get to go swimming was met with great enthusiasm. Whether it was a real honest to goodness swimming pool, or the local swimming hole, I was all about getting myself into the water.

But from time to time an unusual thing would happen. We would take a picnic lunch along and eat a meal before we'd go swimming. That's when the "Mom" rule would kick in. "You can't go swimming until an hour after you've eaten." What? Why not? What's up with this? You entice me to an afternoon of swimming and then you feed me and saddle me with this parental burden. You've got to be kidding." We had to wait an hour exactly. We were informed that if we went swimming before the hour was up, we would cramp up, sink to the bottom of the pool where we would drown. I remember one time asking my mother, "What if we go in after waiting 59 minutes and 59 seconds?" Now she knew I was trying to find a loophole in this whole eating/swimming thing. "Nope...cramp, sink, drown." So there we would be....sitting at the edge of the pool watching all the other non-fed kids having the time of their lives. IT was miserable.

I said all of that to make a point.
We need to take that same enthusiasm we had as a kid and apply it to our daily walk with Christ. In fact, that walk isn't to be as a spectator to what God is doing in His Kingdom rule. We are called to participate. You can tell some people that and they look at you like you've developed three heads. "You mean I'm suppose to be an active participate in what God is doing?" Duh? Yes!

Contrary to popular church belief, the guy up front who you've hired to be the pastor/teacher, is not there to do everything. He is not there to make the church function or look better or win people to Jesus. He is there to equip you to do all of that stuff. Pray for people....see people healed.....break off demonic oppression and suppression....feed the poor....visit the sick and those in prison (or county jail). You've got to dive into this whole Jesus thing.
Don't be content to sit on the bank while all the other kids are in the pool having a wonderful time. Dive in with them.

Have you read that book? The Bible? Have you read it? Jesus comes along and puts together the most improbable group of individuals ever assembled, and then gives them authority and power to ransack the kingdom of the devil. I'm not sure I would have trusted the disciples with my car keys, much less the Kingdom of God. But Jesus did. He trusted them. He told them, "Hey guys, it's time to quit sitting by the pool. It's time to jump in!" O.k.---he didn't really say it that way, but you get the point.

He didn't line them up and say, "Who has a college degree?"
"Who has been to seminary?"
"Who can read Hebrew and Greek?"
Nope! He simply called, empowered and then sent them on their way, two by two. Did they mess up? Probably. It was probably very awkward on that first journey without Jesus there to guide them. There was probably a lot of "You go first"..."No you pray"....."Not me, you pray first." But eventually the boys jumped in the pool and began to have some fun. In fact, they returned from their journey with all kind of tales to tell Jesus.
They didn't sit by the pool and watch....
They jumped in.
What about you?
Are you going to sit by the pool while everyone else has the fun?
Or are you going to jump in?

God on you...
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REAL JESUS? OR FAKE JESUS?

 

Genuine Imitation leather Bible.....
I have actually heard these words before.....genuine imitation....
They kind of don't go together.
It's the "real - fake" stuff.
Almost a boasting of the  maker of such Bibles as to say, "Hey we're not trying to put anything over on you...we told you it was not real leather. We told you it was a real imitation." Hence the name genuine imitation.
Some people take pride in owning such a Bible. Real leather is expensive so to have something that looks like an expensive Bible is high on some people's list. Let's be real here. It really isn't the cover, or the outside, it's the content. The content is what matters. Is the content real? Does the content of such a book change people's lives? Well, yes and no.

The content of Scripture, under the conviction of God's Holy Spirit, points us to Jesus who truly can make a difference.
The Word of God becomes a knife or scalpel used to peel away our arguments and objections to reveal to us the truth about our spiritual status in this life.

Some people want a genuine imitation Jesus. He looks like the real thing, but isn't. The imitation Jesus doesn't use such words as "sin" or "hell". He is loving and accepts all. The imitation Jesus will never hurt our feelings or make us uncomfortable. He is simply there to make us feel good about ourselves. He doesn't require anything of us other than letting him bless us and give us things that will ease whatever pain we may encounter. Well, to tell you the truth.......sometimes pain is the only thing a person has that lets them know they are truly alive. I know that sounds hard, but pain does serve a purpose.

One of my favorite singer/songwriters has a line in one of his songs that has stayed with me for many years....
.....And it's funny how pain can touch you. And it only makes you better, or it robs your heart and soul. All in all, it defines the separation between growing up and growing old."
Did you catch that?
Pain makes you better.....
How?
Pain can either drive us to Jesus to seek refuge and strength for whatever is causing the pain, or we take the words of Job's wife and simply "Curse God and die."
If life here on planet Earth is filled with pain and suffering (and I think it is) then I want a strong hand to lay hold of as I walk through my years. I want that precious nail-scarred hand of Jesus. I don't want pain...but I do want the genuine Jesus. I don't want some substitute religious looking Jesus as my savior. I want the one who went to the cross willingly. I want the Jesus who gave his back to the soldiers to be whipped and reduced to human rubble. I want the Jesus who cried out from the cross....."Father! Forgive them for they know not what they do." I have no need for an imitation Jesus. I have no need for an imitation salvation.

Matthew 4:16
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.
And those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.
The revelation of Jesus fills this world and declares His glory and kingdom message.....
Don't settle for an imitation.
Don't live your life under the pain of sin.
Don't live your life under the penalty of sin.
Don't spend the rest of your days in the presence of sin..
Let the genuine Jesus lead you out.

God on you......
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Saturday Night Teaching: "In The Beginning"

Saturday Night Teaching: "In The Beginning": Michael Bynum Takes a look at chapter 1 of Genesis, revealing the POWER greater than ourselves (That would be Jesus) who can speak into our lives (as He did at creation) giving us new life.

LISTEN UP!!

 

I Will be posting a new message tonight on Facebook, "IN THE BEGINNING". We'll be taking a look at the entry point into this new life Jesus promised to all who would believe.

You can find the message on ReCovery Church Facebook page, my personal Facebook page, and here on the Greene Street Letters.

God on you...

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HOW FOREIGN 1979 SOUNDS IN THE LIGHT OF 2021 CHRISTIANITY

 

I have spent a lot of time with Keith Green over the past 3 days. I have been listening to his teachings via Sermon Index. Messages from 1979 through 1981. I am captivated by the brutal honesty on these teachings.

I hear a man whose heart is to follow Jesus and a burning desire to love God above all else. Here was a man who wavered between being hailed as a "prophet" to our generation only to be completely undone by God. This undoing showed Keith just exactly how much he didn't love others or God. He used the name, or label of prophet, to justify some behaviors that were not very godly. 

Keith spoke openly about his problem and did not waver in his repentance or commitment to continue following Jesus. In his teachings, you could hear Keith's unwavering faith that the only way to live this life of following Jesus was complete abandonment to Him. This is so foreign to our culture today. A culture birthed and born out of the "ME" generation. A generation that seeks its own self comfort above everything else.
To some the idea of following Jesus is "What's in it for me?" How far off the patch could you be with that kind of thinking.

Keith truly believed (as I am coming to believe) that you cannot serve God with one hand on Him and the other on a lifestyle that seeks comfort. Our flesh rails against surrender to follow this Jesus. It only wants to build a safe place where it can be fed and nurtured. I think the words of Matthew 6:24 are still for me, here today.  No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.
Where is my loyalty? Not what I say or declare, but where is my heart, my thoughts...where are they focused? More than that is "what am I doing for the Kingdom?" Do people see Jesus when they look at me? I pray they do.

Am I feeding the poor, yet all the while loving God?
Am I visiting the sick and praying for them, all the while realizing how I have nothing to offer but my prayers in the name of Jesus?
Am I visiting or staying in contact with those who are in jail or prison.....Do I pray for them?
Am I becoming a student of God's word? Do I read....do I have devotions or am I truly being fed and shown the way to live through the Word of God.?

If I claim to have the Holy Spirit inside of me, should I not be motivated to look outside my own needs to help and minister (serve) others? I think so.
It is great that we have churches to go attend and have fellowship with other believers.....but I have a lot more time outside of church than I do inside.
Would it not stand to reason that I am on call 24/7 for the Kingdom to minister and pray and be the voice, arms, legs and heart of Jesus here in my town?
Guess what? You get to play also! What does that mean? It means that we don't sit around looking to that man up front every Sunday who gives the message, as being the only one who gets to do the things of Jesus.
Jesus turned over His kingdom to a group of men who probably couldn't get into most churches today....
He told them, "Hey guys! I want you to go out and make disciples. Get it? Make disciples..teach them the things that I taught you. Baptize them in the name of my Father, and of me and the Holy Spirit."

Make disciples.
What an incredible thing to share your story with someone and see God turn on the lights in their heart and mind. The light that only God can turn on that shows them real life that is available.
We get to "do the stuff" that Jesus did.
We get to pray for others as God heals.
We get to do spiritual warfare and see demons flee.
We get to bring healing and restoration to broken lives.
We get to see sinners saved.
That is power of the message of Jesus!
It is for today.
It is for those who believe.
It is here and now.

Crazy for Jesus? You bet I am.
Crazy enough to believe that this stuff is real.

God on you....
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DELIVERER

 

So many problems in our world today. So much pain and heartache. A lot of it is self-inflicted. No matter what, the root of all of it is we are born with a bent in our nature and in our hearts that moves us, influences us, and eventually will kill us with the 2nd death. What do I mean by this? There is a death beyond our physical death. This 2nd death is separation from God for eternity. More than just separation it is a place that I would not rather be in.

I know this all sounds like science-fiction, or a fairy tale gone bad. I know that some even have the thought of "How could a God, who is suppose to be loving, send people to such a place?" Well, He doesn't. It is a choice that we make. Oh, I don't mean that we wake up one day and declare verbally out loud that we are going to reject God and live our lives the way we want to. There may be some who choose this route. But for others it is simply a slow slide down into an abyss of sin/addiction and darkness. One other thing....sin is not the deed we do, the behavior we act upon, or the choice we make. All these are a symptom of something gone terribly wrong in our life. SIN is the state of our heart. Just as drugs and alcohol are a symptom of following our own dark desires rather than choosing to follow God. We make a choice to fill our souls and minds with a mood altering substance. We think we are escaping but in truth we are creating a false sense of life. Real life continues to go on in spite of the high we seek to achieve. Problems don't go away simply because we don't think about them or choose to ignore them. In fact our problems multiply with each time we use. We go farther and deeper down that dark hole, all the while thinking that we are still in control. Eventually we come to a place where we come face to face with the cold sobering fact that we can't stop. We try and exercise will power but it falls to the ground when that dark voice whispers for us to escape through using again. We obey.

We see the results of what happens when we choose to follow our sin-appetite rather than receive God's gift of salvation in Psalms 107

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. That is why He broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help. 
"Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and HE saved them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains.

Let them praise the LORD for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. For He broke down the prison gates of bronze; He cut apart their bars of iron.

This morning, I declare to you that there is ONE greater than your addiction. There is a POWER higher than any high you could ever hope to achieve. This POWER has a name, and that name is JESUS the Christ, the Messiah, the Deliverer. You see breaking free from the power that has control of you isn't a matter of will power......it's a matter of will-direction. A choice we make of turning will and life over to God. Sounds simple doesn't it? Well it makes more sense than by continuing in the way you've been going.  

If anything I've written this morning hits home, then find yourself a meeting to go to. There is an entire fellowship of people who God has freed from what holds you in place today. A people who have found the value of moving forward in their choices to allow God to change them from the inside, not simply give them sobriety. Recovery is a change of heart, mind, soul, and the spirit. You no longer look to yourself for the answers, but rather to God to lead you daily.

My prayer today is for you to encounter real truth. That God would speak to your heart today and that desire that rises up in you to quit and walk away from the old life would lead you into His arms.

Never forget----------I love you, and so does God!

God on you...

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MARY

 

Well, here they are! my two nieces. Mary and Elizabeth. I don't know if you can tell it or not, but Mary (on the left) is the prankster of the family. Dry humor that always caught me off guard, but made me laugh when it did smack me in the face.

Mary died last Sunday morning. She had been in a terrible car wreck and had held onto life for a number of weeks. Being a niece, I did not see her as much as I should have. Time and distance has a way of disconnecting folks. Shouldn't be that way, but it is.

She had a lot of "Betty" in her, Betty being her grandmother. Mary took up tasks and work that would have driven most women away. She went to college but then decided to switch and learn how to be an electrician. She never fell back on the idea of " I'm a woman, I can't do that." In fact she was quiet the opposite...."Give me those pliers and let me do my job."

The one thing I remember most about Mary was the "impish" smile that seem to creep across her face when she felt happiness or joy. She was an infectious person wanting every moment in life to one to be savored and drained of joy, as if you could take the joy and put it in your pocket. Put it in your pocket and pull it out on the hard days to help you make it through.

When Mary was a little girl, she was thoroughly convinced that I was Santa Clause, even to the point of approaching my wife to secretly ask her..."Do you know that you live with Santa Clause?" That was Mary.

Yesterday I visited Mary's Facebook page to read some of the postings. There were so many written by friends of hers that expressed their grief and sadness that Mary had died. Without fail, each one commented on how Mary had gotten them through some hard times. Mary seemed to have a knack for reaching out to others to make sure they were taken care of.... That was Mary.

So this morning, life seems a little less full....with her passing. May we all take a lesson from Mary and see the hurt that others are going through. TO not stand idly by and just watch, but to draw close to the individual and BE with them. We may not have answers to their troubles, but we can be there with them.

Thanks for all the lessons you have, and are continuing to teach us. I pray that I become a better uncle than I was to you. I love you Mary, and I will miss you terribly.

Uncle Michael

GRIEF

 

Job 1:20 - Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.

Not your typical response now days when a person has a tragedy in their life. The first two actions by Job were customary to his day...the tearing of his robe and the shaving of his head, but the third one is an act that is timeless.

The idea of worshiping God in our greatest times of grief and sorrow. Let's be honest here. In one day, Job lost everything he had. His children were killed, all his possessions were either stolen or destroyed. He kept getting bad news from his servants as one by one they came to tell him what had happened. But Job.....he worshiped. Job looked to the only One who could comfort and give strength to carry on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying God came down and took all of Job's grief away, or magically made it into something else. God met Job right where he was and took him through his grieving. Job fell to the ground not to wail in despair, but to worship in hope.

I Peter 5:6-7 - So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give ALL your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.

Did you notice that the verses say "You shall not worry or be heavy laden with care." It said that when such comes to you...when it seeks to bend you to the ground under the weight of your worries, give them to God. Turn them over and HE will lift you up. (Now I'm fixing to talk to myself here)---"Why is this so hard for me to learn? Because in those dark moments of grief, worry, doubt and fear, God seems so far away. We are overwhelmed by these emotions. Truth is, God isn't far away, that's what the devil would want us to believe. God is right there with us. Ready to take the grief and pour out His comfort upon us. That which we need to move forward with Him in this life. Oh, that doesn't mean that if we have lost a loved one that magically we will not grieve any more, or mourn their loss. We will....we should.....it will happen. But it won't be such a devastating grief that we are left with no hope.

Here is why God comes to those who are grieving. Isaiah 53:3 - He was despised and rejected---a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. God totally understands our human condition.  Think on these things today.

God on you...

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I MIGHT-----I MIGHT NOW----I'M NOT SURE

 

Judges 2:10
After that generations died, another generation grew up who did not acknowlege the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.

Judges 3:7
......they forgot about the LORD, their God.

Judges 21:25
In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.


Call me foolish...Call me out of touch......(Call me Ismael....sorry. I was having a Moby Dick moment).
Seems to me that history does in fact repeat itself. We might not want to acknowledge this view, but I think all we have to do is look around to see what happens when a people remove God from their collective consciousness. Things tend to go South really quick and turn into a nation that has no moral compass. What does this have to do with Recovery or Addiction? Well, I am coming from the view point and belief that the key to recovery is the need to be healed. Healed spiritually, by a Power greater than ourselves. Healed mentally, by a Power who can restore us to sanity. And healed physically, by a Power that has the ability and authority to do such a work. In my 22+ years of being in a recovery setting, I have seen only one Power who could pull off all three. That Power would be Jesus Christ.

As much as I love the Twelve Steps....the true change in a persons life who is struggling with addiction is found in a person, not a program.  (The steps are a series of disciplines that point to the Person who has the power to change us) That person would be Jesus Christ. It is the infusion of God's Holy Spirit in me through the saving work that Christ offered to me as a result of His death and resurrection that opens the door to my healing. The Twelve Steps is an outline or form that I follow to keep me focused on the task at hand. Just as God gave Israel a "Promised Land" to live in, He has given to me a "Promised life" to occupy. But, like Israel, I have to own this life, fight for this life, and remove all the strongholds the enemy tries to put up to stop me from moving forward with Jesus. It is a battle, but a battle well worth the fight.

Because it is a battle that is fought on many different fronts and in the lives of those who are giving themselves to Jesus, we are called to be in community with like minded people. That is the importance of getting connected with meetings and with a good church. To surround yourselves with people who are in the middle of the battle like yourself. Sharing your stories and your struggles. Receiving prayer and praying for others as you sharpen each other with your victories and comfort each other in your defeats. It's all about the community. That is why the very first word of Step # 1 is  "WE"...not "I" or "Me". WE!

I really don't know who stops by this blog to read it. I don't know what you may be struggling with today in your personal life. But I do want you to know this. I pray over each posting each day that God would come to you, right where you are. That He would come with POWER and offer to you what you need for that moment and that day.
Know that God loves you................and so do I.

God on you.....
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LAST NIGHT'S MESSAGE: LOOKING AT TOMBS AND THE POWER TO BE FREE FROM DEATH

 

Really good meeting @ ReCovery Church last night. You can catch the message in the audio section of this blog if you'd like to listen to it, or you can download for latter auditory enjoyment.

Taught from John Chapter 11 /  the events surrounding the death of Lazarus, the appearance of Jesus and the power that He brought to raise this dead man back to life. When it comes to addiction and the desire to break free from that "tomb of death", I have asked the question, "Do you believe in God?" To which most will say, "Yes!".  "Do you believe that what we read in Genesis 1:1 is the truth, that God created the heavens and the earth?" Once again, their reply is "Yes." With such an answer that God alone possesses such power, then why do people find it so hard to believe that He could not "SPEAK" into their lives, just as He spoke in Genesis, and raise them to new life out of the tomb of death we call addiction?

II Corinthians 5:17 tells us that if we are IN Christ, then we are (not will be) a new creation. A turning point takes place when we receive the salvation that Jesus offers to all who come to Him. We no longer are driven by the dark desires of our old nature.....our sin/ nature. We are following a new voice in our life as we go about our day listening for His Holy Spirit to guide us. Now this doesn't mean that the old nature gives up. We still carry it around. Galatians 5 talks about the war that goes on between the flesh and the Spirit. There is an old adage in recovery that compares this war between flesh and spirit to 2 dogs who are at odds with one another. The question is asked, "Which dog will win the fight?" The answer is quiet clear. The dog that we feed. One we feed, the other we starve. If you feed the flesh at the expense of the Spirit, the flesh will rise up and take control. If you expend yourself feeding the Spirit, then it will be the dominant force in our lives.

I have rambled enough...check out message if you wan to.

If you have a ROKU device, do the following

*Go to search and type in Sermon.net

*Down load the app

*Open the app and type in Recovery Church

*It should take you to our page where you can scroll through and select the message you'd like to listen to.

Ain't technology something else. Well, it's time for the high-tech redneck to move on down the line. Until next time.....

God on you...

mbb

TO WILL OR NOT TO WILL----THAT IS THE QUESTION

 

Joshua 24:15
.......But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.

Step # 3
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
I don't know how many times I have taught on Step # 3......many.
But it wasn't until this morning, during my quiet time, that I saw something that had been right in front of my face for a long time.
Turning our will over to God isn't giving up our will. I use to think that it was simply me becoming a kind of blank slate on which God would write instructions. Not true.
We are turning the focus of our will toward God to follow Him.
To do what He tells us to do.
To go where He tells us to go.
To say what He tells us to say.
The will is very much still in play, it is just that I have now (in the knowledge that I am powerless) focused myself on listening only to Jesus, not my old nature or lusts.


Oswald Chambers, in his devotional My Utmost For His Highest,  writes, "Will is the whole man active. I cannot give up my will, I must exercise it. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God's Spirit."  In other words, the will remains present but the focus is almost an oxymoron. I will myself to not will myself to do the wrong thing. I will myself to give up and not give in to the thought that I must use. How do I do this? By turning my will to God.

It all goes back to what Jesus taught in Luke 9:23 ---"You want to follow me? Then deny yourself." There is the "Bingo"moment we have been looking for. That by denying what my sinful nature wants, I must have something to turn to in order to combat the lust that would seek to drag me away into sin. I turn, by my will, to Jesus. He is the HIGHER Power and as such, has the Power to break the lust and desire to do the wrong thing.

I Peter 4:2
And you won't spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

Where your heart is....
There your thoughts will be...
Where your thoughts are....
The body follows.
Turn your heart toward Jesus and follow hard after him.

God on you....
mb

TOMBS AND FURNACES

 

Tombs and furnaces.....what do they have in common? Well, Jesus showed up at both places to demonstrate His authority and Power against what others claimed to be impossible. We are going to take a look at this topic tomorrow night @ the ReCovery Church.  Meeting starts at 7 p.m. /  we are located downtown Gadsden on Broad street, between 4th and 5th streets.

We have suspended our "live-stream" for a season, but the message will posted here on the Greene Street Letters following tomorrow night's meeting. You can download it or listen to it in the audio section of this blog.

If you own a Roku device, you can search for Sermon net and download their app to your Roku. When you open that app, type in Recovery Church and it will take you to a page where you can open our messages.

Please pray for the Core leadership @ Recovery Church as we simply try to obey what we hear God pointing us to. Along with us, please pray for all the ones who are having recovery meetings. Death by overdose is up 27% as people don't seem to be coping well since the pandemic hit. We cannot stand or sit quietly while others slide over the edge into eternity without having heard the good news that Jesus can free them from the darkness of addiction.

Thanks to everyone who stops by to read the daily postings...

God on you...

mbb

VERSE FOR TODAY

 Psalm 5:3 - Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly.

Prayer is a much misunderstood word. The act itself  conjures up all sorts of images. From the high and lofty prayer of someone who is intimately acquainted with God, to the the mumbled words of that person who is at the end of their wits.

Some treat prayer as if it were a magical spell used to bring down God to do our bidding. Some simply fill the air with words hoping they do some good. But then there are those who move into the place of true fellowship and relationship with God. Where the heart defines the words, the conversation flows easily because of time spent together.  Oh, don't get me wrong---I know that a lot of the ways we pray to God is defined by our current situation or circumstance.

The family who is waiting in a hospital room with a loved one whose life hangs in the balance....you know their prayers are born from a place of fear, grief and pain. No matter what our situation may be, God is listening.

The part I love best about the verse from Psalms is that after my prayer has been prayed..........I wait expectantly. Hard to do sometimes, this waiting. Am I waiting to see how God will answer my prayer? Maybe. Am I waiting to see if God will say anything at all....probably. Am I waiting expectantly? There is the kicker. Am I waiting expectantly?

Am I waiting in the knowledge that He is God and I am not? Am I waiting, trusting that He knows best how to answer my prayer? That I will be accepting no matter what the answer is? I have to remember that I have been called to follow Him. Follow means not only the direction or movement of my day, but the also the answers that come when He does speak. 

I confess that when it comes to prayer sometimes I feel like "Ned in his first reader". Very inadequate in my efforts. But I'm not going to let this stop me. I want to grow in my prayer life. I want to discern His voice even clearer than I do now. I listened to a sermon where the speaker asked a simple question. "Do you want quantity or quality to your prayers?" Me? I choose quality.

Time for me to scoot... Y'all have a good day.

God on you...

mbb

GETTING ME OUT OF THE WAY--AND HIM IN THE WAY

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust IN the Lord with all your heart; Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

TRUST =  A refuge (according to Strong's Concordance). When I think of refuge, I think of a place to escape to and find safety. Trusting in God is such a place. I am not buffeted by the winds of the world or age. I am not tossed about by doubt and fear. I find that stable place in Him. That foundation on which I can lay my hope and trust that He is who He claims He is, and that He will do what He has promised He would do. Trust.

Seems to me that trust and faith may be first cousins. They both are looking beyond whatever situation we may be facing. Believe you me there are a lot of folk's out there who are faced with some very painful circumstances, and they do so without any answers to help them. I don't need answers, I need God....He has the answers. I don't need solutions to my situation, I need God....He knows the future and if I let Him (by the way that simply means I get out of my own way to embrace His way) He will guide me...point me in the right decision and choice I need to make.

The one thing I love about this verse is the part that tells us to not depend (or lean upon) our own understanding. Now this doesn't mean we check our brains at the door when we enter into relationship with God, but it does mean that He truly does have a better perspective on what I am facing than I do. Sometimes my emotions, my flesh (sin-nature) taint my perspective and instead of following God, I wind up following "ME" using His name to validate my bad choice. Lesson that I have had to learn on numerous occasions.

Let this verse get into your heart today and let it become truth that brings life rather than some words on a page that sound good.
Have a good'un!!

God you you...

mbb

WE ARE ALL IN NEED OF HEALING

 

(Went back, looking through the archives of this blog and found this entry from 2010. Kind of jumped out at me, so I thought I would post it one more time)

I walked into the diner yesterday morning for breakfast and a meeting.
I have a standing appointment every Wednesday.
Waitress knows my name.
She knows how I like my coffee.
I guess familiarity has some good qualities.
The regulars are there.
Each with their own meal....
Each with their own thoughts.....
Each with their own..............................................................problems.

You couldn't tell by simply gazing around the room.
Everything looks at peace.
Casual chatter and the rattling of plates and silverware.
The air punctuated by the voice of a waitress calling out the order to the cook.
"Pull one bacon.....hash browns...scattered, smothered and covered."

Yet this morning I see things differently.
I'm sure when the people stop to look at me, they see the same things I see in them.
Someone who is simply trying to get through this life.
Yet in this casual setting....
In this place of food and company....
each of us had our own problems and situations that haunted us like some deep, dark demon.
The guy in the corner.....
He is an alcoholic.
He is a regular but sometimes has to go to the hospital because of his liver.
He is afraid. Unsure.
This diner affords him some normality in his life.
The waitresses know his name and they take care of him.
He construes this to mean friendship and relationship.

The other man, late 30's ...early 40's.....dresses like a jock.
He probably played sports in high school but those dreams have been covered in the dust of life.
Yet he still tries to find his identity from the past.
Baseball cap.....
shades......
sweat shorts and jersey....
Always sits at the counter........drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.
Usually has a newspaper, turned to the sports section.
Makes small talk with the waitresses.

Me?
I'm simply a tired old, fat man trying to get to heaven (as John Wimber liked to say).
My problems are there for all to see.
I have longed since lost the energy to put up a front or try to be something I'm not.
I do not write this to bolster any ego, especially my own.
I simply write it as truth.
You see, in many ways I am very fortunate in that God has put me in a place where problems and character defects are out in the open.
 Being a pastor at a drug and alcohol rehab, you know that every one who comes here does so because they have a major life problem. You can't deny it and you sure can't run away from it.
We don't get many in here who don't have any problems at all.
To me, this puts everyone ahead of the curve.
They have to openly acknowledge "HEY! I'VE GOT A PROBLEM! AND I NEED HELP!"

Unlike the folks at the diner...who drift in and out and carrying around the weight of their own brokenness.
Maybe I should stand one day when I go to that diner and make an announcement.....
"Excuse me....could I have your attention please."
"I have been coming here for 13 years, so I have seen a lot of you on numerous occasions."
"You know....I don't see much joy in your face. I see a lot of pain and heartache."
"For some of you, the pain is the only thing you have left that lets you know you are alive."
"You really don't have to carry this around anymore. Jesus.............yes, that's right, Jesus....!"
"Not the God you thought you knew from church, or the God of the religious television show you watch to make fun of....
 But the real, deal Jesus.......He wants to have relationship with you."
"I know this may offend some of you....I know that you didn't come here to be preached at."
"Well, you know what.....I didn't either, but week after week I see your faces. Eyes that have seen too much and scars and lines that measure out the bad choices you have made. You have forgotten how to laugh........let alone smile."
"There was this long-haired, hippe-type guy back in the 70's who wrote some songs about Jesus simply because he ran into him and it changed his life."
"One of the lines from a song he wrote says, "Why don't you check into Jesus, He's got the answers."

God bless everyone who sits in that diner today.
From the waitress who needs healing for her back because shes always in pain....
to the customer who seeks shelter there for more than food and drink.
If ever there was a place that needed you to be God at, it is this diner.
Amen!

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